Post by BlueUnicornJ13 on Oct 6, 2016 18:04:19 GMT -6
Characters: Jinni and Ryder
Setting: Spring of Year 1700 at the capital city; Osulas.
Jinni:
It had been roughly a week since her rather unfortunate slip up out on the Zuiseset. That near death experience had haunted her for the next two nights upon her return home, but that day hadn’t been all bad luck. She had met Ryder, a medicine horse who she was still surprised at having never met before in the past. Luckily her duties hadn’t been keeping her too busy and today would be a good day to try and look for him out in the city. After all, Jinni had made that a promise.
The sun was still low in the sky, but the threat of the heat of the afternoon would make itself present in the next several hours, but that was what the large canyon walls were for. Jinni pulled the door to her home closed behind her before she made her way down the small set of steps and onto solid ground, the base of the large canyon. Jinni tugged at the knot in the shawl that she had slung over her bald neck, hanging just behind her ears. It was a light, cool color of blue, and one of the only articles of clothing that she owned, aside from bracers and the like. But this was to help keep the hot rays of the sun off of her sensitive head, at least for whenever she would need to stray from the shade. The mare’s dark coat certainly didn’t help her.
Jinni stopped to the side, staying well out of the main pathways as several of the common equine citizens went about their day. The large passing shadows of the feathered pegasi caused her to look up, squinting against the sunlight as she watched them soar far above the canyon’s walls. It was during small, quiet moments like these when Jinni often wished that the goddess Alya could have granted her that gift of flight. Perhaps then her size wouldn’t bother her so much, along with her lack of a beautiful mane and tail, because then she would have feathers and large beautiful wings to show off instead. The warrior snorted and shook her head. Those were silly thoughts; simple imaginings that would never come to be. Jinni took a deep breath, keeping her attention on her surroundings as her eyes swept through the city, carefully and eagerly looking for a familiar face. (Word Count: 396)
Ryder:
It had been about a week since he had helped a drowning Iron Hoof out of the Zuiseset. Had it really been that long ago? His work had enveloped him the moment he had returned home with the precious cargo of fresh herbs, and he had lost track of time. Hopefully, she didn’t think he had forgotten about her or stood her up (even though they hadn’t exactly made a set date to meet again).
Ryder carefully watered the herbs and other plants of his indoor garden, using his blessing of Water Manipulation to guide the liquid to the plants’ roots. It was peaceful to him to tend to such things as plants, to see them quietly grow and bloom to their fullest potential, and in some circumstances, he was able to use the fruits of his labor for medicine for his patients. Speaking of patients, Ryder couldn’t help but feel like he were forgetting something, but every time he went over his mental list of things to do, all he could think of that was making that void was his lack of patients to see that day. Everyone had either healed or had their wounds mended recently which left him with little to do. An idea fluttered in his mind, and he found himself quickly watering the last of the plants left to water. Leif was out playing with some of his friends, and there were no scheduled patients to see that day. Maybe he should venture over to Osulas in search of Jinni. She had said that she would like to see him again after all, and he didn’t want to make her think that he didn’t want to see her (which he certainly did want to). Jinni was an interesting horse. She seemed to be kind and a hard worker much like himself, and he wanted to get to know more about her and possibly be friends if she wanted to. He could only pray to Cascade that she would understand that he had been busy with work or else he would have looked for her much sooner than this. Hopefully she hadn’t spent much of her precious time looking for him.
The sun was hot on his back and fins as Ryder walked down one of the many roads of Osulas. The beauty of the city still baffled him. The architecture was spectacular, and it amazed him that the city was built into the side of a canyon. The hippocampus glanced up when a shadow fell over him to see pegasi flying up toward the farmlands that sat on top of the canyon. This city was truly amazing. Shaking his head, he focused back on his current mission: finding Jinni. It shouldn’t be that hard, right? Ryder looked upwards to where the Sultan’s home sat above the city. As an Iron Hoof, Jinni probably lived pretty close to where the Sultan lived in order to ensure she could be at his side at a moment’s notice, so that might be a good place to start his search. Plus, he could search the crowds on his way upwards to make sure she wasn’t among them.
