Harvest Festival (Bel/Kayla/Marci/Edge)

[Belinda]

Hillford- A farming town that lies in the half way point between Santaruz and Badon. Famous for it's various inns. Market.
--

The whole village had been possessed by the spirit of festivities. Today was the day that marked the beginning of the village's annual harvest festival. A three day celebration that honored the gods of the harvest. Tents were erected in the empty fields around the village. Games were set up. Food was prepared. And there were various forms of entertainment to be had by people of all ages. The market was over flowing with various merchants looking to make some money. By offloading some of their excess wares before making the trip to either Badon or Santaruz. The village was decorated with all sorts of fall like things. Scarecrows that held up signs in front of store fronts. Pumpkins and various other gourds adorned the window sills of various homes. 

Bel's family lived in this village. The entirety of the family had spent the last month preparing themselves for this three day celebration. Christobel, was eldest son of Bel's family, he owned a home, and some odd acres of land here. His mother Fiona and his wife Sarah lived with him and helped with the trade. Together the family raised bees. They would take their bees out towards the local farms and let them pollinate the flowers that would eventually grow into crops. They would then harvest the honey and wax periodically, and sell it back to the people. 

Bel wasn't present for any of this festival preparation. She usually arrived at her brother's home a day or two before the festivities were to start. And this year was no exception. She arrived in town the day before and did what she could to help. She delivered her goods from Cid and did her best not to make things awkward. The shamaness had a great love and respect for her brother, mother, and sister in law. But, she had a huge love for her brother's kids. He and his wife have two kids with a third on the way. A little girl named Rosebell, who was six years old. She had a face full of freckles. Pale skin. And sported her dad's hair in both curls and color. A familiar purplish color that was also atop Belinda's head. She has a little brother named, Christobel the 3rd. He was three years old and usually went by the name Junior. He sported the same complexion as his sister, but his hair was cut short and mirrored Belinda's in style but not in color. He sported his mother's brown hair. They adored their Auntie. 

Rather than work the stalls like the rest of her family. She would spend the day with the children. She packed a bag of stuff that she knew she would need. A whole kit of babysitting essentials as this was not her first festival with the children. And this will certainly not be her last. And so, she took the kids in the middle of the day. Bel was glad to see that the weather was perfect for the festival. She had the littlest one up on her shoulders, and the oldest one held her hand, and led the way towards the heart of the festival. 

[Marceline]

It was safe to say that Marceline's latest "mission" was by far the strangest one yet. No, it was not bizarre and immoral, and the thief was certain that she would lose no sleep over it afterwards. In fact, it would most likely be one of her more bright and happy assignments should she learn to recognize it. Not a blade was needed, nor poison, nor lies, nor even a will to act against another. It was so easy on paper, yet alien to her. Her mission, which she hesitantly accepted, was to have at least a day or two off of her jobs to enjoy the harvest festival in a town between Santaruz and Badon.

The short woman already was at a loss for ideas from the minute that she had awoken from her bed in he room at the inn. Travelling to the town at night and checking in at the inn recommended to her by her friends from the mercenary guild, she was offset by the fact that for once she did not force herself to wake up before sunrise to prepare. Knowing all too well that she didn't have the slightest clue about how to properly enjoy herself, her preparations were taken care of as a complete surprise. The courier hired for her transport (due to her somewhat mild fear of horses) did not even allow her to look inside of the packed belongings set out for her and instructed her to not peek until the next day, to which she begrudgingly agreed.

"...You have got to be kidding me," she grumbled, pulling out the contents of her belongings. Marcy shook her head in disbelief as she pulled out a type of outfit more fitting of casual apparel that the Etrurian defector hadn't worn in years: a modest white shirt paired with a long, red skirt that effectively covered her down to the ankles. Upon further inspection of the contents of her packing, she could find clever- and almost mocking- substitutes for her usual gear. Most importantly, her simple iron dagger was conveniently replaced with a similar weapon for emergencies... But unfortunately was more suited for show than self-defense. The blade was wrapped in dirtied bandages (stolen and decorated from her personal storage) and splashed with specks of paint to theme it after an Entombed monster rather than a plain and pointy metal persuasion stick. Though the sentiment was appreciated, Marceline dismissed the idea of taking the sweets packed into the bag and instead salvaged the last few medical supplies from her gear from the night before to hide away across her person.

