Twelve she sounded so tired - Aragibal hated it. He made it a point to not dig into her past or make her talk about things that made her uncomfortable, but something about this encounter deeply dug into Athala. Someday they'd have to confront whatever that response was, but that day was not today. The best Ara hoped for right now was to provide a level of stability for her.
He pulled his breastplate on as she went over to Fenrir, then gingerly took the kittens from Athala, very careful to arrange himself and the kittens so they didn't rest directly against the cold metal. He gave a nod of agreement as she mentioned they'd have to take one each. "Sleipnir will have to figure out how to make due." The haughty horse had far too many opinions for his own good.
Once Ara gave Sleipnir a quiet but stern warning, then pulled himself up into the saddle. He took a few extra moments to actually strap the fur bundle that was Xahqoh into the saddle just in case Sleipnir decided to be sassy during the flight. Sleipnir did rear a little and back up as Aragibal took the reigns, but otherwise behaved as Ara looked to Atha for confirmation that they were ready. For the first (and the last) time, Sleipnir took off by going into a gentle canter and pushing off as opposed to his usual aggressive gallop.
The flight was smooth, uneventful. No Garleans were out, the currents were strong and steady, and even Sleipnir was calm through the flight. At some point Xahqoh woke and was very confused for a moment, but Ara helped her get her little arms out of the furs and pointed out the horn on the saddle for her to hold on to (with both claws, for safety!) and she snuggled back in the fur and watched the scenery pass underneath. As they drew near to La Noscea Aragibal called his friend that owned the house on linkpearl and double checked that it was okay if they stop by for a few days. Everything seemed okay as they kept course. As they flew Ara would occasionally look back to check on Atha, just to make sure she was still okay. If Atha matched pace to talk he would keep conversation, but he wouldn't try to start one unless it seemed she was falling asleep in the saddle.
Sleipnir started to come down for a landing as the beach came into view. Ara leaned down a little to speak to Xahqoh, who was starting to wriggle out of the fur as much as she could as the temperature started to rise. "Okay, you're gonna wanna hold on tight to the horn, okay? Sleipnir sometimes lands a little bit rough and we may get a good shake." Sleipnir gave a small snort that he heard that, but he was good and brought them down as gently as a horse could, Xahqoh's little claws digging into the hard leather.
"You keep hanging on, okay?" Xahqoh gave him a nervous nod and Aragibal dismounted and immediately started undoing the straps he did for Xahqoh, pulling her out of the saddle and holding her. Sleipnir automatically started to walk up to the house as Ara approached Atha just to regroup, pulling the house key out of one of his bags as Xahqoh quite literally clung to him as she looked around. She didn't stay in his arm long as she managed to scramble up his armor and stand on his shoulders, little claws clinging to his hair to stay on his shoulders as she looked around.
"I can go in and make us all something real to eat, would you please take care of Fenrir and Sleipnir?" Sleipnir was a jerk but he's tolerated Athala before. He would understand her hesitation if she had any, but his expression was a step away from begging.
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Date: 2019-09-18 09:14 pm (UTC)He pulled his breastplate on as she went over to Fenrir, then gingerly took the kittens from Athala, very careful to arrange himself and the kittens so they didn't rest directly against the cold metal. He gave a nod of agreement as she mentioned they'd have to take one each. "Sleipnir will have to figure out how to make due." The haughty horse had far too many opinions for his own good.
Once Ara gave Sleipnir a quiet but stern warning, then pulled himself up into the saddle. He took a few extra moments to actually strap the fur bundle that was Xahqoh into the saddle just in case Sleipnir decided to be sassy during the flight. Sleipnir did rear a little and back up as Aragibal took the reigns, but otherwise behaved as Ara looked to Atha for confirmation that they were ready. For the first (and the last) time, Sleipnir took off by going into a gentle canter and pushing off as opposed to his usual aggressive gallop.
The flight was smooth, uneventful. No Garleans were out, the currents were strong and steady, and even Sleipnir was calm through the flight. At some point Xahqoh woke and was very confused for a moment, but Ara helped her get her little arms out of the furs and pointed out the horn on the saddle for her to hold on to (with both claws, for safety!) and she snuggled back in the fur and watched the scenery pass underneath. As they drew near to La Noscea Aragibal called his friend that owned the house on linkpearl and double checked that it was okay if they stop by for a few days. Everything seemed okay as they kept course. As they flew Ara would occasionally look back to check on Atha, just to make sure she was still okay. If Atha matched pace to talk he would keep conversation, but he wouldn't try to start one unless it seemed she was falling asleep in the saddle.
Sleipnir started to come down for a landing as the beach came into view. Ara leaned down a little to speak to Xahqoh, who was starting to wriggle out of the fur as much as she could as the temperature started to rise. "Okay, you're gonna wanna hold on tight to the horn, okay? Sleipnir sometimes lands a little bit rough and we may get a good shake." Sleipnir gave a small snort that he heard that, but he was good and brought them down as gently as a horse could, Xahqoh's little claws digging into the hard leather.
"You keep hanging on, okay?" Xahqoh gave him a nervous nod and Aragibal dismounted and immediately started undoing the straps he did for Xahqoh, pulling her out of the saddle and holding her. Sleipnir automatically started to walk up to the house as Ara approached Atha just to regroup, pulling the house key out of one of his bags as Xahqoh quite literally clung to him as she looked around. She didn't stay in his arm long as she managed to scramble up his armor and stand on his shoulders, little claws clinging to his hair to stay on his shoulders as she looked around.
"I can go in and make us all something real to eat, would you please take care of Fenrir and Sleipnir?" Sleipnir was a jerk but he's tolerated Athala before. He would understand her hesitation if she had any, but his expression was a step away from begging.