Straighten up soldier || Open

[Timothy Cross]

The sky was blue . . . unnaturally blue and truthfully it pissed Tim off. Having grown up amongst clouds and fierce storms throughout the year this weather didn't suit him very well. The weather was out to get him you see. Always has been, its hot and sunny when he is in a bad mood and when he has work to do it storms. Not unlike his mare who knew exactly what days to push Tims buttons, today being no exception of course. She was doing some stupid half prance jog thing beside him whilst watching him out of the corner of her eye, knowing full well the second he turned to glare at her she would have to stop. Instead he flicked the end of the long lead rope behind his arm and onto her shoulders not turning to look around as she scattered sideways, he was instead staring ahead into the distance to the blue mountains ahead as if they held some kind of answer. Now Tim was never a dreamer more of a down to earth realist. Yet more and more he was considering the future and that dreaded question "what if"

It wasn't often that he had contact from back home in Australian. When he did however it was mostly the same stuff. People were in hiding, those who were still alive of course. Some had traded loyalty for protection and the others like himself had disappeared completely. He still wasn't convinced that running had been the best decision, then again he could always go back and do what was expected of him. It was a choice between a life of crime and petty cliché's or a life of simplicity under a cloudless sky. Before now he had never thought further into the future than the next hit or current day. Wether its age or wisdom that is causing him to think more about the future than ever more is beyond him. What is known for certain is this constant thinking is playing havoc with his mind.

Flicking cold eyes back up to the damn sky he almost smiled at the pure insanity of this situation. His anger at a god damn sky, his frustration for the mare who had been on her best behavior so far today and this continues role play of his future. It was pointless and mind numbing not to mention down right uncharacteristic of him. Resisting the childish urge to sigh outloud he continued walking, running his free hand through his messy mop of hair that had fallen in over his eyes. Almost ignoring the one walking quietly now beside him, she to was being uncharacteristically calm today, not that Tim seemed to notice.

Letting her loose in one of the free paddocks, Tim closed the paddock gate behind him turning his back on his mare listening as she ambled a few feet away, no doubt watching him. Sure enough as he turned around she stood a few meters away, her head lowered at the grass below lipping it but not eating as she watched her owner out of the corner of her eye. Every now and again you came across a horse and rider pair that weren't exactly perfectly matched but had matching personalities. It wasn't often a combination that worked, for two hot headed creatures constantly fighting for the upperhand, or two shy and nervous creatures were never going to be able to compliment eachother. Yet these two seemed to have found a medium. For both were fiercely independent, headstrong but not reckless and neither trusted anything or anyone other than themselves. Its not to say there near four year relationship hasn't been long and rocky they chewed through many long nights and several trainers to get to this stage. Even now as boy and mare stood watching eachother, each trying to pretend they have other places to be and things to do; its easy to see how neither would be willing to change for anything.

Ducking under the fence and absently running his hand once again through his hair more out of habit that anything. The second he had ducked through the fence the grey lifted her head and ducked her head to the side as if to say good riddance. She lowered her head and started grazing in earnest this time, her ears occasionally flicking to the side. It was with that; that had Tim once again staring straight at her, his gaze somewhat glazed over and his thoughts once again far away from here. Yet if anyone had been watching, they would see a young boy dark messy hair falling over his eyes and an unnaturally still posture as he seemed to study his own horse. No one could be expected to understand what was so uncharacteristically flying through his mind at this current time, for not even he could make any sense out of it. Then again who could blame him considering how cloudless and blue the sky was today.

[jupiter]

This was bound to be a long day, Jupiter Bagley thought to herself pessimistically. She wasn't usually quite such a pessimist, but everybody has their days, and this just so happened to be one of them for Jupiter. She had hit the trails, being an idiot and deciding to just pile on bareback and off she went. Things had been fine and dandy until they topped a rise and practically ran into another horse, sending the other pair into a fit of frenzy while Contillo popped sideways and left Jupe hanging off his back like a trick rider. She had slid off in time to watch the other horse rear up and lash out. Apparently he was blind. Which just left a feeling of guilt balling itself up in the pit of her stomach, even after the other rider assured her that it was fine. Needless to say, that didn't exactly improve her mood.

Neither did the fact that Tillo was a complete brat the rest of the ride, although Jupiter knew he was just picking up on her frenzied emotions. For a girl who could keep her face as serene as a still lake, she sure had a lot of emotions boiling just under the surface that nobody could pick up, except, of course, her horse. And he tended to push his advantage when she was feeling rough. She knew she couldn't blame the gelding for his antics, not when it was her fault he was behaving that way in the first place, but even so, it did nothing to improve her mood.

