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Post by Lethalia on Dec 19, 2021 13:07:17 GMT -6
 She would have liked to be able to say the mansion had thrown it's worst at her. It's a comfort to claim she's been through everything there was to find there. Well - that, and it made for a better story, too. But even she knew that wasn't nearly true. As such, she decided to leave her portent of disaster in the form of Juniper at home this time around.  Juniper had attracted misfortune in the mansion as if she was some kind of cursed item - a token of bad luck as it were. Getting in a little exploration, a small adventure as much as she could find in the city; that was the only reason she ever delved into the magical place. Somehow she didn't have much interest in inviting more poor luck to come raining down on her head, something the mansion did in a literal sense all too often. This time, she decided to see if the bad luck was her or the hen, and brought good ol' Mavelle out instead.
Mavelle lv|25.1 ly|55.1
December|1
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Post by Lethalia on Dec 19, 2021 13:38:42 GMT -6
It almost seemed unfair how one of her longest-lasting companions didn't often to get to go to 'fun' outings like this. Sure, Mavelle probably had more miles on her than most equillion in the city, with how often she trekked the satyr into town. Often with a bitey little one in tow - something the mare tolerated with a true mother's patience. Leth had to begin to wonder if the trait had began to rub off on Mav, for all she daren't spook with any sort of baby on her back. (How much did owners rub off on their pets? Because the mare had been borrowing Leth's traits for over a decade now.) But actually go ing somewhere with Mav, and only her? It'd been a while. It seemed to happen when her training was tidy and second nature by now; the mannered creatures took backseat to the more time-sensitive matter of unruly up and coming youngins.
December|2
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Post by Lethalia on Dec 19, 2021 13:38:59 GMT -6
Luckily Mavelle grew to love the snow every bit as much as her owner. She even donned a thick coat in her newest growth spurt, one that Leth thought would never occur after such an amount of time. Sure enough though, the equillion sprung up another two hands tall practically overnight. (It meant entirely re-learning how to mount her bareback, the antics of which the old girl stood through like a saint, just like she did everything else.) Mavelle's winter woolies had her just pleased as could be ambling though the new snow, allowed on a loose rein to keep whatever pace she saw fit and point her pretty head anywhere she wanted. "Y'happy, girlie?" Leth asked while she patted Mav's spotted neck, though she didn't really need to ask. As stark contrast to the other personalities Lethalia (unintentionally) opened her mind to, Mavelle's connection was like wrapping herself in a warm blanket... As long as she was calm herself, that was.
December|3
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Post by Lethalia on Dec 19, 2021 13:39:18 GMT -6
This mare had gotten them out of quite a few different.. situations in the time they'd been together. If such senitivity to her rider's emotions was what it cost to also have a mount keen enough to save their hides, it seemed a worthy tradeoff. Maybe that was why rides with the mare were so pleasant. If it were to go smoothly, she had to ensure her mind was clear - or at least that her thoughts weren't the tumultuous sort. She couldn't be stressing over the farm in any capacity once she was on Mavelle's back. If Leth had to be mindful about the inner circus of her head once in a while - ugh - it was probably good for her. Bay ears pricked at the sight of the mansion's iron gate with clear curiousity. "Y'know where'ya goin?" Leth asked, a small bump of the heels to encourage Mav on that very path.
December|4
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Post by Lethalia on Dec 19, 2021 13:40:19 GMT -6
Mavelle coasted to a stop alongside the fence just as she was asked; Lethalia peered down at the ground and concluded it seemed quite a ways away to just hop down now that Mav had put on her growth spurt. Okay gate, she thought as she reached down for the chilled latch, no funny business. As if she could just tell the mansion to behave. It couldn't hurt anything to give it a try. The latch stuck, groaned, and gave way with a brittle sound the moment Leth leaned harder on it. A tiny explosion of ice shrapnel peppered them; the satyr did her best to tamp down on her own flinch, when it turned out Mavelle merely flicked an ear. There was a time even a tiny interrurption like that would've spooked the mare so fast, it seemed like she could teleport. "Ah! Doin' better, pretty girl!" Lethalia praised, beaming.
