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 Posted: Thu Sep 13, 2007 7:57 pm
Lately his mornings had all been the same. Walter would crawl out of his warm but empty bed, dress and stare at himself in the mirror like some kind of side show exhibit. The Incredible Stomach Sucking Man, they would say, raised in the dark corridors of a Lord’s manor, with the amazing power to hold in his cubby gut for days due to poor self image. It was really amazing. He should have been happy to be fat, plenty of nobles were. Of course they were already married. What did they have to lose?
It was a lovely afternoon, the market was bustling. Walter found good deals there once in a while, interesting artifacts that just sat in the dirt waiting for a hapless well digger to find them. Kalypso, Walter’s new gryphon, had been a bit of a put-off lately, no longer shy when he came to see her but still keeping to herself. A little time alone might do her good while she adjusted to her new surroundings. Mostly, though, Walter just wanted to go for a walk.
He was still a young man, just 27, and his father, who was now fat himself, would have scolded him for wasting the opportunity for a little exercise. Walter dreaded becoming like his father in his old age. He was handsome enough to cause most women a double-take, intelligent and wealthy; he shouldn’t have to become fat even after he did marry, whenever that would be. He shook his head, trying to shrug off these awful thoughts. On the second or third shake he noticed a table with some gems and necklaces laid out. His bad mood persisted and it took a moment to realize some of the jewels might look nice on the pocket watch he was making for the curator’s wife on her birthday. Walter had been making watches ever since he was 13 years old, it was still one of his favorite hobbies. Still looking a little sullen, but clearly trying to work up a better mood, Walter picked up a necklace and inspected it against the light.
He was dressed nicely for his outing, but didn’t go out of his way to look rich. With the thieves in Xuan city it was better to hide some of his wealth.
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Posted: Thu Sep 13, 2007 8:07 pm
Swish, swish swang the satchel around Leolin's neck as he followed his partner through the streets like a faithful hound. Filled with food to the brim, Leolin was charged with the bulky stuff while Laura delt with fragile things like eggs and bottles of milk and water in a picnick basket hanging from her elbow. This market was one of his favorite places to visit: so many sights and sounds, new things to smell, but hardly ever something new to taste. Eyeing fish hung from hooks at a stall hungrily, the griffin walked past obediantly. Laura would be very angry with him if he took a nibble from one of those big fish.
Pausing a moment to follow Leolin's gaze, Laura caved for her favorite friend. The shopping was nearly done, and there was a bit left of the money Rem had given her for shopping to spend spoiling her friend. Within a few minutes of haggling, Laura got a small fish at a decent price. Stepping back, she tossed the fish into the air-- catching the eye of any market goers who didn't notice the massively tawny bird-- to watch Leolin rear up for it. His forelegs never left higher than a foot off the ground, but with a snapp of his beak the fish had vanished down his gullet.
Leolin gave a trill of appreciation, and looked around as a few people clapped at the trick. Ears swiveling backwards in almost awkward embaressment, Leolin's head lowered a bit until it was nearly hidden under Laura's sleeve.
With a reassuring pat and scratch under his chin, Laura smiled sheepishly at her partner. "Such a silly boy..."
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Posted: Thu Sep 13, 2007 8:24 pm
Noticing the vendor's attention wander, Walter paused to watch the specticale unfolding in the market. Spotting a gryphon here was unusual. Walter had always thought they startled too easily to be around crowds and noise. This one must have been well trained. Quickly setting the necklace aside--it wasn't worth much, but he would be back later to look at the others, he edged up to the gryphon for a closer look. Even though it looked tame, he was careful to give it space. This gryphon might not be as gentle as Kalypso.
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Posted: Thu Sep 13, 2007 8:54 pm
Reassuring Leolin with a bit of scratching beneath his beak, Laura laughed as the griffin's leg thumped in delight. "Come on then, let's get the chicken and we can go home." Unlike what most normal people would expect a maid to buy-- some raw chicken killed earlier that day-- Laura planned to buy a live one. Getting a few eggs without going to market was always nice, and if it wasn't likely to lay; well, there was always chicken soup.