Hillford was by no means a large town at all: had she been skilled in archery, she could have shot an arrow up from one end of town to the other. Regardless, she couldn't help but crack a smile at the atmosphere of the quaint little village. The town was surprisingly bustling with life: decorations were everywhere to hint at the budding autumn season, children ran about here and there in their joyous games, and even the scarecrow advertisements for shops was humorous to think about. However, the minute that Marceline had stepped outside of the inn she was staying at, the shaky feeling of excitement quickly faded as an expression screaming "I am lost and not from here whatsoever" was plastered across her face. How do people enjoy themselves during these types of festivals again? At this moment, she was regretting not bringing someone else from the guild along so that maybe she could at least learn about how these types of festivals are supposed to go. Marcy could pick a lock and knock a fool out for certain, but she wasn't the first person one would go to for social events.

[Kayla]

Kayla was trying her hand at one of the festival’s games. Two competitors stood about ten paces apart and took turns throwing sandbags at a plank of wood with a hole in the middle. If the sandbag landed on the wood, one point. If it passed through the hole, three points. Whoever had the most points after three throws won. Kayla was on her last throw. Her first two had landed on the wood. Her competitor scored a four after three throws. She needed a perfect shot through the hole to pull off the victory. As she swung her arm forward and released the small sandbag, her eye caught her opponent nudging the plank she was aiming at. The sandbag missed the target and Kayla quickly worked herself into a fervor.


“Hey!” Kayla stomped over. “I saw that you cheating, cheater!” She tried her hardest to keep from growling as she shot eye daggers at the competitor. “What do you have to say for yourself? Huh?” The opponent responded. “Relax its just a game. How about we just enjoy the festival?” Kayla grunted. That response was unacceptable. She dug her shoe into the sand a couple times to lift sand over the cheater’s boots. With a huff she stomped off.


She had no destination in mind, she just had to blow off some steam. The Pegasus knight closed her eyes took a couple of breaths. When she opened her eyes, she took in the festival’s sights once again. Tents and attractions of all kinds. There were performers and vendors and patrons all over the place. She mumbled to herself for a moment.


“I guess that cheater was right, I should enjoy myself.” With a smirk and a skip, she moved to another game tent.

[Edgewind]

Things had certainly taken a turn of surprise is Caelin. Shane had traveled there alone, but now a teenage girl rode behind him. There hadn’t been anyone involved in his personal life for years now, and he wasn’t sure how things would change once he was back home in Badon, but he was nothing if not adaptable. Still, this would be a great deal to adapt to. After all, he was a soldier of fortune not a damned babysitter. Shane’s horse, Whiskey, trotted along at a casual pace carrying the pair southwest through Santaruz, the teen leaning lazily against Shane’s back as she stared into the countryside with a lethargic disinterest.

“Gods, this is so boring,” the teen griped. “I don’t see why ya couldn’ta just left me there. Sure I lost my job ‘n all, but I ain’t scared’a them bandits. And I know how ta handle myself.”

“You’re on this again?” Shane answered, equally annoyed. “I don’t think you realize how big a mess you got yourself into back there.”

“I. Can. Handle. Myself!” she retaliated.

“Good, maybe you’ll be able to carry your own weight once we get to Badon.” Shane spat back. “We should be there in about a day and a half if we make good time.”

“What about Hillford?” she questioned, her tone accusatory.

“What about Hillford?” Shane retorted indifferently.

“Are you serious? I was talking ‘bout it back in town! There’s a festival,” the girl snapped in response.

“...and?” The mercenary rogue still failed to show any positive response.

“..And I want to go,” she demanded.

“That’s cute. There’s no time for nonsense like that, though.” Shane chuckled humorlessly. “Have to get back and find my next job.”

“Don’t you ever take a break to have fun? Aside from getting drunk?” the teen fired back at him.

“Oh. That is a low blow.” He shook his head.

“Come on, don’t be such a hard ass. What is the worst that could happen?” the girl sighed and softened her tone a bit.

“Well, I could end up stuck at a festival in some backwater dot-on-the-map with an annoying teenage girl.” That earned him a sharp punch in the back before he continued. “We’re not going to Hillford. That is final.”

...Flash forward a few hours...

