Suit Up (Analisia/Closed)

[Nate]

(Continued from here)

Nate stopped in front of the store and glanced up at the sign as he tied Tarian's reins up to a post. It read "General Shoppe" in golden letters, likely painted. It would be a rather foolish move to put real gold up on a sign in a city. It'd be nicked before they even chained it up.

"Stay here boy, we won't be long." he said as he gave the leather straps a tug to make sure they were tight. Nate glanced back to see if he was still being accompanied to the store as he proceeded to open and hold the door.

"I don't think I'll need a lot, just some cloth and a bit of lamp oil. Somethin' for Tarian too probably, if they have anything he can eat. What about you?"

[Analisia Moonbright]

Eyeing Nate as he left the horse behind, she wondered if the thing would just take off after being left alone. Snorting in the horse's general direction, she walks into the store. As soon as she walks into the room, her nose twitches. Her eyes roam over to whom she assumes is the shopkeeper, and then over the products.

"Maybe just a few trail rations. And something to patch us up if we get injured would probably be a good idea. I mean, this is a 'legendary beastie'" she gestures appropriately, "we are going up against. I think we might get a few bumps and bruises along the way. We can better prepare when we get where we are going, but having the basics covered is always a good idea, don't you think?"

She walks over to one side of the store, trying to look through what bandages might be available. "Oh and a torch or two would probably be a good idea as well, if we are going to fight the thing with fire. Having a ready source we don't have to constantly relight might help."

[Nate]

Nate turned his head only enough to glance over his shoulder to watch Analisia snort at the horse, and for the horse to return it by rolling it's eyes. He chuckled and continued in after her, his hold on the door being released upon entering the store.

"Oh, yeah, that's a good idea actually." he said as he watched her move over to one side of the store. Nate made his way over to a rack filled with bolts of cloth and pulled one from the shelf. It was white, simple, but most importantly, the cheapest. Considering he would just be burning it anyways, he didn't see much point in burning a hole through his pocket. After a short bit of wandering he came across a small keg of lantern oil, which would suffice for lighting and maintaining the cloth's flame. A spool of wire was acquired soon after, and he rejoined Analisia after a few moments.

"Don't worry 'bout getting torches. Since I have to get this stuff anyways, I can make us a few with what's left over. Should be good for a few hours at least." he said as he glanced down at the items in his arms. "Did'ya find the rest of what you were looking for?"

[Analisia Moonbright]

Analisia picked out a few rolls of bandages. Then moved over to look at the trail rations. Grabbing a small bundle of those as well, it would hold out for two, maybe three days. That would do well enough, given they could spend time hunting when needed.

Walking around to find Nate, she nods to him. "I have everything I need now. The rest of my supplies are hung from a tree out in front of the city, so on our way out I will need to grab those." She pauses for a moment, then continues as if feeling the need to explain herself. "I don't trust taking my items into cities. I always seem to lose them in a tavern, or forget them at the inns."

With a small shrug she walks over to the shopkeeper to tender her bill. Not even bothering to haggle a better price. After handling her affairs, she waits patiently for Nate. "Any other shoppes you might want to visit before we leave the city?"

[Nate]

Following after Analisia to the shopkeep, Nate didn't seem to question her reasoning for keeping her items away from the city. In fact, it seemed perfectly logical to him. He had his own security system of sorts.

"That's pretty smart, really. I'm surprised I still have all my coin after walking through those crowds. But, then again, I keep my stuff on Tarian's saddle. Not many sane people go near him, 'specially if they try to nick my stuff. I've walked out of a lot of stores to see a guy on the ground behind Tarian with a hoof print on his face. It never gets old!" he said cheerfully. After the first few times, Nate had lost most of his worry in keeping his belongings in plain sight. Tarian acted more like a guard dog than a horse more often than not.

"Oh, that reminds me!" he said. Nate ran off for a second, only to come back with a few heads of cabbage in his hand. "Gotta get Tarian somethin'. He loves these." he said as he paid for his rather strange collection of items. Even if he was aware that the option to haggle was present, he would've disregarded it and paid what they asked. It was likely he'd end up paying more if he tried.

