Psyrens At Dusk

[Lahja Morgan]

One of the many benefits of the column that Lahja wrote was that she was often sent products from various equestrian companies to take on test-drives. Sure sometimes they were either poor quality or useless, but sometimes there was a real gem amongst them. The Camille fleece jacket had proven to be one such gem. It was snugly warm and amazingly good at keeping the wind out yet was still smart and fashion-forward enough that she could wear it around the stables even when she was expecting visits. The early evening was crisp and her breath hovered in the air as she raised the zip up to her chin, getting herself comfortable on the carriage seat before giving a soft click of a sound and urging Psyren into a walk.

The black Friesian mare tossed her head and leaned into the harness, setting off at a brisk walk around the perimeter of the floodlit outdoor arena. It had been a while since she had worked in here and it took her a moment to adjust to the footing, but once she was settled and walking out nicely Lahja clicked again, pushing her forward into a slow trot to get her warmed up despite the chill. Psyren mouthed at the bit and tried to rush through the turns and circles that Lahja was guiding her through, but steady hands on the reins and a gentle voice kept her at a reasonable pace with no fear of over-stressing her cold muscles.

Once Lahja was sure that Psyren was sufficiently warmed up she pushed her out into a quicker trot and the mare responded instantly, head tucking in proudly and knees lifting high as she pulled the little exercise cart around the arena. Lahja had just begun to work on getting her to really stretch and extend the trot across the long diagonals of the arena when a voice caught her attention. Turning her head she noticed one of her stablehands stood with a young boy by the arena gate, and after slowing Psyren back to a walk and giving her some words of praise she steered the mare over to the gate.

The stablehand named the boy as Connor and said he was scheduled for an interview in view of him perhaps taking on a weekend job at the farm. Still sat in the cart Lahja raised a hand to her cheek. “OH! Connor, I’m so sorry. I thought you weren’t due to arrive for another half hour.” She slid across to one side of the padded two-person seat, indicating to the empty space beside her. “Will you sit with me so we can talk while I finish up here?”

[Connor Anderson]

Connor was missing horses. For fifteen years they had been part of his everyday life. To suddenly pack up and ship off to another state without young, antsy Thoroughbreds to exercise every morning, and his own horse to ride after chores and homework, well... he missed it. A lot. He even missed the work that went along with them. The feeding and grooming and mucking. Well. Maybe not the mucking as much as everything else. But he still missed the environment. Even the smell. He’d gone months without it, and with the knowledge that he wasn’t close to graduating, well... he thought he might just go slightly crazy if he didn’t get to touch a horse soon.

So when he’d come across the ad for the carriage company, he had had a stray string of hope appear. Perhaps that was an answer. He didn’t think he was old enough to work for real, but maybe they’d take volunteers. He’d happily work unpaid simply to be near the animals again. Trying to sound braver than he felt, he’d called up and had managed to get an interview to assess his ability to work for her.

Connor had no idea how to dress properly for an interview. As such, he’d simply dressed like he would to work. Jeans that had seen slightly better days, his beat up sneakers, and a t-shirt layered with a hoodie under his dark green windbreaker. It has his parents’ stable logo on it, which he’d honestly forgotten about until he’d trudged up the driveway to the stables. A quick check of his watch showed he was running mostly on time.

He ran into a stable hand, who led him to the arena. In the arena was a breed he had only seen on the internet and in magazines. A Friesian, he was pretty sure, and a damn pretty one at that. He simply stared in awe for a moment before allowing himself to be distracted by the owner. “You’re Miss Morgan?” He smiled at the invitation and scrambled through the gate, climbing up carefully into the cart beside her. “It’s nice to meet you, ma’am.” Yes, there went his manners again. He’d been raised well, and he used them. He gestured to the black mare in front of them. “Your mare is stunning. Friesian?” He was fairly certain he remembered the name correctly.

[Lahja Morgan]

Lahja had spent the past few years working quite closely with Hammel, taking on students from there for weekend and evening work as well as trying to help out there as much as she could. It had become much more difficult since her own son had graduated from there and that particular link between the Hammel Institute and Montadale Farm had become broken, but Lahja was nothing if not determined. She found a way to get what she wanted; she always did.

