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Post by BethHostetter on Jun 25, 2011 15:36:41 GMT -5
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She had been at Damaged Soul for two weeks. She had only just ventured past Tako's stall today. She just wanted to avoid most of the other people. She knew that quite a few of them were like her... damaged. But that others were those who had hurt people like her. She was hurt... but she could heal. At least... that's what Dawn, her social worker told her.
Jane... for that's who she was right in front of the world... stuck her booted foot into the stirrup, gripped her leather reins that connected to the french link loose ring bit and stubben bridle that led up to Tako's beautiful head and gentle yet intelligent eyes. Straightening her leg, she mounted the tall equine, smiling lightly as her eyes grazed across his poor excuse for a tail. She alighted on his back, and closed her eyes as she arranged the reins in her hands and settled her legs, and using her core and her seat, moved the big guy forward into a relaxed working walk.
She opened her eyes, and looked around. There were several other riders in the arena... but Jane tried to ignore that fact. They weren't out to hurt her. They weren't out to hurt her.
Sensing her fear, Tako began to dance, and gave a little buck, reminding her of where she was and what she should be doing. Settling back into her saddle, she zoned out the world, and moved him into a beautiful working trot, getting him warmed up before beginning the rest of their training. They were training level now... but were beginning their first level work. Maybe they could officially say that they were first level riders in a few months to a year... maybe.
Sighing audibly, Jane was relaxed. She was calm. She was free.
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Post by impulse on Jun 25, 2011 16:05:05 GMT -5
[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, background-color: dddddd; border: #cccccc solid 8px; width: 420px; padding: 15 5 15 5px;] Though the words sound steady something empty's within them The Words: 307 The Outfit: The Notes sorry this post is kind of bad. Stone walked into the arena quietly, leading Reck right behind him. He scanned the area quickly, seeing quite a few others riders. Although he was a bit nervous about riding near all these other people, he knew that he had to. He stood there for another moment, thinking to himself about these people, before mounting Reck. He stuck his foot in the stirrup, swinging into the saddle and adjusting his position quickly. Once he was correctly seated and all, he urged Reck into an easy walk. Stone tried to keep his eyes in front of him, but he kept getting slightly disrtacted by all the other riders. But once Reck got a little spooked by something, and cantered a few steps instead of walking, Stone got his attention in check. Bringing Reck to a nice trot after a moment, he sighed softly and started to relax.
Gripping the reins tightly with one of his hands, he let the other rest lightly on the side of the saddle. After a few more minutes, he started to let his mind wander a little. Thinking about everything that happened before he came to the stables. The drinking, the stealing, all of it. Stone didn't like to think of it too much, be the thoughts seemed to invade his mind every once and a while. If he hadn't started hanging out with those kids, would everything be different? He wasn't sure, and there was no way to find out now. But as he thought, he didn't even notice another rider near him. But Reck did. He threw up his head quickly, nickering a little and cantering forward again. Stone jumped a little in the stable, pulling Reck back to a trot and shaking his head lightly. "Um..sorry about that." he called to the other rider, who he finally glanced at. |
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Post by BethHostetter on Jun 25, 2011 16:28:02 GMT -5
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So emersed in the extended trot she was attempting with Tako, Jane hadn't even noticed the other rider come up next to her. She heard a nicker, and Tako did what he does.... leap to the side. Jane found herself centered on Tako one moment, hanging off his side the next.
Refusing to simply fall off, she grabbed his mane with one hand, closed her eyes at the sight of the scars on her arm, and pulled herself back on, standing in the stirrups and whispering nonsense to her mount to calm him down.
She pulled him to a halt, forcing him and herself to calm down... they were fine. No collision.
Jane looked over at the other rider, who was trotting his horse around. She heard his words: Um..sorry about that..
He was tall, he was on a paint... and he had dark hair. He looked like a pathetic emo kid in his bright blue skinny jeans and hairdo.
For once, instead of being scared out of her mind, she simply felt annoyed.
Watch where you're going!
