PM to join The Cure for Blue is More Blue (Ruzekiel)

[Nanami]

10th Bell
8th Day of Fall
Year 514

Just outside the Unstable Stables Nanami sits on the rough path and rubs her face with handfuls of her brittle hair. The hair smells overwhelmingly human. But superficially, the way a human would smell it, it's imbedded with the scent of dog fur. She wonders why that is, since she is neither.
 
Her old, worn sled harness lies between her knees like a dead thing. The leather has grown stiff with lack of use, and tiny white lines have appeared along the edge of the beautiful workmanship. It would probably feel foreign if she wore it now. Which is just as well, since she was refused the only job its good for.
 
There is something so pathetic about a working dog that doesn't work. Now what? She asked the Stables if there is any need of dog that can pull small wagons or be an otherwise compact beast of burden, and she was laughed out of the place by some dimwit with an accent and strange tattoos. They all love their horses here. Not even the sturdy, fetlocked kind you find in Avanthal. The ones in these parts are all skittish, high-maintenance things with wafers instead of legs. Honestly, why not dogs? Sure they are slower, and a team costs a fortune to feed. But does that compare to a pack of predators who would defend you on your travels? Beasts that can take care of themselves, and don’t need top be shoed, blanketed, massaged or otherwise coddled? No! They want the big, fancy nags with their dull teeth and weak noses. The animal that can run like the wind as it leaves you behind to be strained through the digestion of a dozen different wolves.
 
Stupid Alvadas. The Vantha would know better than these pale people.
 
The Kelvic brushes the hair out of her face with her fingernails and considers her options. She needs a job. But what else can she do? She is a sled dog with no sled. Her throat rattles with a growl of frustration and an unexpected, deep pang of homesickness.

[Ruzekiel Soren]

Etienne was having none of this.  “Come on,” Ruzekiel Soren urged the faithful paint, tugging firmly at the lead and slowly making his way up the hill to the Unstable Stables. “It’s allright, everything’s going to be fine,” he murmured to the horse, pressing gently into its neck with his shoulder, the coaxing more for himself than the skittish animal. This was not going to be easy. But he had no choice.  As he trudged into the large, bustling stable, Etienne clopping away next to him, Zeke passed a forlorn-looking young woman on the side of the dirt path. There was an old harness between her knees. Odd. No time to ponder it now. He stood in the middle of the busy stable, the old worn rope lead clutched firmly in his hand. He approached the man he assumed was the stable master and cleared his throat. The man turned and appraised the small bard with not quite a sneer. He was intimidation itself, strong shouldered, covered in strange tattoos, and…maybe even an accent? “You need boarding?” The man asked in an accent. Hah. Knew it. Zeke knew how he must look too—dusty coat, stubble, raggedy clothes underneath, and with this old horse beside him. This magnificent bastard of a horse. He addressed the stable master with a faint smile, all he could manage in this situation. “No, I’m…I’m looking to sell actually. This one.” Zeke patted Etienne’s neck. The stable master looked the horse up and down for a moment, then tilted his head towards the less busy part of the stables. “Follow me.” As they walked slowly after the tattooed man, Zeke kept close to Etienne, almost touching him, as he whispered encouragement into the paint’s ear. “Just think,” he murmured, “fresh grass, and no more rations, and—ooh, even apples. Not the bruised ones, mind you, good delicious apples.” It broke his heart, it really did, but he was a desperate man. “Name?” “Pardon? “What’s your name? “Soren. Zeke Soren. And this here’s Etienne.” The stable master nodded and hooked the horse to up to opposite sides of the stable, so it stood right in the middle tethered both ways. Then he slowly walked round, pausing every so often to check hooves and mane. “You’ve treated him well,” the stable master observed. “Always.” Etienne nickered nervously and Zeke hushed him, rubbing the white patch on his forehead soothingly. “Hay and water every day—I sneak him an apple every so often. I make sure he’s curried and brushed till his coat shines. He’d be a fine addition to any stable.” The horse nudged his hand and Zeke felt his throat start to close up. “Hundred-forty gold for him. We need a new training horse,” the stable master said, unhooking Etienne and giving the rope lead back to Zeke. By the time he’d led the horse into the spare stall his knuckles were white. He slowly unsaddled the paint while a stablehand took the old, weathered equipment to the tack room. Etienne stood quietly for the whole thing, bless his soul. When they were done the stable master gestured towards his office and bid Zeke to follow. Zeke hesitated, sliding his hand along the patch-colored coat and pressing his forehead to Etienne’s, talking to him softly in Vani. He looked back at the stable master, who held the stall door for him while he put off the transaction for as long as possible. “Can I visit him?” Zeke finally asked quietly. He was absolutely prepared to take off with the money and the horse, but Etienne, clever thing, delivered a strong nudge to his back and pushed him stumbling out of the stall. “Don’t see why not,” the bemused stable master said, closing and locking the stall behind Zeke with a final clang. Zeke turned to go back to the stall but the tattooed man put a hand on the bard’s shoulder and firmly guided him towards the small stable office. “Horse’ll be better off than you, I think,” he assured Zeke as he knelt to open a wooden chest in the corner. Zeke let out a small “Hah”, and sank into the chair opposite the desk. The stable master placed two bags in front of him with a piece of parchment and quill. He signed it, took the gold, and that was it. Zeke left with heavy pockets and a heavy heart. He hadn’t expected this to be so hard, but the thought of going back to the tavern without Etienne to keep him company was terrifying. Etienne had always been there for him, and they hadn’t spent a day without each other since they had met. Zeke tried to tell himself that it was just a stupid horse, but Etienne was his best friend. Now he was alone. He knew the nightmares would come back, now, and they would come with a vengeance. He’d avoided them for years with Etienne around to keep him company and listen to him, and comfort him when he felt lost. Now, though, Zeke didn’t know what to do. He slowly trudged out of the stable, his expression dark, and when he got a little ways down the dirt stretch he simply came to a stop, sat down on the edge of the path and put his head in his hands. He could really use a drink right now—but that was what got him into this mess in the first place. His throat closed up again and his hands curled into fists.

