The cowgirl had previously held a strong standard of appearance, but a willingness to understand appearance did not necessarily get a job done. Here, the two went together hand in hand. They had given her a specific dress code to follow and a staff shirt. The riders, too, all had certain required dress codes, specifically allowed spur lengths, and times and uses of arenas and facilities were posted and expected to be strictly adhered to. Those who did not follow to these guidelines and other cultural subtleties were quickly ostracized, not directly to their face, but through a slow degradation of their character through rumor. Liberty had quickly formed to the standards expected of her; there was a time and a place to rebel, and this was neither one of those times nor those places.
What she couldn't say was that she had learned nothing. Liberty felt as though she couldn't stop learning. They'd adjusted her posture, tightened her hands, and taken riding from a loose, easy sport into a high-energy, highly-tense ballet of subtlety. But, beyond slight differences to style, Liberty quickly learned that the horses were still. . . horses, and in her fourth week (and finally free of trial tasks), she'd begun to appreciate and look forwards to the given challenges. Many people were fascinated with her western background. Most insisted they preferred English riding, but upheld Liberty as some sort of strange beast that held fascinating secrets if only they were careful enough in asking for them. There were, of course, other western-style riders that worked at the facility, but due to the expense, they often did not share the same laid back, no-worries personality that Liberty was so used to at home.
At 7:00 in the evening, Liberty was just finishing cleaning out boarding stalls. The lights in the covered arena had begun to hum, powering up before sunset. Most riders had already returned their horses to clean stalls, and Liberty was busy taking advantage of those which were still empty of horses.
Each stable had a written list of any behavioral issues, feeding schedule, and any additional care an animal needed in addition to the barn name of the animal, the name of the owner, and emergency contact information in case the animal should be injured. Liberty liked to say each horses's name out loud when she fed them, so she appreciated the printing of their barn name.
Adorn's stall, owned by Avery Hollister, was nearly finished. Liberty stood in its center, coated in a yellow-hue of shaving dust, and wielding a metal cleaning-fork. She'd already placed his grain and his hay in his foodbin, so that he could eat as soon as he was returned to his stall. His automatic waterer had been checked and cleaned.
She had only cleaned the horse's stall a few times before and had yet to run into his owner. Not that Liberty minded; some of the owner's were so micromanaging and particular that Liberty felt it was better to let her manager deal with them. She usually heard enough about each owner from the chatty-cathies that walked by, sharing their information. Unfortunately, most of the things she might have heard about Avery Hollister were buried beneath the huge list of compliments, awe, and jealousy that were produced over her horse. Apparently, he was expensive (what horse there wasn't?), had excellent bloodlines, and wonderful confirmation.
- It had been a great ride. Adorn was fantastic, and she didn't get to see him enough, so when she did, it was a pleasure. She didn't get to compete out here, it wasn't like back home, but the two of them still enjoyed going through the paces. He liked the challenge.
Liberty would hear the voice of Adorn's mysterious rider before she appeared, the young woman quietly chatting up her horse like he was her gay boyfriend. Or she was his gay girlfriend. Whichever.
"So I told her..." The soft accent trailed off as Avery discovered the only other human still in the boarding area, right in the middle of Adorn's stall. "Hello," Hazel eyes flicked over the stablehand - New? "You're new." A flash of white teeth against red-painted lips. "The others don't stay so late, and-" She narrowed her eyes, leaning in slightly with a hand pressed to Adorn's neck, "Are you sweating? I'm impressed."
Her attention moved past the (cute) new redhead to the stall itself. Everything was in order, and she seemed to be finishing it up. It was almost as good as back home. Impressed was right. "Are you impressed, Adorn?" The large horse made a noise that was more air than sound, pricking his ears forward. "Oh, you're fine."
"Avery," she offered, out of friendliness rather than necessity. "Should I come back when you're through?" Her spoiled horse could be a bit lazy, and she could tell he wanted to stick his gluttonous face right in his food bin, but the brunette was certain she could tug him off to do another walk about.
In the quiet, cool inner barn, Avery's voice echoed along with the four-beat sound of her horse's walk. She'd just finished taking out the last bit of wet shavings when a calm, 'hello' graced her ears. Liberty swallowed, and looked up.