His stomach twisted unexpectedly at the thought of seeing her again. What if she didn’t want to see him? What if she didn’t like the restaurant he planned on taking her to? What if she had been looking for him for awhile and was mad he hadn’t come sooner or if he was coming too soon? Uncertainties flooded his thoughts, but Ryder tried to push them to the back of his mind as he set off toward the upper parts of Osulas. There was no need to be nervous. He was just meeting up with a friend to get to know her better. Why was he being such a dork about this? (Word Count: 640)
Jinni
Osulas certainly seemed busy on this particular day, and it only seemed to be testing her luck. “P-pardon me- oh! Excuse me..” Jinni held her ears flat against her head as she worked her way through the crowds. Her size certainly was a bit unusual here in the desert, and it was during times like these that it really did prove to be a bit of an annoyance. For the next few moments she decided to simply stand where she had stopped. Luckily she towered above most average horses which, in the least, made it easier for her to search above the crowd instead of through it. But after several minutes she caught a familiar spotted fin out of the corner of her eye. It couldn’t be him could it? There weren’t very many hippocampi, if any at all in Serora - it had to be him! It took her a moment to realize that she had been smiling like an idiot at the thought of seeing Ryder again. She was almost sporting a foal-like excitement, which certainly wasn’t appropriate for a mare of her age, let alone her rank. Jinni took a deep breath and shook her head, flicking her ears forward before she made her way through the crowd once again, this time keeping her attention on that familiar stallion.
“..Ryder?” At first she was hesitant to call out to him. There was a doubt in the back of her mind that it was probably another equine. She had never done something like this before, and besides, why would he want to see her again anyway? Jinni frowned at the self-loathing thoughts that were starting to cloud her mind, enough to the point where she took a step back, thinking it best to simply go home. But she didn’t. She liked Ryder and she had enjoyed his company when they had met. It would be foolish to simply let someone like that go. This time the warrior trotted forward, hooves clacking against the hard ground, and this time she called out to him loud and clear; “Ryder!” (Word Count: 348)
Ryder:
The hippocampus weaved through the growing crowds as he walked closer toward the Sultan’s home in Osulas, thinking that would be the best place to start looking for Jinni. After all, she was an Iron Hoof. The chances of her finding her around the Sultan seemed more likely than anywhere else.
As Ryder walked, his eyes searched the horses around him for her familiar pelt. It always amazed him just how many horses lived inside the city. It seemed like an impossibly huge number, and he never saw the same faces twice during his few and far between visits to the city to buy goods. With their constantly depleting food resources during the warmer months (which were most of the months in Sedo to be honest), it was surprising that they were actually able to house and feed all of these horses.
His spotted fins rose on his back at the faint sound of someone calling his name, and Ryder stopped in his place on the road, causing someone to bump into him. He whipped around, apologizing to the stranger who simply nodded their head with a slightly annoyed huff before his attention returned to the crowd in search of who had called out to him. Maybe he was just imagining things. He began to think just as he heard the voice again. This time the voice was much louder and clear above the bustling of the crowds around him, and Ryder turned his head to see the warrior mare trotting through the crowd toward him. A friendly smile appeared on his face at the sight of her, and any worries of her not wanting to see him quickly dissipated. “Jinni!” He called back and moved around the horses walking down the road to meet her.
The stallion came to a stop in front of her, offering her a lopsided grin. “How have you been? You look great… I mean... well-rested after the last time we met.” He fumbled awkwardly for a moment, hoping that she wouldn’t take his compliment the wrong way. “Sorry that I haven’t been able to come to Osulas before now. Work has been pretty crazy lately, and I’m sure you know how hard it is to get away from it sometimes.” Ryder added with a soft chuckle, praying that she wouldn’t be angered that he hadn’t visited sooner.
