pas de cheval

Eventually Félix's quest to understand the campus would lead him to the stables. His old home used to have stables, but whatever lived in there long since vanished. His own had been unused for a few generations, and despite the large plot of land Félix left it terribly underused.

Félix did not really dress for the occasion, either. It took a bit of courage at all to gather too close to the stables and the mess inside. But fearing a bit of dirt or dung on one's black clothes was a manageable affair. It took a few days, but he'd see for the first time what it was like to be near a bunch of horses.

Even the air feels dirty. I will definitely need a shower after this...

Of course, imagine his surprise when the first thing he encountered was a boy – girl? - boy, he believed – just lying in the hay like it was the comfiest bed on the whole island. What if it was? Félix was far too frightened to test it, even if it did seem a little pleasant to try. His bewildered eyes enlarged before he gathered just enough sanity to step back and return his composure

Instead, he just watched with a curious horror as the young man finally awoke. Félix set himself quietly a little out of the way, just outside of the other student's range of vision, but at the same time he did not put a good amount of effort into hiding. Not to mention that the other man's powers might have already allowed him to sense Félix.

“Ex- excuse me.” Félix politely addressed the, uh, man. It was a man, right? It was not some horse that could turn into people? Félix cleared his throat and attempted a more proper greeting. Just in case this haggard stable boy was not, in fact, a horse.

“Good afternoon.” Félix's eyes shifted around the stable, looking for any hint of other people. This was going to be embarrassing if he was talking to a horse. “Do you... visit here often?”

Félix could not deny a small level of disappointment. He rather would have been impressed if there was a horse that could turn into a human. The other way might have been interesting as well. Instead, he was left to wonder once again what this man might be. Félix only recently had this thirst to his curiosity. There was so much he didn't know about the people around here, and each one of them was made all the more special by their powers. He as well, though Félix hardly liked to admit or reveal it.

This man, instead, was incredibly nervous. It made Félix nervous just looking at him and waiting for a full response. He frowned, and his feet slowly tapped and rocked along the stable's floor as though debating whether a quick dash out the door would be enough to escape this awkward situation. But Félix was a gentleman, or so he was supposed to be. He would not dare rudely abandoning this conversation.

“A nap? I see,” Félix lied. What could possibly be pleasant about sleeping in scratchy hay? His mouth formed a frown, but Félix desperately fought himself to find something worthwhile and positive to say about the other student. He wasn't a bad person after all. Just peculiar, like everyone else.

“Is it comfortable?” Félix finally enquired. Maybe it was a mistake to consider such dangerous thoughts as jumping into a large pile of hay and shutting his eyes, but if that's what the other boy liked then why not?

It was slow and gradual affair, but when it seemed like the poor boy was on his wit's end Félix decided to act. He stepped once, then twice closer to the pile of hay. He finally turned around and carefully sat in the pile. Félix could have sworn he felt the horse's breath against the back of his neck, pushing along Félix's white hairs and tickling it against his skin. All in all though, it wasn't... that bad.

“My name is Félix. I'm new here, so I've been exploring.” He smiled weakly to his hay-sitting counterpart.

Félix could at least understand why someone would fall asleep in this, if they were tired. The hay was warm, and with clothes on it wasn't so scratchy. But much like falling asleep on a nice chesterfield or recliner, he imagined it'd leave for bad posture and aching.

“Thank you,” Félix accepted William's compliment only out of politeness. He never thought anything special of the name. “William is not so bad itself,” Félix smiled. He'd have been happier with a name like 'Jean' or 'Marc', as opposed to something so flowery and meaningful. It was funny how one's name was one of the few things hardly ever picked by a person, yet carried so much of their identity.

“So, why here for a nap? I suppose you aren't new and looking around yourself.” If Bill wasn't a shapeshifting horse, then did he like to ride them? Was he maybe an equine biologist or something?

Félix wondered what to think of Bill's 'wandering'. In some ways, it offered Félix the impression that William was a homeless person hiding about on the campus, not interested in classes at all and trying to find shelter wherever he could whenever he could. Félix nearly considered smelling him, but they were already in a stable and he'd almost certainly not pick anything up.

Before he could ask something incriminating, William changed the subject. Horses? Well, they were in a stable. “I don't mind them,” Félix stood up and approached the one horse behind them. It was evidently used to human contact, and entirely tame.

“They run faster than you, at least.” Félix smiled and reached out his hand with a few clumps of hay. The horse approached Félix, who with his free hand made sure his hair was kept behind him and not in the horse's reach. “If you have a saddle and don't do anything stupid, it's pretty safe.”

Félix himself had only ridden on them a few times in his life. They had no horses on their land, but it didn't mean they'd occasionally rent some for a few hours. Félix didn't particularly care for it, but ever since his sisters could ride their trips were plenty more frequent.

The horse was eating out of his hand now. Félix encouraged William to give it a try. “Have you at least fed one before? Pet one? You can't ride a horse if you're scared of them altogether.”

Félix just laughed when William declined. He pet the horse's head some, while the last of the hay was tucked into the horse's mouth. “These horses are pretty used to people, I doubt they'll bite you unless you do something harmful.”

Poor Bill seemed far too nervous for his own good. Félix thought himself meek at times, but this was an entirely different level of it. Félix did stand aside from the horse's stall, encouraging William to at least get a closer look, but even that seemed like a faint hope.

“Who's Gabriel?” Félix asked. He guessed it was a close teacher of Bill's, or maybe an older relative. Gabriel sounded strict if he would lose his temper over someone trying to ride a horse, or even just feed one.

“So you don't like to do anything risky?” Félix followed up. They way Bill phrased it, horses weren't the only thing that might worry him. “What hobbies do you have? Any sports?” Granted, Félix was rarely let outside when his grandfather was around. But at least Félix wasn't afraid of horses. Just himself.