What she saw was not the Avery Hollister that she had expected. Whether it was the surprise or that she was not accustomed to strikingly beautiful women addressing her, Liberty's cheeks lightly flushed. "Hi," she answered, a full smile gracing her lips. She rested the cleaning fork over the wheelbarrow she'd brought into the stall and quietly extended a hand.
"I'm Liberty," she gave in response. A light laugh, for Avery. "I don't know, that wheelbarrow might eat him. And, I'm clearly in cohorts with it."
She looked back at her handwork, as if uncertain whether it was something to be impressed about. "I just finished, actually. You can tell him I'm impressed with him, too. He kept his stall really clean. Most horses spread everything into an unrecognizable mess. His mom must have taught him good manners." A smile, for Avery, as she made her way back over to the wheelbarrow.
"I'll just pull this through and get it out of your way." With both hands on the wheelbarrow, she added, "Can I do anything else for you while I'm here?" It wasn't something she usually suggested; but, she didn't usually want to spend extra time with the boarders.
"I'd love to help you out in any way I can."
- "His mother belongs to mine, and they're both quite fearsome." Understatement? Yes. Liberty was joking with her, and it was welcome. A more relaxed interaction than some of the social competition and obligatory conversations that occurred with the other riders.
"Oh, no, I'll-" Avery's eyebrow was a smooth arch as it rose, lips parting slightly while she lapsed into silence as Liberty continued, past the point of job-related courtesy into something more... Genuine. It changed Avery's mind. "Actually," She mused over the word, let it linger on her tongue as she considered, gaze shifting to Adorn. "I meant to spray him outside, but it slipped my mind. Would it be a bother to ask you to snag it, if you head that way?"
"I'd ask you to stay with him, but," Her grin was more than a little mischievous, "He can be a bit of a wanker." He might have given one or two people a bite. Liberty would, hopefully, be spared such a thing. After all, the stall wasn't the only thing that was tidy. Cute, and helpful? Chalk that up to a great hiring choice. Avery was a glamourous girl and used to attention, but that certainly didn't mean she'd stopped enjoying it.
Something about the fact that riding horses was a family affair made Avery just that much more interesting to Liberty. Adorn wasn't just the expensive, perfect horse that mommy bought for her spoiled daughter. And while Liberty frowned upon judging before meeting someone, it was impossibly easy to fall into the internal gossip and mindset of an intensive horse world.
Liberty hid her musing with her back turned to Avery as she pulled the wheelbarrow over the lip of the stall. She carefully swung wide around Adorn, in case the horse decided to grow a sudden desire to lash out at moving objects with his hind feet.
"I'll empty out the wheelbarrow, and pick the fly spray up on my way back." Perhaps she shouldn't have snuck that look back on her way down the stall isle, but with Avery occupied with leading her horse into his stall, Liberty was certain she wouldn't get caught. If she did, well, there was always a smile to save her. It was well worth the look. The strong, muscular back following well-set shoulders and a practically framed posture. Riding was clearly not all that Avery did, but it meant she made those tight pants actually look good.
She left the wheelbarrow, empty, in the small overhang before slipping into the office. There, it was easy to record her name, and the time she officially clocked out. The fly spray, just before she re-entered the barn, was easy to find. She carried it back with her, lifting it up as she neared.
"Found it." The exclamation was mostly for the horse, in case he had not heard her coming. When she arrived, she leaned against the lower partition of a dutch door and passed the fly spray through. "I see he's a good eater." A regular vacuum cleaner by the look of it.
"I have to admit, you caught my curiosity." It was pleasant, here, the smell of fly spray, the cooling summer breeze and the munching sound of horses with their dinner. "You said your mother owned his dam. Have you had Adorn his whole life?"
- While the redhead snuck a look to appreciate the hours that Avery spent doing yoga, the brunette led her horse into his stall, letting him cast his judgmental looks about until he appeared satisfied that everything was as it should be, and shoved his face into his food bin. Greedy guts.
Avery was the one that started as Liberty spoke up, recovering quickly as she reached out to take the spray. "Ta," she said in automatic thanks, before shooting the horse a look. "Yeah, he's a slob."
The company, she found, was nice, as she sprayed the ground twice to the side of Adorn, watching him flick an ear at the sound, but otherwise give little response. She began at his hooves and worked her way up, as the two of them made safe, easy conversation. What girl didn't want to talk about her horse?