With the start of the new school year being but a few months ago Lahja had been met with a small stream of students looking for part-time work at the stables. A few still remained but many of them found it a little tough to cope with the less than gentle work and the long hours out in the cold and the wet. Some of them had came ready-equipped with equestrian knowledge but many of them hadn't, and whilst Lahja had all the patience in the world to teach them, there was only so much you could do with students who didn't really want to do the jobs assigned to them. Sadly, the equestrian life wasn't all about riding and grooming and watching foals being born. Many didn't seem to realise that.

Psyren tossed her head and chewed at the bit impatiently as she was forced to wait for the boy to get into the cart; she had always been rather hot-headed and keen to get moving and waiting in the cold didn't help matters much. The mare still had enough training and manners to keep all four feet planted until she was once more given the command to walk on, though. “Yes, I am Lahja Morgan. It is a pleasure to meet you too, Connor.”

Lahja smiled brightly at the compliment about Psyren; a compliment to her horse was a compliment to her after all. “Thank you, and you have a good eye I see. Yes, this is Psyren and she is one of our two Friesians. Her team-mate is a gelding named Wiley. The carriage herd is made up of fourteen horses of various breeds, but that number fluctuates fairly frequently.” As with any moderately large stable yard there was often horses being bought and sold but the core team tended to remain the same. Lahja clicked softly, urging Psyren into a slow but elevated trot. “You said on the phone that your experience is with Thoroughbred track horses. What makes you want to work on a driving farm whilst you are still studying?”

[Connor Anderson]

Connor knew what it was like to have students helping out around a farm. Every so often his parents tried out hiring summer students to help out with the basic barn chores. A lot of teenagers came and went, usually because they didn’t realize that horses were all riding and glamour. There was a lot of hard, dirty work. All things that Connor had been raised on. Once he’d had Sona, it had been driven even harder home. If the barn chores and homework weren’t done, he wasn’t allowed to ride his feisty gelding. It had only fueled his work ethic to ensure that everything was done in time to get out on Sona, even if it was only for half an hour each night.

Rain or shine, he was also well aware that the horses’ needs always came first. It probably helped that he had grown up around a working farm, and while the horses’ jobs were different from Lahja’s farm, they were still working horses. Sona was treated very differently from the racehorses, and he knew it.

The blue eyed boy smiled up at her greeting before looking back at the mare as she tossed her head. The motion was all too familiar to him. Both Sona and the younger Thoroughbreds had that in common when they got impatient. It made a real feeling of familiarity wash over him, and it made him smile.

Fluctuating herd members was something else he was familiar with. His family’s horses were constantly being trained and sold, as well as new ones acquired. They had a few that were retained to race under the farm’s own name, but others were separated early on and sold as yearlings and two year olds. Sometimes it was hard to see some of them go, but Connor had long ago learned the realities of living on the farm.

Her question made him pull his gaze away from the elegant mare back to Lahja. “Yes. My parents own and operate a racing stable. Since I was big enough to do things like muck stalls, I’ve been helping. I can groom, muck, almost anything you might need.” Granted, the tack they had was a little more complicated than his own English tack at home, or any of the racing tack. “I miss horses. At home I was up at 5:00 am and worked in the barn for two hours before the bus came for school, and did the same thing after I got home. If I was lucky and got my chores done, I was allowed to take my own horse out too, once all the others were looked after.” He tugged at the sleeve of his windbreaker self consciously. “I’m really good with keeping balance between school and work. I’ve done it all my life.” Tentatively, he peeked up at her, hoping his answer was good enough.

[Lahja Morgan]

Lahja knew that with winter coming there was a very high chance she would lose a significant chunk of her student-based team. Even though she paid them well and kept the work as interesting as she possibly could, it was a sheer fact of life that many of them simply couldn't cope (or simply didn't want to cope) with the realities of working with horses in winter. Long hours outside in the cold, wet and wind could quickly dampen the spirits of even the most determined of people, and so the thought of having one more weekend team member who was well aware of just how tough it could be was an admittedly welcoming prospect.

Psyren was happier once she was allowed to get moving again, and as she trotted around the arena she began to settle down and concentrate on where her hooves were being guided. Her trot was kept slow with each stride very pronounced, the elegant flowing motion that looked so regal when pulling the grand wedding carriages. Lahja did sometimes tire of the mare's headstrong fire, but it was Psyren's sheer glamour and presence that made her one of the farms most highly-requested horses. And sometimes it was fun to hitch her up to the marathon buggy and let her haul it at break-neck speeds around the fields.

