two ol' trail horses [kay]

I'd taken up a second job at a nearby ranch takin' care of the horses for an older woman. She cared deeply for those creatures an' I could see the pain in her eyes when she was tellin' me how her bones ached whenever she tried brushin' or exercisin' 'em. She seemed a bit wary of me at first when she probably noticed the whippin' scar on my face, maybe thinkin' I's a delinquent, but she relieved some tension on that withered face when I mentioned I's workin' for a victor. To ease her worry even more, I'd graciously offered she could watch me do all the work for her so she could jus' come out an' ride or love on 'em. The extra work didn't bother me none; she pays well, so there's that extra source of income to help take care of me an' my sister.

Still, though, I's helpin' Regalia around the Emberstatt house. Chores are chores, an' even though hardly anyone was in that massive monster of a house anymore, it was still dusty an' required scythin' out front or wherever the grass was poppin' up in thickets. So I'd pitch in where I could, tryin' to lighten the load bearin' down on Regalia's shoulders, an' providin' my steady but rather quiet presence to someone who seemed to never leave the house at all.

Then came the time when she offhandedly mentioned that Mace had gone to live with another victor's house. The Lowes, I believe; I hardly paid attention to their games considerin' it was with kids. But Mace was gone, leavin' us to tend to the house and animals, an' then she said in a grumblin' voice that she was sick an' tired of how he'd been actin'. Somethin' about mopin' around an' bein' all sour--I didn't quite catch on since I'd been at the woman's ranch for quite some time. Regalia, however, had given me one single instruction: Bring Mace back an' whip him into shape.

Emotionally, at least.

I pondered what I could even do to accomplish the task I'd been given. Honestly, I didn't even know what the hell was goin' on. I don't know why Mace left, I don't know what had Regalia's panties all twisted up, an' I wasn't quite ready to throw myself into somethin' without knowin' the whole story. I had a feelin' not to ask her too much about it, so when I closed the door to the Emberstatt door behind me, I took a deep breath.

Mace liked sweets. He liked all sorts of comfort food an' I knew I could cook up anythin' that he wanted. That'd be somethin' to cheer him up with. But, there had to be another way. You can't always eat away your problems, as much as I wish that were true. So I had to come up with another way, an' pretty quick, given how grumbly an' upset Regalia had been.

So I made my way to the old woman's ranch. I'd already been by earlier to take care of them horses so I made a beeline to the door at the house. The woman was quick to answer an' curious as to why I's at her door. When I explained the situation an' what I's thinkin' 'bout doin' with Mace to get him at least talkin' again, she nodded understandingly.

"Just be back before dark," was all she said.

I gave her my word before headin' back to the house Regalia told me Mace'd be at. Not gonna lie, I was feelin' pretty anxious. I knew him, yeah, but I ain't never been good at any small talk of sorts. He knew that. Yet there I was, standin' outside the Lowe's door, bitin' my lip like I's some nervous kid, but I steeled my resolve. Mace was a friend an' I's here to help him.

So I knocked.