i was never very good at playing nice [open]

[Jaye-Lynn Steeves]

Awkward and lonely were just some of the thing that could describe the way that Jaye-Lynn was feeling at the moment. It was so different then back home. There she was surrounded by people, horses and she was the one who spread the gossip but here she was just an outcast with her only friend was Kody and she was the gossip. Jaye wasn't liking it one bit. She knew that she was only here because a scout saw her riding and offered her a chance to ride at their equine riding school. As much as she hated this it was her only opportunity to get out there in the world and get closer to her dream.
Jaye-Lynn's dark hair was pulled back in a low messy pony-tail, her makeup was done to prefection. Mascara coated her already long lashes and eyeliner traced her bright aqua eyes and her lips has a clear coating of gloss. Jaye-lynn was dress very casual today. A tight fitting white top was partly covered in a half vest and she was wearing dark form fitting blue jeans with her favorite black tall riding boots. Perfect in Jaye's eyes for a day with her horse.
Jaye-Lynn walked down the long row of fancy looking stalls and she had to think to herself wow how lucky am I?. She didnt know how exacly she was going to be able to keep up the whole living away from home thing and staying at a place like this but she knew she would find away. Reaching the last stalls a delicate arabian head stuck out of one of the stalls and nickered. "Kody baby how are you my love" she quickened her pace as she closed the gap between her and her horse. Kody was her life, her pride and joy. Jaye didnt know where she would be if it wasnt for this horse.
The dark haired beauty sqwated down to open the chest on the side of the horses stall and pulled out a grooming hit and rested it by the stall door. "There we go my pretty boy"Jaye-lynn tightened her pony tail before slipping into the geldings stall and hugged the gelding tightly. "you really are my only pal" she said breathing in Kody's sweet horse smell.

[Dale McCall]

Dale squinted his large grey orb’s with indignation up at the bright sunlight, as it streamed through the sheaf of leaves atop the offshoot of branches above his head. He silently cursed himself for forgetting his sunglasses.

Who knew the day would turn out this sunny?

The path towards the stalls were practically deserted. Though Dale wasn’t sure if it was always like this, or if it was simply because it was a late Monday afternoon. Dale squinted as he glanced up into the sky, watching as several white clouds drifted by, casting their shadow’s upon the sandy surface below. He wasn’t sure what to make out of them; shape’s that was. As he sat and stared into the sky, trying to discern the patterns, he thought to himself that a few of them looked a little like marshmallow puffs.

He hadn’t been planning on coming out here, at first. What he had wanted to do was have a duvet day. He had just wanted to lay in bed all day, all cosy and warm like a little bug in a rug. Sure it wasn’t very productive, but life wasn’t always about being productive was it?

As Dale plodded along down the trail towards the horse stalls, he took a large inhale of breath - breathing in the scent of the Spring air, mingled with fresh hay, and horse feed, the closer he got to the stalls. It was something that he was getting used to (the smell of this place). Before Firefly, Dale lived in Dalston, Inner London. It was a very diverse sort of place. Very different from here, that's for sure. The closest Dale ever got to country living was when he visited his uncles homestead just North of London, where the guy owned a couple of horses.

Dale thought very fondly of his uncle. He had suggested that Dale enroll at Firefly for two reasons, one) he thought that it’d be a wonderful idea for Dale to learn more about horse’s, and two) It just wasn’t safe for Dale to stay in London. After the little fiasco between... never mind, it was for the better that Dale disappeared from London for a while.

His uncle was a great guy. Howard, his name was. He worked with animal transport, a kind of ranger, Dale supposed. When he was younger, Howard would let him stay with him at his home for day’s, sometime’s weeks on end. Thing’s for him weren’t good at home, you see, and his mum and dad didn’t have allot of money all the time, so allowing Dale to spend time at the tiny house with his uncle was often the best thing his parents could do for him.

Dale had always been a pretty good kid. Needless to say he’d never deserved any of the treatment that he’d gotten at home. Howard was more of a father figure than his own father - he was someone that Dale could idolize, and look up to, and count on. Who’d only tease him in a light-hearted way.

