Welcome to our world. (Open)

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Mo bundled the scarf around her neck and pulled on her gloves. She shuddered gently at just the thought of going back outside, but she knew she had to go give Shock some attention. The gorgeous shire stallion was hard not to spoil, but she'd been busy settling back into academy life since her three week vacation to visit her father and brothers. The blonde haired beauty settled a black beanie on the crown of her head and said her goodbye to the petite pomeranian curled up on her bed. The slender femme then left the apartment, a bag of goodies in hand for one of her favourite boys. She had not long returned from spoiling Perry, her other favourite boy. Now it was Shock's turn.

Imogen walked slowly down to Brown Orchid barn pastures, greeting students and staff alike pleasantly. She'd been surprised at the influx of new faces once she had returned, and had not been able to meet them all yet. But Imogen was still pleasant. She enjoyed her job, and meeting new people was one of her favourite aspects. Her hiking boots crunched against the crusted snow on the ground, deciding that it must be fairly fresh since the paths were cleared daily. Her blue orbs grazed the landscape indulgently, a content smile crossing her lips. She was so pleased to be back. It hadn't occurred to her how much she missed the academy. It was definitely feeling like a home to her now.

Eventually she reached the pasture of her white steed, grinning as he raced down to greet her. The sheer eighteen plus hands of him quivered in delight when he saw his beloved mistress, his monstrous hooves churning up snow. It was a miracle that the brute did not slip, but he managed to move as if it were still the grass he was used to. Letting herself into the pasture, she smiled fondly as he nickered his greeting and nuzzled her cheek gently. "Hello gorgeous boy." she crooned softly to him, chuckling as he lipped at her scarf and then spotted her bag of goodies. "Yes, these are yours." She grinned, opening her bag and first pulling out a plain cookie. This certain treat was a favourite of Shock's and it wasn't something he had often. The stallion, who almost blended completely into the landscape around him when he blinked, stretched out his lips and took the cookie gently but spent no time demolishing it. Mo grinned and kissed his muzzle. She snorted softly in amusement as she wiped away the crumbs clinging to his lip and fed him another. Absorbed in the presence of her special boy, she grew unaware of anything around her. It was just her and Shock in their own little world.

[Brian Setliff]

Brian looked in on the academy's grey Spanish Arabian, chuckling quietly to himself as Sammy hurried to put on his 'cute' face. Brian didn't fall for the act, though. He had been warned about the stallion, who played with trust, and had experienced his ways for himself in his first few weeks. Deciding that the stud might as well get some exercise in the snow outside, Brian walked towards the tack room, nodding at a beautiful blonde that he had never seen before as she greeted him. After grabbing Sammy's dark-leather halter, which was touched with a hint of dodger blue here and there, and the matching stud chain, Brian walked back out to the stallion's stall.

After managing to get the halter onto the stallion's head, always an impressive feat, Brian threaded the stud chain through the halter, over the stallion's nose. After he had secured the buckle, he opened the stall door, tightening his grip on the lead as Sammy made to surge past him. As soon as Sammy had stopped, Brian released the pressure and started walking. Sammy followed, meekly giving the lead rope some slack. Brian knew better than to loosen his grip, however, so they made it out to the pastures without a problem. After releasing the stallion, Brian hung the bridle and lead over his shoulder, walking back slowly, looking out at the pastures. He saw the same blonde woman with a grey stallion, that had only recently arrive. Approaching the pair, he smiled and joked, "How did you know he was here? You can barely see him."

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Mo continued to feed Shock from her bag of goodies. The cookies had run out by now, they had moved on to apple slices. The stallion did not like whole apples, he refused to eat them. Imogen had soon learned to cut them up for him. Carrots were also cut up, but she didn't have any of those today. She glanced up briefly to see the man she'd greeted earlier leading Sammy. The Arab was actually a favourite of hers, and she'd learned his little tricks. He was a smart horse, your guard couldn't be down for a moment around him. Imogen's attention was taken away from Sammy and the man when Shock started lipping at the bag impatiently, prompting him to feed him again.

