[ORP] Nettlebane Tower

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Sendile
Posts: 175
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Re: [ORP] Nettlebane Tower

Post by Sendile »

She was watching him smiling as he cleaned the table after both of them had finished the meal. Jarlyn seemed to be a promising asset not only on the fields, but also in housework. The fact that he had offered help in cleaning the table without even the bare mentioning of the need showed a remarkable amount of domestic virtues, which was pretty rare in male creatures - at least that's what Sendile thought. However, she had to agree with him: as soon as they had finished cleaning, she escorted the young man to the fields. Alister, the old plow horse, was already waiting for them in the stable. She patted his neck, showing good example to Jarlyn to do so, too.

"Well, this is my old friend Alister. He likes to be praised: if you pat him from time to time on the neck, he is doing a good job. Oh and it doesn't hurt if you have some oats in your pocket. Make sure you bring some with you and give the old fellow some reward every now and then. If you do so, he will follow all your guidance. "

In the next moment loud barking could be heard and a golden flash of fur appeared by their legs. The priestess started to laugh as she leaned down to stroke her other friend.

"And this is Belly, my golden retriever, who will help us tomorrow, when we go fishing. Belly, be a good boy and don't bark at Jaryln, he is a friend!" she told the dog with pretended strictness, yet scratching the bottom of its ear. Then she turned to Jarlyn again. "He is very friendly and playful, sometimes even a bit too friendly, I'm afraid. You'll have no problem with him, though, just don't let yourself be dragged into playing with him all the time." she added laughing.
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Priestess * Lady of Nettlebane Tower * Baroness of Linbridge
Jarlyn

Re: [ORP] Nettlebane Tower

Post by Jarlyn »

After lunch was finished and cleaned away Jarlyn followed the priestess down from the tower and out into her fields. The sun had passed its high point so it was well time to get work underway.

As the priestess introduced her horse and her retriever Jarlyn patted his pockets, he didn't have any oats. He was sure they would get along just fine without the oats. After the introductions Jarlyn looked around the stable for the plough gear for Alister and started fitting him with his various bits of gear.

He led the gentle old man out to the fields to take their position at the start of the field, set the plough to the appropriate depth and urged Alister onwards...
"C'mon old man, lets make short work of this and then we'll go down to the lake and cool off"
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Sendile
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Re: [ORP] Nettlebane Tower

Post by Sendile »

She was watching every move of him from the corner of her eyes. She didn't want to embarrass Jarlyn by staring openly at him while he is working. Had she done so, the young man could have easily come to the conclusion that she wanted to check his advancement in the work. No, she couldn't allow it to happen. She didn't want to come across either as a too strict employer, or a too nosy one. However, she was curious enough to see how the young (and admittedly pretty handsome) member of her flock could get on with the good old Alister. He seemed to have quite some confidence, which could be seen from the fact that he didn't take any oats, when leading the horse to the field.

She decided to stay at the stable, but she kept an eye on horse and man to see how they get along. And of course she had to keep Belly away from the workers. After all, a retriever that kept running around would have hurdled the hard work.

"Hush, Belly!" she told the dog with pretended strictness. "Just stay, let's see how they work together."

What or what not Jarlyn told the old plow horse, she couldn't hear. She was pretty sure Alister would miss the encouraging oats. Perhaps the old fellow refuses to start working even. But no, that's not what happened. To her surprise, after a few minutes hesitation, Alister took one step... then another... and yet another, pulling the plough after him. It seemed Jarlyn did have good skills with animals. Or were the words he had whispered to the old horse magical maybe?

Either way, a satisfied smile appeared on her face.

"Hm... seems like he is doing a great job, isn't he, Belly?" she asked the dog sitting peacefully at her feet. The friendly yap she heard as an answer she took as a "yes".
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Priestess * Lady of Nettlebane Tower * Baroness of Linbridge
Jarlyn

Re: [ORP] Nettlebane Tower

Post by Jarlyn »

Behind the plough Jarlyn gives Alister the signal to start... he crouched a little and pushed the plough with everything he had to help Alister get underway. The plough slowly started to move and soon enough they were underway. Jarlyn looked ahead at the field, it was well tended and looked soft so he walked next to the old man, keeping an eye out for harder sections to go back and push the plough where he needed to. He scratched Alister's ear as they walked along, absent mindedly humming an old ditty.

Before too long they were nearing the last stretch of the field. Jarylyn encouraged Alister.
"Almost there old man, then down to the lake"
They came to the end of the last edge of the field. Jarlyn called Alister to a halt and started to unhook the plough and free him from all the trappings. Jarlyn rubbed him over quickly with his hands and started towards the lake, holding his hand out to encourage Alister to follow.
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Sendile
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Re: [ORP] Nettlebane Tower

Post by Sendile »

She was watching him from the distance, the dog still sitting by her feet. Jarlyn definitely seemed talented not only with animals, but also in finding the right methods of field work. Other ploughers might have chosen to push the equipment all the time behind the horse, unnecessarily tiring themselves and maybe the animal, too. Jarlyn didn't follow their example. Most of the times he was walking next to Alister and went back behind the plough only when tougher parts showed up in the soil. The priestess nodded satisfied. The method seemed to be working finely.

After a few hours, when the workers finished their daily task, the young man freed the horse from the trappings, rubbed the old beast over quickly, then headed towards the lake. Alister followed him obediently. Obviously the old plow horse saw a friend in the young man now, whom he was ready to go everywhere with. But what was coming next? Sendile was wondering, what Jarlyn was going to do by the lake. Will he have a bath maybe? Or will he wash the dust from Alister? Or maybe both? Although she knew it might not have been the most proper attitude for a priestess to sneak after bathing men, this time it was hard to hold herself back. Her cheeks turned in slight pink as she struggled in herself. Finally her curiosity won.

