[Windmount Stables] A Drykas by any other name (Open)

[Sama'el Sunsinger]

16th Spring, 510 A.V.

Samael's eyes went big and brown at the sight of the stables. He had worked in private stables, before. A certain stupid owner of his had put him at work in the stables and then gone and got drunk along with all his guests and many of his personal guards, which led to Samael's eventual freedom. He was still unclear on the reality of his freedom; if he ran into the wrong person and Horse couldn't get them the hells out of there, he supposed it might be decided that he was no longer free...

But in the meantime, he goggled at the surroundings. Horse was all well and good, and perhaps Horse would be jealous to see him goggling, but there was so much prime horseflesh that he was a little disoriented.

NOT that he was one of those fellows who liked to take his jollies at the expense of livestock -- that only happened in truly rural areas from what he understood -- but there was such variety and quality that he was determined to either steal them all and start his own herd or at the very least work here.

Employment -- it would be nice to have a job rather than steal for a living, but he had been a bit of a horse thief from time to time so the larcenous bits of his soul were ready to toot horns into the heavens at this rather impressive display.

With Horse safely tethered where it was least likely for her to be stolen, he began to look around. He didn't seriously think he could corner gainful employment here, but he liked to look at horses, as much as he liked people-watching, as they were people to, at least to his mind.

He whickered and petted the nose of the nearest prize of equine breeding.

[Jaeden Kincade]

A linger of giggles and laughter could be heard from outside the stables, eventually Jaeden backed out from behind the corner as a couple of the women held on to his wrists, trying to drag him back. A playful smile was on his face as he slowly shook his head at them. "I'm sorry, I can't," Jaeden confessed to them. "I have other things today that I've put off for too long. Soon, though, soon." A few lingering sounds of disappointment were voiced from the women as Jaeden stood firm in his decision before they eventually began to leave, one of them tossing a wink towards Samael when she noticed him. Jaeden waited a moment before releasing a slow sigh. "They're my weakness," Jaeden said idly before looking over to Samael. "Hello there," Jaeden said, greeting the young man with a friendly smile as long strides began carrying him towards him. "I'm Jaeden Kincade, would you happen to be an attendant to this stable?"

[Sama'el Sunsinger]

Pretty girls winking at him always made him smile, and poor Jaeden Kincade's predicament just made him grin. It must have been tough, he imagined, having to beat them off with a stick. But maybe one day Sam would have enough money so he could look less like a stableboy and more like a man. One day.

"Looks like you're their weakness," he noted. "Naw, I'm Sam. I was just looking around. Thought I might find some work and see if it's worth staying around or ride on to the next settlement..."

[Jaeden Kincade]

"Me? Nah, I'm just a flirt," Jaeden proclaimed with a slight chuckle as he let his heavy hand fall along Samael's shoulder before looking around the stable for a moment. "I'm considering getting a horse for myself in the future, however, I sadly have no experience in riding such an animal." Jaeden then looked down at Samael as his hand slowly rose to rub his chin as he spoke. "Riding to the next settlement? You wouldn't happen to be of Drykas decent would you?

[Sama'el Sunsinger]

He tried not to tense up at the unexpected contact, but Jaeden followed up like a boxer with the questions about his ancestry like a one-two combination. Normally he would have ignored the question, or denied the truth, but he did need some money to keep Horse in oats, and the man seemed decent enough. Of course, many people were deceptive, but he had come to rely on what he thought of as his 'horse sense' even though many horses were stupid enough to run back into burning barns.

His smile withered a little, half-hearted now. But he undid the leather cuff around his left wrist and showed the man the windmark he had earned as a seven year old, gentling his first strider.

"Yeah, just don't tell anyone, all right?"

[Jaeden Kincade]

Jaeden's smile broadened slightly as he looked over the mark. "Grand," he simply said, looking up to Samael's horse as his voice grew a little quieter to avoid others of Samael's nationality since he seemed reluctant about having it in the open. "I do hear that the people of your nation are unmatched in their skills of riding. What say you to giving a lout such as me lessons?" "I have some coin for such, or we could have a bit of a trade in in knowledge," Jaeden suggested. "I have some skill in the use of swords, tracking, hunting, wilderness survival, and trapping to name a couple."

[Sama'el Sunsinger]

Sam was quick to hide his windmark, binding it up again in obscuring bands of leather. He nodded quickly.

"We can trade, but since, you know, I'm a master and all, you still have to buy me lunch on days where we train."

It didn't hurt to attempt to negotiate an advantage. That's why the Drykas Ankals made such good traders of horseflesh, too. And Jaeden himself had been the one to attest to his skill.

"Deal?"

[Jaeden Kincade]

Jaeden slipped his arm around Samael's head, wrapping his knuckles lightly along the top of his head, already treating him slightly like a kid brother as he laughed. "Interesting confidence you got there," Jaeden chuckled as he released Samael's head. "Well, if I don't buy the lunch, I'll catch and cook it. Most of my food I do anyhow." Jaeden then looked to Samael's breed. "Think he'll let me ride him? I hear that the horses for yours often bond with their riders," Jaeden then commented.

[Sama'el Sunsinger]

Sam didn't fight the physical familiarity, having learned to survive at a young age. He was almost as tall as Jaeden, but slouched when not astride a horse. He laughed it off and tried to flatten his unruly hair down, but an empath might have tasted his discomfort. That sort of familiarity had been absent in his life for ten years. It was ... disconcerting. But he focused on the shop talk.

"Naw, Horse isn't a strider; he's a Talderan Windrunner. But I've retrained him since I got him, and he's smarter than most horses. He'll let you ride him if I tell him to, though. He's a palfrey, so his gait is real smooth. You shouldn't have any trouble with a walk, but you do have to know how to direct him or he'll direct himself to the nearest water, food, or filly in heat."

He smiled at Horse with pride, patting his neck.

[Jaeden Kincade]

Jaeden gave a subtle nod as he took a lean along the nearest support beam, looking over the horse as Samael talked about it. "Well, the first two I could deal with, but if it got all randy and mounted a filly, I don't think I could stay on his back for that. I think it'd be sort of..........awkward, for him," Jaeden said as a weird look rose on his face, picturing it for a moment. He then gave a slow shake of his head, tossing the image from his mind as he pushed himself off his lean. "Anyhow, all sounds good to me," Jaeden said before dipping his fingers into his belt pouch and pulling out a gold miza. With a slight 'ting' he flicked the coin up into the air in Samael's direction. "Grab yourself some food and then meet me at the city gates within the chime of a bell, I have to head back to my place for my gear. Especially my sword and bow in the event we come across any unsavories while in mid practice."