"Oof," he said as he got a gryphon careening onto his lap, talons and paws pressing against his thighs; it didn't hurt, because she didn't weigh all that much. It was more for the drama of it, and then she was more or less flopping over anyway. He put his hands in her mix of fur-and-feathers, allowing her to nestle between his waist and one of his arms, if she so wanted to.
He did his best not to watch Jigano, because he was too aware of the grace with which he moved—how the sunlight played over his shoulders as he shrugged out of the pack—just the shape of him drifting through Rory's house. He saw it from the corner of his eye, his mood a complicated thing he did not have the energy to untangle, so he busied himself with stroking the owlkitten in his lap. He had forgotten how much he enjoyed bothering cat paws by poking his finger into the 'hole' between their pads and wiggling their paw around.
The distraction with Isuma's paws only worked as long as Jigano wasn't sitting next to him, which he soon was. Rory's gaze flickered up, almost shyly, then back down to the creature he was cuddling. The extended had and subsequent request earned Jigano a brief, confused look. Was he asking for his companion..? But that didn't make much sense. Slightly mystified he went with his second best guess, which was one of his own hands, and either it had been the correct answer, or Jigano just went with it, because he soon found strong, deft fingers working over his cold skin.
He shivered slightly, from the touch as much as from the cold and the words. "Of course," he confirmed; it was hard to teach someone to ride without something to ride, wasn't it? No number of explanations could prepare your body for the balancing, the giving and the taking, the feeling of a living, breathing creature moving beneath you.
It was less staying on, more staying with.
"A mother does not have a favorite child," he responded to Jigano's guess. Though his voice was absent and trailing his expression was not; it had been meant as a joke, he'd just failed to put enough energy into his voice. Then one of the hands cupping his disappeared, and he put his free hand in the fur on Isuma's belly, giving it a wiggle. "But.. yes, she is my favorite. There's just something about her." She was also the first foal that was well and truly his, the first after his mother had died. "She would be good for learning on, too. Bakshi is nice and willing and uncomplicated, but he can be a bit skittish if he's got one of those days. Talys is more sensible, but she can be stubborn if she thinks you're being stupid. We've disagreed about things a fair few times." He considered it for a moment. Jigano was tall, but slender. Talys was more compact than Bakshi, but Bakshi was slightly taller. Either would work for him to learn on, really.
"The only one I wouldn't put you on is Esaia. She's still young, and reeeeaaaally uncomfortable."
He did his best not to watch Jigano, because he was too aware of the grace with which he moved—how the sunlight played over his shoulders as he shrugged out of the pack—just the shape of him drifting through Rory's house. He saw it from the corner of his eye, his mood a complicated thing he did not have the energy to untangle, so he busied himself with stroking the owlkitten in his lap. He had forgotten how much he enjoyed bothering cat paws by poking his finger into the 'hole' between their pads and wiggling their paw around.
The distraction with Isuma's paws only worked as long as Jigano wasn't sitting next to him, which he soon was. Rory's gaze flickered up, almost shyly, then back down to the creature he was cuddling. The extended had and subsequent request earned Jigano a brief, confused look. Was he asking for his companion..? But that didn't make much sense. Slightly mystified he went with his second best guess, which was one of his own hands, and either it had been the correct answer, or Jigano just went with it, because he soon found strong, deft fingers working over his cold skin.
He shivered slightly, from the touch as much as from the cold and the words. "Of course," he confirmed; it was hard to teach someone to ride without something to ride, wasn't it? No number of explanations could prepare your body for the balancing, the giving and the taking, the feeling of a living, breathing creature moving beneath you.
It was less staying on, more staying with.
"A mother does not have a favorite child," he responded to Jigano's guess. Though his voice was absent and trailing his expression was not; it had been meant as a joke, he'd just failed to put enough energy into his voice. Then one of the hands cupping his disappeared, and he put his free hand in the fur on Isuma's belly, giving it a wiggle. "But.. yes, she is my favorite. There's just something about her." She was also the first foal that was well and truly his, the first after his mother had died. "She would be good for learning on, too. Bakshi is nice and willing and uncomplicated, but he can be a bit skittish if he's got one of those days. Talys is more sensible, but she can be stubborn if she thinks you're being stupid. We've disagreed about things a fair few times." He considered it for a moment. Jigano was tall, but slender. Talys was more compact than Bakshi, but Bakshi was slightly taller. Either would work for him to learn on, really.
"The only one I wouldn't put you on is Esaia. She's still young, and reeeeaaaally uncomfortable."
