Chronicles of The Omniverse Archived Amarathia City

Kian smiled
"Good job! Now hold on!"
Kian hit the horse on the backside sharply, startling the animal.
 
A few minutes after the first two arrivals, a third party member showed up, albeit differently shaped than last time. Tea and had taken the guise of a raven, and after circling the city a few times to see where the others where, had rested on one of the beams in the stable. There he had sat for a while, with on earth two of the horses becoming jittery, looking up at the bird. He supposed his presence wasn't helping the one attempting to ride a horse, not that it mattered. Even if the equestrian had been stock still, the djinn doubted it could be easily ridden by the man, so evident was his lack of skill.

Tzaan watched them for a minute longer, before growing tired, and leaving the beam, landing behind the three other men. He thought for a brief second about how he had looked yesterday, ando assumed the same general shape. Perhaps keen eyes would observe some differences, such as different bone structure around the face, a slightly different hair length, and plenty other small details which the djinn didn't deem important enough to think about.

Without announcing his presence: "what time do we leave?" he asked, blunt as ever.
 
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The horse being slightly startled by Kian, unintencionally, and the djinn appearing out of the bloody nothingness, did not help the poor star, who found themselves on the hard ground once again. "Ouch... why did you have to do that.. " they complained, standing up again..
 
Chuckling, Kian disappeared into the stable before coming out with a smaller horse of his own, replying,
"Well, I did say to hold on..."
He tossed his saddle over the horse before hanging his pack on the saddle's hook on the side and securing it with a knot.
 
Val frowned at Kian, shaking his head. "If you're going to be joining us, you need to show a little more maturity than that," he warned, his voice a touch sterner than it had been before. "You're lucky she didn't rear, or kick. Either you or Abel could have been seriously hurt. I won't tolerate messing around like that once we've left the city. Out amongst the dangers beyond the walls, it could get someone killed. Think on that."

The hunter moved over then, to calm the disgruntled Nesta, whispering a few words to her that brought her back under control. He shot a glance towards Tzaan at his appearance, taking a moment to note the changes in his look. "When we're all present and ready," he answered just as bluntly. "And not before. And do try to have a little more consideration for the sensibilities of the animals when it comes to shapeshifting."

Leading Nesta back to the stable, Val's frown softened to offer Abel a smile. "I think it might be better for our travel pace if you rode with me. Soris can handle an extra rider, especially one as light as you."
 
Another horse appeared, this time coming from the opposite direction, following the dirt path that lead to where the small group was standing. It came to a halt, and the rider gracefully dismounted, the hood of her cloak falling from her head to reveal a freckled face with high cheekbones, and thick, auburn hair plaited in numerous braids. Amma considered putting it back on, but then decided against it. The sun was hot, and she had no need for secretiveness about her identity in this immediate moment. She patted her horse, which had hair that shifted like light upon water, changing colors as it moved. She turned to address the group.

"Good morni-" She started to say, then winced as she witnessed Abel fly from their horse and land, hard on the ground. She watched as Val calmed the horse and then reprimanded the other two men. She hid a smile. Already having troubles? What else would this journey entail? She had to admit, she liked the group already.

She glanced over at the djinn, who stood haughtily to the side. She noticed that some of his features seemed slightly different, higher cheekbones and a sharper nose. Strange. Abel was standing, rubbing their bottom, and nodding to something Val had said. She turned to Kian, adjusting the straps on his saddle behind her.

"Excited to be off?" She inquired, stepping closer so he could hear her. Then she wrinkled her nose. "You smell of...mead! Have you been in the barrels already? The sun didn't rise but an hour ago!"
 
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Abel sighed. He scratched the back of his head, embarrassed.

"Yeah, I guess it is the best idea.. thank you Val. " they admitted, smiling softly.

Then, they noticed the girl, whose name they had forgotten... aw, she was nice, though. " good morning, young lady " they greeted her waving their hand. And chuckling softly at her comment towards poor Kian.

"Aw, no he hasn't!, let him explain " the star said, walking after Val and the horse's side. Not behind, they remembered that at least.
 
Kian slightly deflated at Val's comment while climbing on his horse. He sighed a bit though, knowing he was right. Leaning forward on his horse, with his head on the horse's mane, he mumbled an embarrassed apology,
"...Sorry for putting you in danger, Abel."
When Amma commented, instead of his usual response, he moped for a second before responding,
"I got it spilled on me... Good morning."
He certainly didn't seem to take reprimanding very well. After a pause and a moment of thinking while his eyes were closed, he quietly nodded to himself a few times before sitting back up. He grasped the reins for a second, gaining a feel for it before asking with only a trace of his melancholy attitude from moments ago,
"So when will we head out? Everything seems to be ready."
 
