[Open] A Star In Hand Lit His Way

[rinwell]

WHO: Rinwell and various.
WHAT: Catch-all log for December!
WHEN: All December.
WHERE: Cadens (Free Cities) and Horizon
WARNINGS: TBD - will update as and when applicable!

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[OOC: plot with me in PMs, or on plurk at farlichu! Discord on request! ]

Comments

@ Geralt - start of Dec.

[rinwell]

Hey! Don't bite me!

[ The reproof in the voice that carries through the stables is tinged with mirth, and is answered by equine nickering. A velvet nose sticks over the stall door, before ducking back in, and a second 'Hey!' is answered by a third voice, light chirping chuckling quietly.

No doubt Geralt hadn't actually intended for Rinwell to take his suggestion about caring for his horse to this degree. But when it had been a means to help Ciri and Jaskier during the Witcher's prolonged absence, Rinwell had quietly thanked the ranch training she'd received and helped with back home. It has taken these past few weeks to build the rapport she now shares with this horse; no doubt Law would laugh at her for this after how she teased him over his bond with the pigs, sheep and cows, but..

But Rinwell has been surprised by how much she likes the work, the focus on caring for Roach. And even keeping things...well, perhaps 'tidy' is a bit much to hope for as the apartment continues to fill with more people than rooms, but she has been hoping her own small contributions go some way to help.

(No one has touched the small container in the cold box, per her note, for which she is grateful - getting the ice cream to set correctly has taken much trial and error, and it's still not quite right!)

So it is that she's fully distracted in her current 'argument' - getting Roach to lift her feet so she can check and clean her hooves. Anyone passing the stables rented by the Witchers could slip in unannounced, just in time to overhear the third "voice" as it pipes up again, more soft 'hoohoos' of laughter, and the exasperated sigh received in response. ]

You're supposed to be on my side.

[gynvael]

[ Though Geralt may not be able to ride yet, he's still keen to look in on Roach. It's one of the few places he can go to get away for a bit without having to leave the city altogether. The last time he'd said fuck it and hitched a wagon to do so, the bumpy ride left him sore for a full day. Not an experience he wants to be repeating.

He's largely stayed at Sam's, for the quiet and space it affords. His return to the home he normally share with Jaskier and Ciri (and now Rinwell) is often brief: to collect a change of clothes, some pieces of equipment, a book or two so he can pass the time. It means he's yet to cross paths with the mage girl. He knows Ciri has informed her he's returned...relatively intact. So to speak. (All of his limbs are attached.)

Voices drift out of Roach's stable as he draws near. Rinwell's is familiar; the other is... ]

New friend? [ Has he appeared out of nowhere behind her? He may have. If she turns around, she'll find Geralt leaning against a stable wall, watching her with a question in his gaze. Her and her bird, specifically. ]

[rinwell]

[ There's a small yelp in surprise at the unexpected voice. Detecting the stealthy(?) approach of others was never quite her forte, and her new-old friend has been rather occupied adapting to this new place as well. Releasing her hold on Roach's fetlock and the failure to pick the mare's foot up in the first place, there's a light pat against the shoulder before Rinwell turns about.

The mare, for her part, immediately pushes toward her nose over the stall door to nicker at Geralt happily. Atop Roach's head, there's a bundle of fluffy white feathers topped by large round eyes and tiny blue 'eyebrow' feathers, who hoots once, then shrinks down, puff flattening between the horse's ears. As though doing so might make him harder to see. ]

Geralt! Shouldn't you be resting? [there's a nervous glance between him and the horse, but once Rinwell looks at the owl, her smile relaxes. Just a little.] More like old friend - my oldest! [and given he's still clearly a baby...]

After Jaskier showed me how to get to the Horizon, he, well, he appeared shortly after um. Well. [you know] He's a Dahnan Owl. Hey, Hootle, c'mhere.

hoot?

[ Said owl turns his head to peek at Rinwell, as she extends her arm towards him, then back at Geralt. ]

It's okay! Geralt's a friend. C'mere.

