`` make you lose CONTROL ;; open

[Rachelle Adrienne Beckett]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,400px,true][atrb=bgcolor,8f6a95,true] Up, down, up, down. Something so simple, yet so difficult to master for many. Posting. The soft one, two beat of Mia's hooves beat the ground in perfect rhythm. A soothing rhythm. She fell into sitting, moving in time to stay still in the saddle. The slightest pressure, her leg going back just a tad and the mare rocked back onto her haunches and shifted smoothly into a canter, beat switching to a one-two-three through the sand. Then, three, two, one and they soared, the beats stopping for a moment as the mare soared over the three foot vertical. Elle followed the movement, gliding into two point and staying there until just before the mare landed, slowly rocking back, knees taking the jolt of hitting the ground. Not that there was much of a jolt, three foot was next to nothing for the sixteen two hand mare who lived to jump. One stride, and they were in the air again, this time three foot six. There was another landing, two strides, then the end of the line, a four foot jump. Mia's knees sprang up, tucked up high and close, neck stretching out. The moment of flying ended far too soon for Elle's likes, but it always did. Curving around the corner, she slid the mare back down to a lively trot and then a walk, letting the reins slip through her hands. Mia gladly took the slack, head stretching out, breathing heavy. She'd catch her breath soon though, the mare was kept in peak condition through a minimum of five training sessions a week. She had to be, or else she wouldn't be so willing to come back down from the exhilarating canter she so loved. Elle's right hand slipped off the rein, reached forward slightly to scratch the mare's neck before the girl settled back in the saddle, still in practically perfect position that had been honed for the past fourteen years of her life. This wasn't to say she didn't have bad habits, every rider did, but they'd been weaseled out by herself and previous coaches, worked on to minimize them. She was jolted out of her vague reverie with slam of a car door from the parking lot directly next to the fence. Clearly Mia hadn't been paying much attention either, for the generally calmer mare tensed, the muscles of her haunches bunching up to send her flying sideways and forward in the same instant. Elle rocked with the movement out of habit more so than awareness of what was going on, her first horse, Joker, had been rather worse about a great many things, often throwing stuff her way out of the blue. A simple spook was nothing in comparison and she quickly gave a gentle pull on the reins, stiffening her lower back and bringing the mare back to her walk. Mia slid to a stop, feet square, head up and ears pinned to the source of the sound, snorting a bit nervously for a moment. It's just a car, silly. Elle murmured good-naturedly, fingers gently scratching the mare's withers. A few moments of staring and realizing it really was just a car and a person, the mare huffed her annoyance at the startling sound, head lowering and turning to glance back at her rider for a moment, waiting for the next command as Elle watched, waiting for whoever to turn around, to see who it was, if she even knew the person. She didn't know too many people here, really. She'd been here a month but she'd been settling in, getting her things unpacked in her place, things like that, so she hadn't been around the barn too much. Just in the evenings mostly, later too, when there weren't many around. She never turned down the opportunity to meet someone new, though, and it wasn't like Mia was too impatient right now.

[aydyn]

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[atrb=background,http://i775.photobucket.com/albums/yy35/BaileeDanielle3/aydyn2.png] [scrolly:h(160),w(352),sy] Slamming the car door was not planned, and it sent a shudder through Aydyn's body. Swallowing the lump that formed in his throat at the memories that car doors forced to surface, he ran one hand in his hair and flicked his hair out of his eyes. He stared at the car for a moment, as if it was the vehicle's fault, scoffing softly to himself, before opening the back door carefully, reaching in to grab his camera bag and tripod. The boy slung the strap of the bag over his left shoulder, before pulling the tripod out with his right hand, only to shift it back to his left hand. He shut the door to his car- nearly too softly, and turned to approach the stables. He didn't look up right away, gaze focused on the black converse that adorned his feet, reaching into his pocket to grab his ear-buds. He pulled them out, easily untangling them, to place just the right one in, turn the music on his iPod, and return it to his pocket. He hated being unable to hear his surroundings, it made him nervous. With a suppressed overeagerness, he approached the arena where Rachelle was riding her horse. As he looked up properly, he realized that the girl had been looking towards him, probably trying to see who had slammed the car door. He didn't say a word though, setting his tripod up as he kept one eye on her. If anyone was going to be the "greeter"- it wasn't going to be him. Though he said nothing, he didn't seem all too unfriendly- he tended to give off neutral 'vibes' when around others. [] [/scrolly]