Surprised by her words and her courage in speaking out, she decided on the spot that she would just say a little more. Maybe it wouldn't hurt. As long as he didn't try anything more... oh well. She would do it. The more she thought about it... the harder it would be to do. Besides... it was something her psychologist had assigned. To introduce herself.
I'm... Jane... by the way.
And with that, she fell silent again, holding the dark reins in one hand, keeping Tako at a standstill, her hand slowly stroking his neck, calming both the horse and herself in the process.
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Post by impulse on Jun 25, 2011 17:49:29 GMT -5
[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, background-color: dddddd; border: #cccccc solid 8px; width: 420px; padding: 15 5 15 5px;] Though the words sound steady something empty's within them The Words: 294 The Outfit: The Notes sorry this post is kind of bad. Stone couldn't help but feel a little bad about what just happened. Slowing Reck to a walk for a minute before completely stopping him, he turned to look at the other rider. She was on a nice looking horse, and she was actually pretty nice looking herself too. After she introduced herself, Stone nodded a little and sighed gently. "I'm Stone." he told her. He was used to getting comments about his name, since it wasn't exactly common, but he didn't really care. Thinking for a second, he wasn't really sure what to say next. The girl obviously didn't seem too happy with him, and he couldn't really blame her either. It was his own fault that they had almost run into each other. "So, you alright?" he finally asked, looking at her again.
It didn't seem like either the girl or her horse was hurt, but he couldn't be sure just by looks. Stone hoped neither of them were hurt, because that would just be even worse. Running a hand through his hair quickly, he bit down on his lower lip a little as he looked at her. "Nice lookin' horse you got there." he said after another minute, looking over the horse more closely. He was a very nice looking animal, Stone had to admit. Looking at the horse for another second before turning his gaze back to the girl, he smiled softly, hoping to make a better impression than he had already. Even though he wasn't the best person ever, he tried to be a little more friendly to people lately. Since he was at the stable, he tried to be slightly more responsible. He wanted to get back home, even though he didn't mind being at the stable too much.
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Post by BethHostetter on Jun 25, 2011 18:07:25 GMT -5
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Jane smiled. Stone... that was an interesting name. Odd... but... simple. Easy to remember. At least he wouldn't get mixed up with a million others... like Jane... or Beth. So many people have those names.
Yeah... I'm OK. I should have been keeping a closer eye out for people around me.
She paused. She couldn't believe that she had said this much already. She felt oddly comfortable talking to him. Maybe because he wasn't like the other guys? In a way, he reminded her of Shane... no. She wouldn't think about Shane. Shane refused her. Shane left her. This guy... this... Stone... seemed nicer than that. But she had to keep her distance. Who knew what might happen if she didn't. She couldn't just let anything happen.
She smiled warmly at his comment about Tako. Finally... something she could comfortably talk about. She knew how to talk about horses... especially about her wonderful boy. Jane gave him a big pat on the shoulder.
His name is Tako... your horse is pretty too.
She felt kind of stupid. Was that really all she had to say? She looked... he was riding in a western saddle. She knew nothing about western riding. Great. Here she was... starting to make progress... at least... her pyschologist would think so... and she can't even think of anything to say.
Jane looked down shyly at her hands, then at Tako's ears, then back over to the boy.
So what are you in for?
She wasn't quite sure why she said it. It WAS something that she had been wondering ever since she got her... why different people were here... but she hadn't dared ask anyone. Why she did now... she wasn't sure. She was curious to know an answer... but she suddenly realized what she said... and tried to take it back... desperately hoping that she didn't offend him.
oh... I'm so sorry. It just slipped out... you don't have to answer that... I should just... umm...
She began to pick up Tako's reins and was about to usher him into a trot, her face beet red with embarassment.
