Introduction to Frustration

[Tobias Xayarath]

Tux smiled as he looked around the classroom of the Evening Primrose barn. He hadn't really had a chance to look at it before, although he had been inside, but now that he was looking at it like a teacher, he could see how it would work. It was simply perfect for today's lesson, which wasn't a lesson in truth, but rather, just a meeting of his to get to know the students. For that, he didn't want some big, fancy classroom, and he hadn't wanted chairs in the arena either. Firstly, it was really, really cold out there. Secondly, the chairs were much more comfortable in here.

After circling the chairs, he chose one that sat opposite the door and sat in it, waiting for his students to come in. If anyone commented on the fact that the gap that gave access to the fridge was on his left, preventing someone from sitting there? Total coincidence, surely. It wasn't like he'd rearranged the room that way... At least, not officially. As they greeted him, he greeted them, although he waited for his general introduction. He kept an eye on the clock above the door, not really wanting to have late students, but then, if they never started, the class would never finish. He would start when most of his students were there, or five minutes after the time he had announced, whichever came first, and the latecomers would just have to make arrangements, or maybe, he'd suggest they drop the class.

☑ @lisa
☑ Gretchen Holmes*
☑ @lukamason*
☑ Miranda Florin
☑ @olivia*
☑ Othello Buskirk*
☑ @hound2
☑ @vervain
☑ @jasper32*

☐ @aedus*
☐ @tempest
☐ @valentine
☐ @jase

OOC;: This is the only time we will be having one big thread, bear with me. :- )

[Miranda Florin]

Miranda glanced at her phone's screen, her eyes finding the time before she slipped the phone back into her pocket. Gathering up all of the papers that had been strewn about her, she left her little hidey-hole in the equine clinic's loft. She enjoyed the space, mainly because most people didn't think about it as a place to hang out, and it gave her enough floor-space to sit down and spread everything out, just to find that one elusive theorem or proof that she needed to reference.

However, right now, it was time for the first foal handling class! She left her backpack in the loft, against the wall, taking only a small notebook and a pencil, in case they needed to write something down. From the sound of the notification she had gotten, there wasn't going to be a whole lot of action today, which was fine with her. As she reached the Evening Primrose barn, she walked into the classroom and smiled at the man who was sitting there, obviously the teacher. She chose the same chair she had used in Equine Reproduction the previous year and sat down in it, letting herself sink into the cushioning as she balanced her notebook and pencil on her legs.

[Othello Buskirk]

Since his after school activity required him being in Evening Primrose, as soon as his classes were over, the boy made his way to that very barn to spend a little time with Memo, who was getting rather round, and excessively grumpy - more so than normal - as her pregnancy progressed.

He let himself into the black Arabian's stall and began to run a soft brush over her coat. Just spending time talking soothingly with her as he worked. She had been a really nice horse to work with for the reproduction class, once he had let the mare know that he was in charge and wouldn't be walked over, and he had learned a lot from the mare too; she liked her belly being brushed in a certain way now that she was pregnant, she liked being ridden bareback.

When it was time, he left the mare and returned the grooming kit to the tack room, where he updated her folder. The boy then collected the notebook and pen he had grabbed for the class, and walked into the classroom. He offered the teacher a smile and then looked around the chairs before he lowered himself into the chair beside Miranda. "Hi." He greeted his fellow vet student.

[Deleted]

Parker was feeling absolutely brilliant. There was something about the cold snap that had brought the summer boy alive, and that was... strange. It was strange and wonderful to be perfectly honest. He'd been outside riding in the cold, taking Blue for a tromp across the field and through basically the universe. At least he knew how to properly warm the creature up so as not to endanger his health. Wouldn't do that-- it was irresponsible. The young man's face was slightly winduburned, but other than that not bad. He didn't feel badly about it, either. Just alive. Just... right. Everything was right with his world.

