Yule Time Tidings

[Aria]

Aria wasn't sure how she ended up here. Last thing she remembered was falling asleep, huddled in a cave somewhere in the Bernese mountains with Chewy. But, she knew this wasn't the first time she was in a weird dream world. She distinctly recalled a dream where she was at some sort of couples ball. A very fancy party where she spend most of the time sampling all the delicious food. But, this dreamland was different from the other one. This one was a land covered in snow. With villages, houses, and all sorts of other important looking buildings light up in bright multicolored lights. She spied a big Yule tree out in the middle of this village and people with gifts. There were people in costume too. Some dressed in warm layers. Other's dressed as ornaments that would go on a fir tree. Now, Aria was no stranger to a winter festival. Her family celebrated them. Some times they celebrated the winter festival lavishly, other times it was a more modest celebration. During the real lean times there was no celebration at all. Just work that was needed to survive. 

But, this place of wonder felt as if they would never experience a lean time celebration. Everything seemed to be in abundance despite the cold weather and snow. She could smell sweets and meats. And then she could smell Chewy. She turned around to see that the big red wyvern had joined her in this wintery world. And the big wyvern was completely unphazed by the sudden jump in reality. She was nudging Aria over towards the direction of the meaty smell. Aria had to grab Chewy to keep herself from falling down.

"Okay! Okay! I'll get you some meats." 

As they approached the strange winter wonderland a woman with red hair stopped them. She explained that this was another world. Created by another who wanted all of those who came here to enjoy a Winter Festival regardless of their status back in their home world. And all those who came into this world needed to wear some sort of get up. So this red haired lady directed her towards a separate building where the inhabitants could freshen up and pick a cute costume. They also had accessories available for mounts. With a bit of a grin Aria went into the big building, she and a few helpers spruced Chewy up. They trimmed her nails, washed her down, with the waters from a hot spring. Chewy kinda didn't want to leave the hot water. 

Aria washed up too. And the Anna's helped her pick out an outfit. Few people come to this world with a wyvern mount. So, They decided to have Aria do something special with Chewy. Apparently, there was a special magical sled that can attach to a wyvern. It's been enchanted in a way so as not to add additional weight onto the wyvern. This sled would also float behind the wyvern. They wanted her to offer rides to kids and adults. Aria would oblige as long as they paid for both their meals. The Anna and her helpers agreed. Aria's outfit was something different. She appeared to be in an Elf costume. It was kind of similar to a Santa outfit. But her's was green, and hand less of the wooly frills. She was given a big sack of gifts. And she would give one gift to each of her riders. The outfit looked a little silly. But she also had a big red cloak to keep herself warm. She had a Santa like hat that covered her ears. 

Chewy's costume. Was a simple pair of reindeer antlers on her head, tied with cute ribbon tied to a bow. She also sported a similar bow on her tail. The Anna and helpers guided Chewy and Aria around the winter village. This place had everything. An arena for warriors. A booths with food in almost all directions. Places to buy and make gifts. Lodging. And candy. The pair learned their flight pattern. Then would fly above the winter village and fly around in one big circle so that the guest can see the whole village. Then they would land. Give a gift. And repeat the process with the next passenger. The area for the rides had helpers to help Aria and Chewy. There was a large stable for Chewy to rest in between ride times. Aria didn't understand the magic behind it, but the stable was warm with out a fire. 

[Reed]

"Hmm..." a rather homesick Sacaean hummed quietly to himself with a troubled stare at the ground. The seasons changed, and the winds on the plains grew bitterly cold: nothing out of the ordinary considering that he was used to the freezing temperatures of the Ilian mountain range, but that sort of shift in the atmosphere was usually done in the company of his family. While he did know it was entirely necessary to travel and he was fine with the prospect of setting up temporary camps, the idea of spending this time of year out on the countryside was something he hadn't considered. While it is true that Arkyans had no official holidays or annual traditions of the sort to all gather for, nonetheless the people typically joined in on whatever festivities were going on nearby: in his family's case, having a special feast and one full day off of work to let the soil rest during the bitter cold of winter.

