Crazy Horse..I Mean Marbles [open]

[hitomitakahashi13]

Atalanta had been out late the night before. Not getting into the cabin in till way after midnight after her excursion out on the lake. This morning she’d woken up to a paper tacked to her door telling her she’d been assigned a horse. She’d been so excited to go meet it she’d forgotten to eat breakfast and didn’t remember about it in till her stomach made noise reminding her she hadn’t eaten since lunch the day before. She hadn’t even changed out of her pajamas. She’d just zipped up her favorite hoodie (one her boyfriend had given her) and walked out the door towards the stables. She couldn’t wait to see which horse it was.
Upon entering the stable she pulled out the piece of paper that had her horses name printed on it. Crazy Marbles. Crazy Marbles. I hope he’s not actually crazy. That name repeated in her head in till she came upon his stall. It was dead center in the stable, on the right (if coming from the girl’s dorms anyway). She glanced at the paper and read his bio.

Crazy Marbles
Nickname: Marbles
Age: 5
Gender: Gelding
Rider Level: Intermediate
*High spirited
Student: Atalanta Wiggins

He was just high spirited. She could handle that. Three (four counting her friend’s stallion) of the horses she rode regularly back home where high spirited. She glanced around, looking for his halter. She found it hanging next to his door and grimaced upon seeing the stud chain. She decided that she would buy a name plate for his leather halter. She grabbed the rope and halter and slipped into the stall. She talked softly to him the whole time, keeping his attention. “You’re not crazy, huh, boy? That’s just people being judgmental, isn’t it? I know all about that, too.” She slipped the halter up over his head and secured it. She took the cotton lead rope and slid the chain through the ring on his halter and clipped it back to itself. She led him towards the stall door, but as it opened he tried to dart out.
She braced all of her 115 pounds against his lead and pulled his head back to where she wanted him to head. Once he was back under her control (somewhat), she led him to the cross ties. After tying up Marbles she wandered towards the tack room to find some grooming supplies. “You be good, ok boy?” Once the supplies were located she wandered back down to Marbles.
She took a curry comb to his coat, lifting the dirt, and then brushed him off with a stiff brush. Once she was finished with his body she slipped out the hoof pick. After persuading him to let her pick up his foot (he was not a happy camper), she picked out all of the dirt wedged on either side of his frog. She smiled, pleased with her work. Now to work on that mane…

[Adrienne Dionas]

Adrienne slowly wandered down the aisle of stall doors till she came to Calliope. She was mad with herself for stepping into the stables at all, but she wanted to see Calliope to. Plus she got her first look at Jared Martins the other day, and frankly.. he kind of scared her a little. So she decided she would come visit Calliope. It wasn't easy for Adrienne because she felt comfortable and yet guilty for being in the stables. It was the one place she always felt at peace back home, but now it's just a reminder of the guilt she felt.

She stopped at Calliope's stall and peeked in. She was pressed up to her corner, ears back. She gave a snort and stomped a hoof irritatedly. "Hey girl." Adrienne said softly. Calliope's head and ears perked up and she turned to Adrienne at that familiar voice. She gave a soft whicker and took a step towards Adrienne at the door for a moment, but then the mare took a step back and shook the large head. Adrienne sighed and climbed down, picking up her lead rope to the purple halter. She opened the door and moved to the mare. Calliope was a little less difficult with Adrienne, but she still made an attempt for the open barn doors that lead to the driveway.

"Ohhhh no you don't, Missy." She said gently as she forced the horse in the other direction. Calliope of course wanting to go in the other direction took Adrienne in a couple of circles before Adrienne took a firmer hand and forced her over towards the cross ties down the aisle. Calliope stopped and Adrienne frowned. "What is your problem today?" She asked, she glanced to the cross ties and realized that someone else had their horse tied up at one of the stations. Adrienne glanced up at the mare for a moment, who was stomping a foot. Adrienne frowned and glanced back to the others. "Hello." She looked from the girl and her horse back up to Calliope when she heard and felt a hoof stomp dangerously close to her converse clad feet. Her hand gently reached into her hoodie pocket and pulled out a ziploc bag of carrot sticks. The large mare's ear's perked at this and she started towards the bag. Adrienne rewarded her with a carrot stick once the mare was tied into the other set of cross ties near the other student and her horse. "Would you mind sharing the grooming kit?" She asked, gesturing to the grooming equipment she had. Adrienne was going to give her a good grooming. Calliope seemed a lot less jittery than she was the other day. As much as that seemed unlikely, it was true. Adrienne had a lot more trouble on her hands the other day.

