A meeting in the stables
The pencil flowed over the page, leaving its dark charcoal marks in its wake, tracing out the large, loose circles that would become the head, chest and rump of the horse. A sketch of lines and smaller spheres appeared under the movement of the pencil, forming the bare pictorial skeleton. An expression of concentration was written over her pale face as she composed the drawing upon the paper of her sketch book. She was sitting upon one of the lower bales of straw that were located towards the back of the stables. From her vantage point Paige could look out over the corral which enclosed a couple of the horses from the stables. It was boarded by a thick, tall wooden fence.
The young girl looked up from her picture, watching as a bay mare with four white socks pulled at a clump of grass by the side of the enclosure. There was something soothingly rhythmic about the motion of the horses’ mouth as she ate. Paige tugged at a strand of brown hair, twisting it around her fingers as she watched the bay chewing. Her hair was half up, the front part pulled back from her face and secured by a hair tie.
Horses were about the only thing Paige could draw… but what she lacked in broader talent she made up for with her equines. She didn’t take art as a subject and her mother had never encouraged it as a talent. But from an early age Paige had enjoyed drawing horses and she never really shown much interest for sketching anything else. Before now she’d only ever been able to draw from pictures she found on the internet or in books, the outer suburbs of New York weren’t really prime horse territory. But she’d discovered that there was a lot more to horses than pictures in books. Few drawing really well portrayed the fluidity of a moving horse, it wasn’t something she was able to do, but just by realising it was there had improved her talents.
She rubbed a palm over the material of her ugly, full length skirt. The skirt was pale brown plaid, with large false buttons down the front. On her top she was wearing a white blouse and to anyone with a shred of teenage fashion looked as though she’d got dressed blindfolded in a charity shop. It wasn’t easy to dress to the trends though when your mother buys your clothes for you. Ever since the whole Max incident had come to light Megan seemed to think that if she dressed Paige from head to toe it would prevent any other guys looking her way … and she was probably right.
TBC - Heath and anyone really lol
Paige:How can I have feelings for someone who's not even real?
In a world of differences, where nothing seemed as how Heath remembered it, where food tasted different and manners had changed, the stables were one place that allowed Heath to feel as if he had some semblance of understanding. Horses were Heath’s world, on the farm where he was born and the following years he had spent in the care of Sir Arthur Kinsley, a jousting Knight that took Heath on as a squire after seeing the talents of the young stable boy.
Now, Heath may be a little intimidated by a lot of technology and put off by the dress style of a lot of girls, but he knew horses. He knew their mannerisms, he knew how to motivate them, what drove them on, how to move around them, how to comfort and train and speak to them. They had been Heath’s lively hood, granted he was still young but had he not been so talented with his stable work he would never had managed to keep up with the other desperate boys who did half decent or half hearted jobs. Instead Heath shone, and was noticed by Sir Kinsley, who helped Heath get a little closer to his dream of Knighthood.
Again Heath was set apart from society, however instead of poverty being the cause it was instead differences, a different mindset, a different outlook, a different way of life. Kattalin didn’t care about any of that though… she didn’t care that Heath didn’t know how to spell properly or he stammered when reading, or he didn’t get common day slang. However as a horse, she did care that he cleaned her hooves of stone and mud, that he stroked her affectionately and tended to her needs. And during Heath’s stay at the school the last few months others could readily see that just because Heath lacked some common traits expected of people, he was still very bright and charismatic, opening his heart and charms to those around him.
Perhaps that’s why Jean was really letting Heath gain a greater wide of responsibilities around the stables, it was more then just cleaning as when he had first started, now he tended to the horses and repaired anything that needed work. He maintained and managed the different horses to their unique needs and put together his own feeds to give to them, even helping other students learning how to ride and tend to the steeds. Jean found it a godsend in many ways, her work load having been lifted as she had previously taken charge of overseeing students in riding lessons. And despite Heath’s insistence not to, Jean gave him a steady cash flow which went into a specially set up account, enabling him to afford things should he find the urge to go out and come across something that tickles his fancy. Even if it’s just food… or transport.. While some went into his hand most went into the account and at the moment Heath never gave it any thought, it sounded too strange for him and he didn’t like stressing about things that seemed very simple… at least for everyone else.
The graceful chestnut mare trotted along the path, her ears twitching as a fly bothered her, icy blue eyes peered about occasionally, the whole walk there had been the clopping of other hooves trailing behind her. Kattalin was used to this however, that didn’t mean she enjoyed the slow pace, no she was wanted to run!! She wanted to bolt off up the track ahead of them, dodge through the trees and venture through the training course even, try the jumps and expel her excess energy. Without a doubt Heath would give the white spotted mare a chance but not until they returned to the stables and parted ways with the others following them. The sight of the gates ahead excited her enough that her pace hastened and Heath had to give a gentle signal for her to slow down , so smooth and discreet that the other three kids hadn’t noticed Kattalin’s wilful behaviour.