[Nanami]

Without warning, home dropped out of the sky just as she needed it.
 
Not one for being unduly surprised or careless, Nanami starts when the tiny man plopped down not four feet away from her with a look like he'd just killed his best friend. The man obviously was not watching where he was going either, for he didn't even acknowledge that she was there. But she was less focused on what the man was doing but on what he was- Vantha. She hadn't seen one since she left her home in Avanthal. Her heart leapt to her throat at the sight of him.
 
She picked up her harness and got to her feet, brushing the dust off of her threadbare grey dress. In three strides she is in front of him, and then she is crouching inches from his face. The intensity of her cold blue stare forces him to look up, and she smiles. The smile was more to diffuse the dark tide of thoughts spilling out of him than any show of joy, like a low wagging tail. In the language of dogs he is screaming at her that all is not well simply by his tense and curled body language. She speaks softly, and doesn't look him in the eye but instead speaks to a spot an inch to the right of his bright and changing eyes. 
 
"Hello. I've missed you." she said in perfectly accented Vani. And though she may have looked nothing like the dark, hearty Vantha, its obvious where she came from.
 
And she had missed him, but not in the traditional way- It's more of what he represented. She studied his face like she has been tasked to memorize it, and in it she sees bits and pieces of everyone she loved in the far north. She could even see the Aurora in his shimmering hair and the transparency of the ice in his kaleidoscope eyes.
 
He was in dire need of a bath, but she didn't mind. It meant she could scent him out without burying her nose in his hair. There is city dust and something animal on his skin. Does he work with beasts? Maybe not, but its something closely linked.
 
"I'm one of your Kelvics; a Zypherian of the Frostfawn hold. My name is Nanami. Tell me, can you drive a sled Vantha?"  