[hitomitakahashi13]

A couple minutes into trying to work the knots out of Marble’s mane he started to try look around behind him. Atalanta glanced over her shoulder and saw the girl walking into the barn. She was a nice looking girl. She looked a little older than herself. Her dark locks looked like they were colored. Atalanta looked at her blonde colored highlights and sighed, she wished she could have died it before she came here. The girl seemed like someone she could get along with. The mare she was talking to was pretty decent in size, too.

Once she had talked the horse into following her to the cross ties she noticed her eyes. They were a dark purple, violet. Atalanta thought they were beautiful. Her’s were plain, switching from blue to green depending on her mood. She’d never liked her eyes. She felt like she could lose herself in this girl’s eyes.
She was snapped out of her musing when the mysterious girl spoke to her. Grooming supplies? Oh, yeah. Those things. She picked up the bucket they were in and held it out. “Yeah. I only need the mane brush. I don’t know how he got these dreadlocks.” She lifted one of the offending masses and glared at it.

With another horse close by Marbles had gotten inquisitive. He kept trying to reach his nose over to sniff of her. "What’s her name? She’s beautiful by the way.” Atalanta was still facing Marbles’ neck, trying to work out a dreadlock, waiting reply. “I’m Atalanta.” She made a face. Most of the time she disliked her name. It was alien. It was abnormal, like her. It only reminded about how out of place she was.

[Adrienne Dionas]

"Thanks." Adrienne smiled and got herself the curry comb and dandy brush and she slowly and precisely worked the dirt up and out. She glanced up to Marbles, studying the poor shape his mane was in. She sighed and shook her head as she turned back to Calliope. Calliope didn't seem to enjoy that the black and white gelding was trying to check her out. She gave an irritated snort as her ears went down and her hoof stomped in warning. Adrienne frowned and gave a tug on one of the cross ties before she went back to her brushing. "Her name is Calliope." Adrienne answered gently as she shifted a little. "I'm Adrienne."

Adrienne was one of those layers type person where she wore layers of clothing. Today though was just a t-shirt and a hoodie and some jeans and, of course, her converses. The hoodie wasn't just to keep her warm. She always had a hoodie on to cover up what she had done to her arms. She had cut herself on multiple occassions after her mother's death. Now her arms were littered with that abuse, so she kept it hidden. She looked to Atalanta after a moment thoughtfully before she turned back to Calliope, patting her neck when she bared her teeth at Marbles. "He's just trying to be friendly girl." She murmured as she stroked her hands along the chocolate colored, suede-like pelt. Calliope gave a snort and bobbed her head gently, letting her pale brown mane fly about.

Adrienne glanced to Marbles thoughtfully as she combed the curry come and dandy brush over Calliope's side. "What about yours? What's his name?" She asked curiously. He had to be a Gypsy Vanner horse. There was no daoubt about that in Adrienne's mind. She was still trying to figure out what Calliope was though. She definitely had to have at least some draft in her considering the large, muscular build the mare had, but that's about all Adrienne knew.

[hitomitakahashi13]

Atalanta kept attacking his mane with he comb while mulling over the idea of asking her why she was there. After deciding it would be an invasion of privacy, she unzipped and pulled off her hoodie. She layed it on the bar next to Marbles and turned back to him. Reaching for his mane again she cursed herself. Not changing this morning meant she hadn't put on her normal attire of hand sleeves and/or bracelets. Her wrists and fore arms where on display for the world to see.

