25th Cylus, 718
Well, at least it isn't snowing any more. Lei'lira grumbled to herself as she, Teia, and the kids made their way to the stable that Lei'lira would be working at for the trial.
Not that the slush that they were left with now that the snow was starting to melt a bit was any better. In fact, it was worse in some ways. The wet, slippery slush was difficult to walk in. Simply going about one's trial risked injury from a fall. Especially in the dim twilight of Cylus when you couldn't see where you were going easily. And riding was even more hazardous than walking; if a person fell and broke their leg, they would heal if given enough time. But a broken leg was almost certainly a death sentence for a horse.
The stable she was working in was located in the Earth Quarter, which was at the base of the mountain Rharne was sitting on. But unlike the Dust Quarter, it was located within the city walls. The people who lived there were poor. They worked hard for what they had, but they weren't as bad off as the people who lived in the Dust Quarter. Their homes were made out of wood, and cheap stone, but the streets were kept clean. Most of the roads were made of well packed dirt. But some were made out of cobblestone. The main road that ran around the walls was one of the latter. Lei'lira had come to know the area well because she went there frequently. The base for the Order of Adunih was located there, as was the Thunder Dome, a public training arena that Vivian had introduced her to when she began teaching her. Lei'lira was a frequent visitor of both. Fortunately the guards maintained a constant presence in the area, especially around the gates. As such, the crime rate was much lower here than it was in the Dust Quarter.
As the elevator they were riding on descended towards the Earth Quarter. several of the other passengers were talking about a missing girl. Lei'lira wasn't one to listen to gossip, but in the close quarters of the elevator, it was impossible not to over the conversation. It seemed that a young girl from a wealthy family who lived in the Glass Quarter had been kidnapped a trial ago, probably by a gang from the Dust Quarter. Lei'lira wondered if Vivian was helping to search for the child. As a Thunder Knight, it was the kind of work she would be doing, and if her cousin knew about the kidnapping, Lei'lira couldn't imagine that she wouldn't be doing her best to get the girl home safely. She hoped that the girl would be found quickly, and that she would be okay. After her own experiences at the hands of the bandits that had held her captive, Lei'lira would wish that fate on anyone.
"Is it really okay to introduce the twins to riding so soon?" Teia asked.
Lei'lira gave her friend a grateful look as she nodded. It was obvious by the other woman's tone and expression that Teia was trying to distract her from her thoughts.
"I was their age when I was introduced to my first horse. They are able to sit up on their own, so this will be safe enough. They won't actually be riding, after all. The pony you use won't even be moving. And you will be holding on to them the entire time in case they start to fall. This "lesson" is really just to get them used to the way it feels to sit on a pony. That way, when they are ready to really learn how to ride, they can focus on that instead of trying to balance on the horse's back so they won't fall off."
The brief conversation was enough to distract Lei'lira from her memories, and deflect the possibility of a flashback. Lei'lira thanked her friend softly. The rest of the trip was spent in amiable silence.
