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Post by Ayesha McMillan on May 29, 2010 8:45:33 GMT -5
Ayesha finished turning in the last screw and put down the screwdriver. She slowly flexed her fingers. "Ouch," she muttered. Her hand hurt, but here in the stable, surrounded by horses, she had not wanted to use hammer and nails, and neither had she wanted to use a power tool. That left her with only one choice - fixing Dance's name plate on her stall door by manual labour. She blew on her hand and shook out her fingers before she picked up the screwdriver again and rose, to examine her handiwork. Tilting her head a little she thought the plate was not exactly horizontal, off just a little, but she was not prepared to redo the four screws that held the silver plate in place. It wasn't like she wanted to win a price for exactness here, and she felt she had done the best she could. It would have to do for now. Someone else could perhaps have done a better job, but Ayesha was not prepared to let anyone else handle the silver name plate she had brought along from Dance's old stable. It had been a gift from her parents years ago, just after she had taken ownership of Dance when the mare was but a yearling. The plate displayed the name 'Wind Dancer' in Roman letters, and underneath it again in Arabic script. Ayesha smiled as she thought of her horse, who was out in the pastures right now, enjoying her freedom, and - most likely - running around like the wind she was named for, carefree and happy. Thinking of that, she murmured a few sentences in Arabic to herself and her smile widened.
OOC: Image of name plate here
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Post by Markus Martins on Jun 8, 2010 0:05:35 GMT -5
Markus urged the large, bulky stallion on faster, and Ace happily accepted the added slack to his reins as he came barreling over the last jump of the cross country trail. Markus and Dead Man's Hand went sailing over the large jump. The landing was a little iffy, but Ace didn't seem to care much. He was just happy to have gotten out and exert some serious energy. Mark smiled as he slowed Ace down. The large black stallion reluctantly listened since he didn't have much energy to fight it.
He and Markus just spent some time, going through the course. They did on occasion. It gave Ace a good workout and the giant of a horse enjoyed it quite well. Mark steered him towards the stables before he dismounted the large animal and carefully grasped the reins as he led the hulking Frisian into the stables. "Come on boy. I know you don't want to go inside, but maybe if you behave while I brush you down I'll let you out into the pastures for a while." He said soothingly as the horse reluctantly followed his master into the stables. His large hoofs clopped against the concrete.
Mark blinked when he saw the woman standing outside the stall door down the aisle. He studied her curiously for a moment as he and Ace slowly approached. "Good afternoon, Ma'am." He said gently as he approached the woman. He noticed the screw-driver and then looked up to the name plate. Ahhh so this was the new English teacher. He looked back to her, gently laying a hand over Ace's muzzle when he gave an impatient nicker. "You're Ayesha McMillan?" He asked gently, holding a hand out to her. "I'm Markus Martins. Jared's son." He said, figuring it would be best to get the formalities out the way.
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Post by Ayesha McMillan on Jun 8, 2010 7:52:26 GMT -5
The sounds of horse and rider approaching were impossible to miss, so Ayesha looked towards the stable doors. The size of the horse was quite impressive, she thought, before she realized that the Frisian appeared even larger than it was, next to the man holding its reins.
“Good afternoon.“ She offered him a friendly smile and a nod. He was too old to be a student, and by the looks of it had just come from a ride. Most likely a staff member, as a visitor to the camp would not have been able to guess her name. But she didn’t have to wait long to find out for certain.
“Yes, I am,” Ayesha replied and shook the offered hand. “Pleased to meet you, Markus.
“I should have really made a point to introduce myself to the rest of the staff,” she added conversationally as she let go of his hand.
Ayesha intended to spend a good part of her spare time at Willow Brooke and would perhaps have more contact with the people who worked with and around the horses than some of the other teachers. It wouldn’t hurt to get to know the people who worked the horse part of the camp soon, in case she ever needed help with something. Just finding the time for it was, of course, the tricky part.
“Speaking of which – who is your friend here?” She made a small gesture in the stallion’s direction.