Mavelle lv|26 ly|57
December|5
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Post by Lethalia on Dec 19, 2021 13:40:33 GMT -6
Mavelle had long been a rather rock-steady mount as long as her rider was, and yet all the miles they'd logged together, the satyr could still be surprised at the lack of reaction that had been trained into the mare. Perhaps because it had taken so long, it still seemed like a marvel when Mav didn't spook at a rock in the middle of the road. It was worth the acknowledement. Lethalia shoved at the gate, holding hard around Mavelle's newly wider barrel to push on the gate harder, snow shoring up on the opposite side. It moaned open just enough to allow for the equillion to pass through, but Leth would have to yank her hooves out of the way lest she get scraped off in the process. Lucky this mare wasn't the sort to mean to scrape her riders off, but for all her keen senses she could be airheaded enough to do it accidentally from time to time. Sometimes Leth wondered if the mare was as much of a daydreamer as she was.
December|6
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Post by Lethalia on Dec 19, 2021 13:41:10 GMT -6
Mavelle backed up and stuck her nose through the opening and passed through, her ample barrel scraping the sides of it while Leth tucked her legs up. "Sorry Mav," Lethalia mumbled, asking for the mare to back up alongside the gate they'd left open so that the satyr could maneuver it shut. Likely it didn't matter at all; she wasn't entirely sure all of the mansion's parts even existed when someone wasn't looking right at them. Still, empherimal gate closed, any real offense to any potential mortal owner was avoided for now. There were so many 'maybe's' Leth wasn't sure why she still bothered avoiding offense to the place. Taking pause to survey the surrounding area, there was nothing to find but snow here. There wasn't ever anything happening just within the gate. Sitting here gawping was the most likely thing to summon misfortune on their heads, or at least it would start causing Mav to be nervous.
December|7
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Post by Lethalia on Dec 19, 2021 13:41:34 GMT -6
Sure enough the mare started working her bit and peering from side to side and over her shoulder, as if Leth was causing her to expect something. Mav's ears flickered at the nearest bird, her flank twitched and her huge tail battered Lethalia as well as imaginary flies. Best be on with it, then. The satyr nudged her mount on, and her big bay mare took the opportunity to take off at a swift trot. Leth let Mavelle have her head on the same loose rein, hardly concerned about where they'd be taken. Lethalia peered into the warped glass panels as they approached the house, pushing aside the malaise it set in her stomach. Almost like candles lit in each sill was enough to reveal the disparity between the purity of the flame, and the true warped nature of the place. It couldn't quite hide in plain sight, when you looked hard enough. (Leth had to look harder than most, admittedly.)
December|8
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Post by Lethalia on Dec 19, 2021 13:41:45 GMT -6
There was absolutely nothing that could drive the satyr indoors this time. Largely because it was near eerier now than it ever had been, but also in no small part because fitting an entire equillion inside would've been a feat onto itself. Leth steered Mavelle away from the pathway to the entrance, though Mav tossed her head a little bit about having to step into the uncleared path of snow. Even tall as she was, the snow easily came above her knees. Despite her fuss the fresh snow gave way easily under Mav's hooves, so cold and crystalline still it crumpled beneath her like sand. Leth had to chortle when they coasted to a stop, just so the mare could pause and paw at the light snow with excited clouds of breath streaming from her flared nostrils. She even dipped her refined head, flicking the snow up with her lip.
