• Solo • One Step Closer to a Dream

[Lei'lira]

3rd Cylus, 719


Most languages are grouped into groups known as language families. These language families consist of languages that share similar characteristics.

Lei'lira looked up from her book with a sigh. She wanted to learn a little more about linguistics because it would allow her to talk to Evan about what he loved most on a more equal level. Her adopted son was fascinated by the study of languages, and by languages in general. It was one of his dreams to become fluent in every language that existed. But although she had a vague interest in the subject, Lei'lira was more interested in it because Evan was than out of any personal interest in it. And that made it harder for her to put any serious effort into studying linguistics. Still, she really wanted to share the interest her son help most dear, so she flipped back to the beginning of the book, and tried again.

The core aspects of linguistics are syntax, phonetics, and semantics.

She sighed again. Lei'lira remembered a little of what she was reading from back when she was in school. She hadn't been any more interested in it then, either.

I can hear the words you're reading echoing in your head, you know...and I don't find them any more interesting than you do.

Lei'lira looked at her ose-bori ruefully.

I know, but... she began.

If you want to learn more about languages in order to have something in common with Evan, why not ask him to teach you some time? It has to be more interesting than this, and you'd have the added benefit of spending time with him.

That was...a very good idea. Lei'lira smiled, and she closed the book with a crisp snap.

You're brilliant, Lei'luna. I think I will do that. But not just now. We have a lot of horses and Scalvwing Steeds to exercise before I meet with our neighbor later this afternoon.

Just the thought of riding was enough to brighten her mood considerably. Lei'luna grinned at her.

And I will come with you. I may not be able to ride, but I could do with a good run. And since the horses can't see me, I won't frighten them.

It didn't take long for Lei'lira to round up the kids. All of them loved to ride, so this was a task that they were happy to help with. Ryl'ari and Mei'rune weren't even an arc old yet, so they were too young to be exposed to the icy chill of Cylus unless it was absolutely necessary; and at just barely over an arc, Kaien was also too young for such intense cold. And since they were so young, they weren't really old enough to appreciate a good ride either. So Liu'yerin agreed to stay inside with them. Like her childhood friend Lei'lira, she and her half brother Ryu'lian had grown up on a farm. But her own interests had been in quieter pursuits, and her time as a slave did not teach her a great deal about riding. So while she did enjoy spending time with the family, she wasn't yet comfortable on a horse. As a result, she was happy to stay inside and enjoy the warmth of the fire.

But everyone else was eager to go, so it didn't take long to get Tiran, Taerin, and Teirue bundled up so they could get to work.

[Lei'lira]

Once they got outside, Eri was quick to offer to ride with Teirue. At four arcs, the little girl wasn't quite up to the task of riding on her own just yet. And she and Eri had a very close bond since the two of them had been held captive together before they managed to escape, and find their way to Lei'lira's barn two arcs ago. Lei'lira would have taken one of the twins with her, but before she could, Teia stepped forward to stop her.

"We know how much you want to work with Raiu some more, so don't worry about the twins. I'll ride with Taerin, and Ryu'lian will take Tiran with him. We have everything taken care of, so you go bond with Raiu and have fun."

Part of Lei'lira felt ad though she should protest. She was Tiran's and Taerin's mother, after all, so she should be the one to take one of them. And yet...she really did want to work with Raiu some more. She and the Scalvwing mare had made some real progress in the trust department, and Lei'lira thought...or at least hoped that the mare would trust her enough to be willing to fly with her soon. But she wouldn't be able to try and work with the Scalvwing mare if she was riding with one of the twins. So despite feeling guilty about it, she allowed Teia and Ryu'lian to take them for totrial.

While she had been hesitating in her decision, Atreyas, Lil'ari, Kei'iru, and Evan had each chosen the horses they wanted to exercise first. The four kids worked quickly, and soon had their own mounts saddled, and ready to go. But rather than do nothing while they waited for the others, or go off on their own, they helped the older kids saddle their mounts as well. Between them, Ei'ryl, Ei'ryn, and Sai'ryl, everyone was ready to go quickly.

Eri, Ei'ryl, Ei'ryn, and Atreyas helped the younger children mount up if it was needed before mounting their chosen mounts themselves. Tae'ryn knew how to ride by herself, but after getting accidentally stepped on by a horse last season, the five arc old girl was still a little nervous around the animals that were so much bigger than she was. As a result, she rode with her older sister, Ei'ryl.

When everyone was ready, Lei'lira signaled Raiu into a walk. That was the signal for the others to start as well. As they rode in single file with Lei'lira in the lead, Lei'lira couldn't help but marvel at the similarities between riding a horse, and riding a Scalvwing Steed.

When they're on the ground at least, they move the same. That always surprises me. One would think that their wings would affect the way they move on land as well as give them the ability to fly. But aside from needing a special saddle to accommodate their wings, they really don't move any differently than a horse does when they're on the ground she mused as she rods.

After they had been riding long enough to give their mounts a chance to warm up, it was time to put them through their paces. Lei'lira signaled Raiu to move into a trot, but the mare clearly had other ideas. With a burst of unexpected speed, she switched first into a canter, then into a gallop to build speed. As she did so, she spread her wings. When she had built up enough speed, she jumped with her wings spread wide. This sent her into a glide a few feet off of the ground.