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Post by impulse on Jun 25, 2011 18:27:42 GMT -5
[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, background-color: dddddd; border: #cccccc solid 8px; width: 420px; padding: 15 5 15 5px;] Though the words sound steady something empty's within them The Words: 338 The Outfit: The Notes sorry this post is kind of bad. Smiling lightly still, he nodded a bit when she said she was alright. "Well that's good. But it's my fault, I wasn't paying attention." he said. Stone was never really a shy person, he didn't have any problems talking to people for the most part. He actually hated being alone, although almost no one knew that. He rarely told anyone at all. When she complimented Reck, Stone's smile grew a bit. He loved talking about horses, it seemed almost everyone here did though. "Thanks. His name's Reck." he told her simply. Tightening his grip on the reins a bit as Reck stuck his head out a bit, looking closely at the other horse, he laughed lightly. Her next question caught him a bit off guard though. It wasn't that he minded telling people, it was just that it was unexpected, it seemed like most people didn't ask.
Stone shook his head quickly as she apologized, shrugging and grinning softly. "Nah it's fine. I don't mind. But, I'm here for uh..grand theft auto." he said quietly, nodding a little and biting his lip again. Even though he didn't mind people knowing why he was here, he found it a little embarrassing to tell them at first. "How about you? Unless you don't wanna tell me, that's fine." He knew some people didn't like talking about why they were here, and he figured it was up to them on whether they wanted to or not. In his mind, it didn't really matter if people knew why he was here. It wasn't going to change anything. Stone looked down at his hands for a moment, thinking about why she could be here, and waiting for her reply, if there would be one. After a few seconds, he looked back up at her, offering a slight grin again. He wasn't sure if his question went too far or not, but he hoped it didn't. He actually liked talking to her, he hadn't talked to many people since he got here after all.
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Post by BethHostetter on Jun 25, 2011 20:39:27 GMT -5
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Grand Theft Auto... he stole a car. Jane wasn't quite sure what to think about that. But... it was better than being here for attacking someone, or something similar. She thought that one of her roommates was in for attacking a woman who she found sleeping with her man... but apparently damage wasn't that bad... so charges weren't pressed.
I don't mind telling...
At least... she thought she didn't. It had been years since she'd last hung on a pole or slept with a man... but she was still rehabbing from all of her self-injury and the fact that she had no desire to eat... and sometimes even live. But she needed to share. To get it out there. She didn't know why she trusted this guy... a male... but she did. Running Tako's mane through her fingers, she spoke.
It's a long story... but to make it short... I grew up in foster care, was kidnapped and sold into prostitution at 17, was beaten, raped, nearly killed... escaped... returned and was rejected by the man I loved... and... more recently... I decided that I needed to feel... and that not eating felt better. So yeah... that's my story. Not as fun as yours.
She gave a half-hearted smile, and lifted her arm, showing him the scars running up and down it. Her arms were thin, but not as thin as they were a few months ago, when bones jutted out all over. Throughout her short explanation, she wasn't looking at him. When she looked up, she saw a small smile on his face, and felt herself relax. He wasn't going to judge her, hurt her.
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Post by impulse on Jun 25, 2011 21:03:56 GMT -5
[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, background-color: dddddd; border: #cccccc solid 8px; width: 420px; padding: 15 5 15 5px;] Though the words sound steady something empty's within them The Words: 270 The Outfit: The Notes sorry this post is kind of bad. Stone watched her carefully once she said she didn't mind telling. He was pretty interested in why she was here. He was glad that she hadn't judged him once he told her why he was here though. That was always nice. Once she started telling him about what had happened, why she was here, he bit down on his lip lightly. "Oh..wow. I'm sorry." he said. He wasn't really sure why he apologized, but in his mind it just felt right. When she showed him her arm, he looked at her carefully again, sighing softly. He didn't judge her though, he figured if she was nice enough to not judge him, he shouldn't judge her either.
When she looked up at him, he smiled gently. Stone hoped she didn't mind talking for a little bit longer, because he actually enjoyed her company right then. She was pretty nice and all. "Well, since you've been here and everything, have you started to..feel better?" he asked. He wasn't exactly sure how to word his question, but he hoped she understood what he was saying. And that she wasn't offended or anything like that. Stone shifted in the saddle a bit, getting a bit more comfortable, well, as comfortable as you could get sitting in a saddle. Patting Reck's neck softly a few times before looking back up at her, he grinned lightly again. He couldn't really help but smile right now. He actually liked talking to her and everything. Plus, it seemed like people were usually more friendly when they were smiling. And he was working on being more friendly.