“Do you want to grab something to eat or something? I know of a few good food places around the market if you’d like.” (Word Count: 417)
Jinni
It was a conflicting emotion, but Jinni’s skin prickled in excitement when he turned around to face her. She tried her best to compose herself before she walked forward to meet him, being careful not to bump into anyone else. For the first time she was… nervous. Was that the feeling that was twisting in the pit of her stomach? Perhaps it was, but it wasn’t a bad kind of nervous. The warrior met him half of the way and luckily the crowd of horses around them, whether by curtesy or annoyance, moved around them instead, giving them space. Innocently her ears perked forward at the sound of his familiar voice. It still sounded as friendly and comforting as the day they had met.
“Oh well…” Jinni looked off the side, a bit embarrassed at the compliment but she only offered him a smile before continuing, “Thank you. I’ve been great, certainly much better than a week before.” She laughed lightly, one ear twitching at his apology that followed. Her brow raised and she quickly shook her head. He was far too kind. “Ryder, it’s alright.” She reassured him, blinking slowly as she sighed. “I’m an Iron Hoof. I know a thing or two about how crazy work gets.”
The looks she received when she had asked for a day off from her fellow guards was certainly one she would never forget. Never had she done such a thing, not even for an injury, but she could only hope that they weren’t suspecting anything of her. She would be free from her duties today. All that she needed to pay attention to was the horse in front of her.
“I-I think that’d be great!” Quickly her ears flicked behind her. She hadn’t meant to sound so eager! Jinni politely cleared her throat, shifting her weight on each hoof awkwardly. “I’ve lived here for years but… I’m embarrassed to say that I don’t really know anything about any good places to visit. I hope you don’t mind, but I’ll be glad to follow you wherever you’ll take me.” She smiled. (Word Count: 349)
Ryder:
Ryder felt his stomach twist nervously at the obvious embarrassment on her face as she glanced away from him. Oh if only he could smack himself. Why was he being such a goof? The only thing he could decipher over the mess of nervous energy that was inside him was excitement. It was a strange feeling to have after going for so long without feeling anything like it, but it was strangely comforting as well. Maybe it meant that he was finally letting go of those depressing thoughts of being a widower and moving on with his life. Maybe it meant he was ready to make new friends or even search for someone to keep him company.
He nearly heaved a sigh of relief when she didn’t high-tail-it outta there at his awkward greeting. “I figured that you’d be pretty understanding considering how busy your own profession is. Iron Hooves are certainly busy horses.” He added with a chuckle. He had great respect for the Iron Hooves, as well as the other warriors, for what they did to keep them all safe at the risk of their own well-being. It spoke measures about a horse’s character that they chose to put their lives above someone else’s. His ears perked up as a sudden realization hit him. “Speaking of work, how has work been going? Nothing has been hurting or anything after the river incident I hope?” Ryder asked curiously, wondering if she had taken off of work because of some kind of injury.
A smile turned up the corners of his lips at her chipper reply, and he gave her a curt nod of his head as he listened intently to her speak. “Don’t worry about it, Jinni. I’d be happy to show you around, and maybe as we walk I can point out some good places to stop by whenever you have the time to.” Ryder offered with a kind smile, knowing how hard it was for him to get away from work for just a moment to check places out and see the sights of Sedo. Until recently, he couldn’t even say that he had seen much of it during the 12 years he had lived amongst the Serorans. It was the least he could do to show her some places that she could maybe visit and experience for herself.
His head tilted to the side, indicating the direction he wished to take before making his way toward the market. “I’m going to warn you now that the place I’m taking you isn’t exactly the fanciest place around.” Ryder joked, casting her a playful smile before continuing, “It’s more of a small mom-and-pop restaurant, but they have some of the best food in Osulas… in my opinion anyways.” He added with a soft chuckle. Hopefully, he wasn’t playing this place up too much, but it did happen to be one of his favorite places to eat in Osulas. (Word Count: 490)
Setting: Spring of Year 1700 at the capital city; Osulas.
