Just The Two Of Us

[Samson Blackthorne]

It had taken longer than anticipated for Sami to marshal not only himself but also his sister and get them down to the White Oak barn, considerably hindered by the fact that, although he had the map, it was Joanne who was by far the better at reading them. Still, in the end, the pair of them managed to find the right place, which was always a good start, and Sami couldn't help but stare at the beautiful horses he passed on the way down the barn. It took him a moment to realise when he'd reached the office door; in fact, he nearly walked into it, stopping just in time and shooting a look to one side at Joanne before knocking tentatively.

[Joanne Blackthorne]

Joanne had been looking forward to being assigned a horse ever since she'd arrived here, and while of course it wouldn't be the same as riding her own, she had come here to ride, after all. All the school horses that she'd heard about from the people in her dorm seemed to be really good, and nothing like the typical riding school horses, so she was certainly excited to find out who she might end up with. Horses were everywhere as the pair of them made their way to the barn, and the brunette sighed quietly, happy that she'd made the right decision.

[Katherine Carr]

Katherine stretched her arms above her head, sure that she had been sitting at her computer, and answering phone calls for the past two days; though she knew it had only been a couple of hours. There had been a mix up for their feed delivery and she had needed to get that sorted before they hit crisis-mode.

She swiveled her chair as there was a knock on the door, which for once was actually close due to her being on the phone, and rising to her feet she walked over to open it. "Come in." She greeted the two unfamiliar teenagers, though she took a wild guess at them being the two that were coming to see her about horse assignments. "Have a seat." She gestured to the two chairs that sat perpendicular to her desk. "While I have some information about your past riding experiences, I'd like to hear from you both about where you think you are in your riding and where you want to go." She filled her mug with coffee before taking her own chair, turning so that she was facing them.

[Samson Blackthorne]

Sami grinned at the woman who opened the door, giving her a respectful nod as he followed the instruction and stepped inside. He took the seat that he was offered, shifting a little to make himself comfortable, before looking up at the brunette woman on the other side of the desk, eyes bright. This was the bit that he'd been looking forward to- getting a horse.

Admittedly, he hadn't expected to be subjected to a quiz first.

"Uh... Well, I've been riding for a few years now, so I think... Well, I'm not bad. But I... I don't really know where I want to go." He shrugged and tried out an awkward grin. "To be honest, I was just kind of hoping that I'd know it when I got there."

[Joanne Blackthorne]

"Hi," she greeted the woman who opened the door with a slight smile, trying not to look as nervous as she felt. Everyone here seemed really nice, but that didn't make the fact that she'd just started a new school, with new friends to make and new teachers to get used to, any less terrifying. Heck, she'd got lost more than once on her way over here, and that was with a map... even if Sami did insist on holding it.

Though Jo rolled her eyes at her brother's response, she was rather glad of it; it did at least give her time to formulate her own. Once she was sure that Sami had finished, the brunette reluctantly conceded that she couldn't leave it much longer without it becoming awkward. "I... I think I'm quite good." Did that sound arrogant? Well, she'd said it now. "I've done showjumping for ages, but I think I really need more work in cross-country... I just want to be the best that I can be."

[Katherine Carr]

Katherine nodded as each teenager spoke, pleased with the honesty of their answers; as she couldn't stand children who talked themselves up to only end up being over-horsed. "Thank you both." She said with a warm smile. I could make you sit here for another half and hour and talk about the responsibilities of working with horses. However, I think the time would be better spent introducing you to the horses I'd like to try you both on." Her smile deepened as she rose to her feet.

Walking to the door, she exchanged the slippers she was wearing for her field boots and led the way out into the barn. Walking down the aisle, she looked over the door as she went to check on the horses inside, and paused as she arrived at the door of a dun, Quarter Horse. "Sami, this is Last Run, or Solo, as he is known around the barn." She rubbed the gelding's forehead as he popped his head over the door to see what was going on. "Solo is an Apendix Quarter Horse. He is trained in the three disciplines of eventing, and I think will work well with you." She nodded down another couple of stall to where a Dunskin Lusitano was watching them. "Jo, that is Mountain Viewing, or Bear. He is a Lusitano, who like Solo, is trained in the three disciplines. Unlike Solo though, he's more likely to give you his opinion on what you're doing and how your riding him." She stepped back, giving the teenagers a chance to greet their respective horse. "They each have a number on the top of the stall door, that number corresponds with a locker in the tack room, that locker is now yours. Their gear are on labeled saddle racks and bridle hook in there as well." Well, technically the name was on the wall, but clear enough. "The biggest rule about having a school horse is that your first ride must be done under my supervision. Do you have any other questions?"

[Samson Blackthorne]

Sami shook his head, running his fingers through his hair as he turned to glance at his sister, who also didn't appear to be unduly troubled by anything. "No, I think that's everything, thanks, Ms Carr." The boy grinned up at the taller woman. "Oh, um, actually, just one question... About this first ride; when would you recommend? I guess we should get to know the horses first, before we just jump on?" It sounded like a sensible idea to him; it wasn't the kind of thing that he would necessarily think of as being... well, necessary..., but he thought it might occur in such a way to Ms Carr.

[Katherine Carr]

Katherine's eyebrow lifted slightly, as students normally had at least one question, then smiled as he quickly backtracked and asked a question. "Your first ride can be whenever you are ready." She replied. "You can either both be in the arena together or work at two different times." Of course, if either of them had been a complete novice about horses, she would have them riding one at a time, but in this case she was sure that they would be fine together if that is what they wished.

"Take some time to get to know your horses and come and tell me when you are ready." She turned to leave, paused and turned back to the siblings. "My office door is always open, should you need someone to listen." She gave another warm smile and headed back to her office, giving them some privacy to get to know the two geldings.