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"Daddy, I have something to say to you...no. Daddy, I want to talk to you about something...no. Daddy, I wish you...no, no, no!" Annoyed, Robelia kicked at a small rock conveniently near where she paced, rehearsing The Most Important Speech of Her Life. Preparation was everything, and the longer she wasted trying to figure out how to phrase her opening statement, the less time she had to prepare the meat of her argument. And since she had no idea exactly how much time she had to begin with, those wasted moments could be of massive significance!

Not that thinking about it really helped her; on the contrary, it only served to make the younger mare even more cross and cranky. A second kick at the rock dislodged it, and a third sent it sailing away down the hillside. She looked after it for a moment, revelling in the odd sense of accomplishment it gave, before she sighed and took a deep, calming breath. "Focus, Robbie, or you're NEVER going to pull this off." On this helpful advise, she resumed her pacing, and her rehearsing. "Daddy, you know I've always wanted to do something meaningful with my life..." She paused, cocking her head to one side, then repeated the words again with satisfaction. Yes, that was it! That was the one right there!

Elated, she took off with greater confidence, going over her reasoning in her head and crafting it into an arguement so brilliant, no one in their right mind would be able to resist it! Or should be able to resist it, she acknowledged to herself with a frown. Because honestly, much as she might love her father and much as Grencia loved her, she just could not see him agreeing to her little plan. It was a perfectly logical plan, and she didn't doubt it would be in her best interests, but she knew her father, and while he was the best father in the entire universe...he could be a bit stubborn.

But so could she, she knew, and as soon as he came home, she would show him what his genes had helped create when it came to stubbornness!

"Daddy!" How extremely convenient for Robbie she had finally figured out what she was going to say, because her time was officially up. Having surmounted that particular hurdle, though, she was quiet pleased that Grencia was as expeditious in his timing as he had proved to be. Though she had to grimace at the fact her little fit of pique had been the thing to draw his attention in the first place; now who was acting like a child?

All's well that end's well, though, and she couldn't complaint about the results. Springing forward, she gave her father an affectionate nuzzle, followed by an impish grin. "You're probably right, it's best that I find something new and more constructive to occupy myself than deconstructing the landscape. How thoughtful of you to point that out!"

In spite of her merry demeanor, inside, Robbie was all business. She loved and respected her father, even more so now in the wake of the recent disaster. He had been unafraid to face the danger from without, and had stood strong in support of a herd which had, at times, faced some very suspenseful times. But she also knew he was set in his ways, and would not swerve from what he believed to be correct without extreme justification.

This was not going to be easy.

With that in mind, she insinuated herself right up against his side. "Actually, on the subject of constructive occupations, Daddy, I was hoping you and I might be able to talk, if you're not too busy with things..."

Well, so much for the subtle approach. Robelia couldn't really say she was surprised that Grencia could see right through her; after raising as many children as her father had, she would have had to call him quite naive if he still bought completely into the wide-eyed and innocent approach. Still, she had known this was going to be a challenge from the beginning, and Grencia knowing something was up was hardly going to change that.

So she stayed snuggled up beside him, both because it would make her original presence there a ploy if she moved and because she liked being there. Recent tense times had seen far too many days go by with her father in harm's way and barely a chance to see him, so she was happy to enjoy being with him while she could. Before the voices raised, preferably.

"You don't need to be so negative, Daddy. Really, you ought to be happy that I trust and respect you to talk to you about this directly, rather than just going to Mummy or someone else." Although she had to admit that there would have been no benefit to talk to anyone else; although he was no longer an active protector of the herd, Grencia still carried a lot of weight in the Summit and she doubted anyone would indulge his daughter in something like this without her permission.

No, she had to take the metaphorical bull by the horns. Taking a deep breath, she jumped right in. "Things have been stressful in the Summit lately for the mares, Daddy. Not to say that things weren't stressful for everyone, but there's a big difference in having a purpose in the face of trying times and just being told to sit back and hide. It's bvery hard on the nerves, and it makes you worry a lot, plus you feel about as useful as a rotten bushel of apples."

Stepping back from her father, she lifted her chin in a determined manner and dropped her bomb. "So, I've decided I want to train to be one of the Summit's warriors."

Ok, perhaps 'hide' wasn't the best word she could have used to explain the situation. While it was true that many of the Summit's inhabitants had taken to the caves to prevent any aerial Kalona from realizing their slopes were inhabited, they had stayed busy in their concealment. Robbie herself had helped by assisting with storage and management of food, it having been pointed out to her early on that her coat would stand out like a sore thumb if she were to be spotted outside. She had also tried to help with the nursing of some of the injured, but her high spirits made her an awkward nurse at best.

Oh, she knew that there was value in healing, and general crisis management, and even in keeping morale high. But at the end of the day, those were all passive roles, supportive roles. It all would have been pointless if it wasn't for the scouts who monitored the enemies' movements, and the guards that kept the borders safe.