They quickly rose up into the sky as Raiu flapped her wings to gain height. At first, Lei'lira held her breath, not daring to hope that her hard work in gaining the mare's trust had paid off. But as the distance between her and the ground grew, her heart soared with triumph. She had to resist the urge to shriek with joy like a little kid. Flying felt amazing. Below them, she could hear her children cheering while the adults waved at her.

Lei'lira gave Raiu her head, and simply enjoyed the ride. But after a while, she could feel the mare's sides heaving, and she realized that she was growing tired. That was when Lei'lira realized that she didn't know how to signal her mare to land. After a few trills of panic, she simply sat back in her saddle as if she was requesting the mare to stop. That seemed to do the trick, because Raiu landed, and came to a running stop, much the way she had taken off.

"That...was...amazing!" she said breathlessly as her family gathered around her to congratulate her.

They still had plenty of work to so, so after basking in her triumph for several bits, she told the others to go on without her while she gave Raiu a good grooming, and selected her next mount. She already knew that she wanted to exercise Star next. By the time she had Star ready to go, she knew that the others would be back from exercising their first mounts, and it would be time to start again with the next group of horses. It would take several breaks, and several laps around her farm, but by the end of the afternoon, she wanted all of her horses exercised, groomed, and fed. And with her family to help her, she knew that it would get done.

[Lei'lira]

When they finished exercising the last group of horses, they rode back to the stables. On the way back, Lei'lira saw an elderly couple walking along the path leading up to her gate.

Perfect timing. she thought as she dismounted, and gave Darkwind a good grooming.

The stallion was in fine form, and he pranced around a bit to show off once she was finished. Lil'ari took the reins, and offered to get him settled in his stall so that she could go on ahead, and greet their guests. Lei'lira thanked her adopted daughter, and hurried off to do just that.

By the time she arrived at the front gate, she didn't have long to wait. She smiled warmly as she greeted her neighbors and ushered them inside and out of the cold.

"Can I get you anything to eat or drink?" she asked politely.

Darvin declined politely, but his wife Aerla asked for a glass of water. Lei'lira went to get it for her before joining them once more in the family room. She could hear the kids as they entered the house quietly, and headed up to their rooms so they wouldn't be in the way. Teia and Ryu'lian joined her in the family room.

"I understand that you're interested in buying some of our land?" Darvin asked.

Lei'lira nodded. The elderly couple had lost their home to a fire last season, and they had been staying with family in the city. None of their children had the interest in, or talent for running a farm, and her elderly neighbors were simply too old to rebuild their house and start over. As it was, it had been several arcs since they had been able to make full use of their land. Much of it had been allowed to lay fallow. The farm house itself had burned to the ground. But some of the farm buildings were still intact, and the land itself was in good shape. The land itself was what interested Lei'lira the most, but she would be happy to buy the farm buildings as well.

"How much do you have that you are willing to sell?" she asked.

"I have one hundred and twenty acres of land, all of it fenced in, of course. And I am prepared to sell all of it."

I could do a lot with one hundred and twenty acres of land...not only would that give me grazing for all of the animals I currently own, I would be able to buy three more horses before I started having to worry about paying for feed for them again.

The increase in her land would bring her one step closer to her dream of owing a successful horse breeding ranch. A small step, sure. But every step no matter how small would bring her closer to her dream. That was what she needed to keep in mind.

"Very much so. What are you asking to get for the land?"

The three of them worked out a price fairly quickly. As long as Darvin didn't ask for some outrageous amount, then Lei'lira didn't plan to even try to haggle. She wanted the land that badly. And since Darvin and his wife were looking to sell quickly so they could buy a place of their own in the city, he didn't try to ask for more than a fair price for what he was offering. Money exchanged hands, and when it was done, Lei'lira was holding the deed to the land she had just acquired.

"It was a pleasure doing business with you, Lei'lira."

"I enjoyed it as well, Darvin. And I wish you luck in Rharne."

With that, the elderly couple took their leave. As Lei'lira, Teia, and Ryu'lian said goodbye to them, Lei'lira's thoughts were already turning towards the plans she had for the land she had just bought.

Off Topic

According to [url=wiki/index.php?title=The_Shoppe#Overview]The Shoppe[,url]. 2 acres of land outside a city is worth 1 wp, and Lei'lira is buying 120 acres for 60 wp, and that has been deducted from my ledger.

[Kasoria]

Review Rewards

Name MiSS BusineSS

Points awarded: 10

Knowledge:
Business Management: when looking to start a business, move in small steps
Linguistics: the core aspects of linguistics are syntax, phonetics, and semantics
Linguistics: most languages are grouped into families that share similar characteristics
Mount; Scalvwing Steed: moves like a horse when on the ground
Mount; Scalvwing Steed: needs to trust their rider before they will fly with them
Mount; Scalvwing Steed: the joy of a first flight

Loot: None awarded, but I'll swap ya 120 acres for 60wp - edit your Ledger to reflect that!

Renown: 5 points warded, for making something of a name for yourself among the local landowners

Notes:
This was a fun, ordinary, and pastoral little piece. A good insight into the lives of the countless millions of Idalans who are just... surviving. Living and loving and working and scheming and failing and learning and prospering. I like these slice-of-life stories, and you do a good job with them, while capturing your character's inherent goodness quite nicely. Now I feel the need for Kas to show up with a posse of land-grabbers, a la Once Upon A Time In The West...

If you have any questions, comments or concerns in regards to this review, feel free to PM.