Lisieux Family/Arion Strikes Back
Esme sighed as she stared down her horse. Arion snorted at her, challenge and mischief lighting his eyes and shaping his body language. The stallion pawed at the loosely covered ground in his stall. His halter was on, but the cross ties hung useless against the wood. Arion wouldn't let her groom him. He knew well enough that she wanted to tack him up and go out. But why did he want to avoid this? Hell if she knew. Esme approached him again with the curry comb, one hand out to hold on to his halter. She'd had Arion since she was little. The stallion tossed his head again as she reached for him. He knocked the curry out of her hand, and as she reached down with a groan to pick it up, the gray beast snatched the carrot out of a pocket on her jodhpurs. Esme stood up and threw her hands up in the air.
"Damnit Arion, behave!" A smirk shined back at her through his eyes as he munched happily on the carrot that she'd brought down as a treat.
Esme Lisieux (Dame of Akanos)
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Hugues sat in the gardens of his estate, enjoying a smoke from his ikrif pipe with a jug of rum on the table next to him. Between inhaling, he polished two ornate, yet razor-sharp daggers, until he could count the hairs in his eyebrows in his reflection on the edges. He spun them around in his hand, as he greatly enjoyed, and sheathed them, before placing them back in their case. When he was done, he tilted his chair so the back rested against a large oak tree and closed his eyes. Then, the sound of a whinnying horse drew his attention. It had been ages since he had last rode on horseback... it must have been since his last charge on the plains of Yipinalke.
His curiosity peaked, and he decided to have a look. He strolled over to the walls surrounding the garden and climbed into another oak. Peeking over the wall, he noticed a raven-haired lady struggling to keep her horse in check. The stallion knocked a comb out of her hand, and as she went to retrieve it, snatched a carrot from her pocket. She threw her hands in the air and cursed.
"Damnit, Arion, behave!", he heard her say.
He snickered, and said to her, "Your mount getting the better of you, m'lady?"
Arnaud Capet (Knight of Akanos)
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She continue to stare at Arion as she heard criticism behind her. She bristled at the taunt, but kept her face clear of the irritation that was building in her as she turned to face the unknown man. He was pale, and the sun lightened his complexion all the more. His blonde hair shown - very much the opposite of her own. He looked like he knew what he was doing, but she was not intimidated.
"He is not." Arion nudged her to prove his point. "It is simply a game between the two of us." She insisted upon this point, but the reality was as the stranger had spoken. The irritation took over as she challenged him, "Do you think you can do so much better? Prove it, m'lord!"
Esme Lisieux (Dame of Akanos)
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"Gladly.", Hugues grinned.
He hopped onto the top of the wall, gained his balance, and jumped down, going through his knees as he landed. He quickly got to his feet and approached the horse, without giving the lady another look. He held his opened hand out in front of him, the palm facing the horse, inching closer to the reigns. The steed trampled in place as Hugues came closer, and with a quick snapping move, he grabbed its reigns. He leaned backwards and dug his heels into the soft soil to hold back the horse, and it seemed to work. He turned his head towards the lady and smiled.
"See, m'lady.", he said with an arrogant grin. "That is how you handle a stal-"
His words were cut short, as the steed violently shook his head, pulling Hugues off his feet. He landed face down on the ground before the horse's hooves, and if it had not been for his quick reflexes, it would have planted one on his skull. He rolled away from it, onto his back, his arms stretched out next to him. His cheeks blushed from embarrassment, as he waited the inevitable snickering that would come next.
Arnaud Capet (Knight of Akanos)
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Esme watched as the arrogant jerk tried to show her up. She knew Arion though. The man attempted to man-handle her horse (no pun intended), and Esme knew what was coming. As he smirked at her, Esme crossed her arms with a smug smile. There was no hope for the poor dear. Arion tossed him with ease, and she chuckled to herself at the loud thud that the body made.
"Oh yes, you handled him very well." She walked over to Arion, ignoring the man, and pet the stallion on the neck. Of course there was little resistance on the horse's part - he was completely docile and amiable toward her. Esme reached down to help the man up. His pride probably wouldn't allow her to assist him, but at least this way he couldn't accuse her of not helping him.