"That's all I need." he said as he raised one of the two heads up to Tarian, who tore through it like wet paper. It was gone before Nate had even finished the motion of raising his hand. Nate pulled his other hand back as Tarian moved toward it. "Whoa, hold on! This one's for later!" he said as he placed the head on the saddle and withdrew a folded up map from one of the saddle bags.

"Right... So, if you're all set, we can head out to here." Nate said while unfolding the map. He pointed to a particular spot on the worn parchment. "There's a town not far away from some ruins. They said the thing's in the ruins, but we can head here first to learn a bit more about the thing since it's the closest."

[Analisia Moonbright]

This new revelation on the horse made Analisia a little less wary, though she was still uncomfortable around it. She quirked an eyebrow at the horse getting a head of lettuce, but she assumed Nate knew what he was talking about. It was his horse after all. She scooted as close as she felt comfortable to Nate, considering he was fairly close to his horse. Peering down at the map, she studies it for a moment.

"That seems a good idea. And then once we get the information we seek we can spend a day scouting out the area. I would rather the bug not have any secret locations he can run off to. Or surprise us from. The best hunts are when the hunter understands it's quarry." she looks to Nate for his say on the matter. "If we leave today we can make it there in probably two days. Do you agree?"

[Nate]

Nate tossed the head of cabbage into an empty saddlebag after Tarian had begun to turn toward it. After seeing that Analisia wasn't getting close to the large horse, he stepped back away from the horse and unrolled it closer for her to see. “Yeah. If this thing does live in some ruins, chances are it'll have plenty of different places to hide... Now that I think about it, I don't see much reason to go huntin' it if it's minding its own business in a bunch of ruins. If it was causing that much trouble they wouldn't be asking for strangers to take care of it.” Nate said as he examined the map.

“Two days sounds about right. I'll have time to fix up a few torches and arrows on the way.” Nate said as he handed the map toward Analisia and began packing away the materials he had bought. After he finished, Nate untied the reins and turned toward his new hunting companion. “You sure you don't want to hop on Tarian for the ride there? I mean, I don't mind walking either way.”

[Analisia Moonbright]

"Maybe they have sent hunters, and those hunters died trying to kill it. Or they simply don't have enough hunters to face it," Analisia tries to reason. "Or... it could be eating their livestock. People get really angry at beasts that eat their livestock. If nothing else, we can try finding out why they want it dead."

At the mention of going on horseback, Analisia sighs. "I suppose I could try. I know going on horseback is faster than running, even if I do trust my own two feet more than a horse. But don't blame me if he throws either of us..."

Looking dubious, Analisia moves to stand beside the horse. Looking askance at Nate. "How exactly do you get on? Is it like climbing a tree? Or do you just... jump up? And once you are on, how do you keep it that way?"

Analisia hadn't been joking when she said she had never ridden a horse. Nor had she ever expected to. But to not try would probably bring attention to it. However, she severely doubted that this was going to end well, at all.

[Nate]

Nate scratched his head as Analisia listed a number of different scenarios. Each were plausible, more than likely really. “Maybe that's it then. Guess we'll just have to show 'em that we're the best!” he said as he finished untying the reins. He gave the horse a brief rub on the neck as his eyes focused on Analisia upon mentioning the possibility that the insect had been killing livestock. He glanced back at Tarian and exhaled.

As she mentioned taking him up on his offer to take Tarian rather than walking, Nate's expression quickly curled up into a grin. “I wouldn't worry too much about him throwin' us. As long as you trust him, he'll know.” Nate said as he adjusted the stirrup length and raised it slightly. He was just a bit shorter than her, so the stirrup being lower than normal would make mounting Tarian a tad bit more difficult. He adjusted the cantle next and flattened it against the saddle to make it a bit more comfortable for two people to ride. Nate placed his left foot in the stirrup and pulled himself up. He kicked his right leg over the horse and settled into the saddle, then moved his foot out of the stirrup and held out his hand.

