Closed [Rearing Stallion] Hoofbeats and Halfbreeds (Beodan)

[Asen]

Was the idea of a healthy horse doing hard labor a laughable one? It seemed so. Asen felt her face heat up and quickly ducked her head, hiding her embarassment behind her mug of ale.

A free horse. How odd those words would sound coming from someone else's mouth. They still sounded odd, honestly, but less so since she knew he was a Kelvic. That was amusing, too. Here she was, afraid of horses and men and unnerved by Kelvics, yet this creature was all three and she was talking to him as if he was her best friend.

It appeared as though Beodan didn't mean to insult her with his laugh. He continued talking calmly and easily. An herbalist, he said he was. "Mm. I en't much of a plant-eater. Meat's more suited to my tastes, probably 'cause it was all Da ate."

She paused to think, then looked back at Beodan. "Have you ever eaten meat? You don't really seem the type. 'Course it's probably 'cause you're a horse. You're all plants an' such. Can plant-eatin' Kelvics even eat meat?"

[Beodan Clathony]

Beodan’s eyes lit up as a blush suffused Asen’s cheeks, endearing her to him. He decided at that moment that he liked her and added her to his mental list of friends and positive acquaintances. Her displayed embarrassment meant she was willing to open up to him, take off any masks of indifference she may wear among strangers. It made him happy. They slipped into a comfortable silence for a time, and the Horse Kelvic drained the last of his ale, he had been there for some time. He pulled out another silver, and hoped it would turn into another fresh mug as his last one had.

His drinking companion’s next question was very interesting. Dan thought about it. He did not eat in his human form very often, only when it was required by social situations or by environment. It was much easier to eat a loaf of bread inside than to make the trip, through cold weather, to the fields or scour the woods for some edible plants. But he had eaten meat a year or three ago, a hearty stew if he remembered rightly. “I’ve eaten meat before, though I don’t really like to. It has such a...strong taste? I am not sure how to describe it. Like how fire smoke hits your nose compared to lavender, but with taste,” he said, his brow furrowed with the mental effort of trying to find the right words to express his position on meat.

“I’m not sure about your last question though, I’ve only met a few other Kelvics that I know of. Though, I bet that we all can eat meat in our human forms, just preference that changes between us,” Beodan finished, not sure of his answer but fairly certain it was close to the truth. “Any other questions I might be able to answer?”

[Asen]

Well, his answer certainly made sense. Asen wasn't really sure about the lavender part, though. She hadn't smelled lavender recently and kind of forgot what it smelled like. She chewed on her bottom lip and her brow furrowed in thought.

Did she have other questions? Of course she did. She felt like she had hundreds of questions, like she was bursting with them. She'd promised Orin that she would try and act better towards Kelvics, and the first step to that was understanding them.

"How does your shiftin' work? Like, are y'all stuck in one shape after you eat a bunch? D'you look much like your animal form? Are you all disoriented after you shift? Does it hurt?"

The half-Dhani felt a little guilty about bombarding him with questions, but she wanted to make good on her promise. She didn't want to let Orin down. She hated letting people down.

"Sorry. I just... I didn't really like y'all much until recently. I kinda thought y'all were weird an' unnatural. I en't much different, though," laughed the blonde. I'm so petching old. Holy shyke, she thought.

She was most definitely old compared to Beodan. He said he was six, so that made her... About fifty-one years older than him. She was going to live a while longer, too. She was probably going to outlive him several times over, and that thought made her very, very sad. Sad enough to put her head back on the table and put her hands over her face. The crushing weight was returning.

"I'm sorry, Beodan. I'm tryin' to get better."

[Beodan Clathony]

Beodan liked to answer questions, it made him feel needed. Like someone had come to him specifically, for him and only him. He thought it was kind of petty in a way, though he still liked it all the same. So when Asen bombarded him with questions and queries of all kinds, a smile slipped onto his face. He thought for a moment, he did not actually know how shifting worked. How was he supposed to know, some kind of Kelvic Guidebook all Kelvics get when they are born? But he would do his best to explain!