Lahja was patiently quiet as Connor spoke, taking in what he said as she steered the black mare around the arena in a pattern of circles and serpentines, varying the pace every few circuits to keep Psyren attentive and responsive. Once Connor had finished there was a soft smile on Lahja's lips and her voice was pleasant. “You will need to keep that balance if you do start working here; your school work will always come first. Days off for assignments will be granted, and there will be mandatory days off for revision during exam periods.” For as much as Lahja could use every willing hand at the farm, especially during the harsh winter and spring birthing months, she knew the kid's futures were far more important than her own needs.

“We do have a few ex-racehorses, but they are Standardbred harness racers and not the Thoroughbreds you are used to. If you were to start working here, do you think you would be able to handle their needs? Killian and Flash in particular can be very hot tempered.” Lahja often kept an eye out for potential new horses whenever she visited an auction yard, and even though she tried to keep a business-like head on her she often fell for the horses that no one else would ever want. The horses destined to be sold onto lorries that would haul them directly to the processing plants. That was how she had ended up with both of the stubborn, tough-to-handle bay geldings. They were getting much better by the day and were now regularly working on a team with Solo and Tiger, but in the stable and field they were still very much a handful. They would be a real test of any handlers ability.

After working Psyren through another large circle Lahja gently lifted the reins and gave a soft “wooo”, the mare steadying down to a walk and stretching her elegant neck out and down, relaxing. “Have you ever worked a carriage horse before, Connor?”

[Connor Anderson]

Connor was absolutely no stranger to working horses in the pouring rain, or any manner of weather. As long as you dressed for it and were prepared to work, it wasn’t an issue. He had long since learned that, though he’d heard through the grapevine that winter in Vermont was a force to be reckoned with. Perhaps he’d have to add to his winter gear if that really was the case. He was hoping not.

He watched in admiration as Psyren moved along at a brisker pace. He’d seen horses on the track move that way, just proud to be on the dirt and ready to race. Their knees came higher and they practically danced in their pride. Psyren was clearly also proud of what she was doing, and he liked that quality. Sona often did it too, usually after being a particularly large pain in the butt.

The fact that Miss Morgan was going to be adamant about keeping the schoolwork balance made him feel somewhat less homesick than he’d been feeling. Despite all the work needed around the farm, schoolwork had always come first for both him and his brother. “Of course, Miss Morgan. My parents wouldn’t have it any other way at home.” Days off for studying and assignments seemed logical to him, even if he’d rather be slaving in the barns than studying for things.

When the tone of the interview changed, Connor lit up. Hot tempered, he had dealt with many times over. Hell, his own gelding fell into that category most of the time. “I can certainly try. We have a few at home that are on the spirited end of the spectrum. And. Um. My gelding can be a little high strung.” He might as well be truthful. “I spent all the time I could when he was younger trying to bond with him, and get him to trust me.” In the end, it had been time well spent. Despite the gelding’s tendency toward shenanigans, he was still the best behaved for Connor. ... That wasn’t exactly saying much some days, but it was true.

Her next question made him shake his head. “No, ma’am. I’ve helped to break yearlings to saddle, and exercised horses on the track. We’ve never had carriage horses at home. Just Thoroughbreds, and a few ponies from when we were growing up. I’d love to learn, though.” Anything to add to his knowledge.

[Lahja Morgan]

One of the things Lahja always took great pride in was the condition and temperaments of her horses. Sure some of them could be a bit flighty and headstrong, but all of them were happy and kept to an incredibly high standard. They wanted for nothing and were kept in absolute peak physical condition, and they all seemed to greatly enjoy their work. Lahja had been around and seen the absolute horrific states some carriage horses were kept in, and though her heart bled for them, it just pushed her even harder to make sure her own horses were kept like royalty. Psyren certainly acted like the proud bearer of nobility as soon as she was put to a carriage, and Lahja did put it down to how well the mare was kept. It was a matter incredibly close to her heart.

And it was a matter that she expected all of her staff to hold dear too.

“I would expect you to stay on top of your school work. My son went to the same school you are attending now and I know the standards they keep. I need the experienced hands here, certainly, but not at the cost of your schooling.” Lahja could not help the fussy mothering tone escaping, it was something that she also felt very passionately about. She was the same way with all of her student staff; if they couldn't balance the work with their schooling, then the hours would be cut right down until they caught up again. Sure to some that might seem like more of a reward than a punishment, especially in winter, but many of them soon found the balance again when they realised that their pockets needed lining again.

