The Grandmother, the Clue and the Horse Ranch

[Vega]

8th Trial of Ymiden during Arc 718
The trial after this

The trial before, they'd arrived in Mistral Village just in time to help defend the place against bandits. The pair of them had then worked through most of the night, and a lot of the morning. When they'd been alone, Vega had admitted that she had been terrified when she saw the burning building, she'd wanted to run away. It was good that she hadn't, she knew that, but she didn't like being afraid of anything. She wasn't angsty about it, just needing to make it clear in her head, she told him and there was no need for him to be fussing. He knew her better, of course; she put up a good front but she kept close to him and when they slept she had a nightmare. But he was there with her and she didn't hide it, just got herself calm and tried to get back to sleep.

And as much as she was inordinately grateful to him, she didn't say anything when they were on their way to get back to work. She just squeezed his hand and smiled at him and that was enough. Because of course he was there and helped her, as she would with him. Words weren't needed between them, not in this circumstance. As they arrived at the village, an elderly woman had come to greet them. Grandmother Iris, she was known as by everyone there and she spoke to them about the horses that she and some of the other villagers had rounded up following the attack. She showed them the brand on the flanks of each horse and Vega raised an eyebrow at that. It showed that they'd been bought from a nearby ranch, Grandmother Iris said and all of them had it.

They'd gotten directions from her and thanked her, Vega was always very polite to the elderly, very much respectful and so on. Then, when they'd got directions and Grandmother Iris had made her way over to tell someone off, Vega had raised an eyebrow at him. He'd nodded, they'd decided. It was worth taking half a trial to do this, so they did. Vega rode Storm and Arlo took Peg and so the two of them could get there faster. "D'ya reckon we need to take one o' these horses with us, in case they recognise it particular?" Had been her only query and then off they'd set.

"So, look, I'm ridin' sidesaddle. Apparently, it's what women do in Rharne. Feels a bit weird, gotta say, but it's comfortable enough," Vega grinned at him. She'd been quiet since the fire, but in a thoughtful and reflective way - she was working things out in her head and she'd be the first to point out what a slow process that was. But a ride to the northern edge of the woods was good and it gave them both a chance to blow away the cobwebs and to let the horses have a run too.

As the ranch came into sight, there were lots of barns and there, in the fields were examples of just the kind of horses they'd seen. Vega turned to Arlo and asked, "So, d'ya know these people at all?"

[Arlo Creede]

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The previous trial had been one full of, well, trials of all sorts. Many of them the worst kind. They'd been in the wrong place at the wrong time. Or, if one was to look at it from the perspective of those who'd been saved, maybe it was the right place, at the right time. Either way, Arlo was still feeling it. In the bumps and strains and scratches, and he'd had trouble sleeping even if as a general rule, he slept very little these trials. Thanks to Cassion for that.

But of course she'd been afraid, Arlo had told Vega when she admitted it. But why was that so unusual or unexpected? Everyone, if they were honest, was afraid of something. Even if they didn't quite know what it was, even if they couldn't admit it to others or to themselves. That made her a normal mortal being, just like everyone else.

He rode Peg that trial. The brown mare was getting older, her hearing might just be going and the way she sometimes spooked at things she wouldn't have been spooked by before, Arlo thought that her sight might be slowly going too. Her get up and go was still there, but it wasn't as quick on uptake as it had been, just an arc or so ago. Though if Peg could talk and was confronted, the old brown mare would never admit it. He thought that while she might go a good while longer, he might need to look into a younger mount when it came to riding. He'd hate that, and he tended to think that Peg would hate it too.

Grandmother Iris was helpful. More than he'd hoped and it was a good sign that all of the horses the attackers had used, appeared to come from the same place. It might make the trail they were to try and follow a clearer one. Maybe. As they headed out again, Arlo considered Vega's suggestion about the horses, and nodded thoughtfully. "Horses in that way are like cattle, or sheep, or even chickens. They're herd animals. They know their herd, recognize it, even smell it. If we can get an adult, it most likely would have been reared beside the others as part of a herd. It might even be able to detect them by their scent carried on the breeze." It was a worth a shot, he figured.

And she looked every bit the proper lady, he teased her when she pointed out that she was in fact riding sidesaddle. He'd seen women ride that way before and thought that it must require a certain sort of skill to ride that way. Different than astride. The distribution of weight, and so on, was fundamentally, necessarily different. "Do you like it?" he asked and then pushed Peg into a trot, aiming her for the far off treeline. She might not go as far as she used to without getting winded, but she still liked a good run.

"Let's see just how good you are then," he called back over his shoulder with a wide grin. "Race you." And with that he kicked Peg into a gallop. And then? There was the ranch, just over the hill. He didn't know the people, he told Vega. He knew of the ranch and its existence, but the animals there had been known to be expensive, and it wasn't something that Jonas had been willing to spend. Peg was a mongrel after all, in the scheme of things. "If I remember however, I think the owner is, or at least was a woman. Maybe you ought to take the lead," he said, urging Vega to go in ahead of him.