[Rachelle Adrienne Beckett]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,400px,true][atrb=bgcolor,8f6a95,true] Hey! She didn't recognize the boy, but that had never stopped her. She'd ever been particularly shy, and probably never would be. Sure, she didn't like speaking in front of crowds, but that said nothing about small groups or one-on-one. He'd ignored her besides a glance up, so she squeezed Mia into a trot, catching up to where he was as he set up. There was a slight frown on her face, though she wasn't truly mad. She was no actress, but she'd been in a few high school plays in her time - well, musicals, but whatever. What, no apology for spooking my horse? She feigned displeasure for a moment as she eyed him over. He'd fixed his mistake, not slammed the second car door, she had to give him that. He probably didn't know a damn thing, she couldn't imagine. It didn't look like he did. There was just a way about people, she found. They moved differently at a stable if they knew what they were doing, if they were confidant in their horse knowledge. She pulled Mia up again, this time the mare hardly as cooperative and snorting in displeasure at all this stopping. Slowly, a welcoming smile crept up on Elle's features, eyes dancing with a silent laughter. She slid a hand off the rein, holding them in one hand with a practiced ease. She held it out and down, bending a bit so he could reach. the fence in the way probably didn't help, considering Mia's large sixteen-two hand frame, but it didn't bother her rider much. She didn't get to reach over far before Mia spun away, fed up with standing. All it earned the mare was a soft laugh, pressure from one leg moving her right back to where she'd been before trying to move. Annoyance flickered through the mare's body, but she'd wait. She supposed. It was for Elle, after all. Elle Beckett. You visiting or new? Or have I just not seen you around before? ---please excuse any typos... no word editter or spell check on this computer, a terrible keyboard, and no tmie to re-read for errors. back to work I go!---

[aydyn]

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[atrb=background,http://i775.photobucket.com/albums/yy35/BaileeDanielle3/aydyn2.png] [scrolly:h(160),w(352),sy] With gentle fingers- most likely gentler than most boys his age- he set his Nikon D3000 camera on to the tripod, hardly looking up as he hooked the expensive piece of equipment in. He turned it on, playing with the settings, before deciding on which one to use. He chose the S setting- which stood for Shutter. He'd like to get some 'ghostly' pictures of the horses running. Adjusting the color settings and shutter speed, he let out an inaudible sigh and turned the camera back off. He never left it on, unless he was messing with it at that moment- he tended to work hard to savor the battery life it had. Aydyn's silver eyes focused on the blonde haired girl, smirking at her act of 'displeasure.' He couldn't quite tell if she was being serious, but he'd take it as a joke, that half smile staying upon his face. "Sorry. Didn't mean to," he apologized, not one to not say sorry for something that was his fault- even if the other truly wasn't upset about it. With a deep intake of air, he reached his hand into his pocket, as if to grab something. His hand quickly retreated as soon as it had been placed in the pocket and his brows furrowed, as if he had touched something hot. He'd obviously changed his mind, probably because the girl was there. Turning his camera back on again, Aydyn looked through the view piece, before once again, shutting it off. All of this done in a matter of seconds- it was clear he was quite used to his camera. He acted as if he was completely focused on what he was doing, but far from it. He was waiting for the girl to speak again without looking up, figuring she would. At the mention of the girl's name, he looked up once again, raising one eyebrow. That smirk had disappeared briefly while reaching into his pocket, but now he allowed it to return. "Nice to meet you. I'm Aydyn." He paused. "I'm new. But not here." He cleared his throat, as if embarrassed, hand rubbing the back of his neck subconsciously- nervously. "I'm from Damaged Souls. But I wanted to come and get some pictures of the horses here." [[378 words!? I'm quite proud of myself ;]) [/scrolly]

[Rachelle Adrienne Beckett]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,400px,true][atrb=bgcolor,8f6a95,true] She watched as he reached for his pocket, then stopped. She recognized the motion from herself, from when she'd been just starting to quit smoking. She'd never been able to scratch the habit of reaching in her pocket, so she'd replaced the cigarettes with something else instead. Sugar cubes. It worked for her, at least sort of. She had long since quit smoking, but now it was replaced with another addiction - sugar. She figured it was probably better for her than the chemicals in any cigarette brand, so she didn't really care. She didn't say anything though - perhaps it was something else. You can get closer to them, if you want. I mean, no one who doesn't ride here should be in the paddocks, but they don't mind you right at the fence or in the arena. Not that I've heard, anyway, though I suppose I wouldn't really know. She frowned slightly at that thought. After all, she had no friends, no one to hang out with. Not here, anyway, not in this small town. She didn't always mind so much, but at the same time she was born into the life of a social butterfly, she couldn't help but long for some people to talk to. She'd never been here at the opportune riding times, so she'd met minimal people and usually ended up with just a quick hello in passing and little else. She glanced thoughtfully at the course set up. Low for Mia, considering it was at two foot three, perhaps two foot six for some of the singles. The mare could practically step over it. She wouldn't, of course, the warmblood always jumped everything but poles (and sometimes those too). But still. The point stood alone. She glanced back over. And you're welcome to come in the arena if you want. Mia loves to show off. 'Course if you do, I may just have to have you play jump crew on the side. She cast a mischievous smile in his direction, hand instantly finding its spot back on the rein and she whirled Mia around and leaving him behind in a small cloud of dust, cantering off. Just because the jumps were small didn't mean she wouldn't give the course a run through. There was often the neatest little crooked lines and rollbacks set up in here, if you had the right mind to find them and stick them together into a proper jumper course.

