Refuge [Inactive]

Guile

Guile

One Thousand Club
Hadley walked down the staircase of St. Joseph's and made his way out the front door into the huge yard. He looked around the vast area of land and smiled. He saw no one outside at the moment, so the tension in his shoulders released and he let out a sigh of relief. Alone. He thought. So peaceful. He made his way out to the barn to visit his horse, Faust, while his dog, Darby, followed along closely at his side.
 
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Emma stretched her arms over her head as she got up out of bed. She glanced at her alarm clock only to find she had slept until noon like normal, and crossed her room to stare out her window. Twisting her red hair around her finger, Emma surveyed the outdoors and was surprised not to see anyone on the grounds. Yawning, she made the decision to go on a walk before going down to get food and she quickly slipped on the clothes she had worn the day before, before sliding out of her room, down the staircase, and out the front doors.
 
"Hello, boy." Hadley smiled and fed Faust a carrot that he pulled from his pocket. As the horse happily chewed it up, Hadley got him out of his stall and tied him to a post inside the barn to saddle him up. He had been feeling like riding for quite some time today and finally decided that he would go do it, seeing as he assumed no one was outside.
 
Delilah had gotten up quite some time ago and taken a shower. She scrunched her hair just the way she liked it and did her makeup before moving on to pick out an outfit. Delilah looked out the window of her new room and shook her head. From here, she could barely see anything more than just a small bit of the land. It was hard to tell if anyone was outside or not so actually going outside was the only way to find out. She looked herself over happily in the mirror once before leaving her room.


Delilah made her way anxiously outside to socialize. She had this increasing urge to have contact with other kids her age since she had arrived but hadn't yet got the chance to. Delilah smiled upon seeing that there were others outside already, too. She noticed another girl nearby as well as someone out by the stables. Delilah decided to sit on the steps and just look up at the sky for awhile before she tried interacting with anyone specific yet. She wanted to weigh her options and decide who she thinks she would get along best with.
 
Emma took a deep breath of fresh air through her nose and let it out through her mouth in a refreshing sigh. Sometimes the musty halls of St Joseph's seemed to suffocate her and it was always nice to be outdoors. She followed the winding path and took her time, enjoying the sun beating down on her; completely oblivious to her surroundings.
 
Finishing up saddling Faust, Hadley tightened the girth of the saddle once more and led him outside of the barn by the reins. When he got outside he noticed two girls outside with him and his face immediately turned red, his shoulders tensed up, and he found it hard to breath. He turned to face the side of Faust and leaned against the saddle, hiding his face for a few moments trying to calm himself. Relax, they're just people. Just, wave or something, that's natural. And not as rude as just getting on Faust and riding off. So, feeling obligated to do so, he mounted Faust and immediately gained a boost of confidence sitting up there where he belonged. Then, he waved - a sad, pathetic wave, but a wave nonetheless - to both girls, so as to not be rude.
 
Emma's cheeks blushed a crimson red when she saw a boy exit the barn and she stopped dead in her tracks as she sharply inhaled at the sight of him. She had assumed she was alone and it had came as a shock to her system to find someone else out there. When she noticed he was waving at her, Emma managed a small wave before quickly turning around and seeing another girl behind her.
 
Delilah smirked, amused by the sight of Hadley on his horse waving awkwardly. She glanced over at the girl beside her who had turned a sort of reddish color in the face and Delilah scoffed softly. Delilah turned back to look over in Hadley's direction and smiled, waving back lightly. She looked him up and down, trying to make out details as best she could. He looked cute, almost, adorable in a way that made her giggle.


Delilah was never really into the whole cute look. She preferred to entertain herself with guys that looked more their age, or something of the sort. Delilah leaned back a bit, stretching her arms over her head; making her shirt lift slightly revealing her belly button ring. She then stood up and looked back over at the girl near her.
 
Louisiana had been in the barn since she'd woken up, around six from the usual, a nightmare. She'd put on a pair of short jean shorts, a light grey City of Bones tank and her boots after showering and putting her hair into a messy french braid. She had fed herself a small breakfast and put Buck's food in his bowl before heading out to feed Mo.


As of now, she was in Mohawk's stall, laying on top of him like a rag doll. For an untrained, wild horse, he was very calm around her and the few times he'd bucked her off, he always came over to make sure she was okay and give her an apology nuzzle. Buck was there as well though he'd made himself comfortable outside the stall, sitting like a guard dog, eying one that came too close. At the sound of footsteps, she slid from Mo's back, putting a hand on his neck to make sure that he wouldn't spook. Keeping silent, she watched Hadley pass by. She'd seen him around before and had a few encounters with him, purely equestrian based, he seemed nice enough though painfully shy.


Knowing this, she waited until he was out of the barn to unclip the stall guard and walk out. Lu went into the tack room and grabbed nothing more than a softened piece of rope. Using that, she tied it into a traditional Native American bridle, smiling as Mo happily sucked on the piece in his mouth that acted as a bit. Whistling to her dog, the trio exited the barn and walked passed Hadley, with more space than needed. Louisiana didn't bother with politeness for right now, instead swinging herself onto Mo's back. When she'd rescued him, she'd vowed to never put a saddle on and she hadn't even bought one, so far it seemed to be the best choice she'd made.


