Afternoon Adventures (Charlie)

[Connor Anderson]

Connor was excited as he trudged up the driveway of Montadale Farms. For once he had no classes, and he didn’t have a volunteer shift at the farm until tomorrow. So why was he at the farm today?

Easy. Charlie and Sona.

Why his normally feisty gelding liked Charlie so much, he’d never know. Well. It was hard to dislike Charlie, but he didn’t know that would apply to Sona too. The first time he’d taken Charlie to meet him, Connor had talked up his gelding, only to dole out small, almost nervous warnings that he might nip if he was excited, and that if he turned away suddenly to give him space, oh and watch his ears because if they flattened back he was probably planning to be a jerk.

Yet the gelding had defied all warnings and had instead presented Charlie with an almost unrecognizable set of reasonable manners. He had stood still for petting, tolerated a hug (and even tucked his chin against the girl’s back), and hadn’t nipped, kicked, or been a jerk at all.

Connor had honestly questioned if it was the same horse. Especially as the next time he’d gone to the farm for his shift and had taken Sona out afterwards, the gelding had been in full Spring Fever mode, side stepping and head tossing before finally settling down.

Today, he was slightly nervous, and slightly excited. If Sona was calm, he was planning on letting Charlie up on his back. He’d lead the gelding, because he didn’t fully trust him with someone inexperienced, but he was still excited about getting to share something so important to him with Charlie.

Dressed for the barn, he gently held Charlie’s hand as they headed down to the boarding stable. On the way by he pointed out Maestro, the ancient Shetland that more or less had the run of the farm. Per usual, the black pony was lying by the side of the barn, muzzle tucked against his front legs as he dozed.

“Sona probably missed you,” he assured Charlie as he swung into the boarding barn. Several heads popped over the stalls, but only one issued a loud greeting. Connor grinned and passed several wrapped mints from his pocket to Charlie’s free hand before stopping by the stall. “Hey, buddy,” he said softly. “Look who’s here to see you.” It was impossible to hide his enthusiasm. Charlie and Sona? What more could he want in an afternoon?

[Charlotte Greene]

Indeed. If anyone had been more surprised than Connor at how well the first meeting of girlfriend and horse had gone, it had been Charlie herself. Connor's small tagged-on-the-end warnings had had more than a little frightened, but the equine had seemingly been quite happy to meet her. So much so that after a few minutes petting and praising and being nuzzled, Charlie had stepped up and given the huge horse a hug. Now, Charlie didn't speak horse, but the feeling of a horse's chin gently against one's back seemed to be a pretty good indicator for 'good girl'.. and Charlie had loved Sona ever since.

So the horses weren't the only ones excited that someone was in the barn. Charlie was quite excited herself. She was dressed perhaps even more farmy than Connor was.. wearing simple worn hiking boots, a dark pair of denim jeans, and an orange v-neck tee. Connor had yet to see the shirt, though, as Charlie had on a button-up plaid shirt over top it. She'd recently decided to start wearing or using things that were orange to see if Connor picked up on it, and today was the first time she'd worn this shirt in public. The tee had slits cut up the back for her wings, the button-up didn't. That way if she accidentally started to let her wings out, she would get a gentle reminder. They weren't on Hammel grounds, after all.

The properly western-looking pixie gladly took the mints from her boyfriend and ran the rest of the way to the excited gelding, stopping short of his reach and giving the horse a small bow. "I missed you, too, Sona!" She quickly unwrapped one of the mints and held it up for him to take.. palm-up and hand splayed wide open as she'd been taught. When Sona happily nommed it, Charlie took this as her 'okay' to reach in to give the horse his now-customary greeting, a warm hug.

She simply stepped up to the gate and opened her arms, leaning forward.. Sona did the rest and closed the distance. Charlie was beyond glad that Sona liked her.. Horses, like dogs and many other animals, were supposedly good judges of character.. and if Sona approved of her, maybe it meant that he approved of her and Connor being a couple, too. Connor had commented multiple times how how he seemed nicer with her than with.. anyone else ever.. so maybe it was Sona's way of encouraging her.. or maybe it was his way of encouraging Connor.. or maybe Charlie was just really good with horses and Sona was a very good horse. Whatever the case, Charlie hugged and giggled against the massive quadruped, petting his neck and snuggling against him.

"Yeah, I missed you too. You're such a good horse, Sona. Beautiful and warm and strong and nice. Just like Connor." Now, she hadn't entirely meant to let that last bit slip.. and she surely didn't mean to imply Connor was a horse, but what was said couldn't be unsaid. Hopefully Connor would be his usual grinny blushy adorable self and Charlie could help him with whatever they were up to today. Despite having been out here several times now, Charlie had yet to ever ride a horse. Maybe that's what Connor wanted to do? If she weren't hugging Sona she might be nervous about the thought, but if that was the case, maybe there was a very docile horse here that Connor could teach her on.. and then she'd have two favorite horses. But she'd need more mints.

Speaking of which, Charlie slowly broke her hug and patted Sona's nose, offering him another of the mints. "Thank you, Sona! I love hugs." Charlie just smiles, turning to stare over at Connor with a big happy smile. She'd grown up a more urban area, but something about being out at a stable with open land and breeze and the company of these huge majestic animals was absolutely wonderful. Of course, then Connor's company certainly didn't hurt either.

[Connor Anderson]

Connor had actually thought it was all kinds of adorable, the way Charlie dressed for the trip. At home he often rode in jeans and a t-shirt, but he did have real riding attire too. Mostly for when he actually had to work, but he’d once had ambitions to teach Sona to jump and take him to shows. For that, you needed distinctly less western wear, and more... yeah. But it was still cute. Very cute. How in the heck he’d gotten so lucky as to keep Charlie interested in him was beyond him, but whatever it was, he was happy about it. He could have had terrible luck and she could have been allergic to, or scared of horses. As she wasn’t either, it made things a lot easier. After all, he often came back from his volunteer shifts at the farm smelling more like a horse than a person, and she didn’t seem to mind. She still came flying at him in her customary greeting. It was a good thing he had a good centre of balance, as well as strong arms. There was something amusing and yet so sweet about her flinging herself into her arms in greeting, and he certainly didn’t mind.

