[R] Rainy Refuge [Rowan/Trey]

[Kolina]

"s**t." Rowan cursed as he made a mad dash for the stable. The skies had been threatening for the last hour that rain was in it's way but had never fully committed to the deed, so the teen had opted to try his luck. As it was, his luck hadn't held up. Instead, he swore the rain had waited until he was precisely half way between his car and the stable before letting loosing which meant no matter which way he ran he was going to get wet. So, into the stable he walked, his hair and clothes dampened from his made dash in the downpour.

The sound of the spring storm in the wooden stable was a pleasing white noise. It appeared some of t he horses in the stalls were drowsing to the noise while others remained on high alert, ears flicking forward. A wicker sounded from a bay gelding as he poked his head out to see who it was walking up the aisle and Rowan grinned at him, offering him a pat on the nose before continuing on his way.

"I hope you finished your ride already." He called out to the young man who was slipping into one of the numerous stalls. "Because if not you're going to be giving a very muddy horse a bath later." To emphasize his point he pushed his wet bangs from his face. Of course, his brother would have realized the weather situation just by the sound on the roof.

Scoffing at his damp clothing Rowan sighed. "Mother will have a fit over this. I am pretty sure this stuff is dry clean only." The gold eyed teen certainly didn't need to worry much about his clothing considering their mother's career and their income, but he was pretty sure, if he remembered correctly, that the white button down he wore was actually one of his mother's designs and one of the more expensive ones. "Hopefully it'll dry alright. I am certainly not stepping foot out there until this all stops."

Whimsical Blue

I hope this works for ya!

 

[Whimsical Blue]

A head of purple hair poked out over the thick wooden door of a stall and Trey leaned through the opening to get a good look at who was talking to the horses.

The lean figure was instantly recognizable, though he had already recognized the voice, and a smile curved across his face, making the corners of his eyes pinch in mirth. The young man's hair was wet, but not nearly as badly as his brothers, and there was a damp saddle on the rack outside the stall, a bridle draped across it.

A warm wuffle greeted the familiar voice and Trey's smile widened as he turned back to run a lean hand over the curious nose of his horse. The bay mare's ears were perked and her nostrils flared, taking in the scent of her owner and the young man she knew passingly well. Ever the opportunist, Trey knew a good portion of her interest was the hope that the arrival of another person meant treats in her future.

"In here." He called as he put the towel back to work, getting most of the rain rubbed out of Firefly's coat before it could chill her too much. A blanket was probably in order, and leg wraps. Maybe it was over caution on his part, but Firefly was very dear to him and the loss of her through misuse or neglect would be unforgivable.

"We caught the start of it." He said as he bent to scrub down one of her legs, a few tendrils of wet hair slipping down onto his cheeks. The barn was one of the few places he allowed himself to look unkept and the wet hair here was as enjoyable as the experience of caring for his horse. "Firefly will dry out, and so will your shirt. If you're really worried, we can send it out to be cleaned somewhere we haven't used before and you can blame the damage on them when it comes back."

Trey chuckled as he draped the towel across his shoulder and dug the hoofpick out of his pocket, leaning into Firefly's barrel to get her to lift her hoof for him to check.

Kolina

 

[Kolina]

the familiar voice echoed through the stable, managing to be heard over the pitter patter of the rain on the roof, and Rowan found himself slipping into the stall which had been left slightly open. There he found a much more soaked brother of his as he tended to his prized mare. "You look like you've both fell into a lake." He remarked with a grin at the water logged appearance. "Hey there Firefly, you didn't take him for a swim did you, girl?" He teased as he moved over to the mare's head to give her some love since he lacked any treats for her.

"And that's not a bad idea. The dry cleaners would make a perfect scapegoat." He said with a grin as he stroked the mare between her eyes. "I am I'll get lectured about using a different dry cleaner, but that's better than her lecturing me about taking care of my clothes." He rolled his eyes. He loved his mother dearly, and did think a lot about how he presented himself considering his social standing and his mother's job, but he grew tired hearing about the business and clothing all the time.