[gynvael]

I'm resting. [ It's said mildly. He knows they've insisted he should be in bed. He's just sick of laying about, mired in thoughts he does not want to have, and, mm. Roach is always the easiest company to find, isn't she?

Roach and another bird. Jaskier's? he thinks, before Rinwell clarifies. He studies the strange owl. It's unusually round, but it does bear resemblance to an owl: white, feathery, plush. He steps foward, curious. Seems the Singularity continues to bestow gifts and powers, wanted or not. Except upon him, apparently, something he remains unsurprised about. He is made of chaos, but his connection to it is not that of a mage's, never has been. The mutations saw to that.

Either way. ]

He simply appeared to you?

[rinwell]

Uh huh.

[ Pretty sure she heard that from Alphen a time or two. And the only reason he got away with it half the time was because the man literally could not feel pain. That said, Rinwell knows all too well that she herself makes for an awful patient. And just a visit to Roach can't be all bad, right?

The little owlet hops and glides from Roach's poll, coming to rest on the offered arm with the air of long practice, and there's some happy churrrrrrs as she tickles him under his beak. The smile from the mageling just for her owl is the brightest thing in the room for the short time it lasts, before it gets tucked away so she can face Geralt properly.

Bringing her arm to her chest, there's a fond look as Hootle backs up a little to rest against her, but he doesn't turn away from the strange human. Nervous, but brave today. A little like her, really. ]

Ciri and Jaskier had left to go find you, and it was just me. And..Well, I was feeling lonely. And just as I was missing him, poof! He just, appeared.

[ You all missed the floods of tears that little hugfest led to. She'll never speak of it. But it absolutely happened. ]

This is Hootle. Hootle, this is Geralt. He's one of the people I live with here. Roach is his horse.

[ There's a small headtilt as the bird considers this information, and the witcher it applies to; he really does seem to be processing it, far more like a very small child than an average animal. ]

[gynvael]

[ His expression softens at that. Right. She'd have been left alone, if Jaskier and Ciri were occupied. At least she did find a friend. The owl smells real enough, but where his medallion now rests around his chest, it gives the faintest hum. Magic, as she said. It makes sense. Her actual owl could not have made it into this world. (Or can it? What can come through with the right summoning spell?)

Regardless, the animal seems to remember her all the same, formed by magic or not. There's an odd, keen intelligence to its large round eyes. Hootle. He watches it hop and chirp for a minute or two. Between Hector's pets and now this owl, they're going to need more room soon. He supposes there are worse problems to have. ]

What's one more guest at the house? [ The owl seems skittish, so Geralt decides not to reach for it. He steps forward instead, tapping Rinwell on the shoulder to catch her attention. What was she fussing about earlier—cleaning Roach's hooves?

He moves around to the mare's side. ] Come here. I'll show you.

[rinwell]

[ Rinwell does not notice the medallion reacting; if she had, her interest would certainly have peaked at once! As it is, she's content to stroke the owlet's feathers as he keeps staring at Geralt as only owls can, making no effort to hide the relief at the permission given. It helps, of course, that Hootle is a very small baby owl, taking up very little space, but needing more room than the current apartment space allows is a very real problem they'll have to deal with. Eventually.

For now, however, there is a light tap to Rinwell's shoulder, bringing her attention to the present, and there's a light rub for Roach's nose before she steps aside to let Geralt by, then moves so she's not in his light. ]

Thanks...Ciri said she isn't lame, but she's been really fussy about her feet. I've been trying my best.

[gynvael]

Just obstinate from time to time. [ As mares often are. Probably anxious, too. He was missing for a few weeks, and he's been the only one who rides and looks after Roach. She's likely not enjoyed the disruption, even if she is being spoiled senseless. According to Ciri. He can't blame Rinwell, exactly. Hard to say no to a horse.

He adjusts his stance before slideing his hand down the mare's foreleg, coaxing—though he distinctly does not bend down as far as he normally would have. ] Lean your weight against her, if she's stubborn. She'll follow your lead.