[aydyn]

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[atrb=background,http://i775.photobucket.com/albums/yy35/BaileeDanielle3/aydyn2.png] [scrolly:h(160),w(352),sy] Aydyn had indeed been reaching for his cigarettes- yet he didn't stop because he was trying to quit- though he knew he probably should. He had merely stopped for he did not want to smoke by the horses. He didn't know if that was childish or not- but he did not like smoking near animals of any kinds. He figured they could get secondhand smoke just like humans could- though humans could leave the area if they really wanted to. So he tended to not mind smoking near them. A small part of him also insisted that he hadn't wanted to smoke in front of Elle. Why that was- he didn't know. Maybe he was embarrassed. Maybe he thought she would look at him different- of course having no idea that she had smoked as well. But he could possibly even lose his potential friend, and he didn't really want that. He didn't know why he thought that, but he shrugged it off, nodding when she spoke. He picked up his tripod with ease, bringing it closer to the arena to get better possible shots. But it was the last thing before she and her mare cantered off that had him completely lost. 'Course if you do, I may just have to have you play jump crew on the side. He had to admit, he had no idea what that meant- but like he was going to admit that. He knew he was a bit 'horse-retarded,' but he knew Elle would probably figure that out sometime or another. It was then that he gave in, yanking his cigarettes from his pocket. With the horse in the distance, he felt more content at the idea of smoking, opening the package, and pulling one out. Placing the nicotine filled stick between his lips, he put the cigarettes back, pulling his lighter out. He lit the cigarette, hands around it to prevent any wind from disrupting the process. Once it was good and lit, he placed the lighter back in his pocket, and took a drag, leaning into the camera to snap a few pictures of Elle riding her horse. He had to admit- he did concentrate slightly better while smoking. [[Not my best D;]] [/scrolly]

[Rachelle Adrienne Beckett]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,400px,true][atrb=bgcolor,8f6a95,true] She twisted and turned through the jumps, never being stupid and asking her horse to turn in the air but coming pretty damn close. Mia could do it with these shorter jumps, but it was a bad habit Elle had had and she didn't want it back, not once the jumps got bigger. It was too dangerous then, risking a pole at minimum, usually risking the landing as well and she wouldn't purposely put her horse in danger. About twelve jumps later she let her reins slide, aiming Mia at the gate and just letting them go entirely, hands resting on her thighs. She may not have had the mare more than two years, but she'd long since learned she trusted her horses more than she should. She always sort of had. She trusted them not to hurt her, though she never expected so much. She just... gave them the benefit of the duobt. And showing off for the camera was always an added plus. She slid the mare into a halt with seat and nothing more, stiffening her back and throwing her weight back a bit. Mia reacted almost instnatly, dropping smoothly to a walk and then a halt, nose just a mere two feet from the camera. I'm thinking she needs a bit more of a challenge than that. Pop them up four holes, pretty please. Should put 'em at three foot three, three foot six ish. She smile faltered slightly when she spotted the cigarette. It wasn't that she was unobservant - she just wasn't usually observant when it came to watching people. Horses, she noticed the slightly muscle movement. People... yeah not so much. She instantly felt that craving coming back. She never felt it in places like the mall where there was a bunch of smokers, just one on one. She walked by the mall smokers too fast for it to be a problem. Her hand rose to her pocket, though it didn't hesitate like his had. Her fingers closed around the replacement for what was always there, fishing out one small, white cube of sugar. She nearly dropped it as she shoved her thumb under it and sent it flying upwards, catching it in her mouth, rolling it aruond between her teeth a moment until the warmth weakened it and it cracked in half, beginning to dissolve. She flashed him a quick smile again, not actually minding that he smoked, just not having liked the fact that she, herself, wanted a cigarette again. Instead of sticking around though, she pushed Mia into a forward walk, walking away from the sickeningly sweet temptation he happened to hold in his fingers.

