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Post by Omni on Nov 11, 2014 21:52:18 GMT -5
Orrin wasn't really expecting Sieg to laugh. At any rate, he found himself standing there, listening to Sieg explain that his mom used to use it for the same reason Orrin was. "Oh," he said, now feeling a different sort of awkward. "I guess that's... not so bad." Aside from that, it also explained a few things. "But tell you what, how about we get some sparring in?" the half-elf offered. "Should make you feel better to whack me a few times."The half-dwarf took a moment to consider the offer. On one hand, he wasn't exactly in the mood to spar at the moment. But a knight had to be ready at any time, and it might take his mind off things. Admittedly, Sieg could have phrased his offer better - it wasn't like he enjoyed hitting his friend... Then the wind picked up and Orrin realized there were practical things to consider as well. "I dunno." He gestured at the trail. "If it storms, it would cut into our travel time. We should make as much ground as we can." Sieg's explanation helps, though Orrin's still not sure he's up for a sparring match at the moment. The weather gives him an excuse to say 'no.'
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Post by Shinko on Nov 11, 2014 22:54:34 GMT -5
It was fairly obvious that Orrin was determined to feel uncomfortable, and Sieg sighed. He could understand why, the association was certainly easy to make, and under any other circumstances he might have been equally embarrassed. But Orrin had been trying to help, and obviously hadn't meant anything by it since he recoiled as soon as he realized what he was doing. It wasn't his brightest move, experimenting like that when he had no idea what it would do, but Sieg would rather forgive him and move on then stew on the awkwardness of it. Was Orrin going to be like this all day? "Your call I suppose," he said, and clucked a few times at Freya, who was grazing a short distance away. She lifted her head and approached, bumping her nose into Sieg's chest. He stroked the mare's head. "In Corvus I'd have to keep riding in the rain, unless it was a full on thunderstorm and simply wasn't safe. There just aren't enough breaks in the weather for it to be practical- but I guess it probably doesn't rain nearly so much here. And if the cliffs got washed out while we were traveling on them it'd be bad." He glanced at Orrin, quirking an eyebrow. "But if we're trying to make ground before the rain hits, I suppose we should get on. Do you want to eat breakfast in the saddle then?" The fact that Orrin's still obviously uncomfortable is starting to make Sieg uncomfortable, since he is actually a little embarrassed but would rather laugh it off then stew on the awkward because Orrin clearly didn't mean anything by it. Sieg tries instead to focus on the face-value excuse Orrin offers; the weather, cause that's always a fun neutral topic!
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Post by Omni on Nov 12, 2014 19:06:02 GMT -5
When Sieg talked about how they could probably still ride through the rain, Orrin looked over at him. "It's not the rain I'm worried about, it's the wind." He called his own horse over as there was another gust. "Last time Freddie and I traveled to Bern, I was warned that the winds can get nasty, especially in valleys and canyons, like here. They can really tear stuff up and make travel dangerous. Gettin' wind and rain doesn't help, either." When Sieg brought up that they hadn't eaten yet and asked if they would eat on the road, Orrin's open palm came to meet his face. "Right, breakfast. Um..." He looked at the trail. The wind really could be a problem. "Yeh sure. We could snack along the way if it's not too much trouble. I know it's not a problem for me." He held out both left hands to indicate that dexterity wouldn't be a problem. "Is it hard for ya?" Orrin explains that he's more worried about getting blown away than washed away. Then, a little unsure of how much people with just two arms are able to do, wants to make sure Sieg could eat and ride at the same time.