With the laughing that came from his involuntary reaction, Leolin felt a bit better. The clapping he couldn't stand so much, but if they laughed it ment the mob was happy.
Keeping pace behind Laura as she walked, Leolin looked to calm down completely within a few minutes. Small children running past didn't phase him-- he was used to more exuberance-- and he seemed to fall into the roll of "gaurd dog" for his partner.
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Posted: Thu Sep 13, 2007 9:34 pm
The golden gryphon reminded Walter of old Sieg in all but color. Old Sieg had belonged to Walter's father along with three others, but Sieg was by far the most comfortable around people, and the sweetest. That girl walking with this gryphon was probably one of the master's servants, judging from the way she was dressed. Back on his father's land the servants spent more time with the gryphons than the family did; the gryphons were more like living ordimeants than real companions. Now that he had his own gryphon Walt would do things differently.
She was quite pretty for a servant. Walt paused and slicked back his hair, letting the pair get ahead of him as they headed for a man selling caged chickens under the awning of a building. He made his way around the back of the gryphon and appeared beside the young lady just after she had paid for her purchase. He wasn't trying to surprise her. At least he made sure the gryphon saw him so it wouldn't startle. "Pardon me," he said with a gentle smile.
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Posted: Thu Sep 13, 2007 9:54 pm
Obediantly, Leolin took a seat when Laura went to the stall owner to talk about the price of a rather skinny hen. The chattering birds seemed petrified at the large creature, but Leolin paid them little mind. They smelled funny, but Leolin didn't think too much of something that humans enjoyed eating.
Out of the corner of his eye, Leolin caught sight of the man quequing behind Laura and ignored it. That was, until he started talking to her. He looked like one of the upper class, and smelled it too. Well, that wasn't so bad... From what he'd learned of people who dressed the way Walter was, they had nice soft stables, and obnoxiously large homes. Especially when a nice balcony or roof would make an ideal spot to sun himself, and get yelled at for trying.
The price was scant for the skinny chicken, and Laura didn't seem to mind. Sure, it would take some fattening up before it would be decent for anything-- egg laying or eating-- but Laura didn't mind. It was a white bird flecked with black spots all over that sat and clucked softly as it had not yet seen the griffin. The tiny cage making it face the other way to leave it unaware of the big griffin.
When someone other than the vender spoke to her, Laura looked up with slight surprise at the face gazing back at her. Well now! A hand lifted quickly to her face to tuck a stray hair behind her ear, and she began to realize just how messy her short hair must be.
"Is there something I can help you with, Sir?" Laura asked formally, able to see he was of a higher rank than she was as clear as day.
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Posted: Thu Sep 13, 2007 10:10 pm
A blaze of Ego washed Walter's sculpted face and the whispy whiskers on his upper lip curved to fit his smile. He loved it when women reacted with such a flutter in his presense. For one thing it alievated his concern. His chin had always been a subject of worry, frightening his vain eyes with its seemingly collossal size, so he covered it with a goatee. He resisted the urge to bite his lower lip. "Yes," he said quickly, still trying to pull his mind off pesky body issues. "I was just curious, who is the owner of that gryphon?"
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Posted: Thu Sep 13, 2007 10:38 pm
Laura was hardly flustered over the man himself, rather, she was more concern with how she looked because he was of a much higher rank. With her hair tamed back for the moment, Laura shifted the box with the chicken to her other hand.
With the question posed, Laura pasted a smile on her face she couldn't quite feel inside. If she'd been dressed like a lad she could easily claim proudly that Leolin was hers. But as he was gaining reknown on the racing circut, Laura couldn't say so when she was dressed for her gender.