A disgruntled snort came from his right, prompting him to shake his head with an equally displeased frown. "I know how ya feel, girl. First time we ain't been home for it. Dunno why yer complainin', though: Ma ain't never made 'er signature cake for you. Ooh, that woman could shoot 'er game 'n cook it up good too if ya gave 'er two hours! Makes a feller's mouth water more'n the rivers in the flood season!" he griped, leaning back with his cape cushioning his back against the tree he had found. Fortunately for him, it was well-made enough to also serve as a blanket in these times while the horse got her own warm covering. The "campsite" he had chosen was fortunately untouched by man from the looks of things: nice overhead shelter in case Mother Nature decided to throw him a curveball, and big enough for his companion to stay inside too. The small yet radiant embers from his fire pit felt almost like the fireplace at home.

"...Awright, reckon it's time we get to sleep. If yer feelin' down, I'll getcha somethin' in the next town over, yeah? Ain't easy bein' out here. G'night," Reed reassured Gracie, rolling his shoulders again and pulling his cape around his chest before closing his eyes and, with a surprising lack of difficulty, drifted off to sleep...

---

The gentle touch of pure, winter white awoke the farmhand softly, bringing a rather refreshing pulse of cold to his face and prompting blood to rush to his nose and cheeks giving them a faint red blush. Groaning and rubbing his eyes, he reflexively began to push himself up to a standing position. As he moved his hands away from his eyes, however, he was astounded by what he had seen. "What the...? What in blazes happened to Sacae? It looks all... So much snow!" Riley mumbled in immense confusion, glancing to his right to see his companion waking as well. The horse roused itself awake, surprised by the snow as well and stepping around in the soft white slush. Within seconds, she was prancing in place, amused with the pure blanket coating the ground. "Heh! Well, look who's havin' fun now! Gosh, ya can be so darn adorable when ya stop tryin' to scare folks off...~" he chuckled, placing a hand on his hip and grabbing his belongings. It wouldn't do to sit in the snow like this.

It was two minutes into the gentle trot through this winter wonderland that it finally hit Reed that he woke up somewhere that wasn't his campsite. Before, he could stop to ponder that, however, before him in the distance shone a brilliant, colorful area. Red and green twinkled in the distance, and despite curiosity killing the cat, the country boy didn't consider himself a proper cat: he patted Gracie's neck, and she broke out into a swift gallop towards that source. Both rider and mount alike were hit with a sudden rush of warmth: the smells of sugary delights and roasted meat filled the air, and the faint warmth of the village ahead filled them both with a burst of energy to fully "wake them up". It was his first time in the dream world like this, and it felt amazing.

Coming to a screeching halt before the entrance, Gracie surprisingly didn't even buck. Nay, for the first time in her life, she was utterly calm and curious in the face of the foreign. Riley swung his left leg over her backside and slid off of her back, stumbling forward and looking up in awe at the sights before him. It took a few of the familiar red-headed women around the area to snap them out of the trance and explain the situation.

"Huh? Whaddaya mean 'another world'? And yer sayin' that... I-I'm sorry, this don't make a lick-a sense to me still, but ya mean to say y'all got a festival goin' on 'round these parts? That's... Th-That's amazin'! And I can join in?! Gracie too?! Y'all are too kind, really! It'd be rude to say no in that case!~" he celebrated with an invigorated pump of his fist. The steed, mysteriously soothed by the atmosphere even still, swished her tail idly and continued inspecting her surroundings. Riley happily agreed when they explained the necessity of his attire to fit the festival, and the Annas went to work after guiding them in.

For the rider, Reed's usual brown shirt was swapped out for a stitched green one accompanied by a thick, red coat with white, fuzzy trim around the wrists and down the chest. A thick black leather belt fastened it at the bottom of his ribcage, and helped it fit snugly yet comfortably. The pants were of the same design that he had before, although it was polished and felt new as could be. His combat boots had been swapped for large, shiny black ones without as many buckles and straps: still perfect for riding, but fashionable as well. Black gloves of the same material matched the belt, and interestingly enough had fingers to allow for better dexterity combined with warmth. The Annas didn't completely disregard the green, though: after saying how it was "one of his defining charms" and making him blush, he swapped his green cloak for a fur-lined one with a red exterior and a green interior. Finally, to top it all off, the hood of that cloak wasn't so much of a spherical shape as it had a trailing end with a ball of white in the same material of the outfit's trim on the end. A Santa hat, if anything. The sheltered boy didn't quite understand it, but nonetheless shook away his doubts with one look in the mirror.