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Post by Shinko on Nov 12, 2014 21:20:43 GMT -5
"You're the local expert," Sieg said with a thin smile. "I'll defer to your judgement in this case. Still, where do you think we could shelter if the weather took a turn for the worse?" The half elf got Freya's tack and started saddling her up. "I can eat in the saddle, no worries. As long as we stay at a walk I can hang on with my knees, and I wouldn't want to risk moving any faster over this kind of terrain anyway- too easy for Freya to put a foot wrong and twist her ankle, and then where would I be?" Freya stamped a hoof as Sieg pulled the girth tight around her belly, eyeing the sky with distaste. Sieg chuckled. " Come now girl, we've marched in worse, don't be cross." he chided gently. Turning back to Orrin he remarked, "She's very smart as well, she can keep me in the saddle even if I'm only partially conscious. Elven horses are bred to be smarter then those of human stock. It has the unfortunate side-effect of giving them an independent and temperamental streak though. Freya is an extreme example of this- she almost had to be put to pasture because she refused to gentle for anyone." He finished saddling her, and tethered his pack mule to the back of her saddle. Mounting up he went on, "The first time I saw her she bit me. Entirely unprovoked, I wasn't even doing anything with the horses, I was just near the paddock talking to my knight master about something else. Came up behind me and bit me on the elbow." He rolled up his sleeve to his elbow and showed Orrin a scar that he still had there from the incident. With a laugh he added, "It's sort of a long story how she ended up letting me ride her." Sieg agrees to get moving, citing that he can hang on to the saddle with his knees while he eats and that his horse Freya is smart enough to keep him on the saddle. He then teases a little snippet of his history with the tempermental mare, but it's up to Orrin if he's in the mood to hear the rest of the story or not.
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Post by Omni on Nov 13, 2014 16:57:35 GMT -5
When Sieg asked where they could hide from the winds if they got bad, the half-dwarf paused, trying to remember what he'd been told. "Behind somethin' that'd take most of the wind for us. Not a tree, something like a rock, or maybe a steep hill or cliff. Worst case, I think they said to stay next to a wall, maybe lie down. And whatever happens, watch out for things flyin' at ya." Sieg mentioned that he could eat in the saddle, and Freya was smart enough that she could keep him in even if he was about to fall asleep. On the other hand, she could be on the rough side, and he had the scar to prove it. "It's sort of a long story how she ended up letting me ride her."The half-dwarf gave a smile. "Well, we've got a long ride, so I think we've got plenty of time for a story." He grabbed some trail rations and mounted Freddie. "Are ya up for sharin'? I wouldn't mind hearin'." Orrin tells a bit of how to stay safe if it gets too windy, and asks to hear Sieg's story.
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Post by Shinko on Nov 14, 2014 17:34:32 GMT -5
Sieg chuckled, patting Freya on the neck. “Well the first time she bit me, I had a different horse- a rather pretty dappled grey gelding that was called ‘Nuage,’ which is the Elvish word for ‘cloud.’ Pages and squires are usually given geldings as their first horses because geldings are less temperamental and easier to control than functional mares and stallions- especially stallions. Nuage was very patient and easy to handle, but getting old and in need of retiring. Like I said I wasn’t actually at the paddock for anything horse related, I just happened to be meeting my knight-master there. But when Freya bit me and the hostlers explained that she was wild and refused to gentle for anybody, my master thought it would be a fantastic learning experience for me.” The half-elf shook his head. “Sir Gavin is often like that. He believes in learning by experience, and will throw people into situations they assume to be far over their heads- but he is also a deceptively good judge of what someone is and is not capable of, and usually the people who he teaches end up surprising themselves.” Sieg took a moment to eat a small piece of trail bread, then went on. “Sir Gavin doesn’t tell anyone how old he is, but it is suspected he’s at least five hundred. Certainly he’s been a knight long enough to know a good deal about horse gentling. So he bought Freya and told me that she would be a gift to me, provided I could gentle her by my next birthday. He said this to me in mid-July, and my birthday is in early September- not exactly a wide window.” “I did all the