The Reception Office, [open]

[draiton]

The pair were in the reception lobby of Willow Brooke, the boy sitting on a chair beside a suitcase of clothes. His father stood standing, his hands behind his back and looking down his pointed nose at the clean carpet and pale walls. He disliked the photographs of horses and students hanging on the wall, but that was ok- because he wasn't the one being put there.

Draiton was the spitting image of his father, only one looked more miserable than the other. The fifteen year old sat on a squishy chair with his head hung and his eyes closed. His hands were clenched tightly, fingers digging into himself to keep back the tears. He wouldn't cry in front of his father and every second that dragged by was more and more painful.
He wasn't even breathing properly, because if he drew a deep breath he'd cry. So he kept everything held in a painful constriction in his chest. His father was getting more and more irritated at the wait and was scowling under his breath about the lack of decent service.

He eventually left Draiton's side to stand outside and smoke, in his absense Draiton put his head in his hands and let the tears sting him. He drew a choked breath through his constricted throat. He gulped and shuddered, the base of his palms pressing against his eyesockets, his fingers curling and digging through his greasy hair. He stank of the sweat of fear, silently crying against his hands so the tears ran down his arms.

He kept his eyes closed, pretending to hide from the world. He was so self consumed he couldn't hear or see other people coming. He just wanted to be left alone, being with his father sent chills down his spine and any of the teachers who wandered in now would see him in this state! But he couldn't stop, the more he tried to calm down, the more upset he got. He cried harder, his shoulders trembling and head so low his shoulders were hunched over.

[Big Hoss Angie]

As much as Jared would have liked to just ride the trails on his red roan stallion, Strawberry Delight, there was work to do. Bills to pay, he had a few phone calls he had to make to some parents. He needed to look at a few more job applications too. He just couldn't really find any workers. He supposed some people were worried that they'd be working with sociopaths or something, but he didn't see the harm in what Willow Brooke was about.He would probably go down to the stables and help some of the newer students with their horses later, once he got the more important stuff out of the way. Once he had Berry untacked and cleaned off he started to make his way to the offices.

He looked to the man who was smoking outside and frowned. He obviously seemed to be waiting. Must have stepped out to get himself a smoke. He glanced at the glass doors to the reception office and saw a boy sitting inside. Did he have any new attendee's scheduled for today? He couldn't remember. He glanced back to the man. "Can I help you sir?" He asked looking back to the man with the cigarette in his hand.

[draiton]

Raven spun on his heel and gave Jared such a dangerous glare that for a moment it was likely he would smack him for 'sneaking up' on him/ Raven's narrow lip curled but he started to calm down- having to really focus and recompose himself. He was utterly unused to dealing with people, as antisocial as they came.
His eyes narrowed and he took the cigarette out of his mouth,

"I would hope so." He scowled in a voice deep with maturity and rumbling from the life of a smoker. His blue eyes looked Jared up and down, analysing him. "We receievd this letter, probably through the boy's school." He reached into his jacket's breast pocket to remove the summons to Willow Brooke Correctional.

"You can take him today, he has everything with him- passport, birth certificate-- what have you. I can't hang around, will this take long?" He sounded impatient though the glint in his eye and the way in which he was speaking gave away that he had nothing serious to be getting on with, he was just bored of standing around and would rather be back in the car and away.

[Big Hoss Angie]

Jared didn't waver at the man's expression. The man didn't scare him. He'd seen men like him before. There were plenty of students here that came from the same type of family. He glanced inside to the boy and started to think he would be better off here than with this man. His misty blue eyes looked down to the note as he pulled it out and he nodded and read over it.

He looked back up to Raven then gestured for him to follow. "There are a few things that I need you as well as him to sign on a few matters." He said calmly as he started to lead the man into the building. He stepped to the desk where his receptionist sat. "Margret, could you get me some blank contracts and all the things our newest student will need to sign and take care of." He said gently then turned to the boy for a moment.

