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 Posted: Thu Feb 19, 2015 10:32 am
It was perhaps too cold a day for riding. Lovely shivered against the wind on his way to the stables; he could see his breath in puffs of white vapor upon the air. The weather called for snow that evening, and more was likely to accumulate in the next few days. Truthfully, it wasn't the ideal weather for much of anything except sitting around inside with a cup of tea or hot cocoa, watching boring reruns of equally boring shows on the television.
Lovely didn't like to be bored. Of course, there were lots of things Lovely didn't like, but right now being bored was chief among them, and as it was too early for the night-time activities that shall not be named in the light of day, he had no other ideas for a distraction except to either practice the piano at the community center instead of in an empty house (and thus force himself to hold a conversation with someone else in the process) or pay a visit to Clementine, his horse.
As going to the community center meant potentially (very likely) running into Ilian Jones, whom Lovely really wasn't in the mood for at that moment, he decided on his horse instead.
That was one of the things he hated about the city as opposed to the country—that he had to stable his horse elsewhere instead of keeping his very dignified pet at home, which meant he had to hop onto public transportation to get there and sit around a bunch of sweaty, smelly people and their equally smelly, screaming children. He stuck his nose up at all of them and turned to watch the city pass by out the window instead of talking to anyone, disembarking gratefully once he finally arrived at his destination.Kolina I hope this is okay for a start!!
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Posted: Thu Feb 19, 2015 11:34 am
((OOC Note for myself: This occurs before the RP 'Learn the Hard Way'))Any normal person would have opted to not head outside in lieu of the oncoming weather and the downright cold temperatures, but Chailee hadn't been able to get to the stable the past two days and she felt so guilty about it. Her school life and new night life had taken up so much of her time that getting out to see Willow had to be postponed. Finally though she was going. As soon as her father had gotten home Chailee hopped into the car. She made sure to bundle up with leggings under jeans, her tall riding boots, a few long sleeved layers under a bulky sweater, her jacket, a nice warm scarf and leather gloves. She had all intentions of getting out for a ride, even if a short one, so she was prepared. And she had managed to pull off her multiple layered look with a shabby chic sort of style. It worked for her. Sure, Chay could have taken public transportation if she had wanted to but truthfully she took the time after school to hurry through the bit of homework she had. This way there wouldn't be any pressing thoughts of school overriding her enjoyment with Willow. So when Mark pulled the car up near the entrance of the stable, Chailee leaned over to kiss his cheek before hopping out. "I'll just take the bus home then! Thanks Dad!" Slamming the door shut she turned and stuffed her hands in her coat pocket and felt a small shiver down her spine as the cold hit her. "I have to be nuts going for a ride when it's this cold out." As she turned to start down towards the building a bus pulled past her on the main road and stopped at the bus stop. Since there wasn't anyone waiting to get on the bus she wondered who it was that was getting off when a blonde haired boy exited the vehicle. She vaguely remembered spying him around the stable now and then but had never met him. Well, now's a better time than ever right? Heading towards the boy who was obviously on his way to the stable Chailee walked up to him and smiled shyly. "I am glad I am not the only one crazy enough to come out here on such a cold day."
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Posted: Mon Feb 23, 2015 6:19 am
No sooner had the bus pulled away to continue on its route than Lovely was stopped by the sound of an unfamiliar voice. Instead of continuing on his way to the stables, Lovely paused to glance at the girl who approached him. His expression was blank, tinged with the slightest trace of annoyance.
He was sure he recognized the girl. He didn't know her name (at least not until she provided it), but the hair was hard to forget. He stared at it as if trying to determine whether or not it was natural. No doubt he looked a bit prissy in doing so, but Lovely had never particularly cared what other people might think of his reactions.
Lovely wore a cashmere scarf and a thick, hip-length navy-colored peacoat against the cold, with leather gloves protecting his hands and earmuffs over his ears (he didn't care to mess up his hair by wearing a hat). He was not quite so bundled up as this girl appeared to be, but then he wasn't one to allow himself to look ridiculous, even if it meant battling the cold. Beneath his fashionable winter-wear he wore a button-up shirt, a tie, and a pullover sweater. A pair of black snow-boots protected his feet and the bottoms of his corduroy pants from the snow.
He accepted the girl's greeting with a nod of his head, but Lovely didn't offer his hand to shake.
“Lovely Belrose,” he introduced himself in kind. Then he grew silent again, examining the girl the way one might examine a small child.
