"I do a little more than that." He said, a joking tone, trying to brush off her teases. He glanced around, tensely. His jaw clenched slightly when the barn came into sight, the smell of horses was slight til it grew nearer. "Yes, I do. Kind of." He shrugged gently. "I like the traveling." He meant to say more but it didn't come out, he was admiring the horses. "Do you have any picked out for us or do I get to choose?" He asked brightly.

"Do you? All I've seen of your duties so far entails you running around and yipping at other people. Seems very puppy-like to me." Ariadne shrugged teasingly, still trying to get under his skin, it seemed. She lightly released his arm as they entered, tilting her head at his lack of reaction to the cold and wet. She ran quite cold, not a typical Epirian trait, and yet it still seemed strange that he was perfectly comfortable in his current clothing. She moved to stroke one of the horses closest to her, a tall, willowy mare that was a velvety black. Her nameplate read Luciana. "Just the travelling? What, you don't enjoy all the different socialites gawking at you like you have two heads? Or all the forced pleasantries with people who would much rather cut off your head than address you? I wonder why." She smiled, letting the mare in front of her nuzzle her palm. "Mine, I have picked out. You can choose whichever steed you want, but I would pick carefully. Some of them are known for being hot-blooded." She shrugged, waving to a corner. The groom, who had previously been settled on a haybale, stood with a nod of respect at her. He slid into the stall in front of her and went about getting her ready. She murmured a soft thanks and moved off to stroke another horses muzzle.

"Larach has politics I am not involved in, and he is older, it is respectful." He commented evenly, brushing off her remarks. He paused, glancing around the barn for the first time, looking at the horses. "I am not- ah, a people-person." He said plainly. Waiting where he stood til she spoke again, giving the horses another look before he picked one. A lanky gelding with a blood colored coat, white over his shoulders and rump, a face white enough to turn his eyes blue, and a full wavy mane and tail. He stood pretty tall, handsome. Standing away til the elf brought a hand out. The gelding came forward and examined the open palm, then looked for treats, soon warming up to him. "Him. Lareo." He gestured to the horse who was nibbling at his green shirt. Quietly speaking in his native tongue, almost like baby-talking the horse.

"Right. Of course." Ariadne quipped skeptically, stretching her arms above her head and shaking out her hair. She gave sarcastic gasp, tilting her head at him. "No, really? I would never have guessed." She mocked, rubbing the gelding in front of her on the muzzle. She gave him an amused look for his choice, her eyebrows raising slightly. "Larry? Interesting choice." She said, keeping whatever concerns she had to herself. She listened to him coo at the horse, setting her head against that of the one in front of her. She closed her eyes for a moment and simply let the high pitched coaxing fall over her. It was amusing, but she could understand why the beast would be intrigued by it, by his language. The words themselves sounded lovely, like they rolled from one word sleekly into the next.

He sent a quick glare her way at all of the sass she seemed to not be able to keep to herself. He quietly continued scratching up the neck of the very pleased gelding. He looked over at the girl for a few moments, her comment gave him pause. However this horse seemed calm, wondering if she was teasing or what. He sat there, noticing his whispering hadn't gone unnoticed. He shut up, started speaking, and then paused. Either forgetting how to speak english or what word he was looking for. "Can I put his tack on myself or," He asked, turning further toward Ariadne.

Ariadne's eyes fluttered open as he stopped speaking, and she looked at him with a faintly amused smile tugging at her lips. She said nothing, however, and reached up to toy with her horses forelock. She glanced at him for the pause and felt her eyebrows tug together in slight puzzlement. "If you like. Carter is quite proficient, though." She answered, watching Carter, the groom, stick his head out of the stall as he bridled Luciana, buckling her throat latch. He offered her a slightly abashed smile. She responded with the smallest of winks in his direction. She did seem, at least, to have one person She hadn't made an enemy. Most of the servants respected her; liked her, even. But she was closest with those who worked in the Stables and on the grounds- more than close with some.

"Leafling," She started softly, making her way over to stand at his side and stroke the gelding, her head hovering close at his shoulder. "What is your name?" She asked lightly, brushing her fingers against his as she went to stroke Lareo's muzzle.

The elf tipped his head at Carter, smiling slightly. Of course he understood that the masses would like her, because she liked them. She had been quite a charming young lady before she remembered him, he would have considered willingly courting her had she not been the girl he'd left on the Grand Hall floor. Now she was ..what was that phrase? A pain in the ass.

He looked up at the sound of the nickname she'd pulled out of somewhere for him. "You seem to already have a name for me, My Lady. Why do you need another?" He asked, a whisltful tone, his hand flinched slightly but played it off as walking away, since Carter seemed to have finished with the mare she chose and was approaching for Lareo. He moved off to scratch a smaller horse who looked like Luciana.

Ariadne raised her brows at his answer, and then they furrowed ever so slightly. She didn't like being denied information or being told no. He had just done both. She continued to stroke Lareo, aware of the flinch she'd caused in him. "If you enjoy Leafling, I can come up with many more, far more endearing terms. I simply assumed you would rather I address you properly." She shrugged. "But if it is no sign of disrespect, I would sooner call you my dearest studmuffin. Unless theres a problem with it?" She mocked, walking back to Luciana and thinking.

He seemed pleased with her reaction to his answer. Less so at her offer to make more little nicknames to call him. And then one of them being a word he didn't exactly know. "I prefer imformalities. And I do not know what a stud-muffin is," he narrowed his eyes, a glaring concern on his face stating he didn't exactly want to know. "I'm fine with the one you chose." He confirmed, somewhat stiffly. He glanced back at the horse he chose, wanting to get their date over with. But he forced himself down to patience, watching Carter tack the gelding. He had a good hand. But he did seem wary of the horse. That should have scared him off a little but it did not.

Ariadne let out a chuckle that was just short of an unrestrained giggle. "Don't we all? And you needn't worry, studmuffin is a very noble name for one's lover." There was a snort from Carter within his stall, badly covered by a cleared throat. She simply grinned. "Well then, I'll keep to it for now. But I'll definitely be looking into more nicknames." She teased, leading Luciana out and hopping onto the tall mare gracefully. She gave the mares neck a few lats as she got settled in her seat, watching her company. While she enjoyed annoying him, she was surprised there weren't more questions from him. "Are you not inquisitive about me, leafling?" She asked curiously, peering down at him.