Shane rolled his eyes as Whiskey slowed. Hillford wasn’t a very big place. If you ignored the expanse of farmland and only counted the town center itself, you could probably blink and miss it while passing through. Everything was decked out in the colors of autumn leaves with various scarecrows and pumpkins. If nothing else, the villagers were certainly more enthusiastic about this than he was. Pulling a bottle of rum from his bag, he inspected it to find there was less than a third of it left. He sighed.

“Well, Violet, I hope you’re happy.” Shane muttered, just loud enough for her to hear. He slowed Whiskey to a stop and after Violet dismounted, he slid off the side of the saddle himself to the ground. For the first time since leaving Caelin, the girl’s energetic personality returned and she began to skip away to find something fun to occupy herself with.

“You’ll thank me later!” she called back to him.

What a pain.

[Belinda]

Their first stop was towards the market. Bel and the kids looked sort of similar to one another and if those who didn't know the children and the family directly could easily mistake Bel as a their mother. Rosie was busy leading the three man caravan and gleefully pointed out all the stalls that had her favorite treats. As they walked they also passed by a series of street performers. There was one set of performers who stood on large stilts and waved to the crowds in passing. Another crowd of performers were mages. Who made all sorts of dazzling effects with their various anima tomes. The trio were mesmerized by a man who manipulated flame into a large flaming serpent and had it sail across the sky before dissipating into nothingness. Another mage made crystalline structures with the magic of Fimbulver. The large snowflake she made dissipated into a burst of refreshing mist. Belinda dropped two coins in their collection jar for that little bit of entertainment. 

The trio kept moving along, past a set of stalls that sold delicious smelling meats. Meat that was on a skewer and glazed with a simple mixture of honey and rosemary. The smell alone was enough to discreetly make the shamaness mouth water and she made a mental note to come back to this stall later. Little Rosie eventually stopped at a booth with one of the festival's many games. This one involved tossing a wooden ball into a pile of what appeared to be wooden blocks. They had various prizes hung about the booth. Most of it wood craft and various wooden dolls. 

"Auntie! Auntie! Auntie! Look! Look! Look!" Rosie pointed at the dolls and bounced on her heels in excitement. Bel took a moment to pry Christobel Jr. off her shoulders. The clerk at the booth took one good look at the trio and smiled. 

"It's two pieces of gold for three balls. Ye manage to knock down the pins and win a prize. Knock down the blocks in one throw win the bigger prize." The gentleman behind the booth pointed to his woodcrafts of various sizes.

"I wanna try! I wanna try!" 

"Okay. Okay." Bel sighed softly and pulled two coins from her personal pocket. The man took her coins and handed her three wooden balls. 

"We will each throw one shot. Okay?" 

"Okay!" Both kids spoke in unison. She gave each child one wooden ball. Christobel went first and missed the stack entirely. He just barely managed to throw the ball over the desky part of the booth. Rosie was a bit better with her throw and managed to graze the table the pins were on. 

Bel took a moment to analyze the metrics of the game. She mentally calculated distance and casually tossed the semi-heavy wooden ball in her hand. She took a step back and lobbed the ball at the wooden pins like a modern day pitcher. The ball made contact with the wooden blocks and tumbled off the table. 

"Nice shot ma'am!" 

"How you do that?" Christobel asked. 

"Yeah! Teach me! Teach me!" Rosie chimed in.

"You can both ask your father how to throw like that when you get home. He's the one who taught me how to do it." 

"I wanna pick the prize!" 

"No, Rosie. I'm going to pick the prize." 

"Aww."

"Well then, Ma'am what prize would you like."

"Instead of the bigger.. and more expensive prize.. May I have two of the smaller prizes instead? The little wooden horses you have here." Bel pointed at the two tiny horses. She was prepared to give a detailed answer on how the little horses effectively cost less then the bigger prize, if her request was denied. 

"Ah, I see yer angle. Here you go." The vendor gave Bel the two horses. Bel then gave the horses to the children. 

"Look kids, little Bertrams." Bertram was the name of their family horse. 

"Bertram!" Bertram!" Christobel jr exclaimed excitedly.

"Hehehe. Little Bertram."

"I want you to hold those horses tightly okay. Or you can let me hold on to them till we get back home. We can show your father what we won together." Bel smiled softly. The kids relinquished their tiny toys to Bel and she put them away into her bag. She then quietly led the kids away from the booth. They were off towards the next game.

