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[Abasi Foran]

4th of Spring
Year 514
17th Bell

"Wow, you're awful at this."

It's the end of the workday and the sun is melting into a red and gold puddle on the horizon. Abasi and Celia sit side by side on the low stone wall outside the Mithryn Outpost entrance, each working on darning the small stack of scarecrows at their feet.

"I mean really", the girl continues, eyeing the monstrosity in Abasi's clumsy fingers with trepidation, like it might rise to attack her. "It doesn't need to be smiling. It looks like an insane leper."

The Kelvic lifts the ragdoll by the scruff of the neck, peering into its stitched eyes -one a good inch bigger than the other- and its crooked grin. The rough string still dangling from the edge of its stitched mouth like a stubborn piece of drool.

"I like it", he sniffs stubbornly. "They're scarecrows, not cuddlecrows."

His bondmate shrugs, throwing another artfully mended doll onto the pile, its plumb body no longer leaking.

It's been their practice to wait outside for a bell or two a night, doing the menial tasks that need to be done and getting some fresh air while they wait for someone to fulfill their ad. So resting against the wall, just in case, is an old, beaten leather saddle, saddle pad and full tack. Abasi has never worn any of these things, but figures it cant be much different than a plow hookup. Celia has ridden bareback before, of course. Nearly every day. But if he wants to actually be a suitable mount for her -especially for long journeys- then he needs to work on the basics.

He's just not willing to subject his bonded to the bruising and frustration that is sure to accompany such a task. They'll get some other poor guy to be the practice toy.

[Jamie Lyons]

The day was coming to a close, and yet it was far from over. The past several bells had been dedicated to exercising his hawk Abina, and as he placed her back inside the mews in his apartment, she settled comfortably on the perch inside. He closed the door quietly and pulled off the heavy gloves protecting his arms from hand to elbow, then tossed them carelessly on the bed for later. From inside his boot he pulled out a crumpled, folded piece of paper. Jamie opened it and scanned the ad written there. He still had enough time to make it. Back outside the high stone walls of the Outpost, he eyed the setting sun and hoped these two would actually be waiting. Southern entrance, Jamie told himself as he cut down the dirt road that would take him there. He was glad for the change in the season. If it were winter he would have scoffed at the idea of lessons. They wanted someone to train a child on horseback. He wasn't an expert rider by any definition of the word, but it seemed they only wanted the basics, and he was confident in that degree. Jamie was sure he could help them. Right now he was working as a groom at the stable here at the Outpost, but several times had volunteered to work in the city. One picked up on all sorts of tips and tricks in his line of work. It was a messy job, but rewarding, and he loved the big doe-eyed beasts. Keeping a brisk pace so as to not have them waiting, he drew nearer to the southern wall about 20 chimes after the 17th bell. He could see two figures sitting atop the stone barrier just off the road. There was a child by the looks of it--likely the boy--and a hulking man perched beside him. Jamie glanced once more at the sky painted with streaks of fire. Plenty of time. He paused a breath to pull out the ad stuffed in his boot, and when the two of them were only a stone's throw away, he called out, "Excuse me? Do you have anything to do with this paper posted on the board in the city? It mentions someone needing horseback lessons." Now that he was closer, he wasn't so certain. The child he had assumed to be the boy was obviously a young girl. From where Jamie had stopped on the road a polite distance away, this was obvious. Her long hair was piled at the top of her head, and the feminine yet immature angles of her figure were the opposite of her companion's dark, hard build. He noted the pile of scarecrows on the ground. Each had one in hand. Jamie looked again at the crumpled advertisement in his fingers. His natural frown deepened, and his brow wrinkled. "It says here to meet at the south entrance between the 17th and 19th bell, but I see no boy and no horse." Blue eyes turned once more up to the pair of strangers perched on the wall. The saddle leaning near them finally caught his eye. "There seems to be a few components missing," he stated in obvious confusion.

[Abasi Foran]

"Excuse me? Do you have anything to do with this paper posted on the board in the city? It mentions someone needing horseback lessons."
 
The man had snuck up on them. Abasi and Celia are still bent over their work, quietly arguing the finer points of scarecrow aesthetics, when the stranger speaks. The Kelvic hadn't given much thought about what kind of person would answer the ad. But some instinct deep down tells him he was expecting this. The man is average in hight, though the way his shoulders press at his shirt hint that he's quite strong. But what what brings out this satisfied expectation in the Kelvic is the man’s serious, almost disapproving expression and the clever, bright blue eyes. He looks, to Abasi's untrained eye, exactly how a teacher would look.

