Taking the lay of the land (Open)

[Ayesha McMillan]

Ayesha had tacked a large hand-written sign reading 'Careful! Walker ahead!' to the start box of the cross country trail, before she had set off to explore the terrain and obstacles she would have to face when she took this challenge with Dance, for tackling this course she would certainly do.

As an extra precaution she had put on an orange high-visibility vest she usually kept in her car in case the car broke down and she had to wait close to the road for a tow service, an eventuality that had, thankfully, never happened. But at least now it was put to what she considered good use.

At the cross country courses she had been to, time had usually been set aside for riders to get a good look - or three - at the course before an event, but she wasn't so certain she could avoid all riders here at Willow Brooke, and despite her precautions she walked as far off the ideal line for the course as possible, while still getting a good look at the footing Dance would have to deal with.

Clipped to her belt was the pedometer she usually used while jogging, recalibrated to the shorter steps she now took, and in her hands where a clipboard and a pen. From time to time Ayesha stopped and sketched a rough diagram of the obstacles she encountered, marked the distance between challenges and took some notes.

At the edge of the wood she had been walking through she studied the next obstacle, set just at the end of the woods where the trail led into more open country. A skinny - a narrow obstacle at a point where a horse's eyes would still adjust from the darkness of the wood to the brightness of the fields laying behind. The jump itself wasn't difficult, but there was more than enough room around the mushroom-shaped obstacle that a horse could run around it, if not guided properly.

Ayesha smiled to herself as she looked back down the trail and tried to figure out where exactly she would have to slow down Dance just enough to line her up for the jump, for she knew her mare would be more than happy to run at her top speed at this point of the trail.

From what she had seen so far she liked this course. There were more than enough alternative routes and obstacles to test riders of different skill levels fairly, and some obstacles that tested the rider more than the horse, or vice versa. But with some preparation it could be done - and be done well. And preparation was something she had always felt was as much a part of cross country riding as it was of teaching.

After jotting down a few more notes she moved on, into the fields and towards the next obstacle that looked like a brush fence. An easy jump that would allow a horse to pick up some speed again, so she suspected that right after it would come either a sharp turn, or another obstacle that would force the rider to slow down her horse and exercise some control so it didn't all boil down to a horse's speed and jumping capability alone.

[Dr. Adrianna Bowen]

BamBam began to prance slightly as they neared the entrance to the course. Adrianna noticed the note on the board that a walker was out on the course. It wasn’t really a problem too her because she never ran the course full out. BamBam was a Dressage horse with a love for jumping. They came out here once a week or so to blow of some steam and have fun. Both BamBam and Adrianna adored the dressage, but the cross country was simply stress free and fun, mistakes were no big deal.

Placing a hand on his neck to ease his excitement a little bit she spoke to him softly. Once he reduced his pace to a walk Adrianna continued on to the course. She would not get going to hard on the course until she knew exactly where the girl was, there were enough twists and turns that if she missed her it could result in a bad accident. Adrianna was a vet, not a doctor; she could barely stand the thought of a human blood.

The dappled stud’s ear pricked forward taking in his surroundings. He had boots on his legs all the way around to protect him from any obstacles or terrain that may add more stress. Adrianna had a helmet on with her red pony tail handing on the back. A polo t-shirt and jeans were her clothing of choice, paired with black half chaps.

As they came to the clearing Adrianna picked up her reins a little bit to collect the stud and broke out into a smooth working trot. The studs movements were stunning, most of that gave from his Dressage ability. They passed a few jumps and she could feel him yearning to stretch out move and take on some jumps. As they broke into a canter the breeze picked up, both of them clearly enjoying the freedom of an open field.

As jump approached, it was one clear in site, she had just cantered passed it and knew both sides were clear. Looking ahead and past the jump she let BamBam open up his stride a little bit more ears pricked forward. He had a powerful and strong stride, but he needed soft hands. Adrianna’s equitation was great, of course every rider has thinks to work on, but she had a strong solid base in her legs, heels down, her seat was soft and secure and her hands forgiving. A few strides out Adrianna let BamBam drive, so not to get in his way. He picked his striding perfectly as usual, Adrianna was blessed he was such a natural. Adrianna didn’t jump
before he, they jumped together as one.

A few strides after landing Adrianna noticed a figure walking a distance off. Bringing him gently back to a trot Adrianna made her way towards the girl in the orange vest. Smart woman Adrianna thought to herself, in fact she may not of even thought of wearing that vest herself. As she came closer she slowed down to a walk, then a halt as she walked up beside the girl. “Hello there I’m Adrianna”, she said with a genuine smile on her face.