Still, you wouldn't have been able to tell a thing from just looking at her. The girl's pale features were smoothed into a calm, serene expression. Only her eyes had a look of sheer murder in them. She had decided that her best bet was to just kick the gelding out into a paddock while she mucked out his stall. Otherwise he was forever trying to get in the way, chewing on the end of her pitchfork and trampling everything in sight and generally spreading any messes out so that they were twice as hard to get out. It was much easier to just get the gelding out of his stall for a while. So, instead of heading the gelding toward the barn upon their arrival in the yard, she angled him up toward the pastures.

The gelding was trotting, his neck arched, but not exactly in an elegant way. More the way that suggested he was trying to get away from the bit, although there wasn't one in his mouth. Just the simply nylon halter. Jupiter knew she wasn't hurting him, nor was the gelding really being hard mouthed. Just difficult. He jigged along sideways, too, in white might have been a beautiful two-track...Had they been in the show ring. Now, however, he was just doing it to be a brat, and that certainly wasn't improving Jupiter's mood either.

They were nearly to the pastures when the chestnut gelding's ears flicked forward, so far as to be nearly quivering, locking in on the young man standing near the gate. Contillo snorted, whinnying slightly, and jigged sideways, then spun and took off as if it was the most terrifying experience in the world. Jupiter hadn't a hope in the world of staying with the gelding as he went thundering off. She slid neatly off his back, resisting the urge to let loose a scream or a squeal or some other such thing as she landed flat on her back.

The air pressed out of her lungs with a "whoosh" and she lay frozen, struggling to draw a breath. Damn gelding, she thought viciously to herself as she struggled to get a full breath in between her lips and not panic. Sure, she'd had the breath knocked out of her before, but it didn't ease a slight sense of panic this time. The gelding seemed to realize that he had accomplished piling his rider, and he came prancing back, looking might proud of himself. The girl ignored him completely as she rolled over with a slight groan. She got to her hands and knees, and then to her feet, trembling slightly. She rolled her shoulders, reaching around to dust dirt and grass off her butt, although she knew it was probably all over her back. She didn't even care anymore.

The gelding reached out to nudge her arm with his nose, looking like a pathetic puppy or something asking for forgiveness. The rider just glared at him, the look on her face reading loud and clear, as if she had spoken. "You, sir, are in major trouble." On any other day, it probably wouldn't have bothered her to get piled, or even to get the wind knocked out of her. It happened on a regular enough basis. It came with the territory; every rider fell off at some point. Jupiter just happened to eat dirt, perhaps a little more often than most people. She grabbed the gelding's reins, untying the knot from his halter with a sharp jerk, and led him up to the paddock next to the gray Arab, fighting the urge to stomp and pout like a little kid. Her whole demeanor was back to smooth, serene calm.

She pulled open the gate and sent the gelding through, leaning over to look at his hind quarters. The gelding was unresponsive. The lead rope wiggled, a warning, and then it came down with a might smack right on the gelding's rump. He tossed his head and instantly whirled his quarters away, disengaging. Jupiter stood regarding him for a moment, then, with a slight sigh, reached up to rub the gelding's nose. His head came down and his eyes drifted closed in a particularly relaxed manner. The gelding always had to test her with those ground commands like disengaging, always had to see if she really meant it. Why, the girl didn't know. She'd had him for almost a year now, and not once had she not followed through. Still, the gelding insisted on trying.

The girl heaved a sigh, reaching up to pull the halter off, giving the gelding's neck a pat before turning back toward the fence, buckling the halter again as she went and looping it over her arm. She looped it over one of the posts and then climbed up, perching herself on the top rail, watching as Contillo took off at a dead run, throwing in a buck as he went, just running off energy. The girl watched him, but her gaze was drawn to the gray in the next paddock over. Her head tipped to the side as she took the horse in, sweeping an experienced eye over the horse's features. She was certainly a beauty, Jupiter thought to herself. She had always rather liked Arabs. The few she had been around anyway. They had been rather spazzy horses, but there was something kind of endearing about them, too, and they were certainly a fun ride. The girl heaved a slight sigh, a slightly glazed look coming over her crystal blue eyes as she allowed her thoughts to wander...

[Timothy Cross]

The tall boy was shaken out of his thoughts at the sound of an approaching horse, least it sounded like one. Instead of turning around to see with his own eyes he instead continued watching his mare. Her grey coat shone in the suns light under a unnaturally blue sky. Like clockwork she raised her head, arching her neck with intelligent brown eyes instantly drawn to the sound. Tim almost laughed for even her tail was raised, she was never good with company and from her reaction he could gauge that it was indeed another horse. He knew what would follow this quiet display, she never really did follow the natural herd role or any natural path at all. She relied on instinct for sure but how she reacted to any situation was unlike any horse Tim had encountered before. She was unreliable and solitary, there was so much of her history unknown and Tim could only guess at what may have happened to her. For no horse is born without herd instincts there just not solitary animals by choice.