Fluid motions had the blonde youth slipping off the mare’s saddle and landing on the pathway smoothly, finely padded work boots spoiling his unaccustomed feet with a cushioned impact as he moved towards the fence to open it for the other riders to pass inside. The black mare, Shadow, trailed last, always the more quiet tempered one and never often seen kicking a fuss, even with the most inexperienced riders. As long as they didn’t kick her sharply Shadow was content following the rest of the horses and ignoring the often clueless commands the newbies made.. or accidentally made.
"Please dismount before entering the stable, clean and tend to the horse you’ve ridden and make sure they get a drink before you leave." While Head did tend to the animals very diligently, he still intended on making sure people knew riding was more then fun and games, it also relied on dedication and work. Some responded better to the work then others, Heath could tell who really cared about the horses by who returned for another ride, who made the better effort to care and tend to the creature that had lugged them about for the past half hour or so. There was another boy in the stables helping clean out the old hay, and Heath knew he’d help the riders finish up with any problems they may face. Doubtful they would but there was always a possibility they’d forget something he’s already showed them before.
The former Jousting Champion had been about to climb back on Kattalin when a figure caught his attention, sitting off to the side of the enclosure busying herself with a book and pencil. White sleeves were rolled up above Heath’s elbows, having loosened a little Heath fixed the folds as he walked towards Paige, Kattalin trailing after him since she had thought they’d be off for a more challenging run.
"Pardon me.. were you here for a riding lesson?" Granted Heath knew Connor liked coming down here, and so did Scott and some others, without the intention of riding a horse, however he still wasn’t used to it, students came for a reason usually and even if they didn’t ride there were some that wanted to go over something or another about the horses. An apologetic smile appeared in his handsome features as he spoke to her. "I fear that had been the last one for the day." Never one who liked denying someone something, or telling them they’ve missed out, Heath tended to have a really sensitive tone of voice as if trying to let them down easily. Charming and soft as if, should they be upset, he’d possibly be willing to go out of his way to help them.
Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear - not absence of fear.
Re: A meeting in the stables
She looked up from her picture as the sound of clopping hooves announced the return of several of the horses to the stables. It was hard not to feel jealous of the people who could have riding lessons at the school. She'd never asked her mother if she could go riding, Megan tried to keep Paige away from anything that could be seen as "dangerous" and Paige was quite sure her mother wouldn't approve of riding. Plus things like horse riding were expensive and she already felt a little guilty at the allowance her parents sent her on top of the fees they paid to the Institute.
Her pale eyes watched as the four horses entered the spacious barn, one chestnut, one black and two bays. She knew the black mare, she'd often feed Shadow polo’s if she came down of an evening. She was a little nervous about touching the other horses, especially the spirited skewbald mare Guinea. She knew Guinevere belonged to Catherine and she wasn't sure how Cat would take to walking into the barn and finding a stranger with her horse.
"Pardon me.. were you here for a riding lesson?" She blushed as he walked over, embarrassed at being caught staring, especially by someone she didn't know other than by sight. Paige glanced up again, catching his eye for a moment, hoping he wasn't going to tell her to leave, even worse that she wasn't supposed to be there at all. "I fear that had been the last one for the day." His way of talking was off, but she was glad he hadn't told her to get out of the stables. She often tried to come at times when it was quiet so she didn't have to endure curious looks from people.
'Oh ummm... I just wanted to draw the horses.' Clutching the pad of paper in her hands she held it out a little in an effort to prove the fact she had a valid reason for being in the stables. She eyed the chestnut mare who'd followed Heath across the stable. Chestnut mares had a bad press for being stroppy and Paige didn't want to test the theory and get bitten.
Paige:How can I have feelings for someone who's not even real?
Re: A meeting in the stables'Oh ummm... I just wanted to draw the horses.' Draw them? Heath had gotten used to 'art' from Riley's fondness for drawing. Lauren showed him a few pictures displayed in the art gallery that students had drawn, she tried to get Heath to do some things but he made more of a mess then anything.. though it had been really fun regardless.
Clear blue eyes peered at the image she had made on the paper, he smiled at it, admiring how talented people of this time really were. They had the tools they needed more readily then back where Heath grew up, even a sketch like this would have been considered amazing in Heath's world, though the kings of old preferred things larger and more vibrant. Heath found himself liking the smaller pictures they put on the walls just as much as the large tapestries that adored the castle walls.
