[PRP] All the famished horses (Uttam / Salbei)

[Enoh Love]

Sal had loitered outside of his tent for a few minutes, listening in to the tail end of a conversation between Hel and his Apprentice, Na'ima. The old Sage had taken great care to be quiet and to not to give his position away, since it seemed that he was the topic at hand. More specifically, they were waiting for him to come home...and he wasn't too keen on walking into the tent at the moment. He could feel the tension in the air, and that never worked well with his decidedly zen frame of mind.

When he slipped away from the tent, he did so as quietly as he could, his arms up over his head to muffle the various trinkets in his hair with his own robes. If he was caught now...his night would be ruined. Completely written-off. With his tent occupied though, where was he to go? It looked like it was going to rain soon, which meant his rock was out of the question...hmm.

"Ah!" He announced to himself, albeit quietly, as a brilliant thought struck him: Uttam. His equally quiet saviour. One of the few in this crazy Sanctuary he could trust to hide with. With little hesitation he made his way to the other Horseman's tent, standing outside of it as politely as he could.

"Uttam, are you in? I require your assistance."  

[Carhop Cavalier]

Uttam's tent was free of fillies, mares, colts, and any other rabble. He made a point of keeping his tent unoccupied and to himself, so he could nap, or read, or simply just sit around like the lazy bum he tended to be. He'd removed all his clattering jewelry, put on an actual shirt, and had his shawl hung on a little hook he'd made out of a bone from a source unknown.A small book with a beaten leather cover was the subject of his attentions, until the Sage made himself known.

When Salbei called out, Uttam slowly put the book away, pushed his little stool back from the little table he'd fashioned out of scrap wood, and opened the flap. Uttam and Salbei had known each other back when the Islands were still intact, and had been friendly. A smile graced the redhead's face as he made himself known to his old friend.

"What is it, pal?" He questioned, stepping to the side to let the stallion in. Non-rabble was welcome to the tent.  

[Enoh Love]

"I am in desperate need of a respite." Salbei lamented, sounding tired instead of his usual default to amused, but he was at least able to offer the redhead a smile in return. "And your company is valuable to me, so I sought you out." Uttam had always provided company without needing entertainment, which had come in handy several times in the past. The Older Soldier was one of Sal's favourites, simply for the fact he was the quiet, dedicated and unassuming sort.

"A little social experiment of mine has recently gone very out of hand, so now I am actively trying to avoid returning to my tent until morning. Would you be so kind as to let me stay here, just for the night?" Nonetheless he made his way into the tent as he was wordlessly invited, taking a moment to glance around at the Stallion's modest dwelling.

Carhop Cavalier

 

[Carhop Cavalier]

Smirking with a little snort, Uttam stepped aside as the Sage entered into the humble tent. The floors were rather barren, just hard packed dirt and a simple thatched rug. Ornamental bobs and doodads hung about on strings and tapestries from the roof of the tent, a large collection of them in a corner above a mass of cushions and sheets. He kept the place tidy, unassuming.

"Social experiment? It wouldn't have to do with that filly of yours, would it?" He chortled, offering the stallion the second stool he kept under his desk. "Quite the chatty one - I imagine you need respite more often." He pulled out his book again, knowing fully well that Sal knew where to find other leather bound tomes. The majority were on the arts of fighting and fear harvesting, but there were a few smaller volumes that held miscellaneous subjects, such as pottery or gardening.  

[Enoh Love]

"Depends on which filly you mean... have several now, apparently." Sal gave a slow chuckle and, for a single moment, hung his head. Too many little fillies, it was getting a little out of control. "The main thorn in my side has been making friends with my Apprentice, you see. It has gotten rather noisy." Of course, he new what Hel and Na'ima had was far from friendship, but since his apprentice tolerated the ghoul, it was the next best thing.

"I hate to intrude on an old friend." Which was as close to saying Yes please let me stay here more often as he was going to get right now. The offered stool was given a nod in gratitude, but as always his first stop was the tomes. This time though, it was more to see what was left over from the fall of the islands.

"You managed to save a lot of your library. Colour me impressed."

xxcarhop cavalier

 

[Carhop Cavalier]

Uttam snorted, flicking the page of one of the books whilst tucking a wayward strand of chocolate ombre hair behind his ear. "The one from our clan? Nai'ma, I believe, is her name." He chuckled a bit at the poor old soul's dismay, knowing full well that Sal had done it to himself. Ah well, who was he to rub that in the sage's face? Just a soldier, he was.

"Mm? So it's not Nai'ma, then? Just how many little ones have you taken on while I was out reaping?" His bangles dangled as he flipped another page, taking in the diagrams and the specifications of an old sand garden. "And please, that's hardly anything. All the others... gone. Even the book of children's stories."

He snorted at the memory of returning to his home, only to find his lair in utter dismay and half way blown to bits. Scattered papers and broken wood carvings, shrapnel of bone and obliterated jewelry. He took what he could, found the few remaining books; the minute volumes that were so small that the blast didn't have much of anything to do with them.

"Those beasts wouldn't even care, would they? That they'd destroyed the tales we tell foals. Disgusting."

Enoh Love

 

[Enoh Love]

"The very same. I'm very glad to have her back." He was thankful every day for Na'ima, she managed to stave off the loneliness he felt, despite being surrounded by friends. She was the closest thing to a love he could ever have.

"...Aha, there are four of them now. Halloween students who seem to see me as a Paternal figure...and who am I to stop them?" His thin shoulders lifted in a shrug. The thought was as amusing as it was endearing; they may be of halloween, but he doted on them regardless. They were cute, like yapping pups. "Two colts, who are initiates, and two fillies, who are not." He explained, the fondness apparent in his even voice. His attention was on what was left of the tomes, picking one off the shelf to carefully thumb through it as though he were handling a very fragile artifact.