But what’s this about horseback lessons?  
 
"It says here to meet at the south entrance between the 17th and 19th bell, but I see no boy and no horse. There seems to be a few components missing"
 
"Apparently", says the large Kelvic, his deep measured voice sounding bemused. Worn lines appear between his eyebrows, and you can almost hear his mind digging through his memory of writing out their request. Because that is indeed their ad in the mans hand. Complete with Celia’s charcoal likeness in the corner to better find them.
 
"Equipment, silent commands, war" he lists under his breath, counting down three fingers on his lap. "I don’t remember there being anything about teaching a rider. And It's says I'm eight years old, not that I'm a child", he adds dryly. He's never understood how humans consider age and maturity the same thing.
 
"I'm Abasi. This is my bonded Celia", he introduces, holding out his hand to shake. And then the stranger gets a quick, shy nod from the girl. "I'm Kelvic", he continues, motioning to himself. And, really, he is even dressed like a Kelvic. Which is to say hardly dressed at all. Despite the prevailing chill sneaking in with the descending Syna, he is wearing nothing but a blue skirt and a frown.
 
"I’m sorry for the... misunderstanding. I didn't realize that could have been read both ways-" Celia suddenly fumbles her scarecrow, then there is a tiny yelp and subtle curse. Apparently she had just pricked herself with the needle.
 
Abasi shifts in his seat and stares down at the girl, who’s now sucking on her bleeding thumb and looking rather defensive.
 
"Cee." he says darkly.
 
There is a second of silence while the girl squirms in her seat, before she finally blurts out. "W-well, he wouldn't have come if we'd spelled it out, would've he? Would've you?" she shoots at the stranger. "But since we're paying so well nobody should be complaining", she lapses into a huffy silence, stuffing her finger back in her mouth.
 

[Jamie Lyons]

The dark man beat around the bush a moment, only increasing his confusion. What a strange pair and an even stranger situation. Jamie looked at the ad again and carefully went over each line. There was the sketch in the corner as well, who he now realized was the young girl. But what did she have to do with the boy? He soon found out. Abasi's statement made him look up from his reading, a little dumbfounded. "You are the boy? I mean, not a boy. Clearly. You are the eight year old?" More explanation came quickly after. Jamie's cheeks flushed, and quietly he folded the page. "Well, that explains everything. Are you always so ambiguous?" Despite his slight annoyance, he mustered a smile for the girl Celia and politely tipped his head to her before lapsing into thought. When Abasi offered a hand, manners took over and he moved in closer to give a firm shake. The Kelvic's dark fingers dwarfed his own. When they let go, he backed away to a more acceptable distance. He folded his arms over his chest and looked at his boots, chewing the inside of his cheek. This changed the situation entirely. Was he teaching this man how to ride, or perhaps how to be ridden? Jamie had to assume since this Abasi was a shifter, and they had the saddle here--sans a horse--that he was actually the mount. He wouldn't be the first equine Kelvic here at the Outpost, nor the last. He began to think that this may be out of his league. Jamie was considering apologizing, but politely declining the opportunity, when the girl spoke loudly to him. He looked up at her, puzzled but listening. She had a point about the pay. Three gold mizas for each lesson, and it would surely take several. Sincerely and bluntly, he replied, "You are right." His shoulders bobbed with a shrug. "If I had known beforehand that I was teaching a Kelvic, I might not have come." He sighed, lapsing into silence for a few short beats and thinking. Finally, he decided. "But, now that I'm here we may as well not waste the opportunity. Plus I ripped your ad off the board." He flashed a quick, lopsided, apologetic smile. Jamie's eyes then fell upon the Kelvic. They were serious, no longer laughing like usual. "It's up to you. I will stay, or go." He held up their paper, folded and wrinkled in his fingers. "But if you'll be preferring someone else, I suggest writing up a new sheet and not subtracting the part about you being Kelvic." His voice wasn't angry, or even annoyed, only blunt.

[Abasi Foran]

After Celia's outburst the stranger answers her honestly, which Abasi appreciates. The Kelvic knows that his kind -while not treated with hostility- are not openly welcomed. They are seen as unpredictable and feral, the exact opposite of the code of conduct followed by the famous knights. But being both useful and docile means that Abasi has never encountered a problem stemming from his race. Except a couple of occasions where people who learned of his nature suddenly spoke in a slow and emphasized way. As if being a horse also made him a moron.
 
