workin' hard or hardly workin'? -- open

[Luke Peters]

Luke Peters !

hello, hello! [/right][/size]

Luke was not used to this. The whole, ‘senior thing,’ that is.
It felt like just yesterday his mom was dropping him off for his first day of elementary school, the old brick building with the faded mural of a tiger on it, and now this? It seemed nearly impossible that all those years could have flown by so quickly. He’d hardly even realized his transition – growing up from a prepubescent boy to a man with a deep southern drawl and hair under his armpits. Where had the time gone?
Nowhere good. He laughed to himself. He didn’t feel any different as a twelfth grader, maybe a little bit taller, but that was it. At least he didn’t have a superiority complex like most seniors. It seemed that most people – guys and girls alike – entered their own little world when they got bumped to elite. If you had a sophomore girlfriend as a junior, prepare to dump her when you reached ‘boss status.’ It was almost like some unwritten protocol that you had to act better than everyone below you once you became a senior. Just because you’re graduating doesn’t mean you’re superior. Luke didn’t get this. Why can’t we all just get along?

Oh well, it didn’t really matter anyways. Nothing would matter after graduation, when the ‘oh-so fabulous seniors’ were tossed out into the real world, invariably freshmen again. That’s why Luke didn’t really buy into the whole, elite, thing. It wasn’t going to last long anyways; it’s better to make friends than to feel superior for a few months. But speaking of graduation…
Well, not so much of graduation itself, but what lie after.
College.

Luke had no doubt in his mind that he was going, which is why he was walking through the seemingly deserted barn on a Saturday afternoon, a stack of papers under his arm. Not just any papers, application forms. You see, Luke had been a teensy bit late in applying due to some ‘issues,’ and so his only chance was to send in submissions now and cross his fingers. He was a smart kid, but if he had any hope for being accepted to his top three schools, he had to get moving with some kick-ass applications. And what better place to formulate said applications than the barn?
Okay, I bet you could think of places a lot better than that, but to Luke, it was perfection.

After saying a warm hello to his precious horse, Luke found himself a stool and made himself comfortable against the stall. He loved the way the barn smelled; to him, it was very conducive to the thought-process. For a while, he wrote, only pausing to think aloud or stretch, but eventually he felt his concentration waning. In need of a little extra moral support, he consulted with his Hanoverian mare, V.
“So tell me,” he drawled, his languorous southern accent heavy on his tongue, “should I stay local for college, or go back to Texas?” He winked by habit to no one in particular as he spoke. As if in response to his nearly rhetorical question, V snorted from within her stall. Luke laughed, and rose to his feet.
“Don’t worry doll, I’d never leave ya.” He leaned against the door frame and crossed his arms over his chest.
“I mean, you couldn’t go on without me.”
Another snort emanated from within, and Luke chuckled again, switching his position so he could lean into the pen and ruffle V’s forelock affectionately.
“Goofy.” He murmured, pulling himself out of her stall and sitting back down again. He sighed and creased his forehead. Luke had a feeling it was going to be a looooong application process.

[Melanie Black]

...Amy Cameron...
…I miss screaming and fighting and kissing in the rain…

The day had already been long enough, she was sitting beside her grandfather in the large truck, an even larger trailer was pulled behind it but you couldn’t see what was in it, only hearing. The two horses neighed lightly but soon calmed down. She wasn’t really paying attention to anything of that though, blue eyes looked out the window and seeing the pastures that went into fields and vice versa. She couldn’t believe it, she was actually going to live in this fancy place? The barn home with freshly made breakfast was her style, and horses that she actually knew. She sighed lightly and move a hair straw that sneaked itself over her lips. Her grandfather noticed how restless and uncomfortable she was and patted her back lightly. Don’t worry about it Ames, you’ll soon get to meet loads of horses and have fun. You’ll see. Her head moved and she leaned against the seat a little more, thinking about what he told her until she smiled and let out a couple of soft tunes herself. ”I know grandpa, but I don’t think I can fit in a place with fancy and great trained and nonetheless high bred classy horses. I mean just look at Capricornia, she’s a mutt in their eyes. And she’s my best horse.”

[/i]


He looked at her gently until he pulled up driving towards the barn at Firefly Fields Academy. He looked at the road again until he spoke gently which always caught Amy Cameron’s attention, whether she liked it or not. And what about Eragon? Ain’t he one of those classy well-bred horses?She shot him a light glare and closed her eyes imaging the great proportions of her stallion, she had only had him for four years, her dad had given him to her, saying how great he was. But he was a good boy, not as well-bred as many other Hanoverian’s, but she loved him. ”I know grandpa, but I got him from dad. I know you don’t like him and all. But he is my father and Eragon is my horse. His not like every horse, he is only a descent bred horses. I mean people there have grand prize winners and stuff. You really think we can stay?”[/i] But the way he looked on her told her, that the discussion was over without anyone winning or losing. She sighed but turned her head again looking out while wondering what would happen when she first arrived. Her horses was loose, she knew that, but that was because she had trained them and besides. Capricornia was ten years, she was soon going to stop showing. So why was Amy riding her? Because that mare had been her first ever trained abused horse.