Dale tried to walk in a light-footed way as his boots crunched along the gravel. Normally he might not have been as careful, but these where white boots and as you probably know, dirt shows up allot more visibly on white than it does any other color. So what was he wearing? Well today Dale was clad in no other than a major breakthrough on the sewing machine. A mirrorball suit. It was a one piece jumpsuit sort of thing, with a zipper at the back similar to something that David Bowie, or Joan Jett might've worn, but made entirely out of iridescent sequins. As the sun hit it, it sparkled like a million rainbow's. He loved the androgynous transformation.

Dale’s hair, too was something that he loved. Raven-black in color, it was a a basic back-comb structure, slightly root-boosted framing a cheeky fringe. His hair was a bit of a theme in itself, it sort of looked like a woman’s wig, worn backwards.

He sounds pretty spruced up doesn’t he? No, this was pretty casual by Dale’s standards. If you caught a glimpse of his closet back in his dorm, you’d probably think you walked into a forth dimension, or something. Dale put allot of time into his appearance (evidently). He liked to look different. Growing up, his heroes weren’t comics, but androgynous musicians: Jagger, Bowie, Syd Barrett. (Although he liked Peter Cook’s style and looks too). He liked clothes and make-up, he liked the transformation.

He supposed that most people, if confronted with this sort of sight would immediately assume he was gay. But that was not the case at all. Dale was very compfortable with his sexuality; he knew he was straight. He read a book once, about the New York Dolls and David Johansen was saying that none of them were gay or even bisexual, and that when they started dressing in stilettos and leather pants, women got it straight away with no explanation. But a lot of men had problems. It’s one of those strange things. A man will go, ‘You bloody queer.’ And you just think, ‘Well, your girlfriend fancies me.'

It was more that Dale preffered the company of women. Men where inclined to think a certain way, while women where just cooler about stuff.

Dale wasnt planning on doing anything today, really. What he had wanted to do was have a duvet day. He had just wanted lay in bed all day, all cosy and warm like a little bug in a rug. Sure it wasn’t very productive, but life wasn’t always about being productive was it? Instead, he decided to wander down to the stall's to visit Zappa for a bit, and just scoff his face with sweets, which he was carrying in a small paper bag swinging idly by his side.

Sweets are the best invention in the whole world, in Dale's opinion! Bollocks to all that ‘they rot the teeth and mind’ stuff, do they hell! They painted his mind in every colour of the rainbow, but not the dark and gloomy colours, happy colours that brighten the place up. They sparked his imagination and made me grin stupidly. sweets. Packed full with sugar and additives and artificial colours. He didn’t know what the last two are but they taste damn good!

He loved the sweets that resemble animals the best like the long jelly snakes or the small chewy green turtles, but he did love lollypops and sweets that crackled in his mouth. He liked sherbet too, especially flying saucers; he'd bite them open as a kid and drained the powder inside. Sent him dizzy for hours, he used to dart about everywhere grinning madly not caring about anything.

Wine Gums where another favorite of his...but he could never have enough sweets. Jelly Tots too, being a magical sweetstuff as a packet contains 16.7% of your RDA of Vitamin C. And because they ( very slowly, and in chop ‘n’ change installments ) teach you your alphabet.

Chocolate was another favourite, as long as it was milk chocolate he’ll eat it. He could remember trying some dark chocolate once, not knowing what the hell it was. He'd bought this bar from the shop and tried one piece, spat it out and threw the rest of the bar away. Dark chocolate was not nice; it lacked sweetness and just tasted bitter. Apparently it was better for you than milk or white chocolate but Dale thought it was worse. White chocolate was simply amazing the way it melts in the mouth, feels all creamy and light.

Milky Bars were great but Galaxy bars beat them by a mile.

Can’t beat chocolate.

But sweets are pretty genius, they win hands down.

As the stable came into view, Dale noted the surrounding's he had come to familiarize with. Everything always looked the same; except now, there seemed to be movement in the stables. Taking a peek through the door, Dale noticed there was in fact someone in the stalls, talking in hushed whispers to who Dale assumed was the horse. She was a very tall girl, compared to Dale's petite 5'7" stance, with a tanned complexion, and dark hair tied into a low pony tail. "Oh, A'right?" Dale smiled as he approached her, speaking with his distinctive cockey lilt.