He stood back in the aisle as he watched Charlie and Sona do their usual snuggle greeting. It didn’t so much irk as it did confuse him. Sure, Sona could be affectionate. He could also be feisty and downright jerk-esque at times, when he felt like it. Though he’d been nervous at first, that the first meeting had just been a fluke, Sona had proved him wrong time and time again. So much for issuing warnings. Apparently the gelding would just make a liar out of him. At least Charlie was safe. The last thing he wanted was for Sona to nip her, or worse.

Of course, the mints helped. Sona would do damn near anything for a mint. It was why Connor kept a solid supply of them not only in his room, but in the gelding’s tack trunk to keep him placated.

As Sona snuggled with Charlie, Connor stuffed his hands in his pockets and just waited. Eventually they would come apart, and then he could propose the plan he had been mulling over. Before he had a chance to do so, he heard her coo to the horse and felt his ears go warm. Sure, Sona was warm and strong, but himself? Charlie certainly had a way with words.

His slight embarrassment was quickly forgotten at Charlie’s dazzling smile. She was so pretty when she did that. Lighting up himself, he stepped closer and rubbed Sona’s soft neck. “So... I had an idea of what we could do, if you’re interested?” Sona’s neck was given a quick pat before he tilted his head, a curious look on his face. “Do you want to try riding him? I’ll test him out first, make sure he isn’t going to explode or anything, and I’ll lead him for you. It should be pretty safe.” If Sona was going to make a fuss, he usually did it in the first few minutes of the ride, which was why Connor had volunteered to get on him first. Make sure the gelding remembered that he had manners, and that he was going to use them. “If not, we can always just groom him and put him in the field, then go visit the other horses.” He was open to options. As long as Charlie was going to have a good time, he was happy with anything.

[Charlotte Greene]

Charlie's eyes went wide. She could actually ride Sona?? Instead of answering Connor, though, she turned her head and stared straight at the horse. "Sona.. Would you like that? Would it be okay? I would love to ride you for a few minutes if you don't mind.." ..She stared and tilted her head for a short moment before turning back to Connor with that big smile splattered right back over her face. "I don't think he would mind! That would be amazing! I've never ridden a horse before.. Well, I think I was on a pony once when I was really little, but Sona is definitely not a pony."

Yes. Charlie was trying to butter up a horse.. But it seemed to have worked thus far. Or maybe it was the mints.. but if it was the thought that counted, she aught to be golden. Because she'd asked him permission and didn't understand any objection. Maybe it was strange, but it was most likely adorable and it was definitely Charlie. Connor would know by now that she liked to talk to the horses when she helped him groom them or when she accompanied him walking them out to the field. He held the reigns, she held the conversation.

Given some of the stories she'd heard, though, she also wasn't against the idea of Connor riding for a bit first. Sona was, according to the boy, a bit of a firecracker on occasion.. and usually in the first few minutes of being ridden. So it only made sense that Connor, a seasoned rider with a meta ability focused on un-injuring himself, be the first one out. Besides, Charlie liked watchinng the two of them. They were like old friends or brothers.. It was easy enough to see that they each liked the other, and if one payed close attention it seemed obvious enough to Charlie how they seemed to anticipate each other's moves.

Sona knew how Connor liked to ride and Connor knew how Sona liked to be ridden.. and the two would sometimes sync up perfectly and other times clash like siblings, the motions like the bickering of best friends or close cousins. Connor could ride for as long as he wanted.. could completely wear Sona out before he let Charlie near him, for all she cared. Being out here was a good way to spend the day, and seeing Connor happy was always worthwhile. She remembered how relieved and happy he'd seemed the first time he's brought her out here.. how quickly she'd overcome her fear of the huge animals in person. What he didn't know, though, was that she'd never have had the nerve to even approach a horse without him beside her. Connor's confidence radiated from him and it made Charlie eager instead of terrified.. She was still slightly scared. After all, an angry horse could do bad things to a person, but not of Sona. Not of the horses that Connor knew and trusted. If they were friends of Connor, she knew they would never intentionally hurt her.

"You can definitely take him out first, though. And if you two want, you can put on a show! He's so fast.. and you're such a good rider! He should definitely get some energy out. I'm sure I couldn't handle him anything like you can. He trusts you completely different than he trusts me. And if you want.. we could still groom him later, right? With both of us it doesn't take too long. And I don't have any other plans today, so we can take as long as you need. Heck, we could walk back the school if we really, really had to. Or.. I might have money for a cab or something." Wait. Rambling. Hardcore. "--But yes. What you said. I am super interested and excited and you should ride first and everything that you just said."

[Connor Anderson]

Quite honestly, Sona probably would have preferred being ridden by anyone over simply hanging out in the pasture with some of the other horses. Sure, he could run around and play chase with the other horses, but being ridden expressed energy, which the gelding had in spades, in a different way. An affectionate smile took over Connor’s face as Charlie spun to face him. “I don’t think he’d mind, as long as he’s calm. He loves you, remember?” He just hoped the big gelding would still love her on his back, rather than in front of him, fussing and giving him mints.

Sometimes when they’d visited the farm he’d felt somewhat bad, leaving Charlie on the sidelines when he took Sona out to exercise him. Not that she’d ever seemed to mind, but it still felt a little... rude, because all she could do was watch. Some of Lahja’s carriage horses were broken to saddle as well as to harness, but he didn’t dare take any of them out to teach his girlfriend how to ride, because they weren’t his. Sona would do, as long as he was in a good mood. Previously, he’d taken her around to fuss the rest of the horses, ending with a goodbye with Sona before they’d trudged back to Hammel together. It wasn’t a great solution, but it worked. Sort of.

