Sing, like no one is listening

[Andie Simone]

Cleaning tack and brushes was a job that Andie was sure that no one ever enjoyed doing, but it was a job that needed to be done; and with all her other barn jobs finished, Andie had tucked herself away in the tack and feed room and had the stereo blasting away on a nineties rock station, as she sang along to whatever was playing while she methodically worked her way through the tack that belonged to the horses who lived in this barn, even if they weren't used as often as that of the other barns.

She also used this time to thoroughly check each piece of leather and throwing anything with weak stitching or bits wearing through into another bucket for a closer look later and finding a replacement piece before the item she was cleaning was put away complete.

[Charlotte LeClerc]

Charlotte did not, by and large, spend a great deal of her time in the barns, not being of an equestrian nature herself- which made her stand out just a little at a school such as this. She had not intended to be there this time either, but as she was crossing the yard, she just so happened to hear the words of a familiar song echoing faintly from the barn's open door and a smile spread over the greying blonde's lips. She took a sharp turn to the left, heading into the building. It took her a moment or two to work out where to go next, but she finally located the tack room and stuck her head around the door with a grin.

"Having fun?" she enquired cheerily.

[Andie Simone]

Andie started as she heard a voice and grinned in the woman's direction. "I'm always having fun!" She replied. "And loud music always makes work go faster." And her cheerleaders would never let her get away with listening to this music during training.

She vaguely recognised the woman, but not sure where from. "Is there anything I can help you with?" She asked as she turned the stereo down a little.

[Charlotte LeClerc]

Lottie laughed aloud. "An excellent view on life." she opined with a bright smile, putting a hand to her hair and tucking a stray lock into the ribbon that held her tight bun in place. Personally, she didn't think she could comment on the music- she loved what she did and so really didn't think she was justified in calling it work.

She shook her head at the brunette's question. "No, no, nothing." she assured the woman breezily. "Just happened to be passing... thought I'd pop in and see what was what."

[Andie Simone]

Andie grinned and shrugged. "Yeah, the cheerleader in me is always ready for fun... and noise I guess." The only time her life was quiet was really when she was in her suite in the Blue House, as she made sure she kept to the rules she set for the students and didn't have her music at a level that would annoy anyone else.

She nodded, her eyes sparkling. "Well, this is a barn... the tack room of a barn." She lifted up the reins that she had been cleaning. "These would be reins." She vaguely remembered whose bridle they had come from, but would work it out when she put everything away, as that was how her brain worked. "I guess this is kind of like the supply closet."

[Charlotte LeClerc]

Lottie laughed melodically. "I may be a less qualified equestrienne than any one of your students, mademoiselle, mais I am not stupid. I know where I am, et I know what reins are. What one may do with them, that is something of a blind spot, but I am content to remain in relative ignorance. I shall content myself with two degrees and a decidedly varied CV." The greying blonde gave the other a smile which demonstrated clearly just how far into her cheek her tongue was, and looked around for a spare piece of wall to lean on. She couldn't find one.

[Andie Simone]

Andie's eyes opened in wide-eyed innocence. "I'd never call anyone who wants to work here, stupid." She said with a bright smile. "I'm Andie, I'm in here as a poop scooper and cleaner while I'm not supervising the cheer squad." She arched an eyebrow. "It's my job to make sure that as few of them end up in your office during practice." What they did outside of her supervision, that wasn't on her. "In all technicalities, I don't have students."

She grabbed the tack she had finished cleaning and began to put it away where it belonged, and locating the bridle the reins had come off, which she replaced. "So, you don't ride at all?" Not that it mattered, as she knew at least two teachers who had nothing whatsoever to do with horses.

[Charlotte LeClerc]

"Ah, well... I suppose that that is your opinion." Lottie teased with an expression of exaggerated disbelief. "Myself, I am of the belief... no, I have the belief that to clean up after horses is almost as bad as to clean up after people." She laughed. "But then, I suppose that in a sense, I spend all my time cleaning up after people, so? Eh, bien." More and more, as she found herself growing more comfortable in her surroundings, her accent was returning, and the woman reflected wryly that if she went on like this, she would soon be incomprehensible.

