22 Sep 2020, 22:28
To the Cave!
When Ileen reached the group shortly after her over enthusiastic Ravenclaw friend, she just waited until Dee did let go of them and rushed to hug first Aida and then Sly herself. The young Slytherin was exited to see her friends again and squeezed them slightly to show somehow how much she had missed them. Aida still felt frighteningly fragile and Ileen would give her bald friend a quick look to see if she looked any healthier and stronger.
With a crooked smile on her lips, Ileen bowed her head briefly after letting go of her friend and gave her a wry smile. "Fellow Knight." She had loved to bring the sword Aida had given her for her birthday to this adventure, but she had been afraid to destroy or lose it. Also, if they would be climbing a lot, it was too big.
After greeting her friends Ileen would turn to the blonde Slytherin, who she now knew was Alexander. Even though they were in the same house, she hadn’t talked to him in person so far, a fact that was probably due to her general attitude towards her house mates. But in this case, she was curious, not only because he was a friend of her friend, but also because of the story Aida had told - it was interesting to finally see a face to it. Her dark brown eyes formed into halfmoons when she smiled at him and introduced herself after Dee. "Hi, I'm Ileen." Then she turned around to give Tòry a polite and friendly smile.
Her smile vanished and made space for a frown when she spotted the ‘car’. Ileen hadn’t been in such means of transport many times since in New Zealand they normally had walked, took floo powder or just took the horses or the train. Cars were something new for the young pureblood and she wasn’t sure how comfortable she felt with them – especially in this case her concerns were rather high. But she didn't want to be a spoilsport and gritted her teeth while her friends expressed some of their doubts out loud. Ileen tried to hide the fact that her hands were slightly shaking and she swallowed to get rid of the uneasy feeling that overcame her. With a nervous look in her eye she climbed into the car and pulled herself into the back seat.
Almost immediately there was a slight pressure on her ears and she tried to find a point where she could concentrate her gaze so that she would not get sick. Dee's parents had told her that looking forward to the road would help, so she turned her eyes to the windscreen while her fingers dug into the seat's padding.
When Syl asked for someone to share the apple, Ileen would gladly take the distraction. With a tense smile she would turn to the Ravenclaw boy and her brown eyes would sparkle. “If you don’t mind.”
Action: Observation Check on Aida to see if she’s doing better
Ability: Sixth Sense, Prodigal Charms Learner
Stats: Sta:5 | Ev:8 | Str:3 | Wis:9 | Arc:6 | Acc:9
"Some people are in such utter darkness that they will burn you just to see a light."
26 Sep 2020, 22:35
To the Cave!
On hearing Dealla’s sharp remarks about the van, Tòry snorted loudly but got into the driver’s seat anyway. Children failing to be taught proper manners. Humph. He would not go easy on the potholes this drive, even if it did not teach her a lesson.
Ileen gave a quick check of Aida’s condition.
Ileen saw that Aida had more color to her face, more substance around the bones of her cheeks, and a smoother and healthier overall physique. Ileen could conclude Aida had been eating decently and sleeping relatively soundly during their separation– Aida seemed to be recovering.
Locking onto Aida’s violet eyes before entering the van, Ileen’s knight sight activated and Aida’s natural predisposition to honesty yielded readily to Ileen’s gaze. Ileen first noticed the obvious– the life that had been almost completely gone from Aida’s eyes a month prior had now substantially returned. Her eyes no longer spoke of crushing despair or detachment from reality. Aida was no longer staring listlessly, incomprehensibly into the distance. A sort of warmth was there, and it shone back at Ileen affectionately, though with restraint. Something was still holding her back. While Ileen would sense that Aida had regained a firm grip on reality, there was something not quite right still… But it was a human conflict, unlike the unnatural wraith-like shadow that had been completely possessing the pale girl in previous months. There was still a faint darkness to Aida’s gaze but it was nothing in comparison to the warmth it now exuded. There was a new human conflict inside Aida that only Ileen could see. Aida smiled back at Ileen. [Grats on your nat 20.]
