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 Posted: Fri Dec 08, 2017 1:20 pm
Quote: Spending the weekend back at the farm, can you please make sure Butternut gets some attention? Thanks, Mom.
It wasn't that Suri didn't know how to ride horses--she'd barrel raced until she was eleven. She just didn't want to be pitied.
She made the drive across town to the equestrian center first thing in the morning, the grand complex of stables and tracks and trails where her father boarded his horses. Back at the farm, the Ellis family had a modest her of their own, a collection of sturdy draft breeds and a few retired racers from when her father had decided he wanted to try his hand at a breeding project. Only two of these had made it up to Destiny City when the family made the move to the more current residence--one being a svelte and severe creature her mother rode, the other being Butternut Squash, who Ted described as 'a real good girl'. Of the two, her father's horse was the one that longed for any sort of human attention, but she was already a favorite of the stable hands, who snuck her carrots and sugar cubes in between feedings. Suri suspected her mother's true objective was simply to get her outside, around people and away from her books, and maybe with an elusive sighting of the only Ellis child Kerry would have something new to discuss at her book club to other women who would clutch at their pearls and think 'thank goodness, not my child'.
She didn't park in the handicapped spot in front of the center, even though there was a wheelchair-bound stick figure painted on the license plate of her powder-blue sedan. To the receptionist at the front, she spared only the the briefest of pleasantries before making her way towards the stables themselves, a messenger bag over her shoulder to offset some of the stutter to her gait. In her black peacoat and riding boots, it was easy not to notice the brace on her left knee that held up her leg. More so than usual, she passed for normal and whole, largely because for once she was in a place where no one might know her story or her circumstances, and horses couldn't look at her with sad or curious eyes.
It was kind of nice, now that she thought about it.
Suri hung her bag on the rung outside the stable itself, pocketing a few carrots. She followed the hallway of stalls until she saw a familiar tawny snout chewing on a wooden bannister in excitement. "Stop that," she chided, rubbing between the stocky bay's nostrils until she snorted and clopped back in retreat. Suri's hands shook and her fingers itched the whole time she unlooped the bridle and bits from their resting place, and she ached to sit already, but Suri would not rest if it meant she had to spend more time of her day on her mother's errand than necessary, not when she had research to plan.
“We’re just going to take a few laps, you and I,” Suri murmured, arms full with tack when she unlocked the stall door. She started to reach up to place Butternut’s bridle, but the horse lifted her head just out of reach, ears back. Suri lowered her arms and Butternut began to sniff at her pocket, but the moment Suri tried to raise the bridle again Butternut’s head shot up, eyes distant like she’d heard something.
In her head, Suri heard her father's hearty laugh and a reminder to be friendly, mind his other favorite girl.
“Okay, Squash, we’re going to go for a ride now,” Suri repeated, her voice and patience a shade thinner. This time she went for a bribe, shuffling around the straps so she could offer a pocket carrot as incentive. Butternut knickers, hot breath over Suri’s shaking hands, and then the horse bent her head down and politely scooped the carrot free from her fingers. However, before Suri could slide the bridle over Butternut’s ears, her head shot up, nostrils flared in a snort while she chewed on her prize.
Suri was getting played by a horse. She wanted to scream.
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Posted: Fri Dec 08, 2017 4:50 pm
Days with the horses were what made everything else worthwhile. It didn't even have to be his horse, though there was no substitute for the Hanoverian mare he loved so much. Just walking into the stables, hay dust and arena sand hiding in the corners by his feet, the scent of leather and more hay and horse washing over him as he passed through the door... prompted an immediate relaxation he didn't find most anywhere else.
There was a dark little head with intently perked ears waiting for him as he made his way down the broad aisle, pale star shining on her forehead under her forelock as her lips moved with her huffing wuffle of greeting and excitement. Trey meant time out of the stall, and treats and attention besides, and for Firefly, that's all that mattered in her little world.
"So happy to see me." He murmured as he got close, running a hand up the front of her face as she stretched immediately to nose his hips where the treats hid. Treats she got, and a good brush down in the aisle since she'd been out in the pasture and it showed. Only when she was satiny again did she get saddled with the custom fitted english saddle and bridle before being led towards the arena in her bright blue leg wraps. It was vanity, really, that had them matching the polo shirt Trey wore.
