Closed [Windmount Stables] Riding 101 (Revy)

[Katelyn Marks]

Summer, 10th, 515 AV

Katelyn drove her heels into Garrison's flanks, sending him into a gallop. She'd set up a few archery targets in the jousting arena with the help the help of a few others squires, and together they were practicing their mounted archery. It was a new endeavor for her. She was still learning to use her bow, but she had no troubles atop a horse, so she needed only to really focus on the former. She guided her warhorse down the jousting rail toward the targets with one hand, holding her longbow aloft in the other. Garrison covered the distance quickly, pounding through the soft dirt until she drew a tight rein and spun him.

With her heel she tapped him sharply, urging him into a sidepass. He stepped closer, crossing left over right, moving away from the pressure of her command. She had dropped the reins and drew an arrow, and as she nocked the string and pulled, stood in her stirrups to compensate for the weapon's impressive size. As soon as the feathers touched her lips, she released and let loose the field tip. They were only about 30 yards from the target, but the squire missed entirely. Her arrow embedded itself into the soft dirt with a muffled thud and she grimaced.

Another rider had lined up and was ready to come down the rail, so she had no time to dwell on the failure. A small smattering of applause followed her as she cantered Garrison away--a common courtesy. The next squire was a young man with broad shoulders and a chest like a barren. He rode a tall painted mare, and as he canter down the rail showed significant more confidence with his shortbow. Katelyn was at least pleased to see he was rather awkward in the saddle. None of the squires here were remotely close to her skill atop a horse, so even if they were better archers, she felt no embarrassment.

She waited several yards away from the other mounted squires, very aware of the way Garrison's ears flattened and his tail snapped the air. His body language was threatening, and nearest horse shied away a few steps in discomfort. Katelyn smiled apologetically when the squire gave her a pointed look before watching the proceedings once more. The young man's shot hit almost center, and the applause he received was much more lively. Katelyn herself reluctantly clapped, and he grinned at her as he trotted by. Showoff.

Again and again the squires rode through, most of them firing true and making at least some sort of contact with the targets. They quickly began looking like the backs of bristling porcupines, and as her turn approached she began to feel self-conscious. Kate backed Garrison up several paces toward the fence, and the squires behind her edged forward, effectively pushing her out of line. She was a little grateful for their eager indifference, because it gave her the excuse she needed to back out. Katelyn slipped her longbow into the sheath strapped to Garrion's saddle and leaned forward onto the pommel, content now to watch. Maybe I'll learn something.

[Revy Hiroe]

Rosalind had been a bit unruly all day already. The workers at the stables were a bit concerned, as they didn't quite know how to calm her down. What they didn't know was that Revy was coming and that Rosa could trot around with her owner on her back again. After all, she was quite proud of her owner. She was strong and not too bad looking, unlike most people. Not to mention that she wanted to show off her beatiful figure.

Revy went clad in her leather armor today. To hell with the rule that squires had to go clad in plate all day. If she was gonna learn how to ride her horse, it'd be best if she was in her leather armor. That way it'd be easier to get back on her horse's back, not to mention it'd be easier to break her fall. "Ugh, I ain't looking forward to falling off Rosa all day today.", she mumbled before she entered the stable.

After walking over to her Sungold, she patted her nose: "Hey beauty, missed me?" Judging by her reaction, she actually did. "Anyway, calm down and we'll go for a walk. We've got plenty of sunlight left to get me to fall off of you.", she joked as she got the blanket onto Rosalind's back. Getting onto the back wasn't that hard, at least not in leather armor so she managed to do it without slipping off even once.

Revy wanted to go outside of the walls to get training, but Rosalind had other plans. "Oi, Rosa... We're going outside....... Not to the... OI", Revy objected, but the horse just trotted off with her head held high straight for the jousting arena. "Oi, Rosa... if you don't stop now, I will get angry. Either we go outside, or I'm getting off and going home. Remember that I don't like being made fun of behind my back.", she said at which Rosa turn her head around to look at her owner.

The woman was right. She wasn't a terribly good rider and still fell off quite often. It would be quite embarrassing for Rosa as well, when she let her rider fall off. So just as she turned around, another squire suddenly posed in front of her, surprising the sungold. Due to the sudden surprise, Rosalind suddenly rose her front legs into the air, throwing Revy off backwards. That horse... he was going to pay. She threw her owner off because that guy suddenly decided to be in front of her.

Revy, completely taken aback by Rosalind's unexpected reaction, got thrown off and landed flat on her back. If she hadn't been such a skilled fighter, she would've probably lay there for a few ticks, unable to stop her sungold from outright attacking the other horse. Instead, she immediately called out to her horse: "Rosalind, calm down. You hurt him, we are both in trouble. Let me handle this." The female squire was pissed. She hated failing in front of others, especially when she was the oldest.

After getting back on her feet, she walked up to the squire, who's horse startled Rosalind, and said: "Oi you, if I catch you one more time doin' somethin childish like dat, I'll make sure ya ain't gonna wanna do dat again, ya hear? I ain't as nice as some of the other squires and I ain't afraid of ya, capish?", she threatened him. She felt like drawing her dagger, which was hidden away behind her back, but decided against it. It was probably not a smart idea to do something like that in front of this many people.

The young squire, completely intimidated by Revy's posture and speech, decided to quickly join the line to shoot at the targets, even if he didn't have a bow. "Petcher, next time yer bloody dead.", she whispered under her breath. Only now did she realize that yet again she had let her sunberthian accent slip through. "Ah, crap not again. They're probably gonna be talkin' bout this again. As if they are much better then I am. Gah, I want a good fight. A good brawl or something.", she thought to herself.

