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[aleranchala]

There's a white haired girl with canted eyes at the stables today. She's slightly but visible older than she was last time she was here, but her clothes and hairstyle looks the same.

She's gently petting their muzzles one by one, feeding them whatever food she's managed to bring from the bar and maybe even striking conversation with some of them if they look particularly friendly. She tells them about home, about the people there. They (of course) don't reply back to her, and she doesn't feel the pang of disappointment and frustration she'd once felt at not being able to bond with one of them. But it's obvious by the way she's looking and talking to them that she deeply cares about the animals.

And it's also obvious by the glare she gives people if they interrupt her that she doesn't care about them all that much.

[OOC: And time to sleep in Europe-land, post is still open but (relative) slowtags from now on!]

Comments

[mogget_cat]

The is a small white cat stalking mice through the labyrinth of the hayloft, very rarely making any noise, apart from the pertinent moments where pouncing is occurring.

Those moments are short. Mercifully so, the being shaped like a cat would argue.

He eventually comes down, carrying in his mouth a recently-healthy mouse, and gazes at the girl communing with the horses.

[aleranchala]

Not a person, so Kitai doesn't seem all that bothered to be interrupted in this case. She actually crouches to welcome the cat-like being, diverting her attention from the horses for a moment.

"It seems everyone is enjoying their meal but me. Maybe I should change that."

[mogget_cat]

The cat sits, setting down his meal now that there is no danger of it scampering away again, and primly wraps its tail about its paws.

"Do," he agrees, nodding once. "Join us for a meal. It is good to have company."

...from whom one can potentially mooch free food...

[aleranchala]

She just stares at him for a second.

"...You speak. And I understand." Sorry, she has to get that out the way first.

[mogget_cat]

"Indeed!" mwrrs the cat, smiling. He's glad she noticed.

[aleranchala]

She remembers someone telling her about patrons who were not people and that she could not eat or hunt. It was years ago, for her, but was told the rules were important and so she made an effort to remember.

"I am called Kitai. What are you called?""

[mogget_cat]

"I am called many things. Fewer than I once was, but still more than most," answers the cat, tailtip twitching idly.

"You may call me Yrael. A pleasure to meet you, Kitai."

[completederrand]

One of the horses, a young stallion, pricks up his ears when he hears her starting to take care of the horses. Not too long after, he goes so far as to stick his head out of the stall to peer at where she is.

Eventually he nickers at her in anticipation, and potentially with a bizarrely aware overtone of, 'Come on, leave them alone, come talk to me first, I'm in desperate need of tender loving care!'

(It should be noted that he looks very well groomed and fed. He's just fine. But there's someone being nice, and this means Horse wants attention.)

[aleranchala]

"Bossy" She scolds him, but there's gentleness and amusement in her tone. She doesn't take orders from anyone, but she might accept it from a horse- even though she doesn't seem to be in any hurry to rush to the stallion in particular. Instead she goes through all the horses in the stable in the same order she'd been following until she reaches him.

"You are an impatient horse, are you not?" She offers her hand for him to smell before petting his muzzle. He seems well taken-care of, so he's obviously someone else's property. Pity, she did promise not to steal and riding them apparently counts.

[completederrand]

Horse has the good grace to look somewhat sheepish with her taking her time like that, going by the way his head is hanging a little. He tracks her progress carefully, and does his best to look apologetic when she's looking and welcoming while she's paying attention to the others.

He gives her an appealing look with big brown eyes--an obvious, silent 'Don't you love me?'--before snuffling at her hand obligingly. That quickly progresses to snuffling at her pockets to see if she's got any goodies in there he can steal. After all, she seems so nice and helpful with the others, she has to have something in there, right?

[aleranchala]

Bossy but with good manners, after all. Kitai finds the dichotomy amusing. She follows his eyes with her own as he sniffs her and becomes familiar with her, a habit she picked when she still thought a horse would be her Chala. She doesn't regret how things ended up, but she still wishes she could spend more time with horses.

"You have been brushed and cleaned and loved and fed, have you not? Why do you want more?" She teases, but she does have a few oat grains in her pocket that she offers to him.

"You are very beautiful."

[completederrand]

Horse snorts and raises his head long enough to give her a look. After all, just because he's well cared for doesn't make sugar any less tasty! That's a very silly question, really. So after she gives him the grains he goes back to investigating her pockets just in case there's apples or sugar hidden in there.

Just because there isn't any now doesn't mean it won't simply manifest, after all--or so his time around sorcerers and Gods has taught him.

