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Penelope rather liked horses, to be honest. They were pretty and athletic, carrying an air of grace and authority that the girl found attractive. Plus, seeing how the individuals could come together to form a herd, each unique horse contribituting something to the whole... it gave the quiet girl hope that maybe she could help in some way too without having to step up and become the center of attention.

She had been happy and excited to come and help Harper in the barn, eager to repay her friend for her aid in creating cupcakes. In truth, she hadn't known how much help she could be... but she was good at following directions and had been able to fulfill the simple tasks her friend gave her. And then had come Harper's suggestion to feed this horse an apple as a treat before he had to be cleaned up. Well, sure, Pene could do that!

Which meant that she had to hold out the apple to the creature who seemed to be eyeing it with suspicion. Penelope wasn't far away, standing more or less directly in front of the horse in the cleaning area and struggling to hold the fruit still. In the palm of her hand. Yep, all she had to do was just... stand there and wait until those strong teeth came down and plucked the fruit up. Wait until he could potentially BITE HER HAND... and oh god he was reaching for the fruit!

The normally composed girl eeked as the horse chomped down on the apple in her hand, and she unceremoniously dropped it in the dirt as she backed away "N-no... Jani's fine... though I dropped his apple..."

A blush immediately coated Penelope cheeks as she replied with a small smile, "Yes, I know they're herbivores... but they have really big teeth all the same." Yet, whatever awkwardness may have appeared on her face dissolved into incredulous laughter as her friend made Jani's nose wriggle about. It was just... it was so silly, that such a graceful, intimidating creature had a lip that could be so... so floppy! Under the teal-haired girl's steady hand, her own fear seemed as ridiculous, and that only made her laugh all the harder, half-snorting before she stopped to catch her breath. "Okay... okay... one more time..."

More comfortable now with Harper's reassurance, she took the apple and tried again. The apple was a wet, sticky mess, thanks to the horse's intial bite and then the hosing necessary to clean off the mud. A small grimace crossed her face as she extended her flat palm; despite the humerous lip waggle of a moment before, she was still somewhat apprehensive. She just kept repeating to herself, like a mantra, the information her friend had given her and placed trust in her knowledge. A plate. It's just a plate. He knows not to eat the plate. Harper told me so.

The feeling of the horse eating the apple from her hand was... well, it was strange. On the one hand, the slobber and sticky apple bits were uncomfortable, and Penelope half-wondered if there was a towel or a bottle of hand sanitizer around for once she was finished. On the other hand, she couldn't help but marvel at the velvet feel of the muzzle itself and how it could be manipulated to get the desired treat. She tentatively petted Janissary's forehead with her free hand, not exactly sure if this action was correct - he was a horse, afterall, and not a dog - but it felt correct.

With the apple devoured and Harper taking over the horse again, the dark-haired teen was glad to have something else to do. "Of course... one second." Penelope held her still-dirty hand awkwardly; she didn't want to get apple gunk on her clothes or anything else, for that matter. When no towel or sink presented itself, however, she bit her lip and headed out to the barn gate, messy hand and all. With one hand she dragged the gate shut, grunting slightly at how unexpectedly heavy it was. Task complete, she made her way back to Harper, calling out, "All done! Is there anything else I can help with?"

While Penelope tried to keep her complaints to a mimimum, there was no missing the relief on her face when she heard her friend utter the words 'wash your hands.' While it had only been a few minutes since she had been covered in apple and slobber, to her it was a small enternity of ickiness and finally she would be able to be clean again! She made her way towards the office

The washing itself took only a few minutes; the water was cold, but welcome, and removed the offending mess well enough. The towel she used to pat her hands dry was dirtier than she might have wanted--but again, it did its job. From there, the dark-haired teenager moved to turn on the lights. Well, as best she could in the somewhat dark office. She rested a now clean hand She stared at the row of switches, biting her lip as she peered at the labels looking for the right one to flip. When she reached the fourth switch, she was fairly certain she had the right one... but just to be sure, after she flipped it on, she called to her friend, "Harper? Did that work?"

At first, she thought that she had succeeded. The lights came to life as they should... but then Harper told her that she had to flick the second switch too. "Oh... oh, sorry!" Penelope immediately apologized and worked to correct her mistake. Why the barn was designed in such a manner made little to no sense to her; in fact, the longer she stayed in this place, the less
logical it appeared to her. Surely the organization must work for Harper and the others that used the area more frequently, but... well, it plain didn't make sense to her. Her groping hand finally found the switch that Harper had indicated, and she flicked it up.

And nothing happened, or at least nothing seemed to happen... until the lights went out. Perfect. Penelope actually moved towards the door now, going to seek assistance. She wasn't just going to continue flipping switches with no real effect, not when her friend was there and could just show her what to do. She placed her hand on the knob as she called out, "Harper... I'm sorry to bother you but I just can't get it to work. I flipped both the switches but... I must've done something wrong..."

When Harper didn't immediately answer, the dark-haired teen began to feel uneasy. While she had always had a somewhat nervous nature, her experiences as a Senshi had done nothing but given her more reason to fear the dark. She was going to repeat her call when she opened the door, but she didn't have the chance with what happened next. Shouting, Sharp light. Harsh angles. She couldn't help but scream and take a step back, raising her hands defensively.

But her hands soon fell as she realized what had happened. Penelope brought a hand to cover her chest, relief swelling up in her once the immediate panic faded. It was just Harper; Harper with a flashlight and taking advanage of the power outtage for a cheap scare, sure, but Harper all the same. She was so relieved, in fact, that her overly polite demeanor cracked and she gave her friend a playful shove, "I think your flashlight would be better used in helping me figure out how to get the power back on, by the way."

For her part, Penelope tried not to let the laughter get to her. The black-haired teen was... too accustomed to getting laughed at, jeered at, pointed at. People made fun of her for how often she read books. People made fun of her for her awkward conversation skills. People made fun of her because... well, sometimes just because they were mean. But Harper wasn't being mean. Harper wasn't laughing to be cruel; she was laughing at the joke. No one had gotten hurt, and no one had gotten made fun of. So, it was okay for Harper to laugh. Really.

Outwardly, however, the girl showed no signs of these conflicts. Penelope folded her arms across her chest, closing her eyes in faux contemplation. "Hm... I dunno, Harper. Ghost stories after being pranked? That might be a little... intense." When she opened her eyes again, however, the light shining in them indicated that she was willing to go along with their original plan. In a way, she had no choice but to do so--she liked Harper. She didn't want to do anything to ruin the first true friendship she had ever really had. "But we can try, anyway. Let's go get your backpack and get started. Um... if we're through with the horses, of course."