conventional things- standing nearby outside the paddock to get her used to my scent, talking softly to get her used to my voice, putting treats into her feed when was in sight so she’d associate me with good things- and she was still aggressive and skittish. She knew she was bigger and stronger than me and she exploited it. One day, though, something I never expected happened; I was feeling down, just sort of in a sad mood, and I started singing to myself outside near the stables. She knew my voice fairly well by then, her and Nuage both, and when I started singing Nuage came to the front of his stable to listen- and so did Freya.” Freya snorted, turning her head around and bumping her nose against Sieg’s leg. He chuckled. “I think she could just sense how upset I was at the time. It was only two years after my father’s death and my mother had just left for Medieville the winter prior so I was about as low as ever I’d been. I had already been pretty melancholy but never really showed it to anyone, least of all the horse whose trust I was trying to win. That… that smile you astutely observed to be fake, it used to be that I wore it all the time, because I didn’t want people getting worried for me. But after that I noticed something strange. Freya still avoided me, but she stopped biting me- except when I was feeling depressed. Without fail, if I was anywhere within Freya’s reach and I started getting upset, she would try to bite me. I thought it was coincidence, but it happened way too many times not to be intentional on her part.” Sieg smirked. “She was effectively slapping me over the head every time I got upset and saying ‘stop that.’ It was like she’d made it her personal mission to bite the sad out of me. When I finally realized this, I paid a little closer attention to her and realized that while her body language was still aggressive and dominant while she was biting, after she let go it became soliciting and playful- she was inviting me to run with her to cheer me up. I still couldn’t ride her or touch her, but she would race me around the paddock and play a sort of tag-chase game, and at one point even jumped the fence while I was swimming and joined me in the water.” He sighed suddenly, his expression darkening. “It was getting towards the end of August around that time. I was bored, and decided to go for a ride with Nuage in the forest, just to pass some time. We’d gotten pretty deep into the woods when I heard a rattling sound and saw a flash of movement from below us- a rattlesnake. It bit Nuage and he panicked, throwing me off and bolting. I broke my leg- snapped it clean, it hurt like you would not believe. I was disoriented and stunned from the fall, and trying to move made my leg hurt excruciatingly. I don’t know how long I was out there trying to drag myself along and find something to use as a crutch, hours at least. Then, out of nowhere who should show up but a certain temperamental mare?” He patted Freya again. “Apparently Nuage ran back home before the snakebite killed him- but no one was sure where I was. Freya was in the paddock at the time, and as she’d done a few times before she jumped the fence and ran off into the woods to find me. I’m still not sure how she did that but I’m not going to question it- she laid down next to me and let me pull myself up onto her back, and then she took me home. I never had any issues touching or riding her after that- though she still bites me if she thinks I’m getting too morose.” Sieg tells the story of his horse, and also gives context to a passing mention he made once about breaking his leg when he was a squire- now you know how that happened.
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Post by Omni on Nov 14, 2014 23:41:06 GMT -5
By the time Sieg finished his story, Orrin was wearing a smile and gave a chuckle. "Yeh, even plain ol' non-elven horses can be pretty smart, 'specially when it comes to feelin's. I know Freddie here picks up on when I'm... upset." He gave his stallion a pat on the neck. "Can't say I have such a story for meetin' Freddie. I knew him since he was a foal, basically. He liked to greet me whenever I returned to the stables, I'd sneak him carrots from the farm... It does sound like ya two have somethin' special, though, with the way she rescued ya." He had noticed Sieg seemed more gloomy when he recalled the ride in the forest, but decided not to push it. Though since he mentioned a rattlesnake bit his aged gelding, Orrin wouldn't be surprised if Nuage hadn't lasted much longer. It could have been their last ride together. "Yer knight-master sounds like an interestin' person," he said. "He's still around, right? Maybe I could meet him sometime." Orrin talks horses for a bit, then expresses interest in meeting Sir Gavin.
