[Oba]Ruffling Feathers [Nera || Sanele]

[The Anesthesia]

Nera's face fell for just a fraction of a moment as Sanele spoke of having to stand for hours. It wasn't the fact that she would be with commoners that caused her face to rumble into disdain, that didn't bother her, it was however she was all too aware of how her body would react to standing for longer than a few minutes at a time. Swallowing down the expression of loathing as best she could Nera nodded halfheartedly and pinched the bridge of her nose with irritation. The mere thought of being without either Janarim made her stomach tighten and her skin crawl as if larvae were burrowing through her pores.

“Perhaps tomorrow would work better,” she murmured almost in an unsure voice that wavered ever so slightly with a watery wetness of emotion. Thin fingers found the small teacup resting on the dinner table and drew the fine glass to her lips and took a short pull from the bitter liquid. “I'm afraid I really can't stand for long periods of time,” trailing off for just a moment Nera brought one of her bronze-complexioned feet up into full view. A gnarled branding marred most of the surface of her sole, the raw and puckered flesh held notes of fluid trapped under the skin in pockets while yellowish run off leaked from the peeled back skin that appeared to be in the process of healing. “Both feet at the same way, a leaf-earthling captured me shortly before the end of the war and... its of no importance what he did but I am still healing so standing right now for such a long amount of time would be uncomfortable. When should I go to claim a seat, unless of course they would allow me to ride my Janarim of course.” That latter statement was a joke delivered with a subdued chuckle.

robot kitten

 

[robot kitten]

The Anesthesia

You go from delicious food descriptions to descriptions of wounds... tasty to stomach puking... XD

Sanele had thought that the look of distaste that fluttered across the others face had been from the idea of standing with the crowds.... until the foot was shown!

She waved a hand. "With your wealth you can probably get a seated spot easily.... just not the day before. Next week may be easier as the races are rather popular and I've yet to see an unpacked stand at any of the official competitions." Even with immense wealth, if there were no open seats, there were no open seats! "And there's no way Janarim would be allowed in;" she grinned briefly, taking it as a joke. "The Xaraan may spook and there's just no space.... I can probably carry you to a seat if need be. You're not that heavy looking." This was offered without any disgust on her part. Wounds were wounds! And Sanele was used to heavy labor.. carrying or helping another to walk for a short distance would be easy compared to wrestling unruly Xaraan! Or hauling their food in...

"When you get a seat, see if you can get the .. what're they called..." She paused a moment as she dredged up the official word rather than the slang her people called it; "royalty box? It's a box set aside for the really wealthy that is right along the finish line. It's got fancy shades and seating and is boxed away from where the masses stand. Frankly I prefer to watch standing but that's the best seat in the house. Pricy though." All the rest of the seats where actually above the standing area right along the tracks. You could see from farther up and were above the smell of the crowds but she preferred to be up close; right along the track edge so you could see the Xaraan and riders up close as they went speeding by.  

[The Anesthesia]

High-cheekbones seemed to become highlighted as a rush of ruddy color rose to the surface of the young-woman's face, normally bronze tinted skin darkened with hues of pink and scarlet creeping along her cheeks and settling into the tips of her rounded-ears, Sanele might not have realized how deeply her offer touched the battered noble but the fluster making itself noticeably evident upon her visage attempted to convey the message to the younger girl.

“I would never have you carry me,” Nera stated in a dry, even tone. Slim hands went up to her face and brushed away her unruly bangs while attempting to tame the heat radiating from her face. It wasn't that the woman felt degraded by the offer it was the fact that she needed it to begin with. “I can muster through the discomfort.” Not once did Nera utter the term 'pain' or 'agony' for the noble-born it was not about showing weakness or damaging her pride, however there was still something refusing to allow the ebony haired youth to assist her. Removing her foot from the table Nera straightened herself upright then flopped back against the lean plated muscle of her yellow colored Janarim; Essid.

