Nothing but Air

[Elizabeth Toman]

After she had left the arena, and returned to the barn for her body protector, Libby swung back into the saddle and squeezed Storm forward in the direction away from the arenas so they didn't have to go anywhere near Chase and his monster again. She couldn't understand why anyone would want to show a horse like that, where it was frowned upon to remove the feathers. She shuddered at the thought of the amount of grooming they would take after the horse had been out in the mud.

Once they hid the Rocky Ridge trail, she kept the gelding in check until they were well and truly onto the trail and as soon as she knew they had a long straight stretch, she shortened her reins, moved into two-point and touched the gelding's sides with her heels, grinning as he didn't need any more encouragement and flew forward.

[Martijn van der Berg]

Tijn had been on the trail for a good bit now. He'd worked Sybren in the arena earlier, but he couldn't muster the same enthusiasm with Ritske - So he'd taken the black gelding out for a ride on the trails.

He was just enjoying the clear day, alternating walking and trotting, with the occasional canter on a long straight stretch, when he heard hooves behind him.

[Elizabeth Toman]

Libby slowed her horse to a trot as the trail began to bend, as she wasn't stupid enough to gallop around a corner and crash into something. "You've got to be freaking kidding me!" She seethed as she saw a large(ish) black horse ahead of her. "I left the arena to get away from that beast!" It was as they drew closer that her brain kicked into gear and she worked out that there was no hope in Hades of Chase making it out here ahead of them, so her ire began to ebb a little.

"Coming up behind you." She sang in a tone that dripped with sugar when she recognised the boy, Tijn, from her Algebra class.

[Martijn van der Berg]

Tijn heard the voice right before he turned around to check who was coming up behind him. As he saw the snappish gymnast, he gave a smile and moved Ritske to the side of the trail as much as possible - Which, sadly, wasn't that far just then, "Hey Libby." He glanced forward, "There's a better place for me to move over up there, sorry." He moved Ritske into a trot until they reached a bit of the wider trail, where he moved to the left, "How are you?"

[Elizabeth Toman]

Libby gave the boy a bright smile as he turned to look over his shoulder. "Hi." She shook her head to him needing to move over and then mentally slapped herself, he could hardly see her! "You don't have to move over." She reined Storm in, asking him to walk, and thankfully the trail widened just as the gelding she was riding decided that he didn't want to slow down and began to spin around as he threw a fit.

Getting him settled again she gave Tijn a sugar-sweet smile. "Me? I'm just swell!" While part of her wanted to dismount, she knew she was safer in the saddle. "I have a horse who won't listen to me, I'm surrounded by large black horses and I think I just broke a nail! How's your day going?"

[Martijn van der Berg]

Tijn nodded as the girl said he didn't have to move over, "Thanks." He kept Ritske under control, with the occasional glance back at the girl's horse. Storm or something was his name, he was pretty sure. Not an uncommon name, so easier to remember.

As Libby responded to his question, Tijn nodded, "Well... I can't help with the broken nail, but it looks like you're doing rather well with Storm, and I apologize for the large black horses?" He grinned at her, "I'd bleach Ritske if it would help, but I don't think he'd appreciate that." As for his day, "Well enough, I guess. Just didn't want to be stuck in an arena today, so we came out here instead."

[Elizabeth Toman]

She gave him a charming smile at his apology and then shook her head at the thought of bleaching his horse, even though she knew he was being sarcastic. "With his dark colouring, I think bleach would just make him look washed out anyway." She said with a shudder. "Dark haired people generally go with peroxide, and if you used that, you'd probably be in lots of trouble." She giggled at the thought of a peroxide blonde horse. "I wish other people had followed your line of thought rather than hogging the arena."

She looked at Ritske again. "You ever thought of riding another breed?" She was just curious now.

[Martijn van der Berg]

Tijn raised an eyebrow at that information, "That's good to know, thank you. Although I spend most of my time making sure their coats don't lighten!" That's why the horses were only turned out at night and early mornings, before the sun got too harsh. He noted the comment about someone hogging the arena and frowned, "That's rude of them."

As Libby asked if he'd ever considered riding another breed, Tijn shrugged, "Not often, and never very seriously. They may not be grand prix dressage horses, but I'm no grand prix rider either, and don't really want to be. We enjoy each other's company, and the breed fits me."

[Elizabeth Toman]

Libby grinned and laughed. "Well, what ever you're doing to keep them dark, it's working." She said. "You could probably give some hints to a few ladies that my mom has coffee with. They are forever trying to keep their hair dark." Her eyes twinkled with mischief.

She shrugged at his reply. "You could ride Storm if you wanted to try another horse... though I guess working in the other barn you have a load of horses at your disposal." She was sure that she'd seen some of the barn hands working the school horses, though she could have been wrong too. "Maybe you need to share your opinion about the breed not being grand prix dressage to another person with the same breed."

[Martijn van der Berg]

Tijn smiled at the compliment, "Thank you!" He thought about it, "Nothing really relevant to people, I'm afraid. They just get turned out at night, so the sun doesn't get a chance to bleach it during the day, and if they do get out during the day they have a flysheet or something. And there's actually a henna dye in case they do fade a bit, although I rarely have to use it."