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Posted: Mon Feb 23, 2015 11:23 am
Lovely’s quiet and haughty disposition wasn’t lost on the girl. In fact it made her feel a bit uncomfortable as she stood there being judged by the boy. She fidgeted a bit, under his judgemental gaze, with a button on her coat a little unsure what to do since it seemed he wasn’t going to respond to her. Maybe I should just excuse myself and go to the stable. But there was also the possibility that they’d run into each other there as well. When he gave his name she tilted her head slightly. A few curls annoyingly fell in front of her eyes and she brushed them back and behind her ear. “Um...Chailee Sterling. It’s nice to meet you.” And the awkward silence set in. She didn’t know what to do or say and her hand and eyes fell back down to the button on her coat. Oh, this is unbearable. Realizing that she was, in a way, avoiding the conversation she had tried to start she took a deep breath and let it out quickly as she looked back up to him from her rather uninteresting button. Might as well continue with an easy subject. “So...um...did you come to go for a ride or are you just visiting? I thought I’d try and beat the storm and get some exercise in before the snow falls.”
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Posted: Mon Mar 02, 2015 6:28 am
Lovely could tell that the girl felt a little awkward, and he was sure his reaction was the cause, but he hardly cared. She'd been the one to approach him, after all. It was her fault, or so he told himself. He certainly wasn't the sort to be sympathetic.
He nodded a response to her “nice to meet you,” but made no effort to repeat the phrase. He'd yet to determine whether or not it was truly “nice” that they'd encountered one another. He could have gone without the interaction and been pleased to have been left to himself.
Vaguely he thought of how anti-social he must seem. A part of him wondered if it was the reason he'd yet to acquire any friends since moving to this city, but he forced the thought away and didn't allow himself a moment to care.
“Just visiting,” he replied.
Lovely was tempted to leave it at that and go about his business, but inevitably decided he should at least make an effort to seem welcoming whether or not he wanted to be.
“I didn't think the weather was appropriate for a ride,” he added. “I might risk it. Clementine's been cooped up long enough.”
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Posted: Mon Mar 02, 2015 3:43 pm
Chailee was beginning to wonder if walking up to Lovely was maybe a mistake. The boy didn't seem all too interested in what she was saying and was being rather curt and well...non social. So she stood there feeling awkward and unsure of herself and contemplating a way out of this little situation she had gotten herself into. But then he opened up. And Chailee was all too ready and willing to take that opening and plot right on through to try and win him over. She liked to make friends and making a friend with a fellow rider could be a lot of fun! "Oh! Clementine?" She smiled and giggled softly. "That's an adorable name!" She held up a finger. "I think if we get out as soon as possible we can enjoy a nice ride, get the horses exercised and be back before it gets bad. And, if we ride together It'll be even better! It's actually really pretty to ride when it's snowing. At least I think so." She nudged him slightly with her shoulder. "Let's go! I bet the horses will love it. I know Willow will enjoy the company as much as me." Then she paused for a moment realizing that she had just assumed that Lovely would want to ride with her. "Well...that is if you want to..." She looked at him hopefully.
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Posted: Mon Mar 09, 2015 9:25 am
Lovely in no way felt awkward by the stilted conversation. He was used to this sort of stuff, shooting people down when they tried to find some way to get him to socialize. In his opinion, socializing and being friendly turned out to take way more of an effort than it was worth, so he didn't try.
But this girl was persistent. That should have annoyed him, and in a small way it did, but he figured there was something to be admired in it. It wasn't often that someone took his curt responses and tried to turn them into an actual conversation.
He frowned a bit when the girl said that Clementine's name was adorable.
“It's a dignified name,” he corrected her. He chose not to mention the fact that he'd named her for “Oh my darling, Clementine” when he'd been younger.
Still, learning the name of her own horse put him at ease. “Willow” was a dignified name, not like Cookie of Biscuit or whatever other ridiculous name people felt the need to saddle their horses with.
He considered her offer for a moment. Truthfully he would rather be alone, but she'd been persistent so far and he assumed that would only continue. They would see one another around whether or not they spoke to one another. Chances were the silence would become too awkward for a girl who seemed quite talkative, and she'd likely begin talking to him again at some point throughout their stay anyway.
With a sigh he finally said, “That's sounds agreeable,” and made a motion with his hand as he continued, “After you.”