"My brother owns Leolin, sir." Though it wasn't as strong as it normally would be, there was a tinge of pride to her words. "He's one of Xuan City's racers." Not the greatest racer, nor the worst, Leolin's position would probably do nothing to jog the noble's memory. Then again, if he was a gambler he should have noticed Leolin sooner.
At hearing his name, Leolin perked up. Curious, he chirped in hopes of getting some attention from either one of them. After Laura set down the chicken Leolin was rewarded with a pet over his head.
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Posted: Fri Sep 14, 2007 11:24 am
Patience had counted himself lucky in the extreme to have found lodging in Xuan for something resembling a reasonable price, and then he promptly set out to accomplish a task set to him by a dying man. This task, he was certain, would be over with quickly, and he would be able to continue the task which his heart forced him to pursue, though it had been many months since he had seen his objective.
During the day, when he was making his inquiries about the location of a Lord Gethsemene FaHannoth. Nikolai had said that he would be in Xuan, but Patience had not known at the time how large Xuan was, nor how recent Nikolai's information might be. Indeed, between the time he had met Nikolai and the time he had reached Xuan, even, much time had elapsed, and he didn't know how long Nikolai had been gone from the city.
He was passing through the market, admiring some of the subtler weaponry which was way beyond his means, when he saw a sleek, streamlined griffin. He had been slowly acclimating himself to the idea that griffins were now owned by the general populace as pets or workers, but it still startled him to see proof. This particular griffin must have been bred for speed.
Instinctively, he altered his course from a weaponry stall to get a closer look at the griffin. He was good with griffins, having the sort of manner which they all viewed as non-agressive and yet an ability to demand obedience when necessary, and had no fear of the griffin reacting adversely to his scrutiny as long as he kept to looking and stayed away from tactile examination.
Besides, if he did touch the strange griffin, Ambrosia would not be pleased. She had been, since a certain event in a nameless village, extremely protective and possessive of him, reminding him almost of how a 'printed griffin acted toward their bondmate. It was an attitude in her that he ignored, knowing that she would not be in his possession much longer, and that it would be kinder not to allow her to become attached to him in that manner.
But, the racing griffin - he had overheard the tail end of the young woman's speech - intrigued him, and he couldn't resist coming closer. When he saw that the griffin liked attention, he made a small beckoning motion with his hand, knowing it to be bad form, but giving in to temptation. If the griffin did nothing, no harm would be done, and if he did come over, there would still be no real harm done, and Patience would have an excuse to study the griffin's build in a more hands-on way.
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Posted: Fri Sep 14, 2007 6:26 pm
Hearing the friendly chirp, Walter cast the gryphon a smile as if it were human enough to understand the gesture. Walter had never had much intrest in gryphons, although they were certainly creatures of grace. He knew them to be highly intellegent and social, so he assumed one that spent much time around humans would grow accustomed to their gestures and even learn the meaning of a few. "I haven't spent much time at the races. Your brother must be quite the dare devil. Is he nobility?" he asked, speaking of the mysterious brother. "Perhaps I've heard of him."
His smile faded slightly, noticing someone beckoning to Leolin, and he discreately leaned to ne side to get a better look at him. He felt somewhat concerned for the man's safety, but he looked confident enough.
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Posted: Fri Sep 14, 2007 6:40 pm
Nobility? Her? Pah! "No, my brother isn't sir. But Lord Quillan finances his racing career. I wouldn't quite call him a dare devil; riding on a griffin isn't quite so dangerous if you're in sync with your partner."
Following the man's gaze to a young man, Laura was slightly surprised to find someone daring enough to try and call a carnivor like a puppy. Sure, Leolin was harmless, but still... Even children on the street didn't do that!
"Please don't tease him, Sir. He's not a puppy..." Laura warned, though it wasn't likely Leolin would so much as step on the man's foot. Patience was completely safe.
With the waving of a hand caught out of the corner of his eye, Leolin turned to look at Patience. What was he doing. Following the man's hand motion, Leolin tried to make sense of it. No one had done that to call him before, and he knew his name well enough to react to it as a small child might.