"What do you think of that Kattlin?" Heath had a friendly smile and tone of voice that made it near impossible to assume he was being cruel in any way. The way he half glanced over his shoulder hinted that he was speaking to the mare behind him, who was half busy now on plucking some grass up in her teeth to chew quietly on it.
"Do you colour your drawings?" He sounded curious, and he was, he liked watching Riley paint, or colour with pencils, it seemed to depend on what mood Riley was in, he used different tools.. Pencils, paints, what he called 'water colours' as well, they were nice. He seemed to catch himself though, shifting his weight to a proper stance, his hand quickly raising to his chest as he gave a slight bow of his head while speaking. "Oh, forgive me, I am Heath Knight.. stable master and riding instructor." A hand motioned towards the mare just behind him, who seemed to be sniffing his back carefully trying to see if he was hiding any treats there again...he wasn't and she started losing interest. "And this is my steed, Kattlin."
Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear - not absence of fear.
Re: A meeting in the stables
There was something so odd about the way he moved and the way he spoke, something she couldn't quite put her finger upon. Her lack of friends within the school often left her out of the loop and she'd not heard the circulated rumours that Heath was in fact from the past. It might be for the best, as she would probably have struggled to grasp the context. Paige had only recently found out about things such as demons and her logical brain was still trying to digest the idea.
"What do you think of that Kattlin?" She felt a slight blush rise to her cheeks as she realised that he'd been looking at her half done sketch. It wasn't usual for people to see her drawings, she didn't take art and made an effort to come down to the stables at times when she thought there would be few people around. Her eyes glanced behind him, assuming that he was addressing the horses. Talking to animals was something she felt comfortable with, they had two red setters at home and everyone in the family talked to them to some degree.
"Do you colour your drawings?" Sometimes she did and sometimes she didn't, it all depended on how much effort she was willing to put into the picture. Paige didn't know how to use mediums such as oil or water colours, she possessed more talent working with pencil crayons. "Oh, forgive me, I am Heath Knight.. stable master and riding instructor." It seemed an odd name, perhaps very apt for someone who worked with horses to be called Knight. She pulled the sketch book close in against her chest to hide the drawing, it also made her feel as if there was a barrier between her and the handsome man who was talking to her. "And this is my steed, Kattlin." She smiled nervously, not knowing how to react to someone who bowed to her.... though there was a part of her that was flattered by the attention.
'S..sometimes.' The response was nervous, her eyes flitting from horse to rider and back again. One of her hands played with a strand of loose hair which was a sure sign that Paige was feeling nervous. There was a slight pause before she decided that it would be rude not to give him more of a reply than she already had. 'I'm Paige.'
ooc: I hope to post for Riley on Saturday, I've got a friend coming over tomorrow so I won't get to do any posting then.
Paige:How can I have feelings for someone who's not even real?
Re: A meeting in the stables
'S..sometimes.' The former champion of the King (In jousting that is…) offered Paige a slight smile. It was so hard sometimes, looking at some of these students, they looked so timid and withdrawn, but then again, get on their bad side, and you get blasted halfway across the grounds. Heath just wasn’t sure what to make of people anymore, he was so confused on the whole matter, she girl seemed like the quiet sort he was used to, yet… he wasn’t about to let that fool him into thinking she couldn’t take care of herself, he’d unintentionally become very cautious around strangers. Though the mannerisms he was brought up on cleverly hid a lot of it, a slight awkward shyness all that was ever really noticeable. 'I'm Paige.' The soft words spilled from her lips, leaving the blonde to offer yet another charming smile in her direction.
"It is an honour to meet you Paige." Assured the stable hand with a touch of sincerity to his words. Kattalin seemed to chew for a while longer on the grass, though her attention wandered and she slowly turned, almost sneakily in her otherwise obvious movements. Hooves lightly carried her towards the fence’s gate, the horse grunted and moved away, her body drawn towards the lakes edge, though it was cut off from her by the fence which acted like a barrier. Striking clear blue eyes peered over towards the mare, who was given a sharp and clear whistle to get her attention, obviously Kattalin was thirsty or just wanted to muck about in the water, either way, there was water in the barn and Heath was not prepared to go splashing around after her at this point.
