Dark Edge Village

Shinjo Akil took a deep breath as he walked Setem out to the horsemanship fields. Well, we'll see how this goes. He pat the horse's nose lightly, watching him with curiosity. "So, my dear Setem, are we going to be good today?
I think you'll find our friend today to be agreeable enough, if you'll just be good."

Doji Fukawa carefully made her way to the horsemanship field. Her gait spoke not of illness, which had fortunately passed, but of a profound desire to not put her sandals into a pile of horse apples. Today's kimono was a slightly darker Crane blue than the previous day. Someone had obviously picked it out with the miai in mind, as one could see tiny horse forms chasing each other around the trim.

She made her way up to the rider and mount and offered the pair a bow.

"Good Evening, Shinjo-san." she said, her voice once again melodic, with the passing of the illness. "I hope this evening finds you well."

Akil smiled as the Doji caught his attention, bowing politely and tapping the horse to do the same. "Doji-san. The evening finds me in good spirits indeed, and I hope the same can be said for you." As he rose, a hand moved to pat Setem's nose. "This is Setem, my horse"

The Doji looked up at the horse.

"He is.....enormous." she says, not having seen any of the Unicorn's horses up close before. "He's quite majestic. You must feel as if you are on the top of the world when you go riding."

"There are times I certainly do," he nodded, "especially now, when riding is something that can be done as a leisurely activity." Akil reached into a small bag tied to his obi, pulling out a quarter apple. "Now then, we should probably start by making sure you and Setem will get along. He is a stubborn boy, but can be persuaded easily enough with a bit of food."

Fukawa nods, taking the quarter apple from the Shinjo.

Of course, Crane courtiers were full of both grace and surprises. She approached the large horse calmly and slowly, making sure that she did not startle it and it knew what she was about. She offered him the apple, and once it was consumed she would offer her hand to let the horse get her scenet, which was apparenly pleasing to the horse.

Awa/Animal Handling: 55

Akil smiled as he watched the Doji and Shinjo interact, crossing his arms. "Well then, that is quite impressive indeed, Doji-san. I do believe that Setem likes you."

Fukawa dipped her head.

"He has a noble soul within his noble body." she offered, clearly taken a bit with the Shinjo's horse.

"He is fairly noble in his way, I suppose," he smirked, nodding. The easy part was done, at least. "Now then, since it seems he likes you well enough, it's time for you to mount him."

The petite Crane looked up and up at the Unicorn steed.

"Ummmm..." she said, clearly uncertain as to how she was supposed to do that. Of course, she and Setam probably would have been content to eat apples all day, but that was not the point of this exercise.

"Ah, yes, right," he nodded, motioning to the horse's right side. "Over here, then. What you want to do," he approached Setem, putting his hands on him," is grasp him here, firm but be careful not to hurt him. You'll see this foot grip on the saddle," he nodded down to it, putting his right foot on it, "Put your foot there, then just spring up onto the horse," he finished the demonstration, hopping up onto the horse with ease. After a pat of the horse's head, he slipped back off.

"Go ahead and give it a go. I will be right behind you to catch you if you fall."

Fukawa looked doubtful, but determined. She put soft hands on the horse's fur, put a dainty foot into the grip and then sprung....off the horse...badly.

Horsemanship: 2

Akil rushed over, catching her before she can hurt herself. "Not the most graceful first attempt. But it is a learning experience, neh?" He offered the most encouraging smile he could.

Fukawa blushed a bit from the sudden contact with the Unicorn, her fan stored safely on her obi while she tried to climb the horse. The Unicorn certainly seemed to be adept at finding their way around these paper walls.

"Um...hai...gomen." she offered, disentangling herself from his grip....though he certainly was warm for a barbarian.

"Let me try this again." she said, determined not to make an utter fool of herself.

She almost slipped off again, but she scrambled in a way that would normally be unseemly, and Setem seemed willing to indulge the cute little thing for the moment.

Horsemanship: 10

"I am on, Shinjo-san....I think." she uttered hopefully.

Akil's face had also reddened at the sudden touch... taking a breath as he pulled away the second she started to as well. He watched her get on and smiled. "There you go, well done. Second try is certainly nothing to be ashamed of." He grabbed the reins, "for now, we'll just get you used to sitting on him while he moves, so I'll keep the reins." He started to walk, and Setem followed, keeping pace, "just hold onto the saddle and you should be fine."