When her dad was murdered four years ago she fell into a depression. Only happy when she was with her friends. Four months after his death she'd started cutting. At first it wasn't much, only once in awhile, but then she got addicted to the pain. She started cutting nightly, sometimes more than once a day. Her friends ditched her after they found out. Well, all but one.

She had almost talked herself into putting her hoodie back on but decided that she shouldn't care what people thought. Her eyes turned a brown color, almost green, to reflect her mood. Walking over to Marbles' head, he nudged her, looking worried. "I'm ok boy. Just a little nervous," she whispered quietly to him.

"This is Crazy Marbles. I'm hoping he's not actually crazy when we finally start riding. Whenever that is." She patted him between his eyes and started to braid his forelock. She split his silk-smooth forelock into three almost even pieces, two white, one black. Once almost finished she asked, "Would you mind handing me one of those band things?"[/color][/b]

OOC: Sorry if there are any major mistakes! I typed it up on an i-touch and posted it.

[Adrienne Dionas]

Adrienne looked over to Atalanta when she started to pull off her hoodie. That's when she saw them... the scars from cutting. She studied her arms for a moment before she looked back up to Atalanta. Her attention quickly turned back to Calliope as Adrienne worked the dirt off the mare. She took a step back, studying Calliope for any spots she may have missed. She chunked the curry comb and dandy brush into the bucket. She glanced to Marbles and Atalanta for a moment before she unzipped her hoodie and slipped it off, setting it next to Atalanta.

Her arms were about equal in scars at Atalanta if not greater. Adrienne had a very prominent scar on her wrists from where she'd tried to kill herself several times. Of course, a part of her knew that if she'd really wanted to kill herself she should have cut a vertical line up her lower arm, but she hadn't. Maybe because even though she felt like she wanted to die, a part of her still wanted to live. She studied the pink lines on her wrist for a moment before she reached to the hoof pick and urged Calliope to lift one of the big hoofs. She fought for a moment then relented and allowed Adrienne to tuck the hoof between her thighs before she began to pick the dirt out.

She glanced up to Marbles and smiled fainly. "He doesn't seem so bad. I think they named him more for his coloration and pattern than his actual personality." She said sweetly, looking over the gelding thoughtfully then went back to picking the dirt out of Calliope's hoofs.

[hitomitakahashi13]

She sensed Adrienne looking at her but didn’t want to turn around. She hoped she wouldn’t judge her. Hoped that she would at least get to know her first. She heard her toss the brushes away and unzip her own hoodie. She had to resist the urge to turn around to gauge her reaction. She glanced at her left wrist, the one within sight right now, and saw the faint pink and white scars. None of them looked very bad. She hadn’t wanted to kill herself. She just wanted to remind herself she was alive at first. Then came the addiction. She hadn't even meant to at first. She didn't mean for it to lead this far.

She slipped the small white stretchy band around his forelock, holding the thick braid in place. Atalanta turned around to get more rubber bands before starting on his mane. Upon doing this she saw some of Adrienne’s scars. She stared for a couple of seconds before sliding her gaze downwards, to the bucket. She hadn’t seen all of them, she knew. At least one of them looked nasty.

“I hope he’s not bad anyway. I don’t want another bucker on my hands. One little ornery pony back home is enough.” She looked over at Calliope before walking back to Marbles. “Do you have any idea what she has in her?” She ran her fingers through his mane, shook her hands out, to relieve any cramping and started to French braid it. She really didn’t want to have to brush it out every day. That could take hours.

[Adrienne Dionas]

Adrienne could feel her eyes on her arms, but she didn't say or do anything because she knew that Atalanta would know what it's like. Adrienne always kept them covered one way or another. She hardly ever went anywhere without a hoodie, and when she did, she usually used cover-up to hide the more noticeable ones. She just... hated explaining herself to people who would never understand where Adrienne was coming from. They would never understand and all they would do was question her for what she had done to herself. Her own family didn't even understand her anymore.