[Ruzekiel Soren]

Zeke heard a scuffling sound approaching him and he looked up to see a smiling face inches from his own. He jumped and leaned away from the figure, but after a moment he righted himself and flashed a false grin back. It was the girl he had seen earlier crouching in front of him, her eyes just grazing his, but still as captivating as if she were staring directly at him. Then she spoke. In Vani. The musical language made his heart skip a beat. He hadn’t heard anyone speak Vani since…He avoided the thought. Still, her soft voice brought an unexpected pang of homesickness for a home he’d left years ago. Zeke didn’t know this woman but somehow he swallowed and spoke, the vowels halting and heavy, “I’ve missed you too..I..I call myself Ruzekiel.” She was like an old friend, only he had never seen her before. Still she reminded him of fresh snow and the smell of old leather. Zeke uncurled a little, relaxing as he studied the woman that felt like home. Nanami. She said she was a Zypherian—a sled dog Kelvic—must be the reason for the harness draped around her. He had vague memories of mushing dogs through thick, deep snows and down long slushy trails—silent woods and campfire songs. Hazy memories that felt so familiar but unnervingly far away. He answered her query hesitantly, still tasting the Vani on his tongue and finding it more comfortable than the common, “Once, long ago as a child.” He didn’t bother to mention that he was half human. Somehow it felt shameful. He didn’t know why. He gestured towards the harness and picked it up, feeling the cracked, worn leather between his fingers. The euphonious words fell easily from his lips now, like he had never forgotten them in the first place. “Have you no driver, Nanami?”

[Nanami]

Nanami shook her head sadly: no, she hasn't had a driver in several years. Perhaps not long for the vital Vantha, but the years weigh heavily on a Kelvic. She was a little less than half the age she was then the last time she felt the bite of leather on her shoulders.
 
"I think It's time you practised, Vantha", she smiled, somewhat crookedly, as her dog mind races ahead of her. She felt defeated and useless, and missed home something terrible. She needed to prove something to herself and to this cursed city she's washed up in. She's going to pull a sled again.
 
Well, maybe not a sled.
 
"Hold this", she said, throwing the harness onto his lap as she gets to her feet. Morwen curse these stables with a hundred feet of snow! But she needs something they have, though she didn't know what. Something suitable to pull the Vantha man on. And nothing with wheels. She gallops back to the Stables but doesn't enter, she skirts the outside of the main building looking at all the old tools going to rust in the elements. There is an old wheelbarrow, a short spade, a pot for flowers, a pitchfork with missing prongs and... Yes! A short, shallow trough. That will do nicely.
 
The thing was knee deep and, if pressed, you could say a short man could sit in it. Provided that his feet were braced and his knees bent. The bottom was flat but the thing seemed to be made of tin, or some other light metal. Not perfect, but it would have to do.
 
She came strolling around the building completely unconcerned about how the stablehands would feel about this woman pillaging their equipment. But luckily no one was watching the wide path save Ruzekeil. She carried the thing in front of her by its two handles, and walks right past the Vantha.
 
"Come on cousin", she calls in passing. Somehow convinced he would follow. "Bring the harness. Do you know how to tie a good knot?"

[Ruzekiel Soren]

The Zypherian leapt into action, leaving a very confused Zeke in her wake. He stood there dumbly clutching the harness and watched her dissapear behind the stables. What on earth…Time he practiced? He hadn’t driven a sled since years and years ago. In fact he wasn’t quite sure if they were his own memories, they felt so far away. How was he supposed to drive a petching dogsled? This Kelvic was clearly off her head. But sure enough, the girl came bouncing back dragging…a trough. “What—?” He started to ask, but she simply breezed past him, calling for him as she dragged what he hoped was not a makeshift sled behind her. He scrambled after the Kelvic, nearly tripping on the harness as he did. She was an interesting character, as far as Kelvics go. As much as he wanted to tell her off and go home to the inn, he had a feeling it wouldn’t be the healthiest option. Following this strange Kelvic would be a welcome reprieve, if not for the ominous notion of mushing a giant dog through the forest on a trough. What had he gotten himself into now? “Do you know how to tie a good knot?” she asked as they walked. “Uh, yes I suppose,” he replied. “I lace up my boots in the morning, if that’s what you mean.” By Ionu, this woman was actually going to do it. He stopped in the middle of the path and turned to her. “Look, Nanami, I understand that you haven’t had a driver in a while,” he said gently. He gestured to the trough. “But if you think I can drive a sled, with that nontheless, then you are sorely—“

[Nanami]

Secret :

So sorry about the delay! For some reason this was very hard to write.