It was selfish to think about something as selfish as boredom when surrounded by so much death and pain, but the crux of that matter was that Robbie didn't want a supporting role. Yes, it was dangerous, and yes, it was tough, but she wanted to do something that truly mattered, not shelter behind some stallion and hope he could keep her safe.

At her father's first 'no', her chin had taken on a very stubborn jut, and by the time he'd finished with his rationalization, she was ready for him. "Just because you're doing something in cave doesn't mean you're still not in a cave, relying on someone else to keep you safe and hoping an enemy doesn't slip past undetected. You can tell me how important everything 'behind the scenes' was until the cows come home, but isn't it just as important, if not more, for everyone to have a purpose they can connect with? How would YOU feel if you had been sent to dry herbs when you know you are meant to fight? I might be a mare, but I'm not a little one. You've trained stallions not much bigger than me, and some of them just as regular!"

So much for a calm, emotionless argument...

This is what came from a lack of rehearsal, Robbie thought to herself with a scowl. More to the point, this is what came of having a father who, although delightful in many ways, was impossibly hide-bound, to the point of backwards thinking. As if she didn't know perfectly well about the traps and pitfalls in the caves, just because she chose NOT to want to rely on a random hole in the ground or boulder fall to protect her did NOT mean she was being unreasonable!

She hated the fact that her father could make his backwardness sound so logical, and she glowered after him as he paced away. It stung to have her father talk to her so harshly, but had she really expected him to nod his agreement and give his blessing to her learning how to fight? No, but she WOULD have liked him to at least listen to her instead of going off on a 'duty and responsibility' lecture.

Though she took great umbrage at his assumptions about her 'eligibility', and she shot back hotly, "How would you know whether I have the endurance or the ferocity of a warrior when females are never even given the chance to demonstrate their abilities? I wouldn't even be allowed to demonstrate my basic skills, by virtue of my gender. Don't you think I considered asking Sylph to at least set me some of of trial? But I know no one will give me a chance, and why? Because I'm a mare."

By now, she'd worked herself into a fine fettle of her own, feeling vaguely uncomfortable to be behaving in such a disrespectful manner to her father but feeling very much the wounded party in this discussion. And then he had to go and throw in that hateful phrase, 'learn your place' to boot. "And what is my place, Daddy? Dutifully hanging back where it's safe and tedious, having no purpose beyond being a nurturer until I die? You may have done things for a time they were required, but at least you have a choice in what you do! And I can't respect that others have more knowledge than me when I don't even have an option to acquire it!"

She refused to accept the fact that she would be a burden on her allies just because she was a mare. Didn't all fighters of the Summit come to each others' aid if it was needed, even with them all being males? It wasn't like she expected to be patrolling her own territory in a week, she knew that it would take time. And at the end of that time, she would be as fit as any other guard to manage herself. Perhaps better than some, because SHE would have had to train harder to make up for being a regular.

It was all grossly unfair. It was automatically assumed her brothers would train. They hadn't all stuck with it, but they'd at least been given the choice. And what did she and her sisters get? They got to 'learn their place'.

This meeting had turned out even worse than Robbie could have feared. Her resolution to remain calm, cool, and collected had barely made it out of the gate, and raising her voice at her father had hardly served to advance her case. She was so upset with the way things had gone that it took every bit of her energy to keep herself from quivering. She had been dismissed, summarily dismissed, even, not only with her wishes flat out denied but her dissatisfaction belittled. Just like that, it seemed she had two options in her father's eyes: Happily settle into a life of organizing and stockpiling, or sulk, be dissatisfied, and continue to 'hold her mother and family in low esteem.'

Robbie hated ending the conversation on such a low note, but she know her father well enough to recognize 'the tone.' Whether she wanted it or not, Grencia had just ended the conversation and topic was closed.

Fine then, it was time to move on to Plan B. Plan B had a lot of gaps in it and needed some fine tuning, but she would figure those things out 'on the hoof', as it were. She was intelligent, she was adaptable...she would figure things out.

Resolve allowed her to compose herself. Even if Grencia had drawn the line, Plan B meant it would be a bit before she saw her father again and she refused to go stomping off in a huff like some teenager. That just wasn't her way. At the same time, she couldn't do a complete 180 and be Miss Merry Sunshine, or her father would know that something was up. He might be incredibly stubborn right now, but he was in now stretch of the imagination stupid!

So she allowed herself a sigh, which was the perfect vocalization with the way their conversation had gone, then managed to give her father the tiniest, tightest, most restrained of smiles. "I don't agree with you, but thanks for being honest with what I can expect from everyone." So saying, she stepped forward and gave him a nuzzle. "Good bye, Daddy."

With that, she tossed her mane back over her shoulders and, with as much regality as she cold muster, swept across the little plateau towards the path.