Lahja smiled as Connor spoke about his gelding, clearly able to see the affection there. It was a very promising sign; any kid could own and ride a horse, but it took a genuine love of the animals to be able to make any kind of success out of it. “He sounds like a fine horse. I'd love to hear more about him, if you're willing to share?” Yes this was technically an interview, but equestrian people tended to always find a way to share stories about their horses no matter what the situation. You never know what fascinating new thing you might learn, even from someone half your age.

In truth it didn't really matter that Connor had never worked a carriage horse. Yes the tack and exercise method was a lot to learn, but at first he would only be doing yard chores anyway and there was plenty of time for him to pick things up as they were going along. “If you do get the job here and you stay around, you will get a chance to learn. That I can promise you.” With Psyren catching her breath at a steady walk with her head low and relaxed, Lahja smiled softly. “If I got Psyren here unharnessed, do you think you would be able to demonstrate grooming her and getting her settled for the evening?”

[Connor Anderson]

The condition of the horses was absolutely something that Connor’s family would have approved of. Though some racing stables were just out for money and running their horses until they broke down, his family’s operation was nothing like that. The comfort and health of their horses was of the utmost importance, and taken seriously. Sometimes as much as an off gait was enough to scratch a promising horse from an upcoming race. While it didn’t exactly make them money, it kept the horses as safe as possible. Connor couldn’t think of anything much worse than seeing a horse you owned break down right on the track in the middle of a race. He’d seen it happen enough to know it was a reality that you couldn’t control. Thankfully, none of their horses had done such.

“I promise, Miss Morgan. If my grades fell, I’d get an earful from my mother before you had the chance. I like school.” He smiled at her. “I’m hoping to go to university for business, so I can help run the racing stables when I’m older.” He liked the bookkeeping aspects of it. Of course, not as much as dealing with the horses, but he didn’t think he was cut out to be a trainer like his father. “So I need to keep my grades up.” Sometimes that was a bit of a struggle, but he tried. At least he wasn’t out to earn money with the job at the stables. He was happy with just volunteering his time to be around horses. His parents kept him well supplied with whatever he needed in terms of cash.

Not that he liked admitting to that.

Her comments about Sona made him perk a little, pride evident on his face. “Of course!” What to share, exactly? “He’s four now. My dad tried him on the track, but he didn’t take to it. He needs more than running in a circle to keep him busy, I think. I want to try to teach him to jump, but right now he’s just a sort of pleasure horse. He’s a little spirited at times, especially if he hasn’t been out for a few days. He’s... kind of the stereotypical Thoroughbred, really. Tall, lanky, and a little hyper.” Still, he had to smile fondly. “He’s my best friend at home. I’m the only one he actually tends to settle down for, even a little. My brother’s an apprentice jockey and even he doesn’t like exercising Sona.” The gelding had never really worried Connor. He knew how to handle him.

The idea of learning a new way to interact with horses beyond simple riding honestly excited him. If Miss Morgan was going to hire him, he would do his best to stick around. “That would be amazing,” he assured, looking back ahead to Psyren. “And absolutely. Grooming was one of my favorite things at home.” It was relaxing, and he enjoyed the quiet time with the horses.

[Lahja Morgan]

Connor's promises about his grades was reassuring, and Lahja offered him a soft smile as she nodded her head. “Good, I am glad to hear it. Your mother clearly has her priorities right too.” As Connor spoke about what he wanted to do education wise Lahja perked up, turning her attention to him as she relaxed the reins slightly to let Psyren stretch forward and down. “That is a wise move. I studied business to so that I could take over my parents farm when they retired and turn it into an equestrian centre.” A goal that she had achieved, even if it had eventually been at the cost of her marriage. That was something she did not regret at all, even though it still hurt that her son had gone with her ex-husband.

“Too many people rush headlong to study equine courses and such, which is fine if you want to be a groom or a nutritionist or something similar. If you want to run a business though, you have to understand business. You understand that, so I'm sure you'll do just fine.” And if he needed any extra help then Lahja would be happy to provide it. Lahja didn't view her staff as just her minions; they were her students, if it was so required.

Lahja listened quietly as the boy talked about Sona, taking in what he was saying with the occasional soft nod of her head. He was used to working with spirited horses, which was always a bonus. Most of her horses were fairly sedate but a few of them could be very feisty, especially the ex-harness racers and her own private stallions. The more experienced handlers the better. “He sounds like a real handful, but it also sounds like you have a really special bond with him. That is always great to see.” Psyren gave a soft snort, shaking her head and relaxing as she walked. “Do you get to see him often, since you started at Hammel?”