Did that mean food, he wondered? Did this man have some sort of treat for him? Taking to his feet once more, Leolin took a step towards the man before turning back to Laura. Treats were all well and good, but if the Boss said 'no', well...
Though she was a little uneasy letting a stranger pet her griffin, Laura reached to hold her griffin's satchel strap around his neck to keep him close at hand. Nope! No wandering off for him.
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Posted: Sun Sep 16, 2007 2:25 pm
Chagrined, Patience shot a sheepish grin at Laura. He reminded himself sharply to mind his manners, no matter how great his curiosity was. He knew better than that. He had no idea what had made him breach ettiquette so badly.
"I apologize," he said, his voice soft - as always - and level. "I ought not to have done that. I know better."
Feeling that, perhaps, an explanation of some sort was warranted, he continued, "My name is Patience Redclaw. I was raised among griffins, and I'm trained as a physician-healer for them."
Wonderful. Now it sounded like he was advertising. He certainly was not doing that. He had enough on his mind without getting involved in others' affairs.
"I have not seen a griffin specially bred for racing."
This was reaching ridiculous proportions of embarrassment for him, but he did not color or show his discomfort physically. He had a very good game face.
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Posted: Mon Sep 17, 2007 10:55 am
Images of a nude wild boy lying in a nest among gryphon eggs sparked Walter's imagination, even though he knew Patience must have meant something else. After all it would have made a great story. Walter would have been especially interested in the part where the mother tried to teach Patience how to fly.
"That's fascinating," he said, smiling. He could have started asking questions about Kalypso's behavior right then, but he could sense a conversation starting up between Patience and the servant girl and wanted to see where that would go.
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Posted: Mon Sep 17, 2007 12:46 pm
"Raised, actually." Laura smiled sheepishly at the notion Leolin was specifically raised for the race track. She'd seen griffins bred for racing, and had been up against them as well. The thought of owning one made Laura question just what she would give for one.... maybe she didn't need her left leg as much as she thought?
"Leolin was a wild griffin, and it was always my brother's dream to ride one in a race at least once." This wasn't a fabrication; though Laura's brother was dead and gone, he'd had a passion when teaching the young griffin to race. Though it was one dream he never managed to fullfill.
At seeing Laura calmed and more interested in talking, Leolin wanted to get a closer look at the first to hinder their excursion through the market. Walking behind Laura, Leolin stood in front of Walter before starting to sniff at his shirt. There was the faintest trace of something funny he'd never smelt before, and also....
Well now! He had a griffin, an a lady at that! If Leolin hadn't had a mate, this probably would have excited him quite a lot more than the mild surprise that came over him.
With her attention on Patience, Laura didn't notice Leolin examining Walter.
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Posted: Tue Sep 18, 2007 3:34 pm
Patience nodded to demonstrate his understanding. He could see, upon a second examination, that Leolin did have the conformation of a regular griffin, but he was lean and lithe in a manner which almost would have suggested a slightly different breed, or at least a variation. He had heard, before, of griffins which had been bred to run as quickly as they flew, which is why he had asked.
"As to my up-bringing being fascinating, I'd have to disagree. It was no different than anyone else's, I expect. There were just more griffins and probably more tempermental people riding them."
For whatever reason, griffins' 'printed riders at the Eyrie had become a rather tempermental group over the years. He had always thought that it would make more sense for the calm and level-headed to be allowed to try for griffins, to balance the griffins' avian quickness of thought, but his opinion mattered little when put against tradition, which called for strong personalities, which lead to a great many disagreements.
What he had said about his up-bringing had been true, to a point. It had not been what he would call fascinating. When it was not routine, it was terrifying, and there rarely seemed to be any middle ground. He had no idea why it should be so, but so it was. Or, had been. He no longer had to worry about the Eyrie and its problems.
"How much training does he put in?" Patience asked, nodding toward the griffin as he examined Walter.
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