RP: It's That Time Again

[shoshana_wise]

Date: August 30th, 2011
Characters: Rori Milburn, Shoshana Wise
Location: Iron Hollow Farm
Status: Private
Summary: Shosh thinks it's about time to bug the hell out of Rori again.
Completion: Complete

Comments

[rori_milburn]

The horses more than Ainsley were her bosses, Rori thought with an indulgent grin as she prepared the feed. She knew the horses of this barn well enough to not have to look at every sheet on their clipboards to know what mash each was to receive or not receive. The horses who were worked more were fed more specialized feeds, or at least supplements, and a few of the pickier eaters were catered to in order to get them to eat.

She looked up at the sound of her friend's voice and grinned in slightly weary welcome. It had been a long day. A good day, but a long one. "Hey there stranger," she greeted, swiping some free strands of hair back from her face. "Nope, ours get rowdy too. What brings you out here?". She nodded. "yeah sure, you can help me get all this distributed if you want."

[shoshana_wise]

Shosh moved down the barn aisle towards Rori, smirking slightly as she replied. "Not my fucking fault I'm a stranger. Seems we're both workaholics." This was her version of a greeting, a version which her friend was no doubt familiar with. Shosh's tone was fond though, even if her greeting wasn't the usual. Quirking an eyebrow she studied Rori. "Do I need a reason to come and catch up with a friend?" She asked, reaching out for one of the many buckets of feed. "Free labor, right?"

She took direction from Rori as she helped distribute the feed, glancing over at her friend as she asked. "How long am I going to have to wait to get your opinion on my boyfriend?" Shosh asked, smirking slightly and waiting for Rori's reaction to the word 'boyfriend'.

[rori_milburn]

"well if we're both workaholics, then it's fucking half your fault," Rori retorted with a grin. She tossed her hair and smiled. "Nom, but I'm surprised to see you off the ranch," she said honestly. "Mini-you at home, or do I get play time?" She half-joked.

"Hell yeah free labor. You offer I'm not gonna turn you down," she said. The animals had to be fed, after all, and it was harder to stop in the middle of feed time than any other time.

"Oooh so it's boyfriend now huh," she said archly. She wasn't precisely sure how she felt about that in part because she wasn't precisely sure how she felt about Jase. He was a lot different than most of the guys they knew, though she was cynical enough to know he probably had more than his share of women. "Doesn't seem the bad sort really," she said. "Not who I woulda pegged for you, honestly, but so long as he's grating you good.". And he had better treat her good, she thought.

[shoshana_wise]

"Did I say it wasn't?" Shosh shot back with a laugh. "Sometimes I do manage to drag my ass off the ranch, and yes my Mini-me is at home harassing Graham." And Noah, who had dropped by earlier that day. Graham really was trying to connect with his kid, but Shosh wasn't about to try and explain Graham's discovery of a long lost son to Rori, not now anyway

[rori_milburn]

"It was implied," Rori sniffed with mock superiority before breaking down and grinning. "Alas for Graham, poor beseiged man. How is he, and you, and the ranch, doing?" She asked curiously, shoving all the question into one sentence. She was just evil like that.

"As if I wouldn't," she said with a smile. She'd stop by sometime and give her friend a hand no problem.

"Well yeah, I kinda figure I'd remember being told Shoshana Wise of all people had a boyfriend," Rori said jokingly. She understood Shosh's issues about relationships and she'd always been a willing ear for the troubled times.

Rori shrugged slightly, wishing she could be more glowing. It wasn't that she didn't like him, he just made her wary. And she just didn't want Shosh to be hurt. "I dunno. Someone from a ranching family, one of the good cowboys or someone. Not a dress seller from the city," she said wryly. Though really, who would peg her with Ava? "So long as he treats you right I'm thrilled though. And does Sloane like him?" She was curious on that.

[shoshana_wise]

"Well, Fuck. You went and figured me out." Shosh quipped, holding her own serious look for just a beat longer than Rori's mock-superiority. "Don't pity Graham, his annoying ass deserves everything he has to deal with. And he's....good." She paused, taking in the rest of Rori's questions. "Honestly? I'm doing good, and the ranch is keeping it's head above water. This drought hasn't been great to us, but we're getting by a lot better than some." She was good, better than good actually, and part of her had to think that was because of Jase.

Nodding, Shosh grinned. "Yeah, I know you would." That was just something you did for each other sometimes, though they were both so busy Shosh never expected Rori to stop out 'just because' those visits were rare at best now.