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Posted: Sat Mar 14, 2015 11:10 am
Chay wasn't put off by his correction. "Well fine. It's adorably dignified." She chuckled. This boy was...well...obviously not the talkative type that was pretty obvious. Truthfully he seemed somewhat distant, like he didn't have any interest in being around her or chatting with her but Chay began to wonder if maybe he was just use to being alone and didn't know how to deal with other people? Well it's not like I can just avoid him. We'll probably be near one another while we get the horses ready so there's no turning back now. Besides, she'd love to make a friend who owned their own horse. It opened up a lot of possibilities. "Oh perfect!" She clapped her hands together in delight when he agreed to joining her for a ride. "I am sure we'll have fun!" She headed off towards the stable and walked happily in silence for a few minutes until they reached the doors leading into the main stable area. "So, do you and Clementine do any shows or is she mainly for pleasure riding and companionship?" She glanced back at Lovely before pushing the door open and heading into the warmth. The scent of sweet hay and horses was very prominent and Chay smiled in contentment. When Lovely was inside she continued. "Willow and I do some competing in show jumping. We aren't extremely serious about it but it's a lot of fun and keeps up both in shape." A few snorts broke the silence as a few of the horses poked their heads out of their stalls to see who it was that entered the building. Chay reached out to pet one of the nearest ones, a beautiful grey roan gelding, on his forehead. "This boy here likes Willow. The two of them are always together when they're out in the paddock."
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Posted: Wed Apr 08, 2015 9:08 am
Unbeknownst to Chailee, her assumptions were correct. Lovely was used to being alone. With two older brothers who were both grown before he was even a teenager, and a mother who cared too much about socializing and her romantic affairs and who was frequently absent, Lovely learned at an early age to rely on no one but himself. At this point pushing people away had become as much a part of his character as it was a habit.
Though he highly doubted he'd consider their time together “fun,” Lovely nonetheless made an effort not to look too annoyed and followed Chailee to the stables.
“We don't compete, no,” Lovely said. “I don't see any point in putting Clementine under that sort of pressure.”
He was sure not to admit that another reason he kept from competing was because he was a sore loser.
“Though I suppose keeping your horse in shape is one of the few benefits,” he said, mostly so he didn't seem like as much of a jerk as he was sure he came across as.
Lovely spared no more than a glance for the other horses as he made his way down the line of stalls, finally coming to a stop before one and reaching a hand out to affectionately pet the horse within.
“This is Clementine,” he said of the horse with a gleaming golden coat, and a pale tail and mane.
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Posted: Sun Apr 19, 2015 1:14 pm
"Oh I wouldn't compete if Willow didn't like it." She smiled. "We both have fun training for it and being in the few shows we do. It's nothing more than an excuse to spend even more time with her." Chailee was completely clueless to the fact that Lovely's words could have been taken sourly by other people. "And you're right. It does work to keep her and I in shape." She continued to give a little love to the gelding until Lovely stopped a few stalls down. Chailee didn't waste time and trotted down to his side to peer into the stall at the beautiful golden mare. "Oh wow! She's so pretty!" Chailee grinned as she took in the mare's appearance. "Her coat is so incredibly shiny! You've got yourself a very stunning lady in your life." She winked and giggled a bit. A wicker from down the lane pulled Chailee away from the golden mare and she hurried down tot he head that was poking out the stall door. Willow whinnied again as Chailee drew close and the girl happily greeted the bay mare, petting the diamond shaped mark on Willows forehead affectionately. "This is Willow." She introduced Lovely as the mare lipped at Chailee's coat. "Alright alright. Give me a second." She laughed as she dug around in her coat pocket and pulled out a single sugar cube and offered it to the mare who took it greedily. "I've got her so spoiled." "Anyway, let's get them tacked up and get going so we can beat the snow." She smiled at Lovely before hurrying to gather up all of Willows tack. It didn't take her long to grab the saddle, reins, and blankets before she returned to Willows stall and began to get the mare set up.
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Posted: Sun May 10, 2015 7:25 am
Lovely smirked with pride at the compliments being heaped upon Clementine—and upon himself by extension. He liked compliments. It meant he (or in this case, his horse) was appreciated, and he liked being appreciated. He liked the acknowledgement and recognition. Certainly, he felt as if he deserved it.
Clementine tossed her golden main as if she, too, were pleased by the compliments. Perhaps both Lovely and Clementine had a bit of vanity in common.
Allowing Chailee to do most of the talking, Lovely nodded and made a few noises of acknowledgement where he felt he needed to, moving down the line of stalls to see Willow—which, after the compliments Chailee had paid to Clementine, was the polite thing to do.
“She's beautiful,” he said.
He gave no response to the spoiled comment. After all, Clementine was no better.
Nodding again, Lovely went about retrieving Clementine's tack, preparing her for what seemed as if it would be a quick ride. The sky outside was growing grayer, the clouds thicker with threatening snow.
“We'll have to hurry,” he observed once he had Clementine appropriately saddled. “It looks like we'll have just enough time to get a little exercise in. A few flurries shouldn't be too bad. Hopefully it won't start coming down heavy.”