Grinning, he stooped to flip open the tack trunk that sat outside Sona’s stall. In it were all his things that had been shipped with him from Lexington. His blanket and boots, his saddle blankets and pad, saddle and bridle, brushes... the list seemed endless at times. Upon seeing the trunk open up, Sona tossed his head and sidestepped in the stall, clearly eager to get going. “You know him. He loves to show off for pretty girls.” He already had a vague plan in mind to follow. “We’ll take him into the indoor arena for a bit. Less distractions that way.” If Sona needed anything, it was fewer distractions in the world. It was what had kept him from the track. “If he’s good, maybe we can take him out in the woods behind the farm for a bit.” Sona had never actually been ridden in tandem before, but how hard could it be really? Especially if he was tired. “When we put him away we’ll groom him.” He knew that was one of Charlie’s favorite parts. He didn’t even care if she felt the need to put little braids into Sona’s mane. He actually looked kind of dignified all braided up like a show horse. As for plans afterwards... he shifted slightly in the aisle and put his hands in his pockets. “If you want to call a cab, I’ve got money for it. It’s okay.” Ever the old-fashioned gentleman (or so he tried to be), he didn’t like Charlie paying for things she didn’t have to.

But first, they had things to do.

Sona was quickly cross-tied in the aisle as he was saddled. Connor could have done it in the stall, but it would have taken twice as long as Sona liked to move around. Cross-tied, he couldn’t do much except step to the side. Thankfully, he behaved himself, even when faced with the bit and bridle. Apparently Charlie’s presence really did something to soothe him.

Once Sona was fully tacked up, Connor led both Sona and Charlie into the indoor ring. It was quiet for the time being, and he was going to take advantage of that. The gelding only did a little bit of dancing as Connor mounted up smoothly, backing up once his rider was settled. Connor sighed, feeling the tension in the reins already. “Remember, Sona. We. Are. Going. To. Be. Good.” He said the same thing every time they rode together. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn’t, but it was habit.

It took a few minutes for the gelding to want to settle down and do as he was asked. He was feeling frisky, dancing to the side and breaking into a canter several times when asked for a trot, but finally he dropped his head and softened his mouth on the bit. His ears flicked back and forth as he listened, and Connor really put him through his paces. Transitions from walk to canter to trot and back to a canter, just to remind him that they were going to use their brakes today, and when he felt the gelding’s sides starting to move out a little further and his neck starting to dampen, he pushed him into a fast gallop for two laps before dropping back down to a walk.

Sona mouthed on his bit lightly as Connor directed him back to where Charlie was watching and dismounted easily from the saddle. “I think he’s got all the fireworks out of his system. Are you ready?” He untied the lead rope he’d attached to the bridle from around Sona’s neck and held it firmly. “I’ll be right here, and I won’t let go. Promise.” The gelding merely looked curiously at Charlie, blowing out a heavy breath from his nostrils and flicking his ears towards her as he waited.

[Charlotte Greene]

There was, of course, no reason for Connor to feel bad. It just spoke positively of him that he wanted to include her instead of showing off for her. Too many boys were more interested in showing off and having a day be all about them. Corror wasn't one of those boys and Charlie knew that. She did genuinely enjoy watching him have his fun with Sona. If he trusted Charlie to let her observe and be any part of such an intimate friendship (especially when he'd known Sona longer than Charlie) then that was plenty for her. Besides, there were positives to being an onlooker.. Connor wasn't exactly hard on the eyes. And his confidence and skill and how much he enjoyed riding wasn't hard to look at either.

So Charlie stood back and smiled as Connor got everything ready and saddled Sona up. She figured that the act was meditative.. or perhaps it was like when she had a routine before she sat down to spend a few hours reading. It was a routine and it was practiced and it helped to get Connor and Sona in the right mindset to ride. She didn't need to participate, she didn't ask to participate, and she stayed just far enough away that she wouldn't be in the way. Sona was excited, Connor seemed excited, and Charlie was grinning all the bigger at being one of the pretty girls Sona liked to show off for.

Charlie thought the same as Connor about the braids she found herself putting in the horse's mane and tail.. She'd seen a derby or two on TV at some point and she knew that braiding their manes was a thing.. and so one day as Connor had been doing some of the more dangerous grooming (that being Sona's tummy and his legs) she'd been standing on a stool brushing the gelding's mane and carrying on a one-sided conversation with him and decided to put a braid there.. and then she hadn't stopped. By the time Connor realized what she was doing, she'd gotten several rows worked all the way down and.. well.. Sona really had looked a bit regal with his mane braided up like that.

Of course Connor was the gentleman and didn't like Charlie paying for him.. And maybe he did have more money available to him than she did.. but she offered nonetheless. And she'd be fine with walking if he didn't actually have money. She knew horses and boarding them was expensive, maybe that's where all his money went? She didn't know what his parents did or how much money his family had. She just knew that Connor was a gentleman and.. rolled with it. But she still offered. And she would never complain about going dutch on food or a cab ride or to see a movie. Uncle James had taught her to be generous, especially to people that were special to her. She'd often spent her little allowance on candies or sweets and then insisted on sharing them with him.

After a surprisingly short time (perhaps because Charlie was lost in thought wondering about Connor's home life and reminiscing about her late uncle) Sona was ready to go and Connor lead them to the indoor arena that he'd mentioned. It was quiet and pleasantly cool and Sona seemed excited to get some energy out. The gelding was notably behaved, even if he did seem to be aching to go faster and faster, and Charlie simply leaned against the gate they'd brought him in through and watched as Connor and Sona got faster and faster and more in tune with each other. She could watch them for hours.. but Connor was perhaps eager to include Charlie more.

