5th day of Spring, 513 AV Ninth bell of the day The sun crept into view early in the morning, it shone down on the city of Avanthal. Frost sparkled in the pale rays of the early morning sun, catching a traveling figure under its shimmer of colors. The young man blinked back at the glimmering display and stayed under its flickering colors for a moment, silently marveling its beauty. He paused from walking to stretch his arms and legs, he’d been walking for a while now. The White Elk Stables was still out of sight though, so he pressed on further, a hint of worry evident in his face. The cold air embraced his bundled up form, making his skin prickle. Usually that was enough to make him scowl and curse the weather but he had other things to worry about today. He didn’t want to be late for his first day in the job. Yousef wanted Lusina to see he was capable of taking care of his horse, he was determined to prove himself. Though admittedly, he wasn’t that familiar with horses. He was familiar with his horse yes, but that’s as far as his knowledge goes. He knew basic grooming, head and torso and hooves. And he knew a little bit about stabling. But that wouldn’t be enough to last him with Hassan, especially if he wanted to travel further with him. Maybe Lusina was right… The Benshira continued to fret, creasing his eyebrows and rubbing the back of his neck absentmindedly. He took deep sharp breaths and plowed through the snow. Soon enough he could see the Stables, its broad form wasn’t hard to spot from where he was and he made his way to its doors. Gingerly he pulled them open and stepped inside. He felt like a child on his first day of school and he probably looked the part. Some of the grooms stared at him but quickly returned to what they were doing. Yousef took small unsure steps inside, glancing at the elk and horses and their grooms. He brushed the snow off his coat and made his way into the inner part of the warm Stables. He stopped at the far end of the stables where the riding gear for horses hung, it was a good distance from the other groom’s earshot. The Benshira let out a breath of air and removed his hood. He raked his hands through his curls and twisted the headgear in his hands. I don’t know what to do… where do I start?! Should I ask the others for help…? A horse’s neigh interrupted his worried thoughts and he stared at the animal, it stared back at him with its large black eyes. His gaze softens and he smiles fondly at the horse, it shook its head slightly and blinked a few times before giving out another impatient nicker. Slowly he approached it. “Hello there” he said in a voice that wast just above a whisper. Yousef removed his gloves and extended his hands to the horse’s muzzle. The horse smelled his hands then it rubbed its muzzle against his palm, its breath felt warm against his skin. “You’re an affectionate one aren’t you?” he felt relieved, at least there was somebody there who acknowledged his presence. I wonder if horses here only understand Vani… Would it make sense if I spoke to it in Common? He pondered on it for a while, then decided to give it a try. “So, what does a guy have to do to get some help around here?” he immediately felt ridiculous after blurting it out. Pfft, as if horses could talk back, I’m really loosing it. Yousef continued to rub the horse as he leaned against its stable. OOCI apologize for the delay of this thread! Things came up the past few days. Thank you for the patience. |