[Ayesha McMillan]

Ayesha stopped and took two steps to the side, her brown leather boots pushing down the grass, when she could feel someone coming up behind her. She brushed her hair out of her face, as the wind began to play around with it here in the open field.

Whoever the woman was she now saw approaching, she certainly rode a beautiful horse, and she also seemed perfectly at ease in the saddle and on her mount. If her age hadn't been a dead giveaway that she wasn't a student, Ayesha would still have taken her for a staff member from Willow Brooke, judging by just the way she carried herself. There were students who knew very well how to ride, but what she saw now was a team that had worked together for a while, a real team, if the way the redhead slowed down her horse with the barest noticeable gesture or effort was any indication.

She clipped her pen to the notepad and returned the smile, before she offered the same smile to the horse, then looked back up to the rider. Adrianna almost rang a bell, but Ayesha couldn't quite lay her finger on where she might have heard the name before.

"I am Ayesha. Ayesha McMillan," she introduced herself. "I am sorry if I interrupted your workout," she added in a tone that betrayed her words to be more courtesy than true apology. If Adrianna - or her horse - had truly been disturbed by her presence, her smile would not have been that genuine, but mentioning the possibility by way of an apology was just the polite thing to do nonetheless.

[Dr. Adrianna Bowen]

Adrianna watch the girl as she spoke, although her gaze was no more than anyone would have when speaking to someone. She smiled at the girls name and then her apology. “Oh don’t worry about it, we just come out here for some fun. We’re really dressage divas” she laughed a little bit. BamBam nodded his head as if in agreement, but it was probably more a reaction to the few flies that were flying around.

She smiled unconsciously giving BamBam a scratch on the neck. “I’m the in House vet by the way.” She figure she could offer up that piece of information, maybe a little icebreaker or something. “Do you work here as well?” She knew there was a new member on staff she hadn’t met yet and was making the assumption it was her.

She was glad the girl seemed friendly, she could use more friends around this place. It was full of students and Adrianna couldn’t except begin a friend relationship with them, it might seem a little bit out of place.

(ooc: sorry its awful)

[Ayesha McMillan]

So the woman was Doctor Bowen. Ayesha's smile returned. Chances were they would see each other once in a while, but meeting her here on the trail was better than having their introductions while the doctor was in the middle of her work.

"Oh, I do," she answered. "I'm the new English teacher, fresh from New York City. But I also brought my horse along with me, so I am sure we'll meet at the stables from time to time." Without Dance any future meeting between the two women would have been a rare chance encounter. And Ayesha wouldn't mind meeting the doctor again. Adrianna was, after all, the first woman of roughly her own age she had met at Willow Brooke. Getting to know her a little bit could turn out to be interesting.

"So you are into Dressage?" she asked and thought about the way Adrianna carried herself in the saddle and handled her horse. She could well imagine the too of them being good at it. "Let me know when you practice next time. I'm not good at it, but I like to watch from time to time."

She gestured down the trail. "Shall we walk on, or would you rather continue with your riding fun?"

[Dr. Adrianna Bowen]

Adrianna smiled as she spoke “New York is a beautiful city; I bet the smaller town is a huge change”. She couldn’t imagine, she knew how intimidating she had found big cities when she went to them, although she was from Orlando, but she hadn’t been there in many many years, and she was sure doing the opposite was not at all easy. Adrianna was so glad this woman seemed friendly, especially because many times those from the city tend to have a bad reputation.

Hearing she was the English teacher at the school she smiled once more, “It’s a great thing this place does for kids, sometimes all they need is a little understanding”. It was true; Willow Brooke had returned so many kids back to their families completely different. What amazed her was how many kids actually wanted to stay. Jared did an amazing job with those kids...She smiled slightly at the thought of Jared.

“I love Dressage, I think he does too” She laughed a little bit looking at the dappled stud, “I will let you know for sure, it would be nice to have someone around. I haven’t gotten much of a chance lately it’s been so busy. I’ll have to get your number when we get back to the barn”. She smiled to Ayesha.

Adrianna nodded when she mentioned walking on. “Sure let’s go”. In fact she hopped off the horse, put her stirrups up then took the reins over his head. BamBam pushed her gently with his nose looking for some scratches, and his nudge was answered with a few scratches on the face. Adrianna didn’t mind getting off, she was sure Ayesha wouldn’t have minded if she stayed on. But sometimes just walking on the trails was nice for both BamBam and Adrianna, and it would be much easy to talk to Ayesha from the same level.