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Post by Markus Martins on Jun 8, 2010 15:33:59 GMT -5
He smiled gently and gave her hand a gentle shake in welcome. "It's a pleasure to meet you too, and you're welcome to call me Mark. Most everyone around these parts do." He said gently. This was true. Most of the stable workers and the students called him Mark. The only person that always called him Markus was his dad. Jared was the only person who called Mark, Markus actually. All the students called him Mark. All the people in town called him Mark. Even all the staff called him Mark. But with Jared he was always Markus. Mark knew it had something to do with his mother, but he never really asked what.
He gave a light shrug at her saying she should have made a point to introduce herself around. "Most of the stable hands and grounds keepers will learn who you are quick enough through the gossip wheel around here. But I'm sure the academic staff will welcome you to Willow Brooke well enough." He said with a grin. She would get along with the other teachers easily enough, and all the office staff and stable hands and grounds keepers were friendly enough. Mark was sure she would get along well here at Willow Brooke.
Blue eyes looked from the hulking Frisian back to Ayesha when she asked who the stallion was. "This giant is Dead Man's Hand, but we call him Ace around the stables." He said gently as Ace stretched his neck out to get a whiff off of Ayesha. Mark kept the stallion at the distance he was at from Ayesha so as to avoid any incidents should the spirited stallion decide to be mean. He had a tendency to bite sometimes. When Ace looked like he was about to lip at her shirt some, Mark nudged his head back up to it's normal height. He gave an annoyed nicker and his ears went flat for a moment, making sure Mark knew why he was annoyed. Mark studied the large horse for a moment, stroking a hand along his neck slowly and soothingly as if in apology.
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Post by Ayesha McMillan on Jun 9, 2010 0:19:03 GMT -5
Ayesha nodded her agreement when he asked to be called just Mark. She thought Markus was a fine name, but if he preferred the shortness and informality that was his decision. Most of the staff would know each other fairly well, so it was no surprise that people here didn't stick to formalities long.
She laughed softly as Mark mentioned gossip. "Yes, I bet word of a new teacher spreads quickly here, especially when the new arrival brought a new horse too." Ayesha thought it unlikely that each and every classroom teacher at Willow Brooke was also a rider - or that all those who knew how to ride had brought their own horse along, if they had one to begin with. And as she had often let Dance out into the pastures since their arrival at Willow Brooke, just like now, a lot of people could have seen her by now, even those who didn't work in or around the stable.
"Ace?" At least here was a case of brevity she welcomed readily. Dead Man's Hand was a pretty long name, and she wasn't quite certain what to make of it, what it was supposed to mean.
"Hello Ace," she greeted the horse with a smile and stood still while the stallion checked her out. He was an impressive beast, a horse that deserved to be shown some respect based on it's size alone.
Ayesha studied Mark for a moment after he had drawn Ace's head back from her, then gently told the man: "I don't mind a horse getting up close and personal, if it's only curios." Looking Ace in the eyes she added, "you were only curios, were you, big guy?"
She took a step forward, but also one to the side, so she could get a better look at Ace's body. "How difficult a ride is he?"
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Post by Markus Martins on Jun 9, 2010 0:55:10 GMT -5
A deep chuckle escaped Mark's throat and his head of dirty blond hair bobbed gently as he unhooked his riding helmet and took it off. "I'm afraid here it starts with the stable hands and then works its way up." He said with a smile. Jared and Mark weren't once to help spread gossip, but that didn't keep the rest of the staff from it. They usually just let it slip if it's harmless stuff. More serious stuff on the other hand, Markus made sure it was put to a stop the second it reached his ears.
He looked up to the animal as Ayesha took a step foreward. "I'd just rather not he decide you're bite worthy. He's not a very predictable horse." Mark stated as he softly stroked a hand over the large black cheek. It wasn't that he didn't trust Ace. It was reallyt hat he was very unpredictable, and he'd rather not have the new teacher getting bitten. Ace let out a snort and stretched his head out to Ayesha, getting another whiff of her, before he gave a soft whicker and lifted his head back up to it's normal height. Mark noticed his bit move about for a moment and he looked to Ayesha after a moment.
