Day 42: Noon - The Pet Supply Place

[windstwilight]

[continued from here]It took the trio a few short minutes to walk over to the pet store, and like before, Senna ignored it utterly in favor of the brown horse to the side. Once the mare was in sight, Senna ran ahead beaming. "Hey girl," she greeted, then made a clicking noise with her tongue. The horse waved an ear at her, then basically ignored

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[madeinthehrl]

Soma had only seen a few horses before, and those had been from the distance and safety of her mobile suit, thousands of feet away. She'd never even given them any thought, much less had the opportunity to go up to one.

Considering how the mare loomed over her, she was a little unsure about doing so now. Uncertainty warred briefly on her face with curiosity before the latter eventually won out. Besides, Senna had gone up without the slightest trace of hesitation, and Soma wasn't about to be shown up by someone who wasn't even a supersoldier.

She strode up and halted in front of the eating horse, who snorted at her but paid her no further mind. Reaching up, she gingerly pet the horse's nose, an intense expression on her face.

[sheisthecause]

Meche laughed out loud--with the girls, not at them. Senna had just rushed right up with her usual enthusiasm, and there was Soma with such a serious expression she could have been doing open-heart surgery. As for the horse, Meche wasn't sure whether she was supposed to have orange slices, but with all the attention she was getting, Meche would be willing to bet this was her favorite day of the week. She was just playing hard-to-get, that was all

[windstwilight]

"She is a good girl," Senna replied, giggling. She hopped off the fence and made a face at Soma. "You don't have to be so serious, silly. She's not going to hurt you. Haven't you ever seen a horse before?"

As Meche continued talking, Senna sighed contently and fell backwards onto the ground. Yeah, it was cold, but she didn't mind as much now. The girl stared up at the clouds. Today they were unidentifiable masses, nothing like the day Hanatarou and her had looked for shapes in them. Was that only yesterday? She watched the clouds move slowly across the sky, half paying attention to her surroundings and half very far away. "She suits you," she heard herself replying. "You're both really sweet."

[madeinthehrl]

Soma glanced at Senna, the serious expression giving way to mild confusion and a touch of embarrassment. "No," she said simply, then added, "At least, not from this distance."

Still, the feel of the mare's nose against her hand was pleasant, and Soma found herself untensing as she continued to pet the horse. She had always liked horses as a general idea; they had always seemed free-spirited and swift as the wind in books. It was difficult to reconcile that idea of them with the old mare nudging her hand for more food, but she decided she still liked horses nonetheless.

Senna had flung herself down on the ground and was staring up at the sky, and Soma had to repress a smile herself. Everyone here was so relaxed, despite the way they all spent their nights. What was their secret?