[Ayesha McMillan]

"Yes, we should certainly exchange numbers," Ayesha agreed. "Dance is in good health right now, but you know how it is with horses. Accidents can happen, and even without them there can always be some problems. Would be good to have your number, just in case."

Ayesha started walking when Adrianna had finished scratching BamBam. It would have been fine by her if Adrianna had stayed in the saddle, but she appreciated the gesture. Her father had taught her early in her life how important a single word or the smallest of gestures could be, and while Ayesha did not always pay complete attention to those lessons, she had not forgotten them.

"Now, as for Willow Brooke," she picked up the conversation in a friendly, almost chatty tone, "I have hardly had time to form an opinion of it. I was pretty busy the last few days. But I think, all in all, it's not so bad, even if it is a big change for me."

She turned her head to smile at Adrianna. While her initial decision to apply for this job had been rather spontaneous, she had had enough time to think things through before she had made the final decision to actually take the job, once it was offered. While she had settled down in New York for quite a while, Ayesha was still used to moving quite frequently from her youth.

"I have the phone and internet to stay in touch with family and friends, and if I need something I can't find here, I can - most likely - buy it on the internet. The only thing I am sure to miss sooner or later are some of my favorite restaurants. But not having to deal with rush hour traffic jams or being crammed into a subway train like a sardine in a can might make up for that."

[Dr. Adrianna Bowen]

She smiled to Ayesha, “Yes if you ever have a problem with Dance call me don’t worry about what time of night it is.” Adrianna was never one to mind getting up at 3am in the morning for an emergency. The way she saw it if she needed to sleeping in the next morning and working later that day that was fine with her. BamBam walked calmly beside her the whole time looking around, he was enjoying this walk. Plus he had no one on his back that was a bonus for him.

“We will have to go out on the town one day, it’s beautiful here.” She smiled gently. She could understand how big of a change it was, she had felt that way too when she first moved here, but she had quickly grown to love the place. She also thought that was mostly because she was never cut out for the city life, too much going on and too many people. “We’ll have to take BamBam and Dance out on a trail ride together one day as well, BamBam loves riding with other horses”.

“Well I like to think I’m quite the cook, you should come over for dinner sometimes, maybe I can replace those restaurants”. She laughed a bit, she knew she likely wouldn’t, I mean you really can’t beat a restaurant, they just have that atmosphere. But it would be nice to have someone come to the house and have some wine and good food. She didn’t really have people over to her house often, which was a shame because her house was going to waste.

[Ayesha McMillan]

"Oh, if there ever is any emergency with Dance I will call you, whatever time of the day - or night - that much is certain."

If anything happened to Dance, Ayesha would call anyone she could think of who could possibly offer any help. If that was Adrianna, fine. But if not she would go as far as to call her father to give the British ambassador in Washington a call and ask him to get in touch with whoever he could lean on. Over thirty years of distinguished service to Queen and Country had to come in handy one day, and she knew her father would do a few favors for her if it was an emergency. They had always been a close-knit family, and just that her parents had moved to England hadn't changed that.

"I wouldn't mind exploring the town with you," Ayesha gently replied. It was nice to see that Adrianna was not adverse to making new acquaintances, which suited her just fine. But she wasn't certain how well the next idea would work.

"Perhaps we can take a ride together, but maybe only after I introduced you to Dance. She's not a biter or aggressive, but she is a bit shy around most people. Not to mention that she is more keen on running than joyrides," Ayesha added, her smile widening as she thought about being in the saddle again. She had ridden Dance for a little while the day before, but all the time she had felt that Dance was eager to just cut lose and give it her all, instead of ambling along a trail at a leisurely trot.

As they came up to the brush fence Ayesha offered a short "excuse me" and walked up to the obstacle, standing in front of it, then reaching over it, to get some idea of height and depth of the fence. She gave the brush a little experimental push and smiled in satisfaction. It was just what it looked like, a nice and easy jump.

"Now... as for dinner..." She noted down a few key words on her pad and continued while at it. "It sounds like a great offer, but I was also thinking about inviting some people over to my place. Just a little get together, to get acquainted with some of the staff." She looked up again and raised an eyebrow. "You would be more than welcome to come. I am not the best cook in the world, but if lasagna is your poison..." She left the sentence hanging there for a second before she added:

"And if you are a good cook, maybe you can actually give me some advice?"