She glanced to Atalanta and Marbles, chuckling ever so softly from her comment about the pony. She could only imagine what it was like. She imagined the little trouble maker of a pony from the movie "Black Beauty." She looked back to Atlanta, then up to Calliope. "I'm not sure." She said as she lowered the last hoof to the floor then looked over Calliope thoughtfully, running a hand along her leg thoughtfully. "She's definitely got some kind of draft in her, but... I have no clue what else." She said conversationally as she ran her hands along Calliope, ducking under the mare's head to toss the pick in the bucket. She found a mane brush and gently started to brush out the mass of pale, brown mane that Calliope had.

[hitomitakahashi13]

She looked at Calliope. She was stocky. Definitely some type o draft. "Hmm. I wonder what she is then. Does anybody? Martin might. After all she is his horse." She held his braid in one hand and ran a up his neck. His fur was still sliky-smooth, but was now standing on end. Atalanta giggled and countinued to mes up his hair. She finally started to continue on his braid. It as almost to his whiters and her right hand was cramping up again.

She wrapped a band around the end of what was done and walked off a couple of steps, masaging her hand. "I hate braiding anything. Let lone this massive thing." She shook her head. She would much rather be braiding it now then brushng it eveyday. Once the cramp was gone she walked back to his head. She rubbed him between the eyes promising, "I'll bring you something tomorrow. I promise."

She went back to his side, celebrating when she saw there was only a couple inches in till she was done. She took off the band and started where she had left off at. "Marbles. I'm gonna be so happy when I get this done. I love you're mane, but it's a bitch to do. I just hope braiding your tail is going to be a little easier."

[Adrienne Dionas]

Adrienne studied the stocky mare thoughtfully as she combed out some of her mane. She was thinking of braiding Calliope's mane as well. It certainly would make grooming a little easier if she did the mane and tail. She carefully got a knot out of the thick mane, glancing to Atalanta. "I'm not sure. All the horses here are rescues, so I'm sure there are some that even Mr. Martins wouldn't be able to identify." She said gently as she turned back to Calliope. She studied the mare thoughtfully and stroked a hand over the large cheek. "She'd be good for cross country. She's got the muscle for endurance and getting over the harder jumps." Adriene was more so talking to herself, as if trying to convince herself it was alright to ride again. She glanced back to Atalanta and Marbles before getting some bands. she wrapped them around her wrist and then began to do a french braid all the wad down the mare's mane, merging the mane all into one large braid down her neck.

She looked to Marbles smiling weakly as she took a pause, grasping what she had of the braid in one hand and reached a hand to her hoodie pocket only to realize that she didn't have her hoodie on. "I've got some carrot sticks in my hoodie. You're welcome to give him some if you want." She said gently as she went back to Calliope's mane, working slowly as she weaved the thick, soft hair gently so as not to irritate the hulking mare that could easily kill Adrienne.

[hitomitakahashi13]

Atalanta put the band around the end of the main and stepped back to admire her work. “There boy, no more dreadlocks for you!” She glanced over her shoulder to Adrienne and agreed. “True. I know how that is. I have five rescues back home. Only one are we completely sure what he is and that’s because he’s an ex-racehorse.” Running a hand down his back, Atalanta walked towards his croup. Standing behind him she started on braiding his tail. “She would be good for cross country. Lots of power in those back legs. “

Atalanta started a French braid across the dock of his tail, warning, “If you kick me you’ll be in some trouble Marbles.” His tail was much easier since once she got past his dock it was just a normal braid. His main took her so long because she never was any good at French braiding. Once the band was around the end of his tail, and she’d tied the tail up into a knot at about hock height she stepped back. She evaluated his conformation, trying to figure out which way she wanted to ride him. “Chigger would be so jealous of you. Chloe would have a new boyfriend.” She turned around at the sound of Adrienne’s voice. “Thanks. I forgot to get some out of the fridge…I didn’t even change out of my pajamas.” Atalanta pulled out a carrot and broke it into smaller pieces, feeding them to Marbles.