"Unfortunately," Her tone and expression disagreed, "We're stuck with one another." It didn't quite express how happy Avery'd been to hear that she would be able to take him with her to University, and that he'd been such an agreeable traveler [for a spoiled horse, of course]. "I do wish he was taken out more often," a frown touched her full mouth as she considered the few times a week she was able to make it. "We used to ride near daily, what with preparing for events."
"And you?" While it was true that Liberty was wearing a uniform, this was an expensive place to be, and many worked at the center for various reasons. Work trade for boarding or lessons being one of the top reasons, beyond internships. "Are you stabling here?"
Liberty's chest was completely pressed into the top of the door now. Her arms stretched over the length of it, and she tipped one foot up to balance on the toe of her shoe as she listened. Her smile was entirely Reever: big, broad, from ear to ear, as she laughed at Avery's humor.
"That sounds awful," she empathized. The light-hearted pitch to her tone said how wonderful. The smile faded, became focused like the furrow in her brow as Avery continued to speak. The redhead opened her mouth, straightening slightly, before she lost the nerve, and the chance to offer. She reminded herself that she had little experience with the type of riding Avery did and she'd probably do more harm than good to a fancy horse like Adorn.
"No," Liberty admitted freely, taking in a deep breath and letting it out in a sigh. She received the question constantly, felt strange when she could not answer yes. "I can't afford it, and I don't own a horse." Unless you counted the family horses, which did work, and therefore stayed where the work was. They were not animals you paid to have carted across the country to be ridden in an arena for fun.
"I had my first lesson here last week and I handwalk a few of the border's horses for them when they are gone." She rose, now, shifting her weight to her feet. "I ride well, but I'm not used to the kind of technicality English sports. I'd like to get quite a few more lessons in before I look into leases."
It was more than she'd expected to say. Spilling out her life's difficulties wasn't something Liberty was accustomed to giving to near-strangers. But, Avery had given her a piece of her life, and Liberty felt the need to give some back.
"I can handwalk him a few times a week if you want?" she offered. "If you want his legs stretched. He'd get a quick health-checkover, too."
- "You grew up with horses, too, then." The brunette's gaze moved over Liberty, sharp eyes catching the way her uniform shirt was tucked in, her jeans and boots. "I like your buckle." Her smile grew. "A real Western rider. Work horses?" There seemed to be no judgment in her tone, and if she were pressed for the information, she'd admit that it made her more, not less, confident in her initial impression that Liberty knew what she was doing.
When the redhead volunteered her services, Avery paused in her work, glancing up once more to catch Liberty's eyes with her own. "Oh," it was a pleased sound, the sort that came from legitimate surprise. "Would you? He'll quite happily get fat, otherwise." She pursed her lips at Adorn, who didn't seem to care much about maintaining his slim figure. "Can you let the manager know, so she can bill me directly?"
Business handled, she stepped back from the horse, raising her brows at Liberty. "I'm sure you'll master English in no time." Amusement crept in her voice as she considered the 'type' of clientele the center catered to, herself included. "If you want to, that is."
A tap from her boot, and a nod of Liberty's head signified that Avery was right in her assessment. Then Liberty was laughing, grinning, delighted in the use of 'real Western rider', as if it were something that you needed a license to do.
"I worked on a ranch, yeah," she grinned out as she stifled the rest of her chuckle. It was a pleasant thing, and she let her eyes linger on Avery as she said it. The Hollister had given her background respect, and Liberty was not only flattered, but put at ease.
"I'll be sure to tell her." Liberty was sure she'd get a spiel about freelance work, and she'd end up having to arrange payment on her own with Avery, separate from the barn; lawsuit issues, of course. But, she was also sure that her manager would want to know everything that was going on under the shade of her facility, so it never hurt to be very forward about what you were and were not doing.
"I'll work hard at it," Liberty assured Avery. The redhead hardly noticed the way her upper teeth grazed her lower lip, and she gave a nod of approval.
"I'd better be off, though. Good meeting you, Avery. I'll keep in touch about Adorn." Liberty extended a hand for the second time that day. A goodbye shake, a semi-formal way to announce a deal, and an excuse to touch Avery's hand.