Allowing a breathy sigh to escape from her pouty lips the beast charmer relaxed into the warm of her scaled companion then rotated the base of her jaw until it gave a faint pop in compliance. “The royalty box,” pinching her bottom lip between her teeth she gave a soft hum deep within the base of her chest as if pondering over the information given. “Alright then, next week I will accompany you to one of the races. Afterwards we can have dinner and discuss business further. Until then perhaps you and I can go and pick your Xaraan, I can put your chosen beast on hold so one one buys it out from under us. Once all matters are settled upon we can draw up a contract and get started. How does that sound to you Sanele?”

robot kitten

 

[robot kitten]

The Anesthesia

Sanele laughed at Nera's reaction to her offer. "Hey, seeing the races is worth the indignity of being carried! Least I think so." She chuckled and leaned back. "And it sounds dandy... Be nice to have a sponsor to help take the weight off of Lan... he's already risking a lot with setting up some racing bloodlines." Plus she did not want him to be paying for everything.. she really did hate charity but it was aiding her in her dream so who was she to gripe? Plus they were both getting something out of this.. if she succeeded.


"Which farm are you going to look from?" She already knew which one she wanted to buy from; the best bloodline came from the most expensive exclusive farm... Little rich girl here could probably spring for that beauty she'd seen there when she and Lan had done the rounds looking for Xaraan to fill out his barns for the racing lines. But she wanted to see which farms Nera knew about.  

[The Anesthesia]

Nera couldn’t help but roll a slim shoulder haphazardly while allowing herself to chortle faintly, she had attempted to maintain an air of regality but the longer the pair talked the more at ease she began to feel especially now that she reclined against Essid. The question was one that was well out of her caliber of answering, if the girl in front of her wanted to look at Janarim she could have supplied a proper answer off the top of her head however the beasts that the street urchin lusted after left her lead-tongued and lacking a knowledgeable response.

“I am not too familiar with Xaraan, however if it is anything like finding a proper bloodline for other beasts I would assume we head to the most expensive breeder. The higher the pedigree the more seep the coin value,” Nera took a moment to pause. Willowy fingertips breezed against her shaggy tresses pushing the more disorderly locks back into place before making direct eye contact with the ebony-haired Oban across from her. “I know you must have some place in mind. I’m not going to bullshit you and pretend to know where to even begin looking for your mount. In truth my mother picked out my companions for me. To be fair though the breeder that she chose was the best and I would have picked from the same.” It was embarrassing admitting that she was still a novice when it came to being a Tamer however it would be more detrimental if she perjured herself in a field that she wished to master and ended coming across as a fraud to those that what one day might become her peers.

robot kitten

 

[robot kitten]

The Anesthesia

Sanele leaned back in her chair and though for a bit. How to explain... she was never very elegant with words!

She chuckled; only one way to do this! "How bout I show you? I've been casing all the big and small name places. Some just make em pretty and that's no good for a racer. Some focus on the wrong aspects, some are decent but don't give you th best bang for your buck Looks are last.. what you need for racing is size, leg and tail length, muscle builds. You need to know how they are trained.. if they are trained. Whats their bloodlines like. Sometimes the richest of farms are shams.. you need the second best or third best since they ain't relying n old winners... alot of them have up and coming racers who could turn out to be a good bloodline." This Sanele knew.. this she lived and breathed almost all her life.  

[The Anesthesia]

Post Eleven

The street urchin made a point. Nera was fully aware of the amount of boasting involved between craftsmen. Everything was a game of sorts, the objective coin; the ruleset nonexistent. Would people really stoop that low though? Of course they would. It was deplorable but she couldn’t blame them if she was being honest with herself. Money was money and it all spent the same whether it was gained through lawful means or a more unacceptable manner. Though she would have thought there would have been some legal standard that the breeders would have to maintain or prove to the Oban Royal Courts, it was curious that they could get away with defrauding buyers. Maybe that was something that she should take note of and pass it along to her mother either way the moment that Sanele spoke the high-born snapped back to attention and regarded the younger girl with a curious expression.

“I would love nothing better. I might even learn something new.” The comment wasn’t meant to come across as condescending but the tenor in which Nera spoke held a subtle edge. “I’m nearly finished with my lunch; we can head out after a few more bites.” She wasn’t about to leave her meal unfinished. A few bites quickly escalated into voracious mouthfuls, utensils completely forgotten in favor of fingertips. Only a few moments passed before the lean-figured youth was finished with her repast and she forced herself into a standing position.

The warmth from the sand underfoot loosened the tight muscles of her instep, physically the noble-born wasn’t fatigued but the spontaneous burning sensation that shot up along her soles and radiated into her kneecaps put a drain on her energy level. Thankfully Nera didn’t have to travel far, their first destination was relatively nearby and presented itself as a well-earned reprieve from the ache in her feet.

robot kitten

I made my text bigger just for you

 

[robot kitten]

The Anesthesia

LOVE YOU.