As she saw the barn and parking lot, the butterflies started fluttering in her belly and she took off the seat belt. He parked the large red truck and killed the engine and could only turn to see his granddaughter’s backside as she opened the door and stepped out. With her mother’s old cowboy hat on, the female walked behind the large horse trailer and opened the back of it. The horses waited while the large backside lowered and heard the footsteps of the female, she patted both their rumps and felt the power of a Percheron X Quarter mare and a Hanoverian stallion. The chestnut stallion and dappled mare backed down easily and Amy took both the lead ropes from their necks. Eragon was just a couple of inches taller the Capricornia, but the mare was older and the leader in their little group. The large stallion snorted lightly and nudged against one side of the sixteen year old while Capricornia took the other side. Amy laughed lightly until she noticed her grandfather and smiled. The male was a little old but not too old, he would never be, or so he was telling everyone. He patted her head lightly and went in to fetch the tack while Amy fiddled with the papers.


She found them in her left pocket and found herself bound between two large muzzles wondering if it was edible. She smiled and took the lead-rope in one hand for a minute letting them sniff on each other and felt how Eragon puffed up lightly. He was a stallion after all, no wonder he was acting so goofy. She sighed and glanced to see that they were in the stalls opposite of each other. She hid the paper in her pocket again and went in between the two horses. Looking at her side she noticed her grandfather and smiled until she clicked her tongue and lead the two horses forth. Capricornia noticed the male first and tensed up heavenly; Amy frowned and looked at the direction of the older male, good, that was just what she needed, Capricornia to make a scene. She halted both horses and looked at her grandfather gently. ”Grandpa, could you take Eragon with you, you know how she is.”[/i] The large male nodded and took the Hanoverian stallion with ease after listening to where he was to be settled. Amy however turned the dappled seventeen hands tall mare and lead her in several circles while talking softly too her. She felt how the mare slowly eased up.


Making a new turn she glanced at the male for a minute but then got her attention driven to the mare again. Feeling that she was completely relaxed Amy turned her attention back to the barn again and lead her in, the mare only tensed up for a minute then relaxed when they were finally inside. Turning her in the stall she was appointed to, she closed the door after taking off the travelling blanket and halter. Putting it over the stall and looked at Eragon. Her grandfather had gone to take the rest tack in and had left the “poor” stallion alone with the travelling kit on. She smiled and opened the stall door, the chestnut welcomed her with a lovingly nudge but stood still while she unwrapped the boots and took of the blanket. Rubbing his forehead with three fingers she felt how he fell half asleep and then noticed Jack again. He was leaning against the door and looked at her gently but also sad. He was going to drive back to the ranch. She kept her tears inside and hugged him tightly as a farewell but smiled so he would know that she was ok. He took off her hat and patted her head once until he walked back to the trailer, closed it and started the engine of the truck. She heard the engine start and soon enough she would never see her grandfather, sister of father for a couple of years. She looked at her two horses and smiled half heartedly; at least she had these two.


That was when she remembered the male sitting in front of the barn. She closed the stall door and walked out only to find him sitting there still. She had noticed his mare and saw the Hanoverian blood in it. Smiling to herself for a minute the teen leaned against the wall a little further from him until she spoke gently. ”Hi, I’m Amy. Have you been here for long?”[/i] Her blue eyes were gentle as she asked and looked at him calmly while awaiting his answer, for now at least. Your move next cowboy.







Tagged ;; Luke Peters
Outfit ;; tada!
Words ;; 1 243
Ooc ;; wow, that was a long post o.o Hope you don’t though ^^’[/blockquote][/size]

[Luke Peters]

