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 Posted: Mon Aug 04, 2014 4:27 pm
Since Shakuntala was always around the stables with the horses, she was typically out of the way of other trainees or assisting (or, better yet, taking care of their duties if they asked) those who needed help with the steeds. In a sense, the stables of the campgrounds had become her safe haven of sorts because she dealt with animals that dare not judge her. And, better yet, the Baldy who frequently saw her there -- Marco -- was a bit of a nice guy, though a bit gruff.
In between her duties to muck out one of the stalls, the riding instructor approached her. Dropping the shavings fork she held, she approached the hairless man, and tilted her head. Unlike with the other Baldys, she had no fear of being reprimanded by Marco for any fault she did; he seemed to be more patient than the others. But the matter of him approaching her out of the blue was bewildering. Silently, he slipped her a slice of paper, and pointed behind him.
"Take that message to Santos," he told her in his soft, light tone before turning on his heel and leaving. Shakuntala glanced between the message in her hands and the man's back.
Slowly, she trekked out of the stalls, and felt a shiver of complete fear overcome her. By the Walls, no... she thought in dismay. Out of all people, why did it have to be him?! Worse than actually giving him the message was his location within the compound. He could be anywhere and, without the sound of shouting in the distance, it would be like looking for a hay in a needle stack.
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Posted: Mon Aug 04, 2014 7:23 pm
Lenore sighed to herself. She looked down at the missive addressed to Santos Baldy in her hand. The absolute last person she wanted to see. More annoyingly, she had no idea where to find him, as he probably wouldn't be in his office at this time. Walking around the grounds, the girl began to search for Santos. Turning a corner, she caught a short glimpse of another trainee before slamming into them. Falling backward, the girl looked up with a blank expression and muttered an apology.
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Posted: Mon Aug 04, 2014 7:53 pm
Shakuntala felt the wind burst from her bosom upon the collision. She caught her breath and puffed heavily; even laying a hand across her bosom to steady the air that had escaped. She had almost dropped the sliver of paper in her hands, but only crumpled it a bit.
Glancing down, she noticed a short-haired figure she had seen a few times around the trainee compound. She had not talked to Lenore directly, but she was sort-of aware of her presence. Swallowing, she bent at the waist and offered her her hand.
"S-sorry," she apologized softly. "I... I-I wasn't aware someone was coming. Are you o-okay?"
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Posted: Tue Aug 05, 2014 11:55 am
Lenore took the offered hand with a small "Thanks." and got to her feet. Lenore shrugged. "If either of us saw the other coming, I doubt we would have hit each other." She said, but nevertheless nodded. "But I'm fine. What about you...?"
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Posted: Tue Aug 05, 2014 3:46 pm
Shakuntala's worried expression fell. Ah, good, she hadn't hurt her. Offering the girl a small girl, she dipped her chin, and replied, "I'm... I-I'm fine as well. I'm glad y-you didn't get hurt." She did sound a bit out of breath come her answer, but she tried her best to play it off.
She was prepared to leave and venture off again in her search for Santos when she looked down to Lenore again. Could possibly know where that terror of a man was? "H-hey..." she began, with a tilt of her head, "do you, um, d-do you know Santos is?"
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Posted: Tue Aug 05, 2014 4:06 pm
Lenore had turned to walk away when Shakuntala inquired about Santos' whereabouts. Turning her head so she could look at her fellow trainee, Lenore held up the slip of paper in her hand. "If I did, I wouldn't be wandering around with this."Turning around fully, she tilted her head to the side. "Why are you looking for him?" She asked curiously. She couldn't imagine anyone going to see the head Baldy for fun.
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Posted: Tue Aug 05, 2014 4:21 pm
Shakuntala scratched the side of her cheek. She didn't want to offhandedly mention her deep phobia of the man, but at the same time, Lenore's implication nearly made her shirk back in shock. Without admitting it, Santos was one of the last people she'd ever want to survive with at the end of the world.
Blinking at the black-haired girl's slice of paper, she recalled her own, and held it up between forefinger and thumb. "I was... I-I was looking for him," she admitted. She fidgeted a bit nervously. "Got this message to deliver..."
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Posted: Tue Aug 05, 2014 4:30 pm
Lenore sighed deeply to herself, hanging her head. "That jerk sure is popular today, huh...?" She murmured. Looking back up at Tala, she stared at the older girl for a moment. Then, "You want to look for him together? Might go faster, and maybe if there are two of us, he'll be less of a jerk." She knew that last part was unlikely, but it was worth a shot, right?
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Posted: Tue Aug 05, 2014 4:37 pm
There was a wash of relief on the trainee's face. She nodded her head furiously like a canine who was being teased with a treat. "P-please...!" she stuttered out, suppressing her desire to grab the girl's hands and shake them vigorously in thanks. Recollecting her composure, she cleared her throat and added, "It'd definitely... m-make the search easier..."
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Posted: Sat Aug 09, 2014 1:02 pm
Lenore looked up into the sky thoughtfully, shielding her red eyes from the blinding sun. Where would the king of the jerks be at this time, she wondered? Closing her eyes, she shook her head. He could really be anywhere. Looking back to Tala, she shrugged. "Let's check his office, first. Seems as likely as anywhere for him to be." Without waiting for a response, the girl began walking in the direction of Santos' office. With the sun glaring overhead, sweat nestled on her brow. Annoyed, she wiped it off as she walked, each step producing a small puff of dust in her wake. The wind picked up, blowing some hair into her eyes, which she immediately pushed aside, tucking it behind her ear. As the two girl's arrived outside Santos' office, the wind suddenly died down, as if to give a sense of foreboding as to what may lie within. The twelve year old took a deep breath before letting it out in a sigh.