He likes to run any new horse he works on with a bunch of other horses for at least a few weeks before any serious training. As much as he adores his mare being so solitary isn't a healthy or safe trait to have. So he likes to eliminate that problem from the beginning, it made his job as a trainer that much easier when they wanted to work with you. Half of that battle is won when you establish a hierarchy amongst yourself and said horse. Atleast this was Tims thinking and it had worked well for him so far. Yet he was always eager to hear of other ways people train there horses. It was probably one of the few things that got him talking openly straight away. Of course mention parelli and he is more then likely to tune straight out. He was given nothing but trouble by that program and as open minded as he is, he found the logistics behind the program hard to swallow. Each to there own he would say, long as it wasn't effecting him directly then they could do what they liked.

Senkana's nostrils quivered and Tim recognized it as the start of a well rehearsed routine, she wouldn't actually call out, and never made a sound. But it always started of like this as if she was welcoming or warning the new arrival. Knowing the grey mare it was most likely the latter. Its what made stabling her so hard, there wasn't many substances that could withstand her temper, especially not wood. Yet for the time being she was to the untrained eye calm if a little tense. He turned around to finally take a look at the approaching horse and rider pair, he watched as the horse spun and the rider slipped neatly to the dirt below. He could feel more than hear his own horse leaping sideways snorting loudly at the interference, yet his attention was focused on the girl laying in the dirt. He didn't make a move towards her, even though he should have. Yet if it was him on the floor he would want to make sure no one came near him. Sure enough she stood in her own time and the horse made his way back next to her. Reaching a weathered hand behind his neck Tim rubbed awkwardly, it was a nervous habit really. He could hear that the horse was moving again, walking in this direction still. He should say something as they passed, hello would even work. Yet as she walked behind him and stopped at the paddock beside him, he still couldn't think of what to say.

A rare smile crossed Tims face as he watched the girl bring the thick cotton rope down on her horses rump. This was what he liked to see, less of the spoilt brats and some real discipline. A second smile was pulled from his lips as his eyes lit up tracking the chestnuts movements. There was something about a horses freedom there spirit that captured Tim. He worked with horses, had been for the past five years,it was just a job, a job he enjoyed and paid the bills nothing more. Its been said many times before but there is so much truth in it. To Tim a spirited horse was more than just work, he became obsessed with them. Not that he would ever openly admit it of course. But the way they handled certain situations, certain traits that ran with each kind of horse. They had personalities as grand as humans, and for someone like Tim; who hated the idea of horses being treated like humans, well it was a big step to opening up his emotionless world. Either way this chestnut had his attention, it was flashy and almost arrogant in its movements. He wouldn't be able to even guess at its breed but the way it moved made him think dressage. Tim stole a quick look at the girl on the fence who seemed deep in thought, she had faired well after her tumble, it didn't look like it was a nice one.

Senkana snorted bringing Tim's attention back to her, she took a step towards the fence that devided the two horses. He was much taller and broader than her stronger and more arrogant. Yet with a dipped head she moved straight towards the fence her pace unfaltering and from the fence Tim was able to appreciate just how much arab influence she had in her. She was cantering by the time she reached the divider turning quickly with a duck of her head she raced up along the fence towards the gelding. Hear ears were swiveled back and her tails flicked high above her hindquarters. She was as close to the gelding as she could get it wasn't a real rear, yet the intention was clear as she slowed her pace and shifted her weight to her hindlegs. Tim couldn't see yet it wouldn't surprise him if her teeth were barred. It seemed as if she was content she had made whatever it was she was trying to do clear and she raced of again, not bucking or twisting . . just running. He turned his head towards the girl sitting atop the fence some meters away, he looked at her his shoulders shrugged with an almost apologetic look on his face, yet it was always hard to tell with him. He spoke softly yet his noise traveled easily across the windless air, his words were laced with an Australian accent that had never fully disappeared if at all. Right hand rubbing along the bottom of his neck. "Your geldin' will be alright?" of course he was just guessing at the gelding part, yet it didn't strike him as a mare that and his own mare seemed to react kinder to geldings than she did mares. He had seen a few fancy show horses react rather unkindly to his mares acts to rally them up. Apparently there owners didn't look to kindly on anything that made there prized ponies run a muck and stress there tendons. Yet he didn't think the girl who eats dirt and doesn't take it out on her own horse, yet has no problem giving discipline when needed, well he didn't think she would be the kind to have a problem with a bit of free energy being let loose.

ooc- Sorry mate, bit of bleh tonight. Will improve ^^

[jupiter]

