Audrey Voss| SJ | Royal

Audrey chuckled at the boy as his horse turned lazily to nip at him. He had a slight 'flair for the dramatic' most people would tell her, but she didnt mind. She thought it added to his personality. She thought backk to the lesson she had just finished watching. The pair seemed to click, horse heedless to his actions but very attentive to him all at the same time. She hoped she could be that way with Royal some day. They clicked but not in the same way the pair in front of her did. Audrey didnt quite trust her with her life yet.

Then it hit her, "Yes actually" she tells him hesatating slightly. "Actually, you may have just helped me figure out my problem" She couldnt help but grin. She had been fighting the mare all this time but she really just needed to be along for the ride at this point. "Odd question, considering I dont really know you but would you be willing to reset poles in about and hour? I will be in the outdoor arena so you can come find me." she didn't wait for his response before rushing to Royals stall and beginning to get tacked up.

Heather Proudstorm | 21 | Eventer | Espresso Silhouette "Mystery" and Titanium "Storm" | Pets: Toby the German Shepherd | M: Open

Emily | Tim + friends

It all started on a warm spring evening. The crickets chirped and the breeze swayed as the last rays of sunlight fell below the rolling hills. Emily had invited several of their friends over, the few that remained from so many summers ago when they were all just a group of strangers. As time went on, the group slowly dispersed, leaving the pair alone and wine-drunk with Emily falling asleep on Tim’s shoulder.

“We should get married,” she mused quietly, unapologetically. That was where it all began.

…

The next few weeks were as busy as they ever had been. Emily was busy putting the final plans in place for a wedding that was going to be held at White Oaks. The woman who had consulted Emily had given her few instructions, only that her fiance was a famous model and that everything had to be elegant and equestrian-themed. This hadn’t proved very difficult, for Emily had simply used the copious amounts of free rein the woman had given her to plan her own dream wedding. It was simple yet sophisticated, a little bit of everything mixed together in one big melting pot of equestrian and elegance and the finer things in life. She had even heard talk of the happy couple flying their horses in from Europe to be apart of the wedding, which excited her more than she could say. For the first time in years, Emily was content with the state of her life: she was too busy to think about what she was missing.

On this particular day, Emily had gotten up early, though she had hardly slept the night before. It was now less than two weeks before the wedding, and due to an unspecified conflict, the bride-to-be had sent her fiance over alone to make the final decisions and get everything in place. She’d showered, dressed, cooked, cleaned, and gone about her daily routine in less than an hour, leaving more time than she needed to drive over to the barn and wait for the man’s arrival. Embarrassingly enough, Emily had forgotten to ask what the man’s name was and was hoping that nobody else would be arriving at the barn at that ungodly hour to identify as the man she was looking for. Briefly, she considered knocking on Tim’s door and seeing if he was awake, looking for a way to kill time before her guest arrived. The more time she spent alone, lingering in the parking lot, the better that sounded.

[Emily (to Tim)]: hiya!!!!!! i know it’s early but are you up?! i’m trying to kill time before the groom-to-be gets here and i’m not good at being alone

---

Laurence | Open

Laurence sighed a heavy sigh as long, slow steps carried him closer and closer to the barn. He hadn’t been to the barn in almost four months, and he hadn’t seen anyone other than Emily and Tim. While he had been getting the help he needed, Laurence had requested that he receive no news of the outside world, or of the people in it, and it was an understatement to say that he was nervous to see people again. On one hand, he expected that it would be life as usual, and that nobody would even care that he had been gone. He knew that people came and went frequently, and wondered if any of the people he had known would even be there. On the other hand, he knew the magnitude of what had occurred, and he knew that word had spread and probably still was. He had almost died, and that was a fact he could not escape.

Though he hadn’t died physically, the last few months had been filled with a lot of death. Emotional, spiritual, conceptual, it had all been there. He had been forced to kill the last remnants of the Laurence that had existed before and because of the accident and replace them with someone he had come to hate. Eventually he found himself lying to the doctors, to Emily, to Tim; telling them what they wanted to hear so he could leave and return to a life of isolation and brokenness. He didn’t want to fix what was broken, and he knew that saying so would result in exponentially more time in that God-forsaken cabin in the woods. He just wanted to be alone--truly alone.