[Vega]

8th Trial of Ymiden during Arc 718
The trial after this

Sometimes, Vega had thought as they talked the night before about her reaction to the burning building, answers came in the most unusual of places and times. Others, they happened when you asked a question. This was very much a case of the latter, but it wasn't the question she'd asked that she got an answer to, exactly. Still, she was content and just tried to get herself back to sleep - they didn't have long as it was. As they made their way that morning, though, Vega noticed the way he looked at Peg and she raised an eyebrow. "She's slowin' down a bit," she said, quietly. There was a question in her gaze, but she didn't ask it - he would know what she was wondering and so she gave him the option of answering it - or not - as he chose.

In terms of her own horse, though, she grinned and shrugged slightly when he asked her about riding like she was. "It's interestin', that's for sure. I dunno if I like it yet." She chuckled when he first moved ahead and then pushed Peg into a gallop. Watching him for a moment, she realised that she was, literally, just sitting and watching him and she grinned. "Don't worry 'bout it Storm. He's jus' jealous." She didn't push Storm into a gallop, choosing to get used to the way of sitting, the different way of distributing her weight. It felt a little less secure, she was a little less sure and Vega was not a confident rider to begin with. So, she didn't charge after him, just got used to her own thing.

But, there was the ranch and Vega glanced at him and put her nose in the air. "You win," she teased with a smile. But then, no, he didn't know them exactly and it was run by a woman so she should go first? Vega shook her head, slightly. "I'm never goin' to work you out, Arlo," she wouldn't either, she knew. There was no making sense of him and that was the simple truth.

The owner was, as it turned out, a woman - although she owned the place in partnership with her husband. Wilhelm Ranch was run by Ciera and Khastur Wilhelm. They were friendly older folks and Ciera was a chatty one. "Oh, yes, you come on in," she ushered the pair of them in to the nice, well kept farmhouse. They both got cool drinks given to them and Ciera chatted to them. They were very proud of the fact that they provided horses to the Lightning Knights and Thunder Priestesses, and they were happy to talk about it. Khastur looked at the horse they'd brought, but Arlo had been right, it was immediately apparent from the horse and the reactions of the horses already there.

"What's the issue, then?" Ciera asked with a kindly smile and Vega glanced at Arlo as though to check that she should say something. But then, how would they find out if she didn't? So, she charged on. "Mistral Village got attacked by bandits las' trial an' they burned down some of the buildin's, killed a few people. They were ridin' horses, all like this. All the ones we've recovered, any'ow."

Khastur and Ciera looked at each other and Khastur spoke. "We haven't sold our horses to no bandits, just to the Lightning Knights and the Thunder Priestesses. I hope no one's suggesting any such thing?" Vega was quick to reassure him that no, that wasn't the case, though he looked at her with some suspicion in his eyes. "I bet you it was the Aukari, you know. Don't trust them, not at all." He looked pointedly at Vega as he said it and Vega raised an eyebrow. "You know, last time I checked, red hair isn't an Aukari only trait. For what it's worth, I'm a biqaj an' a sev'ryn, but even if I weren't, there's no one race what's all bad, is there? It was done by people an' they were bad examples of whatever race they are." Ciera nodded her head. "I'm telling him that all the time." He grumbled, but there was obviously no actual malice in the man.

"So, how can we help you then?" Khastur asked, looking at Arlo as he did.

[Arlo Creede]

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"She's creaking a little in the joints," Arlo admitted when Vega asked about Peg. "Complaining a little more when I put the saddle on, and liking her oats more than ever." The old brown mare was getting a little rounder through the middle, now he thought about it, and less pleased about having the cinched pulled tight. Not that she ever had been. "She was getting gray around the muzzle before we left home." And it had been a few arcs more since then. He didn't say it, but Arlo had as much as admitted it. If he was going to do much more riding or more needing things pulled, then it was probably time to start thinking about purchasing another horse. Peg had earned the luxury of grazing all day. She'd already earned her keep a number of times over.

Not this trial though, Arlo told Vega with a smile. They had other things to attend to and besides, Peg seemed to be enjoying being out and about at least for now. The practice of riding sidesaddle was interesting though, he'd give Vega that. "If it's comfortable and works just as well, then why not?" Of course it was only women that he'd seen ride that way. Some would even swear that it was the only acceptable way for a lady to ride, which Arlo maintained was hogwash. But still, at a run? "It must be tricky to stay astride, if say, something spooks the horse from the side?"