Reins in hand and a lazy mare clopping along in his wake, the young man had little attention to spare for the other visitors to the stable, though their horses of course caught his attention and an appreciative eye. Passing an open stall, movement caught his eye and he slowed as his gaze slid over a shorter woman to the uncooperative bay she seemed to be struggling with. Or he suspected was struggling with. When the horse lifted it's head, it far exceeded her reach, to his amusement. Pretty sure the horse knew it too and was taking shameless advantage.
After a moment of watching, his horse waiting patiently, and unbothered, behind him, Trey dug into a pocket for one of his apple treats and held it out to the rider as he stepped forward.
"Hey there. My Firefly used to do that too. Would you like a hand?" He said, offering a warmer and more genuine smile than he felt like he'd done all week at work OR home.
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Posted: Sat Dec 09, 2017 2:13 pm
At the first sound of a voice, Suri didn't glance back, but her shoulders rose as an indication that it had, in fact, been heard. "She's not normally this difficult," the woman admitted through gritted teeth, hands clenched over the bridle. When Butternut tilted her head forward to smell out the newcomer, Suri made her move, reaching up over the bay's forward tilted ears just a hair too fast. Butternut snorted and bucked back, ears flat when she stomped in place, nevertheless patient enough with her owner's daughter to stay still.
Face red and lips pursed, Suri glanced down at the outstretched apple, and then up the rest of the man. Most people towered over her, this was nothing new, but they usually had the sense to be frustratingly tall somewhere away from her, not enclosed in a space like a stable. Her eyes caught on something familiar about his face and lingered, narrow while she tried to puzzle why the shape of his nose rang so many bells.
Her brain provided the name Trey Cameron and the image of some social function nearly a decade ago, a boy that had been half this size but wore the same eyes. She blinked, glanced him down and up, then blinked again.
"--You give it to her, she's going to trample me if I try anything," she blustered, shifting her weight so that her bad leg hid behind her. Did he recognize her? Is that why he'd stopped? Suri hadn't prepared herself to deal with the children of her mother's fake friends today. Was she supposed to say anything? What were the social obligations of this moment? Tension paralyzed her, and she felt like if she weren't holding the bridle, she might just fall over. Did this family acquaintance know about her accident? Didn't he? Which was worse?
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Posted: Mon Dec 25, 2017 5:59 pm
Trey watched with bemusement as she gave him a once over, frowning at him in a way that made him feel faintly like he'd done something wrong. Was it wrong to offer to help someone? He hadn't even suggested it was her own fault for it, jerking her hands around and screaming her discomfort with her body language. Horses could read those signals... down to the subtlest flex of muscle and shift in weight...
But he hadn't said that. He'd barely even thought it and there was no way she could have read his thoughts, eery as it seemed.
Whatever she'd seen seemed to have convinced her, at the least, because she moved out of the way even if she didn't take the crunchy oat and apple treat held. He rolled it between his fingers before he gestured at the bridle she held.
"Try unbuckling the cheek strap. I can maybe get her head down so you can put the crown over her neck, and sort of half buckle it again. She shouldn't protest too much about it, and it'll give you more control to keep her head down while you get the bit into her mouth. Then you can tighten it again. Sound good?" He wiggled the treat at the interested horse, making a soft, encouraging noise with his mouth to draw her in. "I'll just play distraction for the moment, so she's not focused on what you're doing."
Up close, the young woman looked familiar, though getting a good look out of the corner of his eye made it hard to place where. She must not be part of his usual social circle or important enough to take notice of, or he would have made a point of remembering, but he was certain they'd met before. There was something about her eyes and the set of her chin that just tickled at a memory.
"Do you come here often...?" He said, before the awkwardness of that question caught up to him and he grimaced inwardly. Smooth. If I were going for a pick up line. In a barn. With mud on my boots.
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Posted: Sun Jan 21, 2018 11:45 am
The more he spoke, the more Suri remembered--it was the same voice, just pitched lower, projected through a grown body. She generally hadn't played well with the the children of her parents acquaintances, certainly not the younger ones, but Trey had always seemed sweet, if a little too eager to please. With no better argument to refute his idea, she nodded, fidgeting with the straps with her shaky hands until the buckle came loose. She watched, half in disbelief as Butternut pleasantly leaned her head forward, sniffed at the man's hand, then ducked down and gently took the treat from his hand.