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Post by Shinko on Nov 15, 2014 13:55:44 GMT -5
Sieg smiled, "Sir Gavin? He's very much alive and well, and certainly you could meet him if you want. If you don't mind talking to him through me, that is. Much as it would benefit him he doesn't speak Kythian. Well actually no, that's not true; he speaks a four-hundred year old dialect of Kythian that might as well be a different language." The half-elf shook his head, "But he is a very intelligent and kind person, and has a lot of experience as a knight. He has a thousand things he's picked up over the years, and if I had stayed a squire until he had nothing more to teach me I'd probably still be one now! Actually he's the second in command of the Nid'aigle company- only Anri Hasek, the Commander, ranks higher. Elves in general aren't very confrontational by nature so there aren't usually a lot of pages in training at any one time- usually only one, two at most, when they're there at all. So the highest ranking knights among the elves train them, so they can get the benefit of all that experience. Taking a squire is something of an honor for a Nid'aigle knight, since most will never get the chance. Apparently I was Sir Gavin's third, though he says he probably won't train anymore after me, to let some of the others get the chance. He told me that every squire he trains teaches him as much as he teaches them, and it's a valuable sort of experience. I remember I asked him once what he learned from me, and I was rather surprised by his answer..." Realizing he was rambling, Sieg laughed. "Sorry, I got a bit tangenty there. But what about your master? You said that he helped you rewrite that song and you brought him up when we were talking to Elise, but I don't think you've mentioned him much besides that. What's he like, if you don't mind my asking? It seems like the two of you were close during your training." Sieg talks about Gavin a bit, then asks Orrin about his knight-master. Because glorious topics that won't in any way bring up sad memories!
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Post by Omni on Nov 15, 2014 17:41:45 GMT -5
When the question of Orrin's knight-master came up, the half-dwarf visibly tensed. He wasn't completely caught off-guard; Sieg asking in return was to be expected. Part of him was hoping that he wouldn't, though. "Well..." Orrin began, trying to think of how to express what he wanted to. "Sir Edwin Tarrin was firm, but patient and understandin'. He was the one who taught be how to read Kythian - I taught mama from what I learned. He also helped me learn better how to work with humans. He was encouragin' when I messed up, and when I did things right. He shared songs and stories, I told him stuff about dwarves..." Orrin's eyes glistened as he looked up at the clouds, and his free hand touched the shortsword at his belt. "I often felt he was the closest thing I had to a papa. Not a lot of other people in Kine would treat me like that. He..." The half-dwarf swallowed. "He's with 'Woo now." Orrin remembers his knight-master with feels.
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Post by Shinko on Nov 15, 2014 18:19:06 GMT -5
When Sieg saw the shift in Orrin's attitude, he wished almost immediately he hadn't asked that question. Orrin described Sir Tarrin very favorably, obviously having looked up to the man- though given what he'd expressed before about his knight-master's opinions on the issue of monsters, that was a conclusion Sieg had already drawn. It was obvious that Orrin had been very close to his master and that he'd been an important figure in the half-dwarf's life. But given his melancholy mood, Sieg could easily guess where this was going even before Orrin said it out loud- and when the Stallion knight confirmed Sieg's hunch, the half-elf bowed his head. "I'm sorry, Orrin. I...," his voice caught in his throat, and he swallowed hard. "It sounds like he was an honorable man and a compassionate knight. For what it's worth, I sympathize." The loss of a father-figure... oh Sieg could sympathize alright. He'd never been that close to Sir Gavin, their relationship these days was more like that between two good friends then a familial one. But Belial... Sieg shoved that thought down before it could fully form. This was not about him or his damage. He wasn't going to make it that, not when Orrin was clearly upset. Still, if Sir Edwin had been a father-figure to Orrin, that made Sieg wonder about his friend's birth father. He knew Orrin had been raised by his mother, a dwarf, but not much of his history beyond that. It wasn't really the half-elf's place to ask such things, especially given that everything he'd already learned seemed to imply Orrin's life hadn't exactly been a happy one. "If you don't mind me asking," he said softly, "What made you decide to become a knight? It's obvious you respect Sir Tarrin a great deal, and I could see that being an inspiration, but pages begin their training at a nobleman's estate pretty young, usually between seven and eleven years old. They don't become squires assigned to a master until they're at least fourteen, if not older. What got you interested? If, if you'd rather change the subject I understand, I just..." Sieg realizes he accidentally made things awkward, oops. He tries to steer the conversation into less depressing waters by asking Orrin about what made him want to become a knight in the first place.