Foal handling. He'd miss it not being home, so why not sign himself up for playing with more goofy babies? It wasn't the sort of thing that Parker might not advertise, but he really did enjoy. At seven, he'd held the gelding that was now his working horse in his lap the day he was born. That was a cool moment. That was a cool practice. Parker made his way into the classroom of the barn, unzipping his coat and taking a seat far enough from the other kids. There was a young man from his house, sure... but yeah, no. He'd be off on the side, on his own, just... watching. Waiting.

click.

[Deleted]

Olivia left Blue's stall with a kiss on the mare's nose, then left the barn. It was time to meet the elusive foal-handling teacher, who had called a meeting of the class despite the fact that none of the mares had dropped yet, and truly, weren't even close to dropping. However, there was probably some reason for it, so she didn't grouch as she made her way towards the barn, stopping to say hello to Papillon on her way (With a carrot, of course).

Leaving the sweet-tempered mare, she made her way to the classroom, raising an eyebrow as she saw a few people there already, including one of the barn's hands. That was strange, wasn't it? Unless, of course, he was the teacher as well, in which case... That would explain it. But why would he take the barn hand job if he was planning on teaching a class? She had no clue. She looked around the room for her favourite chair, and after a smile to a boy she recognized from Equine Reproduction, she walked over to it and sat down, looking around at the small class, as more students trickled in. It would be an interesting experience, sure.

[Deleted]

 It was the first foal handling class Zak had and it was on today. When he finished school he went to the evening primrose barn before the foal handling class had started and Zak went to see Red, his reproduction class mare who he started to bond with. He knew Red was quite a noisy broodmare who liked to be heard he heard the mare before he saw her and looked at Red who was getting bigger round her belly now that she was pregnant. Zak stayed with her and soothingly stroked her neck until it was almost time for the foal handling class so he quickly said goodbye to Red and grabbed his notebook and pencil just in case and went to the classroom.

 He opened the door to the classroom and shut it behind him and said hello to the man which was obviously the teacher then saw that there was only four students there so far and he picked a seat and sat down and put the notebook and pencil on his lap and waited for the teacher to tell them what they would be doing. Zak started to think about what Red's foal would be like and what it would look like as he waited.

[Deleted]

Catia left the barn but not before giving Raisa a piece of carrot. She said goodbye to the mare before grabbing her book bag from the ground. Catia walked to the other barn were her foal handling class would be. She had some experience with foals. Her mom let her handle some of them when she was young so they would get used to kids. The only foal she had handled in a few years was about 3 or so years ago. 

Catia walked  into the class room. She said a hello to the teacher as he greeted her by the door. She was early because the bell hadn't rung yet. She recognized maybe one person in this class but she didn't mind. Catia glanced around the class room. The room looked nice. Catia walked over to an empty chair and sat down. The chair was very comfy. Catia set her bag down on the floor and took out a note book that was labeled for this class and a pen. Catia zipped up her messenger bag and glanced at the chairs on either side of her. The chairs were empty. Catia opened the note book to a blank page and held her pen poised to write down what ever notes or things that would be important. 

[Deleted]

Luka watched the mare with a fond smile as she came over to him, resting her muzzle in the palm of his hand. Suede, the mare he had been assigned to work with, had become more rotund as the months had passed, and the saddle hardly fit, so Luka was simply riding her bareback in the arena, but sooner, rather than later, he would hardly be able to ride her at all. His journal that he was keeping on her was becoming thicker and thicker as he made notes, keeping track of every little thing that he could.

Bruno was sleeping in Sir Solomon’s office, mainly because the mare was skittish around the dog, even though the dog was perfectly fine around the horses. It was just a safety precaution he was taking, and his teacher was happy to have the dog around while Luka worked with his mare. Suede was also more accustomed to him, and had accepted his touch over her whole body. He loved building a bond around her, and especially since he was the first student to work with her and her foal, after her first pregnancy had ended in a miscarriage. Luka was hoping for a colt.

Checking the time, he fed the mare a carrot and then went to the office to collect Bruno, smiling as the dog came to him. Clipping on the leash, he made his way to the classroom and froze for a moment as he saw the arrangement. Taking out the letter in his folder, explaining his ‘situation’, which was just another term accounting for his deafness, he took a seat where he pretty decent view of everything going on around him, but most of all, where he could see the teacher and read his lips with ease.