Suri didn't waste time. She slipped the bridle over the bay's head, adjusting the straps with no protest on part of the horse, and ended with the leads in her hand and a befuddled look on her face. Of course. In the presence of someone else, Butternut was as pleasant as could be, after she'd given Suri nothing but sass and made her look inept. It was infuriating.
"Not usually. I'm here on an errand for my mother," Suri scoffed with a flippant shrug, rolling her eyes. "But I appreciate the help. You..." Was she supposed to bring up their acquaintance? In a public place, it was entirely appropriate to turn one's head down and ignore someone that they'd known only in high school, but Trey was right there, and they'd already made eye contact, and he was playing at some amount of interest because he didn't know who she was. She hated the pretense of it all--something needed to break the silence.
"...you got tall," she finally remarked, something more honest than pleasant but awkward all the same. "Sorry--you probably don't remember me. Trey, right? I'm Suri. I think we raced once." Her amber eyes were trained coolly on him, but her hands belied her in the way they fussed at the lead. "You're looking well."
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Posted: Sat Jan 27, 2018 10:57 am
Trey released the horse as the young woman took over, accomplishing her task with a minimum of fuss. Probably frustrating for her, but the task was done at least. It felt good to offer this small, simple bit of help. It didn't cost him anything, so why not?
He brushed his hands off on his riding pants, but it was her next comment that pulled him up short, confusing bleeding across his features in an unguarded moment.
Got tall? He didn't remember this woman, and the confusion persisted until she introduced herself, and suddenly something shifted and familiarity woke. He remembered an older, and taller at the time, girl that had been a daughter of some of the endless round of 'friends' his parents had had. He had had so many occasional playmates, but it was the name that stuck out most, followed by a memory of horses and more closeness to another child than he usually felt for anyone but Rowan.
And he remembered a crush, young and shy and dumb.
A far more experienced Trey put every skill he had into the smile he offered her, affecting casual and natural with a touch of invitation and amusement he had worked for years to perfect.
"Suri Ellis! I'm surprised and pleased to see you grace my little home away from home." He said as he slipped out of the stall, giving her comfortable conversation space and an escape route if she wanted it while he retrieved Firefly from where she had been patiently waiting. The mare perked up as he drew close and nosed at his pockets with a single minded demand, fully confident he owed her, for making her wait for him.
"It must be my lucky day, having your mother send you down. Are you planning to ride inside or outside? I can walk you, if you'd like the company. I'm usually alone a lot when I ride, but its nice to have someone to chat with from time to time."
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Posted: Mon Apr 09, 2018 10:02 pm
Oh no, he was smiling. Oh no, now he was being cozy.
Suri had been coasting easily enough under the radar, but no, she had to be the one to jog his memory and get him to recognize her, and now she was wilting under the warmth of his voice and the ease of his conversation. "You must have a strange definition of luck," she quipped back, struggling with the leads in her hands, but nevertheless she followed his effortless gait out of the stable with Butternut in tow. Trey made it look so easy, to walk and be affectionate with animals and feel pleasant. It had to be fake, like anything else her mother curated.
Or, she considered, ever the contrarian and especially to herself, This boy is just out doing something he enjoys, and you're letting yourself get upset for having the nerve to need someone else's help. Suri pursed her lips--she knew what she was feeling was out of line, but she also hated being told she was wrong, especially by herself. That being said, none of the anger and resentment she carried was rightfully Trey's, and it would do her no good to push it off on some boy from her childhood just because he had the misfortune to find her on one of her mother's errands. Suri was done being held in thrall to her own resentments--she made herself breathe, and even though it would be so easy to fixate on how unfair it was that he could be so carefree, she let the daggers on her tongue fall away. It wasn't Trey's fault that she'd been hurt.
"I was just going to go for a little ride indoors, but...if you wouldn't mind the company...it might be nice to catch up." Suri worked while she spoke, threading her wrist through her horses reins and reached for a saddle pad. She didn't seem to mind the weight of the saddle as she lifted it from where she'd stowed it on the railing, but it took her some amount of effort to clear the horse's torso and get the stirrups in place, fumbling through her mental checklist until muscle memory started to take over. With every strap tightened, she took a moment to glower at how tall the stirrups looked when they were adjusted to account for her frame, but she wasn't about to go looking for a step stool. She huffed quietly, bent down to collect her bad ankle, and with her hands helped guide the limb into its rightful place in the stirrup, before lifting herself up and over into the saddle. It was neither a beautiful nor graceful attempt, but she nevertheless ended with a soft landing and seated, looking at Trey with a mildly self-satisfied smile.