Soon he found himself wandering long stretches of barn aisles he had thought he would miss more than he did, looking for signs of his old life in the crevices of his old haunt. It was still quite early, indicating safety and security. Nobody but Laurence would inhabit this barn for another hour or two, which was plenty of time for him to do what he had to do and then leave. He wasn’t sure where he would go, he just knew it couldn’t be here anymore. The more he thought about it, the more stuck he felt in his old haunts. Perhaps he would move, he mused. Somewhere off the grid, in the wilderness. He didn’t like the idea of survival, but he had already been close enough to death to kiss it, and he didn’t find much more harm in death than he did in a life like the one he would continue to live here. Sighing, he scratched the back of his neck with his hand, feeling a long jagged scar that had been left from the accident. He flinched and trained his mind to study the nameplate on the next stall, which only made things worse. Samantha Starr.

He sighed deeply again, the weight of the world had never left his shoulders. It never would, he was convinced. There was no joy for the morning, it would not come. Perhaps he would be smarter in praying that the next morning would pass him by. He did not know, and he did not pretend to. He just was. He didn’t want to think about anything, about her, about what could have been, or what was, or would be. He had stopped caring about everything, including his next breath. He just wanted to dwell in the pain, in the hurting, in the brokenness. Most of all, he wanted everyone else to stop telling him that the way he was living was wrong.

With an empty, numb mind, Laurence continued walking, eyes searching for answers he did not have. He had no desire to see anyone and no desire to be seen; he simply wanted to keep living in a dreamlike trance that placed him so far away from real life he didn’t even feel human. He didn't want to be human anymore.

Timothy Blue / EI / M: Chester
.
Marry me! What are you so damn afraid off?Dont you love me?Dont you?
Tim woke with a start,his body damp with sweat as he watched his chest rise and fall to the beat of band march.This was ridiculous,and he wished there was another CD he could insert somewhere to change this never ending mental punishment.It always ended the same way,the woman turning away before he could reach her,leaving him all alone.Wasnt it enough to avoid every word even beginning with M to not be tortured in his sleep too?He roughly rubbed his features at his own melodramatic thought,Grabbing at his phone and reading the screen with a silent sigh.It never seemed to go away these past months - especially with this wedding planning going on.Part of him didn't know whether it was coincidental or if Emily was doing this to fill a void,perhaps try get a message across.He wasn't sure - women were confusing enough as is.
'Yes,Been up for a while.Ill be down in a sec.'
So he'd lied.It was either that or reveal his seemingly deadly fear of marriage, and he figured the latter would not help their situation.Tim wasn't even sure where they stood - was there a they?Every 'Emily and Tim' comment had taken on a new meaning for him,sending him into an endless debate with himself.Was there an And?Ugh.
He peeled the curtain back slightly to reveal Emily's vehicle parked nearest to the barn, the windows slightly steamed at the morning's crispness.With a smile he thought about how it must be frustrating her not to see properly,before heading back to go through his routine.After half an hour or so he had showered and changed,the early morning start had quenched his appetite majorly so he skipped breakfast but almost immediately regretted it as he exited the warmth of the building.Why did he do this to himself.There was a warm room belonging to him up there and he was out here wandering about in an empty carpark.It however didn't take long for him to warm back,his body tensing with unreasonable agony.You had to be kidding.
'Well if it isn't my favourite brother.What are the chances.'
Tim spun on his heel toward the source of the voice,his face fitted with an unimpressed expression.His eyes met those so similar to his own - never understanding how eyes belonging to his mother could also fit Chester.He'd always tried to push for an adoption theory,but from their near identical appearance he knew it wasn't true.The blonde's knuckles clenched as his brother wrapped him into a firm hug,suddenly feeling suffocated like a snake had swirled around his chest.But still,he wouldnt offer the pleasure of a fight,
"Oh Lionel - What do I owe the visit."
He felt a light ting of satisfaction as Chester flinched at the name,suddenly releasing Tim from his grasp and stepping back to reveal his crocodile grin.
'Oh relax,I haven't come to see you.I'm here for an 'Emily'- "
"What?"
Tim couldnt help but snarl,feeling suddenly overwhelmed by the way his brother seemed to be threatening his happiness once more.Was he having a laugh.He didn't offer much more,thinking it over.Perhaps thinking of ways in another world hed make his brother sorry.But Chester saw from the way his brother was acting he had hit a nerve.With another smirk he added,
"Yes I hear shes a sweet little blonde.No legs which is a shame but I'm sure I can over look it.."
Tim had to thrust his hands into his pockets to avoid having them hit his brother,taking a deep breath which apparently did nothing at all to escape his brother's toxicity.He glanced over to the car parked not that far away,he presumed Emily hadn't spotted them yet or else shed have been here in the midst of whatever this was.Suddenly it just hit him,all falling into place.The wedding.Oh Wow Okay,Tim offered an eye roll and a slight smile crept over for only a second in what could only be relief.Of course his brother was this mysterious groom.
"I would congratulate you on your wedding - but I'm afraid you dont get such courtesies after..-"
His words just stopped,and he couldnt bring himself to the last part.Why had he even brought it up.Before he could move on,Chester made sure to twist the knife just a little more,
'After your fiance- what was her name..I cant remember.Whatever - realised how much better I am?'
Tim's gaze shot up with tensile daggers,clenching and unclenching his fist at his side.
"I've got better things to do."
He barely growled through a tensed jaw,Turning to march his way to the barn,each step sounding with Chester's never ending sneer.

