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Post by alisonmae on Dec 5, 2012 14:03:54 GMT -8
| [atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, background-image:url(http://i54.tinypic.com/2vafwqd.jpg), border: solid #ffffff 5px; width: 400px; height: 500px;] Though it was dark and late, Alison slipped into the barn as quietly as possible. She carried her daughter's car seat, and five month old Lilli was crying. Ali knew the only thing that would stop her daughter's crying was to see the horses- from the day she was born, the horses were her solace. Ali set Lilli's car seat down for a moment, undoing her Quarter Horse gelding, Chad's, stall door. The gelding had been there for Lilli from day one, and loved her more than anything.
Pulling up a hay bale to use as a seat, Ali lifted Lilli from her car seat and began rocking her gently as Chad blew warm breaths into the small child's face. Lilli's teary eyes lit up as she grasped clumsily for the big gelding's white face. With a smile on her face, Ali began to sing to her daughter.
"Hush-a-by, don't you cry. Go to sleep, my little baby. When you wake, you shall have all the pretty little ponies..." Ali gently brushed Lilli's dark hair back away from her face and smiled down at her daughter. Chad's snort startled her, and she looked around, but not noticing anyone, Ali turned her attention back to Lilli. "Blacks and bays, dapples and grays, running in the night.." Lilli's brilliant blue eyes stared up at Ali as she became entranced in the tone of the song. Ali's voice, though quiet, was powerful and calming all at the same time. Chad nuzzled Lilli, which resulted in a squeal of delight, and the tenseness in Ali's shoulder disappeared.
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Post by Cato Riley McKenna on Dec 6, 2012 23:49:33 GMT -8
 youheardthatiwastrouble,
BUTYOUCOULDN'TRESISTJUSTTAKEABITELETMESHAKEUPYOURWORLD
---------------------
It was getting late, too late to ride, but Cato still stopped at the barn to say hello to his two horses on the way home from work. He did hate Tuesdays, because the late lecture meant it was never possible to ride after work…but he’d gotten used to it, he supposed. Usually the barn was quiet at this time, so the Irishman headed straight for Ally and Nox without any detours on the way. No doubt his cousins had already been and gone – which ones, he didn’t know because he couldn’t even remember which of them even had horses. In short, he had way too many cousins running around Addison and it was impossible to keep track of them all, although he had gotten a little more used to running into several in the space of one day, all in different places.
That was one advantage to today; he never ran into any family. He loved them all, but they did grate on his nerves rather after a while. A quick stroke on the nose to his stallion, Nox, and he crossed the aisle so that he could slip into his Anglo-Arab mare’s stable instead. Ally was pretty small at only fifteen-three, given that Cato was easily six foot two, but he couldn’t bear to sell her. Strangely, she wasn’t standing with her head over the door as she usually did, rather staring through the bars separating her and her neighbour, quite clearly transfixed by something. Cato raised an eyebrow, but merely produced a carrot and watched as her concentration on whatever was so fascinating was broken in an instant by the vegetable.
He stroked her gently as she ate, running his fingers through her dark mane. It was unusual to find a black Arab, but Ally was most definitely that. It was hard to see much of her in the fading light, other than her silhouette but Cato knew his horses so well it didn’t really matter all that much. Of course, when Ally went straight back to staring into the stable next door to her once her share of the carrots had gone, her owner’s curiosity spiked. Usually she was easily distracted, difficult to get to focus on anything and here she was, doing it of her own free will for once. That said, her ears were pricked as far forward as they could go, she seemed to grow about a hand as she watched, and he knew that look on her face. The one that said she was interested in whatever was there but her spooky nature didn’t quite allow her to trust it. He assumed it was something to do with the new Quarter Horse next to her, and now that he listened he could hear somebody singing quietly. Ally did find new horses the best thing since baked oats, after all.
Supposedly having figured out what had captured her attention, her owner went and stood closer to her, rubbing tiny circles on her neck to get her to relax a little. She wanted to, he could tell. He could also feel that sigh coming, the type that released all the tension she had a habit of holding in…so close, only a few seconds now and maybe she’d settle – and then a baby squealed and the shit really did hit the fan.
Cato was used to his mare’s spooky nature, so he wasn’t overly surprised when she completely overreacted at the sound. He watched with folded arms as she skittered backwards, straight into the wall on the other side of her stable. It took all his willpower not to roll his eyes at her stupidity as the impact sent her into a mini frenzy. Of course it would have to be his horse that shattered any and all sense of peace and quiet that may have descended before that, because Eastern Alliance never did anything in halves. Either she didn’t freak out at all, or she lost it entirely. Once she had managed to convince herself that the utterly terrifying demon in her stable had been well and truly kicked to death, the mare came to a tense halt.
“Honestly Ally,” Cato grumbled despairingly, “is it really any wonder I’ve never put you in foal?”