As he worked, Luke realized he wasn’t very good at this. Sure, he could fill out the basic information, but the essays were killing him. What kind of a person do you think you are? Shoot. A good one? He didn’t know, and he wasn’t about to transform into some self-absorbed bastard who could write twenty paragraphs about themselves without once repeating something over. He just wasn’t that shallow. Furrowing his brow, Luke scanned the page, searching for… friendlier, essays.
Who is the person who’s made the biggest impact in your life? Explain why.
Ehh. He racked his brain for someone who really stood out, but kept drawing a blank. Sure, his parents, but everyone was going to do their parents. He needed like, a riding teacher from Somalia, or a WW2 veteran turned hobo he’d met. Well, if worst came to worst he’d attempt to make his regular ol’ maw seem like the most extraordinary person ever, but for now, he’d pass on that one.
What is your biggest accomplishment to date? Explain why.
Unconsciously, Luke twisted his vision to where V stood. Well, buying her, that would be one, but how could someone really describe that? Just because he was a horse addict didn’t mean the people at Brown would be. It seemed that all his proud moments involved either V or another horse. Frustrated, he sighed, and looked towards the next prompt.
Describe a personal habit that helps to define you as a person.
This made Luke giggle. Being obnoxiously flirtatious? But could he really write about that without having the deans cower and hide their girl students? It was a funny prospect, but he couldn’t imagine composing a paragraph or two about how sweet-talkin’ defined him without sounding like a grade-A ass. Next!
… Oh, just kidding, there were no more. He’d gone through all of them. With a sigh, he put down his pen. Maybe he wasn’t meant to write essays today. Upon flipping through all the applications, he realized that none of the prompts really stood out to him. Instead, maybe he’d just ride.
Yeah, that sounded good.

Rising from his perch, he stretched out against V’s stall door, leaving his stack of unfinished applications behind on the stool. A day really wasn’t going to make a big difference; he could leave them until tomorrow. He yawned and cracked his neck, savoring the delicious sound the snap made. It was just one of those things. Luke turned to face V, who seemed to be very busily scanning the floor for excess hay scraps. He chuckled. The way any horse looked when they were foraging made him laugh. The stuck-out upper lip, the nostrils blowing away any hope of food, the silly forelock falling over the eyes… he loved it. He watched V for a while, until he heard the voice. It came from his side, and it belonged to a girl. Now, let’s just pause right here. Luke loved it when girls talked to him first; it showed they weren’t intimidated by him. Why should they be? But even so, it made him happy when those of the opposite sex made the first move. Politely, he turned to face the source of the voice, a smile playing on his masculine features. He took a step towards her.
“Well hey there, Cowgirl,” he drawled. The only reason he’d been so bold as to refer to her as ‘cowgirl’ was because he figured she wouldn’t be offended. After all, her outfit screamed western to him, and his southern accent made his own country roots pop. He flashed her a dazzling white smile.
“I’m Luke, nice to make your acquaintance. ” If he would have been wearing a hat, he would have tipped it, but instead he just bowed his head a little, and held out his hand for her to shake. Normally he would have been prone to kiss her hand, but he figured because it was so informal that a smooch would have been weird. Luke wasn’t here to freak anyone out; he just wanted to make friends.

In response to her question, Luke looked at his watch. Yeah, he had been here for a while, but the time had flown by. If you looked at his paperwork though, you would have thought he’d been sitting there for fifteen minutes, tops.
“Not too long,” He lied, grinning. “Did you just arrive?”
He kept a smile on his face while he spoke. Nothin’ like that southern charm, eh?

[Dani Elkwood]

Do you think I'll fit in Dad? Dani questioned as her and her father drove down the driveway into Firefly Fields Academy. I'm sure you will sweetheart. Even though you are a freshman, think of all the other freshman, sophmores, juniors, and seniors you'll be meeting, and have never been her before. Her Dad said. And your two beautiful horses will be just fine. Dani looked at her Dad and smiled. He was a rancher in Wyoming, and had payed for her to be able to come to FFA. She nodded. Her phone started up it's ringtone of "Home on the Range" Caller ID- Mom. She answered it. Hey Mom!... I know, I'm gonna miss you too!.... Ok, yes I have everything I need.... Yeah, ok I love you too!.. Bye!


She hung up just as they stopped in the stables. Her Dad got out and put down the trailor ramp. He led out Eclipse, then Fire. Dani went into the large tack/dressing room of the trailor and emptied it of her belongings. She went back to her Dad and hugged him. I love you Dad! I guess I'll see you later. Text me. He nodded and kissed her on the cheek. See you later sweetheart! He handed her the two lead ropes, and got back in the truck and headed home.



After Dani had put away all her stuff and her horses, noticed a guy and girl standing next to a stall with a beautiful mare hanging her head over te stall door. She walked over to them. Hey, I'm Dani. Nice to meet you. She smiled rather nervously, not knowing what else to say.





Wordcount- 302

[Melanie Black]

...Amy Cameron...
…I miss screaming and fighting and kissing in the rain…

Amy couldn’t help but smile a little but didn’t know if she should feel flattered or offended by his charm. She brushed it off and was about to reply when a neigh caught her glance. Capricornia moved restlessly in her stall. She had to ignore it but noticed the freshman that had entered, a girl as well. Still, Amy brushed the thought off and paid attention to Luke, flashing a soft and “shy” smile she took his hand with ease. ”Nice to meet you to Luke.”