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Posted: Sat Aug 09, 2014 4:18 pm
"R-right..."
Despite her reply, Shakuntala seemed to stand there as Lenore walked off; consumed with the dread of confronting that dastardly man. She could feel her heartbeat in her bosom; a low, intense thump like a hammer beating against cloth. So absorbed the girl was in herself that she only managed to catch up to her younger companion when a passing gale rustled her hair. Stumbling in line to her, Shakuntala bowed herself to the blinding rays of the sun, and took the sweat that perspired from it in stride; drawing a slick line of sweat from her brow and tossing the aside in one fell wipe.
When the cooling sensations of the wind stopped, Shakuntala raised her maroon eyes, and she stood in stark fright at the building that housed Santos' office. It's shadow loomed over the two; the wrath of a titan contained in a structure of wood and iron. Come Lenore's sigh, she released one right after, but the manner of its descent was ambiguous. Of course it was exhaled in dread, but at the same time, it seemed the trainee was trying to utter words that would not come.
After another moment, she said, "S-shall we...?"
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Posted: Sat Aug 09, 2014 6:01 pm
Lenore nodded wordlessly. Stepping up to the door, she braced for the incoming yelling. Taking a deep breath, the girl rapped on the door three times. The unmistakable voice of Santos Baldy boomed from the other side of the wooden barrier. "Come in." Remembering the last time she was here, Lenore opened the door almost immediately. The inside of the room was neat, with a desk sitting square in the middle. Off in the corner was a dresser filled with Walls knew what, and next to that was a window with a small crack on it, as if someone had thrown a rock at it fairly recently. In the opposite corner from that was a cabinet, likely filled with documents. And in the chair behind the desk was the king of jerks, Santos Baldy. Lenore stared at the man, who merely stared right back, neither seeming willing to break the silence first. Finally, "Well, if it isn't the book munching midget. And I see you've brought a friend, this time. How nice. Now, are you going to tell me why you've come to see me, or JUST STAND THERE LIKE IDIOTS, YOU PISSANTS?"
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Posted: Sat Aug 09, 2014 6:29 pm
"E..."
Shakuntala felt her throat grow hoarse and her tongue heavy. As she began to speak, the muttered E seemed to topple off her tongue and dissipate into the air. She cocked her head to Lenore expectantly; silently urging her to go first. Her attempt came to no avail, however. Santos' low growl in her direction was an obvious sign she was to become his victim here. She felt like she was going to be eaten alive.
"You-!" he shouted, his patience having grown thin from being bothered from paperwork he obviously wasn't doing. "The HELL are you here for, horse smoocher?"
Shakuntala blushed heavily, wanting to bury her face in her hands. She thought, like the rest of the vile things he said about trainees, her specific nickname from him of weeks before would've been forgotten entirely. That didn't seem to case. Reasoning it had to be from peculiarity alone (by the Walls, she hoped; going about telling people she did not romance horses after the name spread was such a tiring activity), Shakuntala swallowed and stepped forward. Sliding the sliver of paper onto his desk, Santos snatched it away before it left her fingertips, and crumpled it open.
He gave some kind of snort after reading it. Whether it from humor or disgust was hard to decipher. Shakuntala cared not; she scuttled away before he could say anything more of her and horses. The bald man's eyes then rested on Lenore after the older girl left his presence.
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Posted: Tue Aug 12, 2014 11:41 am
Lenore looked over at Shakuntala at the mention of horse smooching, confused. Although the twelve year old could see the older girl's blushing, she still didn't put two and two together, and instead just continued to look straight ahead, away from Santos. She heard rather than saw the skittish trainee leave, and she sighed almost imperceptibly. It was her turn again, then. The sigh was not missed by Santos. "What? You got somewhere to be, you sorry excuse for a chewed up piece of s**t?"Despite herself, she bit back, giving him a cold stare. "Anywhere but here, sir." If sarcasm was poison, the last word would have murdered a small village. The Baldy's eyes narrowed slightly, and his evergoing smile faded just slightly, so little that if Lenore hadn't been staring at him, she likely would have missed it. "Well. Isn't that cute? The little s**t stain thinks she's tough meat. Let's see if you're tough enough to run 30 laps this time, huh? Get out of my office."Lenore was happy to go. Opening the door to the outside, she squinted as the sunlight assaulted her eyes. Closing the door behind her, she sighed softly. I hate that guy.
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Posted: Tue Aug 12, 2014 7:59 pm
Shakuntala had left as quickly as she could; fearing being in Santos' presence anymore. She hadn't meant to abandon Lenore altogether, but anymore time in that room and she was positive she'd faint or at least die from extreme embarrassment. Instead, Shakuntala chose to wait outside patiently until her black-haired companion was finished with whatever business she had with the instructor. Every second that passed seemed like a foreboding ticking to the end of the world, but when Lenore finally did show, she let out a sigh of relief.
Wringing her hands, she glanced maroon eyes up to red, and thinned her lips. She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came up. What could she say? Talk about much Santos was a jerk? Ask her what took her so long? In a sense, none of these were her business, but at the same time, her curiousness was bounding.
Instead, Shakuntala asked timidly, "Are... A-are you okay?"
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