"There is food and drink in the stable room, would you care for something m’lady? Sandwitches… and fruit juices, and water. I must see that she gets her fresh water, or she’ll never forgive me." A playing grin was shot towards Kattalin, before he returned his focus to Paige. How long had she been sitting here, he wasn’t sure, and he was hardly about to just walk off without making sure she was ok. Beside, Heath was missing company, people came, they rode, then they left, he wasn’t about to just walk away without attempting to play nice. Even if she didn’t want to leave her sketch, he could strike up a conversation next time he happened across her path… even if it was nothing more then a friendly greetings.
Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear - not absence of fear.
Re: A meeting in the stables
Her nervous hands twisted one of the large brown buttons that were attached to the ugly brown and white skirt she was wearing. "It is an honour to meet you Paige." The young girls eyes flicked up to his face before darting away again. His accent was British and she couldn't help noticing that it was completely different from Michael's lilting tones. She'd supposed that the English and Scottish would sound similar, their countries were next to one another ... weren’t they?
She peered around his body, as he turned to whistle to his mount. The chestnut mare had wandered out of the stables and into the corralled area, her head over the fence as she peered down towards the lake. "There is food and drink in the stable room, would you care for something m’lady? Sandwiches… and fruit juices, and water. I must see that she gets her fresh water, or she’ll never forgive me." ...The number one rule of horseman ship, attend to you horse before yourself. Not that Paige knew that or any other rules of looking after horses. She'd never be able to have a horse, when she got a job as a nurse there wouldn't be time to look after such a demanding animal. Paige might not know the first thing about horses but she did know that caring for them was more then just riding and mucking out. In fact the people who worked in the stables seemed to have their own language when it came to the horses.
'Uh.. thanks but I'm not hungry.' She turned a red colour, wanting nothing better than to escape from the situation. Paige didn't like talking to strangers and especially not handsome ones with very intense stares. 'I should go.' It was hard not to feel like a small child who's been found with their hand in a cookie jar. Paige didn't have any real business at the stables, she wasn't here to ride and she didn't even take art.
There was nothing so frivolous as art in Paige's studies. Her mother Megan had helped choose her subjects and they'd been selected for their practical usefulness not for enjoyability. Her parents wanted nothing more than for her to go into the medical profession and her timetable was centred around anything that related to it, biology, chemistry, maths. Even her less relevant subjects such as law and politics carried a high work load.
Paige:How can I have feelings for someone who's not even real?
Re: A meeting in the stables
'Uh.. thanks but I'm not hungry.' The way Paige looked and sounded almost reminded Heath of the lovely young girl who had spent some days up at his parents farm with his family after her father (the blacksmith in the nearest town and also Heath’s father’s closest friend) had gotten rather ill. Pretty girl, but very submissive, Heath would have usually leapt at the chance to have another playfriend around (he was early teens at the time and barely spent much time off the farm save for short trips into town) but the girl was so … homely. Too caught up in her future role as a mother to bother running amuck in the stables and her very mature outlook on life and her almost ‘adult’ views on things really drove a wedge between the time. Polite as Heath found the girl and as charmingly as the two got on, he’d not stumble head over heels at the prospect of spending half a day alone with her.
'I should go.' So soon? Heath may be awkward around mutants he didn’t know, especially after the few occasions where they seemingly ganged up on the poor fellow. Being so placid and laid back, Heath had only ever gotten into a physical scuffle once since he’s been here and Damon had initiated it and pushed the thing to the point where he was pushing Heath around with a group of friends. And down by the stables of all places, Heath’s little safety zone… A single right hook to the side of the head and Damon was down, though that hardly helped ease Heath’s racing heart. Luckily Jean had been coming to inspect the stables and happened on them, Damon was suspended for a while and is still doing a community service type deal around the school.
"I am not one to stop you from leaving should you need to go," The former jouster assured her as his creamy chocolate eyes dropped a little hesitantly at the girl’s sudden need to depart. "Though I do hope it is not I nor something I have said to cause you to flee?" Like Heath would *ever* demand someone to leave or intentionally try to put them off, he would be too scared of their retaliation and at best he’d defend his horses but he knew at a tap of a button he could have a friend or teacher on their way. All she needed to do was ask him to leave and he would, Heath suddenly found himself worrying over having disturbed and upset her and the polite youth didn’t take happily to that thought at all.
Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear - not absence of fear.
Re: A meeting in the stables
The pretty painted mare in the end stall shifted restlessly in her bedding, pacing around the loose box a couple of times before standing and regarding the two humans from her intelligent eyes. Guinea belonged to Catherine Hall, a gift from her ex partner Riley Finn. Although the mare was Cat's she'd said she didn't mind some of the students riding her in return for a reduction in the costs to keep her. Not that anyone who couldn't ride very well was seated upon Guinea, she was young and skittish and prone to stubborn, mareish behaviour. In her first few weeks at the school she'd been so much of a handful that the inexperience Cat refused to go anywhere near her. It had fallen to Riley and the other stable hands to exercise the horse and to help rebuild the relationship up between the horse and her owner.