After what was seemed like a shorter session than usual, they came to stop and Connor hopped off, lead rope in hand. "So soon? Um.. Okay!" Charlie, having listened to Connor over the past while and knowing full and well that when he said Sona liked mints Connor wasn't lying, Charlie had grabbed a small handful from the tack trunk on their way out. She stepped forward and offered Sona one as she grinned. The horse looked so much happier being out here and moving than he did in the stable. And he always looked happier when Connor actually rode him than when he was simply let out to run.

"I trust you, Connor. And I trust you too, Sona. You're a very good horse." She patted his neck and stepped to his side. She'd watched Connor get onto Sona several times now.. and she had the basics of it down in her head.. So when Connor gave her the go-ahead, she would do a surprisingly not-terrible job of hopping up onto Sona's back.. doing her very best to be gentle and calm and smooth so she didn't upset him or his balance.

Her first thoughts were that Sona was definitely wider than Charlie had anticipated.. and that she felt very, very high up. After those thoughts were dealt with, she became very aware of just how.. strong.. a single horsepower felt when she was sitting on top of it. "Wow. Just.. wow." Whereas Connor looked like he was in complete control and Sona's master.. Charlie felt much more like she was little more than a passenger on a willing giant's back. Still, she trusted Connor to keep her safe and she trusted Sona to be gentle with her.. and so she took a gentle hold on Sona's reigns and grinned down at Connor, pushing herself not to be nervous becuase she trusted both boyfriend and horse perhaps more than she trusted herself in this situation. "Okay. So this is happening." Charlie gave a sharp nod and let out a heavy sigh. "Sona, we are going to be good."

And Charlie was at Sona and Connor's mercy.

[Connor Anderson]

Connor wasn’t one of those showboating guys. He never had been. His older brother, on the other hand, while a hard worker at home, tended to lean towards showing off when he could. Of course, he was older, and an apprentice jockey. He had a reason and a way to show off. Impress a girl? Invite her to a race he was running. Connor... had no desire to do that. What was the point of showing off, really? He didn’t see it.

Charlie really didn’t have to worry about money. Working at the farm already somewhat cut his boarding expenses down a little, but even if it didn’t, it didn’t matter. He had his own money, and failing that, he could fall back on his parents if he needed to. They made sure while he was away that he wasn’t wanting for anything. (Though he was pretty sure his mother was fed up trying to convince him to go and get new clothes that weren’t destroyed by riding or working in the barns. His current clothes still worked fine. He didn’t need anything new.)

At least Sona seemed somewhat decently behaved, even if he did try to follow his instincts and pull at the reins to go faster. He’d been bred for speed, and he had that down pat. It was reining in that urge that proved challenging most of the time. Today was no different, but he seemed to be minding his manners a little more than usual. So much so that it didn’t take long for him to relax a little and for Connor to feel safe letting Charlie up.

“Yeah. He’s being good, and he’s a little tired. It should be okay.” He’d watch the horse like a hawk, and if he even looked like he was thinking about acting up, he’d warn Charlie and they’d end the experiment. He knew what Sona was like when he was up on his back, but they’d worked hard on his mannerisms under saddle together for a long time. With other people, he wasn’t so sure about his behaviour. Well, they’d try.

He held the rope firmly as the pixie mounted up, silently approving her technique. It wasn’t an easy thing to learn, especially just from watching. Still, he smiled and rubbed Sona’s neck in reward for standing still. “That was really good,” he assured before shifting and offering her the reins. “I’ll direct him, but you hold these. Just tight enough so you can feel his mouth, but you aren’t pulling on it. Otherwise he’s going to think you want him to stop. And, uhh... keep your legs tucked against his sides, but don’t squeeze him or he’ll speed up.” Was that enough direction for a first time? He really hoped so. “Ready?”

With her go ahead, he gently pulled on the lead rope and Sona stepped forward willingly, shaking out his head as he went. To the gelding’s credit, he seemed to be respectful of the lesson he was supposed to be helping conduct. His steps were careful, but most importantly, calm. There was no dancing, no spooking, and no surging forward. All in all, Connor was impressed with him.

So much so that he was starting to think that what he wanted to do could actually be a reality. As they walked the perimeter of the arena, Connor glanced back to Charlie. “You’re still okay?” After he got his answer, he smiled and nodded towards the big door at the end of the arena that led outside. “Because I have an idea. Want to go for a trail ride? We could ride him in tandem.” It wouldn’t be too much for the lanky Thoroughbred to carry, and he might like a change of scenery as much as his two companions would.

With that settled, he led them both to the end of the arena and unlatched the double doors to lead them outside. It would require some shuffling, but it could be done. Charlie would have to dismount, and once Connor was back in the saddle he’d pull her up behind him before they set off. No, he wasn’t sure exactly what he was doing, but how hard could it be?

Once they were outside and the doors re-latched, Connor took hold of the lead rope again. “Okay. If you get down, I’ll get back up and pull you up behind me. Then we’ll go for a ride in the trees.” He was feeling good about this. Really good, surprisingly. He hadn’t been expecting that.

... Nor did he expect Sona to snort suddenly and toss his head, sidestepping anxiously as a bird flew in front of his muzzle. Though he tried to steady him, he could only watch as Charlie slipped from his back.

He didn’t want to blame Sona. He really, really didn’t. But he liked Charlie, and Sona didn’t have to have spooked at the bird and... and Charlie was on the ground. Connor gave a sharp pull on the lead rope and gave a stern ‘NO’ to the gelding before dropping to his knees and trying to make sure Charlie was okay. “Charlie? Are you hurt? I’m sorry. I didn’t see the bird and... I’m sorry.” Maybe this had been a terrible idea.