“Put your left foot in there, then grab the saddle and my hand. Just lift your right leg up and you'll be fine.” he said. Nate moved himself forward in the saddle to give her plenty of room when hopping up. The distance between the saddle and the equipment that sat on the back of Tarian was too great to be an issue. “The saddle will keep you from falling off. If you think you're gonna fall off or somethin' you can just hold onto me or the saddle.”

[Analisia Moonbright]

Taking a deep breath, Analisia walked up to the side of the horse. She had a gut feeling that this was going to end badly, especially if the horse ever caught wind of her scent. She watched Nate intently as he got up onto the horse. Breathing in deeply, she took hold of the offered hand, grabbed the back of the saddle, placed her foot in the stirrup and wished for the best.

Pushing herself up, only to fall back onto her other foot. Eyes sharpening slightly, she refocused and attempted again. This time succeeding in getting onto the saddle, though only barely. Immediately, she let's go of Nate's hand and clasps both arms around his stomach.

"You do this all the time? It feels so unsteady..." She says, eyes squeezed shut. Sure as hell she could climb a tree to the top and stay there. But there seemed no way she was going to be able to stay on top of this horse. She whispers, her voice strained, "Are you sure that this is a good idea?"

[Nate]

Nate gave a slight tug of the reins as Tarian moved. He could definitely tell something was off, but the horse quickly fell back under Nate's control. “Hm.” he mumbled as he glanced back to Analisia. As she grabbed her hand and pushed herself up the second time, Nate gave her a helpful pull. It was must easier to mount the horse when Tarian was being attentive and not trying to get at the other cabbage Nate had left in the saddlebag.

“Yep! It's easy to get used to when you do it over and over again, and it's especially easy when he's paying attention. First time I tried to get up on his saddle he started walking off and left me on my arse.” Nate said. Some brief laughter followed before he rested his feet in the abandoned stirrups and gave the horse a slight nudge of motivation. “I'll take it slowly 'til you get the feel for it. Just hold on tight 'til then.” Nate said as he pushed his way through the crowd. The sea of commoners began to part in front of them as they realized what was heading their way, not many of the passing commuters wanting to cross the large horse.

After they had past the city's exit and a few moments of silence from Nate had passed, he finally spoke. “I don't want to take him to the ruins. I'll have to find a stable or someplace to keep him before we go anywhere near the thing.” he said, his tone having changed from what it was previously. It quickly changed back with the words that followed, seemingly to keep the mood from changing. “Ain't that right buddy? Gotta find you someplace with all the hay you can eat!” he said, and in response he received an excited exhale through the muzzle and shake of the head from Tarian.

[Analisia Moonbright]

Sitting stiffly, Analisia doesn't open her eyes, nor remove herself from holding onto Nate.

"Thank you. This definitely is not as easy as some make it look. I still don't understand why people choose to ride rather than using their own legs." She mumbles softly. Slowly, she opens her eyes, blinking as they begin moving. As they continue forward she watches the crowd part for them, and after a few moments she releases Nate from her grip, cheeks blushing dark red. I understand not wanting to take him near the bug. If the town there is large enough, then there should be a stable, if not, I am sure we can find some field to let him graze in until your return."

She places her hands to the edge of the saddle behind her, using it to steady herself. "It might take a shorter amount of time to get there, since we are riding part of the way."

Analisia bites her lip, still nervous, but relaxes slightly. Trusting that Nate has good control over the animal now. After a few more moments, she taps Nate's shoulder.

"I have my pack in that tree over there,"She points in the direction of the tree. "I will probably need your help getting down from your horse though, then I can fetch it and we can be on our way again."

[Nate]

Nate lowered the reins and released them from his right hand, allowing for his left to hold them while his right rested upon the saddle's horn. “It helps to have a good horse.” he said as he turned his head slightly to glance back at her. His head snapped back forward after a moment and he chuckled. “I'll show you the perks of ridin' horseback when you get used to it. Tarian's might be big, but he's fast too. We'd be at the town by the time the sun went down if I had him goin' at full.” Nate bragged. It wasn't a total lie either, though it wouldn't be that soon before they arrived.