Jupiter's eyes were still glued to the pretty gray Arab. She was a stunning specimen, as far as Jupe was concerned. The mare's movements mesmerized the girl. That wasn't at all unusal, though. From the time she was a small girl, she had been fascinated with a horse's movements, with their gaits, and the way some lifted their heads with pride, and some, the "peanut rollers" seemed to almost trail their nose on the ground. She loved how you could see a horse's personlity simply in the way they moved when they were let loose, without human interference. The little gray was making her way toward Contillo, and the gelding was meeting what must have been a challenge. While not a friendly horse, he wasn't exactly unfriendly, either. He wouldn't deliberately get himself into a fight, and he got along fine with the horses who got along with him. He didn't let anyone push him around, though, that was for certain. Clearly, this mare felt the same. Jupiter's lines traced the mare's lines, picturing how she would look in a sketch. She sucked in a small breath as the mare moved to rear. That, right there. That was what the pose would have been. That was the moment that, had she had pen and paper, she would have captured.

She wasnt a fantastic artist, by any means, but what time wasn't spent riding or working the girl spent drawing. Horses and angels tended to be her favorite subject. The girl bit a rose petal lip, regretfully remembering her sketchpad, left on her counter. She closed her eyes, tucking the picture into her memory, so she could draw it later. She glanced up as she heard Contillo give an impatient snort, wheeling to show the mare his back legs, his ears pinned, before he raced off, throwing in another buck, twisting sideways a little with the movement. Jupe smiled, tucking that one away in her memory, too. Clearly Contillo had decided the mare wasn't worth his time. He usuall did; there were few horses Contllo bothered with, even if it was to pin his ears back and drive them off. Most of the time he just wandered through, and as long as they didn't mess with him, he didn't mess with them.

She started violently, gasping and nearly falling off the fence, as the boy spoke. She had been so caught up in the movements of the horses that she had forgotten his presence entirely. She was bad about that, losing herself in her own thoughts and forgetting about the rest of the world. She was a particularly intense, single minded person. She always had been, and she generally had only herself, and lately her horse, to keep her company. There was little need to focus on anything else, most of the time. She drew a deep breath, swallowing and nodding simply in reply. Contillo could handle himself, she knew, in amongst other horses. And these two had a fence between them. She wasn't worried in the slightest. Tllo would handle himself however he wanted, and if he got a little scraped up, well, Jupe would just figure that he deserved it. And he probably did.

She could feel something akin to panic risei n her throat, and she felt herself almost shutting down. It was her natural response when any guy came around her. It was her defense mechanism, the only way she ahd ever really known to keep herself safe, to protect her mind, at least, from harm. She drew a deep breath, forcing her blue eyes open, knowing she ought to at least be able to see the danger. She wiped a suddenly clammy hand on her jeans, wishing fervently that the boy had just ignored her, as she always did when someone tried to start a conversation with her. Jupiter put herself in the middle of a crowd as much as possible; she hated to be alone, but she didn't like being with with people either, didn't like to have to interact with them. She just liked to be near them, so she wasn't by herself. She was certainly a funny critter, Jupiter, but that was the way she was. As long as no one tried to talk to her, she was fine. And now, here she was with some guy, well out of shouting di stance of anyone at the barn, by herself. This did not seem like a good situation at all to the calculating girl. Her odds if worse came to worse were slim to none against winning. They were always slime to none, though. That was nothing new. She drew in another deep breath, trying to settle her racing heart. She hated this...

((OOC: Bleh! I'm sorry this sucks so much! My laptop was dying, so I kind of hurried through it. Sorry again. =S))

[Timothy Cross]

His face once again drawn and emotionless, save the small smile litter across his dark ashen eyes as he watched both grey and chestnut part there separate ways. It was a wordless understanding, usually the other got bored much quicker than his mare did. She seemed to be one to hold a grudge, then again who was he to even suggest a horse could have such a human trait. He had spoken just seconds before and had since turned back around, eyes wordlessly tracking his pony. Out of the corner of his eye he watched her, watched as she was almost startled out of a daydream as his voice carried over to her. There was something akin to panic in her face and looked over briefly turning his body slightly to watch her. It was a little while before she nodded her head the flash of panic still seemed to linger in her face. Yet Tim could be wrong and didn't think to much into it. Turning around once more flinching uncomfortable as he felt the sun's sting hit his bare shoulders.

He himself wasn't a very sociable person. There was one ranch he would work at as a part time trainer, were he would start before the sun rose just to keep out of everyone’s way. He was sure they didn't mean to get in his way, and he didn't hold a grudge against people. Yet they always seemed to have this wonderful knack of slowing him down and frustrating him at the same time. . . No he worked much better alone. It had always been like that really. He was trained to work alone, trust none save yourself. An unfriendly world really. Yet it suited him, if only because it was the only world he knew. The mare was similar in that respect. She seemed to be able to tolerate Tim. Only because he was the only person who had worked with her and bothered to develop a leadership role with her. It was the solid hierarchy they had formed that kept her coming back to him. If it wasn’t for that she would have nothing to do with humans either.