[ And sure enough, Roach shifts her weight alongside him onto her other legs, lifting her foot as she does. He glances over at Rinwell, gesturing for the girl to come take over. ]

[rinwell]

[ Spoiled, but at least well tended. And not entirely idle: she may not know how to ride, but Rinwell had at least taken her out of the loose box and walked her about a bit to stretch her legs.

Not at all the same thing as a proper ride, and no doubt the mare is restless and bored, hence teasing her new groom. Said groom is listening intently, mindful of how far he leans, though if he expresses pain, Geralt keeps it well hidden from Rinwell. ]

I'm not very heavy. [or strong, physically. mages aren't typically known for muscle. typically.] Will me leaning really work?

[ When prompted, she does at least move quickly to take his place, one hand cupping around the mare's leg in order to catch and hold that hoof. ]

Backdate to Nov, a temporary roommate sighting

[petcromancer]

[One member of the household has disappeared, and the search for him has kept his worldmates occupied. Hector has already stayed longer than he meant to here, but he's reluctant to leave Jaskier to fret over Geralt on his own. So he rattles around the house while Jaskier and Ciri go out searching. It doesn't take long to run into the house's final occupant.

Hector is in the kitchen, putting on a pot of stew that he can leave simmering in case Jaskier and Ciri come back hungry this evening. It's nothing fancy, but it'll fuel them for another day's search. His reanimated fox sits near his feet, and he occasionally tosses a scrap of meat or an end of a vegetable down for the creature to chew on.]

ty for being so patient! hopefully i can be back in the proper swing now :)

[rinwell]

[ The smell of stew is a good lure on any ordinary day.

Rinwell herself had been considering meal options for her new housemates, which is why when the door rattles with the sound of someone awkwardly turning the key, the teen eventually steps in with one arms full: fresh bread rolls along with bagged vegetables suited for any sort of slicing and dicing, in addition for travel-prepared jerky, to help restock certain supplies. She also balances a half-sized milk churn at her hip, the metal loop of the handle tucked at her elbow. ]

Oh! Uh. Hello..?

[ There's a hoot in a similar surprised tone, from a small white bird perched on her head; both stare wide eyed at Hector. ]

I wasn't expecting anyone else to be here.

[petcromancer]

[Hector looks up from his pot, similarly surprised to find someone else here.]

Hello. I'm Hector... [He offers that, not knowing if it will mean anything to the girl. Jaskier does like to talk, but Hector's sure if he's ever come up.

He leaves his spoon in the pot and steps forward to take some of the load from her arms.]

It looks like we had the same idea. Which one are you trying to keep from collapsing?

[rinwell]

Rinwell. [a beat, before there's a soft hoot from her tiny companion.] And he's Hootle.

[ The name doesn't ring any bells, but given how familiar the man is with the kitchen, and the fact he's, well. Cooking. Means Rinwell isn't quite as on edge as she might otherwise be. (It's been a very strange couple of weeks.)

The undead pet has yet to be noticed; probably for the best, at least to start!

She does hesitate before relinquishing one of the bags, letting him handle the legumes and spices, before giving him a bit of a smile at his question. ]

..Ciri. Though I think Jaskier's been forgetting too, even when he loudly exclaims otherwise. [she understands, however; if it had been one of her close friends.. She winces away from stray memories, and shifts the milk churn so she can hold it more securely] I didn't have enough for fresh meat in the market, so I just went for jerky, but I'm not sure which of the sellers to trust for that yet.

[petcromancer]

Yes, for a man so skilled with words in songs, you'd think he'd be better at lying.

[He takes the bag and deposits it on the table, which is thankfully free of monster parts today. The first day Hector had come here, it had been covered in giant scorpion corpses. Simpler times, those.]

Between your supplies and mine, there's enough here to see them fed for a few days. Whether we can actually get them to sit down and eat it is another story.

[rinwell]

It can be hard to think on your feet when you're worried about someone, I guess. And given how long he spends on some of his songs..