Jinni:
It had been roughly a week since her rather unfortunate slip up out on the Zuiseset. That near death experience had haunted her for the next two nights upon her return home, but that day hadn’t been all bad luck. She had met Ryder, a medicine horse who she was still surprised at having never met before in the past. Luckily her duties hadn’t been keeping her too busy and today would be a good day to try and look for him out in the city. After all, Jinni had made that a promise.
The sun was still low in the sky, but the threat of the heat of the afternoon would make itself present in the next several hours, but that was what the large canyon walls were for. Jinni pulled the door to her home closed behind her before she made her way down the small set of steps and onto solid ground, the base of the large canyon. Jinni tugged at the knot in the shawl that she had slung over her bald neck, hanging just behind her ears. It was a light, cool color of blue, and one of the only articles of clothing that she owned, aside from bracers and the like. But this was to help keep the hot rays of the sun off of her sensitive head, at least for whenever she would need to stray from the shade. The mare’s dark coat certainly didn’t help her.
Jinni stopped to the side, staying well out of the main pathways as several of the common equine citizens went about their day. The large passing shadows of the feathered pegasi caused her to look up, squinting against the sunlight as she watched them soar far above the canyon’s walls. It was during small, quiet moments like these when Jinni often wished that the goddess Alya could have granted her that gift of flight. Perhaps then her size wouldn’t bother her so much, along with her lack of a beautiful mane and tail, because then she would have feathers and large beautiful wings to show off instead. The warrior snorted and shook her head. Those were silly thoughts; simple imaginings that would never come to be. Jinni took a deep breath, keeping her attention on her surroundings as her eyes swept through the city, carefully and eagerly looking for a familiar face. (Word Count: 396)
Ryder:
It had been about a week since he had helped a drowning Iron Hoof out of the Zuiseset. Had it really been that long ago? His work had enveloped him the moment he had returned home with the precious cargo of fresh herbs, and he had lost track of time. Hopefully, she didn’t think he had forgotten about her or stood her up (even though they hadn’t exactly made a set date to meet again).
Ryder carefully watered the herbs and other plants of his indoor garden, using his blessing of Water Manipulation to guide the liquid to the plants’ roots. It was peaceful to him to tend to such things as plants, to see them quietly grow and bloom to their fullest potential, and in some circumstances, he was able to use the fruits of his labor for medicine for his patients. Speaking of patients, Ryder couldn’t help but feel like he were forgetting something, but every time he went over his mental list of things to do, all he could think of that was making that void was his lack of patients to see that day. Everyone had either healed or had their wounds mended recently which left him with little to do. An idea fluttered in his mind, and he found himself quickly watering the last of the plants left to water. Leif was out playing with some of his friends, and there were no scheduled patients to see that day. Maybe he should venture over to Osulas in search of Jinni. She had said that she would like to see him again after all, and he didn’t want to make her think that he didn’t want to see her (which he certainly did want to). Jinni was an interesting horse. She seemed to be kind and a hard worker much like himself, and he wanted to get to know more about her and possibly be friends if she wanted to. He could only pray to Cascade that she would understand that he had been busy with work or else he would have looked for her much sooner than this. Hopefully she hadn’t spent much of her precious time looking for him.
The sun was hot on his back and fins as Ryder walked down one of the many roads of Osulas. The beauty of the city still baffled him. The architecture was spectacular, and it amazed him that the city was built into the side of a canyon. The hippocampus glanced up when a shadow fell over him to see pegasi flying up toward the farmlands that sat on top of the canyon. This city was truly amazing. Shaking his head, he focused back on his current mission: finding Jinni. It shouldn’t be that hard, right? Ryder looked upwards to where the Sultan’s home sat above the city. As an Iron Hoof, Jinni probably lived pretty close to where the Sultan lived in order to ensure she could be at his side at a moment’s notice, so that might be a good place to start his search. Plus, he could search the crowds on his way upwards to make sure she wasn’t among them.