[Dr. Adrianna Bowen]

Adrianna could see the girl clearly cared deeply about her horse. She really liked seeing that in a person, she really felt that horses were the best judge of characters. They aren’t judgemental, but general those who are unkind people horses steer clear of because of their prey response, but those who even deep down had a good heart horses seemed to be unafraid of. Which is much of the reason she believed Willow Brooke was such a great idea, give the kids someone who doesn’t judge them, yet has their own personality and their own bad days. There were so many lessons to learn in horses apart from just getting on and riding them.

“Great, we’ll have to have a night out on the town...” she paused for a moment almost puzzled at her own works “...not that there’s a whole lot to do, but I’m sure we’ll think of something.” She laughed a bit. The town was small, but the nice thing about that meant most people knew each other on some level so you could do more interesting things that may get you into trouble in a big city. Although there were days Adrianna missed the big city, the shopping was nice. Adrianna much enjoyed shopping, however, she didn’t need it. She had learned quickly after her parents death that while you may want the world, you can live very comfortable on what you need.

She also learned that there are non-material needs or even wants that you had that outweighed all the material things you could want. Much of the reason Adrianna had been stuck here, so many emotional needs were being fulfilled here, she was happy again in her life. It wasn’t hard to go online and shop for anything she need, or take the car and drive a few hours to get to a bigger city. However, she knew there was nowhere else in the world that could ease the pain of losing her parents.

Listening to her speak about dinner she smiled, “I would love to come! Lasagna sounds fabulous.” Not only was Adrianna not an overly picky eater, but Lasagna happened to be one of her favourite dishes. “What advice do you need?” She looked at Ayesha curiously, she would try to be as helpful as she possibly could.

[Ayesha McMillan]

"Oh, when it comes to lasagna I think I have it all covered," Ayesha replied with a small chuckle. "I was speaking in general terms." She smiled at Adrianna and shook her head more to herself than to her current companion. "I am just used to ordering takeaway or eating out. I know how to cook a few things, but I am not a great cook by a long shot."

She started to walk again and eyed the next obstacle, or obstacles as it were. It was another part of the course that offered several options for riders of different skills, but the one marked for a rider of intermediate skill looked almost too easy. It appeared to be just a simple fence, but to provide a little challenge there would be something behind it, maybe a drop, maybe water, or perhaps a drop into water.

She consulted her notes again and a grin spread all over her face. She would be willing to bet ten to one that there was a drop into water behind the fence. The start of the course offered two choices. One was an easy jump that would lead away from the most direct line, and the other was a small drop into water. The latter was on the direct line to the next challenge, but it would cost a little bit of time too. But an easy challenge at the start would also build a horse's confidence of going into water. And if there was anything Ayesha knew about Willow Brooke by now it was that the place was about two things - horses and building confidence. There was bound to be another water challenge somewhere along the course.

"You know, whoever designed this course, I think he - or she - did a great job, especially given the limited resources I image Willow Brooke has to invest into something like this."

[Dr. Adrianna Bowen]

Adrianna smiled at her, “I can’t wait to taste it!” she spoke enthusiastically, but not the over the top fake sounding enthusiastic. It was nice to have someone around here age, who she could actually be friends with and not have to secretly hide the relationship away. Not that she minded doing that with Jared, she preferred it, but it would still be nice to have someone to go out and enjoy herself with, without worrying that the wrong person might see them.

BamBam walked happily along beside the two women, he seemed to be enjoying the leisurely walk. Adrianna nodded when she spoke about the course, “Definitely, someone knew what they were doing.” She looked at some of the course elements she could see, “If I remember correctly someone donated a lot of materials or something...” The course had been set up before she even moved her and have been so well maintained by Jared and Markus.

Turning and looking at Ayesha, Adrianna spoke once more, “I hope this isn’t prying, but what made you decide to leave the big city and come here” She looked at her curiously. One would have to have a good reason to up and leave the city to come to this small town. Although it turned into Adrianna’s home very quickly when she came, but still even she had a reason. It was all that was left for her, she had to change her life or end it, she needed to get away from all the people who knew her, the prying eyes that looked into her life and wanted to know more.

After her parents died she felt like everyone was always in her business. She knew they were only trying to help, but it made it worse, she couldn’t get a second to think for herself, and thus began spiralling out of control. It wasn’t until she got away from them she was slowly able to pick her life up, and then finally she got offered a job in Willow Brooke and she saw it as a chance to start over, no one would know her past here and no one could hold it against her.

[Ayesha McMillan]

"Oh no, you are not prying at all." Ayesha gave her an encouraging smile. "I think it's only natural for you to ask." It was a question bound to crop up from time to time - a city girl moving to the backwaters of Montana would draw some interest and that someone put the question into words was hardly surprising.

