Julian | Hunters | Alex

Julian was lost in thought when the commotion began, so it wasn't unusual that she gave a startled jump, her attention now caught. She seemed more irritated now than she had before, and if looks could kill, Alex would have been long gone.

"I'm just fine, thank you for asking," she sniped, her peace being destroyed with the calamity of the brunet and his horse. "Who are you, anyway?"

The way she spoke demanded superiority, leaving little room for amicability and kindness. She spoke coldly, and her mannerisms were quite similar to Tristan's. It was difficult to believe that somehow, some way, Kierstan was related to these two, and wasn't some heaven-sent doppleganger with the heart of gold the other two noticeably lacked.

-Heather would be leading Mystery out of the barn with Sandra walking next to her as she would be leading Silver. The two women talked and laughed about stuff like only the good parts of they're childhood. The black haired woman would ask the red brunette if she was sure if Mystery was ready to compete in the Olympics like Prince did while Toby would be walking right in between the two girls- "Of course she's ready for it but..." -her voice trailed off which caused Sandra to raise an eyebrow-

"But what?" -Sandra asked, Heather decided to continue her sentence with her sister- "What if something goes wrong? Like really wrong. What would happen if both me & Mystery got badly hurt or worse." -Sandra sighed, only to put a gentle hand on her older sister's shoulder to comfort her- "Nothing isn't gonna happen, just don't worry yourself over it alright?" -Sandra said this as the young woman calmed herself down, nodding an okay to her little sister while they walked around the yard to just excerise their horses together-

Aiden Drewen | 20 | Show Jumper | Old Like Vinyl ( Loui ) | M: Open

Aiden had pulled up at the stables over an hour ago, now just sitting on the back of his Ute in a field with his horse grazing nearby and his guitar resting on his lap. He strummed a few cords before humming gently. " Put a price on emotion" He began. Loui's ears perked at the words, seemingly recognising them before taking a few steps towards his light haired owner. " Looking for something to buy." Aiden continued. This song meant a lot to him, as his ex would sing along with him. Aiden still hadn't let go of her properly.

" You got my devotion" Aiden sung gently, his words slipping off his tongue as if it was second nature. " And then I can hate you sometimes" His strumming stayed even as he stopped singing. Loui looked up at his sad owner with his deep brown eyes before letting out a comforting whinny. " It's ok oldie. " Aiden cooed towards the flea bitten grey Warmblood. Loui tossed his head and returned to grazing as Aiden placed his guitar down. The good thing about being out here as it wasn't too close to the large bustling barn. You could see over the hills and watch the sunset from wherever you were sitting.

Storm | 17 | Titanium | Stallion | Orlov Trotter | Eventing | Owner: Heather Proudstorm | M: Open

-The medium sized stud would be calmly grazing in the pasture for once instead of being a loud, rambunctious maniac. He hasn't gone after other stallions or men in a aggressive manner which is a tiny bit of progress, he would be very well alert to his surroundings while swishing his white tail actively to keep the pesky flies away-

Aiden packed up his guitar, sliding it into the leather case before leading the grey gelding back into the trailer. His peace had been disturbed by an odd looking car, packed full of people. Loui nickered loudly once tied inside the trailer, excited to meet the other horses. Aiden however, really didn't want anything to do with other people.

He returned to his Ute, after making sure everything was fastened, and made his way out of the field. The trailer bounced around more than he would like, and Aiden prayed for Loui's safety. The pair parked up just as the new group had walked away thankfully. Aiden jumped out of the spacious car and quickly ducked around to the trailer and let out the gelding who had no new scratches or marks. " Sorry Oldie, didn't know the road was gonna be so rough." The man quietly spoke as he scratched under his dark mane. " Aight, stable time." He smiled. Aiden walked Loui into his stall, keeping an eye for other people. There were a few stable hands but he didn't acknowledge them. Loui's stall was right next to a large black horse who looked intimidating and a seemingly kind spirited pony. Neither of them seemed to care for the new arrival, as they kept munching on the hay.

Aiden watched Loui settle in before walking out of the stables, and over to his truck. Instead of getting into the cab he situated himself on the tray and looked around, trying to find people to discreetly avoid.

Olivia Lancewood | 16 | XC/E | Cirrus | Open as ever

”Hey, I’m Olivia! Nice to meet you.” “Do you have any idea where the owner is? I’m new.” “Oh my gosh your horse is gorgeous. Is he an Appaloosa?”

Livvie bubbled from place to place, rarely getting a response - not that that dampened her resolve in any way, she was in one of her unstoppable moods. Her cheeks were flushed red; be it from her quick pace or her childish excitement, one could never know.

A fresh squeal tore out her mouth as she walked bouncing down the barn aisle, looking for her beloved pony. “Cirrus!” This attracted even more strange glances as she broke into a jog, halting clumsily at the cream-grey horse. He flicked an ear, held in place by a bright green halter with a small metal inscription.

Olivia ran her hand along his body, checking for any bruises from his transatlantic flight only a few days prior. Ignoring the stable hand - a rare occasion for the teen - she turned again to Cirrus’s head, kissing his nose as he rested his muzzle on her shoulder.

