Playing Games (Open)

[Jennifer Hart]

Jennifer stopped her truck again, turning off the engine and getting out quickly. After having checked in to the office, she wanted to get Spot settled in, then set up the apartment that would be her home for however long she stayed at the school. From what she had seen, she hoped that she would be around for quite some time, but one could never predict the future. She walked past the Leonberger in the bed of her truck, since there was a no-dogs policy in the barn, which made sense, and Jazz would be fine waiting in the truck. As she approached the trailer, she heard Spot shifting around, which only hurried her up more. After opening the trailer's doors and lowering the ramp, Jen walked up to the mare and held out her hand, "Calm down, girl." She picked up the French lime lead rope and switched it for the tether that had connected the mare to the trailer.

Clucking her tongue, the woman carefully backed the hybrid mare out of the trailer. She walked Spot around to one of the tie-rings and quick-tied her for a moment before bending and removing the mare's shipping boots. She left Spot for a moment and walked to the tack room of the trailer, where she dropped the boots into a lime-green box, nearly the same color as the equipment that she used for Spot. After closing the door to the tack room, Jennifer untied Spot and clucked her tongue, leading the mare away from the trailer. They circled the parking lot, Jennifer looking around at the enclosed arena visible, Spot trying to graze every few feet.

[Deleted]

Ah another day at the office. Working in the office all day did have its pros and cons. More cons, than pros but hey she had a job and the ability to work with her mares. Moving towards the Red Willow Barn, the twenty-five year old wanted to check on Splash. The Paint mare had been acting up, which was highly unlike her. The equine had been swaying and pawing everytime another horse would come to close to her stall. Maggie pulled her carhartt together trying to keep the slight wind out. A new face circled around with an odd looking animal.

Although she had heard of them, Maggie had only ever seen a Zorse once, which was the one that the academy owned.. It was so pretty the markings and all. "Hello", the Vice Principal said loud and clear to make sure the other woman would have heard her. Thinking over it for a bit, Maggie decided that she would probably ride Splash today, probably in saddle. Which wouldn't be very comfortable considering it was colder and the leather would be nice and tough. It wouldn't have much cushion. Turning her attention back to the new face she waited for a reply. Meeting new people was always fun for Maggie who was very socialable.

[Jennifer Hart]

Jennifer switched her gaze to the garden that they were approaching. Since it was winter, the plants were mostly hidden under a layer of snow, but she could see the paths and benches just the same, perhaps better without the plants reaching up. Spot's head shooting up, away from where she was nosing at the snow again, alerted Jennifer to someone approaching them. Tightening her grip on the lead rope slightly, Jennifer turned and smiled at the younger woman who was approaching her, stopping in her slow, meandering walk, "Good afternoon."

She looked at the woman, briefly gathering what information she could from the woman's appearance, but as Spot tried to walk away to a more promising patch of snow, Jen's attention was diverted. Tugging on the lead rope, gently, but firmly enough to get the mare to stop, she spoke to her equine, "Stand, Spot." She looked back at the woman, smiling slightly, "Forgive me." She shifted the lead rope over to her left hand and held out her right hand, "I'm Jennifer Hart, I just arrived at the Academy a few minutes ago." She didn't know who this woman was, but knew she had to be a staff member, from her age.

[Deleted]

From inside the barn she heard a horse niegh, not quite sure if it was Splash or just another horse. A smile instananously appeared on her face when the woman replied. Although Maggie hadn't been at the academy for anymore than a year, the woman's face didn't register in her head. Shrugging it off, Maggie listened to the stranger instruct her equine the name was simple and yet the irony struck her. A small chuckle escaped her lips, Forgive me. The older woman said. "That's perfectly fine, I'm surprised she is handling the travel so well, my horses surely didn't."

She wasn't lying, Dart was moody for about a month after they arrived and Splash just freaked out, as the for the little stallion that she brought with her, he threw a big fit trying to get him off the trailer. Extending her right hand she shook Jennifer's hand. "I'm Margaret Tyler, most call me Maggie. I'm the Vice Principal here." The smile had yet to fade but the twenty-five year old did tone it down. She found that smiling continously like that was creepy.

[Jennifer Hart]

Jennifer smiled as the woman laughed, obviously having caught the mare's name, which didn't fit with her obviously barred appearance. As the zorse mare shifted a step forward, reaching out to browse through the next section. Jen loosened her grip on the lead slightly, trusting that the mare would be content with her lazy behavior while she talked a little bit longer. She laughed at the woman's surprise, "As often as she's been shunted from competition to competition, she should be used to the trailer." She smiled easily, "And, it might help that I tired her out beforehand." The mare didn't mind being trailered, and actually seemed to enjoy traveling to new places.