[Jaye-Lynn Steeves]

It really was a nice day out. But in Jaye's eyes it was to hot. To hot to wear long sleeved tops and way to hot for arm socks. So today was one of those insucure days for Jaye-Lynn. You see before she had gotten back into horse back riding and way before she wouldve ever gotten into a place like this Jaye-Lynn was a way differnt girl.

Growing up Jaye-Lynn had everything a little girl could ever want. She had all the newest toys and clothes and had everything she could ask for. But she was missing two things. Love and attention. No she had none of that. Jaye-Lynn's parents worked all the time and were gone away on business trips so she was left with nanny's most of the time and her parents showered her with gifts, trying to make up for not being there. At first it was cool and fun, but as time went on she began to feel and unravel what they were trying to do. So when she was 3 and the police showed up at her door to explain to her what happened, she had to force tears out of her eyes. In the back of her mind she couldnt of been any happier.

Jaye-lynn's i dont care about what happened attitude was for real for about the first year but as time went on she really couldnt fight what she was feeling. She became very depressed and began to not only do drugs but she started to inflict physical pain on herself. It worked for Jaye-Lynn it worked but people started to take notice and before she knew it, Jaye was in a Juvi hall and then she was sent away with the last people she wanted to live with. Her aunt and uncle.

Something happened then. All the nagging and arguements and the large for legged animals really sunk into her brian and somthing deep inside there clicked and told her she needed to change.Things started to change with Jaye-lynn. Things started to get better and better. Then in time somehow she got here and things couldnt be get any better. How it happened no one really knew. But it did.

Now standing in the stall she thought back to all those bad times but everything kept coming bback to where she was now. A smile tugged on her glossed lips. Yeah really she wouldnt want it any other way. But the scars were still there phyical ones and metal ones. With the cury comb in hand she brushed her mount's soft multi colored coat.

Jaye was pretty lost in her little world with Kody that she didnt hear the person who had entered the barn until his voice reached her ears and she spun around making Kody pin his ears at the stranger who startled his owner. Aqua eyes looked over the owner of the voice. Glaring slightly at his cocky litte face that matched his tone she spoke "can i help you? Im new here so dont bother asking me where the closest fag club is"she bitched out.

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[Dale McCall]

Wait. Hold up. Closet fag club? Dale had to admit, he took that as a bit of a shock. In an instant, his face went into the ultimate defence mode; eyes big, face innocent, looking for all the world like butter wouldn’t melt in his mouth. "Well," he spoke in mock-offence. "I was gonna see if you wan'ed some sweets. Bu' if you're gonna be tha' way, I migh' just eat it all myself." He pulled the bag a little closer to him, a daring smirk flashing across his features, showing two rows of slightly crooked teeth.

Thinking about it, everything about Dale had always been a little crooked. Crooked nose, crooked teeth and then there was his cheekbones and eyes that were just too big. Every one of his features fought for dominance of his thin face. He was unnusual, he loved to be different and it seemed to make him rather striking. Even wearing rediculous clothes, he seemed to pull it off fairly well. I mean, how many people did you know actually went out dressed like that?

Truth be told, her comment did hurt him a little. But if there was anything he learnt whilst growing up, it was that you should just let comments like that dissolve away like a berocca in the rain. Dale was an optimist. A friend of his once commented that if he saw a peanut, he’d think the day would be off on a good start. He’s a delicate flower. Y'know, it's probably harder being an optimist than most people think. To try and find some sort of scrap of good or hope to come out of even the worst of situations. He was not used to people disliking him. Usually he could win most people over with a joke, or a smile, or even a kind jesture, and he was determined to keep that track record going.

In an autimatic gesture, Dale lifted his free hand to ruffle at the ink-black strands of his hair as he stood a little more heavily on his right foot. Dale often stood a little crookedly. How could someone do any wrong if they couldn't even stand on their own two feet? His cheeky grin grew. Well if she wanted to play hard ball. Two can play at that game. “Although, I go’a tell ya, you’re no’ gonna ‘ave much luck makin' friends if you don’t do somethin’ abou’ that hair. I mean, what’s goin’ on there? You could prolly do with some deodorant, too. An’ probably a good psychiatrist - well anger management”

[Jaye-Lynn Steeves]