"I..." Ayesha twirled her pen around her finger for a moment as she walked on, not looking at Adrianna or her horse. It seemed rather silly that a woman in her mid-thirties had only decided to find her own place in life - geographically speaking - after her parents decided to move away, but her parents had always been the one constant in her life, so she had moved with them from place to place most of her life.

"I just like teaching, and I like to ride. When I heard about this place I knew I wanted to be here and at least give it a try." For now she would leave it at that, as it was completely truthful, even if it was not a full explanation.

She walked a little closer to BamBam and reached out to him, laying her hand on his flank and resting it there, twirling her fingers a little to scratch the stallion gently while they walked. "How about you?" she asked Adrianna. "You don't quite have the local accent, so I would guess you are not a local girl either." She winked at the redhead. "Remember? English teacher?"

[Dr. Adrianna Bowen]

Adrianna smiled as she told her, “I love the concept of this place, I really think the horses can be a good thing for these kids.” She knew how much BamBam had helped her, she wish she found him earlier, but of course he hadn’t been born. He was orphaned as a foal, Adrianna had been the vet on call and the owners had no time for him.

She looked up to Ayesha as she spoke about her not having the local accent, she laughed a bit as she completely understood what she meant about. “We’ll to be honest I had no job...” She smiled a bit patting BamBam, “This big guy took up all my time. 9 years ago his mother died giving birth to him...” She paused a bit, how she could relate to losing a parent, not that it would be the same for her and the horses, but he was confused. She also left out the part that she could easily afford to never work a day in her life because her inheritance was so large. Her father had been a very very successful investor and financial advisor and thus had left his 4 children with enough money for a life time. Although Adrianna was pretty sure 2 of her brothers had almost blown through it already, but Adrrian was much smarter with her money and herself invested it and saved it. “I kind of just dropped my vet business and focused on him. Then about a year ago I realized how much I actually missed working around the animals.”

“This job happened to pop up and I need to get out of Florida...” She paused, she didn’t really talk about her parents ever and now wasn’t going to change. She wasn’t ready to open up to anyone and while Ayesha may one day be someone she could open up to, it wasn’t now. “This place is my home now.” She looked around a bit, “I finally feel like I have my own life you know, not just a movie playing in front of me.” She had control now, the control she always needed.

Not to mention she was scared to go back to any larger city, scared all the things going on in a cities would cause her to fall apart again. She couldn’t fall apart. She had pulled herself out of it and she wasn’t going to let herself fall back down again. She had too much going for her in her life. She had a job, a house, a horse who she adored, and a man she was falling in love with. That almost scared her more...because she knew if she truly did fall in love with him she would have to let him in, and if she let him in she was afraid he wouldn’t love the person who she really was.

[Ayesha McMillan]

It didn't take much guessing to figure out that Adrianna was independently wealthy, if she could have afforded to just get out of her job for a couple of years and only took up practicing as a vet again because she missed the work.

"I am glad you like your work, that it's not just a job to you. I think it's always good to be motivated by something more than the need for a steady income."

It was true enough for herself too. If she had moved to England with her parents she wouldn't have to work. Her father received a nice hefty pension, and her parents owned some land and two large houses, one of which was rented out and brought in some good money. One day she would inherit all that, but the States were her home now, the only steady one she had ever known.

Ayesha cast Adrianna a quizzical look when she spoke about feeling at home here at Willow Brooke. If the doctor had felt like her life had been a movie playing before her eyes, it implied a lack of control - or the feeling of it. That got Ayesha quite curious, but she didn't want to be nosey. Whatever her past, Adrianna seemed stable and happy enough right now, but as she thought about what the redhead had said, a few things came together. Completely concentrating on taking care of a horse, the need to get out of her old life... it added another layer to Adrianna's enthusiasm for the whole idea behind Willow Brooke. Maybe it wasn't just kids the horses could be a good thing for.

But if the doctor was running away from something, an unhappy past or relationship, it was for her to open up, and Ayesha didn't expect that to happen any time soon. They hardly knew each other right now. But as Adrianna seemed a likeable enough person, Ayesha decided to offer a little more about herself, give the two of them a bit more to talk about.

"I bet you'll never guess my origins, as New York isn't where I was born. I'll give you a hint. My dad is from England, and my mother is neither British, nor from the States. I'll give you three tries, and if you get it right you win a free English lesson - or maybe an extra helping of lasagna." She winked at Adrianna, and the smile playing around her lips and over her face was quite cocky. It was a game she sometimes played with new acquaintances, and no one had ever gotten it right before.