[Deleted]

Vervain had been ditching her bag in her dorm room whenever the alarm on her phone startled her, making her near jump out of her skin. She quickly pulled the device out of her pocket, expecting it was a message or call or some sort. Then as she registered the flashing of a digital alarm clock, she frowned. Oh, well apparently she had set an alarm so she would not be late for Foal Handling.

It was probably a good idea, as considering she had taken a little bit of time to play around with Casper for a few extra minutes, before she had decided to go to her room. She had just been about to lay down, too. With a dismissive thought she turned around and headed towards the Evening Primrose barn, this being her first trip there. She had not taken Equine Reproduction, unfortunately, but she supposed this would make up for it. In her hand she had a notebook, a pencil, and a small flute case which she had brought for Band afterwards.

As she finally made it to Primrose barn she navigated down the hallway, managing to find the door that connected the barn's classroom to the rest of the barn. She walked in, and without a word, took a random seat the placed her at the edge of things, and closest to the side of the teacher where someone could only sit on one side of her, as the teacher had left a gap between his chair and the one she had taken.

[Gretchen Holmes]

Having absolutely no idea what to expect, Gretchen threw on a t-shirt, a pair of jeans she'd already worn twice without washing them, and her paddock boots. Glancing outside, she quickly decided on a hoodie as well. Grabbing her bag and phone, she headed out towards the barn.

When she arrived she slipped in the room quietly, politely greeting her teacher before finding a seat towards the back of the room. People were still coming in, so she pulled out her phone and opened her tumblr app. Some people appeared to be panicking about the new Sherlock season, she chuckled at a gif of a cat, and Tom Hiddleston still looked amazing. She closed the app and slid her phone into her pocket.

Next she opened her bag and pulled out a notebook and pencil. She didn't know if she'd need to write anything down for this, but it would be good to be prepared. While she waited for things to start she began doodling, her horses were always majorly out of proportions but it was a good distraction while she waited for class to start. She began drawing Bahir, jumping over a poorly sketched oxer. She had trouble drawing the legs mosty, they were always too thick or two long. She wondered why horses had to be so complicated.

[Tobias Xayarath]

Tux smiled as he watched the students come in, returning greetings from those that gave them. As a boy with a dog entered, Tux remembered Sir Solomon's notice about the service dog that accompanied one of his students, also one of Tux's students. He accepted the letter with a smile and a nod, then opened it and scanned over it, although he had already known.

Folding it and sliding it carefully back into the envelope, he rose and walked over, offering the boy a typed sheet of paper that had the general gist of what he would be saying, and the important things that he would need to know. When he had heard, he had been able to sympathize a little bit, although his disability wasn't as severe, and he had gone over the paper three or four times to make sure that it had everything that he needed to say.

When the time had reached two minutes after his announced time, he smiled at the group, "Okay, guys. This is just really informal, I wanted to meet all of you before the mares begin dropping and we end up strangers in the arena." He paused, then fixed his gaze on the drawn hoof of a poster behind Luka's head, so that he didn't move his head and confuse the boy. Secondly, or more reasonably, it would prevent anyone from wondering why he was only making eye contact with the right side of the room.

"I'm Mr. Xayarath. I've been working with horses for about twenty years now. After I went to college, Administration of Justice major, I somehow ended up apprenticed to a farrier, and I enjoyed the work. I worked with him for almost seventeen years, picking up various horse-related things as I went. After that, I went on to be a barn hand at various barns, including broodmare barns, and learned that I had a knack for foal handling, and a passion for sharing it with others."

He paused, glancing around to see if he'd lost anyone, then returned his eyes to the hoof, "Enough about me, now. How about you all tell me a little bit about yourself, your experience with horses in general and foals in specific, and anything else you'd like me to know, or you'd just like to share."