[Adrienne Dionas]

She glanced to Atlanta, smiling faintly as she finished the braid that ran down the ridge of Calliope's neck. She didn't bother braiding the excess mane. She just tied it off and combed a hand through it. She glanced to Calliope's tail thoughtfully. Adrienne wasn't sure she wanted to take her chances with braiding her tail. The two of them were still just getting used to each other. She took the bag back from Atalanta and offered a couple of carrots to the the horse as her hand smoothed along. She nodded in agreement at the comment about her legs. "Yeah." She said gently as she ran a hand along one of the long, muscular legs. She would have to find ways to make up for time, but with if the mare was trained properly, then she would do well in cross country competitions.

She looked back to Atalanta smiling faintly as she watched them for a moment. She glanced out a window, pouting slightly at the rainy weather. She was getting sick of snow and rain. She just wanted to go out and see how well Calliope would do on the trails, as much as she was trying to avoid it. She needed something to do though, and there were only so many things you could do around here. The town was boring as hell, and the camp was too. She sighed and looked to Atalanta thoughtfully before she looked back up to Calliope. "So where are you from?" She asked gently as she started to spray Calliope down with some coat conditioner.

[hitomitakahashi13]

Atalanta dropped the excess bands and the mane brush into the bucket and walked around to Marble's head. She was wondering if there was anything of interest to do here in Willow Brooke. "I was born outside of Atlanta. But I live in the middle of nowhere right now. Oglethorpe County. The only highschool has only 400 people in it. What about you?" Grabbing the cloth laying on the bar, she sprayed it with the fly spray and started to rub it across his face. He tried to shy away at first, but Atalanta grabbed his halter underneath his chin. Once done with his face she grabbed the bottle and sprayed him down. "Do you know if any of the paddocks have a shed he could get in if he wanted? I'd like to turn him out." Once done with the fly spray she put the purple bottle up. Rubbing his nose with the palm of her hand she unclipped the cross ties. She clipped his rope to his halter and slid her hand off his nose.

Backing Marble up a little bit she looked at his feet. The right front had a small crack in it she hadn't noticed earlier. Clipping only one of the cross ties to his halter she laid the rope over his back. Reaching into the bucket she pulled out a hoof pick and some thrush buster. After cleaning out the crack she dripped some thrush buster into it.

[Adrienne Dionas]

She sighed, thinking of home for the moment as she listened to Atalanta. "Orange Beach, Florida." She answered gently, rubbing her hand to work a cramp out of it from the mane braiding. . "We had a little beach house there. " She said gently, thinking of all the times she would take Macy out for a ride on the beach. Before Adrienne's mom died, she would go out for a ride in the evening so she could watch the sunset while she rode. Macy loved to walk through the surf sometimes.

She glanced out a window thoughtfully before she shrugged gently. "I'm not sure. Most horses don't usually mind the water so much." She said gently as she ran her hand along Calliope's side to let her know where Adrienne was going. She didn't want to alarm this particular horse. Adrienne had decided to take the risk and go ahead and braid her tail while she was at it. Her old horse had loved to go out in the rain. The mare would romp about in the muck and mud like a new born filly, and sometimes Adrienne would go out there and romp about in the wet and mud with the mare. Adrienne kind of missed those days. She sighed softly and reached t the tail, keeping an eye on her horse as well as her work in case Calliope decided she wanted to kick.

[hitomitakahashi13]

Dropping the supplies in the grooming bucket between to two of them, she said, "I've always wanted to ride my horse on the beach, but all of mine hate the thought of water. Won't get near unless they have to." She remembered one of her first spills. It'd been because her horse, really a pony, wouldn't go through the water. He'd come to a completely dead stop from almost a run rather then go through it. Atalanta had almost come off over his head. It took her forever to coax him through the creek too.

"I'd just hate to put him out in the rain, and then him not have a place to go if he wanted to get out of it." She ran a hand down Marbles' rippling shoulder and to the face of his wide knee. He went to pick it up but she put pressure on it to keep him from doing it. Taking her hand from his leg, she walked up to his head and started rubbing him on the top of his wide, white blaze. "None of my horses like the rain. As soon as it starts sprinkling they're up in the run-in."