"Sure thing, Mr. Martins." She said as she stood and went to the filing cabinets and started to thumb through papers pulling the required paperwork that would be needed out quickly and efficiently. She then walked back over stuffing everything into a manilla file envelope and handed them to Jared. "Thank you." He said before he gestured for the boy and - Jared assumed- his father to follow him back to his office.

[draiton]

Raven sighed and stubbed the cigarette out on the wall and tossed it to the ground with a flick of his fingers, following the Head through to he office. He had half a mind to just walk off and leave the kid there, but Draiton might find his way home.
He scowled and walked into the room with his arms folded, rolling his eyes at the boredom of it all.

Draition shuffled his feet and slid into a chair, his dry eyes on the floor. He wiped his nose on the sleeve of his t-shirt and tried to hold his breath.

"Alright, what is it?" Raven scowled at Jared.

[Big Hoss Angie]

Jared's office was practically ceiling to floor walls of absolutely nothing other than pictures and awards and trophies from riding competitions. Most of the awards and plaques, medals and ribbons were his, but the pictures most were of not only him, but his wife and children. Here and there were students from Willow Brooke that were no long with him. He kept in touch with most of them.

He glanced at Draiton then up at his father. "I need both you and him to sign this contract.It's basically liability policies. It's just stating that whatever may happen to him is not entirely our fault depending on what happens to him and how it happens." He said as he rifled through the papers and produced some more of that both parent and the boy needed to sign. "And these are the Willow Brooke rules and policy." He said as he pushed those towards the father then set a pen on top of the papers for him.

"And all that's left after that is for you to fill out this form. It's in case of an emergency such as an accident or something. Then we'll show him around, which you're free to go if you wish, or you can stay and join us." Jared said gently glancing to Draiton. The poor kid looked like he was having a lousy day. He recognized the kid from the file his school had sent to Jared. He had the perfect match for the kid to. He would be getting Mary-Lou and her energetic colt, Flash.

[draiton]

Raven methodically went about signing the contracts. He didn't even bother to read them properly, he just wanted out. He thought the idea of boys and horses was extremely gay, but didn't much care what Draiton turned out like- it wasn't his probalem any more. When he came to emergency details Raven put his mobile phone number down, but lied about the rest of it, forwarding his address to his work address so that any important letters could get to him eventually.

He sighed and grew bored of signing things whilst Dee spend more time reading and thinking about it. There was a lot of it he didn't understand, and he seriously debated the rules-- he grew frightened now, knowing he couldn't be good meant he couldn't succeed here and no one would like him.
Miserably he signed his name on the last document and hung his head again.
Raven checked over Dee's papers- making sure he'd not made a mistake- before handing all the sheets back to Jared.

"I have things to do. If you need me then call." He glanced at Draiton and sighed, "Be good Ok?" He dared to pat Dee's head and then walked away. Dee turned his head, terrified he watched his father head to the door- but he was too emotional to say anything. Most of him didn't want to see his father go, he was terrified! And yet... ... this place... His eyes rolled and he looked at the trophies... he wished he had one. He'd never succeeded at anything... The thoughts of certificates and trophies kept him quiet whilst his father left, but then as soon as the man was gone he believed he wasn't worth it. He'd never earn a certificate.... he was too lowly. He hung his head again and waited to be told off.

[Big Hoss Angie]

Jared watched the two in thought. Two different extremes. Raven just whisked through the contracts and information while Draiton actually read through them and made sure he knew what he was agreeing to. He looked up to Raven when he said he was out. Jared nodded and stood taking the papers. He looked at the names and scribbled Draiton's across the little tab. He would have Margret file it on the way out.

He watched Raven leave then looked to Draiton. "You're better off without him around, kiddo." He said gently as he pulled out his assignment sheet for the students and scribbled down the names of the mare and colt he would be taking care of here. He looked up to Draiton for a moment. "I'll have someone take your things to your cabin while I show you, you're newest buddy, or in this case buddies, and show you some of the ropes. There any name in particular you like to go by?" He asked gently as he stood.

"I'm Jared Martins. You don't have to call me Mr. Martins if you don't want to. I like it when you kids call me Jared." He said smiling gently. "Doesn't make me feel so old." He said teasingly as he walked around his desk and leaned against the edge.

