A Warm One, or a Cold One? (Open)

[Tawny Artema]

The winter skies were clear, the air crisp and cool, and the warm kiss of the sun shown down upon the blanket of snow that had fallen the night before. The hour was early, barely past the sixth hour of the sun's light on this day, yet, already, a set of hoof-prints and wagon-wheel tracks led out of the Sapphis Castle Stables and toward the still, quiet hunting grounds. To anyone who would opt to follow those tracks, they would find them winding through the area, skirting banks and hills, clearly to make a smoother trail for the cart.

Following the trail further, anyone who decided to pursue the obvious tracks would come across the cart which had made them, the horse, separated from the vehicle, was tied securely to a nearby tree, seeming content enough. There was a small fire built upon a patch of cleared ground, and nearby, a barrel seemed to be submerged down into the snow. Over it was a vulpine-eared young lady, who seemed to be skinning apples from the cart, and juicing them into the barrel half-buried in the snow.

She was dressed in a white-fur lined dress of navy blue, with long sleeves and matching gloves, and she wore snug and comfortable traveler's boots designed for rougher weather while still being both stylish and comfortable.

[Rebekah Naphtali]

Her wings unbound, Rebekah was exploring the skies around the castle grounds during her morning constitutional. It was to her surprise that she noticed the fire, and her curiosity was piqued. Spiraling down towards the ground, she further noticed the lady with the vulpine ears and tail, skinning the apples. Clearly, something strange was afoot! Adjusting her trajectory, she set down lightly in the snow behind a tree and leaned out to peer at the girl.

She slowly approached, her boots crushing the snow underfoot, somewhat surprised by the noise as she walked. As she headed towards the cleared area, she drew her wings around herself to supplement the heavy robe she was wearing. She nodded, bobbing her head up and down as she walked, and raised a hand in greeting.

"Good morning! What an exciting coincidence! What are you doing with those?" She chirped, and tilted her head. "What a curious thing. What's that barrel?" Her questions came quickly, one after the other, without a pause for breathing, as she nodded towards Tawny. "Good morning! Hello!"

[Tawny Artema]

With Rebekah's approach from the air coupled with the leafless trees and clear skies, Tawny noticed her descent with a wide-eyed stare just prior to her landing. Sitting upright and capping off the partially-filled barrel, she hoisted herself up onto the edge of the covered cart as the winged woman approached, her soft-looking tail swishing behind her, and ears piquing up at her voice.

"Oh, good morning to you!" The vulpine girl replied brightly, inclining her head slightly as the woman asked just what she was doing. "Oh, I'm making some Apple Cider. I figure it might sell pretty well this season, since it's so freshly made and there are a lot of people here in Venus. You know, more than usual, with the courtship and all." She replied brightly. As those questions that had come so quickly settled, she flashed a grin to the winged woman, then held out her hand, standing to greet her properly, with a slight bow. "I'm Tawny. It's nice to meet you."

[Charity Belleville]

Charity sighed happily as she listened to the sound of hoofs thundering against the ground. She was almost letting go of the reins that were connecting with the horse’s mouth, letting the beautiful palomino horse run at full speed. The wind was blowing hard against her face, making it hard to keep her eyes open. This was her favourite time of the day as her duty was to ride and train her favourite horse Night Dancer. Standing in the saddle Charity leant forward, moving her hands closer to the horse’s mouth.

Tightening her grip on the reins the young maid slowly dragged her hands backwards, making the tender horse slow down rapidly. She stroked the fur on his neck and praised his good work, letting him trot off after running as fast as he did. Rising up and down in pace with the horse’s steps she took her time to enjoy the landscape, trusting Dancer to know the way. Charity herself had never explored this part of the hunting grounds before, though she knew that Dancer had. The pride horse was like a stubborn man, he would never admit it if they were lost but still Charity knew how his muscles slightly tensed up if he didn’t know how to get back to the stable.

Suddenly the horse’s ears perked up and he uttered a curious neigh before starting to fasten his pace. “Huh?” The girl quickly moved her gaze forward seeing the people in front of her and the things around them. No wonder Dancer acted this way, she smiled as she spotted the horse and slowed down the palomino. Looking back to the two women her eyes widened a little as she noticed their appearance. Even though she was working at the castle and lived in a city were sights like this would be considered normal, she had never seen such people before, they were probably from another city, maybe even empire! Hopefully she wouldn’t get in trouble for being curious about these two. The robe that the winged person was wearing could mean that she was some sort of knight, but Charity was never one to judge anyone by how they looked. “Hello,” she smiled at the two, stopping Dancer from going forward, earning an irritated grunt from the horse. “I’ve never seen any of you around here before. Travellers?” She asked hopefully and tilted her head a little, already then building a hope of knowing more about the word outside.

[Tawny Artema]

The attention that was focused on the winged woman remained , yet the sudden interruption with the sound of hoof beats, and the whinny of alert provided by the horse stationed nearby momentarily drew Tawny's eyes, but the snapped back to the winged woman quite quickly, and her smiled flared up again from gentle to sweet. But with the approach of another girl, this one dressed as a palace maid, the vulpine-eared girl flashed that same broad grin to the rider, her fluffy tail swishing with more vigor and excitement. She brought a hand up to waggle fingers at the girl as she neared.

