[Is it possible for an expression to be mischievous and sheepish? Because Xanth's grin is just that. But he moves onto her question - boy or girl? Xanth just looks at the horse's underbelly.
Mare. Simple enough!]
Sh-she's, uh, she's-- a girl. W-We, uh, we can-- we can ride her i-if you like, we just, need to be careful. The-- the horses here are nice, but, y-you know. S--Still big a-animals.
[Chloe sees that grin of his and chuckles at it. Well, this was fun at least. And look! She wasn't worrying about Derek. But now she would be, because she just thought about him. Dammit, brain. Listening to Xanth now.]
I'm sure you know a lot more about handling horses than I do, so I'll follow your lead. If you feel uncomfortable though, let me know? I--I'm afraid I won't be much help if something goes wrong, but I promise not to abandon you in a ditch anywhere.
[Bumping Xanth with her hip, Chloe grins over at him to show he shouldn't worry. Besides, Chloe hadn't come across any ditches yet at the Keep.]
Re: [commentlog]ghostly_stutterOctober 22 2011, 12:36:24 UTC
[Casting a slightly suspicious look at each of the horses around them, Chloe can't withhold her own curiosity and mild trepidation.]
D-do we know which one?
[Yeah, not stopping ever could be a problem. Especially since Chloe never took any swimming lessons while growing up. She moved around too much to join any activities, anyway. She could dog paddle a little, at least. How embarrassing would that be?]
I--
[A deep breath.]
I'm n-not exactly the b-best swimmer.
[Then she realizes Xanth might make a bigger deal about it than she intended, and she forces herself to relax, laughing and shaking her head.]
[She turns wide eyes Xanth's way. He must have ended up in the lake. Then she realizes what he said about swimming, and Chloe simply looks at him for a moment, humbled by his words. She offers a slight smile.]
[But that's not so hard. Water's not a bad landing spot at that height.
Xanth cranes his neck, looking to see which horse is which, and then points at an Appaloosa mare. Her body is brown, but her behind is white and spotted.]
Th--that one. Sh-she, um, she's-- r-really well trained, e-except for the, the water... th-thing.
[Chloe walks nearer to the horse Xanth pointed out, inspecting her and being sure to remember the horse's coloring.]
Well, you are a beauty, I'll give you that much. I won't fall for that doe-eyed expression, though. You aren't putting me in the lake.
[Now that their small heart-to-heart was done, Chloe turns back to Xanth, a small smile giving away only a small amount of her nerves.]
Which horse should we take?
[The one Chloe fed seemed nice enough. Maybe it would be kind to them since she and Xanth gave it a treat? She didn't know much about horses, though, so she'd leave the choosing to Xanth.]
W-Well, this is your-- your first time riding, r-right? I-I, uh, don't want to-- l-leave you i-in th-the lurch or anything i-if she gets... y-you know, cranky.
[That, and he kind of doesn't want to get back on after the first time. SCARRED FOR LIFE okay not that bad, but he's still a little rattled.]
[Or trying, at least. Mostly, Xanth is sitting by the edge of the lake with his feet in the water and pole in hand.]
I-If you... want to c-come down to the-- the lake?
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Mare. Simple enough!]
Sh-she's, uh, she's-- a girl. W-We, uh, we can-- we can ride her i-if you like, we just, need to be careful. The-- the horses here are nice, but, y-you know. S--Still big a-animals.
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I'm sure you know a lot more about handling horses than I do, so I'll follow your lead. If you feel uncomfortable though, let me know? I--I'm afraid I won't be much help if something goes wrong, but I promise not to abandon you in a ditch anywhere.
[Bumping Xanth with her hip, Chloe grins over at him to show he shouldn't worry. Besides, Chloe hadn't come across any ditches yet at the Keep.]
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[Oh, wait.]
As-- a-as long as we don't-- g-get too close to the... the water.
O-One of these h-horses, the, uh, a-- a mare, she... sh-she likes to... r-run for the water.
A-And not stop.
E--Ever.
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D-do we know which one?
[Yeah, not stopping ever could be a problem. Especially since Chloe never took any swimming lessons while growing up. She moved around too much to join any activities, anyway. She could dog paddle a little, at least. How embarrassing would that be?]
I--
[A deep breath.]
I'm n-not exactly the b-best swimmer.
[Then she realizes Xanth might make a bigger deal about it than she intended, and she forces herself to relax, laughing and shaking her head.]
I'm sure we'll be fine.
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[Then, Xanth smiles, and his tone lightens.]
B-But-- don't worry. I-I can-- I can swim e-enough for the b-both of us. I-I just-- wanted to w-warn you.
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Oh, good. Wait. How did that go for you?
[She turns wide eyes Xanth's way. He must have ended up in the lake. Then she realizes what he said about swimming, and Chloe simply looks at him for a moment, humbled by his words. She offers a slight smile.]
Th-thanks.
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[And then he realizes that that was not a given, and not a very good way of phrasing it.]
I-I mean-- it-- th-the horse, just, she, sh-she kept swimming, a-and I-- w-well I got out j-just fine, I-I mean it was kind s-scary, but, y-you know.
[And now he's repeating himself. Great! Xanth just bites his lip, shutting his running mouth.]
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So you had to jump off the horse? While she was in the water?
[Wide blue eyes swivel to the side, eying the horses.]
Mind t-telling me which one?
[She grins, but her eyebrows are raised and she's holding her breath. Yeah. Not going near that one.]
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[But that's not so hard. Water's not a bad landing spot at that height.
Xanth cranes his neck, looking to see which horse is which, and then points at an Appaloosa mare. Her body is brown, but her behind is white and spotted.]
Th--that one. Sh-she, um, she's-- r-really well trained, e-except for the, the water... th-thing.
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Well, you are a beauty, I'll give you that much. I won't fall for that doe-eyed expression, though. You aren't putting me in the lake.
[Now that their small heart-to-heart was done, Chloe turns back to Xanth, a small smile giving away only a small amount of her nerves.]
Which horse should we take?
[The one Chloe fed seemed nice enough. Maybe it would be kind to them since she and Xanth gave it a treat? She didn't know much about horses, though, so she'd leave the choosing to Xanth.]
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[He reaches up and scratches her along her jaw.]
D-Do you, uh, do you-- want to go first? I-I can just-- lead her around a-a bit, w-while you ride.
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[Moving closer to Xanth and the other mare, Chloe hesitated at his question.]
I don't want you to be bored. I--I can probably ride a horse on my own, if you'd have more fun.
[A smile, and she moves closer to let the mare sniff at her fingers.]
I'm up for anything, really.
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[That, and he kind of doesn't want to get back on after the first time. SCARRED FOR LIFE okay not that bad, but he's still a little rattled.]
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It was starting to sound better if Xanth had a firm hold of the reins. She moved to open the stall door, opened it a crack, and hesitated.
"It's okay if I go in?"
She stared at the mare in front of her. She seemed huge.
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Y-- Yeah. I-I, mean, she's all-- all dressed up, s-so I think we can just-- go.
D-Do you know how to-- to get on?
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