Gracie, although the winter wonderland did put her at ease faster than usual, was having none of the excessive touching. The most she permitted the Annas to do on their own was bathe her and change her horseshoes. It took a request for Reed to intervene to get her to put on the little reindeer-style hat. The group gave up on the red nose part, though: she ate two of them mistaking them for a treat. Her saddle was swapped for a much more "festive" one, complete with a few red and green sleigh bells to replace the reigns. She did seem to enjoy the ringing sounds, and occasionally pranced in place to hear them ring again and again. At last, the Sacaean squire's weapons were returned to him freshly polished and adorned with a bit more to fit the mood. The pitchfork had its head replaced with a snow shovel's scoop, and the Regal Halberd itself had a beautiful bow and some strips of red and white spiraling down the pole like a candy cane.

"Hrm... Y'know what? Fits me like a glove! I like my ol' getup still, but I wouldn't mind givin' this a shot while I'm here!" he approved, smirking and turning around once to see the cape flourish behind him. The Annas applauded in satisfaction of their work, and proceeded onwards to show the knight duo around. The food, the workshops and marketplaces, the candy stores: everything was great! Even Gracie had seemingly gotten over the incident with dressing her up after she stole Riley's caramel apple. When he asked if there was anything they needed help with, package delivery was the first idea that his escorts had. The town wasn't so big that he would get completely lost, and directions weren't so difficult after all. With a wagon hooked up to her, it felt like the trips bringing crops to Bulgar all over again.

---

Breaks in between delivery trips were spent either casually walking through the festival or taking breaks at the stable. Unlike her experience at the Chaklai settlement, the steed didn't throw a fit at all: in fact, she looked almost more comfortable, and seemed to tolerate her stablemates. Reed, satisfied with his time so far, sighed in relief and wiped his forehead with a smirk. "Phew... Not bad, eh? Still got no clue what's goin' on here, but we gotta tell Ma 'n Pa about some-a the stuff we saw here! Can't bring 'em nothin' back since I dunno when we'll be home again, but at least we got plenty-a ideas,~" he remarked with a nod, giving his horse a brief wave before walking back through the stable. While it mostly brought comfort for the animals, Reed himself felt right at home around them as well: maybe it was the farmhand in him talking again.

A peculiar mount he hadn't seen up close before, though, brought him pause. "Hm?" he froze, turning to his right and approaching the stall where Chewy was resting. "Whoa... A wyvern, ah? Now ain't that just somethin'! Never seen one up close 'n all... This yer partner?" he turned to Aria, tapping his jaw in curiosity with a light head tilt.

[Aria]

Aria was in the stable. She was busy making the area designated for Chewy comfortable for the wyvern. And much to the helper's dismay she took down all of the cute little baubles that hung around the stable. As, Chewy decided they were tasty. And Aria did not want to deal with a wyvern with a belly full of colored glass. Chewy didn't bother Aria much as she was distracted by a large chunk of cooked meat. The big red wyvern had the meat firmly held between her front legs and was biting down on it with glee. Aria took down the last of the decoration from Chewy's stable and chucked it in a wheelbarrow. The barrow was taken away and Aria felt comfortable leaving Chewy alone. 

"Phew." Aria stepped out of Chewy's stable and closed the gate behind her. The rider will be back for her mount to start the rides in a a little while. Right now what Aria wanted was something warm. And the Anna was boasting about something called Hot Coco and it sounded pretty good. Her thoughts were interrupted by the sounds of an unfamiliar voice. She turned around to see a young red headed man in full festival garb. The teenager spoke with a thick farmer's accent and that brought a smile to her face. Aria hadn't heard any farm speak in a while. Only time she got a chance to really speak it herself was when she was back home. Any time she was out and about on a delivery or working as a guard she had to hide it. You can't talk like a farmer in the military Aria. She could hear her older brother's voice in her head. And it was true. She remembered getting hazed for it. Though now that she thought about it, she got hazed for a lot of reasons back then.

"Yep. That's my wyvern. Her name's Chewy." Aria responded back. 

"You can have a closer look if ya want. Just don't be getting too close while she's eatin." 

[Reed]

"O-Oh, wouldn't dream of it! Ain't my first rodeo, miss: I done raised my girl Gracie from a foal 'n she still don't like me gettin' in her business when she's hungry," the ranchhand noted with a small chuckle. He leaned gently against the entrance to the stall without making any sudden movements or loud noises as to not spook the wyvern. Sure, he wasn't a stranger to seeing warriors that fought atop flying beasts before, but nothing quite like this. Ilia's pegasus knights practically served as cavaliers in the sky, but creatures like wyvern just held an aura of strength about them that pegasi just didn't have.