Aida had been so consumed by one particularly difficult segment of her drawing that she had completely tuned out Dealla’s question about the length of the ride. When finished drawing on it Aida folded her large ticket stub and tucked it into a pocket of her jacket without uttering a single word. On hearing Sylvain’s request for a knife (whether or not directed at her) Aida naturally offered hers in case Alexander did not have one handy. Aida would accept a portion of the apple with a nod in any case.
After less than an hour of perhaps nauseating, perhaps thrilling cavorting about inside the bouncing van cabin on an increasingly backwater road, the party arrived at Tòry’s ranch.
As the party crawled out of the van, Tòry did not even bother to wave the children over as he walked away. However, Aida encouraged her friends to follow as Tòry walked up to a dusty paddock which held six horses. Aida waved her friends inside.
“Ileen, you should take the mare over there. The rest of you can pick your favorite of these three geldings.” Aida started to point out the horses by name.
“Ileen, can you help teach Dee how to ride? Tòry can help Syl and I can help Alexander."
Ileen gave a quick check of Aida’s condition.
Ileen, who during summer camp had done much to bring Aida back from the brink of starvation, was of course interested in how the albino had fared during those weeks after they had parted ways. Not only was Ileen a very perceptive girl in the first place, she also had a special connection with Aida– a knight bond– that now gave her advanced powers of perception about Aida’s situation.Ileen’s perception check
[d20 : 20] + 9 In the end, the result was: 29
Ileen saw that Aida had more color to her face, more substance around the bones of her cheeks, and a smoother and healthier overall physique. Ileen could conclude Aida had been eating decently and sleeping relatively soundly during their separation– Aida seemed to be recovering.
Locking onto Aida’s violet eyes before entering the van, Ileen’s knight sight activated and Aida’s natural predisposition to honesty yielded readily to Ileen’s gaze. Ileen first noticed the obvious– the life that had been almost completely gone from Aida’s eyes a month prior had now substantially returned. Her eyes no longer spoke of crushing despair or detachment from reality. Aida was no longer staring listlessly, incomprehensibly into the distance. A sort of warmth was there, and it shone back at Ileen affectionately, though with restraint. Something was still holding her back. While Ileen would sense that Aida had regained a firm grip on reality, there was something not quite right still… But it was a human conflict, unlike the unnatural wraith-like shadow that had been completely possessing the pale girl in previous months. There was still a faint darkness to Aida’s gaze but it was nothing in comparison to the warmth it now exuded. There was a new human conflict inside Aida that only Ileen could see. Aida smiled back at Ileen. [Grats on your nat 20.]
Aida had been so consumed by one particularly difficult segment of her drawing that she had completely tuned out Dealla’s question about the length of the ride. When finished drawing on it Aida folded her large ticket stub and tucked it into a pocket of her jacket without uttering a single word. On hearing Sylvain’s request for a knife (whether or not directed at her) Aida naturally offered hers in case Alexander did not have one handy. Aida would accept a portion of the apple with a nod in any case.
Noticing that Ileen’s fingers were digging into the seat cushion, Aida feels a bit concerned for her friend and tries to give her a reassuring smile. Her warmth would hopefully convey that it would be okay.Aida observation check of Ileen
[d20 : 7] + 10 In the end, the result was: 17
After less than an hour of perhaps nauseating, perhaps thrilling cavorting about inside the bouncing van cabin on an increasingly backwater road, the party arrived at Tòry’s ranch.
As the party crawled out of the van, Tòry did not even bother to wave the children over as he walked away. However, Aida encouraged her friends to follow as Tòry walked up to a dusty paddock which held six horses. Aida waved her friends inside.
“Ileen, you should take the mare over there. The rest of you can pick your favorite of these three geldings.” Aida started to point out the horses by name.
“Ileen, can you help teach Dee how to ride? Tòry can help Syl and I can help Alexander."
@Ileen Knight @Dealla Prince @Sylvain Indarys @Alexander Varellion
OOC: Please name your horse, describe it physically and personality-wise. I can help if desired. It can be whatever breed you want and you are encouraged to describe the horse tack any way you want; we are not going bare-back, however. When we are riding (after this set of posts, not starting now), you are welcome to control your horse’s behavior. If you do not wish to describe what your horse does, as your de facto mod I can do it for you.