[Marceline]

...Yeah, standing still and gawking at the festivities would do her no good. That basically screams "lost tourist that has no clue what the heck is going on". It technically was what she was: foreign outfit, foreign atmosphere, foreign everything. "Come on, Marcy. You're a trained bandit that can spy and steal like a total champ. This should be a piece of cake... Hopefully. That doesn't mean that it can't be hard after over-complicating things," she thought to herself while biting her lower lip in anticipation. Her first goal should be to find someone to talk to: a seemingly menial task that was easier said than done.

The thief forced herself to move along the line of game tents, examining each one with wonder. There were sandbag tossing competitions, wooden block stacks that could be knocked down by throwing a ball, and several others that attracted children and adults alike. What better way to loosen up than to feel like a kid again? Marceline shook her head and noted to try these, among other things, after she had found someone with which to become an acquaintance. Ahead of her were two parties of interest: a woman leading two children and what appeared to be... A pegasus knight? It was hard to tell when some people were dressed so differently than she was used to. The Etrurian could relate to that, finding it awkward to have so little supplies on her. How could anyone walk around with a confident smile while feeling so empty-handed?

Marceline had to settle on the pegasus knight for now. She reasoned that while talking to the woman and the two children would be interesting, she was ill-prepared to hold that conversation knowing all too well how curious children could be when prying into another's affairs. Approaching the knight from the side, she did her best to manage a somewhat uncertain yet honest smile. "Um... H-Hi? You seem like you know more about this place than I do. My name's Marceline," she stated with her hands folded behind her back.

Wow, breaking the ice was awkward.

[Kayla]

Kayla finished up at another game tent. She had lost a bit of her funds due to her hubris. The game seemed so easy, but she just couldn’t win. After her many attempts, she backed out. " Aww phooey!" She stood in the middle of the street.

Kayla scratched her cheek as she watched the bustle pass around her. She was surprised how quickly she got disoriented. Typically, she had an alright sense of direction but there was so much going on in this unfamiliar town. Kayla shrugged getting lost in a new town wasn’t all bad.

Apparently, she wasn’t the only one who was uninformed. A woman approached her meekly and claimed that she seemed to know about the festival. Kayla started off with a giggle but it rose to a full on laugh. She bent over and grabbed her side in laughter before she responded. “Hehehe sorry, sorry. It’s just no one’s ever thought I knew anything about… well anything. ” Kayla erected her posture and introduced herself in return. “I’m Kayla. I’m not from around here, just crashing the festivities ya know?” Kayla winked as if Marceline was doing the same thing.

“But if youre looking for something neat to do, I hear they have some good snack tents a little down the road. I could certainly go for something to eat. Let’s go try it out. What do you say?” Kayla led the way to the snack tents, not so subtly hoping her new friend would offer to buy her a turkey leg or something.

[Edgewind]

Shane strolled idly along as he watched Violet excitedly move from stall to stall. Though he had bitterly resisted her demands to come here, it was reassuring to see that she could enjoy such simple festivities. Whether he would put his past aside and enjoy them as well was a different question entirely. The answer to that one, he mused, was at the bottom of that bottle of rum. As if validating the thought, he decided to take a swig from it. For the moment he was avoiding the games and the festival performers. They reminded him a great deal of his misspent youth, gallivanting around Elibe as Hawkeye the acrobat. Shane took a deep breath as the rum warmed its way down his throat. How many years had it been? How many years since his mentor ‘The Eagle’ had led him down the path of so much unresolved regret?

The various villagers of Hillford and travelers from elsewhere alike all seemed in high spirits. Indeed, it was tough for Shane to maintain the dour mood he had brought with him. Finally he just turned the bottle up and gulped down the remaining contents. The rogue winced and exhaled deeply, taking another deep breath for good measure before sucking against his teeth and whistling softly. “Strong stuff..”

Curiously enough, Violet seemed to have an ample purse of coin from which to peruse the carnival games. That meant.. yep.. Shane confirmed his suspicions by testing the weight of his own coin purse. Figures. No good would come of making a scene over it here though. He reminded himself silently that though he wasn’t her father, he was old enough to be and there was enough resemblance to play it convincingly enough. There would be time later to think about that. For now, Shane navigated through the men, women, and children gathering around the food stalls. A pleasant buzz lightened his mood all the while, the rogue exchanging a subtle smile with any who made eye contact.

