#bergen_county

The stable master is looking baffled , down right confused

Dagmar purples. Her hands tense, but they are disrupted by Lady O rather insistently poking her nose at them before they drift up to be bitten.

"Dame Dagmar, it's your victory. It's entirely up to you."

Kerri rests a hand on her shoulder. "There's no wrong choice here."

As if their words or problem do not make sense

"Lady O is my favorite, I think."

She suddenly notes the stablemaster's expression. "Yes? You wanted to say something?"

She stroke the mare's nose gently with the back of her hand.

"Not my place, " The stable master says "But what about your OTHER horse? Not like you're just taking one home. You also won the Balor's Stallion. I Got an order from the Count about that. Said you requested it and he agreed"

Kerri is, understandibly, more concerned with Swill , but she DID demand the horse as well

Dee's jaw drops

"I... what?"

"I didn't fight the Balor."

Kerri has the expression of somebody who's embarrassed at having forgotten an appointment that she herself made. "Ah. Right. We're taking the horse as his apology to me for having attacked one of my people. It doesn't clear his offense against you yourself, though."

"No, but the Balor broke the right of Haven, and Demense and Rivervale was wronged. Restitution was demanded and granted. Count's full in his rights and so is the Baroness. " The stable master says

"...oh."

"THAT would have been good to..." And the satyress has to bite down rather than come across as rude "That's grand"

"Come on, let's meet this horse."

"Sure?" One last pat for Lady O.

Lady O gives Dagmar's hair a nose shove as if to say 'See, things turn out all right sometimes. It's good'

"Wait til you meet all the kids. You'll love'm."

They are immediately taken to see the Balor's FORMER stallion

"He's a handsome boy," Kerri notes.

A light Dapple Gray Arabian, while not as big as Jax, he's big for his breed at the top end of legal...

"Vengeance Comes Screaming aka Avenger," The Stablemaster says

A blink. "Quite the name."

Avenger does not show signs of abuse but he is guarded. His master gave him no love, merely the basics and demanded obedience. You'd be kind of guarded too.

"He is handsome. But he'll need work."

"That is a gorgeous horse" The satyr admires the lines "Classic Arabian but for the size, and that's still legal. Probably has stamina for days":

"Sounds like your kind of project," Kerri says quietly.

"Well, I tried to get a feel for him. He don't trust easy. I think the former master used dictum on him a lot"

That from the stable master

"I.. maybe."

"What? You can't.. that..."

"That's such piss-poor horsemanship. What a joke."

"It's lazy horsemanship and over use is cruel" Dee looks ired herself

"AND it's cruel!"

It soon becomes apparent that while an OBEDIENT horse, it will take time for Avenger to open up. Perhaps Swili will be able to help as she worked with him before. PErhaps. For now though, it is obvious that Rivervalee will have TWO horses... and, with a stallion, even one wit htrust issues, the choice of Lady O becomes even more likely

"Avenger, huh? Maybe you're a Steve under there." Mmphs. "Or Bucky, I suppose, with all the dictums and bein' in the hands of bad guys."

"Oh geez, he's like bucky for sure." A nod "A winter soldier."

"Who got to come out of the cold."

Avenger looks at them cautiously, not in a panic by any means but with wariness. Dagmar and Dee are both very good with horses so it is unusual for them to get this 'cool' a greeting. Apple bribery is tried, but while the apple is taken, Avenger remains aloof. He's not easily won over. He does his job. He jousts. He gets you home. He gets fed and groomed. That's the deal. Or so seems to be his attitude.

"I don't think anyone has loved this poor horse, trained, ordered, and used..sure. But not loved" Dee mmms

"Well," The stablemaster observes "Maybe Lady Ohmsford will be a good influence on him there. "

"Affection isn't in short supply at the lodge."

The Chief has other things to see to, and trusts Dagmar to handle the horse situation and will abide by her picks.

"If you don't get Lady O, I may knock you down WITHOUT a lance" Dee says to the much taller knight "Don't make me climb up there"

"Well, having a stallion fixes some of those worries."

"It does" She says