"So, need any help getting her dry or anything?" He questioned. "I am not going back out there until it stops anyway. I have no desire to look like a drenched rat like someone else I know." He poked fun at his brother again. "Perhaps I should go fetch you a towel to dry off with, too? One that hasn't been used on Firefly, perhaps?" His smile never left his face as he turned to lean against the side of the stall.

Whimsical Blue

 

[Whimsical Blue]

A low chuckle sounded and Trey wrinkled his nose.

"It's not that bad." He said as he ran the pointed end of his hoof pick around the curve of Firefly's hoof. It scraped up mud and a few little pebbles, but nothing terribly major. "At least I dressed for the barn, unlike you."

The hoof dropped when he released it and he straightened long enough to shift to the back one, leaning into a haunch till the mare lifted her foot.

"If you want, you can grab her wraps out of her storage, and the light blanket. I'm almost done and the blanket will take care of whatever's left. After I drop some feed in her bucket, we can go find a towel for ourselves, and maybe a cup of coffee in the office up front. I'm not sure its going to be stopping any time soon, if you're serious about waiting it out, but I'm always game to spend time here rather than at home. The horses are better company than most of the lot we see on a regular basis. You're lucky you missed out on that Gala... I felt like a mouse being watched by a hawk, the way Mother was staring at me the whole time."

The smell of straw and horse surrounded him as he worked, a comforting and familiar thing as it mixed with the dampness from the rain outside. There was a lot about this place he found more pleasant than really anything else... from the feel of Firefly's hoof, smooth in his palm, to her warmth radiating against his shoulder and the sound of the neighboring horse rattling around in his own bucket of feed. He didn't begrudge his brother joining him in this sanctuary... it was so much easier when they were here, away from it all.

Kolina

 

[Kolina]

Turning with a wave of a hand he went in search of Firefly's storage bin just outside of her stall. Opening up the plastic bin he rummaged around as he looked for the lighter blanket that he knew was stored there and the wraps. Knowing the damn wraps though, they fell to the bottom and were buried. "Coffe sounds perfect." He said while leaning into the bin. Eventually he found the blanket requested, and as expected, the wraps had fallen to the bottom. Grabbing hold of them he stood up, draped the blanket over his shoulder and elbowed the bin lid closed. "

"Considering I don't have much interest in riding like you, I'd say I am very appropriately dressed, thank you. And yes I am serious about waiting." He remarked. "I wasn't kidding when I said I didn't want to look like I took a dip in a lake." Tugging the blanket form his shoulder he began to unfold it, careful to make sure it didn't hit the dusty and hay covered floor.

"Yea, well, I won't say I am sad about missing that Gala." Carefully, once Trey was finished wiping the mare down, Rowan draped the blanket over the mare's back. It didn't take much work to smooth it out and belt it into place while Trey played with her hooves. Hooves were one spot on Firefly, well any horse really, that Rowan had no interest in touching. He'd seen enough injuries to know better. "You realize mother is going to keep pushing more and more responsibilities on you, right?" Rowan remarked as he smoothed out a wrinkle on the blanket. "Can't say I envy you."

"Though..." He grinned. "I am sure there were quite a few people dropping compliments and stroking your ego. That's certainly never a bad thing to hear."

Whimsical Blue

 

[Whimsical Blue]

Trey affected a smug and self-satisfied look as he accepted the wraps from his brother. Squatting down, he smoothed his hands down the straight bones of Firefly's legs and a smirk tugged his lips.

"I won't say I didn't enjoy some of the flirting I got." He said, before the smugness fell away and he was simply content again, in a place he enjoyed being. "But I ended up spending a good part of the Gala chatting up that mysterious Chase Black Mother took an interest in. Him and his sparkly girlfriend. I got the impression he was standoffish, at best, and didn't much care for me laying it on too thick with his Lady. But I got an agreement to meet again, and even an offer to help him with a benefit charity for his mother's memorial, so Mother was happy enough."