Her hair might have been an undignified mess of tawny fluff in the aftermath, but that wasn't the point. A year ago, she would have hardly been able to stand on her own, so this was a victory, even if was a small one, even if it was just clawing her way back to normal. "So," she said, a little breathless, "Where were you wanting to go?"
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Posted: Fri Apr 13, 2018 11:53 am
There was a part of him tempted to help when she began saddling her horse, but he'd seen the way his help had ruffled feathers. It seemed the better route to watch instead, idly scratching his horse behind her ears as he leaned on her shoulder, while Suri handled the task alone. It wasn't easy or graceful, but he felt a sense of satisfaction when she finished. He wasn't sure why she struggled so much, perhaps it had been a long time? At least until she began the process of getting herself into the saddle, and the way she handled herself, the way she had to hold her leg... tickled a sense of something wrong he hadn't noticed before.
Her leg seemed stiff, and she treated it like it didn't bend properly... a disability she'd gained somewhere along the way? He had the briefest moment of pity, watching her hauling herself up into the saddle, but it faded as she managed it with aplomb and settled herself confidently in her seat. Whatever was wrong with her leg, she wasn't allowing it to hamper her. Trey admired that determination. There was no reason to comment on it and rather than mount up himself, he waved a hand down the aisle and drew his horse along by the reins, setting a course for the indoor arena.
"I think inside is best. Its colder than I like outside, and while the arena isn't the most interesting place, I think its prospect has improved immeasurably with the current company." The young man said with a grin and a bounce to his step.
"You're not still in school, are you?" He said over his shoulder. It was hard to remember just how much older Suri was than him, but he suspected she may have reached the beyond college stage now. "I don't remember if I heard about you attending a university... My contact with the children of my mother's friends has dropped off a lot in recent years. Everyone seems to be setting off in different directions."
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Posted: Fri Jun 15, 2018 11:37 pm
He thought she was still in school? Suri's nose wrinkled. "I finished my degree in 2009," she responded, doing her best effort to remove the unspoken I'll have you know from her tone. It wasn't rude of him to ask about her schooling. People went to grad school, they took breaks. He wasn't questioning her, he was making conversation, being friendly. She wasn't in danger here. He was an acquaintance. She was allowed to be casual. If he could manage it, so could she.
Suri tried to breathe, nudging Butternut to follow behind."Bachelor's in physics, all lined up with the recruiter to start officer's training for the air force," she explained, her eyes trained on something beyond Trey and his horse. "There were complications, I took a reprieve to teach. I just recently got a grant for a thesis I wrote, so starting next year I'll be working on that full time." It sounded so mundane a statement to describe the fact that she'd soon be putting her full-time efforts into her alter-ego activities, but such were the responsibilities of a general with a civilian life to maintain. If she didn't make it sound boring, then people might start asking questions.
"Maybe you just need a direction of your own to set out on," she countered, holding the reins in one hand. "Are you in school?" He was roughly that age, she supposed, though she had a hard time thinking about what landmarks in his life he might have fulfilled without feeling old. It was easier, at least, to talk to him while on horseback, where she didn't have to think about how tall he was.
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Posted: Fri Jul 06, 2018 12:42 pm
Trey remained on the ground for their walk, his elegant fingers curled lightly around Firefly's reins. For all the casualness of his grip, he still held her closer to her bridle than he would have otherwise... just on the off chance the mischievous Butternut were inclined to take exception to Firefly being so close, or vice versus. The bay was still highly interested in the treats in his pockets, but she could be persnickety if she wanted to be.
2009... Almost a decade ago. A little bit of a faux pas on his part, forgetting the difference in their age. It wasn't like it had been important, as a child... she'd just be a nebulous older. He'd have to be more careful going forward, and maybe catch up a little on what Miss Suri had been up to in their years apart.