"You have good timing!" she responded brightly. "Yes, I'm something of a traveler!" she looked between the pair. "My name, again, is Tawny." She offered her hand back to the winged girl, then the girl on the horse. "It's a pleasure to meet you both!" She replied happily, then eyed Charity. "So, you work here at the castle?" the vulpine girl prompted curiously.

[Charity Belleville]

Seeing how the stranger, that soon introduced herself as Tawny, offered her hand Charity jumped elegantly off the horse, not letting go of Night Dancer’s reins. Taking Tawny’s hand with her free hand she smiled broadly at her. So she is a traveller. “I’m Charity, pleasure to meet you too.” She bowed and looked from Tawny to the winged stranger, keeping her warm smile on her face.

Nodding at Tawny’s question she replied. “Yes I do.” She told her, just then realizing something. “Oh my, how stupid of me. You two must be here for the princess’ hand, am I right?” She tilted her head cutely.

[Rebekah Naphtali]

Rebekah smiles at the approach of the other girl. "Good morning, hello! I'm Rebekah Naphtali! I-" She suddenly pauses, her chain of speech interrupted as she noticed the horse that Charity rode. "Oh my! What a terrifying beast! You must be quite brave to ride it!" She took one step towards it out of curiousity, then stepped back twice in quick succession, clearly reconsidering her position.

She smiles. "My father sent me here for the princess's hand, but I must confess I have no idea how to attain it. Things are strange on the surface." She shrugged, looking away. "Where I came from, we neither ride beasts, nor marry women. Still! I find myself less alarmed by the second, regardless of how terrifying the first does seem." She smiled and bowed towards Charity.

[Tawny Artema]

The vulpine girl's grin brightened, and rather adorable little fangs were visible now, as she looked between the two. As Rebekah revealed that she was in fact here for the princess's hand, Tawny looked at her, and gave a gentle nod. "To tell the truth, I'm not really sure why I'm here. I mean, it's amazing to stay in the palace, and the guests are all so incredible." She laughed. "To tell the truth, I don't think I'd have much of a chance, even if I was to pursue her." She added to the two. "Though, I can't really comment fairly on the matter. I've not even met her, and I'd rather prejudge her by what others say about her."

She flashed a gentle grin, tossed one of the apples into the air, caught it, and flicked a knife expertly over the surface to strip off the bright red skin. Smoothly, she then kicked the lid off the barrel she had half-buried in the snow, then knelt over it with a metallic device to squeeze the juices from the apple down into the barrel. "Hope you girls don't mind if I keep working on this. Since it's so chill, I thought I'd make some Apple Cider. It tends to sell great in the winter, and it's delicious. Hey, you girls want any?" she offered brightly enough. "No charge, for new friends." she added happily, ears perked up and her tail wagging.

Tawny smiled brightly to Charity, then looked to Rebekah, with a curious expression. "Hmm? Where is it you come from? I come from the Oaks barony to the north." she replied with a straightforward smile

[Rebekah Naphtali]

Rebekah blinked. "Well! There's not quite a word for it in the surface languages I know, but!" She sang a bar of beautiful, ethereal music. "In the sky! It's... um..." She sang another bar. "No words for that, either. Very nice? Still, it's exciting to be down here with solid ground!"

She blinks at the offer of cider. "Oh! How curious! A beverage made by destroying apples! Will the wonders of the surface never cease?" She leans over the barrel and studying it, her hand playing with a scroll case that hangs at her hip. "Is there a reason you couldn't simply ask the fruit to give up its flavor? Fascinating!"

[Charity Belleville]

Charity blinked at Rebekah’s comment, and looked at the horse. “Beast you say…” she mumbled and patted his muzzle. “It’s called a horse. I can teach you to horseback ride if you ever want to try that. Please don’t call him a best, you’re offending him,” She said and puffed out her cheeks jokingly at Rebekah, before clasping her hands together, letting go of Dancer’s reins. “I’d love some apple cider. But please tell me if there's anything I can do to help you miss Tawny.” The young girl asked moving her eyes over at the other woman.

Gasping slightly she turned to Rebekah yet again. “Do you really come from the sky?” Her eyes widened with excitement as she talked before she giggled a little at what the winged girl said. “You talk really strange.”

[Tawny Artema]

The kitsune-blood laughed delicately as the two voiced their exchanges. "You girls want warm ones or cold ones? Cider's good either way. Warm will take a little longer, but, you know, it might feel more comfortable out in the chill." She mused, as she stood, stride back to the wagon and opened a small crate, producing three solid mugs, similar to pint-sized ale glasses.

As the two discussed horses, the foxgirl renewed her persistent grin. "Oh, riding horses is quite fun. You should really try it sometime, Rebekah." She seemed fascinated with the winged girl. "That's some beautiful singing, but I'm not quite sure what you mean by it." Flashing a grin, she sat the mugs down, the tossed an apple, rolling it down her arm and flicking it off her hand in a slow arcing toss to the winged girl. "Feel free to ask it for its' flavor all you like,let me know if you get any results." she teased, grinning ,then knelt with a ladle, pulling out the cider mix in the barrel, one spoonful at a time and filling the three mugs.