Only after she had settled herself did she give the girls and Hadley a nod of acknowledgement and a gentle smile. Lyra didn't wait around for a response, clicking her tongue and giving Mohawk a gentle nudge as they set off for the forest trail, Buck trotting behind happily.
 
Hadley turned red in the face, almost as red - if not just as red - as the first girl had when he recognized the look in the second girl's eyes - the one sitting on the stairs. I must look like a little schoolboy out for a ride on my pony. Why don't I just stick a lollipop in my mouth and put on pants that are too short for me and call myself 'half-pint'? Hadley unfortunately had a knack for insulting himself in his head and did so just then. He had to turn away when the girl's belly-button ring showed. God, Hadley! What are you, five? Have you never seen a stomach before? It's not like it's sexual or anything. But, then why do so many school dress-codes not allow belly shirts? What, is some guy like me gonna be like "ooh, dat stomach!" ...wait, where am I going with this? As was insulting himself, Hadley also had the tendency to ramble on in his head and argue with himself. Now he realized that he had been sitting there on Faust for several moments not moving. He no longer new how to get out of this awkward situation, and that's when the other girl passed by on her horse, making Hadley feel even more surrounded as though he were standing in a crowd of over a thousand people, when really, there were only three other people here.
 
Emma shifted and fidgeted where she stood. She looked from the boy to the girl, and frowned at herself. I've been here for a week now and I still don't know anybody's name, she thought to herself. Emma kicked at the gravel at her feet and stumbled a bit when the girl on her horse rode past. She looked up from the ground from the boy with the horse and the girl showing her stomach off very nonchalantly and quietly said, "Hello."
 
Hadley looked up suddenly when he heard the one girl say hello. His heart raced and he started shaking, but not noticeably. He knew he had to do or say something or it would suddenly be more awkward than it already was. He cleared his throat as quietly as he could and opened his mouth to say hello, which he was able to do, but the word squeaked out. His face went red again and he nervously gripped the saddle horn until his knuckles were dead white and then held on some more. He prayed that the girl wouldn't mention the awkward squeaking of his voice. I sounded like I was going through puberty again...oh God.
 
Emma smiled shyly at the boy as she could tell he was as nervous at contact with another as she was; maybe even more so. "I'm Emma." She pursed her lips together quickly shocked at her own bravery and noticed he was gripping the saddle's horn extremely tightly.
 
Hadley's fear rose, but he tried as hard as he could to not make this any more awkward - although he doubted that was possible at this point. "I'm Hadley. Hadley Larson." There was an awkward pause, then Darby noticed a squirrel or other furry, little critter running and he began to bark and chase after it. Hadley laughed as this distraction eased the tension a little bit. And though he was able to let go of his death grip on the saddle, he was still inwardly frightened. "And that is Darby. This here is Faust." He said, petting his horse and trying to turn the attention to the animals or something, anything, other than himself.
 
Lu was long gone by the time the one girl had pipped up. She would have been zoned out if she was there anyway. Once they'd gotten far enough away, she shortened her reins slightly and kissed, her hips moving to the motion that had been picked up. Her eyes locked in on the space between her horse's ears, only deviating when she went to turn him off the path. At this, Mo's canter picked up energy but not speed, he knew where they were going. Lyra had found a field of high grass that she let Mohawk run in, allowing him to maintain a hint of wildness.
 
Delilah smiled as Lyra passed by them before she turned her gaze on the boy on his horse. He was turning red, again, and she simply raised an eyebrow at him as he squeaked out a hello. She held back a laugh as she looked over at Emma. With a slight smile she said, "I'm Delilah, in case you were wondering," and she walked down the stairs. Delilah let her eyes wander up to Hadley and rest on him for a moment before looking at his dog chasing a squirrel.


Delilah began walking in the direction of the open field, past the others. She rolled her eyes as she walked just past Hadley on his horse. I feel like I'm surrounded by inexperienced children. Is there really nobody here I can talk to without causing them to blush or give me dirty looks for flirting even the slightest bit with others? Delilah looked over to the stables to look for the girl that had passed by but without seeing her she just continued walking. Whoever she was... She was cute, too.
 
"Nice to meet you Hadley Larson." Emma's voice was quiet as she spoke with him. When Delilah introduced herself, Emma started twisting a piece of hair around a finger nervously as she could tell that Delilah was holding back laughter. She wasn't able to tell if it was intended for her or Hadley but either way, she took it as she was making a fool out of herself for trying to be more open. When Delilah left, the silence between her and Hadley was awkward until his dog broke the silence. Emma softly laughed at the dog's actions. "Darby and Faust. Those are interesting names for pets." She crouched down calling Darby over to her, and pet the dog rewardingly when she came.
 