[mind you, that's her going by the one song he'd been fiddling with prior to everything going topsy turvy since she moved in. Hector seems far more confident in his assessment - a longer time friend, perhaps?

A burden shared is a burden halved, and Rinwell makes up her mind to relax - at least for now. She looks over to the stove.]

Making it one less thing to worry about does make a risk of them forgetting entirely.. But things like stews and soup at least keep for a while. And they can at least drink it on the go! I have some other plans for the milk, assuming the cold box works as well for it as I hope it does. But everything else is good to use right away!

What have you done so far?

[petcromancer]

[Hector nods toward the pot.]

Mostly this. I started the bone broth a few hours ago, and the meat and vegetables I put in are cooking. Toss in anything you like. I'm not following any particular recipe.

[Hector's medieval, and he's used to keeping a pot on the hearth and just constantly adding to it for an easy meal.]

I probably should make some bread or something, but I've never been great at that. Dough is the thing I can't seem to raise.

[rinwell]

Ahh. Pot luck.

[ The best kind, honestly. And no Alphen here to add too much in the way of explosively hot spices to it (not that she'd ever admit to missing that too). ]

Where I'm from, it's freezing all the time, so having a soup or a stew always available on the hearth is a mainstay. Is it like that where you're from?

[ Hootle flips his wings and resettles on her shoulder, cuddling close to her neck, and Rinwell starts setting her remaining groceries on the table. The churn is parked next to the coldbox, for now. The fox's tail is noticed, and gets a blink, but Hector's comment distracts her from getting a better look at the creature. ]

The wrong kind of yeast, maybe? [the 'raise' pun has definitely gone over her head] Though I haven't seen anyone using the oven here for bread. I think they usually go to the bakery at the end of the street for those.

during the festival of enlightenment.

[wiedzminka]

[ Ciri sweeps into the room with conviction, ready to pull Rinwell out from whatever corner she might be sulking in, hands on her hips and jaw set. Maybe it's unkind to think of it that way, but it's been bothering her the last couple of days how unhappy Rinwell has seemed, how she doesn't want to go out while the whole city's strung up with lights and silly inventions. A distraction is in order. For both of them. ]

Rinwell! Get your boots and coat on. We're going out.

[rinwell]

[ It's funny how fast Rinwell's curiousity and budding excitement for a new holiday had been scuppered so quickly by the Free Cities being their magic-phobic selves.

Well, perhaps "phobic" isn't the correct term, but less than two days in and the girl had a less than favourable impression of events, and after a week, she's only left the apartment to take care of Roach and fetch any food on request.

She'd object to sulking, however. She does NOT sulk! (she totally sulks). ]

Huh? [hoot? bird and girl look up from her book] We are? Where are we going?

[ To her credit, she does at least set the book aside and reach for her shoes; her coat, lazily cast over the back of a chair, is a bit threadbare, but Rinwell's lived in cold climes most of her life - "winter" here is anything but. ]

[wiedzminka]

For a ride.

[ Ciri declares, decisively. While she waits for Rinwell, she ducks into the kitchen, grabbing a cloth to begin wrapping a loaf of bread into, some hard cheese and fruit. She grabs some carrots too; those are for the horses. ]

I've already gotten Poppy for you.

[ Though Jaskier hasn't actually purchased her, he's grown fond of a chestnut paint mare from one of the nearby stables, where they'd rented plenty of horses before Ciri had finally bought one of her own. Jaskier still asks for Poppy when she's available though, and lately, Ciri's been doing the same for Rinwell to practice. The pinto is smaller than Roach, with a mild, easy temperament that makes her perfect for a beginner. And Ciri would never put Rinwell on her own newly-acquired Nixie; Ciri likes a challenge and a steed with spirit, but she'd rather not have Rinwell bucked off in the middle of a lesson just because the moody gray mare decides she's done for the day.

So Poppy it is. Ciri ushers Rinwell toward the door once they're both ready. ]

The horses are at the stable. I've left Poppy untacked for you to practice.