"You should be more careful around a horse you don't know."
Esme Lisieux (Dame of Akanos)
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Hugues pushed away the lady's hand. The look on his face had shifted from embarassment to anger, as he got to his feet and dusted himself off.
"Don't tell me how to handle a horse.", he grunted at her. "Yours is probably a worthless reject."
He straightened his tunic and eyed the woman in front of him. "Who are you, anyway?"
Arnaud Capet (Knight of Akanos)
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Esme felt herself fill up with rage and indignation. She was very proud of her horse, as she was with all the horses that her family owned. But seeing as Arion was a close friend, and she had raised him almost completely on her own, she took a special pride in him.
As he rose to his feet she promptly slapped him clean across the face. It could be a fatal mistake, but by her family's standards, he had earned it. She spoke heatedly, "I am Lady Esme Lisieux. Who do you think you are that you can call a great horse a worthless reject! I raised him myself and he is one of the finest horses around. Do not dare mock any Lisieux steed, my good sir!" She spat the last bit at him resentfully.
Esme unwisely turned her back to the stranger as she returned to Arion. The sooner she could groom him and tack him up the better. She skipped currying him and instead went straight to the body brush. She would only do that and pick out his hooves before tacking him up.
Esme Lisieux (Dame of Akanos)
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Hugues seethed with fury. He brought his hand to his cheek, which tingled from the slap Esme had delivered. And to add insult to injury, she had turned her back on him... His teeth gnashed as he stepped forward and grabbed her by the shoulder. He forcefully turned her around, and slapped her across the face with the back of his hand.
"Courtesy of sir Arnaud Capet, harlot!", he barked at her.
His breathing became irregular as he stared her in the eyes. If he had had his daggers with him... only the gods know what he would have done with them. Esme dropped her comb, and Hugues awaited her reaction, feeling both hatred and concern... He felt he had crossed a line, slapping a noble lady of his own realm, but he had been raised to repay every insult...
Arnaud Capet (Knight of Akanos)
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She stood there in shock, her mouth open, her cheek reddening quickly. Esme was speechless. The slap she'd just received burned. Arnaud Capet, eh? Her eyes were lit with an irrepressible fire. The fact was, however, she had no clue how to react. Hitting him back would only result in more pain for her.
She acted in a way that would confuse both of them. Esme pretended to curtsy - pretended because she had no skirt with which to do so. "I would appreciate it if you did not call me a harlot, m'lord Arnaud. I apologize for losing my temper." She was doing well to rein it in now. She would find someway to torment him later. Surely he deserved it. Her eyes met his again, and they continued to challenge him.
Esme Lisieux (Dame of Akanos)
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Hugues was dumbfounded. Esme's reaction was not what he had expected. He figured she would have simply slapped him once more, hoping that he would have the courtesy not to retaliate a second time. Instead, she had curtsied and apologized. He gawked at her for what seemed like an eternity, unsure of what to do. He felt like he should scold her some more... after all, she had slapped him in the face for no reason. But he refrained... he had been at odds with some Akadian nobles already, the last thing he needed was more attention drawn to him.
"Let's just...", he began, not knowing what to say next. He paused for a moment, then continued. "Forget it. I don't have time for this."
He nodded ever so slightly at Esme, before turning around and walking away. After a few steps, he halted and faced her again.
"Watch your step, Lady Esme.", he spoke ominously. "I might not be so forgiving in the future..."
Arnaud Capet (Knight of Akanos)
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She remained fairly calm as he blew her off, then threatened her. She did not have any worries. A darkness rose up in her, and as it consumed her momentarily, she hissed at Arnaud's retreating form: "Don't think you have the upper hand, my dear. Things are not always as they appear." The strange moment and feeling passed, and Esme returned to grooming and tacking Arion. The stallion snorted, aggravated, at the retreating figure.
((ooc: just adding a bit of chaos into that... not much, but a hint))
Esme Lisieux (Dame of Akanos)