The thought crossed his mind of potentially asking around to see if anyone else with a wyvern or pegasus wanted to give him a ride, but it was dismissed as quickly as it arose. The words of his father rang true whether or not he knew it: "if any Keating was meant to fly, the horses would've grown wings". And this came from his non-Sacaean parent, so it had to be true! Plus, the smell of another mount on him would probably make Gracie throw a tantrum for a while. It happened before when she was under the weather a year ago and he used another horse to practice, and avoiding that fiasco in the future would probably save the explanation and compensation for collateral damage. "Ain't she somethin' special... Oh! Right, where's my manners? I'm just askin' for a whoopin' back home if I ain't introduced myself first!" the boy sheepishly explained, placing his left fist against his hip.

"Riley Keating, though ya can just call me Reed. I'm just a knight in the makin' from a lil' Sacaean tribe called Arkya! I, ah... Still tryin' ta figure out where this place is, or why we're livin' in high cotton just like that. I'll just have to go 'n take lotsa notes 'bout hospitality while I'm here, heh,~" he greeted Aria, giving her a small salute with his free hand. "So where ya from, ma'am? Ain't never seen nothin' like Chewy here 'round my home, so one of us probably went a lil' too far."

[Aria]

"Oh she's something special alright. A special pain in my butt." Aria crossed her arms and turned her head to look at her wyvern. 

"I love her to bits, but hoo boy can she get on my nerves. But, that's family for you. I think in my next life I'll take my chances with a horse." Aria sighed softly and returned her attention back towards the young man. He introduced himself as Riley. And Aria was pleased to meet him. It seemed his family had raised him right, if he feared their wrath for not introducing himself properly. Even though this imagined wrath had no way of clawing itself through the realms into this other world.

"Sacean eh? Can't say I'm too familiar with the plains or their tribes. My name is Aria. I'm from Lucerne in Bern. Family runs a wyvern ranch. We breed and raise wyverns to be used in our military. And as for this place.. uh.. I don't know. But, what ever creator that made it, we need to give it proper thanks." She returned her salute with a salute of her own. Though hers seemed to be much more proper. Damn it muscle memory. 

"Did you come here with your horse? Since, I ended up in this holiday world with Chewy. We've been tasked with giving folks sleigh rides in the air. We haven't started yet, since we just got here and all."  And she has to relive herself at some point before we start. Last thing they wanted to do was accidentally have flying wyvern crap land on the unsuspecting people. 

"It's going to be fun."

[Reed]

The squire's eyes lit up at the mention of a ranch. Wyverns, horses, pegasi, even the elusive griffons that he'd never seen before: no matter the creature, someone out there somewhere in the world takes care of them. He liked to think that there was some sort of unspoken, ethereal kinship among ranch workers. "Wyvern breedin'? 'N here I thought y'all just up 'n wrastled them fellers down to make friends. Seems we ain't so different after all! Ah hah... O-Or not, if ya count my ol' girl lovin' to throw me off," he confessed with a flustered smirk and a quick self-conscious rub of his shoulder. "I'll tell ya this: they don't look like no mighty flyin' dragon or nothin', but horses fight tooth 'n nail like 'em: most of the time they go doin' it to their riders more'n a bandit. I, uh... Like to think she's helpin' me toughen up.~"

At Aria's question regarding his companion, the boy turned back towards where he came from and nodded. "Yep, Gracie's down there somewhere. Normally she's glarin' down anyone she don't know too good, but somethin' 'bout this place has her happier'n a tick on a fat dog! Asked if I could help out too, 'n the, uh..." Reed trailed off, tapping his chin and turning around to face Aria again. "What's 'er name again? "Awn-uh"? Yeah, that's it! Set me up with a carriage 'n we've been goin' 'round on that there delivery route: the, uh... One that doesn't go flyin' in the sky, heh."

Glancing back over his shoulder, the rider frowned in mild confusion. "I know ya said ya didn't know squat 'bout this here place, but... Really, whatcha figure it's for again? I-I sorta get it's some sorta festival 'n all, but they got an arena 'n everything! Ya think a lil' bit-a fightin's not really very festival-like, right?" Reed questioned, clearly out-of-touch with the fact that Bern itself had its very own arena and annual Tournament of Arms (the latter of which had quite the audience).