"I am not one to stop you from leaving should you need to go," Paige glanced up at him and blushed, not used to being in company with such attractive looking men which perfect manners. She got to her feet, trapping the pencil between the pages of her notebook to mark the point at which she'd been working. "Though I do hope it is not I nor something I have said to cause you to flee?" She shook her head in response, trying to force the redness away from her cheeks.
'D.. do you think your pony would like polo?' Her hand went to a pocket on her skirt, drawing out the blue and green wrapped sweets. She'd read that horses liked them, but she'd not wanted to feed any of the school's animals in case she wasn't supposed to.
ooc: Sorry it's so pants ... been a long and not very good day today
Paige:How can I have feelings for someone who's not even real?
Re: A meeting in the stables
'D.. do you think your pony would like polo?' The comment came as a surprise to Heath who was under the impression the girl was on her way off, and yet instead she remained to ask about Kattalin and if she’d like polo… Heath didn’t know what polo was, though he watched as Paige pulled the sweet from her pocket, still none the wiser for what it was as she held it in her hand.
"I am uncertain…" Heath admitted a little shy as to the fact he yet again felt so clueless about something, after all this time and so simple things still caught him unawares, "…Is it a treat?" It seemed more then likely, but heath wasn’t sure what sort of treat it was and Kattalin usually only had carrots as treats from Heath, though Riley had shown him a few things that was designed for the horses especially to nibble on.
"If it is ok for horses to have then I can not see why not," Heath decided finally, motioning slightly to Kattalin with a brief wave of his hand to suggest Paige was free to offer the steed the strange sweet. He was pretty sure the girl wouldn’t offer something she thought may be bad for the animal, though Heath had a tendency to trust naively and also the youth wasn’t really aware of good foods and bad foods or anything like that and so he’d be rather helpless at spotting something that wasn’t good for the horse.
Though the girl looked a little awkward and Heath wanted to try and show his most friendliest of sides and yet he wasn’t sure if he was somehow intimidating her… maybe she wasn’t entirely comfortable with horses? Or guys in general… Heath had seen girls who were pushed around by guys and they tended to become put off even the nice ones. Some guys were so rude and offence to woman, they deserved to be slapped for their dishonour.
Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear - not absence of fear.
Re: A meeting in the stables
The way he hesitated made her sure he was going to say he'd rather she didn't feed his horse tipbits. She'd read in a horsey magazine that was in the school library that feeding horses treats could make them start nipping people. A sudden worry flitted into her mind... what if Kattalin bit her? She had images of bruises on her hands lasting for weeks, her healing abilities compromised by her lethargic immune system.
"I am uncertain…" Her cheeks flushed red in embaressment at his words, her eyes as usuall falling away from the person she was talking too as she tried to compose herself. Paige hated the manner in which her body responded to people, it got tiring always being embaressed and having a constant red tinge to your cheeks. She'd managed to get used to having Micheal around and then he'd thrown her with his introduction of Hood. The young woman was sure she'd never feel comfortable about Hood, he was too confident for her and then there was the fact that he was really really cute. She cringed slightly at the idea of Micheal ever finding out about her crush, she'd never be able to look him in the eye again. Plus... she decided gloomily, he'd just laugh at her for being so foolish.
"…Is it a treat?" The girl nodded, her eyes still downcast to the floor. She withdrew the sweets away from Heath, feeling silly just standing there with her hand extended towards him. "If it is ok for horses to have then I can not see why not," Paige felt really stupid now, it was obvious he wasn't keen on her feeding his horse. Part of her even felt close to tears as she struggled with her own barriers which stopped her conversing with ease with other people. Her person skills weren't very well devloped and she often missed subtle under currents to conversations. Often Max and Lara had carried on layered conversations, often filled with sexual inuenndo's that Paige failed to pick up on.
'Sokay.' The packet vannished back into her pocket, she wasn't going to feed something to his pony if he didn't really want her to. Uh ... bye Unknowing what else to say she turned from him and hurried from the barn, eyeing the loose mare with timidity and giving her a wide berth.
ooc: Sorry couldn't think of what to put. Don't mind if we want to close it there, it's made friendship foundations, or we could skip it forwards a couple of days and Paige could come down to see the horses again. Anyway ... *prods* I know you won't get to read this for ages but I'm prodding you to post for the new Riley thread.!!
Paige:How can I have feelings for someone who's not even real?
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