Abel smiled softly at the kid, glad to hear an apology, though. " let your pretty smile back on your face Kian, I'm just fine, no need to worry about it. " they said, walking up to him and his horse.

Abel let the animal sniff their hand and then petted it, it was so soft... they really wished they knew how to ride one of them properly.
 
With a light smile, Kian nodded with a quiet thumbs up. He absently shifted slightly while petting the horse's side. It was nice to be around people for once.
 
"Isaiyl sent word to me that he's going to scout the road ahead for us on his griffin, so we're all here now," Val smiled and nodded his head to Amma. With Nesta safely returned to the stables, the hunter walked back over to Soris, his own mount, and nimbly slung himself into the saddle. He cast a glance in Tzaan's direction, raising an questioning eyebrow. "I'm assuming you won't be needing a mount," he noted, before turning his attention back to the others.

"We should be able to reach our first stop, Avandil, by sundown. We're able to stick to the main roads for most of the journey, so we should be able to rest at an inn every night, unless we run into trouble in between stops. Remember, that once we're beyond the walls, safety isn't guaranteed. The windriders and the military keep the roads around the capital safe for the most part, but there's always a risk of something slipping through the cracks."

With that said, Val walked his mount over to where Abel was waiting and offered them a hand. "Up you get. Sit behind me, and hold on for support. I don't want to have to stop to pick you up."
 
Abel looked up at Val, and his horse... a big, very nice but big, horse.

They went to grab his hand and hesitated for a moment before actually taking hold of it and grasping it firmly, managing to get up on the animal, just behind Val.

As soon as they were in place, Abel put their arms around Vals waist and held tight, fearing they might fall once again and not especially eager to practically kiss the ground once again..

"I hope I don't... bother you with the closeness, but I really don't want to fall again... heh. Sorry. " They apologised, a little embarrased but not letting go of the man.
 
Kian checked himself over, strapping his forging hammer to his right and a relatively short bastard sword to his left sheathe. He felt weighed down but also a sense of security. He signaled his readiness with a thumbs up before putting his horse at a very slow cantor towards the edge of town, obviously waiting for the others.
 
Val chuckled, grinning back at Abel. "Not at all. It's perhaps a little friendlier than I'd normally get with someone after just a day, but needs must, eh?" He patted the star on the arm, then turned back to face forwards. Close as he was, Abel might notice that Val's cloak was surprisingly soft, the material clearly of a high quality that belied its worn and unimpressive appearance.

He held his horse in place for the time being, waiting for Amma and Tzaan to mount up (or otherwise be ready) before he would set off.
 
Abel snorted, amused. The stars grip on Vals waist weakened a little as they relaxed, since the horse wasn't quite moving just yet.

"It's okay, I don' really mind the closeness. " Abel admitted, and nuzzled the back of Vals cloak, smiling softly. It was so soft!.

"What is your cloak made of?, I love it, where did you get it?? " they asked, grinning, peeking over Vals shoulder to see his face and leaning against him.
 
Val raised an eyebrow at being nuzzled, but wrote it off as the star simply not having the same sorts of boundaries that most mortals did. He cast a glance back at Abel when he peeked forwards. "My cloak? It was a farewell gift from home, of sylvani make. Never found one better since. They weave these cloaks using the same magic they use to build the erulinholm, guiding the fibres through spiritcraft rather than needle and thread."
 
Abel listened to Val, quite impressed. "Wow, I wish I could get one, it's so nice. " they said, resting their head on Vals shoulder, grinning.

" Do you think I could? Maybe? At soome point?. Time isn't an issue for me. "
 
Amma swung herself up onto her horse, grasping the reins firmly in her hands. She smiled as she watched Abel snuggle into Val's shoulder, holding back a chuckle. The more she got to know Abel, the more she liked their playful and innocent demeanor.
 
"You'd have to make the trip across to Auredine," Val answered. "And be ready to pay a lot of coin, or else earn the favour of the Arbor Watch or an Ellunae - easier said than done, as an outsider! There's not many from outside the forest that find favour in those parts, these days."

He frowned faintly at the thought, shaking his head. "But that's a whole other barrel of worms."

Seeing that Amma was mounted up, Val spurred his mount into motion, starting on a slow walk through the streets towards the city gates. Without a mount to prepare, Val presumed Tzaan would be able to follow them readily enough.
 
"Eeep! "

Abel squeaked and tightened their grip around the others waist, burying their face against Vals back, fearing they would fall once again and hit the ground.
 
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