Welcome to Gaia! ::

A new man walked in from the pagoda entrance and into the main grounds. He had spiky black hair and wore no shirt but he still had black pants. At his waist hung an elaborate Katana and Wakizashi, this was where he rest his left hand. He took a quick look around before walking into the gazebo and taking a seat. He sat still by himself watching the people go past around him.

Sensing the momentary distraction of the dispenser of his most coveted snack, Toto flattened his ears to his head and deftly snatched the rusk from Solice's hand, completely ignoring the outstretched appendage. The horses muzzle felt like a velvet glove as it tickled his palm. Amaya grinned as the horse took a step back, hastily chomping down on the treat, eyeing the ninja as if he expected him to try to recapture it at any instant.
When he had gulped down the last of it, Amaya put back the snaffle bit into his mouth, then put her hand on the girth of the bareback pad and jumped up on the horses back. She briefly adjusted herself, then stuck out her left boot and twisted around to stretch out her right hand behind her back in Solice's direction to help him mount, too.
"Come aboard! You can use my boot as a foothold and take my hand to pull yourself up. I know that looks a bit weird, but that way you prevent the other from pulling you down instead of you pulling them up."

"Lets go then." Amaya briefly patted Solice's arm, then gathered the reins in her hands and nudged the horse's flanks with her heels. The stallion raised his head, chomping down on the bit, and set out in a brisk walk. Bred to bear a knight in full armour as well as a horse breastplate and mail, the additional weight meant almost nothing to the giant friesian. Riding him felt like sitting on a gently rocking black cloud.
"Are you feeling comfortable?", Amaya asked her companion, turning her head around a bit.

Toto lashed his tail irritably and chomped down on the bit some more as Solice's legs got in his way. Amaya patted his neck, taking the reins in a one handed grip.
"I see. We'll take it slow until you have adjusted.", she said over her shoulder, reining in the horse to a relaxed walking speed. With her free hand, she extricated Solice's right hand from the stallions mane and guided it around her waist instead. "Just hold on to me and you'll be alright."

Amaya turned her head back around at his first comment, facing foreward again so he could not see the huge smile playing on her lips.
"Fortunately, you know me better than some people, don't you?", she said in casual tones.
"And as for you being a hopeless cause, I guess that's not for me to judge...", she added, rubbing the back of his hand reassuringly. "Don't worry, you'll soon find out how to rock your hips in time with the horse's movements..." This, too, was added in an offhand sort of way in which one might be talking about the weather. Now lets see how you fare in the teasing game, my friend... I owe you one, remember?, she thought, grinning from ear to ear as she steered Toto to the outer perimeter of the grounds bordering on the forest.

"Well, there was something I was itching to show you ever since you told me you wanted to take riding lessons from me." Amaya grinned and pointed ahead, where an alley of blossoming Sakura-trees was shimmering through the dark foliage of the other trees.

((To the forest...)

Shagatsu walked along one of the hedges trailing his hand in the bush. He came upon one of gardens and looked at it quizically. "What is this place? Part of the pagoda?" He said. He idly twirled his jester wand and stepped into the garden. He took a seat at a bench and looked up into the sky.