[charity]

Charity had been waiting for the man Jared was having a meeting with to come out of the office. She wanted to ask him what she was supposed to do while she wasn't working with Goldie. It was sad but Charity was totally lost, where she had fit in back home wasn't even a possibility here. She had very few friends if any they were more of people she past and acknowledged at will if she was having a good day. She knocked on the door before Charity slid smoothly into the office, her hair pulled back away from her face. She had just come from lessons and was a bit tired. She had decided that she couldn't go back to her room again, it was time to get out and talk to people.
"Jared, I was wondering-" she cut herself off noticing the boy that was still in the office. "Oh I'm sorry I just had a few quick questions, but I'll wait outside until you are done."
Charity was a bit embarrassed by her lack of patients and like always waited to be excused from the room, all too used to being treated like a pet at the foster homes or when she had gone to visit her father.

[draiton]

"Ok... Jared..." Dee murmured the word with his thumb nail back in his mouth, chewing it in anxiety. "Urh... y'pronounce it 'Dra-ton', it's a silent 'I' in there or something.... sorry..." He indicated to his last signature- a scrawl on the paper.

"Buddy?" Draiton grunted in confusion, he didn't understand. He didn't have friends and wasn't going to either, "OH WAIT!" He slapped his forehead, "You mean a horse don't you," He rolled his eyes that he'd been so stupid to have assumed the buddy would have been human. He recalled what the sheets of paper had said so of course she meant a horse.
"... But..." He fidgeted and was about to say more when he looked over his shoulder at the girl at the door His jaw dropped open and he shut up, unable to comprehend her words he just stared as he had completely not expected to see her there.
He gulped and then turned back to look at the teacher in front of him, not knowing what to do. But at least he'd stopped crying now, whilst he was stricken pale he seemed more willing to accept what was going on ater reading the not-so-confusing paperwork.
He kept his head twisted towards the door, looking sad that his father had gone. He was scared again, but Jared was making him feel somewhat safe. So he could relax, couldn't he?

[Big Hoss Angie]

Jared smiled gently and noted down hat the 'i' was silent in his files. "Got it. Silent 'i'." He said looking up at the kid smiling warmly. He was always friendly with his students. He thought it was kind of important to be.

He looked at Draiton and laughed lightly as he had a duh moment. Jared nodded. "Yes, you're assigned horses are a mare and foal, Mary Lou and Flash. They're really nice. You'll get along with the two perfectly." He said as he stood. He looked up when Charity popped her head in and stepped in. He smiled and shook his head. "It's fine, Charity. I was just about to show our newest student around for a bit. This is one of the other students here at Willow Brooke, Draiton" He said as he looked to Draiton smiling gently. "Here, take these out to Margret and wait in the lobby, and I'll be out in just a minute to show out around." He said to Draiton holding the files out to the boy.

If Charity wanted something to do, it may be better off to have her show him around. He might be a little more comfortable with one of the students. Not to mention, Jared kind of felt that maybe this kid could use a few human friends around here.

[charity]

Charity smiled comfortingly at the boy, she remembered how it felt to be a new student here.
"Sorry about the inturuption Jared." she said as she stepped out of the way of the boy who's name was apprenetly Draiton. He looked shy and confused, it made her wonder why he was here. Not exsactly the kind of guy who comes off as a criminal... she thought as she stepped closer to Jared's desk.

"Jared," she started as the boy departed from the room, "I know there is a lot to do around here but... I just don't know what to do when I'm not working with Goldie..." she smiled sheepishly, she usualy knew exsactly what to do when she was bored, but being put in a whole different enviorment was something she didn't know how to cope with. She didn't sit down not wanting to seem rude infront of her teacher. She thought about going back to the stables and putting extra time in with Goldie. Charity had decided a long time ago that if she ever ended up at one of these places it would be because she didn't want to go to jail. She ended up being right, but now that she was here it wasn't all she thought it would be. The people who were like her didn't want to talk to a 'new' criminal, afraid they would go back to their old ways, and the people that weren't were afraid of her... typical.