Tim wasn’t an unfriendly person really just anti sociable. Even so these past few years have given him some of those social skills that had been lacking for most of his life. So when he spoke next it was more to himself than it was directed to her. “ He moves well” Tims trained eyes didn’t leave the geldings frame as he spoke. It was a few seconds after that he stole a quick look at the other who sat along the fence in the next smile.

[jupiter]

Jupiter cursed her luck. He didn't look like he was planning to leave any time soon. In fact, he kind of had the appearance of someone who was settling in for a while. So much for a quiet time by herself. But that was alright, in and of itself. Except for the fact that this was some guy she didn't know. This bothered her greatly. Not that guys in general didn't bother her, but ones she didn't know tended to make her even more nervous than she usually was. And really, when one considered her past, who could blame her?

She felt him shift toward her, and she seemed to shrink, if that was at all possible. Then again, it was. She was a master at disappearing, making herself completely unnoticeable. It was how she could stick in a crowd and manage to not have anyone talk to her. Some might have considered it a talent, others a curse, but it was how she preferred things. It was comfortable, familiar. Plus, she never had to try and bother with learning social skills if people didn't talk to her. It didn't matter.

She drew a deep breath, but a slight smile touched her lips when he said that her gelding was a nice mover. "Thank you" she said softly, so quietly it was hard to know if she had even actually spoken. Still, the response was heartfelt. She loved getting compliments for her horse. Contillo was one of a kind, that was for certain. He tended to be extremely difficult, but she didn't mind. She knew it was good to be pushed a little. It improved her as a rider. And Contillo was really a lovely mover. A very snappy, English sort of horse, with smooth, rhythmic gates.

The girl shifted uncomfortably on the rail, tucking a strand of brilliantly red hair behind her ear, not quite sure what to make of this situation. He didn't seem to have any bad intentions, or if he did, he was taking his time about getting around to them. Still, he clearly wasn't one for ceaseless conversation, either, which was easier than this silence. Jupiter didn't like awkward silences. If she had to carry on a conversation with someone, she much preferred the super, annoyingly talkative people who didn't really require any responses from you and pretty much just carried on a conversation with themselves. That was easier than this. Curse all awkward silences, she thought miserably to herself.

[Timothy Cross]

He watched her out of the corner of his eyes, profiling her. Something he has always done, something he has relied on to keep him safe. It was more of a habit now than a form of protection. Something he almost did without thought. Yet today as he watched the girl with bright hair and a shy face, he was doing it consciously. First he looked her over, her thin frame, large bright eyes and fiery hair. Her posture was relaxed on the fence as if she was comfortable. Yet the rest of her body language suggested she was anything but relaxed. She seemed to fall into herself, withdrawn from the outside world. It would be easy to label her as shy and leave it at that. Yet the way she avoided his questions, the shaky tone of her voice seemed to go beyond just plain shy.

As much as Tim liked to profile people, he never liked to guess at there past. Knowing full well that history plays a big part in ones traits. Its far to easy to mix up what you can see before you, by trying to guess at there past and making up excuses for the obvious. So he didn't even linger a guess into why this girl was so withdrawn. It could be that she was simply shy, yet as mentioned before it didn't seem to be that kind of shyness. Why was it any of his business anyways? With that though lingering through his mind Tim flicked his attention absently back towards the paddock not really looking at anything in particular.

The silence that followed her few soft words was one he was used to and usually happy to sit out. Yet all of the sudden it seemed suffocating as if something had to break. He tensed his shoulders and shifted his weight from foot to foot, a slight dip of his head down once then back up. Yet he didn't talk again to break the silence, instead he let it hang between them stale and tense. If she didn't wish to talk then so be it, he of all people wouldn't push it onto her.

[jupiter]

Jupiter had to admit, she couldn't figure this boy out. Usually she could have a person's size in a very short time. Usually it was inaccurate, but still. With this kid, she was getting nothing, drawing a complete blank. The silence was absolutely suffocating, something tangible, that you could reach out and feel, and still he didn't break it. She could say with conviction that she had never met someone who wouldn't break such a horrible silence.

People, Jupiter included, tended to not like silence, perhaps hate it even. Jupiter certainly did. Why else would she surround herself with crowds of people? Most people couldn't stand silence when they were meeting someone for the first time. They always felt a need to do introductions and the whole nine yards. Now Jupiter knew why.

Her eyes locked on Contillo, who had trotted off and now stood with his nose buried in grass, munching away happily. Oh, to be a horse. Life was so simple for horses. Not a care in the world except eating and drinking and perhaps finding shade in the summer and shelter in the winter. Of course, humans threw a kink in that whole cycle, but still. It was easier than being human, Jupiter felt sure. Then again, as far as Jupiter was concerned, anything would be easier than being human.