”Okay boy, I’d better go check up on Fitz, alright?” The energetic collie cross was bound to have ripped up something from her bag by now; even just five minutes alone could make him destructive. “Thanks as well!” she added, smiling broadly at the groom.

With that, she turned away, beginning her return trip to the car park.

Tyler | SJ | Liv, Open [i know she doesn't like liv, but it differentiates yours and mine LOL]

Tyler stepped out of his old white four-door, little more than shambles on wheels. He had half expected that it would just disintegrate at some point on his thirty-two hour drive. Somehow he'd survived with only minor problems, and though he was feeling drowsy from terrible sleep quality the last six days, he was still so, so eager to finally be here. There was one reason behind that: Liv.

Her stay at Salamander hadn't been half as long as he'd wished it had been, for there was something about her that was so different, so exotic it made him want to travel the world to find out where it came from. He had known the small town wouldn't keep her attention for long, although she'd never explicitly said why she had to leave, and why so abruptly at that. Perhaps it was just that he never asked, or that he never wanted to. But when he heard from her out of the blue with information about a farm in Virginia accepting full time students, he couldn't pass it up.

The last six days had been rough for Tyler Parrish. He'd slept in his car for five consecutive nights, and couldn't remember the last time he'd had a shower or a hot meal. Despite that, he was in a good mood--he'd never left Utah, and now he'd seen so many states, and was now living here! In this gorgeous estate, where dreams had to come true.

As he walked into the front office, received his key and room assignment, Tyler texted Olivia, headed to his room to shower and become 'more presentable' before reuniting with her. He wanted to make the best second impression he could.

[T]: Hey Liv, I'm here. Where are you?

Darius Lovelle | 21 | Reiner/Barrel Racer | "Althea" | Open

“Why are you like this?” A deep chuckle rumbled in Darius Lovelle’s chest as he watched Althea pace the grassy paddock, her pink nose brushing along the tall strands of lush grass before she sank to her knees and rolled. Her hooves kicked playfully in the air as small snorts escaped her flared nostrils. The young man rolled his eyes as his 6B sketching pencil scratched over the rough surface of his sketch pad, the pencil tip tracing his mare’s figure. This was one of the few moments he had in between his job as a barista and his hectic college life. Without these precious moments, Darius believed he would’ve gone completely insane by now. The only thing that tugged at his gut was the fact that Althea wasn’t competing like she once was. She had been an incredible reiner, scoring in the top three, and yet here she was, more of a hobby horse than a competition horse.

On the bright side, Darius had one last semester before he received his Bachelor’s Degree, which meant he would have more time to compete with Althea and bring her back to the athletic shape she had been in previously. The thought made the corners of Darius’ lips curve into a soft, crooked smile, and so he clambered to his feet, brushing the dirt and grass from his jeans. Althea tossed her head and nickered quietly at her owner as she, too, rolled onto all four, picking her way over to Darius and nuzzled his outstretched hands.

“You’re such a good girl, Althea. Now, how about we go for a ride, hm?” The black sabino mare snorted in response with pricked ears, allowing Darius to slip her teal blue halter over her elegantly curved head. With his sketchbook and pencil tucked under his left arm, the twenty-one year old man hummed as he guided the mare out of the pasture towards the stable to prep for his ride.

Olivia Lancewood | 16 | XC/E | Cirrus | Tyler

[Livvie] yass!!! im by the parking, just getting Fitz + bags. meet u by the dorm entrance in 5??

Olivia's fingers flew across the keypad, her green eyes brightening visibly. Ty was here. He had been one of the few people she had connected with at Salamander before her sudden departure, and even afterwards they had stayed in touch - a somewhat unusual occurrence for her, since normally she would move on to her next project or focus. Most people also lost interest in messaging an overly excitable teen who not only lived cross-continent, but had the habit of moving from place to place, half the time with no cellphone reception. In person they were besotted by her - or vice versa - but their interest faded when they needed more than idle chitchat, more than her fly-by-night personality.

Slipping easily out of her thoughts, Livvie swung her various backpacks and suitcases over her back, only just grabbing Fitz before he bolted for a squirrel. She slipped her arm through the leash and tugged him forward, her step springy and buoyant even underneath all of her baggage.

------------

The large building loomed in front of Olivia, its old-fashioned gables glowing as the last of the sun's rays caught on the edges.

"Wow!" The teen's freckled face was alight with excitement, her wavering attention held captive by the sight. "Fitz, look!" The Shepherd cross sat obediently, his head cocked to one side. What on earth was his girl up to this time? "Look at that, boy!"

Suddenly catching sight of a pale, tall boy, Olivia's bags slid off her in one movement as she rushed towards him. "Tyler!" Her childish happiness was almost tangible as she hugged him, her head barely coming up to his collarbone. "I missed you!" Already she showered him with questions, barely waiting for the replies. "Which of your horses did you bring? When did you get here? Is there anyone else from Sal here?" and as an afterthought: "-any idea where the head person thing is?"