[Aria]

"The ranching isn't easy. And it's not like the wyverns are easy to contain. Most of the ones on the ranch we hand raised so they see us like family. Though we've gotten into some trouble with the wild wyverns. Especially, during the breeding season. Chewy here is actually a result of a wild male comin round when her ma was in the mood." She was a little too young to remember all the details involved with that. But, she did remember her father sporting some rather interesting vocabulary when the baby wyverns were coming our of their shells. The years of careful breeding ruined! She remembered him saying. But, despite the mix up, most of those wyverns did end up in the Bernese military in some form. Some stayed at the ranch and became breeding wyverns of their own.

"Some folks do wrestle wild wyverns into submission. You have to earn the wyverns respect and trust before you can ride them. And honestly what better way to do that then nearly killing yerself in a wrestling match. I don't recommend it. But, I imagine that's how most beasts of burden got started. Someone had to go out and tame a wild beast.. then a million generations later. Bam. They be buddies with humans." Aria mused out loud.

"I ain't no stranger to horse riding. Comes with living at the ranch. And ya need horses and oxen to plow the fields to grow the food to feed the wyvern's food. My older brother back home is real good with horses." She was slowly slipping into a rancher's accent. The more she talked to Reed, the more comfortable she felt.

"Been bucked off of one a bunch as a kid. But, I'd say bein bucked off a wyvern is worse. Their skin's hard'n rough. Like if ya ever scraped yer knees on a gravely road. And some of em have spikes. Can't tell you nearly how many times I've almost been impaled by Chew's back plates. And their bodies.. is like gettin hit by a boulder comin down the hillside. Not fun!" She took a moment to compose herself.

"Anyway.. I bet yer Gracie is pretty happy. An't too many place out there that will groom a mount with hot water. Makes em feel prettier than a pearl and relaxes their muscles too boot. Chewy there got the whole treatment too. A hot bath. Her nails were trimmed down and she's been de ticked. Something I'm very grateful for cause it sucks having it do it by myself." She smiled softly. Then Reid started talking about the guide lady and the world they happen to be on. And how it's got some weird festivities.

"Shucks, you mean Anna? She seems nice. She kinda explained to me that this place welcomes people from different worlds. I recon it's cause different people who come here have different traditions. And not all folks have a nice place to come back to when they do gotta return. Probably, why they've got so many different facilities. Bern's got itself a famous Arena. So I'm used to seeing people gather there for festivities, fights, and plays. The weapons in this Arena are all festive too. Saw someone with a lance that looked like a fir tree. Another guy had a sword that looked like one of them peppermint sticks. Heck, even my 'weapon' on the flying sleigh is a bit sack of gifts." At this point though Chewy had finished her meal of meat and parked her big ol head on the door of the stable. She was curious about this new human who Aria was talking do.

"I dunno bout you but me and Chew were sleeping then we woke up here. I dunno it this really is another world or a real vivid dream. But, if it's the latter I don't wanna wake myself up thinkin bout it too much. I'm just going to enjoy it." It was at this point Chewy let out a sort of snort.

"Oi, you finished with that piece of meat?" Aria turned to speak to Chewy. Who appeared to be taken aback somewhat.

"Sorry. Chewy. Can't help it.. doesn't this place just feel like home?" Aria asked the wyvern. Who let out a small groan then a not so modest belch. Or whatever the wyvern equivalent to a belch was. Which appeared to be some sort of reverse gasp mixed in with a weird jaw motion. Then another snort through the nose. Aria then turned head back towards Reed.

"Reed, Chewy. Chewy, Reed."

[Reed]

Just hearing Aria talk about wyvern breeding, her own experiences with horses, and even Bern's Arena felt odd. It was some strange mixture of familiarity when it came to talking about farming and handling animals, but completely foreign when describing the gladiatorial competitions and the celebrations associated with it. Perhaps the world wasn't so big as Riley had initially thought! While obviously there would be hesitance to even approach a wyvern in the first place, he had a vague feeling that from the description alone his own tribe would get along somewhat well with the wyvern breeders of Bern. Granted, he knew nothing of the politics and whatnot between Sacae and Bern- whatever that was at the moment- but neither did the Arkyans. He liked to think that given the opportunity, they would get along well with just about anyone. "Ah, yeah! That's downright strange, but I ain't gonna bellyache 'bout no weapons. I, uh... I-I dunno if this is right, though. The Annas just gone 'n wrapped my halberd up nice 'n purty with colorful paper. As in, this ain't no newfangled festival weapon. 'S just a pokin' stick with an axe on it. Must be some darn good wrappin' paper that's got no magicky doodads on it, 'cuz I ain't never seen a tear on it since I got here," he remarked with an awkward unease as he pointed at the elegantly wrapped weapon upon his back. Indeed, that was no fir tree or candy cane, but an actual weapon wrapped up and decorated with festive decor. How that one was supposed to match up to a tree was beyond him, but considering he didn't even consider the fact of using such a weapon in the first place today, Reed chose not to question it further.