[/i] Sure she could be charming and sweet herself, that didn’t mean that she would stick to it. Amy was like a wild horse; she was really sweet but didn’t trust people so she took it slow. And seeing the beautiful Hanoverian mare that Luke had told her so, of course she didn’t judge the horse by it looks. A horse could be ok-bred, well-bred or grand-prize-bred. Amy didn’t bother about it because she usually heaved over when riding her Percheron mix mare. The dark dappled mare snorted in her stall as she noticed that she was being ignored a little. Ears flicked as the horse watched the new two-legged that entered with two other horses. Snorting again the seventeen hands tall equine moved into her large stall turning her back to the world and sniffing the ground while waiting for Amy to come.


Eragon on the other hand was a complete opposite. He was an imported horse and had been her twelfth birthday present. Of course this was two years after her mother was killed in an accident. The thought depressed her a little but Amy had lived through it and Capricornia was the proof. They had been through a lot together and Amy was glad that she had a horse which she could support herself on. Hearing his question she turned her head giving him attention again, she smiled after she had let go of his hand and nodded until she released some tunes herself. ”Yes, I’ve only been here once before to check out the facilities. I just hope my mare will settle down soon, she’s not fond of new places.” Amy gave a light grimace when she heard another voice, turning her head lightly she noticed the freshman, probably a year or two younger then herself. Now Amy wasn’t one to judge people or horses, but she was harder to warm up when it came to girls. Why? Because she had been betrayed by her friends in the past, she was living in the now yes, but the experience had formed her like this, careful and cold towards females. No wonder some girls thought of her as a b…. she was acting like one.


”Nice to meet you Dani, I’m Amy. I’m really sorry but I have to check on Capricornia, she’s restless.” She gave a gentle and friendly smile to Dani and Luke until she turned and walked easily towards the large stall. The rump, which was welcoming her, made the teen roll her eyes but she clicked her tongue softly. The sound made a large head lift up with ears pushed forth. The dappled mare turned around and pushed her head down in Amy’s chest. The large intelligent eyes closed so ever softly and Amy felt how the ongoing tension slowly eased up. ‘Kiss The Dirt’ as the mare really was called had been bred to be a ‘rodeo’ horse. Problem was, she was seventeen hands tall and weighted almost one thousand and eight hundred lbs. was she fat? No, but she had a massive muscular system because of her cross breeding hence her name. She made the people kiss the dirt with a swift of her large kick and they were off. Amy had found her cross tied and alone as a three year old. If it hadn’t been for her mother she would’ve never gotten the large stubborn mare, and that would really be a downhill for Amy Cameron.


”Easy girl, want to go for a ride right now? It’ll ease you up with some western, right?”[/i] The horse released a soft sigh as an answer to her question and the teen smiled, looked like she had a deal. But she wasn’t used to riding alone, not in new places at least. She glanced over to the other pair, should she? Eyes went back to the half asleep mare and she smiled. She couldn’t stay alone, and Capricornia would probably be stubborn, which would make Amy focus more on her and that was a good thing. She let her head twirl a little until she decided to give it a chance, why not just jump into the fire right? She stroke the mare’s forehead for a minute until she walked back to the pair, she leaned against the same spot again and glanced for a minute thinking still and spoke lightly. ”Sorry about that, she’s a rescue horse.”[/i] She gave an apologetic smile until she awaited to hear what the pair was talking about, she was curious, a slight bad habit, but who cares, right?








Tagged ;; Luke & Dani
Outfit ;; tada!
Words ;; 848
[/blockquote][/size]

[Dani Elkwood]

Dani smiled at Amy. That's ok. Everyones horses can be restless. She reached up to pet Luke's mare. Amy,what breed of horse is Capricornia?

She walked over to the next stall with Fire in it. This is Fire. He's the one I use for english. As you can probably tell, he's an arabian. And that,she siad pointing to Eclipse. is Eclipse, my sweet 'lil paint for western . I know it's kinda funny that I have one horse for each, but I always say that it is so each horse can focus on the one kind of riding. She laughed, a twinkle in her eye. She glanced at Luke and smiled.


Well, what do you guys wanna do? I am getting excited to try out the trails. Anyone want to come? she asked, glancing toward the trails.