[aydyn]

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[atrb=background,http://i775.photobucket.com/albums/yy35/BaileeDanielle3/aydyn2.png] [scrolly:h(160),w(352),sy] Aydyn took at least 60 shots in that one go, snapping one photograph after another. He was purely focused on the way he moved the camera on the tripod. When he focused the camera and snapped the picture. He even changed the settings a couple times as he was shooting. A picture of Mia in the air. Of just Elle and how focused she appeared. Of Elle and the horse all together. Jumping. Trotting. Approaching He had gotten almost every variation of shot that one could get while a horse was jumping. Of course, he was prepare to take shots at other angles as well at another time. As Elle spoke, he took a couple more photographs, of Mia close up, including shots of her eyes and her nose. It was once the girl finished speaking when he straightened up, shutting his camera off without even looking at it. Taking a long drag of his cigarette, he figured he should probably do what she said- after all, she was allowing him to photograph her and her horse. That didn't make him feel any less uncomfortable though. He was not used to being in the same vicinity as a horse. But he supposed he'd have to get used to it. He picked up his tripod, moving it slightly back, so it would be safely out of the way, he approached the arena, pausing when he spotted what the blonde haired girl was doing. Reaching in her pocket. Just as he had. Did she smoke? No- those were... sugar cubes? That's what they appeared to be at least. Raising one eyebrow, and instead of hopping the arena fence like he was going to to raise the jumps, he leaned carefully on it. "Are those sugar cubes? he questioned, cigarette between his index and middle finger, but then noticed she had started walking away with Mia. He appeared confused, sticking the cigarette in his mouth so he could put one foot on the arena, and sit up on the most top bar. "Do you still want me to raise the jumps?" he asked now, not prepared to go in the arena unless she confirmed him doing so. [[Gotta rush out, don't have time to reread, mom's gunna yell, we're taking Lady to the vet XP]] [/scrolly]

[Rachelle Adrienne Beckett]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,400px,true][atrb=bgcolor,8f6a95,true] She'd noticed him watching her, but hadn't really cared. It wasn't like she was trying to hide it. She didn't hide a lot of things. She didn't hide she was rich, for example. She definitely didn't need people to know where she got the money from, of course, or how, or anything like that, but there was no point denying that she would likely never have financial issues. As she heard him ask about it, she gently began to turn Mia into a circle, so that rather than walk away rudely, she was circling in front of him. She shrugged and nodded. Yeah, it was. And, if you don't mind. I mean, I could get off and do it myself but, since you're here... She cast a slightly hopeful smile in his direction as she came around the curve of the circle to face him. It was only then that she finally bothered to explain the sugar cube. He looked confused enough to need some sort of explanation, after all. It was a bit strange, she'd be the first to admit it, but she never had been your average girl. She motioned to the cigarette he held. Kicked one bad habit, ended up with another. I needed something to reach for, always had a few sugar cubes for the horses anyway. Now, I'm pretty sure I eat ten times more sugar cubes than I've ever given to them in their lives. She replied, still amused at how ridiculous it sounded. It was kind of far fetched, not exactly the regular way of quitting, but then again, whatever worked, she supposed. It was better than still smoking all the time, considering her smoking was still technically illegal. Not that she couldn't pay any fines or bail money, but... Still. Something you didn't really want to have on your permanent record. --- Compared to the one I'd typed and lost on my phone last night, it's terrible. Sorry :/ ---

[aydyn]

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[atrb=background,http://i775.photobucket.com/albums/yy35/BaileeDanielle3/aydyn2.png] [scrolly:h(160),w(352),sy] Aydyn appeared to nibble at the end of his cigarette thoughtfully as Elle spoke, taking a drag of it. He jumped down from the arena fence, careful to land on his two feet properly, hands almost hitting the ground at the unstable landing. He wasn't the strongest guy out there, but he wasn't the weakest, so he was able to stand, unfazed. Peering almost cautiously at Mia, he walked quickly past her and the blonde girl on her, though remained in hearing and speaking distance. He figured that if he got too far, she would approach him- though he hoped she wouldn't get too close. He was a tad wary of horses still. Reaching one of the jumps, he started adjusting it, carefully pulling them from the holes, bringing them up to the length that Elle wanted, before placing the pole properly back on it. He did that for each one, yet still remained alert to Mia and Elle. He appeared confused when she spoke of the 'kicking one bad habit and starting another,' turning briefly. Then- he realized. She meant the sugar cubes, and must have meant smoking was the previous habit, because she had reached for the sugar cube after she saw him. He just nodded thoughtfully, not turning again, adjusting the rest of the jumps. "Why?" he finally questioned, as if surprised she had quit smoking. He couldn't imagine quitting now. He couldn't imagine quitting a lot of his bad 'habits'. [[S'all good, it's not bad XD Mine's not that great right now either XD]] [/scrolly]