"Oh! You were sleepin' too?! Well, ain't that just somethin'! If countin' sheep's got me here... Heh! Ma used to say that the spirits've gone 'n taken ya to somewhere nice if ya find out in the middle-a some sleep where ya went! Chances like this're as scarce as hen's teeth," he remarked rather casually with a wink. His gaze was drawn to the wyvern who let out some sort of belch, and he chuckled with a nod of recognition. "Pleasure's mine, Chewy! I'd go 'n show ya ol' Gracie, but, ah... Y-Yeah. She don't like no strangers, 'n she ain't ever seen no wyvern fellers before. If ya really want, Aria, I could go 'n bring her on over? Yeah, that'll work! She ain't thrown a fit yet out in the open! Hol' up, I'mma be back in two shakes of a lamb's tail!~"

Ideally, riling Gracie up and trashing a stall wouldn't be such a foregone conclusion. Sure, she was calmer, but calm enough to resist the urge to throw another tantrum? Only the gods knew if she could hold it in. Riley turned around and jogged off down the stall, stopping at his steed's stall with a reassuring headpat to the animal inside. Gracie let out a snort of recognition: so far so good. He slipped open the lock on her pen and opened the door, gently leading her out by the reigns. Gracie was an odd one, where she wouldn't settle down unless she was allowed to keep the jingling sleigh bells... Whatever kept her calm would be fine by Reed regardless. He smiled back at Aria and walked back over with the large, intimidating animal.

"Awright, here she is! Behavin' a lot better'n usual, actually... Keep that distance, though. S-Sorry, ain't takin' no chances," he mumbled at the end, stroking his steed behind her left ear with a grin. His large and daunting partner kept a blank stare on Aria, then moved to Chewy with the same passive, blank stare. So far the horse seemed rather dormant, but judging from how carefully and far from the two Riley kept her, it was probably for the best to not make any sudden movements. How such a green squire tamed that war horse was beyond speculation's scope.

[Aria]

"Yeah. Getting spirited away.. sorta. Though where I'm from when the spirits do that you.. usually don't get to go back." Her mind recalled a tale her father would tell her. It was a cautionary tale about those who got lost in the mountains and the spirit in question was a malovent one. One that caused blizzards and hid the path back down the mountains. A cautionary tale as to how one should not take the mountains around Bern lightly. And to always be prepared for the worst. She didn't mention any of that to Reed though.

"But, I don't think this place is gonna do that. I got a feeling me and Chew are gonna wake up right where we left off. With the morning sun blasting us right in the face." She shook her head.

"But, any weapon is better than no weapon. Might check out the Arena myself later. Who knows! Might win me a fancy gift to take back home. Sure! Bring yer Gracie over." She approached Chewy and gave her a scratch under her chin. The wyvern leaned her big head onto Aria's hand. 

"This is good though Chew. Look at us. Talking to people and making connections. Not sure if any of it is going to matter once we are home." She gave her mount a good once over. Making sure all the nice decorations that were on her were in their proper place. 

"You ready for some rides? I saw a lot of kids out there enjoying the fun too. Remember, just like wyvern day!" Aria kept taking to Chewy. And the wyvern seemed to appreciate the attention. Then Reed came back with his horse. And Aria thought it looked like a regular old horse. But, she knew better than to just approach him and the horse. Aria had a slight knack for guessing animal temperaments. It was one of the consequences of living on a wyvern ranch with a bunch of wyverns who all had different moods. 

"Aw. Gracie looks so dolled up. Shame I don't have any snacks for her." Now while Aria knew not to bother the horse... Chewy.. decided to be Chewy. She kind of lightly headbutted Aria out of her way so she could look at the four legged creature that was looking back at her. So far tensions were normal. But, if Gracie was going to do something funny or intimidating Chewy wouldn't hesitate to charge and chomp her head off. Aria knew this and sighed.

"Alright you. Let's get you geared to go before you do something dumb." She spoke back to Chewy.

"Hey Reed, me and this big meat ball here are going to go explore a bit. Before we get ready to start giving people rides. There's going to be an area designated for us. You should meet us there!"