[Katelyn Marks]

It would be tough not to hear all the commotion. When Revy's sungold reared and nickered in indignation, Garrison balked and turned. Katelyn calmed him with a few firm commands and a tight rein, spotting the problem quickly. She saw a woman prone on the ground and her startled mount. There was a squire standing by her looking more than a little guilty. The woman seemed to compose herself quickly though, and was on her feet in an instant to engage the young man. She only caught a few words, but from the tone, she was less than pleased. The young squire all but ran to the line with his tail tucked between his legs.

Honestly, he looked like he'd wet his trousers. The poor boy wouldn't look her in the eyes when she leveled her gaze on him. The dirt seemed to interest him more. Katelyn looked back at the older woman as she fetched her mare, and Garrison seemed to sense the direction of her attention. She tipped in the saddle as he suddenly began walking--startled almost out of her seat. It wasn't unusual for him to take the initiative like this, and she reined him to a stop a few yards away from the stranger and her horse. Her Tiaden tossed his head, bridle jingling loudly as if to announce them.

The woman, she had strangely tinted hair--slightly purple in the sunlight. She was tall, fit, and clad in leather armor. Her posture was confident and a little intimidating. She seemed perfectly fine from the fall. "I think you made the poor boy piss himself," the redhead decided to start with. She didn't look like the kind of woman you greet with a meek little hello. "You okay? You took quite a tumble." Of course she was okay, but it was an instinctive question. Katelyn had been riding all of her life. There were bad falls, good falls, and then the kind of falls that you think are good, but then you find out a few bells later that your brain is swelling.

"She's beautiful by the way," the squire commented, motioning to the golden mare. The horse seemed a little peeved, really. She was watching the two strangers with obvious suspicion.

[Revy Hiroe]

The woman stared the other squire off. Even if she wasn't good on a horse, that was no reason for them to make fun of her. Sometimes she felt like just getting up and leaving. That constricting feeling of the knights was getting stronger and she really disliked it. She couldn't lay her finger on the cause of it though.

When she heard something behind her, out of instinct did she grab for her longsword... which she wasn't carrying. It kind of confused her at first, but she quickly realized that she wasn't in danger. It appeared to be another squire. Revy was already a bit on edge, so when she turned around she just snapped at the girl. "Huh? So ye think I should just let him make fun of me?" She realized that still she wasn't hiding her sunberthian accent, but to be honest... she could care less right now.

She didn't really feel as if she had hurt herself during that fall. Rosalind was concerned, but Revy had calmed her sungold already. So when the Sungold heard that that girl praised her, she held her head high as if saying: "Did you expect me not to look good?" Revy noticed it and chided her: "Rosa, head down. No need to let it get to your head. You caused me enough problems already with that behavior."

The woman then turned back to that girl and just looked at her. At least she stood her ground, with all that plate armor. Not many women seemed to be able to carry that kind of weight on them. "Hmpf, don't praise her too much. She'll get herself into trouble... again...". Revy thought back to Nyka, when she first tried to ride on her and that horse tried to gallop with Revy on her back. That didn't end well, not at all.

[Katelyn Marks]

She was obviously a curt woman, and the snap of her voice--with an accent that couldn't be placed--was sharp like a whip. Katelyn grimaced and tightened her reins, feeling the unwelcomeness the other squire clearly felt of her presence. But if there was anything that her patrons had taught her it was not to let someone of the same rank push you around. The redhead made a conscious effort to keep her tone clear and confident. "People don't usually greet one another around here so inhospitably. Especially when one is making an effort to be sociable." Even if the woman was older than her, and looked like she could break Kate in half, that didn't give her any right to be snappy--embarrassing fall or not.

"Ideally you would have assured me all was well and we'd have joked at that kid's expense, then become best friends forever." Her tone shifted, hinting at obvious sarcasm. She could be snippy too. "I'd normally introduce myself--Katelyn, by the way--then I might have pointed out, if I deemed you able to accept any constructive criticism, that if you can't hang onto your horse without a saddle, then you shouldn't be without one in the midst of a bustle stable. That would probably be followed by some advice like you were already sitting on her too tensely in the first place, and probably should have been hanging onto a fistful of mane just in case. But sitting a rear like that is hard for anyone without enough experience, so don't take that tumble too seriously."

Finally through with her little tirade, she took a dramatic breath and offered an impish grin. "Does that sound about right to you?" Garrison tossed his big head violently, bridle jingling and nostrils flaring. Without enough experience it wasn't obvious what a high-strung stallion he was. Her expert seat kept him at bay, though his posture was taught and intense. Katelyn was at the point now where she could ride just about any horse with utmost ease. On the ground she wasn't much to look at, but atop her warhorse she was a formidable and confident figure--more so than even most knights. Even in the light armor mixture of leather and plate that she wore, the squire was unhindered in the saddle.

[Devi]

Your Grades have arrived! Revy Skills: Persuasion: 1 Intimidation: 1 Riding: 1 Socialisation: 1 Lores: None. Comments: Short and sweet! Katelyn if you return and would like your grades then do let me know and I would be happy to add the details. Let me know if you have any questions or feedback. Don't forget to edit your post in the Grade Request Thread to say it's graded and leave a link in there for the Storytellers. Happy Writing!