"So I fail as a friend." Shosh replied with a laugh. "God, there's just something about Jase. Dating him, being a girlfriend doesn't seem so fucking terrifying with him. " Sure she was still waiting for the day she fucked up, but until that time came she was going to enjoy

[rori_milburn]

Rori grimaced faintly at the mention of the drought, the evil thing that loomed over them all these days. The heat she could take, personally. She was used to working in it, even though she had to take extra care to keep hydrated and electrolyted and all that crap. But it was rough and a bit expensive this year, since so much of the fields were suffering, and the hay crop or lack of it was suffering, and and and. The list went on and on, and they both knew it well at this point. "Yeah, we're feeling that too. Luckily not as much as some, like you said," she said

[shoshana_wise]

Shosh let out a short little laugh at Rori's grimace. It wasn't a happy noise really, every ranch in the area was dealing with the drought and there wasn't a single person you ran into that wasn't feeling it in some way, shape or form. She tried not to think about it too much, but of all the years for her Father to be gone, it had to be this year? Her first year as the official owner of North Tree and it was the worst year Texas had seen in awhile. "Exactly, but hopefully it'll break soon and we'll get some kind of relief." she replied, her tone a bit wistful

[rori_milburn]

"God, I hope so," Rori said fervently. Both Ainsley and herself would have to find a way to sell off a few horses prematurely if the drought continued indeterminately. This year of all years, really... it was depressing but Rori was making an effort not to let it get to her. After everything that had happened this year, she didn't need anything dragging her down

[shoshana_wise]

"Fuck, if it doesn't soon I'm going to have to start cutting back on horses." Shosh hated the idea, but if this continued much longer she would need to think about selling off horses. Graham had already sold off a portion of their cattle to help with the situation. This was one hell of a year, and Shosh just kept thinking it had started out bad and only got worse; although she had bright spots - like Jase, he was definitely a bright spot in this year

[rori_milburn]

"We've already cut back a little," Rori admitted, wrinkling her nose again. "Not much, but enough to keep the losses from stacking up too fast." Shosh would understand that. Culling the herd always happened when money started getting tighter. That was just how things went. It was lucky that so far they hadn't had to do more.

Rori bit her lip, knowing that on one level, Shosh had every right to be fucking pissed at her for keeping secrets. She never had done so with people except for this one part of herself, this one thing, that she really didn't expect anyone to accept or understand. It was different with Cody, because he was her brother and he almost had to love her. But with friends, with the community she was in, Rori knew she couldn't expect acceptance. In fact, from what she'd seen over the years, most people would react quite negatively. Telling would change everything.

"I'm kinda seeing someone," she said softly, not quite looking at Shosh. The words didn't want to pass her lips, I'm gay. But she did owe Shosh an

[shoshana_wise]

"Graham's been working like crazy, we've started selling off the cattle. But if things don't start looking up the horses will be next." It wasn't something any of them liked to think about, but each one of them had had to face selling off stock at some point or another. Shosh hated the idea, and honestly some days - hell - most days she missed when the business end of the ranch wasn't her responsibility.

If there was one person Shosh could claim to know fairly well it was Rori, and right now her friend was worrying her. The fact that she seemed to be weighing what to say next concerned her; and she had to fight the urge to just bark at her to come out with it already, after all it wasn't like Shosh was in a place to judge - and Fuck, it's not like whatever Rori said could be that bad

[rori_milburn]

Rori cringed in on herself, head ducking and letting all the hair that had fallen from her bun into her face. It wasn't that she'd wanted to hide this part of herself, but it was fucking terrifying in the world they lived in sometimes. "Because no one fucking knows, Shosh. Cody was it since I figured it out growing up. And I'd gladly listen to you yammer on guys for years more, honestly. I just... god, even if I knew you don't care, I still didn't really know!" She looked pleadingly over at Shosh, trying to keep from tearing up. She didn't cry often, but this was one subject that always made her feel bad. "God, you know what people will say if they find out! You've worked with them and ridden with them for years! Tell me you don't know exactly what they'll say!"

Always knew that Rori was a dike. Don't let your kids ride with her, she'll touch them. Everything she'd ever done would be over scrutinized, and she sure as hell wouldn't have a reputation she could cash in anymore. "But I'm sorry. For not telling you," she

[shoshana_wise]

Shosh sighed and gave Rori a serious look, there was no way she could convince her friend that nobody would judge her; because she did know the people they grew up around and they were fond of judging people. But she could guarantee that she wouldn't judge her. "I'm not going to sit here and bitch at you for not telling me, God, Rori. I know you had your reasons, just, I want you to know that I'll always fucking support you. So now you know that no matter what you've got me in your corner, you've always got me, okay." She sighed softly. "People always talk, that'll never change. Fuck what they think, does it really matter?" Maybe that was the difference between her and Rori. Shosh didn't give a damn what everyone else thought about her, but then again she had never had a secret like this before, so maybe she didn't know exactly what Rori was dealing with

[rori_milburn]

"It matters because I'm trying to cash in on my reputation. How many people will let their kids train with me once this gets out?" Rori said, wrapping her arms around herself tightly. She still remembered the last cowboy who'd been outed, and how his career had been ruined. Even though she as pretty sure he'd never touched a kid wrong or done anything bad, he'd packed himself out of Texas and the horse world, as far as she knew, pretty quickly

[shoshana_wise]

"Fuck, I know. Why the hell does the world have to so fucking close-minded?" Shosh wasn't trying to rage about this, but she felt like being upset about the fact that he best friend had to hide this was the only thing she could do. She moved towards Rori, and without asking if it was okay she tugged her friend into a hug. "I'd still let my kid train with you, I mean besides me you're the best damn rider I know." Her voice was quieter now, and Shosh didn't know what to say to make this better; because she knew the people they dealt with and knew what they had done before to others who had come out, and God, she wouldn't wish that on her best friend ever