[Charity Belleville]

”Then I’ll take a cold one. I think I have enough clothes on to keep myself warm anyways.” She told the kitsune girl and adjusted the scarf around her neck. ”You like to sing too miss Rebekah?” The young girl grinned and followed her horse over to a tree, making sure he wasn’t too close to the other horse. Finding a halter in one of the bags tied on the side of the saddle she slid it over the bridle on the horse’s head, then grabbing a rope attached to the halter she tied it to the tree. Taking the reins connecting to the snaffle bit in the palomino horse’s mouth she fastened the reins to the saddle, to make sure they wouldn’t fall down so that the horse could wrap his legs into it.

Giving Night Dancer a quick peek on the muzzle she patted his head a little before mumbling to him that he better behave and she should see if she could bring him an apple as a reward. Making her way back to the other two she smiled sheepishly. “I hope it’s alright for you that I tied him to that tree. We won’t stay long so you don’t have to worry about that.” Stretching her arms a little and almost loosing her balance by doing so, making her stumble backwards a little the black haired girl giggled a little. “Oh my how funny. Seems like we all happen to have somewhat the same unusual colour on our eyes.” The girl squinted at Tawny. “Or are yours more brown-red perhaps?” She girl scratched her cheek, tilting her head to the side.

“Anyways!” She clasped her hands together again, smiling brightly. “Since you two seems to be new in town, please just tell me if there’s anything I can help you with, like finding the way to where you are staying or anything like that.” She told them. “Sure you don’t need help miss Tawny?” The maid then asked, feeling bad for just standing and watching someone making apple cider for her without helping. Truth be told, the young woman wasn’t at all used to have someone make anything to drink for her as it was always the other way around.

[Rebekah Naphtali]

Rebekah caught the apple after some fumbling and began singing to the fruit, slowly drawing its color out into the air next to it. When she stopped singing, it slowly bled back into the apple. She smiled and shrugged. "It's not hard, though my father is much better than I. But! I think I would like a warm cider! Warm repast is fascinating!"

She paused as she put the apple gently on the ground and patted it. "I guess I like singing? But it's all just talking. In, um... different ways?" She shrugged apologetically. "I just do not know surface languages very well, yet. I have to speak like I did before." She smiled at Charity. "Yes! The sky! It's... very nice!" She laughed. "But I said that already. I don't have the words for it yet." She smiled at Charity. "But I would like to see the city with you, I think! What a kind offer!"

[Tawny Artema]

The kitsune smiled cheerfully between the pair, as each requested something different. It was no trouble for her. Setting two of the full mugs aside, she set up a kettle atop the fire, and poured their contents into it, before passing the chilled mug and cider to Charity with both hands. She then turned to watch Rebekah's efforts, her eyes wide as she watched the effects of her voice on the apple. "You know, Rebekah, you do have a really pretty voice. So, this place you come from, singing is the language there? Or is it some form of magic, or both?" she grinned. "That really is fascinating. I play the flute, myself. I mean, I'm not some royal orchestra student, but I know what I'm doing with one. I don't suppose you could teach that little trick, it seems amazing..."

As Charity uttered an apology for tying her horse, the foxgirl shook her head firmly. "Oh, comenow, we're all here to relax and enjoy the cool weather and good cider. Just relax." She flashed a grin, and turned down the gate on the back of the wagon, making plenty of room for the three girls to sit side by side there should they opt to, though Rebekah's wings might require her to take the center seat, which Tawny presently settled into, legs crossed, her tail wagging behind her with a certain joy , as she awaited the cider to finish warming.

"You know, a tour of the city would be wonderful, though, i do already know the basics of the layout. having an expert show me around would be a good idea I think."

[Charity Belleville]

Taking the mug the young girl bowed and thanked the older girl. Then sipping the drink she smiled at Tawny. “This is really good.” Just then seeing the winged girl do what Charity thought weren’t possible the black haired girl felt her eyes widen in surprise. “That is quite the power you have miss Rebekah. I’m afraid most people on earth is not able to do that.” She smiled sheepishly.

Hearing that the kitsune girl played the flute, Charity wanted to tell that she played the piano herself but decided to keep quiet as it was probably not that interesting. All three of them were people that held music dear, at least so it seemed and that made the young maid glad to know. Realizing she had been staring down at the apple cider in her hand, Charity quickly looked up at Tawny afraid that her new friend would find it rude not to have eye contact with her as she spoke. Placing the mug down she opened her mouth to speak. “It’s alright, I’ll stand.” She told her, waving her hands in front of her.

Folding her hands she bowed at the two. This was how Charity would most likely always be around people, she would enter her role as maid and act very polite. If it was because of the fear of being yelled at or hit or just because she had been taught to act like this around most people, she didn’t know but most likely it was a mix of both. She was a cute girl, and would often forget and act how she deep down wanted to but right now the servant in her was coming fourth. “I’m glad you both think so.”