At any rate, Peg's run proved that these trials, she was better at a short sprint than a long gallop, and she ended up a bit winded. Arlo had given her a rest while Vega caught up with them. "What fun would it be if you ever worked me out completely?" he teased her, as she led the way down the hill and to the farm's outskirts. He was actually pleased to discover that the couple that owned the place were older. He'd always done well with grandparent types, even thought he'd spent a great deal of time trying to avoid the attention that grandparently folks had liked to heap on him. It had been the curls, Arlo was sure.

Nonetheless, Ciera and Khastur seemed to be the friendly and helpful type that would make his and Vega's work much easier. "Thank you," he said when they were invited in and offered a place to sit and refreshments. "The brands, you see," he added by way of further explaining when Vega mentioned the horses that the raiders were using. "And no, of course not." That in response to Khastur who seemed all too ready to take offense. "We're only trying to figure out how the horses got into the raider's hands after all, not suggesting at all that you've knowingly outfitted them."

It seemed though that the man wasn't just reacting to a suggestion that hadn't been at all made or even intended. But judging by his comments, Vega's hair might have provoked something more. Of course, Arlo wasn't one to judge a whole race for the actions of a few individuals. But beyond that, to assume all with red hair must be aukari? He'd have said plenty, except Vega said it already, and Ciera stepped in as a peacemaker. Just as well, they hadn't yet gotten what they'd come for. "Well," he said when Khastur addressed him. "We were hoping that we might have a look at your client list? In order to figure out if there's a pattern, or an indication of where the horses might be going after they leave here?"

Or something at least that might give them an idea of where to go next. "I mean, the horse we brought with us. You recognize him? He have a name?" Of course he did, Khastur grunted. Name was Copper. All of them did and they were named at birth. So yes, he'd added as he brought over a large and heavy ledger for them to look through. "Well," Arlo suggested then, looking to Vega. "If we can find out who bought Copper, and if the person that bought Copper bought more of them in the same lot, then that might be the one to look into?"

[Vega]

8th Trial of Ymiden during Arc 718
The trial after this

If she ever worked him out completely? "That'd be well dull," Vega shot back with a grin. Her expression spoke of her emotions though and her smile softened just for a moment. "An' you are never dull Arlo Creede." Her eyes flooded blue and lilac and her voice was teasing. "Difficult? Cantankerous? Stubborn? Foolhardy? Pig-headed an' arrogant? Oh, yes. Dull? Not for a trill." She rode on for a few bits and then she spoke again, apparently from nowhere. It wasn't, of course ~ it was Vega working things out, putting them in their place and getting her head straight. "Bein' afraid is part of bein' mortal," she said, repeating his words to her earlier. But it had set in motion a thought process which was important and had culminated in a brief conversation about an ageing mare called Peg. "That's been an issue for me jus' lately. A hundred reminders of how mortal an' breakable I am, an' you gettin' less an' less that way, or seemin' to." Holding on to Storm's reins, she was quiet for a moment, her eyes swirling colours as she gathered her thoughts together. "It felt like a gap. Like you'd galloped ahead while I practised walkin'. But that's jus' fear talkin', there's no gap between us. Jus' your skin against mine an' our souls as tangled together as our legs an' arms an' bodies an' hair." Vega would never be a teacher, she knew, never give speeches or stuff like that because she found it hard to explain things. But, she'd understood something and it had cleared up a thing which had been bothering her. "Difficult, cantankerous, stubborn an' arrogant. That's both of us." With a shrug and a grin which was entirely genuine, Vega nodded her head. "An' it ain't ever dull, cos we'll never work each other out." Apparently content, she urged Storm to trot on, getting more used to the way to sit. "Hurry up, will you," she called back to him, "it's bakin' out here."

Vega liked Ciera and the woman smiled kindly at them both. When Khastur, who Vega liked far less, went to fetch the big ledger, his wife spoke softly. "Don't you mind him. He's a kind soul and he means no harm." Vega normally would say something, but she decided that shutting up might be the best thing to do at that point, so she did. Then Khastur brought the ledger back and Vega nodded when Arlo suggested that they should look for who bought Copper.

It was true that Vega was a much better reader than she had been, but a hand-written, very scrawly and tightly written ledger was not going to be easy. Whichever one of them it was, Vega would have to admit that they had lousy penmanship. Still, she lowered her head to the book and tried to find the name. It would have taken her twice as long as it took him to find it, though, but he did. When he found it, Vega asked Ciera if she might have a piece of parchment, please and the older woman handed her that, so Vega wrote it down. The name was Ms. Clara Wrenbrook, who made the purchase in the name of the Thunder Priestesses. There were thirty horses purchased before being later shipped to an area south of Mistral Village, which Vega also noted.