Drawing a deep breath, her eyes still locked on her horse, she finally spoke, unable to stand the stiff silence any longer. "Um. I'm Jupiter" she mumbled. Still, it didn't break the tension as she had hoped it would. Why couldn't he just leave? Why did he have to just stand there? she wondered miserably. Horses were so much simpler than humans, simpler, but, in their way, wiser. They had no social formalities, only a hierarchy, and as long as you were respectful, you were fine. Mind your own business and no one else would bother you. Not so with people. People were always shoving their noses in your business, getting in your way. Why couldn't they ever just leave her alone?

This was an old grievance of Jupiter's. People were always trying to "get to know her." To be her friend. As if such things existed. In Jupiter's world, at least, they most certainly did not. They always felt she had baggage, which was true enough, but, while Jupiter knew they had the best of intentions, the fact was, she didn't feel she needed the help. And those people, the people who, she supposed, had a save the world complex, were always pushing, trying to get her to open up. Of course, they just ended up driving themselves further away from the girl, because the pushyness drove her crazy, and, being a bit of a conspiracy theorist, she was always convinced that they just wanted to hurt her. Why else would anyone ever be so pushy? Right or wrong, that was how Jupiter viewed the world, and, for the most part, she had kept herself safe, if lonely, because of it. To her, that was just how things were, and it wasn't bound to change anytime soon.

[Timothy Cross]

There was one of two ways that conversations with Tim usually went. You had those people similar to him, those who also had a job to do and would exchange a few brief words, talking more in body language and plain hard work. Then there were others, the new breed of people who worked less, spoke little with there body and talked an insufferable amount. It was easy to say he was far more used to the first kind of person, how he wished he was immune to the second type. They often came in the form of young girls with dark eyes and upturned lips. The ones that always had that look about them, the look of lust and wanting. It was easy to stereotype so Tim tended to place all girls with those tendencies into the same category and steer clear of them all together.

Yet regardless of kind most people tended to try and break a silence, it took most awhile to form a friendship were silence was comfortable. For Tim it was a game, a bit like cat and mouse see who would break first. That and he was just plain boring and could sit silently for days at a time. So he wasn't to surprised when she spoke, her voice was so soft it hardly carried to him. Yet he caught her name atleast and was able to nod a response back slowly.

Tearing his gaze over towards the fence were the girl sat Tim took a moment to nod his head again lifting out his right hand out of instinct. Yet there was no one there to shake hands with so instead he rubbed the back of his neck with his hand to try and cover his movements. " Name's Tim " a slight upwards tilt of his head and the side of his lips curved up in what could be a smile as he spoke. The thick Australian accent still lacing his every word no matter how softly he spoke. " and that . . . " Moving his head back around so he could turn to watch the grey who almost seemed to sense that she was being watched and lifted her head up high quickly, her ears turned to catch the sound of there voices. " . . is Senkana"

If there was one thing bound to keep him talking it was horses. He tended to find it was the same for most horsey people. Either way he tended to be more comfortable introducing his mare and speaking about her than he was about himself.

[jupiter]

She nodded ever so slightly when he said that his name was Tim. It was a pretty normal name, really, nothing unusual about it. She liked it. Jupiter was a huge fan of ordinary names like Emily and Hannah and, well, Timothy. She wasn't a fan of names like Xavier, or Jupiter, for that matter. She hated her own name. She supposed that was what you got when your mother was either high or drunk 24/7. It was a wonder, really, she hadn't had some sort of birth defect. One thing to thank her lucky stars for, she supposed, however unlucky they might have proved to be.

Another slight tilt of the head was offered when he introduced the gray mare as Senkana. "She's beautiful" she whispered, her eyes trailing from Contillo over to the gray Arab. She truly was a beauty, the epitome of the Arabian horse, with the light, agile build, the dainty, dished face, right down to her alert expression. Yes, she was certainly a fine piece of equine flesh.

Then again, Jupiter was pretty much an optimist. She could find something good in pretty much any horse. She could find something in the lines of their body or the expression in their eye, and, whenever she drew them, they looked exactly the same, but desirable, somehow. The girl certainly had a talent for finding good horses amongst the dirt. It was probably something she could have carried over to humans, had she had any desire to. In a different life, maybe she would have cared about people more, but, as hers was, people had never offered her anything, even her own mother. Horses, on the other hand, had given her everything.

She heaved a slight sigh, feeling tense muscles start to relax. Not to her liking, really, but you couldn't stay strung out forever, even Jupiter. It still unnerved her that he was behind her, in a place she couldn't see, but on the other hand if she faced him, she'd have to look at him, so it was probably better this way. Jupiter didn't like looking at people, was bad at making eye contact, had an even harder time making conversation if she was looking at someone.