But the man continues to be polite and forthcoming, though annoyed. He is drawn to the generous three gold and says he will stay, if Abasi still wants him. The Kelvic's chuckle rumbles out of his chest like a drum beat.
 
"Point taken. And yes, I'd appreciate it if you'd stay. I cant exactly do this on my own. What's your name?"
 
He nods in appreciation as he is given an answer. And since he already gave his own, he sees no need to repeat it.
 
"Lets start with how this works", he pokes at the saddle and tack with his foot. "Make sure Celia knows what you're doing. And if you have any questions she'll be able to help." 
 
He gets up off the wall in a slightly stiff way, like an old man. The hard, low seat and the cold seem to have invaded his bones and aged him ten years. He throws his unfinished doll onto the pile, ruffles Celia's hair, and steps around his teacher and away. Striding in the opposite direction of the riding gear.
 
There are things you simply have to think about when your other form is three thousand pounds. I'd be easy to end up straddling the wall, knocking someone over or crushing a flat of vegetables when you change size and shape that rapidly. So only once he has a good bit of distance between himself and everyone else does he untie his garment from around his hips; simultaneously saying one thing that has never been spoken between men, and hopefully will never be said again
 
"Here man, hold my skirt."
 
He cant help a bark of laughter as he tips his body into the change, lobbing the garment at the man just before his fingers dissolve into light. And before the cloth can land there is a great black stallion where the man once stood. The beast shakes his head, snorts in relief and canters in a wide circle to work the last of the lethargy and stiffness from his limbs. 
 
He walks placidly back to the humans when he is stride lengthens and his muscles have expanded beyond the tautness of rubbery leather. Then stands there patiently, head lowered to watch his teacher out of one dark eye.

[Jamie Lyons]

"Jamie Lyons," he answered promptly to the Kelvic's question. He'd gone from teaching a child--or so he thought--to this. He sighed, but decided to not be upset by it. They might have surprised him, but they hadn't actually lied. He watched Abasi rise from the wall and move out onto the rode. Jamie backed up a little closer to the child and folded his arms. "Can you explain a little more what I should be teaching him? I know what the ad says, but the circumstances change it." Before the girl could answer, he turned at the sound of the Kelvic's deep voice. He caught a flash of the man's dark back and a bare ass before he caught the skirt out of the air. He looked at it blankly, then awkwardly draped it over the stone wall beside Celia. Jamie looked at her, an odd expression on his face. "I am going to forget that ever happened." A lie. When he mustered the nerve to look back, there was no longer a man. Circling back to them was the single most monstrously proportioned horse he had ever seen. The Seme was so large that his mouth opened in awe. As Abasi lumbered to a stop before them, peering at them with an intelligent eye, Jamie pulled himself together. He stroked his jaw seriously, and his fingers rasped against the prickly hairs growing there. "I half expected a pony," he finally said, fighting a smile. "I should have known." Of course, he thought to himself, scowling on the inside. Jamie walked around to Abasi's shoulder and looked up--then up some more--to the withers that towered above. "How is this even possible?" He looked over at Celia, so small sitting on the wall. "You ride him?" He couldn't believe it. Just sitting on the Kelvic was liable to make anyone nervous, and not out of any fear for the beast himself. The blasted creature was just so petching tall. Jamie grumbled in his mind, regretting for a moment his acceptance of the task. Shyke, he mumbled internally. Frowning to himself, Jamie went and retrieved the saddle. "I almost don't need this. Your back is so broad." He looked again at Celia. "Do you use this, or ride bareback?" He assumed she went without the saddle. Jamie couldn't imagine how the girl would even saddle Abasi. The Kelvic made her look like an infant. He examined the horse for a moment, and weighed the saddle in his arms. It was possible to lift it over his head and slide the tack onto his back, but the task would be awkward. As an idea struck him, he jerked his chin to beckon the Kelvic over. "Come here, let me put this on you." Jamie stepped up onto the low wall, effectively boosting himself up a few feet. It was wide enough to stand on and not feel as if he were about to fall. He hefted the saddle up onto his shoulder, and beckoned again but with his free hand. "Stand right here with your left side to me. You have had a saddle on before, right?"