Might learn? Sanele smirked; learn this rich girl would! She'd learn the nitty gritty.. cause Sanele never sat back and only looked at the Xaraan. To truly learn about the xaraan you had to see where they lived, where they trained... and that meant all the smell and refuse that came with animal life kept in one area for extended periods of time.

Sanele finished what food she could, amused to see the noble eat like a normal person would with out all the polite delicate actions. "I'll show you the closest ones first. The better ones are outside the city but I ain't taking you there yet. Too long a distance." She glanced at the feet with scars upon them.



It was close in fact, a show farm of one of the wealthier farms owned by a noble.. which meant they had the facilities in city and outside as well as affording the best of the best. It was a far shot to think she'd ever get one of his expensive racers... but since her sponser was the daughter of a general.. maybe one day...

"This here ain't the real farm." She told Nera as they approached. "The owner showcases his Xaraan here in a clean area where the nobles won't have to deal with smell or dirt. His are some of the best, with a price tag to match. Small, bred for speed and looks, they perform as advertised. I personally think he sacrifices some speed and muscle for the colors and patterns but then I don't care about looks as much as what they can do." To her all Xaraan were beautiful. And to treat one as bette simply because its colors were more pleasing was stupid.. but wealthy people could be quiet stupid! And she knew that in the end when she had her own farm she would also do this.  

[The Anesthesia]

Nera hung back, just a little ways from Sanele shadowing the dark-haired youth as she explained that where they were wasn’t a real farm. It made sense; it did lack the natural smell that most breeding stalls had. When she had gone to get her Janarim that was one of the first things that she noticed, the lack of it was actually dissociating. Animals had various odors; it was an important factor for a tamer to understand the nuances between the smells, the color of their urine, fecal matter it all had to be taken into account and understood. Increasing her gait Nera closed the gap between herself and her new acquaintance.

“A sword with an engraved blade or hilt gives you no tactical advantage whatsoever. Just because it looks pretty doesn’t make it better, I understand that Sanele but I could see how some might not. It is obtuse to make a purchase based on looks, it’s about quality. Yet a selling point is a selling point and looks can factor into that I suppose.” A slender hand reached out and stroked the side of the smaller-woman’s arm beside her reassuringly then gestured towards the Xaraan. “Show me the defining qualities that we are looking for and tell me what could be improved that way I have a visual guide on how a proper runner should look.” Keen pink-colored eyes peered out at the beaked creatures, some were smaller than others and seemed to be kept separate from the larger birds, more than likely those were less expensive yet they all reeked of pedigree. “Say Sanele would you pick out any of these for your mount or is this trip purely educational?”

robot kitten

 

[robot kitten]

The Anesthesia

Sanele grinned at her remarks. "Maybe you might understand then. Just a bit." She teased. "Though you have to admit... even if they aren't the best racers a gorgeous xaraan is a wonderful thing." She sighed enviously at the sight of the xaraan nearby. All of them were beautiful; whether or not they'd be useful for anything she didn't know.. but she did love xaraan! In all colors and shapes and uses. She looked down and frowned a bit at the stroking.

"You don't have to touch me." Sanele was not one for physical affection or displays and not above letting people know that. She kept some words to herself since she did want this business relation to continue.

"As for qualities we want.. gotta have them run. Long legs and certain muscle definition are good keys. But even then they can look like a speedster and just not have the attitude. Or they can be large and heavy but still have speed in them. Longer tails are nice; they can trip up other racers and help the animal keep its balance at high speeds. Large feet;if its too small to their body ratio they wont be able to grip the ground and stay balanced when sprinting. Deep rib cage so they can keep breathing while running. But not so large they are too heavy. Attitude is another factor. For racing you want a xaraan that can either bite back and is rough and tumble or one that is aloof and unfazed by other xaraan that try to bully it. Obedience is key but that can be trained in."


Buy one like that? She looked at the noble. "You ain't gonna check out the competition see if you can buy one cheap but not as pretty? I've been casing several breeders so I know what I want... and this isn't the first time I've been here so yeah.. I would buy one... but if I hadn't already checked and knew what I wanted... nah. I always check out competition before deciding which I want. I was jut gonna show you the pricy ones then go show you the ugly ones that could probably outrace any of the beauties here."