Shane hadn’t been particularly hungry before, but the heavenly aromas dancing and intertwining between the roasting meats and the baked sweets quickly changed his tune. Whether it was the rum talking or just his appetite, this didn’t seem so bad anymore. He’d lost sight of Violet, but with a skewer of generously portioned roasted meat to give his attention to, he didn’t mind.

[Belinda]

Things were going well for the little trio. They stood in line for a little bit to get their cheeks painted. Christobel got an apple on his face, Rosie got a flower, and Bel got a pumpkin. They played another game that involved tossing a set of darts onto a large dart board. The goal was to land it dead center and the three of them failed to do so. Then they made their way over towards the food sellers. The kids each had a portion of fried dough lightly glazed in some of honey. Bel treated herself to a sweet sausage on a stick. Things were going well. Perhaps a bit too well. Almost as if on cue some sort of cosmic entity snapped it's fingers and the trio's luck morphed from content at a festival to Potty emergency. 

Fortunately, for them, the group were close to the stables. The place where a majority of the tent owners animals where. Bel found a private little corner for the kids to relive themselves. Because, they were NOT going to wait in line for a public outhouse. She made sure to cover the children away from prying eyes with her cloak. She washed their tiny hands with a vinegar and herb concoction she had in her bag. The children didn't like the smell but it was a small price to pay for clean hands. The bitter herbs in the vinegar also helped to keep their hands out of their mouths. Something that little Christobel had not yet learned how to do. Bel had caught him a few times chewing his nails or sucking his thumb.

As the little family reared a corner and tried to make their way back towards the rest of humanity, Bel noticed something within the stables themselves. The doors were open and some portion of the stable area was avalible for public viewing. Since, there were a variety of people here each from different places, there were also a nice array of different types of horses. Bel identified an Eturian Charger, a Sacean Bronco, an Illian work horse, and a pegasus. 

"Oh now that's rare. Kids look at what's in the last stall."

"Ooh ohh! Look at it it.. it's a winged horse!"

"Flying Bertram!"

"Kids that's a pegaus. You know from Ilia."

"Oh, from where grandma's from?"

"The very same." She quietly led them up towards the front of the Pegaus's gate. 

"Wow! Can we see it fly?"

"No dear. We aren't the pegasai's owner. It would be rude of us to take things without asking."

"Oh."

"Christobel don't get so close to the door. You don't know how it's going to react to you yet." She cautioned before pulling the little one away from the gate. Just in case the child accidentally spooked the majestic beast.

Bel found herself staring at the white creature for a moment. Why does this feel familiar? She examined the feathered equine for a moment taking note of any important features. She squinted for a moment then opened her eyes.

"Polly?"

[Marceline]

The thief reacted to the pegasus knight's hearty laugh with a confused frown. Did she do something wrong? Lycia wasn't a place she knew like the back of her hand, but she figured that someone like her must have been around the area quite a bit, having a flying horse to guide her and all. "I suppose you could say that I'm resting here, though I didn't originally plan for it. Being invited here was a surprise to me, and if I had known about it earlier I would have figured out how these festivals work earlier. My friends say that's all the more reason I need it, I guess," she admitted with a lighthearted sigh. Yeah, her life might not have been all sunshine and rainbows while she was getting beat up in training, when her mentor was slain, or the fact that she's a traitor to her homeland. That aside, meeting the people she had and being able to obtain a closer bond with them made everything better. Her stay in Hillford was their way of saying thanks, so who was she to not enjoy herself for once?

Marceline nodded and followed Kayla to the snack tents she was mentioning. The heavenly aroma from the vendors there made her feel as if her troubles from earlier were slowly being melted away... Or, rather, masked by the smell of some roasted meat. Now that was something that she hadn't had in a while! The first thing that came to mind was the time where her father had brought her along to ride around in the carriage and the two had stopped to rest in a small town. The homey vibe that it gave off had her leading the way towards the tent rather than her original guide. "If you're hungry, I'm buying. My friends had given me too much anyways, and a little kindness wouldn't kill me," the enigmatic woman chimed as she led the way. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all if she could get a taste of her childhood again, even if just for a day. She felt like a kid in a candy shop, or in this case, a grown woman waiting for a skewer of meat.