Thanks, Ileen, for posting your stats at the bottom of your post. It's very helpful to me. *winks at the rest of the party.*
You may choose to try to mount the horse from this point on, but your experience level will be taken into account and horse interactions will be rolled for depending on your decisions. I will have the teachers interact with you as you post but you don't have to mount up yet. When everyone is mounted I will progress us to the next area.
12 Oct 2020, 04:54
To the Cave!
Hexcode= #507091
Taking the knife from Aida, Sylvain quartered the apple, then halved the pieces into chunks. Before returning her blade, Sylvain wiped the apple remains from its edge on his blue jeans to make sure it didn't rust any. "Looks important, where'd you get it?" While listening, he would pass out chunks of apple to Ileen, Aida, Dealla and Alex if they wanted any. If not he wouldn't ask them twice, instead eating the remainder for himself.
Filling the silence with humming or light reading when the conversation stopped, Sylvain wasted few moments of their precious hour long journey, even pointing out details he'd noticed in the terrain on his way up here. Admittedly, he probably could have met the party where they were going instead of travelling the distance twice, but these things happened when you were making friends according to his research. He was thankful for their company at the least. Existing in a rickety van with friends was far better an alternative than being trapped at home wishing for rain, or forlornly hoping to go back to school.
Upon arriving to their intended destination, Sylvain followed Aida and Tory to the dusty paddock where the horses were hitched without complaint. This was turning out to be quite the exciting adventure so far. Already he had learned so much about his friends, and they'd barely just begun to travel together. Hopefully no hardship came, but if it did he'd be there to help at the worst of it.
Made obvious to him as his horse for the trail, Sylvain spotted a small sorrel. The gelding was seemingly well trained, and quiet. Sylvain calmly approached the gallant and predictable steed with a treat in hand. Noting a name plate on the equine's breast, Sylvain offered the second of his apples to Pride. The sleek, blue and white saddle that sat in the pocket of Pride's bulky shoulders complimented his brass blond mane, which had been fancifully braided. The studded white on the leather of the stirrups matched Pride's pretty and spotty socks. Both of which were on his front feet, his hind hooves matching his chestnut fur. Truly Pride was a majestic steed, if not a bit tired from having clearly lived a long, laborious life.
Putting faith in the creature's senses, Sylvain took a second step towards it holding his prize aloft. "You sure are a handsome one aren't you?" Sylvain slyly said while taking a third step. He hardly felt the need to seek Tory's assistance on the matter, though he would take a look back for reassurance as he didn't know the creature well enough to assume its body language meaning it was comfortable with him. "Do you like red delicious fellah? Do ya?"
Action: Attempt to bond with Pride by feeding him.
@Aida Mòrsgor-Ama Ellwood @Alexander Varellion @Dealla Prince @Ileen Knight
"Things are never so bad they can't be made worse." -Elim Garak
27 Oct 2020, 20:47
To the Cave!
He could not help but let out a sigh of deep relief once they had left the van. In his head there was almost a 30% chance that the van might suddenly short-circuit and fall off a cliff. Which is a lot higher than the 0% chance that most cars had of doing that. But luckily they had managed to reach the ranch with an unholy combination of faith and probably an engine that was filled with tons of duct tape.Mentions: @Sylvain Indarys
Whilst they shuffled towards the exit of the van he would once again notice the small slice of apple in his head. Then he suddenly recalled he needed to thank Sylvain for giving him the apple. "Thanks for the apple btw, might come in handy." After which he took a step and once more landed on solid ground.
As he stepped out he felt a little woozy, though this sensation quickly faded. Replaced with a calm sensation as he took in the clean highlander air, which might have been in part due to the relatively high altitude of this place. He then looked around, enjoying the scenic sight around him. Unbound grass fields and a clear blue sky with some rocky outlines in the background. Truly it was a sight that an intrepid artist could make a beautiful paining off. But he was not an artist, instead he was going to ride a horse. A horse, which he realized now, was far larger than he had imagined. As he approached he could see that it was basically as tall as him, though with a far larger horizontal build.