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Post by alisonmae on Dec 7, 2012 9:43:45 GMT -8
| [atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, background-image:url(http://i54.tinypic.com/2vafwqd.jpg), border: solid #ffffff 5px; width: 400px; height: 500px;] Ali's heart jumped in her throat when she heard a horse spook. Hearing a man's voice follow it, a load of emotions overwhelmed her. Standing up and adjusting Lilli on her hip, Ali walked to the stall door with the spooked mare and tried not to cry. "I'm really, really sorry." She looked down at her daughter. "She couldn't sleep and the horses help..." Knowing it sounded like an excuse, she bit her lip and gently crooned to the mare, hoping to help calm her down. Feeling a warm breath behind her back, she knew Chad had emerged from her stall to keep an eye on Lilli, who giggled.
"I know I'm not supposed to be here and I'm really, really sorry. I didn't mean to spook her. Is she okay?" Tears welled up in the petite girl's eyes as she watched the mare. Having her daughter back, alone, was beginning to become slightly overwhelming, especially without the horses being in their back yard.
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Post by Cato Riley McKenna on Dec 9, 2012 11:08:12 GMT -8
youheardthatiwastrouble,
BUTYOUCOULDN'TRESISTJUSTTAKEABITELETMESHAKEUPYOURWORLD
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Cato was frequently surrounded by females. He had a sister, and there was Inez, plus all the Stirling girls and not forgetting his rather large amount of female friends. All in all, Cato wasn’t too clueless when it came to dealing with women. That said; all of the ones he knew were pretty together emotionally. Even Inez who could be pretty crazy sometimes didn’t cry that much…in fact, he’d never even seen her cry. As a result, he hadn’t the faintest idea what he was meant to do when the woman in the stable next door suddenly arrived next to him with a child in her arms, alternating between near-hysterical apologies and fighting back tears. Seriously, crying women wasn’t something Cato dealt with much, especially ones he’d never met.
Ally on the other hand, having gotten over herself somewhat, was beginning to relax a little. She shook her mane, staring at the newcomer with her honey-brown eyes as if trying to work out what on earth was the matter. In short, she mirrored Cato’s own expression – equine style. The baby she treated a little more warily, but the Irishman supposed that was to be expected for such a skittish mare. Somewhat bemused, he rubbed the back of his neck while internally he wondered what to do. Once the poor girl had eventually tailed off into what seemed to be distraught silence, she really did look as though she was on the verge of dissolving into tears. Her child was more fixed by the horse standing by her shoulder, whom Ally greeted with a quiet snort.
“Ally’s fine, she’s just a nutcase, but…oh, no…please don’t cry. I hate to see women cry…ohhh Jesus, you’re crying…”
Where was Inez when you actually needed her? She could be sensitive in situations like this, and she probably had a lot more experience with crying women than he did. Not that that was too difficult…if he’d known her better, this might have been a little bit less awkward but he wasn’t going to walk around hugging random women like a freak, even if they were slowly breaking down in tears in front of him. He was fairly certain that wasn’t socially acceptable, although he had no idea what was acceptable in this scenario.
”Um,” he started uncertainly and incredibly inarticulately, “is there anything I can do to make you feel any better?”
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Post by alisonmae on Dec 9, 2012 23:02:08 GMT -8
| [atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, background-image:url(http://i54.tinypic.com/2vafwqd.jpg), border: solid #ffffff 5px; width: 400px; height: 500px;] Ali let out a slight laugh through her tears at the young man's flustered appearance. Her baby blue eyes shone as she watched him for a moment, and shook her head in refusal as he asked if she needed help with anything. "I'm good, thanks. She's beautiful." Gently nibbling on her bottom lip, Alison adjusted Lilli on her hip. "I am sorry for startling her."
Chad gave the mare a quiet snort, his friendly nature taking hold, and Ali smiled. The mare was beautiful, and now that she was quiet, seemed inquisitive. Lilli made a couple of gurgly baby noises, wanting to make friends with the new horse, and Ali quietly shushed her. Gently rubbing Chad's white nose with her free hand, Alison kept her eyes on the boy's horse, a small smile appearing on her face.
"She's beautiful." Ali's voice was quiet as a smile pulled up the sides of her mouth. She was embarrassed by her earlier emotions, having difficulty handling having her daughter to herself as well as having a job and her horses. Lilli cooed to the horse, her brilliant blue eyes lighting up. She reached out a chubby arm, still cooing, and Alison smiled easily. Though usually tense around men, she felt decently comfortable around the man here.
"Is she an Anglo-Arabian?" Blushing slightly, Ali let out an uneasy laugh. "I'm sorry, I haven't introduced myself yet. I'm Alison. This is Lilli, and one of my horses, Chad. The horses calm Lilli down." A shy smile towards the boy, before turning her attention back to the mare. "She has phenomenal conformation."
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Post by Cato Riley McKenna on Dec 11, 2012 12:34:48 GMT -8
youheardthatiwastrouble,
BUTYOUCOULDN'TRESISTJUSTTAKEABITELETMESHAKEUPYOURWORLD
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Luckily for him, it seemed like the woman had managed to get her emotions under control. Which was good, because the idea of having to comfort a woman he didn’t know was slightly terrifying for someone who tended to be at least a little quiet and reserved. Inez was the type who would have hugged her and acted like that old girlfriend you went to every time you were upset about something, but he supposed it was also probably more acceptable if you were female. He didn’t want to come across as a total creeper because Cato really wasn’t anything except a nice, decent guy.