His stomach twisted unexpectedly at the thought of seeing her again. What if she didn’t want to see him? What if she didn’t like the restaurant he planned on taking her to? What if she had been looking for him for awhile and was mad he hadn’t come sooner or if he was coming too soon? Uncertainties flooded his thoughts, but Ryder tried to push them to the back of his mind as he set off toward the upper parts of Osulas. There was no need to be nervous. He was just meeting up with a friend to get to know her better. Why was he being such a dork about this? (Word Count: 640)
Jinni
Osulas certainly seemed busy on this particular day, and it only seemed to be testing her luck. “P-pardon me- oh! Excuse me..” Jinni held her ears flat against her head as she worked her way through the crowds. Her size certainly was a bit unusual here in the desert, and it was during times like these that it really did prove to be a bit of an annoyance. For the next few moments she decided to simply stand where she had stopped. Luckily she towered above most average horses which, in the least, made it easier for her to search above the crowd instead of through it. But after several minutes she caught a familiar spotted fin out of the corner of her eye. It couldn’t be him could it? There weren’t very many hippocampi, if any at all in Serora - it had to be him! It took her a moment to realize that she had been smiling like an idiot at the thought of seeing Ryder again. She was almost sporting a foal-like excitement, which certainly wasn’t appropriate for a mare of her age, let alone her rank. Jinni took a deep breath and shook her head, flicking her ears forward before she made her way through the crowd once again, this time keeping her attention on that familiar stallion.
“..Ryder?” At first she was hesitant to call out to him. There was a doubt in the back of her mind that it was probably another equine. She had never done something like this before, and besides, why would he want to see her again anyway? Jinni frowned at the self-loathing thoughts that were starting to cloud her mind, enough to the point where she took a step back, thinking it best to simply go home. But she didn’t. She liked Ryder and she had enjoyed his company when they had met. It would be foolish to simply let someone like that go. This time the warrior trotted forward, hooves clacking against the hard ground, and this time she called out to him loud and clear; “Ryder!” (Word Count: 348)
Ryder:
The hippocampus weaved through the growing crowds as he walked closer toward the Sultan’s home in Osulas, thinking that would be the best place to start looking for Jinni. After all, she was an Iron Hoof. The chances of her finding her around the Sultan seemed more likely than anywhere else.
As Ryder walked, his eyes searched the horses around him for her familiar pelt. It always amazed him just how many horses lived inside the city. It seemed like an impossibly huge number, and he never saw the same faces twice during his few and far between visits to the city to buy goods. With their constantly depleting food resources during the warmer months (which were most of the months in Sedo to be honest), it was surprising that they were actually able to house and feed all of these horses.
His spotted fins rose on his back at the faint sound of someone calling his name, and Ryder stopped in his place on the road, causing someone to bump into him. He whipped around, apologizing to the stranger who simply nodded their head with a slightly annoyed huff before his attention returned to the crowd in search of who had called out to him. Maybe he was just imagining things. He began to think just as he heard the voice again. This time the voice was much louder and clear above the bustling of the crowds around him, and Ryder turned his head to see the warrior mare trotting through the crowd toward him. A friendly smile appeared on his face at the sight of her, and any worries of her not wanting to see him quickly dissipated. “Jinni!” He called back and moved around the horses walking down the road to meet her.
The stallion came to a stop in front of her, offering her a lopsided grin. “How have you been? You look great… I mean... well-rested after the last time we met.” He fumbled awkwardly for a moment, hoping that she wouldn’t take his compliment the wrong way. “Sorry that I haven’t been able to come to Osulas before now. Work has been pretty crazy lately, and I’m sure you know how hard it is to get away from it sometimes.” Ryder added with a soft chuckle, praying that she wouldn’t be angered that he hadn’t visited sooner.