As Connor agreed to give a little demo Lahja smiled and turned Psyren towards the gate, halting a little way from it and applying the carriage brakes. “If you'd like to hop off now, we can leave the carriage here. I'll be bringing one of the others in for a session later.” As she finished speaking Lahja closed her eyes, disappearing and reappearing a second later stood by Psyren's head. The mare gave a soft snort of surprise but didn't overly react, clearly somewhat used to it. Lahja rubbed the Friesian's neck and gave her a tidbit out of her pocket before starting to unbuckle the trace strap.

[Connor Anderson]

“She does,” he assured her. For his mother, regardless of her responsibilities as manager of the farm, family always came first. If one of her sons needed something, things could be delegated to make herself available to them. It was something that Connor had always had comfort in growing up. It didn’t matter how up to her eyes in paperwork she was, or how many training schedules she was trying to arrange. She always had time for him. It was one of the things he missed the most about being away from home. “I’ve seen the work my mom puts in, and all the behind the scenes stuff. We get a lot of summer students that just want to play with the horses. They don’t get what goes on to make the place successful.” Even if all they had was stellar racehorses, without someone with some business sense behind it, the farm would go under.

“Thank you, Miss Morgan,” he replied with a little smile. At least someone thought he could do it. Curtis had teased him a little for not wanting to be out on the racetrack too, but Connor had just smiled and taken it. He’d rather be the one doing the training schedules and selecting which horses to breed, which to retain, which to sell, and which races to enter. That, to him, was the ultimate puzzle. His mother was good at it, and he hoped that he could follow her lead.

Even discounting Sona, many of the two year olds finishing their training and starting their racing careers could be a handful. Some of them hadn’t quite learned their manners yet. Like the filly that had bitten Connor and had exposed his meta gene. He didn’t mind handling them, and in cases like Sona, he loved getting to bond with them. There was a real thrill when a previously feisty horse came around to a certain person. “He’s amazing. Ever since he was a colt, we’ve bonded.” As for her question, his expression wavered slightly before he offered an almost sad smile. “I haven’t seen him since I started Hammel. Well, pictures and stuff. But he’s in Kentucky. It’s a long way from here.” Still. He’d see him soon. Maybe over Christmas.

Once the carriage was stopped, he hopped down and steadied himself on the ground. Lahja’s sudden disappearing act startled him slightly, but not as much as it might have done prior to his time at Hammel. “You’re a meta-human too? That was amazing.” Clearly he had no issue with them, being that he was one himself. Even if he still didn’t like his power much. As she began to unharness the mare, Connor tentatively reached out to place a hand gently on her hip to let her know he was there. “Hi, Psyren. You’re very pretty, girl. And so elegant.” This was what he missed. Talking to the horses without looking crazy.

[Lahja Morgan]

Lahja smiled warmly as Connor spoke, attentively taking in every word the young boy was saying. “Ah, so you realise how little some summer students try to get away with. That is good.” Indeed it was; if Connor knew first-hand just what was expected of student workers he should be better prepared for his time at Montadale. Lahja was a firm but fair boss; if her staff worked hard then the rewards were always worth it, but she had absolutely no time for lazy people and even less for those who tried to get away with doing as little as possible. “I have no problems with my staff playing with the horses, as long as the work is still being completed.”

Lahja could completely understand Connor's sadness at being away from Sona and she offered him a sympathetic smile. When she had first arrived at Hammel herself Lahja had only had photos of Doll to remind her of her plucky little mare, but thankfully it hadn't taken long for a boarding stable to be found nearby. “I understand how hard that is; I have been in the exact same position myself. At least you have the guarantee of knowing he is being extremely well cared for while you are here.”

After she had stepped to Psyren's side, Lahja chuckled softly at Connor's reaction to it. “I am, yes. I attended Hammel too, when I was a teenager. As did my son; he graduated this past summer.” Lahja was always fairly careful using her ability around the horses, some of them weren't quite used to it yet and a suddenly appearing human could easily spook them. Thankfully by now Psyren was used to it, and it made unharnessing the headstrong and easily bored mare quicker. “Do you mind if I ask what your ability is?” Whilst it didn't really matter to Lahja what Connor was capable of, it was always better to know than to not know. It helped with being prepared, just in case. For example, if he was a pyro she'd take special care to keep an eye on him while he was in the hay barn.