[Luke Peters]

Well, this was funny.
The whole purpose of his barn visit was so he could get his paperwork done, although by the looks of things, it had turned into something quite different. It felt like only a second ago that he’d been biting his pen, trying hard to think of fodder for his essays, and now it seemed he had been tossed into a ring of girls, all talking at once.
Okay, that was an exaggeration. Maybe not a ring, just two, but still. Whatever the case, Luke was loving it. After all, it wasn’t every day that you met two girls who seemed eager to get to know you. Were they eager? Luke sure was, he loved meeting new people and making friends. Who didn’t, really? The smile hadn’t left his face since Amy had introduced herself, and it didn’t look like it planned on leaving anytime soon. Since he’d yet to formally meet the new girl, Dani, he figured he’d exchange the same ritual he had with Amy.
“Hiya, Dani, I’m Luke.” He outstretched a hand. “S’a pleasure to know you.” He watched how comfortable she seemed with V, and silently thanked God that she was such a good horse. The last thing he needed was for this nice girl to lose a finger at his expense. He doubted then that people would be so eager to meet him.

As the girls chatted, he took the time to give them the once-over. Not in a creepy kinda way, but he might as well take note of their looks. Amy seemed more his age, although still a little younger than him maybe. Dani, too looked younger than him. Not that he cared or anything, but he’d yet to meet anyone his exact age yet.
Nodding as Amy excused herself to check on her restless horse, he figured he might as well make small talk with Dani. “So, what grade are y’in?” As soon as the words left his mouth, he felt rather annoyed with himself. He really needed to stop conjugating words together; it made him sound unintelligent and fitting of the southern stereotype. He leaned against V’s stall, and gave her neck an absent-minded pat. There were a lot of conversations going on, and he knew he wouldn’t be able to keep track of them all, so instead he just nodded and kept his gaze interested. He peered at the girls’ horses, and listened to their brief descriptions, but otherwise kept his mouth shut.
Shut, that is, until Dani mentioned the trails.

Since that was his original intention, he perked up a bit at the idea. But then again, he didn’t plan on leaving Amy behind since she was newly arrived.
“I’m up for a trail ride, if y’all are.” He smacked himself internally again at his lack of proper grammar, but he felt stupid to correct his little ‘mistake’ now. “Just tell me when and where.”
He increased his smile.
Boy, he’d better find something to make him neutral soon, because otherwise his cheeks were going to start hurting.

[Melanie Black]

...Amy Cameron...
…I miss screaming and fighting and kissing in the rain…

She listened to Dani talking on and on. Oh great, a talkative youngster, she wasn’t the best to handle those people. But seeing how she suddenly went close to Capricornia made the female walk in front of the mare protecting the large being with ease, her eyes stayed neutral and calm but gentle to hide how much she hated people taking their freedom and just walk straight. ”Excuse me, but don’t come close to her, she’s not fond of that many people.”

[/i] But hearing the question made her only ease up a little, she was curious as well, Amy was in big problems. But how it seemed was that this kid could talk with herself without bothering if people answered or not. Before Amy could even answer she started rambling about her horses and just as she noticed the large paint and heard western her eyebrow went straight up. ”Her? In western? You sure? She’s the same height as Capricornia and what I know of western the worst horse you’ll chose to be used in western is a seventeen tall horse. Of course, unless you use the horse like they used Capricornia.”[/i] Amy shivered remembering what they had done to the poor horse. It had almost taken her a lifetime to even start ride the mare, sure she rode Western on her, but not competing. The mare was too tall and muscular to be a western champ, but she was a great mover and jumper that were for sure.


”She is a Percheron and Quarter horse crossbreed. Surprised? I’ve only got one purebred with me and that is the stud over there. But please, don’t walk over to him, he needs to get settled down first and I am not paying the bill if he bites at you.”[/i] Her warning was short and simple and she patted the mare’s neck once until walking back to Luke and his mare, she had noticed how silent he was and lightly cocked her head to the side curiously. Maybe she should take him in the conversation as well? Well why not? It was better to start at some point right? She heard a high neigh from Eragon’s side and turned around to see a large chestnut head up in the air with lips apart, he was playing the goofy stud again. She smiled softly at the stallion and then leaned against the wall watching his mare for a minute. She looked really like a Hanoverian, almost a light and female version of Eragon, note, almost. ”What about you Luke? Your mare is a real beauty, she’s a pure horse right?”[/i] She glanced at him for a minute until the female admired the horse again. She was always like melted butter when it came to pretty grays, palominos or chestnuts; she had always loved those colors. Of course this was paints as well, she just never admitted it.