[rinwell]

[ It doesn't take much more than that to have Rinwell all but spring into action at the promise of a riding lesson. Poppy is a sweet natured horse, and between her and Roach, the mageling is well on her way to loving these animals almost as much as she loves Owls.

(Hootle's supremacy will never be threatened.)

Once ready, she's by the door waiting for Ciri. Habit has her book carried at her hip; now that she's found one, she's loathe to go far without her weapon even if it does draw some curious looks from time to time. ]

Okay! Does she need to be groomed, or should I just check her feet before saddling up?

[ She might need help with some of the straps, particularly as Poppy enjoys testing how tight she can cinch the girth, but Rinwell's feeling pretty confident today. ]

[wiedzminka]

No need to groom her, but you should always check her feet before riding.

[ Ciri will help Rinwell with the straps and anything else she needs, but for the most part, she hangs back and lets the girl take care of it herself. She doesn't step in unless Rinwell asks questions, and offers an encouraging smile once they're all tacked up and ready to go.

They're out by the city gates soon enough, where Ciri leads them out and onto the road on the side leading to Aquila. It's a well-traveled main road catering to merchant wagons and visitors of all sorts, and around the festival, it is quite busy.

Ciri rides close, keeping a tight, stern grip on Nixie's reins. She's more aggressive toward humans than other horses, but Ciri knows better than to give her leeway to push boundaries. ]

Road's crowded, isn't it? What say you we ride off the beaten path a bit?

It will be more difficult. Think you can handle it?

[ Ciri smirks. A challenge. ]

[rinwell]

I haven't forgotten.

[ A promise as much to herself as Ciri, since Rinwell does want to do well with these lessons. They may well end up being important sooner rather than later. She does have some questions when preparing the bridle, mostly about fixing the straps to rest comfortably, and the saddle ends up a little too far back on the first try, but all round, not a bad effort for a beginner learning the ropes.

If she's nervous once up on horseback, she doesn't show it immediately beyond the giddy smile that gets shown to Ciri whenever the older girl looks over to her. She doesn't panic that Ciri might get too far ahead: Poppy is almost unflappable and follows Nixie with little in the way of complaint, which is good since she's a little stiff in the saddle to start, mindful of the crowds. Only once they're past the gates does she find herself beginning to relax more - usually, others might be the opposite, but Ciri's laying down a challenge. ]

Yes. [brown eyes are bright, and there's a hoot of encouragement before a certain white owlet settles in her hood; it isn't as big as the one from back home, but it does the job here] I'm game! Besides, I'll never learn how if I never try!

[wiedzminka]

[ Ciri's smile widens into a grin. ]

That's what I like to hear.

We'll ride for the hills. Don't let Poppy get complacent. She'll follow the road half-asleep if you let her. Keep reminding her who's in charge.

C'mon. Follow me.

[ And with that, Ciri urges her mare off the wagon road and into a bouncy trot, looking back over her shoulder to make sure Rinwell is following. Nixie wants to go faster, but Poppy might resist speeding up at first. Ciri keeps an eye on the girl to make sure she doesn't fall behind, but otherwise does not provide other instruction or slow down, only making sure Nixie doesn't try to take off like she desires. ]

[rinwell]

Okay, Ciri!

[ The instructions are easier said than done, of course. Off go Ciri and Nixie, and Poppy's ears perk up, mare happy to follow when directed. It still takes a bit of pressure, both in seat and legs; Rinwell's not about to sit on horseback flapping her legs uselessly - that had been day one, much to her embarrassment. She's come quite a ways since then! ]

C'mon, Poppy, let's show her what we can do!

[ Attempt to snatch at some of the side grass, is apparently it. But Rinwell's been getting wise to that, and while it takes a bit to get going, she's soon bouncing after the older girl at a springy trot.

Getting into the rhythm of posting correctly for the pony's strides is something she's still not used to, but it's clear she's been paying attention as the two finally catch up to the spritely mare and her rider. ]