“Do you want to grab something to eat or something? I know of a few good food places around the market if you’d like.” (Word Count: 417)
Jinni
It was a conflicting emotion, but Jinni’s skin prickled in excitement when he turned around to face her. She tried her best to compose herself before she walked forward to meet him, being careful not to bump into anyone else. For the first time she was… nervous. Was that the feeling that was twisting in the pit of her stomach? Perhaps it was, but it wasn’t a bad kind of nervous. The warrior met him half of the way and luckily the crowd of horses around them, whether by curtesy or annoyance, moved around them instead, giving them space. Innocently her ears perked forward at the sound of his familiar voice. It still sounded as friendly and comforting as the day they had met.
“Oh well…” Jinni looked off the side, a bit embarrassed at the compliment but she only offered him a smile before continuing, “Thank you. I’ve been great, certainly much better than a week before.” She laughed lightly, one ear twitching at his apology that followed. Her brow raised and she quickly shook her head. He was far too kind. “Ryder, it’s alright.” She reassured him, blinking slowly as she sighed. “I’m an Iron Hoof. I know a thing or two about how crazy work gets.”
The looks she received when she had asked for a day off from her fellow guards was certainly one she would never forget. Never had she done such a thing, not even for an injury, but she could only hope that they weren’t suspecting anything of her. She would be free from her duties today. All that she needed to pay attention to was the horse in front of her.
“I-I think that’d be great!” Quickly her ears flicked behind her. She hadn’t meant to sound so eager! Jinni politely cleared her throat, shifting her weight on each hoof awkwardly. “I’ve lived here for years but… I’m embarrassed to say that I don’t really know anything about any good places to visit. I hope you don’t mind, but I’ll be glad to follow you wherever you’ll take me.” She smiled. (Word Count: 349)
Ryder:
Ryder felt his stomach twist nervously at the obvious embarrassment on her face as she glanced away from him. Oh if only he could smack himself. Why was he being such a goof? The only thing he could decipher over the mess of nervous energy that was inside him was excitement. It was a strange feeling to have after going for so long without feeling anything like it, but it was strangely comforting as well. Maybe it meant that he was finally letting go of those depressing thoughts of being a widower and moving on with his life. Maybe it meant he was ready to make new friends or even search for someone to keep him company.
He nearly heaved a sigh of relief when she didn’t high-tail-it outta there at his awkward greeting. “I figured that you’d be pretty understanding considering how busy your own profession is. Iron Hooves are certainly busy horses.” He added with a chuckle. He had great respect for the Iron Hooves, as well as the other warriors, for what they did to keep them all safe at the risk of their own well-being. It spoke measures about a horse’s character that they chose to put their lives above someone else’s. His ears perked up as a sudden realization hit him. “Speaking of work, how has work been going? Nothing has been hurting or anything after the river incident I hope?” Ryder asked curiously, wondering if she had taken off of work because of some kind of injury.
A smile turned up the corners of his lips at her chipper reply, and he gave her a curt nod of his head as he listened intently to her speak. “Don’t worry about it, Jinni. I’d be happy to show you around, and maybe as we walk I can point out some good places to stop by whenever you have the time to.” Ryder offered with a kind smile, knowing how hard it was for him to get away from work for just a moment to check places out and see the sights of Sedo. Until recently, he couldn’t even say that he had seen much of it during the 12 years he had lived amongst the Serorans. It was the least he could do to show her some places that she could maybe visit and experience for herself.
His head tilted to the side, indicating the direction he wished to take before making his way toward the market. “I’m going to warn you now that the place I’m taking you isn’t exactly the fanciest place around.” Ryder joked, casting her a playful smile before continuing, “It’s more of a small mom-and-pop restaurant, but they have some of the best food in Osulas… in my opinion anyways.” He added with a soft chuckle. Hopefully, he wasn’t playing this place up too much, but it did happen to be one of his favorite places to eat in Osulas. (Word Count: 490)