"He's a pretty big handful." He answered gently as began to move forward. "Excuse me." He said as he led the large stallion over to the cross ties and secured his halter around the stallion's neck and then tied him to the cross ties. "Are you and Dance getting settled in alright?" He asked gently as he started to untack the large beast. Mark always started with the bridle because he had to use such an uncomfortable bit. As much as he hated using such bits, it was the only way Mark could keep any control over Ace. The horse gladly relented the bit, practically spitting it out as Mark took off his bridle and gently set it over a rail and then secured the leather halter properly before he moved to the saddle.
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Post by Ayesha McMillan on Jun 9, 2010 5:11:51 GMT -5
Ayesha took another step back, to give Mark and Ace room to get to the cross ties, admiring the stallion’s movements. Ace wasn’t just tall, but also muscular and still moved with some elegance and agility, as fitted a Frisian. It was a beautiful breed she could admire on aesthetic grounds, even if Thoroughbreds like Dance would always hold the top spot in her heart.
“Oh, we are settling in fine for now, thanks.” Ayesha wandered over to Dance’s stall and ran her hand over the name plate as gently as she would have stroked the horse itself. “Dance seems to enjoy herself out in the pastures, and I am just glad we can spend time together here.”
She turned to Mark and leaned against the stall door, crossing her arms under her chest. “Or we will be able to spend some time together soon. I’m pretty much done setting everything up at my house, and all that’s left to take care of are a few small matters, like getting a Montana registry for my car, things like that.”
Ayesha turned her head towards the stable doors, thinking about Willow Brooke and the nearby town for a moment. She had seen little of it so far, but at least in Brooke Haven there was not all that much to see. She would form an opinion soon enough.
“I guess how well I really settle in is something I will only discover in a week or two, when I had some time to get used to this place here, and the town. It’s a bit of a change for a city girl like me.” She cast a glance at Mark from the corner of her eyes, wondering if he had ever seen her CV or if his father had mentioned something about her origins to his son. As a riding instructor he would have little to do with job applications from teachers, but it was quite possible that the Martins talked about things like that.
She paid closer attention to Mark and Ace again, the talk about settling in and moving house bringing an idea to her mind she had formed the day she had moved to Brooke Haven, but had not pursued so far.
“Once my house looks presentable I might invite your dad – and maybe one or two colleagues – over for dinner, so we can get to know each other a bit better. You would be welcome too, if you’d like?”
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Post by Markus Martins on Jun 9, 2010 14:33:03 GMT -5
Mark smiled at her as he undid the breast plate of the English saddle and then unstrapped it from the large black body. He hefted it onto the rain with the bridle and then turned back to Ace. "That's simple stuff. You're pretty much settled at this point." He said with a grin. "If you want to get through the car registry stuff for, then you ask for Mrs. Wilcox. She'll get you in and out of there in a snap." He suggested as he picked up a curry comb and started to lift dirt from the black pelt. He used the dandy brush behind the curry comb to get rid of the dirt and reveal the nice glossy shine of his coat. Mark wasn't going to go too deep into the grooming right now since he was going to put the large animal out in the pasture for him to romp around for a bit. He deserved it. Ace sometimes still seemed like a young colt. He always enjoyed romping around the pastures after a good exercise.
"As for the big city thing," He said as he started combing out the stallion's thick black mane, "if the small town life is for you, you'll find out soon enough." He said gently as he glanced to Ayesha with a teasing grin. "Don't let the gossip get to you too much either. It's best to usually just let it go through one ear and out the other." He said as he thought over the things he'd read on her file. Jared and Mark kind of went over the business end of the farm together these days. It was sort of for the fact that one day Markus would be taking over. He had to know the ropes around the camp, so Mark made sure to read up on staff files should something arise while Jared wasn't around.
