wipesfaith | 02 [action/voice]

[For all his trouble, Jean got a horse. Which is great, because he's curious to explore what lies far beyond the village and he ain't walking all that way. (What can he say? Some losers from back home have gotten into him a little bit.) First, though, he needs to find a saddle and bridle - apparently, he should have made out with a few more people if he wanted riding gear too. But his pride is worth more to him than that anyway, so he doesn't mind searching through the Item Shop for what he needs.

By the afternoon, he can be found at the stables on the east side of the village. He has spent the past few days visiting Benoit, letting the horse grow accustomed to him as he cares for him. Now that he has something more sophisticated than a rope lead, he's willing to take the horse out farther than the immediate vicinity of the stables. It was already obvious to him that Benoit lacked training. Before he can think about riding him anywhere, he'll have to muster up some serious patience and start from scratch. After fitting him with the sadle and bridle, so he can start getting used to the way it feels, Jean will lead him out to a decent-sized clearing in the forest to get down to business.

Toward the evening, after returning Benoit to the stables, he makes his way back to Flame Building. Residents may have noticed a recent addition outside the building, in the form of a small pen that now houses a little lamb. He'll stop by to check on it for Marco - make sure it's not dead, not that he'd be terribly broken up if it were, because he's never indulged in lambchops before - before finally heading in.

Later, he'll flip open his journal to voice a message.]

[Voice]

Hey. I guess I'm still pretty new here, so I'm just wondering...what's worth seeing beyond this village? I've seen a map, but a map can only tell you so much. There's an...ocean out there, right? [He gets the feeling that some might find his next question a little stupid, and he swears he's sane; he just comes from an insane world.] Is there seriously salt in it?

It's weird... This whole place could probably fit inside Wall Rose - that's what's left of human territory back home - but it still seems like so much...more.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[She let out a snicker before giving Benoit a little pat on the muzzle and withdrawing her hand. Maybe it was a bit troublesome, but she couldn't help but respect an attitude like that.]

Hey, I'm sure he has a lot to add to the conversation! Right?

[a grin.]

Yeah, he's just full of hilarious jokes and gems of wisdom. Aren't you, buddy?

[And now he's climbing up the gate to Benoit's allotted stall, and he swings himself over it, his feet landing with a thump in the straw.]

[She peered over the gate, trying her best to look nonchalant.] Is that your way of asking me to leave so you can get to work?

[Hey, she knew that horses were a lot of work to take care of.]

[He shrugs.] You don't have to leave if you don't want to. It's not like I own the stable.

I just need to feed my damn horse. [Benoit had started anxiously pawing at the ground again when Jean invaded his space further, but Jean moves to reassure him with a hand stroking his side. From here, he can eyeball the levels of his food and water.]

I know that! [Man, was he this serious about everything...?]

I've got nothing to do anyway, so I'll just stay here. [Her training for the day was already done, so she was just killing time in whatever ways she could.]

[You're the one who asked...

And you should see him in the moments where he's the opposite of serious. They're just rarer than they used to be.]

Congratulations, you can think for yourself.

[He's squatting down to tear open a new bag of feed - he wishes there were somewhere better than the stall itself to store everything, but despite the generally kind attitude of the population here he's a little leery of anything getting jacked.]

Why, yes I can, thanks for noticing. [De...nied?] But look at the thanks I'm getting for trying to be considerate! How awful~

[The degree to which her words and her expression were contrasting was getting a little silly at this point.]

[He'll fill the feeding trough to an appropriate level, and then, stepping out of the way, fold the sack of grain shut. Enticed by the sound and scent of food, Benoit shifts over with what could be a grateful nicker. Possibly.]

Do you come here just to hang out? You obviously don't own a horse.

My friend works here sometimes, so yeah, I do. [Although things were a little...awkward between them at the moment. Still, it was nothing she couldn't handle!]

But like I said, I'm just looking for something to do!

Who's your friend? [Not that he's run into anyone here in the past few days, but. Might as well ask.]

His name's Rudy. You don't know him, do you?

[She couldn't help but wonder why he was asking, and ignoring the most likely answer wasn't helping that.]

[He's leaning over the stall gate now, one elbow resting on it.] Nope, haven't met him. But I figure I might run into him eventually if he's here a lot.

[A frown passed over her face. Was he feeling well enough now to come to the stables that often? She wasn't sure about that.]

...Yeah, you might. He's a big softy though, so you don't need to worry about him treating Benoit badly.

I wasn't worried about that. If he works with horses so much, I trust that he knows how to treat them right.

"Trust", huh. Whatever you say. [She knew what he really meant of course, but she had an awkward relationship with the word, let's say.]

What's that supposed to mean...

[Oops. Her and her big mouth.]

It's just weird to hear someone talking about trusting a person they've never met. That's all.

It's not like I'm trusting him with my life or a dangerous secret or something, I'm just expecting him to not be a dick to my horse.

I know you're not! It's just that-- [lets out a quick sigh.] Never mind...

I'm gonna go now. Good luck with your horse. [And away she went!]

[...Weird girl.]

Yeah, see ya. [He turns away before he finishes speaking, returning his attention to the horse, and the rest of the chores he has to take care of.]

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