[Rachelle Adrienne Beckett]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,400px,true][atrb=bgcolor,8f6a95,true] She waited patiently, sort of letting Mia wander where she would between the jumps as she waited. Her hands were on the reins, but at the buckle, nad her legs hung without really worrying abuot squeezing and directing Mia to do this or that. There was no point, they would still be waiting just the same. Not that she was impatient, of course, though her mare certainly seemed to be. Mia held her ears perked forward, watching with anticipation as each jump rose to a more "acceptable" height. With his question, Elle shrugged. She knew why she'd quit, sort of, but she'd never been sure if that had been the full reason for her quitting or not. There'd been a few changes around that time. Purchasing Mia, showing one of her mother's "kids" for his first year when she usualy didn't. Learning how to drive a motorcycle and getting one. Letting the streaks of colors she'd dyed into her hair grow out and get chopped off. Quitting smoking. It had just sort of, in a way, been one of those changing points in life, she supposed, though that wasn't what she said. Dunno. Just didn't like the fact I was addicted to something so bad for me, I guess. I'd much rather have been in control, but that never happens with stuff like drugs. She paused a moment, relfecting back to when her father had found out. He'd been furious, nearly grounded her. Again. Except, she had something worse over him so he didn't. Instead, he'd just fed little stories to the papers. Get attention, like always. It had never gone beyond local, which was good, but she'd been about ready to kill him for it. She muttered for a moment softly under her breath, more to herself than Aydyn. Never went beyond cigarettes, mind you, no matter what my father's fed to the damn papers.

[aydyn]

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[atrb=background,http://i775.photobucket.com/albums/yy35/BaileeDanielle3/aydyn2.png] [scrolly:h(160),w(352),sy] Aydyn finished adjusting every jump easily, backing up and standing to admire his handiwork (though it wasn't really 'handiwork'). He just shrugged at it- it looked good, but this was the first time he'd ever messed with jumps. With a drag of his cigarette, he turned his body to face the other again. He turned his head to the side and blew the smoke out of his mouth with a smirk at Elle, suddenly looking really cocky. His whole demeanor changed for half a second, before that cocky smirk eased up and just returned to what would be a normal smirk for him, as if he had something to say, but then he changed his mind. "Not in control? Control is overrated these days," he said, but it was hard to tell if he was joking or not. With long strides, he headed back to the fence of the arena, placing the cigarette in his mouth so he could use his right foot and two hands to hoist him up. With ease, he sat up on the very top bar once again. "You father fed the papers that you did other drugs? What does it matter what you do anyways?" He clearly had no idea who she was, or how rich she was. [[Hehe, sorry, tad late, huh?]] [/scrolly]

[Rachelle Adrienne Beckett]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,400px,true][atrb=bgcolor,8f6a95,true] Yeah, well. Control over most things is, not everything. She replied with a shrug, not caring if he was joking or not. Either way, she wasn't. She didn't have some obsessive need to control everything, not at all. Hell, she loved riding horses she couldn't control more than the ones she could half the time. But when it came to things like addictions, she didn't mess around. The legal things would spread to the illegal things and money could only do so much. She wouldn't last a second in jail, and she knew it. She nearly had time to squeeze Mia into a trot, but then he voiced another question. He'd heard her mumble. Of course. Murphy's law, or whatever. She sighed, pulling Mia into a halt. She thought about how to phrase it, how not to, but there was really only one way to do this. Straight out, blunt. She sighed and glanced over. She hardly looked thrilled at the prospect of him finding out. My father is Richard Beckett. Beckett Oil Rigs. One of the biggest oil companies in North America. The papers care what his family does. Oh yeah. She didn't like her father, and it was very, very clear by the impersonal tone and word choice. The only thing that labelled him as related to her at all in that little speech was the word father, and that was spoken with vague disgust. She didn't wait for a reply before pushing Mia off into a forward canter, running away from the shift she'd seen happen in people's eyes one too many time when they found out who she was. She didn't want to be treated different - she was hardly different at all - but yet she was.