[Charlotte Greene]

Wow! Riding a horse, even so slow and calmly like this.. it was awesome! Magical, almost. No, Charlie didn't have the connection with Sona that Connor did.. She didn't have the first clue what she was doing, but she was super careful to follow the instructions she'd been given. Tuck legs, don't squeeze, just enough pull on the reigns that she could feel them.. The walk around the stadium was a great warmup. It gave Charlie plenty of time to get used to the way Sona moved and how she needed to both react and not react. Surely it was a bit different at a trot, canter, of gallop, but she took it in stride and was quite happy, quietly being lead where Connor wanted Sona to go.

Then Connor's enthusiasm suddenly made sense. He wanted her to ride with him. And Charlie looked both shocked and so very, very happy. In fact, maybe if she hadn't been a bit glassy-eyed and thinking about wrapping her arms around his chest, tucked up right behind him and sharing such an intimate experience and being so close to him, she'd have been more prepared when Sona decided he was scared of a bird.. But Charlie was, indeed, lost in thought and daydreaming about their tandem ride to wherever it might be, and by the time she realized that she needed to be reacting in a very different way, it was already too late.

Sona sidestepped and tossed his head, Charlie snapped back to reality at the very beginning of what was already no-doubt going to be a fall. Not even a probability manipulator was going to get her out of this one. She tried to call out to both Connor and Sona at the same time.. ending up blurting out a nonsensical "Scone!" as she slipped and gravity introduced her somewhat violently to the ground. Fortunately, Sona had stopped sidestepping, elsewise he'd have likely trampled her, as she fell when he'd stopped, not when he'd started. Overcompensation. Ouch.

She heard a stern 'NO' and stared up at the clouds as static swarmed her vision.. At this point Charlie was glad she hadn't had her wings out. She might have dusted the both of them.. or she might have broken one of her wings. Charlie lay with her knees folded awkwardly to the side and her arms splayed, a Connor suddenly in her vision even if he was a bit warped. She hard garbled distant words at first, but her hearing cleared up and she managed to make out '..bird and... I'm sorry.'

Her eyes focused on Connor's and Charlie grinned. "So I didn't do anything wrong? Thank goodness.." She rolled her neck to the side either direction with a slight wince, then leaned up and put her elbows beneath herself to continue getting her bearings.. only when she did she winced and set the rest of the way up, quickly grasping at her shoulder. "Ow." She carefully rotated the joint, and assuming Connor was hovering next to her still worried, would roll her eyes at him before reaching up with her good arm, trapping him around the back of his neck, pulling him closer, and kissing his forehead. "C'mon, Connor. I may be a girl.. I may not be a regenerator, but I'm pretty tough. I think there was a rock or something I landed on.. Nothing's broken."

And as Connor presumably froze in position out of shock that Charlie had just kissed him, she pushed herself to her feet with a grunt. "Well! Now the first fall is out of the way. I think I would rather have had it be in the arena.. The ground is softer in there." And she walked over to Sona, inspecting him. "I didn't hurt you, did I? My boots didn't catch your or anything?" Sona was fine, of course.. but leave it to Charlie to have just fallen off of a horse and immediately make sure it was okay. "Now even though I know you're already trained, they say that when you fall off a horse you're supposed to get right back on.. So.. um.. stay still, please." And with that, Charlie patted Sona's neck, stepped up beside him, and climbed right back up on top of him.. not even realizing that Connor wasn't holding the lead rope now. She fell right back into the same position as before. Legs tucked, lead rope with very gentle pressure, weight centered.. and she squeaked with joy that she hadn't been too afraid to get right back on Sona, grabbing a mint from her pocket and reaching forward to feed it to him.

At this point she realized that Connor wasn't holding the lead rope.. and decided to be bravestupid, squeezing gently with her knees and releasing the light pressure she had on the reigns.. seeing if she could coax Sona into walking in a circle.. since it was probably better to try to do something to keep her confidence up than to do nothing. If Sona tried to take off, she would just pull back on the reigns.. and if he didn't move.. well.. maybe that was for the better.

Regardless, if Sona has moved or if he'd stayed still, Charlie would then look to Connor when she was stopped. "So.. I watched you get up here a lot.. and you never got down that way before.. so what's the right way to get down? I never watched that part! I was too busy looking at you!"

[Connor Anderson]

Connor couldn’t remember his first time on a horse, they’d been part of his life for so long. Sure, he remembered tearing around the back pastures on Flynn, Curtis’ hand-me-down pony, but his first time? It was probably before he could even say his name, let alone sit up on his own. A part of him wondered just what Charlie was feeling as he led the Sona around the arena. Thankfully the gelding stepped quietly and calmly, occasionally nudging at Connor’s shoulder as if asking to go faster before settling back down, head dropped slightly. This was what Connor had been hoping for – a relaxed horse.

Well. Mostly relaxed.

Small victories – Sona hadn’t danced or sidestepped any more once Charlie had fallen off. Nor had Charlie exploded in a bloody dramatic mess. He’d seen falls before of course, and usually at high speed. Hell, he’d fallen off enough in his lifetime to know that as far as falls went, Charlie’s hadn’t been awful.

... But it was still a fall, and he still felt like it was his fault. And Sona’s expression wasn’t helping things.

Concern was etched onto his face as he knelt beside Charlie, quietly hoping that everything was okay and that they didn’t have to put Sona away and take her to the ER. That was not a very good way to conduct a date, and he knew that.

But she spoke! Speaking meant... well... she wasn’t completely, hopelessly broken, right? Relief quickly spread across his face and he very gently touched her shoulder. “No! No, he got scared by a bird. Or surprised. Something. You didn’t do anything!” The last thing he wanted was for her to think it was her fault. “Are you sure you’re okay? Nothing’s broken?” He didn’t get the chance to ask much more as he quickly found himself enveloped in a one-armed hug and his forehead was being kissed.

