The Gig [Tuesday]

[notqueenyet.livejournal.com]

Given that Aravis was from a desert country, she still wasn't exactly welcoming of the changing seasons.

That actually was putting it mildly, as she'd grumbled the entire way to JGOB to get tea and something to eat at work, and had only managed to soothe her oncoming tantrum by getting herself some honey cake and sweetening her tea like she had as a child. Not that she would probably admit that she was taking comfort in remnants of her childhood. It was fairly irrelevant in her mind.

[notification FAIL, y'all. I'll try to check in as often as possible but I'm going to be AFK getting an oil change for a tiny portion of the afternoon anyway.]

Comments

[momslilassassin]

Ben, after changing his mind three times, finally wandered into the Gig. "Hi."

[notqueenyet.livejournal.com]

Aravis almost didn't know what to do. She hadn't had anyone come in before. "Hello!"

[momslilassassin]

He smiled. "I was looking for a distraction," he said, sounding a little shy, "and I thought I remembered you worked today."

[notqueenyet.livejournal.com]

"You remembered correctly," she said, smiling slightly. "Did you want to learn to ride?"

[momslilassassin]

"If you're not too busy," he said quickly.

[notqueenyet.livejournal.com]

"I'm not too busy at all," she assured him, snagging her cloak quickly, "if you don't think you'll be cold. You'll need to come with me while I saddle someone for you, though, just so the horse can get used to you."

[momslilassassin]

"I can ignore the cold," Ben assured her as he followed along behind. "I figured if I made another droid in my room, my roommate would have me committed."

[notqueenyet.livejournal.com]

"I know the feeling. Though I obviously never made droids," she admitted as she led the way into the stables. "I actually used to go tend to the horses. It was a bit rebellious of me, to be honest, when I first started."

[momslilassassin]

"Does nobility not work where you come from?" Ben guessed, glancing around the stables with interest. The pale horse especially caught his eyes. "They're so tall!"

Ben didn't spend a lot of time with animals.

[notqueenyet.livejournal.com]

"No, and especially not ladies," she assured him, giggling as she went to get a few things. "Do you like any of them in particular?"

[momslilassassin]

"Why especially not ladies?" Ben asked, walking over to the tallest horse and offering it a smile.

[notqueenyet.livejournal.com]

"We're meant to be delicate and only care about ladylike things. Horses are smelly and large and caring for them makes one's hands rough," she said, smiling as she offered him an apple. "I think I might give you Kally -- the blond one. Is that all right? She's an older mare."

[momslilassassin]

"That's fine," Ben said. He blushed. "It's not like I'd know enough to tell if you were secretly trying to make me fall off." He offered her a smile. "But I trust you. I don't think you'll do that."

"I'm pretty sure the women in my family would laugh at the idea of being stuck only caring about what someone else would define as ladylike."

[notqueenyet.livejournal.com]

"Well, I ran away from home to escape all that," Aravis said easily. "They wanted to marry me off and I left. I live in a neighboring country with the royal family there, now. It's a slightly more independent life. Do you want to try feeding her?"

[momslilassassin]

"Okay," Ben said, holding out the apple to Kally. "Do you ever go back to your new country?"

[notqueenyet.livejournal.com]

"Occasionally. I was there for Christmas last year," she said, smiling softly. "Keep your palm flat."

Kally nosed his palm slightly, before taking the apple.

[momslilassassin]

Ben adjusted his hand immediately. "Christmas?" he repeated, then sighed. "There's another holiday?"

[notqueenyet.livejournal.com]

"I don't understand it, exactly. My boyfriend tried to explain it but all I know is that there is a terrifying man called Santa who sneaks into houses, and everyone gets gifts," Aravis admitted. "We just give gifts at home. None of this horrifying breaking and entering business."

[momslilassassin]

"Thanks for the warning, though," Ben said, eyes wide. "It would have been embarrassing if I'd killed some kind of icon coming into my room."

[notqueenyet.livejournal.com]

"He wears a big red suit. I don't trust him," she said, starting to tack up Kally.

[momslilassassin]

"Doesn't seem that stealthy," Ben commented. "How hasn't he gotten caught? Or bludgeoned to death?"

[notqueenyet.livejournal.com]

"Apparently they welcome him in this land," she said skeptically.

[momslilassassin]

"What is wrong with them?" Ben demanded. "First they put clearly insane people on their television to cook food and cover their tables in trash and now they dress their thieves in bright red!"

[notqueenyet.livejournal.com]

"...trash on tables?" Aravis asked, puzzled.

[momslilassassin]

"A woman on television last night," Ben sort of explained. "She called it a tablescape. Everything was covered in glitter or lace or something."