“The town's just off a main road into the city. It's far enough away to have it's own tavern and inn, so I think it'll have a stable. Hopefully it will, the surrounding area is mostly forest.” he said, recalling on his memory of the map he'd been reading for the majority of the early morning.

His head turned to the right as his shoulder was tapped and he glanced back at Analisia. He followed her hand to the direction the tree was in and gave the reins in his left hand a light tug in the right direction. “Sounds like a plan to me. It's the same as getting up, just backwards. Fallen on my arse plenty a time gettin' down too.”

(Since we're moving off the board again we can change locations. Did you wanna make the new thread this time?)

[Analisia Moonbright]

Analisia fully expected to fall, when she dismounted. Though admittedly she was much less frightened of falling when she knew she was headed toward the ground either way. This wasn't quite as bad as she expected, Analisia wondered why she had never tried it before. Maybe it was because she knew horses hated wolves. She was sure that was the reason, but Tarian had barely reacted to her so far.

Sighing, Analisia waited for Nate to stop by the tree. Then attempted to swing her leg around to dismount, only for it to get caught momentarily and have her flipped over just in time to fall on her arse. Staring up at the sky, dazed, Analisia burst out into full out laughter. Clutching her sides, rolling over, sounds crazy laughter. When she finally stopped, she dusted herself off and stood up, still grinning like a madwoman.

"I think I expected that to be far worse than it was. Perhaps riding isn't such a bad thing," she smiles up at Nate. "I shall only be a moment. Climbing trees is much easier than mounting and dismounting."

She heads over to the tree. Walks a circle around it slowly, searching for the right branch. Then jumps up lightly, catching onto the branch with ease. Swinging herself slightly, she uses the back swing to help push herself up onto the branch. After that she quickly disappears into the tree. After a minute or two, a pack drops down from the tree with a thunk. After a few more minutes Analisia drops down from a different branch than she jumped onto in the first place. Grabbing up her pack, she swings it on and heads back over to Nate.

"All ready now. Shall we be off?"

((Yeah I can go make the new thread.))

[Nate]

Nate pulled the reins just enough to signal for Tarian to stop. The horse rolled its head and exhaled a heavy breathe through its nostrils, then came to a complete stop after a bit moving back and forth before he was able to settle. Nate, being fully prepared to hop off first and help Analisia down, had lifted his leg. He stopped himself upon hearing a thud to his left and glanced over Tarian's side. Upon being greeted with the sight of Analisia sprawled out on the ground and looking dazed he forced his laughter in. It wasn't until she began to laugh that he finally let it slip out, and continued to chuckle even as she walked off toward the tree while he dismounted.

“Alright Tarian, let's get you a treat.” he said as he pulled the cabbage from the saddle bag. He tore a leaf off the head as Tarian began to shift around in place and turned toward Nate. The two locked eyes and Nate's brows furrowed. “...No Tarian. Just a bit this time.” Nate said as he took a step back and slowly raised the leaf up. The horse made short work of it before raising its head back up to Nathan and releasing another heavy exhale through its nostrils.

“...Hey, don't give me that look. That's all you're getting for now.” he said as he took a few more steps back. The horse took a few steps forward, this time closer than he was before. It only took a single glance between them and Nate knew. He took a heavy step backward with his right foot and took off in a sprint. Tarian followed very close behind only seconds after, threatening to trample Nate if he wasn't constantly turning and changing directions. “No, bad horse! You're not eating it all! You'll be farting for weeks!” he yelled in panic as the horse pursued him. He lost his footing on a loose patch of grass and dirt and finally fell, the horse positioning himself over Nate.

Nate sighed, the disappointment of defeat had him rise the cabbage upward. Tarian was a large enough horse to be able to eat so much of the vegetable over a short time without any fatal health issues... not for himself anyways, but the gas that followed would be rather uncomfortable. Both Tarian and Nate raised their heads to look at Analisia as she approached with the pack.

“Y..yeah.. We're ready.” Nate said as Tarian stepped to the side and he climbed to his feet. Nate brushed off a bit of grass from his pants before mounting the horse once more and offering his hand out to Analisia to help her back up.