Even through the cold core he had these days, Alexander could feel a certain amount of nervousness. He could not imagine how mad the initial people who tamed the horses must have been. Who in their right mind would try and climb onto one of these things whilst it was actively resisting them. Though he supposed initially they must have acted more like mules. Pulling carts and ploughs, putting the term horsepower in everyone's mind.
And now he had to climb onto one of them. Though he knew he should not do that immediately, instead he tentatively reached his hand out. Going towards its forward extruding mouth and softly stroking/patting it. Trying to make it acclimate to his presence before anything else. Even without any advice he knew that that was the foremost priority. And then he held out the slice of apple he had in his hand. And cautiously offered it to the horse. Hoping it did not accidentally bite him.
Actions: Feeding the horse a quarter of an apple
Memory is all we are. Moments and feelings, captured in amber, strung on filaments of reason. Take a man’s memories and you take all of him. Chip away a memory at a time and you destroy him as surely as if you hammered nail after nail through his skull
8 Nov 2020, 20:59
To the Cave!
Mentions | @Aida Mòrsgor-Ama Ellwood | @Dealla Prince | @Sylvain Indarys
Ileen was relieved when she noticed that Aida had gained some weight even though she was still frighteningly thin. Her friend looked healthier and…. more alive! She was leaning towards this world more than to the other one where Ileen couldn’t follow and that was good. So, Ileen reflexively returned the reassuring smile that Aida gave her in the car before taking one of the apple slices from Syl. “Thank you.”
Afterwards, she concentrated on chewing and tried to relax. The presence of her friends helped but she wasn’t sad when the car finally stopped. Her heart was still pounding and she knew that she was pale. She stumbled out of the car more than she got out elegantly and her knees didn't really want to obey her at first.
With a relieved sigh she leaned against the door and took a deep breath. Whew. That's better.
The fresh air and the view were good for the young Slytherin and when she saw the landscape, she immediately felt at home. The horses did the rest. Her heart took a leap and the energy shot back into her legs. It reminded her of home and how much she missed her own horses. So, Aida did not need to tell her twice to take the mare. “Yes! And sure, I will help Dee.”
Dee would notice a similar effect as in the kitchen when Ileen had slipped into the leader role. The very same happened again on the paddock. The young girl felt 100% comfortable in her skin and knew exactly what to do as she had done it countless times before.
She carefully approached the pretty mare, rummaged in her bag and took out a snack that she had put in there especially for this purpose. The horse was chestnut brown, tall and had a slightly reddish mane. A broken pallor ended just above the velvety soft nostrils and from the whole physique and the look in the smart eyes you could see that this mare had temperament. “Hey there. I’m Ileen. And what’s your name?” She spoke gently to the horse as she reached out to offer the snack that the mare gently accepted. With her free hand, the girl gently stroked the mare's forehead and clawed her behind the ears as the animal snorted approvingly. The brown bridle carried a name plate. “Oh, Mimmy, a pretty name. We will get along splendidly.”
Then the girl reminded her other task and turned around to wave Dee over. “Come on. They won’t bite you.” It was clearly visible how happy Ileen was - the smile on her face painted little dimples on her cheeks and her brown eyes sparkled in excitement.
If Dee came closer, Ileen would lead her to the chestnut gelding next to Mimmy. He was a little smaller and looked altogether very gentle. His ears twitched attentively as the girls approached. He had a white spot on his forehead and his mowing was even redder than Mimmys. She took another snack from her pocket and gave it to her friend. “Now, offer him this on the flat hand.”
When Dee and the horse had become friends Ileen would explain to her how to mount the horse and how to hold the reins properly. She also taught her not to tug on the reins so as not to hurt her sensitive mouth. She would correct her seat and give her a few more tips on leg aids, but overall the gelding would certainly follow the others.
When she was sure that her friend was comfortable and safe she would return to Mimmy and mount the beautiful mare. Merlin, it felt good to be back in the saddle!
Action: Mounting Mimmy
Ability: Sixth Sense, Prodigal Charms Learner
Stats: Sta:5 | Ev:8 | Str:3 | Wis:9 | Arc:6 | Acc:9
"Some people are in such utter darkness that they will burn you just to see a light."