When Delilah introduced herself the sudden feeling of guilt consumed Hadley and he hunched his shoulders forward in discomfort a little. He knew that feeling would stick with him whenever he saw or thought about her from now on, unless they became better acquainted. He turned his attention back to Emma, seeing that there was a way to make this a little less awkward for them both. He climbed down off of Faust and stood next to him, petting his neck, still very awkwardly. "Y-yeah." He chuckled softly, trying to make the conversation casual "My family has Celtic heritage and Darby is a pretty Irish-sounding name. That's why I have this tattoo sleeve of Celtic symbols, too." He didn't like to talk about himself, so he quickly diverted the subject of family. "Oh, and Faust. I named him that because well, I like The Phantom of the Opera and one of the operas they put on during the show is called Faust so..." He spoke quickly and quietly about this particular interest, hoping she wouldn't find it stupid or too feminine. Then, he just shyly watched Emma pet Darby, a tiny smile appearing on his face at the dog's happiness to meet someone new.
 
She made sure to keep Mo calm, able to feel his excitement. "Easy, Little Brother." For some reason calling him that kept him in check, she'd gotten it from the movie Hidalgo but, hey, whatever worked. Lyra navigated them through the trees, leaning back more and more as they neared the field, thankful that Mohawk wasn't taking control. However the second they reached the field, she leaned forward and gave him the reins, giggling as he took off in a playful zig zag, covering the mass of ground with ease.
 
Emma blushed at the sight of Hadley's arms. The tattoos were intricate and absolutely amazing and she found herself staring in awe of them. They're beautiful, she thought to herself. Emma gasped in surprise and suddenly stood up. "You like Phantom of the Opera?" she asked loudly. Emma stumbled backwards and cowered in guilt as she realized she possibly could have frightened him. "I-it's just I love the musical." She stuttered. "The P-point of No Return is most p-played on my iPod."
 
Delilah looked up at the sky from where she was standing and slid her hands into the back pockets of her shorts. She could hear Hadley and Emma talking faintly behind her. Catching only bits of what they were saying, it seemed like Hadley was flustered and it was pretty amusing to think that one guy her age could act as if he was still prepubescent. She allowed herself to let out a small, soft laugh; quiet enough to not be heard by the others.


There seriously has to be other people around here and they need to show up soon because I might just die of boredom. Delilah looked down from the sky out across the field in front of her. She noticed Lyra come back into view and she smiled softly. See.. A girl on a horse can always be cute but guys on the other hand either look really attractive or like children. Delilah wasn't sure if she would see her if she waved so instead of waving to Lyra Delilah just looked in her direction, watching Lyra's horse move about.
 
Hadley saw her staring at his arm and blushed, once again. But, it kind of made him smile because she didn't look like she was criticizing them, but more admiring them. Then her sudden movement made him jump a little, but made his heart race quite fast and his face got real pale. He calmed down in a matter of seconds, realizing that she was just excited about Phantom and he smiled. He was getting that feeling of pure joy again that he only truly felt when someone else enjoyed something that he did. he suddenly got very excited, but did his best to conceal it, hoping that she wouldn't think he was being weird about this. "I love Phantom!" He chuckled awkwardly again. "And The Point of No Return is amazing - one of my favorites. Masquerade is my favorite though. I love the symbolism towards the Phantom in the lyrics." Again, he was afraid that she'd think he was being dorky, or obsessive about this. Shouldn't guys normally talk about football or something just a little more masculine?
 
Emma sighed a sigh of release when she could tell Hadley hadn't taken things badly as she had assumed and relaxed her shoulders a bit. She smiled at him while he talked and noted that his eyes took on an animated sparkle when he talked passionately about Phantom. When he said his favorite song from the musical was Masquerade, Emma's smile spread even wider. "The symbolism is extraordinary and the song is definitely the most catchy tune from the musical." Emma hummed the main chorus and bent down to pet Darby once more.
 
Louisiana could feel the eyes on her and while she wasn't sure who was there, she didn't really want to cut the fun short. Sitting up, she opened her arms to a T, smiling brightly and letting her head sort of fall back for a short moment. Even though she knew someone was there, she felt like she was in her own world where nothing bad could happen.


Buck had noticed Delilah before his owner did and he ran up to her, tail wagging a mile per minute as he barked. Much like a cat would, he rubbed against her leg before sitting in front of her. The bark caught both Lu's and Mo's attention, causing the horse to stop in a panic and Lu to tumble off his neck. Landing with a thud and an oof, she huffed and grabbed the reins before standing up. Dusting herself off, she waved over to Delilah, leading Mohawk over to her, laughing nervously. "Sorry about that. Usually I stay on."
 
Delilah kept her eyes on Lyra and the horse, not noticing that Buck had made his way over. She jumped sightly when she felt Buck rub against her leg but then she smiled, looking down at Buck. Delilah leaned down and pet Buck's head. "You scared me there, boy." She giggled a bit and looked up to see Lyra and Mohawk making their way over to her.


Delilah continued petting Buck as she waited for Lyra to come over. She stood up tall once she was in front of her and Delilah offered a smile to Lyra, glancing from her to Mohawk and back. Delilah shook her head lightly, "Oh, no. It's fine. I actually love animals I've just never been able to have one of my own." She looked down at Buck again and smiled.
 
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