Hearing the question from Dani made her turn around to hear her speak, then she listened to Luke and felt like giggling but didn’t. Instead the teen folded her hands over her chest lightly, her light and straight hair blowing nicely in the breeze while her blue eyes went blank while thinking for a minute, or two, she didn’t count. Glancing at the rump of Capricornia she knew the mare had to get out and stretch, she never used Eragon for trails because he wasn’t completely safe with other horses or trails for that matter. Well, why not? She could use some training on the mare in being with other horses, right? Eyes turned back to neutral and gentle expression and she put on a friendly smile. ”Sure, I’m up for it. Capricornia needs to stretch her legs. Which time were you thinking of?”[/i] She looked swiftly at Dani for a minute and then glanced at her horses, which horse would this kid take? The one that had the same height as her mare or the Arabian, not that Amy cared, she could ride a mule for all she knew. But that was just Amy, she didn’t trust anyone at all, they just didn’t know it.









Tagged ;; Luke & Dani
Outfit ;; tada!
Words ;; 690[/blockquote][/size]

[Dani Elkwood]

Dani looked at Luke when he asked her this question.I'm a freshman. And yes I am sure she is used in western, because I ride her, Amy. She let herself in Fire's stall and led him out. I was thinking in about 20 minutes at the Sinoa trail. It's not as long as the others. she replied. She tied Fire to a ring in the wall, and went to the tack room and grabbed her grooming kit, english saddle and bridle, and walked back to Fire. As Dani groomed her bay arab, she felt Luke's and Amy's eyes on her. That's funny, I don't remember QH being 17hh, but of course it has percheron in it, but from my experience, some aren't always that tall. She thought to herself. She patted Fire on his flank and started brushing his would-be-flowing-tail-if-it-didnt-have tangles-in-it tail.

[Luke Peters]

Boy, things were sure movin’ around here.
Or should he say, ‘hoppin’? That seemed a more fitting term, but then again, he wasn’t in the 50’s. Whatever the case, the once quiet, lazy barn had turned into quite the hot-spot. His ears were clogged with noise – whether it came from either of the frantically chatting girls or a random horse – and his eyes jumped back and forth from all sources of movement. Trust me, there were a lot. He still stayed silent though, an observant smile playing on his lips. Why talk when merely scrutinizing was so much fun? Idly, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a battered sugar cube. Tittering inwardly, he pulled off the lint, and offered it to V, who lipped it precariously first as if to convey the thought, ‘I don’t want to know where this has been.’ Eventually however, she gave in to the sugary temptation and swallowed it whole. Affectionately, Luke ruffled her forelock. He had never been into the whole, ‘macho macho man’ image, and so he wasn’t afraid to become attached to animals. Girls were a different story all together though. He wasn’t sure from where his commitment issues had stemmed, but stemmed they had, and it seemed he could do nothing about it. It wasn’t like it was hurting him, short term, anyways. He had no problem with a little fling here and there, that was cool. What really scared him were long-term relationships – marriage, kids… pretty much anything over five months. Just the thought of it made him uncomfortable.
For now, he’d stick with V.

So Dani was a freshman. Luke knew she looked younger, but that was alright. GASP! Seniors hanging out with freshman? Could it be? Oh, guessed you missed that. Yeah, Luke was a different breed of senior, one which didn’t find it necessary to poo-poo any inter-grade friendships which might develop. Your grade didn’t matter to Luke, only your maturity level. Heck, he could whoop it up with a fourth grader if he/she was mature enough. Luke had some friends that would have sent most seniors cowering for their adult buddies, making small-talk about liquor and drugs to make them feel older. Puh-lease. Sure, at pep rallies he’d yell out a few choruses of ‘four more years,’ but other than that, he was blind to grade.

In all his silly pondering, he almost missed the question Amy threw at him. About V, no less. Long-term pals of Luke knew that the key to his heart was through his horse. He’d be happy to answer any questions about equine-related things, especially his own bundle of joy. With another smile, he reached out to give V a loving pat on the neck.
“Who, this thing?” he said, playfully, as if he didn’t know exactly who she was referring to.
“This is Vanity Fair, otherwise known as V,” was he too late to make introductions? “and yes, to answer your question, she’s pure Hano. I’m a sucker for warmbloods m’self.” He chuckled, and gave V another warm stroke. “Bein’ a country guy, I guess the last breed people expect me to gravitate towards are warmbloods, -- I guess when you come from the south, you’re more likely to have a quarter or a mustang – but… I dunno. I ‘spose horses are like cars, you try ‘em out and see which ones you like best. Don’t get me wrong, I love all of ‘em, but warmbloods… they just suit me personally.”
Whew, quite a mouthful. That was the most he’d spoken all day. Modestly, he stuffed his hands into his pockets.
Figures, two pretty girls around and all Luke wants to talk about is his horse.