"Thanks, really. That's been real helpful an' it'll maybe help us to find the people what did this." Vega spoke quietly but earnestly to both of them, Ciera and Khastur both and they both nodded. Khastur spoke up, though. "It's a good thing you're doing, helping out. Both of you. World needs more people like that." Vega smiled slightly and nodded her head. "Thanks for the drink, an' the information. You've been really helpful. We'll make sure you're kept up to date an' stuff."

As they made their way back to their horses, Vega considered. "I wonder if we should ask if we can buy one of the horses from the Village," she ruminated. "Maybe Copper here?" Her hand had gone automatically to pet Peg and Storm, but she'd done the same to Copper. "I mean, we could ask." It would be fair enough to say they were keeping the horse, the amount of bandits they'd killed and so on. Vega knew that, but it still felt more appropriate to speak to Granny Ivy and ask if they could buy Copper, she said. It would mean they got a much better thoroughbred for a fraction of the price, after all. But that was down to him. As for what they did now? "So whatcha think? I reckon the thing to do is get back, help out an' get the last of the repairs done an' then if the Lightnin' Knights haven't showed up, we go an' have a chat with Ms Wrenbrook." What did he think?

[Arlo Creede]

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There was no question that Arlo could be stubborn. But that was mostly because, he'd teased her and said, that he was usually mostly right. As for arrogant, cantankerous and difficult? Accusations of a woman, he'd teased farther, that often found herself in the position of being not right. As for the more serious questions of mortality and what was really bothering Vega, Arlo had no choice but to sit on that one for a few bits since they'd arrived at the outskirts of the ranch too soon. Her concerns deserved more attention that a half formed quip.

She was right about one thing among others. Their life together was never dull. This wasn't just a leisurely ride in the countryside after all. They would't even be out here if it wasn't for their last outing in the woods having turned more interesting than they'd ever have planned it to. And it was only going to get more so, Arlo figured.

It wasn't as easy to find Copper's name in the ledger as one might have thought it would be. Lots of horses names beginning with the letter c, and then there were others than rhymed and had more letters in common than not, like Topper..and so on. But eventually they found the horse, the lot he'd been sold with and the name of the person who'd purchased him. As for their temporary hosts, they'd been helpful and Arlo was sure to thank them for that and their hospitality before he and Vega mounted up and were gone again.

They'd ridden for a few bits, putting some distance between them and the ranch before Arlo spoke up again. "I'm not any less mortal than I was ever before, you know," he finally said. "What Cassion has done has changed me in a lot of ways physically, but it hasn't made me immortal. I saw him leap over a chasm that was as good as a canyon, and if he'd misjudged, he probably would've come out alright," he figured. "But me? I'd just be the overconfident fool that someone had to scrape up off the rocks with a shovel."

And sure, he might not be as fearful of the same things he might used to have been. That made him bolder and more daring sometimes, he added, but he was still human and there were still things he was fearful of. "You're right. There isn't any gap between us and there never was. We're stronger together, both of us, than either of us are apart." And she was right about Peg, and Copper, he admitted. Though he'd rather not have had to admit it. "She won't like it. Or well, maybe she will so long as she's still the boss." He'd ask then about buying the horse when the time was right. For now though, he figured they'd better get back, help rebuild and then go from there.

[Oracle]

Comments

This thread was a delight to read. Vega was a natural on horseback and even gave riding side saddle a spin. Arlo did a brilliant job at convincing Khastur and his wife Ciera to let them have a look at the purchasing record; he would make an excellent investigator! You both did admirably at bringing these NPCs to life and working to dig up clues pertaining to the Mistral Raid. Perhaps you are now a bit closer to solving the mystery!

Arlo

Points

XP:15
This may not be used for domain magic.

Renown

+10 for tracking down information about the Mistral Raid

Loot

Because of your efforts to track down the bandits that attacked Mistral Village, the villagers have put together their funds and purchased Copper for you! Congrats!

+1 Rharnian Thoroughbred (Copper) Please decide which of you will post this in your CS.

Injuries

None

Knowledge

Animal Husbandry: Care for an older mare
Animal Husbandry: Horses are herd animals.
Investigation: Finding details of who sold what to who
Investigation: Names are important
Investigation: Pouring over details.
Mount: Horse: A brief gallop
Mount: Horse: Taking into account the preference of the animal

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Vega

Points

XP:15
This may not be used for domain magic.

Renown

+10 for tracking down information about the Mistral Raid

Loot

Because of your efforts to track down the bandits that attacked Mistral Village, the villagers have put together their funds and purchased Copper for you! Congrats!

+1 Rharnian Thoroughbred (Copper) - Please decide which of you will post this in your CS.

Injuries

None

Knowledge

Investigation: Finding details of who sold what to who
Investigation: Names are important
Investigation: Pouring over details.
Mount: Horse: Sidesaddle
Mount: Horse: Distribution of weight
Mount: Horse: Balance can be an issue
Mount: Horse: Don't go too fast before you're ready

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