Drakien didn't want to get anything dirty, especially the cloak, as he didn't want to have to wash it repeatedly lest the furs' brilliant colors fade. But the horses were surprisingly clean and well kept, and he felt a sort of grudging respect for these foreigners, whom obviously knew how to take care of the animals. He was almost completely oblivious to Amy watching him, totally focused on his task, and when he was given a set of ropes and gestured toward two of the more aggressive beasts, he paused momentarily only to ask, "In lines, yes?" Before sidling up to the creatures. He'd been admiring the larger of the two as he went about, as it appeared it may have been descended from the breeds he was used to. The thicker neck and sturdier body suggested so, at least, and he treated it as though it were, keeping a wary eye on it as he danced around the other. He managed to trick it into slipping the rope over its own head, and then looped it about to tie around his long nose, creating a make-shift harness that left enough rope for the horse to be tied to the others Amy was busy catching.
He lead the horse out of the corral, and after a quick glance at Amy, tied the horse beside the other one, and then took a moment to use another of her ropes to harness the one already tied, then looping the two together, so that, once they were untied from the pen, they'd be forced to walk side-by-side, the way the gypsies had taught him to tie horses. Drakien took another minute to ready his second rope, and then took to the corral again, and eyed the large beast warily. It took some doing, but after some brief dancing around and a surprising lack of hooves to the chest--though not for lack of trying on the horse's part--Drakien wrestled the rope over its head and onto its neck, then forced the beast's nose down and harnessed it with another small loop in the rope.
The fight left him panting, and as he lead the horse out to where the others were tied up he couldn't help grinning at Amy. "I am in liking with this one." He chuckled, and tied it toward the end of the line, taking a moment to loop the horses into the two-line formation before glancing sideways at the woman. Long black hair fell into his face and he tilted his head curiously, wondering where she might be going with so many horses. He didn't know how to phrase such a question, though, and as he couldn't very well attempt to impose himself on her journey, so he brushed his hands off on his pants and looked about for something else to do.
Now that he'd, in a way, made himself useful, he found it hard to make the decision to go back to anonymity, as nothing more than a strange traveler passing through.[/html]