Sensing that the gray mare was probably going to be her life saver, she opened her mouth to speak again, trying to get the conversation rolling, anything to break this horrible silence. "How old is she?" A simple enough question, but she hoped this boy, Tim, would elaborate, continue on. Anything was better than this awful, still-tense silence.

[Timothy Cross]

It was boring work sitting and watching aimlessly. Never was one to stay in one spot for long less there was a reason to. He had tired of watching his mare curiously grow accustomed to her surroundings whilst pretending not to notice the two humans. Yet he could tell by the way she kept her ear pricked to the outside and the slight bob of her head every time one of them spoke. So instead he turned to watch the gelding, that was the thing about chestnuts. Tim either hated how they looked or loved it. Of course any good horse was a horse, yet very few could catch his attention in just colour alone. A pretty chestnut could to that to him and this one was looking promising.

He hadn't really expected her to speak back if anything it would have been out of common courtesy. She seemed shy and the way she kept her back faced towards him and her head slightly cocked to the side made him rise an eyebrow out of curiosity. She seemed shy not rude, yet unlike anyone he had seen amongst the stables and shows around these parts before. So when she almost breathed her next words he genuinely smiled. Half out of pride and half because of the way she spoke. She was gentle and sincere something hard come by these days.

He had met many people during his time on earth most he tries not to remember, few he thinks of fondly and a handfull that were friends. Those that had kept him in good company over the years all had this gentle aura to them. Much like the girl before him. They weren't outspoken yet strong willed. He liked a person who knew what they wanted. He couldn't even fein a guess at if the one who calls herself "Jupiter" was like that. Yet she seemed someone that he would atleast be able to tolerate. " She is eight " he paused and ran an expert eye over her frame. She was one that by looks and nature alone her age was impossible to guess at, least from his opinion it was. She had the cunningness and smarts of a mare well beyond her years and the spirit and playfulness of a filly just weaned.

" Least we believe she is eight her teeth indicate around there give or take a few, her history seems to fit the eight year mark, then again none but herself could be sure of that. . . If only my past was as hidden as hers is " He laughed softly to himself a moment of carelessness and honesty. It wasn't often he spoke of his fears, even in code like he had just then. It was true however, they had known next to nothing about the grey when he had taken her home. In hindsight he probably knew less now even after all this time. She had this uncanny way of making sure that whoever came in contact with her realized just how little they knew.

[jupiter]

Jupiter nodded a bit when he said she was eight. She realy was a hard horse to tell. Energy wise she seemed young, but she had the confidence of an older horse, and she was built quite maturely, but then, some horses looked pretty well filled out when they were two, others not until they were five or six. Horses were all so different. With most horses, Jupiter could usually get a pretty good idea of how old they were, but with Senkana, she didn't even want to hazard a guess. She nodded when he continued onto say that her teeth showed her to be about that old, but that he didn't know much about her history.

Blue eyes finally turned to look at him for the first time as he continued on to say that he wished his life were as much of a mystery. She was a little surprised at the information. He hadn't struck her as the sort of person who was forthcoming with any kind of information about himself. She nodded slightly, still registering this new found information and turned her eyes slowly back to the horses, nodding her understanding.

She could relate to the statement, oh boy could she. Her eyes locked onto Contillo where he stood grazing. Hew as looking pretty boring, now but still, he was something steady and stable for Jupiter. Sometimes she wished she was a horse. They lived in the moment. If they had baggage, a person with the right touch could clear that from them, and it wouldn't really effect them, so long as you knew what you were doing. But, she thought with slight surprise, mightn't it be the same for people?

She sighed and reached up to toy with her hair before sweeping it up off her neck, running her fingers gently through it until she had everything in something that resembled smooth and then wrapped a rubber band from around her wrist, snapping it around a little messy bun. And once more the silence fell. The girl couldn't help heaving a slight sigh She could feel a headache coming on, and for a moment wondered if it was anything to do with the fall, but quickly decided it was probably just from the course of events from the whole day. Inwardly, she wondered if she oughtn't try and say something else, but finally decided that if this Tim was that distressed by the silence, he could very well break it himself. She certainly didn't need to be the one to carry the conversation.

((OOC: Sorry it's kinda sucky. I need to head to bed. lol))

[Timothy Cross]

The was a lack of expression on the young boys face that was almost depressing at first, yet the closer you looked and the more you grew accustomed to it, you began to realize it was almost a trait to be admired. It wasn't one that could be forced or done out of spite, It was simple Tim, Tim and his lack of expression. Still during times like this the simple tiny upturned smile that played lightly on his lips and the brightness in his eyes spoke more than any laughter or open show of amusement did. It was subtle and indifferent, it was Tim.