As the woman shook her hand and introduced herself, Jennifer smiled again, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Maggie." She wanted to laugh at the coincidence, that she had found the woman that she wanted to talk to about a few things within her first few minutes in her 'new' position, "I was hoping to come find you later, but I suppose I've saved a bit of time there." She wasn't sure how to let on to this woman that she was the one above her in paper-rank, although she hoped to work closely as nearly partners in running the school, "I'm the one they paid to move into that office next to you."

[Deleted]

Smiling at the woman's words about her horse. ”Well that’s good.” The Zorse was really quite pretty. "It's nice to meet you as well." Shaking Jennifer’s hand with a large grin across her face. Happy that the academy was still growing, it was always nice to have new people, it made the place more diverse. A bit confused at what the woman meant when she said she had planned to come and find her later, the twenty-five year old shook it off. ”What is your position, if I may ask?” A yawn rolled out of her mouth. The chilliness in the air always did make her tired, plus with just getting out of the office didn’t help her either.

Putting one and two together, when she said about moving into the office next to her. She got that this new woman was either A; the principal or B; the executive director. With Francesco in and out because of sicknesses, Maggie really thought she could be either one. It would a safer bet to say that she was the executive director. Although she was the VP she didn’t really know what went on outside of school and what was going on. In this case she had a slight clue.

OCC:Sorry it took so long.

[Jennifer Hart]

Jennifer nodded as she looked fondly at Spot, who was still browsing around, trying to make up for time lost eating, it seemed. She knew she should enjoy the reprieve while it lasted, because as soon as the mare got over her lazy habits, she would be jumping around. As the younger woman returned her greeting, Jennifer nodded, gauging the woman's returned handshake. She could tell that she had confused this woman by her cryptic approach of who she was, but by her reaction, the vice principal didn't seem to be all too involved in the school in general. Perhaps that was a good thing, although it was just as likely to be bad. If the woman didn't know the newest gossip about the office staff, perhaps she spent too much time out taking care of the other things that were occurring, although a bit more office time might have been advisable.

Quelling her thoughts on the matter for the moment, telling herself to spend a few more days at the school before she started judging and suggesting changes to Francesco about how the school was run. As Maggie asked about her position, Jennifer pretended to be surprised at her forgetfulness, "I'm so sorry, I should have said. I was accepted to act as the executive director for the school, after the school I previously worked at achieved everything that I had hoped to accomplish with it." A car drove into the parking lot behind them, and Jennifer knew that her time was up, her suspicions confirmed with Spot's raised head and pricked ears, nearly breaking the lead rope free of her grip. Sighing, she smiled at the woman, "My apologies. Would you be able to tell me how to get to the pastures, and which one is open for Spot to be put into?"

[Deleted]

The twenty-five year old chuckled, "That's what I thought, my brain is muddled from being in the office all morning."Thinking that her time talking to her new co-worker was coming to an end from her body language, turning towards whatever had caught both Jennifer and her equine's attention, a car. With that another question was floating around in the air waiting to be answered. Luckily Maggie had the exact answer for it. "There are five pastures all of which Spot can be in." Pointing towards the White Oak barn, that was where Jennifer would have to walk in order to get to the pastures. Of course she could have walked across the parking lot but that way she could get more oriented with the academy setup.

"The pasture numbers go in order starting on you left and wraps around, if you walk towards the White Oak barn, the other barn over there you should be able to find them pretty easily from there." Thinking about it, she should tell her about the mares’ only pasture. ”If she doesn’t like geldings, it would probably be best to put her in the mare only pasture, which is number five, the first one on your right.”

[Jennifer Hart]

Jennifer raised an eyebrow as she heard about the woman working in the office, "And the office two doors down being renovated failed to come to your attention?" Shaking her head, she was glad to have Spot bringing an end to the conversation, which was taking a drastic turn for the worse. As she heard that she had her pick of the pastures, Jennifer nodded, glad of the choice. She would have to pick the one that was the emptiest, so that she could supervise Spot while the mare got her exercise. With the mare being as able as she was, leaving her unattended in any situation without extreme fences just wasn't an option.

Keeping a firm grip on the mare's lead, as Spot had decided that now was a good time to go somewhere, anywhere, Jennifer listened to how the pastures were numbered, "That sounds pretty easy to remember." As she heard that the last one was for mares only, she inclined her head once more, "While she doesn't have any trouble with the guys, it is good to know that I can expect them to be separated in that one." With that, she tugged Spot's lead again, getting the striped mare's attention, before turning away, "Thank you for your help, Maggie."