"And there is something which we share, non? I also have no students. It is a lonely existence that we lead- but the Houses! You are Blue Ribbon, yes?" It was a sudden stroke of recollection, but Lottie was happy to have finally managed to pin down exactly who her colleague was. "No, I do not ride. Once or twice, yes, and I do not have fear of horses, but they are as much of a mystery to me as perhaps resuscitation is to you."

[Andie Simone]

Andie grinned and nodded, though she guessed her reason for being here, running away, could be classed as a stupid reason - that however, she didn't feel like sharing. "Except horses don't talk back, and can't throw gross things at me." She replied sensibly.

She smiled and nooded. "Yeah, I look after the students in Blue Ribbon. Kind of made sense, since I graduated from the House." She really had, come home when she took up the positions here. "I'll have you know, that my resuscitation skills are top notch!" She protested with a laugh. "Not as honed as your own, but I could hold my own if the need ever arose." Not that she ever wanted that need to arise though. "Just in case no one has said anything, there are loads of horses here that you could ride if you ever felt the need. Katherine Carr, White Oak Manager, would be the best person to talk to about that. Or even ask around with the rest of the adults here, someone will have a horse that is completely deprived of attention." Ok, there wasn't a single horse on campus who was actually deprived of attention, but she knew the horses would beg to differ.

[Charlotte LeClerc]

Charlotte tilted her head on one side and considered. "True enough, I suppose." she conceded with a smile. "But tell me, do you have many interesting conversations with your horses?" She had to say that that was one of her favourite things about her new position here- talking to the students. Of course some were more conversational than others, but she generally managed to get a pretty good sense of what was going on around the school.

The nurse raised an eyebrow. "Oh, you are an alumna? I wasn't aware! Is that the same for many of the staff here or are you a minority?" Honestly, she wasn't surprised to hear that some of the people who'd come to school here wanted to come back as staff. It seemed like a really nice school, and no doubt there was a touch of nostalgia involved. And, of course, the school employed only the best, and equally, it turned out the best. The correlation was not difficult to spot. She nodded at the younger woman's offer. "That's very kind; thank you. I shall bear it in mind." The greying blonde shrugged and added with a smile "I'm not exactly placed to reciprocate myself, but rest assured I shall always be prepared to lend a plaster if necessary."

[Andie Simone]

Andie grinned and nodded enthusiastically. "All the time!!" She said with a laugh. "Except, Quill's not subtle when he gets bored of hearing me talk. He will turn his back on me and flop his ears to the sides." She loved her gelding, and all his quirks. "So glad he can't talk back though, I'd hate to know what he really thinks of me." Especially since she wasn't the most professional-looking rider, unless she was in the show ring, and would literally ride in whatever she was wearing at the time, even her gym sweats.

She nodded and shrugged. "A few have come through the place, though I think it's just Dem... er, the equine vet, and myself now." She wasn't sure if she would have returned had circumstances not been as they are, and that he would never physically come and confront her here, as he would her grandparents.

She smiled in return. "If you ever want to go out on a short hack, just let me know. I'm either in here or the gym." She chuckled. "I don't think kids ever grow out of the thought that a sticky plaster makes everything better. Don't think I've outgrown that one yet."

[Charlotte LeClerc]

Charlotte laughed. "Tiens, you Americans!" she sighed with exaggerated emphasis on the French. "You're all as insane as one another." Not strictly true, perhaps, and she could hardly lay claim to being entirely normal herself- indeed, she took a certain pride in not being so. "And apparently that includes your horses!" With a shake of her head, she turned to one side to survey the horse in the next stall, giving- him? her?- a cordial nod.

The woman raised an eyebrow and nodded. "What an exciting and varied life you seem to lead." she commented with a grin.