Okay maybe she was a bit harsh that time. But could you blame her. Look at the guy! If she was the only one to think that of him then there was a problem. Maybe I shouldve been a little nicer?....................NAW.Jaye-Lynn thought to herself. God could she be any more of a bitch?. Yeah probly but thats her.
With a hand perched on hip and the other rested on Kody's shoulder she glared at the freak that stood on the other side of the stall door.
Really though who went out in public like that? Back in toronto you expected that kind of thing when you stepped out of your house but this place. No she didnt think this was that kind of place. I geuss she was wrong.
Kody was still in alert mode but as Jaye touched his shoulder he relaxed but his ears were still pinned against his scull which was kind of odd for Kody. Jaye-Lynn had a feeling that it was what this 'guy' was wearing.
Her attention was on her stressed horse at the momment but her body then froze as the faggot spoke smart ass words. Jaye-lynn's arms dropped to her side and she pushed open the stall door not caring if she hit the male. Closing the stall just as the dick finished she glared down at him slightly. "Says the space caddet?" she growled out her eyes locked on his. Oh if looks could kill.
Jaye-lynn pulled out her pony tail roughly and her wavy locks dropped to her shoulder. "shut the hell up fuck face" she glared before crouching down to but her grooming kit back into her chest more then likely flashing him alittle thong. Standing up she didnt bother turning around just yet but she still barked at him "you are the last person who should be giving people advice expescially dressed like that" she snarled before closing the chest after she grabbed her bridle.

[Dale McCall]

Dale had to bite back his tongue, before he make a crack about a pre-menstrual cycle or something as putdowns like 'fuck face', and space caddet were thrown into the conversation, now. But if he'd learnt anything 1) growing up in South London areas and 2) Living with his parent's, it was how to defend yourself.

In South London, people are quite yappy and they kind of liked to take the piss out of each other naturally. There’s a different kind of humour in different parts of the country and in Northern area's it was a slightly more self-deprecating thing. South London, it was much more attacking and people really took the piss. You had to be on your guard otherwise you just get canned. The way Dale handled it, was by saying unconventional things. It was a little like spiking people. But just with his mind; he couldn't actually give them mushrooms. He'd had to spike them with sentances.

He had barely noticed the paint horse shifting about a little nervously in the stall that the girl was standing beside, with it's ear's laid back against it's head in a skittish manner, right up until he noticed the stall door rushing for his head. His large powdery blue eyes widened even more than usual (if that was possible) and he quickly stepped to the side just as it might've hit him. Well, that wasn't a very nice thing to do, he thought to himself. He wasn't overly sure if she had done it deliberately, or not, but he had a good sence that it had been with cruel intention.

"I'll have you know tha' this," He put his hands in the air dramatically, as a rock-star would as he adressed his crowd, brown paper bag still held in his hand as he spoke, "Is a major breakthrough on the sewing machine." The cheeky grin on his face still plastered across his crooked features, as the girl yanked out her pony tail, allowing her hair to fall around her shoulders. He knew he'd struck a cord.

Dropping his hands, as Jay stooped down to pick up a grooming kit, which he'd rightly assumed was hers, Dale's eyes caught glimpse of something sticking out the top of her jeans. He pulled his eyes away. How could any girl stand wearing something like that? Yet, it really was kinda attractive, in a strange sort of way. "Now, if ya don' simmer down a bi' I'm gonna," give her a Chinese burn? Pour cream soda on her? Where's he gonna get cream soda from? Jelly Babies? Nah. He loved Jelly Babies. "Cu' the stuffin' ou'a your pillow." He thought for a brief second, before allowing his tongue to curl about one of his incisors in an impertinent manner. "With a motorbike, made of jealousy."

Just as he finished speaking, he watched as she closed the lid of the grooming kit (not too gently, I might ad), and snatched her bridle from the stall. "Oh an' by the way, I've alway's wan'ed to know how any girl can stand wearin' a thong. It'd like havin' a perminant wedgie or sumfink, wouldn' it?" He meant it so that he was really only teasing in a light-hearted way. Dale was never the sort who'd intentionally hurt someone. Sure he'd made a few mistakes in the past but who hasn't? He just hoped that she wouldn't take the query the wrong way, although with how she was taking everything so far, he doubted his chances where very high.