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Posted: Sat May 30, 2015 6:20 pm
Chailee looked up at the offending sky. "Yea. We should be alright for a little while yet. But you're right. We'll have to make it a quick ride." With both of the horses saddled and ready to go Chailee mounted up onto Willow who danced a bit in anticipation. Chailee reined the mare in and laughed. "Seems we're not the only ones looking forward to some exercise." Chailee prompted Willow into a walk, careful of the fact that, despite being able to mostly see the ground, there were certainly some slick spots. The last thing she wanted to see was Willow getting hurt on a pleasure ride. She directed the bay to a simple path that skirted just inside the woods. It was one that most beginners used when first starting trail riding but would keep the two close enough to the stables should the skies decide to open up and begin dumping copious amounts of snow. Plus, with it being as cold and late as it was, Chailee wasn't expecting to see anyone else on the trail. Usually it was so popular she just avoided it to enjoy some quiet time. "So, what got you started riding? Like a typical girl I always wanted a pony and eventually my dad caved and got me Willow." She leaned forward and patted the mare's neck. "She's more than a pony of course, and a perfect match I'd say. Though a bit tempermental at times."
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Posted: Sat Jun 13, 2015 6:32 am
Lovely followed Chailee to the trail, a bit disappointed by how deserted it was. He'd been hoping there might be some other people around for Chailee to talk to. Maybe then their encounter wouldn't be so awkward.
He should be kinder, he told himself. It wasn't as if talking to people was bad. He should learn to be more social. Certainly it would please his mother. But it was difficult for him. He was more of a loner—not entirely because he wanted to be, but because he thought most people weren't worthy of his attention.
Whether or not Chailee was worthy was up for debate. He'd only just met the girl, after all.
“I started when I was five,” he said. “My mother was taught to ride when she was younger. She thought it would be a good skill for me to have, I guess, though really it's not much needed around here.” He shrugged, “But I enjoy it so I didn't complain.”
Ask her something about herself, Lovely told himself. He was very aware that the conversation was already pretty one-sided, but he couldn't for the life of him think of something to say.
So he decided he should humble himself with an apology, “I'm sorry if I seem... distant. I don't get much social interaction these days.”
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Posted: Fri Jul 10, 2015 3:57 pm
Chailee didn't seem to mind really that she was leading the conversation. In fact, the girl hardly noticed. She was quite happy just to have someone to talk to even if he was rather on the quiet side. "Oh, you started younger than me. My mom didn't want me to have lessons if my father didn't want me to have a horse when they felt I was old enough for one. I started lessons when I was seven and got Willow here about three years ago." She smiled fondly at the pricked ears in front of her. At his mention of being distant Chailee just shrugged. "It's alright. I don't mind. I mean...if you don't mind me just talking your ear off. I can shut up for awhile if you'd like." To prove her point that she could keep her mouth shut for a awhile she took to riding in an amiable silence as she glanced around the woods. It was quiet. There wasn't much of a wind and the snow already on the ground did a wonderful job of soaking up any sound made by them and any small critters. It wasn't long though that the first faint flakes began to fall from the sky. They weren't very numerous. In fact, it could easily be categorized as a flurry if Chailee hadn't known there was a storm on the way. Watching the flakes fall caused a large grin to spread across the girls face. "It's rather magical to look at." She said aloud, breaking her short vow of silence. Sunshine Alouette Oh God I suck! So sorry this took so long! crying
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Posted: Tue Jul 14, 2015 3:54 am
Lovely made a point of actively listening as Chailee talked about herself and her own experiences with riding. It wasn't that he was particularly interested. Chailee seemed like a nice girl, but he hardly knew her. He simply did it to be polite. It would be rude of him to ignore her, especially when she was being kind to him despite the distance.
He appreciated the quiet when it came. Somehow he felt less awkward in the silence than he did when it came to conversation. He thought it might be because he didn't have to fake or force anything. He could just let things be as they were.
He said nothing to encourage her to talk again, though the expression on his face shouldn't be entirely discouraging. If anything, he probably looked quite blank. It was a better face to put on than uncertainty, he thought, even if uncertainty was what he truly felt.
“Magical?” he wondered, lost to his own thoughts and jarred out of them quite suddenly when Chailee spoke again. He looked around them and only then noticed that the flurries had started.
“Oh, the snow,” he observed. “Yes, I suppose it does.”
Lovely quietly cursed himself for his lack of eloquence. He was failing at conversation making, and failing hard.
“What else do you like to do?” he was finally able to ask. “Other than riding, I mean.”Kolina Awww, you don't suck! No worries!! <3333
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