Switching to the other side of Psyren to unbuckle the off-side trace strap, Lahja unclipped a rolled up lead rope that was hanging from a belt loop on her jeans and held it out to Connor. “Would you mind? She has a halter on under her bridle. Just so she doesn't try to wander off once the tugs are off.” It was unlikely that Psyren would, but it would give Lahja an idea of how Connor would make his first interactions with the mare. Once the trace straps were released, the reins were the next to be unclipped and freed from the turrets before Lahja unhooked the tugs, freeing Psyren from the carriage. “There we are. The harness itself can come off in her stall; they all have their own and one of the girls will put it away once we get back to the barn.”

[Connor Anderson]

“Absolutely I do,” he responded with a nod. It was always an uphill battle every summer. Sometimes they lucked out with a good student, but the rest of them? He got tired of tripping over the slow moving ones, or having to explain something six hundred times. “It drove my parents crazy.” He couldn’t count the amount of times they’d had their horses coddled and fussed over and braided when they were supposed to be working. Sure, they worked hard then their temporary workers were rewarded, but if they didn’t... it just ended with everyone being beyond frustrated. “That’s how my parents operate too. Even with me and my brother.” It was only when the work (both stable and schoolwork) was completed that they were allowed out to pleasure ride, or mess around on the track with some of the older, long retired horses. More than once Connor had climbed onto Blitzkrieg’s back and cantered him around the track. The stallion had been retired for just over a decade, but he still seemed to get a spark back in his eyes when he set foot on the practice track. He had been one of their most successful racehorses, and was still one of their best breeding stock. He had grandfathered or great grandfathered most of their current racing string, most of which were doing fabulously on the track now.

At least Lahja seemed to understand how hard it was to be away from his best buddy. “Yeah, he is. My brother promised to ride him when he could.” He just worried that Sona would be his usual spunky self, and end up ignored in favor of the horses that were making money for the farm. All the more reason he wanted to ask his mom about letting him try to find a good place to board him in Vermont. Maybe Lahja would know.

He was still somewhat in awe of Lahja’s ability (seriously, everyone had a better ability that he did) as he watched her start unharnessing Psyren. “Um, healing. My trainer said it was called cell regeneration?” Hopefully that was enough for her to go on. “If one of our fillies hadn’t bitten me, I’d probably still be at home.” Still, as abilities went, it was fairly... innocent. No sudden fires, no poison, no danger, really.

Connor easily took the rope and approached Psyren calmly, hand lightly trailer from her hip to her shoulder, then up her neck to let her know he was still there, and on the move. A palm was held out for her smell before he ran his hand up under her head until his fingers found the bottom strap of the halter. The ring was easily found and the rope was smoothly clipped to it. “There you go, hey Psyren? You’re a good girl.” His fingers reached up to scratch from her neck to her ear, rubbing carefully with a practiced ease. Sona had always liked ear massages. Hopefully Psyren didn’t find them offensive.

[Lahja Morgan]

Lahja smiled easily as she finished unhooking Psyren from the carriage, looping the trailing straps through their keepers so the would not drag along the floor as they headed back to the mare's stall in the main barn. “I am glad you understand. I am sure that you will also understand that there are a number of rules that must be followed when you're around the farm, same as any other equestrian business. But we can go over them properly later, if this goes well.” Lahja assumed it would indeed go well; if the boy had half as much experience as he claimed, he could prove to be a valuable asset in time.

Connor talking about Sona brought another smile to Lahja's lips, and she nodded as she began to lead the way out of the arena, opening the gate wide so Psyren could be lead through. “Whilst the horses you will be working with are working animals, not pets, if there is one you take a particular shine to then arrangements can be made for you to work with them more while you are on rota. I know it isn't the same as having your own horse nearby, but hopefully it will help a little.”

Cellular regeneration was indeed a reassurance; there was hardly much damage he could cause around the farm using an ability like that. It was certainly much easier to manage than some of the more potentially destructive powers, and she chuckled softly. “I would imagine that ability would come in handy around horses. All those little accidental scratches and scrapes.”

Very well practised eyes watched Connor interacting with Psyren, quietly pleased with what she was seeing. He clearly knew how to handle and approach an unfamiliar horse, right down to letting her scent his hand before attaching the leadrope. She smiled as the black mare leaned into the scratching, Psyren's elegant neck tilting to get Connor's hand to scratch the itch just behind her ear. As Lahja guided the way through the gate and towards the farm proper, she began the little tour of the place. “Up that path there is the main cottage, my house, and the barn next to it is where my private horses are kept. That path leads down to the livery barn and their pastures, but we're going up this way. The main barn is up here, next to the indoor arena.”