[Miranda Florin]

Miranda grinned as Leo sat next to her, "Hey!" She shifted the notebook on her lap, keeping the pencil from rolling away, then watched the students that came in, smiling as she recognized some of them, mostly from Equine Rehabilitation. It was interesting, how the students that did that looked for other extracurriculars around horses, but then, it made sense too. They were the ones that really wanted to learn.

When the teacher started the class, she turned to look at him, noticing his strange gaze, but as she followed it, she spotted the reason eventually and turned her attention back to what he was saying, rather than what he was doing. His story was strange, although it definitely wasn't unheard of, although she did have to say that he was probably older than most of her other teachers, what with the timeline that he'd provided.

When it came time to introduce themselves, Miranda glanced around, then shrugged and began, "I'm Miranda Florin. My parents breed Trakheners down in Texas, so I've always been around horses and foals, although I'm much more interested in the veterinary side of things, rather than the riding and competing. I'm also one of the two equine vet students here, which is something that I really love doing." And not only for the horses, she had to admit. It did lead to some other good things happening, especially recently.

[Deleted]

Olivia watched those that entered, although most of them were people she hadn't really spoken to before. Some of them, however, she knew from Mounted Games, which was nice. At least she wasn't completely alone in this strange class, a phenomenon she had learned to appreciate at Blue Ridge, rather than wanting the anonymity that she had craved back home.

When the teacher started talking, she looked over at him, seeing how his eyes never wavered from some spot. It was really strange, and to be honest, it creeped her out, not that she would say anything. It was his issue if he needed to stare rather than make eye contact like normal people.

After he had finished his introduction, Olivia started forming her response, trying to find a wording that would cover that she dind't have the foal experience that he seemed to be looking for. After the blonde vet student had gone, she spoke up, "I'm Olivia. I haven't had much experience with equines other than my mare, but I'm curious, and my parents breed dogs, so I wanted to explore the differences between raising foals and puppies." Obviously, there would be differences, but at least she'd come up with a better reason than 'it sounded easy'.

[Gretchen Holmes]

Gretchen looked up when the teacher began, abandoning her terrible doodle. She listened attentively, not minding that the teacher was only addressing half the room. She'd seen the boy and his service dog come in, obviously he had a problem that needed attention. Not that she minded or cared, though she did think his dog was cute.

She thought the teacher's story was interesting enough, but felt uneasy as he spoke. Teachers only told stories when they expected you to do the same and sure enough, he asked for their stories. Gretchen sighed, she didn't have anything to say! She'd never really been around foals before. She'd been with Bahir when he was a baby, but she was only a little girl herself. She didn't begin helping with him until he was already halter broken. 

Two girls went, and she decided to speak and get it over with. "Hi, I'm Gretchen. I helped out a little bit with my gelding when he was a yearling, but I don't really have any experience with foals. I think they're cute though, so I'm excited to work with them," she said. She internally berated herself. That was terrible! Ducking her head, she returned to her terrible doodle, refusing to make eye contact with anyone.
 

[Othello Buskirk]

OOC: Just a quick reminder about posting order and giving people at least 24 hours before you skip them (unless earlier arranged).

---

Othello grabbed a bottle of PowerAde out of his bag and took a drink of the neon blue liquid as the other students entered. He was pleased to see that most of them were from the reproduction class.

He dropped the bottle back into his bag as the teacher began speaking. Leo pulled a face, knowing that he would need to try and remember the man's name. He listened to those before him introduce themselves and speak of their previous experience. Truth be told, Leo had zero experience with foals, and he wasn't going to hide this fact. Taking a deep breath, he spoke. "Hi, I'm Othello, but feel free to call me Leo. This class will be my first experience with foals, the closest I've come to working with baby animals is when my grandparents' house cow had a breeched calf and I had to rub her dry once Grandpa pulled her out with the tractor. I'm in this class, with my lack of experience, because I want to be a large animal vet, and husbandry is part of being a vet." He knew that mentioning that his grandfather had had to use a tractor to pull the calf out was probably a little too much information, but it's what happened, and happens all the time.