[Melanie Black]

...Amy Cameron...
…I miss screaming and fighting and kissing in the rain…

Amy just rolled her eyes; this girl was getting on her nerve just by talking. She had just stated a fact. But really, she didn’t care because it wasn’t her horse. Hearing that they had to be done in twenty minutes gave her some more time to listen to Luke and she smiled gently admiring the grey mare even more. ”No kiddin’? Eragon is the same, pure Hano, he is a stud though. And pleasure meeting you Vanity Fair, what a beautiful girl you are.” She smiled and let her hand out flat with a peppermint treat in case the horse wanted it, as a peace gift of course. Listening to more of his words she felt a little proud for getting him to speak that much. He didn’t seem to be one of those really chatty guys, but what did she know? She had no idea really; she was just plain interested in what he was doing. Long live the curiosity; of course she has heard the advice by her grandfather once. Curiosity killed the cat. ”Yeah, there is something special with Warmbloods, I love them as well, but then again I love every horse. If I was allowed by my grandfather and sister out ranch would’ve been full with many different horses. But Warmbloods are really great, so can you get ready on her in fifteen minutes? Or do we have to wait on yah?”

[/i] She winked playfully the challenge until stepping into the tack room and fetching the mare’s soft brush, her western saddle, pad and bridle.


It didn’t bother her if she was the only one riding western, but it was the best way to make the mare relax and work fully when they were on a track. But it surprised Amy that Dani knew about the trails here. Maybe she checked them out or something. She brushed the thought off and walked out with the tack and soft brush, the mare didn’t need to be brushed because both horses had been given the best farewell treatment her home could give them. Both were shining through and she was not taking her horse out of the stall. Putting the tack over the wall she unbolted the door and walked in. Bolting it back behind her she let the soft brush go over the dark dappled coat with ease and checked her feet in case of any stones. Being pleased that there were none the female found the pad and adjusted it upon the large broad back. She took the saddle and let it slide from a little up on the mare’s neck and back on place. Knowing what she was doing the female easily tied the girth and checked the saddle over; she let the stirrups stay up and fetched the bridle. The metal bit went straight in the mare’s mouth and after a couple of minutes the dappled horse was ready.


The teen smiled and kissed her muzzle lightly. ”Good girl, let’s show ‘em some fun, aye?”[/i] The mare sniffled in her chest making the sixteen year old giggle. Patting her forehead lightly she opened the door and took the mare out. But the thing was, Capricornia wasn’t like every other horse. Because with just a pat on the horse’s neck Amy walked back without watching the large dappled cross and closed the stall door. The mare followed her moves gently and murmured when she came back. Eragon whinnied lightly wanting to go as well and pawed the door impatiently. Amy rummaged in the saddle bag and found a little bottle, she took it and shook it once and walked to his stall. The mare leaned her weight on her hind hoof and relaxed behind the female. Finding the feed bucket to the stallion Amy kissed his nose once and took two large drops of the containing fluid in his feed. ”You’re not ready big boy. Stay here and flirt with the mares.”[/i] The horse snorted as an answer but started eating the feed gently. After patting hit neck once Amy turned and walked back to where Capricornia was, she slipped the bottle back in the back and locked it easily. Looking at the other she spoke gently. ”We’ll wait for you outside.”[/i] Her tongue clicked and she went outside with the large mare.


Entering the outside the barn she took down the stirrups and mounted the large equine. Slowly the mare moved a little uneasy but soon enough Amy used little contact with mouth and body making the mare walk in a fluid circle. This was going to be a challenge for the large horse, she wasn’t fond of people, men were the worst but she accepted horses, which was a good thing at least. Female patted the horse again and let her in long and tight circles while waiting for the others, of course inside she hoped that Dani wouldn’t come, but that was just Amy, correct?









Tagged ;; Luke & Dani
Outfit ;; tada!
Words ;; 824
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[Dani Elkwood]

Dani finished Fire's quick groom, and tacked him up. As she pulled the cinch tight, she saw Amy walk out of the barn. She rolled her eyes. What was that girls' problem? She acts so stuck up or something was definetly wrong with her! After the cinch, she put on the bridle, then took off the halter, and walked out of the barn. The bright mid-morning sun flashed in her eyes as she lead the gelding down the short path. It was then that she saw Amy on her mare pulling her around in tight circles. Dani walked past and stopped under a tall blossoming tree, and mounted. She squeezed her legs around the spirited arabian and asked for a walk. Fire did as he was told and went into a pleasant walk towards the barn. There, she waited for Luke to come. So there she was, stuck with a self absorbed junior, and a quiet senior. Oh joy!