He turned to look at Ally thoughtfully as the woman commented on her, trying to see the mare through her eyes. It was so easy to forget if a horse was pretty or not when you saw it almost every day for such a long period of time, but he supposed she was actually right. It was the reason he had bought her anyway, despite the fact she was a little bit mental and slightly on the small side. That, and her natural aptitude for show jumping when she actually put her mind to it and stopped spooking at every plausible filler. ”Yes. Yes, she is,” he replied broodingly as he held out his palm for Ally to sniff. Finally deciding it was safe, she took one or two graceful steps forward and stood within touching distance of her owner; even if she did continue to watch the child a little bit warily. ”And don’t worry about scaring her, her sanity left screaming in the other direction a long time ago.”
Ally snorted, as though trying her best to disagree with Cato’s statement. The Irishman ignored her, because she was entirely out of her crate. He watched as the baby reached an arm out towards his horse, gurgling as babies do. Eastern Alliance’s eyes grew about an inch because that thing moved? He could almost see the wheels and cogs in her brain whirring, trying to figure out what might happen next. He had to say, she did a very amusing ‘what the fuck’ face when she wanted to, and now was one of those moments. Very slowly and carefully, Ally stretched out her ebony nose and blew out nervously near the baby girl – not quite within touching distance though. Cato looked over at the mother when she spoke again, pulled out of his thoughts by the sound of her voice. ”I’m Cato,” he said with a friendly grin. ”And this is Ally,” he said, pointing to the part-Arab. ”Lilli is a very pretty name. It suits her.”
Idek WORDS
Ali/Kara TAGGED
Nothing interesting OUTFIT
PANIC!ITSLAUZ@CAUTION TEMPLATE
Well, this is much better. NOTES |
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Post by alisonmae on Dec 13, 2012 22:11:58 GMT -8
| [atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, background-image:url(http://i54.tinypic.com/2vafwqd.jpg), border: solid #ffffff 5px; width: 400px; height: 500px;] A true, brilliant laugh emerged from Ali at the boy's comment about Ally's sanity. Lilli's blue eyes lit up as the mare came closer, and stretched out to gently touch the horse's nose. Her face lit up in joy and she gave Cato a big smile. Well, one thing you could say about Lilli- she definitely wasn't shy.
At Cato's comment at Lilli's name, Alison gave a sad smile. "She's named after my grandmother. She acts just like her, too. Ornery unless there's horses involved." Ali's face lit up as she laughed again, feeling herself become more and more relaxed as she talked to Cato. A shy smile remained on her face, before she motioned to Chad.
"I have a paint, two Quarter Horses- Chad here's one of them- and a Thoroughbred." A small smile formed on Ali's face. "My mare's at my parent's house for now, until her colt's ready for breaking." Gently chewing on her lip, Ali studied the mare's face. She had striking features, and Ali quietly clucked to her. Chad snorted, gently nudging Ali, and she laughed. "I'm not trying to get your attention, buddy."
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Post by Cato Riley McKenna on Jan 5, 2013 13:24:23 GMT -8
youheardthatiwastrouble,
BUTYOUCOULDN'TRESISTJUSTTAKEABITELETMESHAKEUPYOURWORLD
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Cato didn't really know much about small children, given that he was the youngest of two and only taught university students, but that wasn't to say he didn't like them. He supposed he was sort of indifferent towards them, as opposed to Inez who seemed to love them. Lucky hated them because they made too much noise, but then Lucky didn't really like people in general so that wasn't a huge surprise. All that aside, when Lilli smiled at him, Cato couldn't help but smile back. As far as kids went, she was pretty cute - even Ally thought so.
He looked up as her owner spoke again, chuckling quietly to himself. Oh, he knew somebody like that. "She'll give you trouble when she's older if my ornery cousin is anything to go by," the Irishman replied amusedly. He loved Inez and all, but she was a bit of a handful and constantly getting herself into trouble these days. Honestly, he wondered how long it would be before she got herself thrown in jail for some infraction that she just hadn't been able to stop herself from committing. Scratching Ally's dark neck broodingly, it made him wonder if being contrary and getting into trouble ran in the family...it was perfectly possible, although Casey and the rest of the Watsons weren't troublemakers really. Just Inez.
The brunette clicked quietly at Chad, stood behind his owner calmly. Finally accepting that Lilli wasn't going to eat her, his mare allowed her to stroke her nose hesitantly. "Oh really? I schooled Ally - or tried to," he muttered with a quick roll of his eyes, seeing as the Arab was determined not to do as she was told under saddle, ever, "but I brought Nox - my warmblood stallion, that is - over from Germany after he'd already been schooled." The words were accompanied with a loose gesture towards the bay's stable, and a knowing smirk. Yeah, that sounded way fancier than it actually was, because after buying him Cato had hardly had two pennies left to rub together. Still though, he provided some much-needed stability next to Ally.
Idek WORDS
Ali/Kara TAGGED
Nothing interesting OUTFIT
PANIC!ITSLAUZ@CAUTION TEMPLATE
I'm so sorry it's this embarrassingly short  NOTES |
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