That sent a warm feeling up his back, and the concern briefly switched to a dopey smile before flickering back again. “Uh.” Yeah, his brain had disconnected. Give him a moment. “Umm... yeah.” He didn’t really know to what, or why he was agreeing, but it seemed the right thing for him to do right that very moment.

Before he knew it, she was back up and talking to Sona. Before he could say anything or even reach up to steady the gelding, she was up on his back again. He blinked before getting back up off the ground and staring up at her. She really was tougher than he had previously given her credit for. Admittedly, seeing her up there on her own made him nervous, but Sona seemed to look somewhat calmer. His ears were flickering back and forth, and Connor watched in silent amazement as Sona stepped forward slowly, following the instructions he had been trained to follow years ago.

Coming back to reality, he snapped himself out of his little shockwave and stepped forward to take hold of Sona’s bridle, forcing him to halt. How did one explain how to dismount properly? “Uhh... take both feet out of the stirrups, swing one leg over his back, and slide down.” It had taken him a while to get used to the vulnerable feeling, but now it was second nature. “Or I’ll just help you down.” After her fall, while he was impressed she’d gotten up on her own, he wasn’t sure if she’d really want to risk a trail ride now. “We can put him away if you want, once your down. Go visit some of the other horses? We don’t have to trail ride if you don’t want to.” If she did, hopefully Sona had all his spooking out of his system. He didn’t think he could take a second incident.

[Charlotte Greene]

Charlie had given Connor a raised eyebrow and a nod when he'd explained how to get off of Sona, then grinned when he offered to help. Of course she then went immediately into shaking her head. Both at being helped and at the thought of putting Sona back in the stable.

"Put him away? Are you kidding?" She swung her right leg over Sona's back and kicked her left leg out, landing on both feet next to Sona to the satisfying crunch of grass beneach her feet and a light grunt. "No, Sir." She strutted right up to Connor, then turned and put her arm around him, pointing at Sona with the other. "You see that horse right there? That horse wants to be out here with us. He was all excited to see you, and even though he got spooked a little and your clumsy pixie girlfriend fell of of him he's been on his best behavior all day." She then moved to stand between Connor and Sona. "And this girl here right in front of you? You promised her a tandem ride. And on a tandem ride, she gets to be all super close and cuddly and have her arms around you and smell your hair and giggle like a schoolgirl - which she.. um.. technically still is - without feeling the tiniest bit awkward about any of it, or the fact that she's enjoying it so much." Charlie posed with her hands on her hips and stared straight into Connor's eyes...

"I don't think she would be super happy if you took all that back just because you're afraid she isn't as resilient as you farm-raised types.. Heck, I bet she's even having a great time. She totally just rode a horse.. completely by herself.. for the first time in her life! Not very far.. and.. and not very fast, but she totally did it. And she didn't do it for the horse or herself anywhere near as much as she did it for you."

And now, far too into this third-person thing to have any real chance at stopping it, Charlie turned around again and spread her arms in a stretch. "Buuut, if her boyfriend is too scared that his pixie isn't enjoying herself (even though she totally is) or that she's going to get hurt (which would be totally worth it even if she did) then maybe he should just give up on sharing his most treasured pastime with her. Ever again."

Charlie glanced back over her shoulder, realized she'd been monologuing in third person, and blushed more than a little bit. "Er.. um, hah! What I meant to say was that you basically promised me we would go for a ride together and I refuse to allow you to be all scared and passive just because I did something that you and everyone you know has probably done a hundred times." Then her shoulders dropped in a way that could only be intentional and her head fell even though her grin stayed put full-force. "But if you decide not to do it anyway, I'm going to tease you forever because the only reason you would call it off is because you're afraid Sona likes me better than you."

[Connor Anderson]

Well. Charlie was certainly more resilient than he’d originally wanted to give her credit for. In his mind, girls were... delicate. Not exactly glass, but breakable all the same. Especially when falling from a tall horse. Heck, before he’d gotten his powers, he’d fallen from Sona and it hurt. And that was if you managed to fall in a good way. At least Charlie seemed okay. Not that that would stop him from keeping a close eye on her for the rest of the day.

He watched her dismount rather gracefully, though her display made him arch his eyebrow. All through the monologue, he stayed quiet, simply watching her and evaluating what she was saying. If it was all true, then she really did seem fine, and... apparently putting Sona away was a bad idea.

Speaking of the gelding, he had dropped his head slightly and was playing with his bit, clinking the metal snaffle as he rolled it around in his mouth. Staying still tended to bore him, but after spooking he clearly wasn’t in the mood to pull any other shenanigans.

He’d almost thought she was finished, but when she pulled out the big guns of Sona liking her more than him, he grinned and slipped one arm around Charlie’s waist. “You think so, do you? Is that how it’s going to be?” With that he pulled away and tied the lead rope back around Sona’s neck before readjusting the stirrups and mounting back up. “Let’s go for a trail ride, then.” Leaning down, he offered Charlie his hand to help pull her up behind him, making sure she was secure before urging Sona into an easy walk. Lahja had some amazing trails on her property, and Connor had explored almost all of them. One of his favorites ended in a small clearing by a stream. More than once he’d taken that path just to sit and watch the water while Sona grazed.

He didn’t mind the feeling of Charlie glued to his back. Her arms were almost like a seatbelt, making him feel oddly overly secure on Sona’s back. The gelding rarely scared him, but after seeing Charlie fall off, well... as long as she stayed glued to him, they’d both be fine. Despite how feisty he could be in an arena setting, Sona seemed to relax on the trails. As long as there weren’t any birds on the paths, of course.

“You okay back there?” Connor twisted slightly to look at Charlie. “I have something I want to show you. It’s really pretty.” It wouldn’t be far until they reached the little clearing.

