[Prelude] In the Pursuit of Knowledge

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Straken
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Re: [Prelude] In the Pursuit of Knowledge

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Ruarc admittedly jumped a little when he turned and saw Jane's horse just sudden show up as it usually did. Even now he was very curious as to how it managed it. The look of surprise did not have a chance to fade, as not long after the horse showed up Jane expected him to ride up there with.

"Right, so, it's been about twenty years since Ah've ridden a horse," the irishman said sheepishly as he looked at the saddle. "How does doubling up work?"

Reaching up, he took the American's hand, unsure of where he should sit.
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Mr. Blackbird Lore
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Re: [Prelude] In the Pursuit of Knowledge

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The rider smirked. "Ye dunno how to hold on to a gal?" She pulled him up over the saddle. Despite being designed for a single rider, it was long enough to accommodate both riders. It also had the unfortunate side effect of drawing the two of them against each other. "Hold onto me, now, Mr. Flynn. Or the rear saddle horn, if ye really can't stomach a lil physical contact. Jus think of it like dancin, ain't much different."

Once the druid had made his choice, Jane gave No Name his head, and they marched forward slowly to give Ruarc time to come to terms with the latest twist of fate. Jane kept her eyes ahead, and that same amused smirk on her face.
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Straken
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Re: [Prelude] In the Pursuit of Knowledge

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"Okay, now, see, my issue was not knowin' whether it was the front or back to sit on," Ruarc said as he climbed into the saddle, happy to be in the back so the chagrin on his face didn't show. Then as the horse started moving he put his arms around Jane's waist.. "You were the one that made it awkward."

As they approached the city, the density of the buildings began to grow. Almost from the moment they had reached the edges people were looking on in amusement, confusion, or wonder at the sight of a cowgirl riding through Southern France, with a tall man in denim and rolled up flannel riding in the saddle behind her. Proceeding along the cobble street, passersby began to call out to them with either jabs or compliments, to which Ruarc responded back in French.

"Alright, so, we'll be crossing the main bridge into town soon, all we need to do is keep heading north on this road and we'll get to the palace. Main focus now is scouting out the palace. Thankfully, most of it is open for tourists, but we'll need to get into the off limit sections to probably find anything." As he filled Jane in on the ad hoc plan, he looked up to gauge the time, placing it at about five in the afternoon.
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Re: [Prelude] In the Pursuit of Knowledge

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Jane tossed her head back to laugh, nearly headbutting Ruarc. The brim brushed his forehead. "Only awkward if ye say so, Mr. Flynn. I ain't got my britches in a pinch about ridin double. Done it all the time." In the city, Jane paid the gawkers no mind. It wasn't that she ignored them pointedly, it was almost as if she didn't even notice them. "Sure thing, Mr. Flynn," she said in response to his plan. "So we need a place to stay. Ye booked one yet? Or do druids have a couch-crashin service? Air DnD maybe?"

She laughed again, pleased with herself. "Air DnD... I gotta write that one down."
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Re: [Prelude] In the Pursuit of Knowledge

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Ruarc was deadpan as Jane made her jests. Sighing slightly, he let her have them as he reminded himself that he did just drag her to the opposite side of the planet to chase a ghost story. So he simply contented himself to enjoy the ride and the passing scenery to the sound of hooves on cobblestone. Off to the side a couple of kids no older than seven were jogging along next to No Name, staring up at the two riders in awe. Ruarc chuckled as the kids started asking some eager questions, then leaned forward to translate for Jane. "The kids want to hear you say yippee ki-yay or howdy . Maybe throw in a hat tip for good measure."

"As for lodging, that is actually where our friends in the OM, come in. Ah mentioned to Miss DuMonde we were gonna be be doing business in Avignon, and she mentioned a building owned by the group that they use as a base in this part of the country. As it happens, it is vacant, so she offered to let us use it as long as we are in town. We can stop in there first if you would prefer."
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Re: [Prelude] In the Pursuit of Knowledge

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Jane cast a knowing smile over her shoulder. "I know what they said, Mr. Flynn." She brought No Name to a halt. "You oughta hop off so I can give the kids a show." She helped him down, then set No Name to a slow pace so as to give them some room. Once in a safe space, she grinned and tipped her hat to the onlookers and gave the mare a couple pats on his shoulder. No Name reared up with an impressive neigh and kicked his forelegs for add effect. Jane rose up to fight gravity and settled back into the saddle as those powerful front hooves came crashing down. She tipped the hat again and offered them all a twangy, "Howdy," before turning to her cohort.

The cowgirl leaned on the saddle horn toward him. "Seems like the best option, Mr. Flynn." After a brief pause, she inquired, "By the by, is it that ye can't ever take a joke, or is it this whole ancient conspiracy business what's gotcha all wound tight?"
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Straken
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Re: [Prelude] In the Pursuit of Knowledge

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Ruarc looked impressed as he watched Jane do her thing, and given the reactions a lot of other bystanders were impressed as well. The two kids were laughing and smile while talking excitedly among themselves, and men and women who were either walking past or watching from windows complimented Jane and waved. The Irishman applauded lightly as she finished up and leaned in towards him. "Ah won't say the business at hand doesn't have me concerned," Ruarc started in response as he leaned in close as well. "Ah just have higher standards for jokes."

Giving her a wink, Ruarc hoisted himself up into the saddle behind Jane once more. "Side note, Ah didn't know you knew French," he said as he put his hands on her waist, realizing that he and the American had never really simply chatted and gotten to know each other before.

"Pourquoi le squelette n'est-il pas allé à la fête? Parce qu'il n'avait pas de corps pour aller avec."
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Re: [Prelude] In the Pursuit of Knowledge

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No Name pressed on with the druid back in the saddle. Jane's mirth was suppressed with a snort. "Plenty ye dunno, and humor seems to rank among them. Allow me: A donde se fue el gato cuando murio? Purr-gato-rio." Her Spanish flowed beautifully and she rolled the R artfully.
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Re: [Prelude] In the Pursuit of Knowledge

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"Heh, funny, and bonus points for pronunciation," Ruarc said, chuckling lightly. For a brief moment, he was tempted to show off the breadth of his own language knowledge, but realized that was beside the point; he needed quality, not quantity. "Why do French people prefer to have small breakfasts? Because one egg is un oeuf."

As the two joked back and forth, they crossed the bridge over the river and entered the city proper. The street they were on was one of the main arteries for this part of the city, and as such had a large amount of traffic ranging from pedestrian to light vehicles. Tourists could be seen in reasonable numbers perusing the street vendors and hole-in-the-wall shops. The street began to slope upward, and looking up ahead the hill crested with several elaborated buildings.

"If we take a left on this next street, it'll take us to the base. Otherwise, just over this hill will be the palace."
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Re: [Prelude] In the Pursuit of Knowledge

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Eyes rolled dramatically at the egg joke, and Jane retorted with more Spanish about an airplane startup that never really took off. At the intersection the horse hooked a left toward the safehouse.
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