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Post by Omni on Nov 15, 2014 20:41:35 GMT -5
When Sieg suggested changing the subject, Orrin just smiled and shook his head. "Nah, that's alright. It was actually Sir Edwin that found me. He was in town and, well, I'm hard not to notice." The half-dwarf paused. He supposed he might as well let Sieg know, though he still found himself rubbing the back of his head. "Also ah, I was gettin' into a bit of a squabble with some of the other kids. The thing is - and he noticed this - I was actually tryin' to be helpful. I just tended to, ah, get upset at things a lot back then." He lowered his arm. "That's what gave him the idea. He thought he'd help me control my anger, direct it into something better if I need to, and actually help people better. Well, I think he also wanted to sort of show that a monster could become something... grand." He gave a small sigh. "Lord Miller was havin' none of it. He didn't like the idea of his house havin' anythin' to do with a four-armed ape-boy. Sir Edwin ended up bein' able to train me, but since Miller didn't want anyone findin' out, we didn't exactly do it normally. We had to find ways to meet and still keep it a secret. It was hard, but we managed. Well, mostly, I hear a few rumors still got out." The half-dwarf gave a nod. "But yeh, mama and I both liked it so I could help people more and not get as angry. And to get away from the other farmers for a bit. He really helped me." Orrin tells about how Sir Tarrin found him and decided to help Orrin help people. That and give him anger management.
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Post by Shinko on Nov 15, 2014 23:05:49 GMT -5
As Orrin explained that he'd had anger issues when he was younger, Sieg remembered the tension he'd noticed in the half-dwarf during their conversation with the dead child's parents that second night in Haflinger- and his barely suppressed outburst with the Reids just before they left the town. Now he understood where that had come from. Though Orrin was generally a very jovial man, he apparently had some old frustrations linked to the abuse he'd suffered for how he looked when he was younger. Potentially problematic, but now that he'd admitted the issue was there Sieg knew to keep an eye out for it in the future. Not that the half-elf was a saint by any means, but he was generally pretty patient and easygoing. He was confident that he could step in and deflect attention from Orrin if it seemed that something was happening to stress the half-dwarf out too much. When Orrin explained the way he'd been forced to keep his training a secret, however, Sieg frowned. By the end of the narrative the half-elf was scowling. "It's a shame that Lord Miller was so short-sighted. I can't honestly fathom what he was thinking, turning away a strong, intelligent, and compassionate potential knight because of how they look. But I'm glad your master persisted- as, I'm sure, are the people whose lives you've saved since earning your shield. I wish I could have met Sir Tarrin while he was alive, but at least thanks to his vision and determination we can be doing this together. And I'm certain even if Lord Miller couldn't see past his own prejudice, his grace of Stallion appreciates such a strong, well trained knight in his service." The half-elf shook his head. "I can relate though, with people being cruel and judgmental. I got some of that same sort of nonsense from the Priests of the Woo growing up- still do on occasion, though not as often now that I carry a sword around with me and they're afraid of what I might do if they annoy me." He grinned, but it was a very thin, ironic sort of smile. "Elvish culture entails learning how to keep your emotions behind an impassive mask, so I didn't usually lose my temper but... it still made me angry and frustrated. 'Mongrel' and 'Abomination' were some of the nicer things I heard." He sighed, rubbing his face. "Not that it was necessarily better in the long run that I didn't become overtly angry with them. Though I originally wanted to become a knight because I wanted to become strong enough to protect the people I cared about, when I was a teenager it sort of... derailed. Because of my own inferiority complex what started out as a desire to be strong and protect people became a desire to be worthwhile and acknowledged. I was so determined to prove that I was as good as fullbloods of either species that I became something of a clown and a showoff. I ended up making a lot of really dumb decisions. After I lost my father, though, I regretted my idiocy and defaulted on the desire to protect the people I was close to- at the expense of my own well-being. I threw on that mask of polite elvish manners and buried myself in it. It got so bad that I stopped expressing my emotions openly at all, and just kept them all tucked away behind a smile. Angry, sad, frustrated, it didn't matter how I felt about something, outwardly I just smiled and laughed. Even with the people I was closest to, I didn't dare break down because I felt like I had to be strong for them." He sighed, "Healthy coping mechanisms, am I right? I've tried to stop doing that, for the most part, but I still occasionally slip up because the habit is so ground in by now." Sieg sympathizes with Orrin about Miller's refusal to accept him and talks a bit about his own experiences with mistreatment because of his hybridism. Then he explains when he was younger he had the opposite problem from Orrin; instead of losing his temper he bottled his emotions and refused to express them at all.