[Kayla]

Initially, the Pegasus turned away from the children. Their excitement seemed troublesome to the flying steed. However, once the Pegasus heard its name called out by a familiar voice, it turned its head toward Belinda. Polly took a step toward Belinda and stomped a hoof. After that, the Pegasus reared back and extended its wings as a show for the children. The Pegasus was large on its hind legs and it had quite an impressive wingspan.

Elsewhere

“Oh you mean it? You’re the best! ” Kayla let her excitement show on her face. The Pegasus knight reached out to clasp her hands around Marceline’s. She was quite happy that Marceline had offered to pay for her. Kayla proceeded to the meats vendor. She chose to order a hearty turkey leg and stepped aside to let her new friend place an order. As she waited for the food to be brought out, Kayla saw a man wandering around with a younger woman. The Pegasus knight nudged Marceline and indicated toward the duo with the nod of her head. “What do you think their situation is?” The man seemed to be a little out of his element at this event.

After a couple moments passed Kayla decided to have a little fun by taunting the man. She raised an eyebrow and called out to the man. “Robbing the cradle eh?” She spoke with a mocking tone to get a rise out of the man. She wore a smirk and tilted her head to see what the man would do.

[Edgewind]

Shane feasted quietly on the savory skewer, eyeing the other festival-goers. It wasn’t so different from reading a crowd before a job, like he couldn’t simply ‘turn off’ his work mentality. Even so, this was considerably more relaxing than any casing he’d performed. There was no danger waiting in the wings, no guardsmen patrols to memorize. Just the occasional boisterous man flirting on the precipice of ‘one too many.’ Ah, but perhaps people-watching was just a hobby as well as a precaution. Whichever was the case, he watched. He watched and he waited, and for the moment it was all the stimulation he needed from this Harvest Festival as he consumed the roasted chicken.

The rogue was fairly attentive to his surroundings, the alcohol not having been of nearly enough quantity to dull any of his senses. Still, when he heard the young lady’s taunt – perhaps lady was a strong word, concerning who was speaking – though he had heard each and every word, it didn’t immediately register that she was addressing him. Idle curiosity did cause him to crane his neck to find the speaker and the recipient of such an accusation. With Violet enjoying herself elsewhere at the moment, he hadn’t expected to have such an assumption levied at him. Was she barking up the wrong tree or what?

Studying the girl’s expression, he couldn’t find any concrete motive behind her mockery. Impetuous youths were wont to poke bears for little more than thrill. That was probably the case here too. “I suppose you have an issue with bringing my ..daughter to this festival?” Shane left a tiny hesitation alongside of his emphasis on the word daughter. It was a harmless lie. A believable lie. Shane and Violet had the same eyes. Shane locked his gaze with Kayla, a hint of a smirk and hint of a smile on his lips though he committed to neither.

[Belinda]

Bel read Polly's movements and quietly ushered the kids a few steps away from the stable gates. Bel knew Polly didn't mean any harm, but she was probably uncomfortable with the unfamiliar children around her. The Pegasus spread her wings as if to show off. And it was something that was quite impressive, even to Bel who saw Polly do that before on the boat. The children though were mesmerized by the display of feathers. 

"Oh my gosh! Auntie look look!" 

"Wow! Wow!" 

The shamaness sighed as she had to keep a firm grip on both their arms. To keep them from pressing their faces right up through the stable bars. The children were slowly becoming a lost cause, Rosie was bouncing on her heels, and Christobel was trying to fight Bel for control over his arm so he could run towards Polly. She pulled them both further back and eventually behind her. She turned around so she could face the children.

"Kids, Listen closely." She crouched down to their level and spoke firmly.

"I want you two to stand here. I know this pegasus. I am going to try and calm her down. And if she allows it, maybe, MAYBE, she will let you pet her. You two are to stay here. If you run up to the gates while I am close she might get startled and hurt me. You don't want that to happen now do you?"

"No auntie." Both kids spoke together. They seemed to understand the dangers of her actions.

"Okay. Rosie, keep a grip on your brother. And don't move from this spot. Please." She ruffled both of their hairs and stood back up. From her bag she pulled out a small apple. She cut it in half with a small knife she kept in there. The apple was supposed to be a snack for the children, but she figured she could always grab another one at the house. She put the knife and one half of the apple away. She calmly approached the stable gate.

"Woah! Polly, easy! Easy.." You'll hurt yourself if you keep doing that.