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Post by BethHostetter on Jun 25, 2011 22:14:44 GMT -5
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She actually kind of felt bad. Why did she tell her story again? All it did was make people uncomfortable. But he didn't judge. He just said "sorry". But that was something everybody said when she told them.
It's life. As they say, shit happens.
She smiled at her own little joke, but still not quite sure if it was even funny. She tried to not feel awkward, and adjusted herself in the saddle, continuing to finger Tako's mane as he tossed his head lightly, pulling at the reins, he wanted to keep going... or stop and graze. She patted his neck lightly, and released more of his reins to allow him to stretch his head down to the ground if he wished.
I've only been here two weeks. But I think I am. Apart fom my shrink... you're the first person I've told... albeit a shorter version of it. But yeah.
She liked the way he smiled. It made her feel immidiately at ease. Kind of like Shane used to. But... different. Not at all like the smiles of the many other men she had been hurt by. And he too had issues... maybe not the same kind as her... but... he sort of... understood. In a way.
I think I need to finish today's stuff with Tako... would you like to talk more sometime later? Maybe you could meet my dogs... and you could tell me a little more about how to steal a car?
She lightly bit her lip. For some reason she felt a stirring of hope in her heart. Why? She didn't know. But she hoped he would say yes.
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Post by impulse on Jun 25, 2011 22:27:42 GMT -5
[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, background-color: dddddd; border: #cccccc solid 8px; width: 420px; padding: 15 5 15 5px;] Though the words sound steady something empty's within them The Words: 256 The Outfit: The Notes sorry this post is kind of bad. Shrugging softly, Stone nodded and laughed lightly. "Yeah, that's definitely true." A small style stayed on his lips as she spoke. He kept his eyes on her too, for the most part. Nodding softly as she said that she had only been here for two weeks, and that he was the first person she'd told. Even though he didn't really know her, he couldn't help but feel kind of happy that he was the first person she told. He figured it must mean that she at least kind of liked talking to him and all. "Well, I'm glad you told me. You're the first person that I've told too." he admitted, biting his lip softly.
Stone nodded again when she said she had to finish today's work. As Reck pawed lightly at the ground, he figured he should too. "Yeah I should probably finish up too." he said after a moment. But he smiled a little wider when she asked if he wanted to talk sometime. He wasn't really sure why he liked talking to her so much, but he did. Laughing a bit at her comment, he said to her, "Yeah definitely. That'd be nice. Although I'm not exactly a genious at stealing cars. I ended up here, after all." He shrugged again quickly, tightening his grip on the reins again after a second or two. "But talking would really be cool. So whenever you want to is fine with me." he told her.
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Post by BethHostetter on Jun 26, 2011 21:10:39 GMT -5
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[OOC: sorry... not much muse right now... *sigh*]
Jane smiled, nodding, feeling herself more and more at ease with this guy. Why? She wasn't sure. She had avoided all male contact for months. But maybe there was something in her that... just needed some sort of social interaction with them. But this guy wasn't like the others. He was sort of standoffish... like herself. He was nice, he was sort of funny in his own way... even though those pants hurt her eyes if she looked at them for too long.
She gave a little laugh at his comment about stealing cars. The first time she'd laughed at something a guy had said... in a long time. It felt good.
I'll see you later then.
And with a light shy smile, she nodded her head, moved a piece of hair out of her face, and started her ride with Tako. They danced around the arena together. The confidence built in those few minutes with Stone... that name... Stone... was evident in their ride together. He shoulders squared, she was able to focus on Tako with a happy outlook and a strong presence that did not exist before. She was healing. Slowly... but surely.
After her ride, she dismounted from Tako, and led him to the barn to untack him. She looked around for Stone... curious as to how he and Reck had done... hmm... interesting names. Reck... Stone. Stone... Reck... very interesting. Pulling out a straw, she began to chew on it as she clipped Tako to the crossties and began to unsaddle him and rub his dark bay coat down.