[Connor Anderson]

Connor watched with interest as Lahja unhooked the rest of the straps. Racing and pleasure tack, he was used to. Even hoods with blinkers on them. Sona had worn one in an attempt to get him to settle down on the track before the idea of him as a racehorse had been scrapped entirely. But the carriage harness looked like one big puzzle. Well. There was always time and chances to learn, right? Provided she allowed him to volunteer his time at the farm. “Of course. I wouldn’t want to do anything to break those.” The rules at home he knew inside out and backwards, and he knew how irritated his parents got when summer hires broke those rules. Sometimes they were small, but some were bigger, and in place for the sake of the horses’ safety. He wouldn’t ever do anything willingly to put anyone, horse or person, in any kind of danger.

As Lahja opened the gate, Connor slid one hand up to just under Psyren’s chin, the other a few feet away holding the coiled remainder of the rope. She didn’t seem to need much in the way of encouragement to get moving, and he affectionately scratched at her chin as they moved. “That’s really nice of you,” he pointed out. Though he’d really only met Psyren so far, she seemed like a good horse. Spirited under harness, but easy enough to handle on the ground. At least so far. At the very least, she seemed to tolerate him. “I already like Psyren,” he admitted as he moved his hand to rub her cheek.

As for his power, he simply shrugged. “I guess so. It helped when Star bit me.” Like Sona, Shining Star was a gigantic pain in the rear to handle. Unlike Sona, she had taken to the track as she was bred to. His parents were expecting big things out of her. “Scared the heck out of my dad. One minute I have a bloody shoulder, and by the time he was back with the first aid kit, it was just kind of pink.” He really didn’t like actively using his power, even though he was made to during training. But she was right. It would help for the minor scrapes that were inevitable in working in stables and with horses. At least he wasn’t going to set anything on fire, or anything like that.

Taking everything in on the tour, Connor was instantly homesick. The two farms were very, very different, but it still caused little waves of sadness to roll. It was a very pretty place, and Lahja obviously kept it in very good shape. Something caught his attention as she spoke, though. “Livery barn? Like... boarding?” The wheels were starting to turn now. Maybe he’d just found a way to keep Sona happy and active while he was at Hammel. ... if Lahja had room. And if his parents agreed. And that was a very, very big if.

[Lahja Morgan]

The rules for the stables were very much like they were at any other farm, so Lahja was confident it would not take Connor long to pick them up. There were a few site-specific ones in place, of course, but nothing too bizarre or unusual. She had found over the years that it just made everything run so much smoother when common sense was placed at the head of things; rules are only as effective as the brains following them, after all.

Lahja smiled softly as Connor mentioned that he liked Psyren already, and she gave a small nod. “A lot of people like her; she's very popular. A bit wilful sometimes, but that just adds to the character, I think. The carriage team has two Friesians, four Andalusians, four Standardbreds, two of whom are retired racers, two Vanners and two Shires. We're quite often getting in new horses, some of them just for training before being sold on, but those are the core herd. Oh, there is also Maestro. You'll probably meet him very soon; he's often hanging out around the main barn.”

Having been through the ordeal herself, Lahja could sympathise with Connor's story of his manifestation and she offered him a soft smile. “I am glad your manifestation wasn't too traumatic, besides the pain of being bitten. Not everyone is quite so lucky in that regard.” The awakening of her own powers hadn't been exactly earth-shattering, but it had spooked her enough that it had taken several weeks for her to come to terms with exactly what had happened.

Lahja did take great pride in her farm and would have been thrilled to hear the boy think so, but she gave smiled and chuckled softly as he picked out two very specific words from her little introduction to the place. “Yes, like boarding. The barn was opened in 2011, and it's got thirty stalls. There is currently twenty one horses boarded here, some of them by other kids at Hammel.” As they were walking a rugged little terrier mutt ran over, tail wagging furiously as he barked playfully in greeting. Psyren seemed completely unperturbed by the excited little dog. “This is Five, best ratter in the state.” Lahja fussed the little dog on the head before heading in the direction of the impeccably kept main barn, which had an ancient looking black Shetland pony lying down on the grass to the side of it. “And that is Maestro.”