"I must take a look at them, Belly... you know... Maybe he doesn't even think of it, that for an overheated horse it's not good to be led in cool water immediately... "

The dog looked back at her with understanding eyes as she turned back to follow the workers quietly to the lake.
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Priestess * Lady of Nettlebane Tower * Baroness of Linbridge
Jarlyn

Re: [ORP] Nettlebane Tower

Post by Jarlyn »

Jarlyn and Alister walked slowly towards the lake, deliberately taking a path under the trees in the shade. He absent mindedly scratched the old horse behind the ear as the strolled along. Slowly through the trees more and more of the lake revealed itself, at first a glint through the trees as the body of water reflected the afternoon sun, then an expanse of blue clearly visible as less and less ground stood between them and the water.

As they got to the waters edge Jaryln rubbed Alister down again. When he'd finished he slipped off his boots and sat on the bank, his feet just the other side of the waters edge. A cool breeze moved around them off the surface of the lake, the birds sang in the trees and the sunlight filtered through the canopy here and there. It was a really beautiful spot. Off to the side he could see Nettlebane Tower.

Jarlyn stood and stretched. He looked around quickly to make sure noone was watching and stripped off his shirt and leggings, he took a few steps out into the lake and dove under the water, his head popping up a number of yards from the bank.
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Sendile
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Re: [ORP] Nettlebane Tower

Post by Sendile »

She was sneaking silently from bush to buch, from tree to tree, following the young man and the horse to the lake. Fortunately she could find a suitably sizable bush that hid her from being noticed. Her eyes stuck on Jarlyn and the sigh of relief left her chest seeing he didn't lead Alister directly into the cool water. Then something unexpected happened. Jarlyn started to get rid of his clothes. She felt the blood slowly flowing in her cheeks and she had to fight hard against the thoughts suddenly breaking on her. If someone noticed her now by chance, how could she explain the situation? The village priest spying on a bathing man? That would sound scandalous!

To add to her embarrassment, just as her glance turned to the old plow horse, she had to see Alisted showing pretty much interest towards Jaryln's clothes. The beast bent down his head and sniffed around his shirt and leggings.

"Alister...leave those alone... Alisterrrrr..." she whispered softly from behind the bush hoping the horse might hear her voice. But as the "old man" was a bit deaf, she had no chance. She had no other choice remaining, than watching how the animal takes the mentioned pieces of clothes between his teeth and raises them from the ground. "Put them down... Alisterrrrr.... put them dooown!" she hissed, trying to sneak closer somehow. To no avail. Jarlyn's clothes were waving in the gentle breeze like a flag as the "old friend" raised them higher and higher.
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Priestess * Lady of Nettlebane Tower * Baroness of Linbridge
Jarlyn

Re: [ORP] Nettlebane Tower

Post by Jarlyn »

Jarlyn's head broke through the surface of the lake, he wiped the water from his face as he turned to face the shore...

"What's that crazy horse up to" he mumbled to himself, starting to focus a little more on what Alister was doing.
Jarlyn noticed Alister was interested in where his clothes were... slowly the realization came over him on what was going on.
"ALISTER PUT THEM DOWN!!!" he cried from the water, but seemly his protestations fell on deaf ears.
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Sendile
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Re: [ORP] Nettlebane Tower

Post by Sendile »

The events accelerated all of a sudden. She could hear Jarlyn's voice crying aloud to Alister, but the horse reacted the other way, as was to be expected. He was probably startled by the loud cry, because he turned and began to run towards the tower - with Jarlyn's clothes between his teeth. Now she could do two things. She could keep hiding behind the bush quietly, waiting to see what Jarlyn did, or she could jump up and try to stop the horse. Instinctively, she chose the second option. She jumped up from her hiding place and ran after the animal. Only a few yards away, she managed to grab its mane.

"Whooooa, Alister, stop right there! Where are you running to, old friend?" she shouted, using all her energy to slow the animal down. Finally, Alister calmed down and she was able to take the clothes out of his mouth. "Now give them to me, Alister, they are not for you, old friend," she stroked the animal's neck tenderly.

Now she had the clothes in hand, but now came the more difficult part of her exposure: she had to return them to their owner. With a deep blush on her face, she walked back to the lake to face Jarlyn, having no idea how to explain her previous, hidden presence.

"I...." she opened her mouth to say something in this awkward situation, but she couldn't continue the sentence, instead she was staring at Jarlyn, her cheeks turning a deep pink.
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Priestess * Lady of Nettlebane Tower * Baroness of Linbridge
Jarlyn

Re: [ORP] Nettlebane Tower

Post by Jarlyn »

Jarlyn instantly regretted his decision to cry out to the old horse as the beast took off with his clothes. Alister ran off with Jarlyn’s clothes, disappearing from sight for longer and longer as he ran through the trees away from the lake.
Alister ran behind a large thicket and Jarlyn heard his hoofbeats slowing … perhaps the old horse was just playing… no the hoofbeats continued soon in a slow canter away from the lake.
Just as Jarlyn was trying to think of what to do next he saw a figure appear walking toward the lake… it was the priestess. His cheeks reddened, here he was, insufficiently garbed to be before a woman of Jah. He was here to work and now he was slacking off swimming and not nearly as covered as he should be.
It was then he noticed she was carrying his clothes… he was mortified. Not only was he taking liberties, swimming without asking permission first, he was foolish enough to have lost his garb.
Lady Sendile” he called out trying to figure out the best way to approach the situation.
It seems I am even further in your debt… I wasn’t supervising Alister as well as I should have been, he seems to have run off… with a few things of mine…
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