"Congratulations!" He said with genuine warmth, flashing a smile over his shoulder. It was a smidge awkward, looking so far up at her, but he didn't begrudge her the extra height. "That's quite an accomplishment. I'm attending Sovereign Heights at the moment, but I'm getting ready to make the transfer to DCU. Majoring in Business and Fashion, of course, my mother would have it no other way. So I suppose I have a direction... I have a whole well-paved street for me, actually. Its just not the same direction as a lot of the peers I knew when I was younger. People grow up and move apart as they pursue different goals."
The young man walked the distance to the indoor arena without mounting so he could open the gate for them, leading his horse through before he held it open for Suri and Butternut. It smelled like sawdust and regular dust and horses in here, and he felt the chill in his cheeks even if it wasn't the frigid temperature outside. He didn't need a mounting block to climb into the saddle, a bit of a vanity he pushed himself to with an audience. It was an effort, but he disguised it with smooth motions and a relaxed expression, settling comfortably into the saddle custom made to fit man and horse.
"I'm surprised to hear you were going for the Air Force." He said when he'd finished. "I hadn't thought of you as the military type. Standing up straight and saluting and being barked at by red-faced men and women. You always seemed the independent sort, so I'm far less surprised to hear you went into teaching instead."
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Posted: Fri Feb 22, 2019 9:57 pm
It was easier to let him speak, to talk about the life he'd lived since they'd last been in touch, and she leaned forward as much as her posture would allow, nodding along. No one had congratulated her on something as little as a bachelor's degree since she'd gotten it, and she pursed her lips, a little pink in the face--but all the same, she softly replied, "...Thank you."
She continued to nod along until they reached the gate, and then softly she nudged Butternut forward so the pair of them would be out of the way. "That seems like a good fit for you, though," she mused, tilting her head. Even as a child, Trey had been a soft, sensitive type, well suited to creative pursuits. It only made sense that he would be the one to inherit his mother's legacy and eye for design. Her eyes followed him as he practically glided into the saddle, effortless and graceful in ways she would never know. Her hands clenched around the reins.
"The Air Force was just a stepping stone," she said with a dismissive wave of one hand, waiting for him to get settled before she started to nudge Butternut into a slow loop around the arena. "It's the fastest track to the space program, being a pilot with combat experience," she explained, and then the rest of her story caught in her throat, and old story but still a sour one. "...It didn't happen, as you can see. But I never minded the structure, not with what was promised at the end." She supposed her relationship with the Negaverse was much the same way--always a carrot dangling just out of her reach or a fire behind her, both possible futures that hinged on her performance.
Suri sighed. "I hated teaching," she admitted, glancing up at the ceiling of the arena. Now that she was officially done with Crystal and moving on to Chase's company, she could say that, and it felt good to close that chapter of her life. No more bratty girls, no more brainless lab reports to grade. It was like someone had broken her shackles and now she could finally focus on what mattered--her research, protecting herself, someday ending the war.
"Honestly, Trey, when was the last time Crystal Academy produced something that wasn't a trophy wife?" She glanced back and for a moment thought of when they would race together, briefly entertaining the idea of kicking her horse into a gallop to see if he'd follow behind. But Butternut wasn't that kind of horse and Suri wasn't that kind of woman anymore. It wouldn't do to just goad him like that.
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Posted: Mon Mar 04, 2019 5:58 pm
A Pilot? He hadn't realized she'd flown. Or might not have? She didn't comment on her time there, or what had happened between recruitment and when she left. It didn't seem the sort of thing to press for, though he found himself deeply curious about it. He dismissed her own claim that his path fit him with a smile, smooth and charming.
His path had always been laid out for him. He couldn't it wouldn't have done something different if he'd had the choice, but it didn't really bother him now. You got used to expectations when you'd worn them for long enough. When there was no other path, you accepted the one you were on.
Trey laughed softly at her emphasis, giving her an amused look with strands of hair bouncing around his face. Firefly had a smooth trot and he fell easily into it, rocking with her motions so they didn't slam the two of them together. His thighs took the strain easily, second nature. His horse kept pace easily with Suri's, though he could feel the tenseness in her gait that said she was feeling frisky and competitive, being ridden with a partner.
"What's wrong with trophy wives?" He teased her rhetorically. "Someone has to marry all those billionaires, and women with real drive don't have the time or patience for them!"
"But I'm glad you're out of it, then. I assume you found something you enjoy doing more than teaching."
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