[Charlotte Greene]

If Connor didn't mind the feel of Charlie being glued to his back, Charlie minded even less the feeling of gluing herself to him. Though in her mind she was less of a seatbent and more of a hoodie. Not much good at saving him from injury, but warm and comfortable and happy to be of service, whatever that service happened to be. Maybe she even helped Connor to look the part of a cowboy.. Riding off toward the horizon on his valiant steed, pretty girl's chin resting on his shoulder with a grin permanently plastered across her face. All they needed were some hats, cowboy boots, and a pair of revolvers. Er.. did cowgirls carry revolvers? Weren't they more commonly carrying rifles in the movies? Ooh.. Yeah, a revolver and a trusty Remington lever-action rifle! ...Though it would probably get more use from anyone else ever. Charlie could never aim a gun at someone, let alone shoot them.

Connor had been a total gentleman after her accidental speech and had helped her back up onto Sona with a firm hand and a smile. She was glad he hadn't been mad at her for picking on him.. Though he was right. Her shoulder (which had taken most of the bit) was quite sore and reminding her every few seconds that it was upset with her for falling off of Sona. They hadn't spent very long heading toward the horizon, though. They'd headed off down a trail. The shade and the sounds and being so high up and so close to the trees.. it was amazing.. and Charlie only hugged around Connor tighter, imagining how they must look were anyone around to see them. Like the perfect couple. Connor, calm and confident and strong.. Sona, beautiful and majestic and loyal.. And of course Charlie.. Um.. Pretty.. and.. very good at hugging?

Okay, so she was focusing mostly on Connor. He really did look like he was in his element on a horse.. and she felt so included and involved when she was riding with him. They would have to do this again. It was great. And she didn't have to feel the tiniest bit clingy, guilty, smothering, or any of the other negatives that cuddling can be turned into.. because she was supposed to be all of those things right now. And she loved every minute of it. There was a tiny part of her that was disappointed when Connor gave her the impression they were almost at their destination.. but then after they got there, she still got to ride all the way back to the stables. It was pretty silly to be sad that their destination was approaching when she got to go on another journey before the day was up.

"I don't know if I've ever been better," She'd responded with a squeeze. Everything (save for maybe her shoulder) was great. She'd ridden a horse.. by herself. She'd proven that she could do it. She was out here in this beautiful place with Connor.. riding a trail with Connor.. And now he had a something to show her. Freakin awesome. "I don't know how it could be much prettier than everything else around here, but if you wanna show me, I wanna see it."

The only hard part about this trail ride was.. well.. actually keeping her eyes open to enjoy the scenery. Being so close to Connor, the boy so in his element and happy to be sharing with her.. Charlie could fall asleep with her arms around him and they could ride for hours and she wouldn't mind in the slightest.

[Connor Anderson]

Being that he loved to cuddle in general, Connor honestly liked Charlie behind him on Sona’s back. She was warm and comfortable, and he liked the feeling of responsibility that came with being the so called ‘driver’ of the tandem ride. He had to look ahead to make sure there were no roots or rocks in the way that Sona could trip on, or branches he might be inclined to try to hop over. Though Lahja had said she was willing to help him teach Sona to jump, he was pretty sure the gelding would try to figure out a branch on his own, and probably none too elegantly, either. He was a sport bred horse, yes, but not a formally trained jumper. ... Yet.

Once they got back to Hammel, Connor would probably want to make double, triple, and quadruple sure that Charlie really was okay after her fall. Not everyone had meta healing abilities, and had he been in her place, he would have been fine after about half an hour, if not starving and tired as well. Humans were fragile at the best of times, and he would kick himself if she walked away with so much as a bruise. Sona was his responsibility, and he’d already failed with that once today. That was why he was taking such care with picking the pathway they were currently riding down.

He smiled at her response to his question, fingers flexing ever so slightly on the reins at the closer contact. “It’s prettier, I promise. Better than trees.” Though he was absolutely looking forward to fall, when all the trees began to lose their leaves. He loved the smell and sound of leaves crunching under hooves.

Eventually, the path divided into two. One fork eventually looped around and weaved back to the stables. The second was the one he steered Sona down. The gelding knew the route, and simply followed his instructions, stretching his neck out in a relaxed way.

The trail turned a corner and Connor lightly pulled on the reins to halt Sona. In front of them was a small trickling stream, bubbling over rocks as it moved forward. Around them was a small clearing with a few sturdy, old trees providing shade. Really, he should have thought to bring something like a mini picnic. That would have been smart. But then he would have had to have found saddlebags for Sona, or packed a backpack, and...

And he was thinking about this too much. “Well. What do you think? Ready to get down? We can tie Sona to a tree branch so he can’t go anywhere, if you want to look around.” There was a reason he’d left his halter and lead rope on under Sona’s bridle.

[Charlotte Greene]

((As an apology for my abscence, I give you 785 words of Charlie loving the crap out of Connor))

As Connor was fretting and worrying, it truly was a shame that he wasn't a telepath. Had he been (be it of the tactile or standard sort) he'd no doubt have forgotten about every single one of his worries. While he was on hyper alert and feeling awesome being in control and having the responsibility of his girlfriend's safety, Charlie, in contrast, had literally more faith in Connor than was fair to put on any mere human.

She was so not-worried that it didn't even occur to her that any sort of accident or mishap was even a possibility. With anyone else, yeah.. but with Connor? No. Just no. There was no way, no chance, no remote possibility that things wouldn't go exactly as he'd planned on their ride. Because he was in control. Because he was in his element. Because Sona was his and Charlie was his and Connor took care of his things. He respected his things, he cared for them, he put them away safely when he was done with them, and if they were damaged he would go to the end of the earth to fix them and make them better again..