He started the wrap by the solid lump of knee and worked downwards, careful not to get too tight as he ran the rolled bandage around the leg. Firefly blew air through her nose, contented, and shifted enough to take the weight from a back leg. She was as comfortable as he was here, between two men she knew well, being lavished with attention. Spirited she might be, but the years of being one of Trey's few outlets for real affection meant she enjoyed being pampered and knew to relax for it.

"I think it'll be another Gala. He suggested Feburary, and an auction of eligible singles to raise money. Its pretty standard, as far as I can tell, but I think I can add a bit of flare to it. Or at least make it interesting, and as a bonus, get myself more into Black's circle. He could be a good connection to have... though I don't know if he's someone I'd necessarily see as a friend. Who knows though. Maybe he'll turn out different once he warms up to me, if he does."

Kolina

 

[Kolina]

Rowan raised a brow and huffed out a chuckle. "I bet mother loves you for making that connection." He drawled almost boredly. Talk about the work that Trey and mother did was never the most exciting for the youngest of Camerons.

"An auction of singles?" Rowan did laugh that time. "Please tell me you're entering that. How much do you think you'd go for, hm?" He jabbed at his brother good naturedly. "I imagine you could go for a hefty penny if you put your best foot forward." A snort and a shake of the head was not what one would call dignified, but Rowan didn't much care when in the company of just his brother. This was when he could just relax and be himself.

"So, you want to be his friend or your hoping, for your sake and mothers, that you can manage it?" It was a serious question. One out of curiosity than anything else. He didn't exactly judge his brother for such means, after all, he himself had played the game for years as well, but he was always curious if his brother ever did anything for himself when it came to these relationships he was building. "Do you like the guy?"

Whimsical Blue

 

[Whimsical Blue]

The older brother started at the suggested he be part of the auction, blue eyes widening as he paused in his wrapping.

"I... hadn't planned on putting myself on... sale." He said, angling a look up, but blocked by the bulk of Firefly's barrel. Something of a boon, considering he wasn't sure if his cheeks were pink or just warm from activity. The idea had never occurred to him, but really, it made sense, didn't it? He was single, eligible, and to most accounts, attractive and personable. If he put some effort into it, he was sure he could get a few good offers for a paid-for date.

But it felt weird, considering it.

Trey pushed that feeling down as he went back to his wrapping, trying to go back to letting his brother's teasing roll off him as it usually did. "More than you, I'm sure." He quipped. "As for Chase Black... its just business. I don't know much beyond his public face and what little I've seen, I get the thought that maybe he's not my type of friend. Like him? I hardly even know him, and he seemed pretty happy to keep that distance. We'll have to just wait and see, but don't go holding your breath, I think. All I'm hoping for is a good working relationship."

Each leg was wrapped in succession and then the fit of the blanket was checked, making sure it was securely fastened and laying comfortably. It would be a shame if a spot of irritation had Firefly rubbing the itch against the walls of her stall and wearing a thin spot in her glossy coat. He slapped her flank with good natured affection and then snagged his brother with a hand behind his neck as he headed for the stall door.

"Come on, let's get that coffee. It won't be anything fancy, but I think you'll survive."

Kolina

 

[Kolina]

Rowan flashed his brother a grin which likely got missed over Firefly's barrel. "Come now. I am much more attractive than you. Haven't you realized this yet? Are you still in denial?" With a chuckle Rowan patted down Firefly's side as he moved around to her front. He paused a moment to give her a scratch behind an ear before rounding to his brother who was double checking everything on the mare.

"Well, hopefully, you can at least make some business plans with him and keep mother happy. Knowing how you work, I doubt you'll have many issues. After all, you've got an audience with him now. That's a step in the right direction." Hands in the air, Rowan stretched upwards. His spine and muscles stretching out with a pleasant sigh of success.

He looked at his brother out of the corner of his eye as he was led from the stall with his brother's hand. "Hmmm...coffee sounds lovely. Though I'll lament the lack of soy milk."

Whimsical Blue

Fin? We can start up another one more recent?