Em | Chester, Lara, Tim

Emily had been wondering what happened to Tim when she heard male voices in the opposite parking lot to the one she had been standing in. She had texted him almost an hour ago, and he had said he was coming right out. It was like him to be late, but typically he was so nervous he would at least tell her he was planning to be late. Curiously, she grew nearer to their vicinity, astonished to see Tim arguing with another man, one she did not recognize. She wanted to believe it was her client, but the way he was acting made her believe it wasn’t. The only person she’d ever seen Tim fight with was her, so it piqued her interest why a stranger would provoke such emotion in him.

She grew closer to the source of the noise but not enough to be noticed in the midst of their heated interaction. Her eyes and ears were trained on the two men, and though it was difficult to hear, she could make out every few words, enough to know that they knew one another. She stood in the middle of open field, yet they hadn’t seemed to notice her, only focused on one another. The only thing she noticed was that they looked exactly alike, and once she saw it she couldn’t train her eyes to unsee it. So in respectful, attentive silence, she sat and watched, toying pockets of her suit pants. The clothing she wore purposefully hid her prosthetic legs because she didn’t like the judgment she received, and she walked fairly normally now anyway. The only way people could tell she didn’t have the legs she was born with was if they googled her beforehand, and she took great amusement in finding out who did their research on her and who did not. She didn’t have it listed anywhere on her business profiles.

Finally the two men dispersed, Tim striding away in an emotional state. Her first instinct was to find out who the man was, then go find Tim, but she realized slowly that if the man was bad news, she should probably execute her plan in reverse. Still, she strode up to the larger version of Tim first, reaching her hand out for him to shake.

“Hiya, I’m Emily. Are you here for a wedding, by chance?” At his positive affirmation, Emily beamed, but her eyes still flicked towards Tim. She was conflicted about what to do and where to be before she heard a car pulling down the driveway, parking in a very particular spot on the left side, two rows in and four cars over.

Breathing a sigh of relief, she watched the woman open the door, exiting with an almost visible air of disappointment upon seeing the blonde. The woman had glossy, combed hair that appeared still slightly wet, and she was wearing fashionable plaid pants with a revealing sweater that showed off her figure. There was a coffee in her hand, and stylish glasses were planted firmly on the bridge of her nose. She wore contacts every other day, and glasses on the others. She didn’t like to let people get too comfortable with her appearance being styled in one particular way, and she liked to give her eyes time to breathe because she was slightly allergic to contacts though she preferred them.

“It’s way too early for your crap, Emily,” she stated in a neutral tone. “But I know you’re going to ask me for something, so go ahead and ask.”

“Lara!” Emily exclaimed excitedly, grinning. The woman looked at her, body rigid. She didn’t trust Emily’s motives--she was too nice. “Oh, yeah, you said stuff. Sorry, I forgot what happened five seconds ago. Will you walk this nice man down to our office while I run a super quick errand?”

“I believe it’s my office, but...yeah, I guess,” she conceded, glancing up at him skeptically. She crossed her arms across a svelte figure, considering how she felt about him. Finally, she extended her hand to shake his. “Hello,” she began coldly, watching Emily leave. “I’m Lara Ross, what’s your name and why are you here?”

Emily left the pair, headed for the retreating frame that had gone further than she would have liked to chase him on annoying legs. By the time she reached him, she was breathless, tugging on his arm to get him to spin around. She wondered if she had learned to walk more quietly or if he was just ignoring her. “Hey, are you okay?”