Still, he whinnies softly in pleased agreement at her compliment--and really, he's far more intelligent than any horse has any right to be, as he nuzzles fondly at her for the compliment.

[aleranchala]

She isn't going to risk giving the horse more grain, especially not a horse who's obviously loved. If he belongs to someone (a weird concept to her, but one she accepts) they would be upset to find she had gotten their horse sick because she couldn't say no.

So she tries to divert his attention by caressing his muzzle up and down in a way that makes it obvious she's been doing this all her life.

"You understand me, do you not?" Which is less weird to her than it could be to most people, since the Marat know just how much they understand and share through the bond. But that doesn't make the fact that he's actually responding to her words, not just her movements and expressions... "Pretty and smart horse. Someone in this bar is very lucky indeed."

[street_sparrow]

A young man strolls into the stable and over to the pony in one of the stalls.

"Hello, Pistolet. Ready for your exercise?"

[aleranchala]

"Pistolet." Kitai repeats from when she was tending to the horses. She's obviously more interested in the little animal than the boy.

"Is it yours?"

[street_sparrow]

"He is." He smiles over at her. "One of the good things about being small, I can still ride him."

[aleranchala]

That makes her laugh a bit. "The day you outgrow your Pistolet it will be a sad day. But you are lucky to have him.

I am called Kitai." Because if she's going to befriend Pistolet might as well befriend the owner.

[street_sparrow]

"He's a good horse", he agrees lovingly, patting Pistolet's nose. "I'm Gavroche. Nice to meet you, Kitai."

[aleranchala]

"It is nice to meet both of you." Said with a little respectful nod. The name is strange to her ears, and when she says it carries a bit of an accent.

"Are you going to ride Pistolet, Gavroche? I would like to watch."

[the_lioness]

Alanna feels bad. She isn't given to eavesdropping -- not when Roger isn't involved -- but she's stuck in a stall with a soft brush held motionless over a pony's withers, head cocked, listening to Kitai's faint murmur. She can only make out sounds from her spot, but the cadence was relaxing enough that a full minute passed before she thinks to announce herself. And now?

Is it too late?

Swallowing, Alanna raises her head and lowers the brush, sweeping it along the pony's neck.

"Apologies, Mistress," she croaks, wincing at the sound of her own voice. "I didn't mean to overhear."

[aleranchala]

Marat have really good ears and Kitai had trained to hunt since she was born, so simply the fact that she doesn't notice the woman until she speaks makes it clear she wasn't actually saying anything that couldn't be eavesdropped.

She still retreats a bit to herself as she feeds the last bit of food to the horse she was tending to at the moment.

"I am no mistress, and if you did not mean to you do not have to apologize." Because of course she believes her, even now the concept of lying is alien and foreign to the young Marat. "Is that horse yours?"

[the_lioness]

"This one?" Alanna asks, starting to laugh only to bite it back. "No. He reminds me of a pony I once rode, however."

Alanna comes out from the stall, dropping the brush in a bucket. She's short, strong and dressed in dark red and gold, sword at her side. Her bright copper hair is short and messy.

To all appearances, she is a he.

"I'm Alan of Trebond. From Tortall. This is Faithful," she adds, jerking her thumb at the black cat on her shoulder. They have matching purple eyes.

She likes knowing who spends time in the stables. People who like and care for horses are usually good people.


[OOC: I forget. Would the Marat be able to pick up that Alanna is female? If so, I'm all for it. :D ]

[aleranchala]

"I am called Kitai of the Aleran Clan." Back at home, she's still coming to terms with that. She wanted a horse and instead she got stuck with Tavi. In here, though, people don't have to know how weird that is. Don't have to know she's alone.

"Hello to Alan, and hello to Faithful. If you are to ride the-" a beat. "Pony, I would like to watch."

[ooc: Not the Marat in general, no, but Kitai also was mistaken for a boy when she was younger, she'd probably clue in :P]

[the_lioness]

Alanna smiles, a bit shy around the edges. She's not sure why Kitai would want to watch, but she's happy to comply.

"Hello, Kitai. I could, I suppose. I always enjoy riding."

Beat.

"Aleran? Aleran like Scipio?"

[aleranchala]

Kitai rolls her eyes so hard they almost go white. She understands, in a general level, why Tavi needs the secret identities. She suports them, even, in the same way she supports anything that will keep Tavi alive for a little longer.

"Yes. Aleran like Scipio. I am the Marat ambassador to Alera, his land. Are you Scipio's friend?"