So Charlie hardly even felt her shoulder. Sure, it was throbbing on and off.. but that didn't matter. Because even if it would have been broken, Connor would have gotten her to safety. If she said it hurt, he would have them someplace to get ice to make it feel better befor Charlie could even insist he didn't need to. If she wanted to go to the hospital, they wouldn't be on the trail anymore.. He would literally gallop Sona all the way there. And even in the middle of the frantic worry and the rush that was getting her there, Charlie would still sit exactly as she was now.. With her arms wrapped snugly around Connor's midsection, chest pressed lightly against his back, chin resting on his shoulder, grin proudly letting anyone who cared to look just how safe she felt all the while.

When they arrived at the clearing.. Connor was indeed thinking too much. Especially because Charlie could have simply stayed exactly as she was for forever. Some point a few minutes prior to arriving Charlie's eyes had eased shut.. as often happened when she got to cuddle with Connor. She wasn't asleep, though. This time she was simply drinking in his confidence and his excitement and everything else about him.

What did she think? ..That required Charlie to open her eyes. Which was tough to do for a moment.. she instead let out a soft sigh through her nose and gave Connor one last squeeze before she straightened up and took in their destination... and her arms dropped along with her jaw. This was one of those scenes that was so pretty and perfect that even the movies could never hope to recreate it. It was perfect.. beautiful clearing.. old, strong trees.. wonderful happy little creek.. The place just resonated peace and tranquillity and calm.

Connor's first bit of an answer would come in the form of a gasp.. and then be followed up with a cute little squeal of excitement and Charlie's arms wrapping around his chest again, this time in a hug. "It's perfect! I mean look at the.. a-and the.. and over there!" Everywhere Charlie looked was more perfectness.. Her excitement actually seemed a little out of place, but given that she got the share it with Connor, she deemed it justified.

As for getting down, Charlie didn't need to be asked twice. She leaned to the side, swung her leg around, and hopped off of Sona's back like a pro, landing and taking several quick steps toward the stream before stopping and covering her mouth with starry eyes. "It's so pretty here..."

Once Connor had Sona tied up, Charlie would rush over to him and trap him in a tight hug once again, only this time from in front of him instead of behind. "Thank you so much! Today has been so amazing, and I got to spend it all with you, and I got to ride Sona, and I got to do that with you, too...." Her lip was quivering slightly, but she was on the verge of happy tears, not sad ones.. As as soon as the possibility had sprung up, it was gone.. and Charlie kicked off her boots and took Connor's hand, pulling him playfully toward the creek. Who didn't want to splash around a bit in a perfect and picturesque creek next to a perfect and picturesque clearing...

Seriously. This was the kind of place that Charlie would hope to one day be proposed to.

[Connor Anderson]

After ‘letting’ Charlie fall off of Sona, he wouldn’t have been so sure he deserved all of the faith she seemed to put in him. He wasn’t perfect, and he was certainly feeling a slight cloud of guilt over him for the fall. He still felt responsible, and failing at the one simple task of keeping Charile safe wasn’t a great feeling.

Even Sona seemed to pick up on the guilt. On the trail he had been relatively subdued, neck relaxed and steps careful. He hadn’t even stumbled on a twig or pebble on the path. Connor still didn’t know what effect Charlie had on the gelding, but he was unusually well mannered around her. By himself on the trails, Sona liked to pull on the reins, jig around, and generally test his boundaries before settling down. Thankfully, today he was on his Charlie-inspired manners. Minus the bird incident.

Which Connor wasn’t likely to forget anytime soon.

At least the arrival at the clearing seemed to take the edge off of his guilt-induced mood. The combination of the sigh, gasp, and hug made him smile and lean back into her slightly, just enough to not knock her off, nor send Sona off balance. “Yeah,” he said with a soft laugh. “I know what you mean.” It was hard to put words to the simple, yet stunning area. He’d tried to explain it to his parents the day after he’d first found it, but even the pictures he’d texted to them didn’t really do it justice.

Once Charlie was down, Connor dismounted and untied the lead rope from around Sona’s neck. His bridle was removed and set by the trunk of the best hitching tree (mostly because he did not want to clean chewed grass off of his bit... again), and the end of the rope was secured to a sturdy branch. As an afterthought, Connor also removed Sona’s saddle and pad, setting them on top of his bridle. Now Sona would be comfortable too.

As he turned, he felt Charlie pull him into another hug. This time he was able to return it, albeit gingerly for fear of aggravating her shoulder. “I’m glad you liked it. I just... wanted to share it with you. All of it.” If they were back in Kentucky, he’d probably invite her to the farm and they could take out one of the broodmares so they could each ride their own horse. Of course, that would also involve telling her what his family did, which... he actually felt okay doing. Charlie didn’t know about it, and thus had to like him for him, which made happy tingles dance down his back. That kind of freedom was so nice, he almost didn’t want to give it up.

But if he was going to ever invite her home... well... he’d have to tell her. Which he would. Soon. Honestly.

But first, it was creek time. Grinning, he let her pull him along, stopping only to unlace his own boots and kick them off before following her into the cool water. With all the responsibilities he normally had at home lifted, it was sometimes downright weird to act like, well, a kid, and as much as he didn’t want to admit it... he liked it. He loved the farm and the work involved, but at Hammel he had a new sense of freedom. At first he’d hated it, and it only served to make him homesick and bored. But now? Now, he was enjoying it.

Once they were done playing, Connor pulled Charlie back up on land and dropped back into the grass, simply laying back and staring up at the clouds. After a moment, he inhaled deeply and rolled to his side to glance at Charlie. “Um. Charlie?” She looked so pretty there beside him, and it made him feel... things. New things. What he was going to say fled his mind, instead being replaced with something much more important. “... Can... I mean... may... um... may I kiss you?” His cheeks were pink, and he knew it, but he couldn’t force himself to care.