[Luke Peters]

Alright, so he was alone.
The girls seemed to clear out pretty fast after he’d stopped talking. Was it his voice? That was funny to him, so he chuckled to himself. Not out loud of course, he didn’t want to be the freak who laughed at nothing. But strangely enough, he enjoyed the sudden quiet. Sure, it was a shock for his eardrums, but it felt kind of nice to be able to hear himself think again. His eyes, now in need of another subject, switched to V, where he couldn’t help but release a laugh. Alright, this one was not internal, but anyone observing him could obviously see the source of his chortle. Before she’d tottered off to do her own thing, Amy had bestowed upon V her most wanted gift: peppermint treats, and now Luke couldn’t tear his gaze from the comical antics of his horse as she tried to unroot any leftover peppermint molecules from her lips. He would have to remind to thank Amy for this later, but for now, he had a challenge to meet. Hell yeah he was going to be ready in fifteen minutes, and if Amy hadn’t have left so quickly, he would have told her so himself. Instead though, he leaned smugly outside V’s door, continuing to survey the two girls as they cavorted around getting their horses ready. He noticed that Dani was being very quiet, maybe because of the recent face-off between her and Amy? It was moments like those, when the catty remarks were flying, that he thanked his lucky stars that he was a man. All that drama couldn’t be good for one’s health, could it? Oh well, no time to worry about that now!

With a gentle nudge, Luke pushed V out of the way so he could enter her stall. She had stopped frantically licking her lips, but stood still with a puzzled expression on her face. V was intelligent, but she could be pretty goofy sometimes. Like now. Her stance was awkward, since she hadn’t really adjusted from Luke’s relocation. Her tongue -- which still had flakes of un-dissolved peppermint flakes -- was slightly exposed past her grey lips, and her ears were askew. Luke gave her a gentle pat on the flank. Now what was he missing…
Oh right, his stuff.
Silently cursing himself for being such a half-wit, Luke let himself out of the stall and jogged down the hallway towards the tack room. All his stuff was there, hanging on the pegs quite messily like always, but he just selected his english bridle and a soft brush from his little tack chest. Quickly, he trotted back to V’s stall, where he exhaled before entering again. Since he had been riding for so long, Luke was a master in the art of brushing down, and so accurately and swiftly he groomed V from ear to hoof. Although he had just done a basic job with one brush, he could still tell the difference in her coat. Was it just him, or did it seem to shine? Either way, he was proud of his job. That was one thing about Luke, he never did a half-assed job. It was all or nothing for him.

Now came the bridle. V being the good horse that she was allowed him to slip the bit in with little hassle. He’d had a horse once, Nosebleed they’d called him, who was very skittish around headpieces. It was nearly impossible to ride him because he wouldn’t allow you to touch him with rope nor chain around the head. Luke smiled in memory. He’d been dismounted a good couple times off ol’ Nosey, all because he’d been too nice to teach the poor creature to take a bit. Instead, he’d learned the hard way that not all horses respond to voice commands. Oh well, Luke was a softie for animals, what could he say?
Tightening the throat latch, Luke realized that he was all alone in the barn. The other two must have already gone out. Was fifteen minutes really up yet? He didn’t think so. Finished buckling, Luke opened the stall and led V out into the isle. She was a big animal, so he was careful not to bump her haunches into anything as she walked, but it was really only a few paces to the stool. What, no saddle? Yup, he was playin’ it dangerous. Not really, since V was a pretty safe ride, but you never know. Stepping up on the stool to mount, he felt the heel of his boot slide on something. His application papers, maybe. Oops. He’d forgotten all about those. Oh well. With a half-hearted shrug, he hitched himself onto V’s back. That’s when he saw the cowboy hat.

If you’re going to make an entrance, why not do it in style? Smirking, Luke pulled the hat off the stall. He’d left it there weeks ago, and had never taken it home. It was paying off now. With the hand that wasn’t holding the reins, he positioned the garment on his head, slightly crooked, and urged V to walk. He had to duck as they exited the barn as not to hit his head on the beams, but once out he straightened up again, a grin playing on his features. As he neared the two girls, he let his idea play out as he tipped his hat, steering V around the two. He kept his hat tipped and his head dipped as he spoke, “’Afternoon, ladies. You ready to ride?” He felt spontaneous in his actions. He wasn’t always so quiet, y’know. As V twisted around towards Amy, he pulled her to a halt. Readjusting the hat on his mess of brown locks, he winked at her and smiled. “So tell me, did I meet your bet?” His eyes sparkled. This was turning out to be a real fun day.
Giddyap, Cowpoke!

[Dani Elkwood]

((Don't forget to post all of the people on this thread!!! Please!))

[Melanie Black]

(err...he did o.o and sorry for taking so long but I've got a summer job and friends and I'm catching a movie so it's going slow and my muse is hiding somewhere -searches-)