Tim shifted his position as she turned around and directed her blue gaze onto him. It was only brief yet enough to keep Tim slightly engaged with this awkward communication thing. It was then that he remembered only moment before she had fallen from her horse. Who was not the smallest of horses in the world. He had made the decision not to mention it at the time and wasn't going to mention it now. Yet he felt that there was little left of common ground in which he could use to make conversation or at the least a graceful exit with. So biting his lip lightly before mentally stopping himself from chewing on the inside of his cheek a new habit he has acquired when he is nervous. He this time was the first to break the silence. " You ride bareback often?" Just as before he didn't speak loudly nor did he need to, thick accent still laced into each word and the sentence carried easily across the light wind.

So he was curious, he had always considered bareback to be his little secret. On pain of death would he outwardly admit it to himself even. Yet it was the form of riding that had first connected him not only this horse but to many others. It was his form of riding that was neither western nor english. But of course a horse was a horse and any work horse needed to be spoilt with a lack of saddle nor should its rider. Instead Tim kept the passion to himself indifferent to what others thought yet still had that tough cowboy pride hammered hard into him.

There was a brief moment when he was young and still living with his mum, unknown to him at the time but the both of them a prisoner amongst his fathers land. Back in the time were he could be forgiven for dreaming such a thing, a time when he was still allowed to think for himself and be carefree. He remembered a particular night waking up to sounds outside his window, getting up fearfully creeping to the window. Small hands white against the cool paling half from fear of what was outside and half from excitement. What he saw was an image that never completely left him. His mother was strong and tough she had learnt to accept this life and didn't baby her son, knowing full well what he was to become. Unknown to Tim however who only saw her a strict parental figure, he never did see her break down and never would. However to look outside his window that night and see her sitting astride one of her horses completely tackless hair blowing behind her as they seemed to float to there own music on there own time. There path lit by nothing more than the moons glow, well it was easily something out of fairy tale. Something than in his own naive youth allowed him to believe that one day he would be like that. One day under the moon he would dance and play to no one but the silence. Of course it was only months before he was taken out of this little dream world and thrown into a much harsher reality and only a few short years later that he lost his childish dreams all together.

[jupiter]

There was a small part of Jupiter, albeit a very small part, that still held onto her childish innocence and d reams of true love and fairytale endings. Of course, the painfully practical part of her didn't believe in such things, but a small bit of her heart still did, and still hoped, though it was one of those painful hopes, painful because you know that, doubtless, it will never happen, but you keep hoping anyway and you can't talk yourself out of it. That was the kind of hope Jupiter had, and it was suppressed and often forgotten, simply because it was painful, but it was still there, and it came through and hit her at odd moments, like when the boy, or young man, rather, asked about her riding bareback.

She smiled a little ruefully, one leg kicking out and bouncing off the whitewashed fence aimlessly as she shook her head slightly. "Not often" she said simply, and then surprised herself as much as anyone else by continuing on; "That is to say, I generally fall more than I ride." Her voice was soft, still that shy undertone that was underneath anything she ever said.

And then she flinched slightly, as if she expected to bit hit for some impertinence. Maybe she did. Who could really know? Jupiter tended to be a bit of a mystery to anyone and everyone. A person could never really know what was going through her mind. Sometimes she didn't even know what was going through her mind, why certain thoughts came into her head; they just did. She didn't tend to pay much attention to how her thoughts came and went. And she found them shifting again, as they almost always did.

She found herself wondering what on earth this man was doing here, making conversation that wasn't really a conversation with a girl who had little, if anything, to offer him. It wasn't as if they were having such a great conversation; if that was what it could be called at all. So what did he want, then? As always, things came back to people's motives. All the girl knew was that when people made this effort to be around her, they usually wanted something from her that she didn't want to give, and it was usually painful and hurtful, and certainly never likable. Truly, though, who could blame her? That was all she had ever known.

Subtly her gaze shifted toward him, watching him in her peripheral vision, sweeping her crystal blue eyes over him, trying to evaluate just from his appearance what he wanted. Judging the book by its cover. There wasn't much to see; he was an unassuming person, with shaggy dark hair and gorgeous, if slightly closed off, eyes. That she didn't like, his almost blank expression. But she caught the slight upturn of his lips, the slight gleam in his eye, and she fought the shudder that wanted to ripple up her spine, misinterpreting the expression completely as one of lust and desire, one she was all too familiar with. Her gaze jerked back to the gelding who was still calmly grazing, although his ears pricked toward her curiously, standing up so high as to be nearly quivering, as the girl visibly stiffened, her blue gaze staring straight at the chestnut gelding, struggling to find a quiet corner in her mind that wasn't all turmoil and chaos.