Gangrel Training Session

[Mable Wood]

Mable's jaw dropped at the suggestion. "I hadn't even thought of that." she sat back again.

"If you would be willing to train them, then Yes. Please. Just to live here and help haul small wagons. I don't want to over work them. But to put the stables into use would be fantastic."

[Dirt Nap]

Dirt Nap listens intently as Mable considers a permanent addition of a team, a pair of horses and a wagon rigged to haul.

He smiles and nods as she comes to a decision.

"Truth to tell, Ma'am, I would be glad to lend my expertise to helping you. Training the horses, and training your people how to work with them too." He says. "I'm right glad to hear you'd plan on having a light touch to the horses; the best prices tend to be either for younger horses that have been mistreated or are otherwise hard to train or just not trained at all, or else older horses ready for retirement with just some light work now and then." Dirt Nap explains. "Either way could work, or a mixture."

Dirt Nap smiles again, and says, "I'd be happy to work with younger horses to make 'em good and workable. Older horses might be good if you didn't plan to keep em active and ride them much; the young ones have their oats to burn off one way or another; tend to get testy and bored if they aren't active enough. A horse any age needs daily exercise, but just being out to pasture is enough; they keep moving around most the day and can see and touch another horse all the time; should be okay."

He pauses in thought, then says, "Compatibility-wise, you could have one of each. A young horse'll be around longer, but as long as you don't have more than two, and it isn't more than one gelding with mares, it just depends on the individual horses. Some mares only like to be with mares; some geldings can't stand other geldings. Likely two mares would get along, but it's worth the extra time to make sure your horses like each other either way, get the first one, and then try out some others until it's a good herd."

Dirt Nap looks at Mable, sheepishly, "Sorry, Ma'am I just started thinking out loud and got going. The point is, I can find you a good deal on a pair of horses, sure, and train them and train your people to care for them properly. I'd be glad to do it."

[Mable Wood]

Mable's smile was delight and excitement, "We can rescue horses and give them a good life here?" The notion was just too perfect for her.

"I'm all in. There is a field between the woods and the stables. I can clear away the flower beds behind the stables for the fence and easy access for them. Tell me what I need for the fencing and I can get it." Truth be told Mable hadn't spent any money for a while so she had it in the safe. The last big purchases were made by Rebecca and the school supplied a bunch of materials for the students to use.

"So get whatever horses you feel are best. I can expense report some of the cost since they will be helping the project." She made a few calculations about what the grant covered and thought this would fall within the fire control budget.

[Dirt Nap]

"Yes, Ma'am." Dirt Nap says, smiling.

"I will be happy to help with the work on the fences too. The horses push on it all the time, so it needs regular up keep, need to be smooth and reinforced with chicken wire on the inside too." He says slowly.

Dirt Nap listens to Mable thinking out loud and apparently enthusiastic about the idea. It could be a real good fit. But horses aren't like tractors, compatibility is a thing.

"Ma'am, if you want to do this, I will need you to meet the horses before we buy any of them. I would find likely ones, and tell you about 'em, and if they sound like they might suit you, we would go meet them, and see if it seems like a good match." Dirt Nap says, slowly. "I actually got a few papers on me, describing some that I got asked about providing training if'n they got adopted. Here's just some examples of what might be had, if you're interested."

Dirt Nap slowly reaches into his pocket and smooths out three pages, each describing a horse: Big, Martina, and Ruby.

[Mable Wood]

He could take care of the fence? "That would be wonderful. Do you need a place to stay? To be near the horses?"

He handed her the papers. She looked at the horses. Touching the white spot on Ruby's head and gasping at Martina. "Beautiful." She whispered. "I would love to come and meet them."

[Dirt Nap]

Dirt Nap listens and nods, "Yes, Ma'am. I'd be glad to help plan it out and work on it and show your people how to maintain it." He says.

He pauses for a long minute in thought at her question. "I'm in a delicate time for my Study, Ma'am, to be honest. I can help with the buying, and such and training; the time I'm down is a big part of my Preparation, so I would need to spend it elsewhere, if you wouldn't mind. To be honest though, I am not looking to bond too closely to the horses; You and whichever of your people are appropriate should be the ones the horses learn to trust and depend on the most." Dirt Nap says softly.

Nodding, Dirt Nap notices Mable seems to favor the mares over the gelding. Not a problem. All mares makes for better odds on compatibility in the herd and maybe with the owner too in this case.

[Mable Wood]

"I appreciate whatever help you can give. No problem with not being around here. Just remember you always have a place to stay if you need to."

"Once we pick out the horses and get them settled I can have a few people from the college around them and see the best fit. The horses will let me know I am sure which people they like best." Plus maybe tell her what the students are doing during the day.

[Dirt Nap]

Dirt Nap nods, "Thank you Ma'am, that means a lot." He says when Mable offers a haven of sorts for him if he needs it. Best not to need a borrowed haven, but kind of her to offer. More than kind, trusting.

He listens intently as she thinks aloud about staffing. "That sounds good, Ma'am. Compatibility is important. Consistency too; is there anyone who is around more permanent like, not a volunteer?" He asks. "I suppose you would be thinking that would be you, I could understand that seeing as you're a responsible person. I mean someone who doesn't have other duties that would take them away on short notice." Dirt Nap explains, gently suggesting that it couldn't be him either.

It felt good to do something, to help someone who had been there for him from the first time he arrived. It was an opportunity to help in a way that wasn't too tangled up in another Order's business or making a ongoing commitment he'd be likely to disappoint owing to his studies.

Huh. Owing. That brought something to mind that had been bothering him.

"Ma'am. If you don't mind, I wonder about something you might know, about how things work nowadays." Dirt Nap ventures softly.

"I owe a Boon. I would go to tell the Harpy, but as far as I know, there ain't one. What should a feller do to make sure it's official and such?" He asks.

[Mable Wood]

"Other than me, I can do night stuff. I'm not sure for daytime care taking of horses. Maybe one of the kine that I have made friends with could help out? I'll check with them."

"Hmmm, a boon. I guess speaking to the seneschal? Alice may be keeping track now. If not she can direct you better to whom you should report it. With the smaller domain I believe people are taking over other duties. There just wasn't enough to do at this time. Also, Ale has been working hard as the Prince getting things to be in a better infrastructure frame work type of thing it's made management of the domain easier." Mable really liked the rewrite of the domain laws. Clarifications had made things easier and better.

[Dirt Nap]

Dirt Nap nods. "Okay, I guess I don't want to be telling you how to run things, Ma'am. I mean, if you don't want someone too involved, that's up to you. I guess I assumed you already had someone full time for the day that you trusted. I apologize, Ma'am." He says.

Dirt Nap listens closely while Mable speaks about the way Boons are handled without a Harpy, and then is silent, apparently thinking hard after she is done.

After a long minute of still silence, Dirt Nap nods slowly and says, "Thank you, Ma'am! That sounds to me like real good advice, Ma'am. I believe I should go and talk with the Seneschal about it. I apologize again for my lack of known on these things; could you tell me if she has an office there where the Court is, the way the Harpy did?" Dirt Nap asks. "I'm a bit anxious to handle this right, official like. If she does, I might to like to head over there soonest." He says thoughtfully.