16 Nov 2020, 22:04
To the Cave!
Interacting with | @Ileen Knight | Terrifying beasts
Mentions | @Aida Mòrsgor-Ama Ellwood | @Sylvain Indarys | @Alexander Varellion
Even with the deafening racket and the potholes, the ride had all in all been kind of fun. Dee had rambled on about random things during the ride, things she spotted outside the window, some things they'd done since the end of summer camp, a man on the train who apparently hadn't noticed his toupee had been slipping. As unsafe as the van had been, the truly terrifying part for Dee was only approaching.
She hopped off their ride with a certain amount of apprehension, a feeling that only intensified when Aida waved them over onto the paddock, and then pointed at the animals occupying it. Horses. She had seen pictures of horses before, of course, had seen some on paddocks next to streets or train tracks, but she had never been confronted with one up close, and she had never wanted to.
There were so... big. And... alien. They had teeth that could probably bite her hand off if they wanted to, and even if they didn't, they could probably still trample her. She suddenly was sure that she was going to fall off and stepped on if she tried to climb onto one of those creatures. Those saddles didn't look safe at all! Why couldn't they just keep riding the van?
Of course, she'd known that this was coming, but from the comfort and safety of Hogwarts and her own home, it had seemed like an inconvenience worth braving in exchange for getting to explore Aida's mythical cave. Now that she was actually coming face to face with real, living and breathing horses, she was suddenly not so sure about this whole adventure.
The others obviously didn't share her concerns, immediately approaching the horses they had been assigned, while Dee stopped a few meters away, eyeing the last unclaimed one with obvious alarm and distrust on her face.
Ileen, on the other hand, seemed completely at ease, yes, happy even, to be near these things, and it didn't take long until she was telling Dee to come over. They won't bite you. How incredibly reassuring.
"Uh, thanks, I think I'm good from over here," she replied, eyeing the horse again. Was it looking at her? For a moment, she could have sworn it was laughing at her. Of course, Ileen wouldn't just let her get away with that, and it didn't take much more than a raised eyebrow and another beckoning gesture for Dee to trudge over to where Ileen was waiting with Dee's biggest nightmare, grumbling to herself all the while.
Okay, okay - it hadn't kicked her yet. That was a small win, right? Maybe she could do this after all, without dying. Although - up close, it looked even bigger than from afar. How was she supposed to get up there? In this moment, she would have even preferred a broom to this beast. A broom at least didn't have a mind of its own, and wasn't likely to trample her if she fell off of it. Oh, but it was only getting worse. "You want me to what?" Dee half-squeaked when Ileen handed her the snack. "Have you seen its teeth? How is it going to eat this tiny snack without biting my hand off?"
But again, it didn't take more than one of Ileen's patented mum-glares, the same ones she'd employed when they had made the cookies for Mr Dunaid, for Dee to cower and put the treat on her hand, and, after some more glaring, hold it out to the creature's big mouth, containing all of its big teeth, her shoulders pulled up to her ears, eyes almost completely closed.
But then, instead of teeth chomping down on her fingers, she could feel first warm breath and then the soft touch of the gelding's muzzle in her palm, carefully picking up the treat, and not biting her at all. Somewhat surprised, she opened her eyes, and then, on impulse, reached out to tentatively place her hand on the gelding's head, right above his nostrils. "Please don't trample me," she whispered, before slightly turning her head towards Ileen, although she didn't move her gaze from the horse. He may not have eaten her yet, but he was still big and scary. "What's his name?"
Even after getting acquainted a little bit better, she was still apprehensive as she followed Ileen's explanations, staring up at the saddle and stirrups warily. But still. The cave was calling, and getting up there shouldn't be too different from climbing a tree or a cliff, so with Ileen's instructions and help, she put one foot into the stirrup, held onto the pommel, and more or less (more less than more) gracefully attempted to haul herself into the saddle.
Got permission to (very slightly) godmod Ileen~
Stats
Sta 4 | Eva 9 | Str 3 | Wis 10 | Arc 6 | Acc 8
Evasive Maneuvers | Charmer
Allies: All three of you
"One can never consent to creep when one feels an impulse to soar."