And here is the kind of trough I'm talking about, if you need a visual reference:

“Look, Nanami, I understand that you haven’t had a driver in a while,” he said in a gently patronizing voice. “But if you think I am going to drive your sled, with that nonetheless, then you are sorely—“

At this she wheeled on him, stepping so close that the three inch difference in their heights were readily apparent. “Do not refuse me Vantha”, she nearly snarled. “I am having a very bad day and you are small.”

That might be an odd thing for a person to say, but in the context of dogs it makes perfect and vaguely threatening sense.

Then she turned away with the buoyancy back in her step. This will be a lot of fun, despite what the human might think. She can do this, and she can do this well. She’ll prove them all wrong.

The Kelvic tugged the harness out of the mans hands and studies the two struts (the leather straps that reach out behind the body of the harness) with consideration. At the end of the straps there are two metal clips that should be attached to a lead line. But they have no such thing. She could clip them both to the handle of the trough, but then there would be less than two feet between her plumed tail and the “sled”. So if they had to stop in a hurry, they’d be shyke out of luck. The only thing that would stop this at once would be some very abrasive ground or a sudden wall. Not that there would be any need to stop on a dime, of course! She’d just need to be extra carful.

In one motion Nanami seized the back of her dress and pulled it off over her head. She lays the thin garment down on the bed of the trough, hoping to make it a little bit more comfortable. Then she begins the long process of putting on her harness. Since her dog form is much bigger, its possible to do this over her human self and then shift while wearing it. But the insane difference between one form and the other makes it frustrating and slow. She ties clips the harness around her ribs, one between her breasts and another in the difficult place between her shoulders. In the end, after a million minute adjustments, the thing hangs off her body like a deflated balloon. But it will fit in a chime.

She faced the Vantha and motioned with one pale hand towards the converted trough. “Get in”, she says, her voice light, cheery and promising violence in every syllable.

[Ruzekiel Soren]

Zeke jumped and let out an instantly regrettable squeak. This Kelvic clearly would not take no for an answer. She snarled in his face, standing imposingly over him—never had Zeke so sorely felt how short he was. “Do not refuse me Vantha. I am having a very bad day and you are small.” He gulped audibly, leaning backwards but looking her straight in the eyes. Then he cleared his throat and tried to growl back with some kind of authority, but all that came out was a bright and somewhat terrified “Allright then!” He smiled widely, hoping to show how harmless he was so that she wouldn’t maul and eat him on the spot. Nanami grabbed the harness from him and pored over the struts for a moment before clipping them to the handle of the trough. Zeke saw how close the harness was to the makeshift sled and he started to say something, but thought better of it. Better to just give the insane woman what she wanted. The Kelvic grabbed her shift and pulled it off in one swift motion, and Zeke felt his mouth go dry. He couldn’t help but notice that she was beautiful. Beautiful and barking mad. Heh, barking. She took the dress and fit it into the bottom of the trough and he nodded his thanks. Strange, but he was actually starting to become excited about this. What foggy sledding memories he had were good ones, and the idea of being pulled through the forest in a trough by an insane Kelvic was actually starting to sound…fun. It may have been the image of Nanami getting into that harness, or the immediate threat of getting mauled, but he was looking forward to this adventure. It may make for an excellent story one day. Nanami finished wrestling with the harness and Zeke snapped to attention. She gestured towards the trough. “Get in,” she invited cheerfully. Her eyes flashed. He was now almost absolutely certain that he had blundered into a kidnapping. Still, he shot her a grin and clambered into the trough, awkwardly shifting about and placing his heels at the very edge of the metal, knees bent. In this position he felt like a child. Ridiculous. The thought crossed his mind that if they were to go off course or hit a rough patch, he’d either break both legs or go flying, neither of which sounded particularly healthy or fun. He shook the thought off, braced himself and grabbed the edges of the trough. “Well, off we go then.”

[Nanami]

Zeke climbed into the 'sled' with no fuss. He seems to have simmered down now that she had established herself as the leader. For her, thats great; it means no pesky arguments. For himself, it means its just that much less likely that she will ever do as he says. Which is unfortunate, since he will be driving the sled.
 
Of course, a sled has no reins and no contact with the dogs, so there is no physical enforcement of commands like there is with a horse. Everything is verbal, and that means you need well trained dogs and driver, and complete and total obedience- which he just forfeited and threw away with both hands.
 