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Post by Ayesha McMillan on Jun 9, 2010 23:37:25 GMT -5
"Mrs. Wilcox," Ayesha repeated, trying to commit the name to memory. "Thanks. I'll keep that in mind."
He was right, there wasn't much more to do, before she had completed everything necessary. Then she would take the time to explore Brooke Haven a bit more, familiarize herself with the town, perhaps spend an evening at the local bar. People were bound to talk a bit about the newcomer then, if they didn't do it already.
"Gossip doesn't bother me," she informed Mark with a shrug. "Happened all the time at my last workplace."
The school she had worked at in New York had more pupils than Brooke Haven had inhabitants. There had always been students who talked behind a teacher's back, sometimes in a manner that made it obvious that they were talking about that teacher - looks, small gestures, a few words that weren't hushed. And there had been a few of the staff who were more than happy to share the latest rumors and gossip with their colleagues, most of the time uninvited, and often unwanted.
"That is," Ayesha added with a frown that was reflected in her mildly annoyed tone of voice, "until someone realizes that Ayesha is an Arab name and people start talking about that. There's always someone anywhere who is prejudiced against Arabs, and sometimes just a name is enough for people to put a label on someone."
It was something that had happened before, and while Ayesha thought herself capable of standing up against unfounded rumors, the thought of being asked by every second person she met in town if she was a Muslim didn't exactly fill her with joy.
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Post by Markus Martins on Jun 10, 2010 0:22:10 GMT -5
Mark frowned at her when she said what she said. He studied her thoughtfully for a moment before he looked up to Ace, stroking his neck. "If you ever have a problem with that around here... don't hesitate to see me or Dad. We don't tolerate that sort of behavior around here." He said gently as he studied Ayesha. He knew that there wasn't much they could do to change peoples prejudices, but that didn't mean the camp would tolerate any prejudice or discriminate behavior. Everyone was treated equally in this camp. Jared treated Markus the same way as all the other riding and horse care instructors on the camp grounds, and there had been a few times where Jared had scolded Markus in front of all the other workers just to make it more clear.
"If the students ever ask you about it, you could always have a Muslim mythology lesson planned and just pull it out at random for them. They would hate that. I'm sure it would make for some nice payback. And your excuse would be that you decided to do some revisions to your lesson plans." He said teasingly, in an attempt to perk her up a little. He knew what it was like to have people be prejudice towards someone. When he was a teen people were always discriminating against him because they thought he was some sort of delinquent trouble maker. It was kind of frustrating really. People set their minds to that one issue and they never see past it. There were still some that saw him as the delinquent teenager instead of the man he had grown into so far.
He looked up to Ace and stroked his neck softly for a moment before Mark pulled out the hoof pick and lifted up a large hoof with feathering around it. He cleaned it out, making sure there weren't any rocks or anything wedged in the shoe that would irritated the easily irritable stallion.
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Post by Ayesha McMillan on Jun 10, 2010 4:43:19 GMT -5
Ayesha returned his gaze and noticed his frown. She hadn’t expected him to be happy about what she had said, but going by his reply she suspected she had perhaps voiced her thoughts in a stronger fashion than intended.
“Oh, don’t worry. I don’t expect to encounter any problems here in the camp. And if someone bothers me in town…” She smirked confidently. “If that happens I think I am bone-headed enough to deal with it. It’s just something that annoys me to no end, if and when it happens.”
Her smile did indeed return as Mark continued on about the students, and suggested a way of dealing with them. “Oh, I think topics like that belong to the Social Studies class, not mine. And I am sure I can keep a few troublemakers in line at school. It’s in the job description.”
At least from the students she didn’t expect prejudices that went beyond her being a teacher. That was enough for many teens to form a negative opinion of someone.
“Besides,” Ayesha went on, conversationally, “that lesson would take some research, as I don’t know all that much about Islam. My parents are both Christian. Mom is Coptic, and dad Anglican.”
She offered Mark a warm, friendly smile. If he had assumed that she knew Islam well she wouldn’t think any less of him for making that assumption. It was, after all, the predominant faith in the Arab world. And if she had grown up in those parts, instead of all over Europe, she would not have escaped learning at least a little about it.