December|9
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Post by Lethalia on Dec 19, 2021 13:42:24 GMT -6
It didn't take long for small flurries of snow to be thrown up to where her rider was perched, though the satyr could hardly sound upset about it for all she was giggling at the equi-thrown snowballs. "Okay, okay," Lethalia laughed, taking up the reins and pulling Mavelle's head out of the snow bank and gave her a light nudge forward again. "Lessgo, girlie. 'Fore y'pickin' y'own 'venture." This would be an entirely less fun trip if the mare actually got it in mind to roll. Mavelle sighed at her, but continued on at her behest. Sensitive as she was, Lethalia was confident it would be hard to find another mount like Mav around. Not without all the years of work that had been poured into this girl, anyway. As long as she had her lovely mare for ground travel, and her (not quite suited to being called 'lovely') drake for the skies, what did she need any more mounts for?
Mavelle lv|27 ly|59
December|10
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Post by Nadia on Dec 20, 2021 14:49:01 GMT -6
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Post by Lethalia on Dec 22, 2021 16:35:33 GMT -6
The mansion was shockingly quiet; Lethalia would've expected it to extend it's malicious reach by now. They rounded the corner to the mansion's back garden and both rider and equine balked at the silhouetter of someone else in their path. Never had there been another visitor in the mansion Leth had run into - "Oh," Lethalia managed, stupid to her own ears. "S'okay, Mav. They just carved," she explained while shortening the reins, stopping Mavelle from the avoidant side-stepping she was doing. The jigging of her seat came grinding to a halt while the mare had to stand stalk still, extending an arched neck and billowing breathy steam at the still figure. Perhaps she wouldn't spook at rocks anymore, but a human shaped lump of ice could do it. Leth couldn't really blame her. Anything was a marked improvement on the past blow-ups Mav had over less.
December|11
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Post by Lethalia on Dec 22, 2021 16:37:56 GMT -6
Not many times, but the satyr recalled this insurgence of ice sculptures taking over the garden before. She'd never much cared for them, and certainly couldn't find fault in her mount mistrusting the strange figures either. The one who halted them was some kind of scientist, holding a magnifying glass up to a prism in their other hand that could've been any sort of rock or gem. Their lab coat billowed as if caught in a gust of wind, an surely the equillion would've given a flapping white flag a good spook, had it been real. "See? Not movin' on 'ya," Lethalia continued to talk Mavelle up, stroking the mare's tensed neck. "C'mon, girl. I promise. Lessgo Mav," she started up again, indicating to the mare to move forward. Mavelle took several stiff-legged steps towards the figure, though Leth could feel her back tensing beneath her seat. That wasn't.. promising.
December|12
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Post by Lethalia on Dec 22, 2021 16:39:23 GMT -6
Before the satyr could get the full question of 'what are you doing' fully formed even in thought, Mavelle lunged past the ice-human and continued a spirited trot after, blowing more steam over her bravery to surge past it. Lethalia sighed and smiled, pulling the mare's nose into her knee and wheeling her in a loose circle until she decided she was done taking off, and coasted to a stop. Mav heaved a sigh, licked her lips, and the tension fell away from her muscles as she concluded all was well. After she'd just been praising Mav's progress. Learned or not, the mare wouldn't let it be forgotten that she was still a bit strung. Ah well - made things interesting, didn't it? It looked like a huge crowd had gathered in the mansion's garden, so many people in cold ice, children playing with baby creatures nipping at their heels. If the mansion wasn't so unsettling itself, Leth would've found it a more appealing sight.
December|13
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Post by Lethalia on Dec 22, 2021 16:39:58 GMT -6
As it was, and as she knew the mansion to be, the unmoving figurines were unnerving. Mavelle had settled down and dismissed them as inert rather quickly; Leth would trust her judgement over any others'. Still, it felt preferential to get away from this frigid assembly. Mavelle passed more statues without much fuss now that they had been established as harmless, though she did give small pause at what had been the pool. Lethalia leaned to look past her mare's bulk, directing her well away from what might've been the pool's edge beneath the snow. "Careful now," the woman couldn't help but murmur, doubtful the water was entirely frozen over even if the fountain in the center certainly was. At the foot of the stilled cascades, a handful of candles flickered against the shining pure ice. In spite of the snow falling upon them, the little flames lived on.
December|14
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