At Libby's offer, Tijn smiled, "Very appreciated, thank you." He thought of the horses at the barn, "I suppose so, although I haven't really ridden them often. I turn them out and work them in the round pen sometimes, but rarely ride them. Maybe I should." He knew others did. As Libby kept on about someone else with a Frisian, Tijn thought for a moment, "I'm going to guess you're talking about Babe's owner?" He didn't know the boy well, but he knew every Friesian at the academy, and this one was in 'his' barn too. "I don't know him very well."

[Elizabeth Toman]

Libby smiled at his thanks, an actual smile that brightened not only her face but her eyes too. Keeping a flysheet over them to hold their colour made sense, it's why people rugged their horses year round they were out in the sun. "Really? There's actually special dye for them if they need it? That is cool!"

She couldn't help but giggle at the thought of the other boy riding Storm for the sake of riding another horse, and her giggle stopped as she could also picture the horse being a complete pig, if he was having an off day. "Would be a good way of extending your own riding." She offered, remembering that a riding instructor in the past told her that the best way to become a good rider was to ride as many horses as she had the opportunity to do so.

She nodded when he worked out who she was griping about. "Yeah, that would be the horse." She replied. "Or the rider anyway.Idiot who thinks he owns the arena!" She pressed her lips together, chin tilting upwards as she regained her composure. "I wish I knew him less." And she didn't even know him that well.

[Martijn van der Berg]

Tijn nodded at Libby's question, "Yep! The best one is an Australian dye, but it's a pain to ship, so I learned how to keep them black to start with." He grinned, "When you're known for black horses, you want to turn up with black ones, not rust-colored ones."

He did have to admit that Libby had a good point, "That's very true." He grinned at her, "Are you volunteering to make sure I don't suffer a horribly tragic death?"

As he heard that it was the same person, he exhaled, then nodded. He didn't want to get wrapped up in this, but it was a lot easier to just go with the flow and listen to the person he was talking to now, "Yes, some people here need to try not taking up the whole ring." Although he was semi-guilty of that, he did try to stay out of the popular times if he was going to be driving! "Although I will admit, at least I get to enjoy your lovely company, so I suppose I can thank him for that." He shot a grin at Libby, ready to take off if it seemed she was getting mad (in jest or not). At least they were at a good place for that, with the trail widening ahead.

[Elizabeth Toman]

She arched an eyebrow. "So... you telling me that good thing actually do come out of Australia?" She deadpanned. "Yeah, the horse is supposed to be black, not a cows version of dun." She had gymnast friends who's parents bred Belted Galoways and the rust coloured ones were referred to as being "dun" in colour.

She arched an eyebrow as she considered his question, and she did seem to be considering it seriously. "Nah, I'd be there, holding the camera to film your horribly tragic death." She replied with a nod.

She snorted with laughter and the laughed again at her very un-her behaviour, as she gripped Storm with her legs and grabbed hold of his mane as her reaction spooked the poor horse and he was looking around for what was causing such a reaction. "Lovely company indeed!" She laughed as she got the horse settled again, and she wiped the laughter tears from her lashes. "When we get back to campus, can I record you saying that? Just so I can prove to my parents that someone actually said that I'm a lovely person... someone not related to me anyway." She visibly shuddered. "Ohmigod, the grandparents and the elderly aunts that want to pinch my cheeks and say what a lovely wee lady I'm turning into." She sharpened her voice to a squeak to imitate the relatives. "If only you would eat some more, dear." She released a heavy sigh, and rolled her eyes when Storm stretched out his neck and also sighed.

[Martijn van der Berg]

Tijn snorted at Libby's comment about filming him, "I should have known." He sighed, "At least it'll be remembered and laughed at for posterity, and I will die knowing that there's a reason I only ride Frisians." He grinned and patted Ritske's neck, talking to the gelding for a brief second, "You would never do that to me, would you?"

The gelding held steady, even when Libby's laughter spooked her own mount, and chuckled in response. He listened to Libby's commentary, laughing as she imitated some relatives, "That seems to be a common thing, I never got a choice. Always big plates heaped with food." He grinned, "But no, you can't. That'll just give you the idea to stalk me with a video camera for the rest of my time here." He stuck his tongue out at her, "And we can't have that."

[Elizabeth Toman]

She shrugged. "It would be nice to be behind the camera for a change." She said. She laughed as he spoke to his horse. "You better bet your bottom dollar that he might." She said. "You get too complacent with them and they are known for throwing a curve ball at you. Especially when you are sure they never would."

She shuddered. "Urgh, the big plates, and always full of food I wouldn't eat, even if I wasn't an elite gymnast. Thankfully my parents are good at reminding their families that I'm an athlete and I'm not intentionally starving myself... which I think means that they think I am starving myself and don't know it." She arched an eyebrow as she looked at him. "Trust me, if I wanted to stalk you, I'd hire someone to follow you around with a video camera, and you'd never know they were there."