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Post by Markus Martins on Jun 10, 2010 14:04:35 GMT -5
His dirty blond head bobbed gently. "Just saying in case something like that does happen." Mark wasn't much for gossip, and he certainly didn't tolerate it around the camp. Especially mean gossip that caused trouble. It was one thing if it's harmless chit chat, but when it was some sort of hurtful rumor it was an entirely different thing.
He chuckled and shrugged his shoulders gently. "Our last English teacher had an interest in the mythology. Made for an interesting class." He said as he moved to Ace's back hoof and repeated the process of cleaning and checking to make sure there weren't any rocks or stuff stuck in his shoe. He noticed some of the stallion's feathering around his hooves were a little tangled. There wasn't much point in brushing them out just yet, but Mark made a mental note to take care of it later. His thoughts wandered to Mrs. Hannah, who not only taught Markus at Willow Brooke, but was also the teacher that Ayesha was replacing. She loved her mythology and Shakespeare, and she had been an enormous thorn in all her student's sides even though they had all loved and enjoyed her class.
He glanced up at Ayesha with a smile. "It's a good excuse to take a look at your roots too." He said gently as he carefully moved around the stallion, Mark's hands skimming around his rump to let him know it was only Mark. He started on the next back hoof, thinking of his own roots. Mark didn't know much of his past. A good portion of his family history had always been seeded into Brooke Haven. There were several generations of Martins that went back in Brooke Haven.
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Post by Ayesha McMillan on Jun 10, 2010 15:04:53 GMT -5
"Oh, I don't mind mythology and ancient legends. And I agree that it makes for great reading, but for now I am re-using a class I held before, mostly out of necessity." She had only briefly spoken with the woman who had held the job until a few days ago, but while they had mostly talked about the students and class curriculums, a love of the classics had shone through what Hannah had told her.
Speaking of mythology had brought a recent encounter to her mind and she looked around until her eyes rested on Calliope's stall, but found it empty. Adrienne knew how to care for a horse, perhaps almost as well as Mark from what she had observed. There was a chance she knew pretty well how to ride too, so perhaps she had taken the mare out for some riding fun.
"As for my roots..." She laughed under her breath with wry amusement, as the thought brought back quite a few memories. "At least on my father's side I know all about it. Dad never got tired of regaling me with stories about how the family can be traced back to at least the time of Henry VI. Sometimes he claimed a McMillan fought at the battle of Agincourt with distinction, but I am not so sure if I should believe him."
She pushed herself off the stall door she'd been leaning against and stretched. Mark was a nice enough fellow to talk with, but she had hung out at the stables long enough.
"But as much as I enjoy our chat, if I want to take a ride before nightfall, I should get Dance back from the pasture soon."
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Post by Markus Martins on Jun 11, 2010 1:49:13 GMT -5
A smile grew across his lips as he listened to her. He hadn't minded his English class so much. The science had been his favorite, but math had been his absolute hatred. He hated his math class with a fiery passion. Especially when he first started attending Willow Brooke. Of course, back then, he hated most all of his classes with a fiery passion. That was just the part of being a troubled kid like had had been. It was a wonder Mrs. Hannah hadn't killed Mark back then, as much trouble as he'd caused in her class. And he caused a lot of trouble back then.
He chuckled at her as she talked about her father's side of her family. She was pretty lucky to have such interesting roots. At least she had a good idea of them. Mark had no clue what his roots were... other than deeply buried in Brooke Haven. He would have loved to have a grand family history like hers.
He smiled softly and nodded his head as he finished up grooming the horse. "Well then, you have a nice ride. And it was a pleasure meeting you." He said gently as he unhooked Ace. He gave her a slight nod before he led the large horse out to one of the stallion pastures. Ace gladly accepted the freedom and soon enough he and another stallion were romping about like two little playful colts. Mark smiled faintly and then went to see if he could help Jared out with anything.
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