Nanami knelt in front of the tub, her elbows resting on the lips and her face smiling jovially from between his knees. "Comfy?" she asked. "Great. Now, this is probably going to be bumpy, and loud. You know, cobblestones", she rolled her eyes empathetically. Unaware she just shattered his notion that they will be doing this in the forest, and away from prying eyes. They will be going into the city. No matter how light he is, she would never be able to pull a flat-bottomed tub across mulch and stones. Smooth, unobstructed roads is what she was after. And dignity is a strictly human concept.
 
She slapped his leg affectionately. "Ok, lets go. Remember your driving words? They're Hike, Gee, Haw, Easy, Whoa, and On by", she nods.
 
Then she shifts. And in a flash of gold light the pale-eyed woman was a pale-eyed dog. Next to the reddish-brown dirt road her fur was almost blue, and the harness suddenly fit perfectly over a wide, masculine chest. She's easily twice his weight. Though they're not moving yet her tongue is out and her nose glistens to counteract the oppressive heat.
 
She barked once, a warm, welcoming and loud thing that rippled his hair. Then she turned around and pulled experimentally against the harness. As she thought, there was much more resistance than a flat-bottomed snow-bound vehicle. But she is equal to it. Easing off a bit she bunched her hind legs and threw herself forward so hard that her front feet left the ground- effectively throwing her whole weight against her shoulders. After a neck-snapping lurch the tub shifted forward at the trickling pace. She hunched over and pulled and pulled in a way that would make her human self red in the face. But there was some ancient part of her that relishes the physical labour. She hadn’t done this in over a year, and she had forgotten how much she loved it.
 
Finally the tub had gained enough forward momentum that she can start lengthening her strides minimally. The dirt path turned into large, flat cobblestones in a few meters, and thats what she aims for with an intense focus. When she finally hit it the tub caught on the lip, and she found herself pulling twice as hard for one impossible second. But the thing popped free with a screech and the cobbles provide much less resistance than she thought. The thing shot forward and caught her in the thigh. She yipped in fright and jumped forward automatically to get away- but of course, the thing followed. Swinging a wide arc down the road that leads to the city, Nanami started to run in earnest. The tub rattling like the most annoying tin bell the whole way. 

[Ruzekiel Soren]

Cobblestones? Oh, no. They weren’t going into the woods, they were going straight into the city. Petch . Nanami slapped his leg, not unlike a rider patting a horse. "Ok, lets go. Remember your driving words? They're Hike, Gee, Haw, Easy, Whoa, and On by”, she said with a nod. He could recall a few commands, but he was rusty. He wasn’t sure if he even remembered which command corresponded to which action. Just like that he was starting to regret this again. But before he could contemplate further on just how stupid this idea was, there was that flash of gold light he remembered so well, and standing in Nanami’s place was a gigantic, gorgeous sled dog. She was already panting in the heat and her eyes were the same stunning pale blue. He couldn’t help thinking that she could close her jaws around his throat and end him in a heartbeat. She barked happily and he jumped. The fact that this beautiful beast was so close and so dangerous was terrifying, but also incredibly exciting. He gripped the reins so tightly his knuckles were white, but he chuckled at the absurdity of it, still. “Allright then…Hike!” She lurched forward with a surge of movement. For a moment he was worried about the task of pulling—he wasn’t the leanest of people, after all—but soon the Zypherian began to slowly and steadily pull forward, and the tub slid along the dirt path at a crawl. She lengthened her strides minimally and pulled him along until she hit the first flat stone in the path, where she pulled twice as much, he saw, until the tub went over the lip and caught her in the leg. She yelped and sprinted away. The tub rattled against the cobblestones as she bounded along the path, and Zeke’s teeth rattled in his mouth as he held on for dear life. The taller architecture of the city came closer and closer, and soon they were galloping through the more rural part of the city. Then he realized they were heading straight for the Wolf’s Cave, the tavern where he played for his supper. Micah would laugh till she was blue in the face. He’d be the laughing stock of the entire bar, in fact. Thinking quickly, he tugged firmly at the right rein like he would a horse and the word came unbidden from his mouth in a shout, “Haw!” He was pretty sure that meant “right.” Right?