[OOM] Eiattu - Royal Stables

[fighting_mad]

Plourr hums quietly under her breath, pulling the bit out of her thak's mouth and the bridle from her face, rubbing her forelock. The thak noses her princess with her big head, and Plourr smiles and pulls the pieces of bluefruit she's been saving since breakfast from her jumpsuit pocket and feeds them to her. The stableboys could handle grooming for her, but she'd rather do it herself. Besides, the stable is nice; it's quiet and smells like hay and thak-feed, and the stablehands leave her alone when she comes in to take early-morning rides.

As Koer happily eats, Plourr starts the process of unsaddling her.

Comments

[eiattu_pride]

He remains where he is, leaning against the stall door and smirking.

"I could."

[fighting_mad]

"I hear a 'but,' " she calls from within the tack room, shoving the saddle up onto a post.

[eiattu_pride]

"Do you?"

Innocent.

[fighting_mad]

"What is it?"

[eiattu_pride]

"She's not going to listen to me."

[fighting_mad]

She kicks a bucket of feed (on purpose), carrying another one, as she comes back out into the stable. "Good point."

[eiattu_pride]

"I know."

Exaggerated sigh.

"Suppose you'll just have to go to her."

[fighting_mad]

"I'm a busy woman," she says, dumping the contents of the bucket into Koer's feed trough. The thak grunts happily and sets to her breakfast. "She can wait." And they both know how happy that will make her.

Just imagining it brings a smile to Plourr's face.

[eiattu_pride]

Rial rolls his eyes.

"Suicide? Generally not considered very good."

[fighting_mad]

"Rial," she says, one hand holding the empty bucket and the other on her hip, "I can handle your mother."

[eiattu_pride]

"That makes one of us."

Mock-shiver.

[fighting_mad]

She rolls her eyes and goes to fill the bucket at the tap. "Just tell her when she's being a frigid bitch. That's what I do." Which is clearly why they get along so well.

[eiattu_pride]

"Hey."

He frowns.

"That's my mother you're talking about."

[fighting_mad]

"She started it," she says, but she shuts up. She would kill anyone who said a word about her mother.

Of course, her mother was a good person.

What? Shutting up verbally doesn't necessarily mean shutting up in her head.

She finishes filling the bucket and carries it over to the stall, arm muscles standing out as she pours it into Koer's trough.

[eiattu_pride]

"You could try to be a bit more accepting, Princess."

Sigh.

[fighting_mad]

"I tried, Rial." She really did, at first. She sets the bucket down beside her boots and leans on the stall door, reaching out to scratch behind Koer's ear as the thak eats. "But she hasn't exactly welcomed me with open arms, either."

[eiattu_pride]

"Well, that's true."

He looks at the rafters.

"I'll talk to her."

[fighting_mad]

"I thought she wouldn't listen to you."

[eiattu_pride]

"She tends not to. Maybe I'll get lucky."

[fighting_mad]

She lets out a breath. "You know, I'm fine with your dad." Thoughtful pause. "Maybe it was the punching that made the difference."

[eiattu_pride]

Snickers, "Wish I'd seen that."

[fighting_mad]

"Wasn't my finest moment, really," she mutters.

[eiattu_pride]

"A pity."

He's watching her under half-closed eyelids.

[fighting_mad]

"Lose control in front of half the squadron, hit a man, have to be held back screaming like a lunatic." She shakes her head, smoothing down Koer's forelock. "I wish I hadn't done it." She means the losing control and the crying in front of half the squad--or the entire squad, really. She doesn't regret the punch so much.

In retrospect, that had been a damn embarrassing day.

[eiattu_pride]

"Oh."





"Sorry?"