[Jaye-Lynn Steeves]

This was different and not what Jaye-Lynn was used to. You see Jaye-Lynn bitched, freaked and or argued with random people often and usually almost all just coward away from her and allowed her to do as she pleased. But this guy was WAY different, and not just the way he dressed. This guy what ever his name was fighting back and fighting hard. Each time she threw a nasty comment he seemed to have some kind of come back up his rather tight sleeve. It was quite frusterating for Jaye and some of it was getting to her. (The whole hair thing)
Jaye-Lynn pushed her long dark hair behind her shoulders as she hung her expensive brown leather bridle on the hook above the trunk and with a cloth which she to had grabbed she cleaned the bit. Her mind still pondering over the fact that she was getting beat at her own game the freaks voice knocked her roughly out of her thoughts. Not looking at him while he spoke his first few words Jaye-Lynn couldnt beilive that he made that. "haha you got to be kidding me"Was all that Jaye-Lynn could say. Now people thought that she had issues aparently no one had met this guy.
Now she was focused and taking the cloth over her equally sleek and matching saddle. She didnt/wasnt listening to him at that momment thinking to herself that maybe if she just ignored him he would stop with the comments. WOAH. Jaye-Lynn Steeves backing down now tell that to the folks back home none of them would belive that. But he didnt and then thong came up in their intersting semi conversation. Turning around on her heels she glared but smirked. "Oh Le Freak hasnt worn one now thats a shocker" she growled out but glared at him. "how bout you keep your eyes up top now do us all a favor?"

OOC: shittay i know i was rushed

[Dale McCall]

As the girl scolded him for obviously taking a look at her thong, Dale shoved his dark fringe back, which had fallen over his eyes, giving it a restorative ruffle and then turned his face away rather fast, as though he didn’t want his expression to betray him and expose his not-so-secret secret guilty deed. Oh God, that made it even worse. Dale turned to face her again, just as quickly and jutted his jaw out slightly. He wasn’t just going to be his usual inadvertently sarcastic self and not thinking. He was going to do it on purpose now, just to get at her. He was going to make this a little fun.

"Well, if you were wearin' somefink like this ya wouldn' have that problem would you?" Dale spoke as full of attitude as the average teenager, with a slight smirk on his face – now a regular feature as he was talking to this tall dark-haired girl as he plucked at the front of his suit with an index finger and thumb. The result was a dozen small lights to shine across the walls and floor of the stalls as the sun caught the iridescent sequins of the suit.

He didn't want to be mean, nor did he intent to come across as that in anyway. If he had to, then he would. But he hoped it wouldn't come to that yet. What was this girl's beef anyway? Sure Dale's style was very ambiguous, but was that all? Or was there some other reason she was behaving in this way. The way she spoke to him, was in this annoying condescending tone that he could tell she was purposely using just to make him feel stupid. Or imply that he was being stupid. Or saying that he was stupid. Now, that wasn't on.

It took allot to make Dale want to purposely be mean to someone. Usually, Dale's sunny, child-like and naive disposition could light up rooms, making them not just bearable, but enjoyable. Making Dale laugh was the ultimate achievement, the absolute goal to shoot for. He reached into the brown bag now, like dunking for a lucky dip as his fingers grasped the first thing he found. Ooh three smarties! Not to sound like a broken record, but Dale really did love sweets.

He could remember of when his uncle used to drive them hours and hours to various places, with Dale munching happily on sweets in the passenger seat. Now and again the younger man would show him ‘how cobra’s ate’ or, ‘the best way to eat a cola bottle’, or pretend to be an ‘aging vampire with sugary false teeth’. And each and every Jelly Baby would have it’s own personality and incredibly detailed background. Julian had always found it a bit disturbing that, after telling him all about Mrs Red Jelly Baby with her family of five and her slightly contradicting jobs (“By day, a harmless old librarian; by night a stripper in a lesbian night club with the ability to turn into a hawk”) Dale would bite Mrs Red Jelly Baby’s head off and munch down her body without a second thought for the family she was leaving behind. This was usually followed by a question something along the lines of: “Howard, if you had the ability to transform into a hawk, would you?”

Dale popped the three colored smarties into his mouth, crooked teeth crunching down on the small chocolate's and decorating his tongue like the rainbow, before the colors merged together to create one, less bright color. "So y'sure you don' wan' any?" He shook the paper bag in her direction, giving his attempt civil solution another go.

ooc: it wasn't that bad pretty good actually.