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Post by impulse on Jun 27, 2011 11:47:14 GMT -5
[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, background-color: dddddd; border: #cccccc solid 8px; width: 420px; padding: 15 5 15 5px;] Though the words sound steady something empty's within them The Words: 253 The Outfit: The Notes sorry this post is kind of bad. Stone nodded softly, smiling and adjusting his position in the saddle again. "Yeah, see you around." he said to her, turning away after a moment. Starting their ride, he tried to focus more than he had before, but he couldn't help but think about Jane too. She was definitely interesting to talk to, and he rather liked her company. He rode for a while, thinking a bit about their conversation. He actually did hope that they would talk again sometime too. He wasn't sure when exactly, but he hoped it would be pretty soon. For some reason he felt a little more relaxed around her, like he didn't have to worry so much about things. He wasn't sure why, especially since he just met her, but he figured it was a good thing anyway.
After riding for a while, Stone dismounted and grabbed Reck's reins, leading him to the stable. He put on his halter, taking off his bridle before clipping him to the cross ties. He untacked Reck quickly, and started grooming him before he even noticed who else was there. Seeing Jane out of the corner of his eye, he grinned lightly and bit his lip a little. "Oh..hey." he said quietly, not sure if she noticed him or not. Stone turned to look at her after a minute, smiling a bit again. "Did you have a good ride?" he asked her quickly.
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Post by BethHostetter on Jun 27, 2011 19:56:48 GMT -5
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Hearing a voice, not thinking about who it belonged to or the familiarity of the tones and consenants, Jane gave an involuntary jump and quickly turned around. And saw Stone. Her heart slowing once more, she smiled.
It was magical. How was yours? What exactly do you do on that... saddle... thing.
Looking away from the boy, her eyes alighted on the western saddle sitting on the ground, sweat and hair coating the bottom of the thick woolen pad beneath. The horn glinted with a light leather feel, as if calling for Jane to reach over and touch it... to see what it was like. But she resisted the urge, and instead moved the hand over to follow the rest of her body, positioning her horse between herself and the boy. Why? She didn't know. Reflexes. Always be safe.
She looked up, and for the first time, at his eyes. They were deep, and the brightest blue. Almost too blue. Frightening, different, but... wonderful. She didn't want to stop looking at them, to analyze every little detail. But she didn't, and looked away after a second, shyly lowering herself down so that she could do... something. After scrambling awkwardly a moment, she grabbed a hoof pick, and began on Tako's feet... wondering why she acted this way. She was twenty two. Not a fourteen year old schoolgirl. She was being ridiculous.
But... those... eyes...
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Post by impulse on Jun 27, 2011 20:13:58 GMT -5
[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, background-color: dddddd; border: #cccccc solid 8px; width: 420px; padding: 15 5 15 5px;] Though the words sound steady something empty's within them The Words: 227 The Outfit: The Notes sorry this post is kind of bad. Laughing softly at her answer about their ride, he shrugged gently. "It was pretty good, Reck was a bit hyper though." he told her, smiling lightly. Laughing against when she asked about what he did, he grinned over at her lightly. "Mostly barrel racing. But I do western pleasure too. And some trail." Stone said, shrugging again quickly. Looking at the tack near her, he smiled softly. "What do you do with that saddle?" he asked back to her. Honestly, Stone could never imagine doing english riding. It seemed much more difficult, and he didn't really have any desire to try it either. Maybe it was just because he had never tried it, but he didn't think he'd be any good at it anyway.
Grinning softly at her for a moment, he shrugged a bit when she started working on her horse's hooves. Picking up Reck's saddle from the ground, he hung it over his stall door quickly before turning back to the horse. Grabbing a brush quickly, he started moving it over the horse's body gently. Stone actually liked grooming Reck for the most part, he found it kind of relaxing in a way. It seemed like a good way to wind down after a ride he always thought. After a few minutes of brushing him, he patted Reck's neck gently, looking back over at Jane.
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