"Please, no need to be modest, my friend. This is impressive. I only managed to save an unfinished research log. To have actual tomes..." The Sage trailed off sadly. Oh how he missed his own library alongside Uttam's. The subjects they had spanned... He had a private moment of silence for the knowledge that had been scattered.

"They will pay." Sal nodded, sure of it. He had said something similar to another one of their own; little Manyara, whose anger had only been saited by the promise of revenge in exchange for a little patience. "And we will simply have to create more stories for the foals, and rebuild what we can from what we remember. It won't be easy, but we will win in the end." That conviction never left his voice; he believed what he said, every single word of it. This was only one long, painful bump in the road. They had their lives, and some of their culture; they could start again, and make it better.

"Have you reacquainted with many of our own, since arriving?" He certainly wasn't going to ask who had died. There was still plenty that were unaccounted for, after all...  

[Carhop Cavalier]

"Heh...you've always been good with children, friend. You can make those tales." He yawned, rolling his shoulders and creaking his joints, eyes still haughty and full of fire. "I'll be the subject of a few of them, yes?" He snickered, no hint of amusement or mirth, "Uttam, hero of Famine, slayer of Hunter gnats."

A sigh to release all the anger and tension that had welled up in him, and he flipped yet another page. "I've met Nai'ma, briefly, and another soldier known as Kiwi. Good members of the clan." He shrugged, corner of his mouth twitching. He preferred his space and solitude, but realized that was never going to be the practical solution. "I've yet to interact with the other clans. Admittedly, I still find them... unsavory."

He always held a prejudice against the other clans. War with their bloodlust and their lack of decency, Death was far too somber and uppity, and Conquest - pah! Up in their rich houses and their ornate, stick up the a** ways. "Though, I suppose we'll have to tolerate if we want to get anywhere."]

enoh love

 

[Enoh Love]

"I'll be sure to put great emphasis on your perils, Oh Hero of Famine." Sal drawled, his voice pleasant and yet dripping with sarcasm. In that moment he was glad he had his back to his old friend; it meant that Uttam wouldn't see how he rolled his eyes.

"They are indeed." Sal agreed quickly. Na'ima had been his apprentice for years, even after she became a Sage. Kiwi was a relatively new favourite, as the boil was quick to act on orders and was overall a tough creature. "The other clans definitely take some getting used to." He agreed, sympathetic to Uttam's prejudice. "Unfortunately, my old friend, we can no longer afford to stand aloof from them." It was a pity, except...it really wasn't. The majority of Salbei's working life had been to mingle with just about everyone, and build up connections.

"Maybe with their help, we can build your library again." He slipped the tome back into place and took a step back, his head tilted to imagine the stacks and rows of well worn, often read books. He gave a little grin over his shoulder. "Actually, you should visit Conquest sometime soon, the younger ones are learning the value in things, it is simply fascinating to watch. A pity their Nobles are still so..." He trailed off, gesturing vaguely with his hands.

carhop cavalier

 

[Carhop Cavalier]

"Peh." Uttam huffed, spitting out sand. "As if they'd care to help. You know how I do things, Salbei. Alone. No help. They'd just tarnish the volumes with their filthy hooves anyway." He crossed his arms with a great harumph, nose crinkling and brow creased like an old blanket.

Prolonged silence as he thumbed through a few more pages, sighing uselessly. He had to admit the logic in the Sage's statement - they would have to band together to win, unfortunately. "Well... War is quite good at fighting, even if they are savage." He grumbled in slight defeat. Unity... he hated the thought of it.

"Heh, I'll have to see that for myself. Little Conquest brats actually acknowledging the worth of an item and all the hard work put into making it? Sounds like some poor pony's wet dream. Forgive the vulgarity."  

[Enoh Love]

It was nice to know that Uttam hadn't changed, that he was a fixed point in an otherwise chaotic world. Sal looked down, his smile never fading and yet, somehow, he looked sad. Unfortunately, everyone had to change now. There could be no such thing as a fixed point, at least in his opinion; if everything stayed the same, then they could not step forward.

"I seem to recall a particularly interesting tome on the styles and best practice techniques for combat." He commented idly, thin fingers brushing loose strands of hair from his face. "Or the one on gems, and their best cuts and uses. That one had been of particular use to me, back in my days as an alchemist. Ahh...the labs I destroyed before I realized..." He trailed off fondly, his gaze on the shelves and yet hundreds of years away. The cut of the gem he had been using was imperfect, and the refracted light had set off many an explosion.

Good times, well missed.

"And of course the one on fabrics, and which material is best for certain climates." He added, quite intent on making his point in the longest way he possibly could, as was his nature to do so. "We used to be so close, the clans. I wonder when we separated so thoroughly." It was more of a rhetorical question, but it was still a question.

carhop cavalier

 

[Carhop Cavalier]

The book suddenly snapped shut, and Uttam let out a loud groan. Sal knew how to be persistent in his points, and make them as torturous as possible. Sly old fox, this one was. "Auuuuuugh, fine. I understand what you're saying, Salbei."

Yes, they needed to be united - his old library was a perfect show of that. Volumes and books and encyclopedias, all full of information gleaned from the other clans. Tomes written by authors of old, when the Clans had held a unity that their race seemed to be striving for now.

"Well...maybe it was when the rest of the clans couldn't handle the fact that we were better looking, hm?" His frustration was quickly passed off with a joke, the gardening book reopened. He couldn't stay mad at his friend for too long.