She was completely unaware to the man's approach, so started a bit when she heard the voice. Shock immediately stood to attention, his large frame seemingly growing further to intimidate the newcomer. Resting her hand on her shire's chest, Mo turned and smiled warmly at the man. "What do you mean, he's rig-." Mo stopped herself, suddenly realising what the man had said. It was a joke, right? Mo laughed, albeit very late. "Oh right, I get it. Because of his colour." Imogen's cheeks had gained a little colour, due to both the cold and her embarrassment. Already she'd come across as ditsy to this stranger. Well done, Mo. Good going. She berated herself in her mind, sighing softly.

She approached the gate, Shock shadowing her closely. "Hi, I'm Imogen, but everyone calls me Mo. I'm the secretary." She introduced herself in a friendly fashion. She concluded that this man must have arrived whilst she was away. Taking a few apple slices out of her bag to feed to Shock, she smiled as he leaned down over her shoulder to take them. "And this is Shock." She introduced her handsome brute, smiling as Shock's ears perked at the mention of his name.

[Brian Setliff]

Brian raised an eyebrow as the woman turned and smiled at him, but then started questioning his statement before stopping herself. Prepared as he was to write this woman off as a non-sarcastic person, when she laughed in the end, he felt himself smiling along. She was pretty, although she carried herself in a way that hinted at the fact that she wouldn't believe it if anyone told her so. As she stated the obvious, that the joke had been because of the stallion's color, Brian nodded, a smile still playing around the edges of his lips.

As the woman introduced herself, Brian nodded, taking in her name, nickname, and where she worked. He hadn't seen her when he had checked in, but then again, the horse had only recently arrived, so she must have been new, or away when he had first arrived at the academy. He smiled again, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mo. I'm Brian, the head barn-hand for this barn." As the woman introduced her horse, Brian gave the animal a nod, "It's a pleasure to meet you formally, Shock. You'll be seeing a lot of me, I think." He threw a wink at Mo, smiling at the stallion's antics.

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She looked relieved to see that he was still smiling after her slip up, glad that she didn't have to go through the shame of being seen as stupid. Again. Exhaling softly as the relief settled, she smiled warmly at him again. "It's lovely to meet you, Brian." She enthused happily. He was the head barn hand which meant that she would probably see a lot of him. Mo was pleased by this fact. She liked Brian already. Her eyes widened slightly when she caught the wink, her cheeks immediately filling with a surge of blood. Mo didn't really know how to react to it, her inexperience with the opposite sex very clear. Apart from a brief thing, well Mo didn't really know how to describe what she and Arthur had shared, Mo hadn't even shared a kiss with a man. So the wink threw her. Shaking herself to bring her back to reality, she realised Brian was still there. Words failed her for a moment.

"Erm, Shock won't give you any trouble. He's just vain." She managed to get out eventually, her cheeks still rosy in colouring. She didn't realise a wink could effect her so much. Why would he even wink at her. Imogen had been told continuously throughout high school that she was ugly. That she was too tall, or too skinny. She was told that her nose was too big, that her eyes were too close together. Girls had made fun of her as she passed in the hallway. Unbeknown to her, the popular crowd had stopped boys from asking her on dates or to go to dances with them because they were jealous. However, Mo just continued to feel insecure, her self confidence was dead and buried. She felt ugly, still. So she dressed up, wore make up at all times, did her hair perfectly, all to make herself feel a little bit better. Truthfully, it didn't really work. But it gave Mo that little bit of confidence that she so desperately needed.

"So when did you arrive at Blue Ridge, Brian?" She asked him with a slight smile, folding her arms over her chest and holding herself protectively. Her head had tilted so that her hair would cover her face, a shield she often used while unsure. "It must have been while I was visiting my father's ranch." Mo concluded aloud. Her father's ranch was still in Kentucky, but a good two hours away from the academy. She'd been away for her brother's wedding, and then also to help on the ranch while he was on his honeymoon with his new wife. Mo hadn't minded. It was wonderful to be at the Ranch. She hadn't realised how much she had missed it. She knew she needed to make the effort to go back on the weekends more often.