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Post by Omni on Nov 16, 2014 21:27:10 GMT -5
At Sieg's speech on what a shame it was that Miller couldn't see how great Orrin was, the half-dwarf found himself rubbing the back of his head. An embarrassed smile formed on his face, which he also felt warming. "Aw shucks," he said. "Ya really don't have to say all that. Thanks though. I think Sir Edwin would've liked to meet ya, too." Orrin listened quietly as the half-elf spoke of his own troubles with people looking down on him for being a half-blood, some of his struggles with trying to feel accepted, and later hiding behind his false smile. He was silent for a moment longer before pulling Freddie close enough that he could put an upper-hand on Sieg's shoulder. "For what it's worth, I think yer worthwhile. And ya don't need to be strong for me." Orrin was about to say more when he noticed the horses seemed agitated at each-other and he had to pull away. As he did, a thought came to mind. "Wait... Elvish politeness?" He looked over at his friend and gave him teasing smirk. "Is that all that was when ya were sayin' I'm great?" Orrin is flattered by Sieg's complements. He tries to reassure Sieg of his worth, before jokingly asking if it was just flattery that Sieg was dispensing.
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Post by Shinko on Nov 16, 2014 23:13:56 GMT -5
Sieg gave Orrin a look of gratitude when the other knight held his shoulder. The half-dwarf had known pain and suffering, and unlike Sieg he'd come out the other end stronger for it. Somehow Sieg felt like the Stallion knight was someone he could be honest with. When Orrin teased him about giving false flattery, however, the half-elf matched smirk for smirk. "Oh please, you've seen me at my most over-the-top-monology, you know better." Smoothing his face into a mask of bland politeness, he went on in a carefully neutral voice, "The intricacies of Elvish etiquette are many-layered. One must cultivate a mastery over their emotions; keep sheathed thy anger and shed not a bitter tear for the insults of others. Do thus, lest thee givest the appearance of being as immature as the boar who'd sully thee. Ne'er say simply what is possible to say instead in elaborate, poetic prose, for valued is the wordsmith and only the young and those of short lived humankind need speak directly." He chuckled, letting the impassive expression pass and donning that mischievous grin again. "Trust me, when I am acting on my Elvish politeness, you will be able to tell. Knights aren't so bad about it because being direct is an expedience necessary on the battlefield, but by and large they're still very reserved about their thoughts and emotions." He felt something wet hit his nose, and blinked in surprise. Then a droplet hit his ear, and he looked up to see that it had started drizzling. "Well it looks like the sky's finally decided to open on us. I don't think the rain at least is going to get much worse then this; the clouds aren't dark enough. But given what you said about wind..." Sieg is grateful for Orrin's support, and then pokes fun at Elvish culture. Then it starts raining
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Post by Omni on Nov 17, 2014 19:45:31 GMT -5
Sieg's example drew a confused look from the Stallion knight. "Alright, I'll remember that when ya get all polite, yer gonna get harder to understand," he said, trying to include a note of teasing. When the rain started coming down, both knights found themselves looking at the sky. "I don't think the rain at least is going to get much worse then this; the clouds aren't dark enough. But given what you said about wind..."The half-dwarf took a moment to gauge the wind. "Doesn't seem too bad yet, but we might wanna stay near the walls, just in case. If it gets bad enough, we can hunker down." Orrin has some trouble understanding Elvish-polite!Sieg. He doesn't think the wind is too bad, but figures they should take precautions.
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