faderift | i should've been a cowboy

WHO: Merrill, open
WHAT: Horses
WHEN: Drakonis
WHERE: Stables, outside Kirkwall
NOTES: Canon-typical talk of war, probably

i. the stables
Living in the alienage instead of the Gallows, Merrill is one of the more common sights at the stables than some of the other Inquisition members. She likes to spend time with each of the mounts, from the mundane to the exotic. The griffons aren't here, of course, but each of the creatures deserves a kind touch and some treats, when she can get away with giving them. Her own war horse, Honeysuckle, gets special pampering on the days when Merrill has time. She sits near his stall mending his blankets or adding embroidery. She gives him full brush-downs and braids his mane, and despite his ill-temper toward some of the random stablehands, he's always a sweetheart with her.

Maybe it's whatever sweet nothings she whispers to him in Elvhen, but it could also be the treats that she offers him during their time together.

ii. riding
An elf on a horse is still a strange sight in Thedas. Elves in the 'wild' have halla. Elves in the country have a goat or a cow, if they're lucky. But Merrill, in the Inquisition, has learned to ride with her back straight and her head tall. The tack on Honeysuckle is clearly Orlesian in make, though it's not any sort of fancy style. It's functional, and it has the Inquisition's symbol on it... and a few Dalish tweaks.

For as much as Merrill is also a mage and a Griffon Rider, there are times that she knows she'll have to partake in combat on horseback. Getting out on Honeysuckle to let him roam is fun for them both, and when they're far enough out along the Wounded Coast or up on Sundermount, she can let him run. She can twirl her staff from the saddle too, can make sure Honeysuckle is used to the feeling of magic coursing from his back, the sizzle of lightning and the movements of her staff in his peripheral.

Every once in a while, they disturb a flock of birds and Merrill lets out a whoop of exhilaration.

iii. wildcard
[ come at me bro ]

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Kain likewise favors his griffon, for the most part, but he would never neglect his other mount, either. After all, there are just times and places where it's not practical to take along a griffon. So he always makes a point to spend time bonding with his hunter shade dracolisk as well, usually by taking her out for nice long walks, or even for a hunt now and then. He likes to make sure she's in top shape for whatever missions may come up next.

They're headed back in the opposite direction of Merrill, also at a swift, running pace. He slows a bit as they approach, and gives a wave in greeting. "Fine day for a ride!"

Merrill is probably never going to get over seeing a dracolisk, if only because she can't decide how she feels about them. They're sort of cute. They're also sort of horrifying. It's an odd mix, and Merrill swings wildly between the two opinions. She'd never be rude about it to their faces, though, and so she also slows when she sees Kain and his giant lizard-horse approaching to wave back.

Honeysuckle has no such reservations, at least; he's steady beneath her, and that makes her feel a bit better. "It is! See anything interesting about?"

Kain pats the dracolisk fondly, knowing she's generally even-tempered around others. So he has no concern over her behavior around a horse, at least. He shrugs, as he looks around the area.

"A few stray small animals running about on the ground, mostly, some birds... Though I guess it's probably a good thing that it's nothing too interesting." It would be just what they'd need, a demon or some other thrilling abomination to appear.

"No more dragons in the Bone Pit," Merrill says by way of agreement, laughing slightly and patting Honeysuckle's neck. She slows him a bit further, walking him in a circle so that she can stay close to Kain to talk.

"Though that was very exciting. You would have liked it."

"I'm sure that I would have... You say dragons, it sounds as if you had an entire nest there to deal with?" Now that would have indeed been an exciting challenge, not only to deal with a high dragon, potentially, but also the young and others who might have been around. The amount of dragon scales alone would have made it worth it, but also facing such worthy opponents would have been thrilling. Dragons are more than mere hunting targets, after all.

He pats his dracolisk gently, easing her into a calm walking pace.

"Yup!" Cheerful, especially since it's over. "I'm surprised no one noticed sooner, actually. Honestly, how do you miss an entire High Dragon nesting?"

But that was Kirkwall for you, she supposed.

"It took us years to deal with."

"That certainly doesn't sound like something that would be too swiftly dealt with. There was probably no one willing, before. It says something about your stubborn persistence that you managed to keep at it for all of that time." Kain says that in an admiring tone, because clearly to him "stubborn persistence" is a very good thing. But it's necessary, in a situation like that.

He looks around the area. "And now we're able to go about here freely, without too many threats." Aside from the usual, the occasional bear or something. Otherwise, it's not like there are dragons lurking around.

"For a while, they weren't sure they were there - just that miners kept disappearing. Apparently they were very stealthy dragons for a while." Merrill giggles at that, not quite able to keep the mental image of a dragon grabbing someone with claws over their mouth from her mind.

She nods, though, patting Honeysuckle again. "If any dragons start lurking around, you'll be the first person I tell. It is nice, though - helping make places safer."

"Dragons and stealth... that's not something that often goes together." Yet, for some reason, he can see it too, and there's something darkly humorous about it, even if the outcome... wasn't so good for those who got snatched. Still, he has to also admit he's quite impressed by these stealth dragons. "That was their way of surviving, I suppose... although it was at great cost to the people living in the area."

He glances skyward thoughtfully and also nods. "Yes... please do let me know. I'll be glad to do all I possibly can."

i should've been a cowboy

Riding

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