“Well, I haven’t noticed any problems after I eat a lot. I tend to eat grass constantly for long periods of time, thought I don’t really feel the need to shift in the middle of it. But I do not think it matters. If I am hungry, I am hungry in both forms, because they are both me? Something like that,” Dan elucidated, pausing to wet his throat with ale. “I can’t get stuck. Well, I always have a choice, though it might be painful to shift into my horse form if say I was trapped between two rocks.” As for the next question, he did not think humans looked like horses, so how could he look like his other form, except that they were both him, so of course they both looked like him. His could feel his brain twisting at the complicated logic.

“Humans don’t look like horses, but my horse form is me, so it does,” Beodan said with a frown, even to him that sound weird. “It isn’t disorienting, just like blinking your eyes doesn’t make you blind. One moment you are something, then the next you are something else. Immediately, without hiccup in thought. I just decided to shift, and it happens. Like deciding to wiggle your finger!” Dan picked up his hand and wiggled the pinky in demonstration. “It doesn’t hurt. I don’t even really notice the transition. Just fade out and into existence or something.” It was good to think about these things and put them into words. He just hoped his answer was not too incoherent.

The Horse Kelvic nodded at her apology, accepting it graciously. Asen then let her head fall back down onto the table and hide behind her hands. He reached out and touched her shoulder softly, slowly rubbing the muscle comfortingly. He felt a shift in her emotions, back to the ones when he had first arrived. Depression he knew it to be now that they had talked. He hoped his silent will would be appreciated.

[Asen]

Asen grinned at Beodan. Most humans didn't look like horses, that was true, but there were some who did and the resemblance was uncanny. Moments later she almost smacked herself. Of course he looked like his horse form. It was, like he said, himself. Like how her father was still her father even when he changed shapes. It just seemed a little more disconnected because of the suddenness of the change.

Most of his answers were fairly understandable. Talking to Kelvics was easier than she'd originally thought. Dealing with the sinking feeling inside her, however, was not. Despite Beodan's acceptance of her apology, she still succumbed to unfriendly thoughts.

I'm a huge piece of shyke. I don't deserve his acceptance. I've been a giant ass to every single Kelvic I've ever met. I en't a good person. It's my fault. Everything's my fault. Gods, I'm so stupid.

A good percentage of the half-Dhani felt like crying was the best route to take. Unfortunately the decision-making part of her was telling her to toughen up and stop feeling sorry for herself, so that's exactly what she did -- or tried to do, at least. Beodan's hand on her shoulder was tempting her to just break down and cry.

"Thanks, Beodan. I, um, I think it's best if I go now. Thanks for answerin' my questions an' dealin' with me. I appreciate it," she told him as she stood and pushed her chair in. The blonde hurried out the door before anything else could be said to her.

[Dravite]

Asen

XP Award:

• Socialisation: 3
• Observation: 1
• Storytelling: 2
• Logic: 2
• Rhetoric: 2

Lore:

• Asen: Drinking one's self into a stupor
• Beodan Clathony: Handsome in the right light
• Beodan Clathony: The Kelvic horse
• Beodan Clathony: Likes tasty plants
• Beodan Clathony: The Herbalist
• Kelvics can eat meat no matter their form

Beodan Clathony

XP Award:

• Observation: 2
• Investigation: 1
• Socialisation: 5
• Storytelling: 2
• Logic: 1
• Rhetoric: 1
• Philosophy: 1

Lore:

• Asen: At first glance a man
• Sessaschenaasen: Asen for short
• Asen: promised her father she would become a knight
• Beodan: Likes being around people
• Asen: Suffers from depression

Notes: Beodan Clathony seasonal expenses? I don't see them paid on your ledger; you need to pay them before you accept these rewards. You will find more information at the bottom of the 'Price List' page in the lore; though I figure you want to be paying about 45gm (poor) for the season until you start bringing in a good wage. Great little social thread you two, was an interesting read. Enjoy the rewards! If you need help with the SE just send me a PM.

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