Unwind, Rewind

[Elijah Taylor]

Elijah lay on his stomach, chin propped up on a pillow as he watched his laptop's screen intently. He'd managed to set up his room in a way where his desk could function as both a desk and as a place to watch movies on his laptop, while he lounged on the bed - Much like he was doing now. He had finished his schoolwork - Luckily it had been pretty light - and Nav had been turned out following a tough lesson that afternoon, so there was no barn chores to be done until later in the evening.

As The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly played, he zoned out slightly, although he was still watching. The benefits of a good movie, he had watched it multiple times, and still enjoyed every rewatch, but he could also let his mind wander and relax a little bit after paying attention during the school day. Primarily on his mind today, in fact, was the news he'd gotten about getting a roommate. It would be a new adventure, he felt, and hopefully his roommate would be nice.

Harlan Duke

[Harlan Duke]

This was it, Harlan's first day at BRRA. He had already checked in and got his horse stabled, but now it was time for him to meet his new roommate and get situated in his new room. Harlan had already been up to his room but not inside it yet, as he had to make multiple trips to get all his stuff out of his vehicle. Unfortunately for him, the boys dorms were on the third floor of the Blue Ribbon house so he had to carry his things up two flights of stairs. He had been making trips back and forth between his truck and his room but now he was down to the last of his belongings. Harlan first checked his dad's truck then his own, gathering the last of his possessions and making sure there was nothing he was forgetting. After a quick yet thorough search, he was satisfied that he got everything. His father and grandfather had both accompanied him to the school but now it was time for them to leave. After saying his goodbyes, Harlan watched them drive away before making his way back into the Blue Ribbon house.

With a backpack on his back, a nylon rope wound around one arm, a baseball bat tucked under the other, a guitar case in his left hand and a suitcase in his right, Harlan made his trek back up to his room. It must've been a comical sight to see him hauling all that stuff up the stairs but he was stubborn and determined so he definitely wouldn't be asking anyone for help. Once he made up to the third floor, he let out a sigh of relief. He spotted the stack of boxes and the larger suitcase he had moved initially. He was glad he took the heaviest stuff first, as coming up those stairs with just the lighter stuff made him tired. Harlan was now standing directly in front of the door and was ready to head inside. With a quick confirmation that the room was B23, he dug around in his pocket and retrieved the key but he hesitated for a moment. Admittedly, he was a little nervous so Harlan took a breath and mentally prepared for what could be on the other side. "Well, here we go," he said to himself as he unlocked the door. He gave a courtesy knock before opening it.

Once the door was fully open, Harlan took a moment to quickly glance around the room. It was pretty spacious, which he probably could've deduced from the size and ornateness of the Blue Ribbon house in general. One side of the room was already occupied and he noticed that his roommate was in fact inside. It was a dark haired boy who seemed to be the same age as Harlan. He was dressed in a casual manner and was relaxing on his bed. The boy seemed normal, not that he was expecting him to be a weirdo or anything. He was just glad that his roommate seemed to be an average joe like he was. Harlan smiled and gave his new roommate a friendly nod as he made his way over to the empty side of the room, leaving the door ajar behind him. Once he emptied his hands and set everything down, Harlan walked over to his roommate's side of the room to introduce himself. "Hi, I'm Harlan," he extended his arm, offering a handshake.

[Elijah Taylor]

Elijah had been ignoring the shuffling out in the hallway, but a knock and the unmistakable sound of the door unlocking couldn't be tuned out as easily. He reached out to hit the space bar, pausing the movie, and managed to almost lose his balance. A quick scramble had him on his feet, running a hand through his hair, "You didn't see that."

Having recovered from the quick burst of adrenaline that accompanied almost-falling-off-of-the-bed, he grinned at the boy, "I'm Eli, Elijah." He gripped Harlan's hand and gave it a firm shake, "Welcome to our room, make yourself at home." He grinned impishly, "Not on my bed, preferably. But anywhere else."

[Harlan Duke]

Harlan smirked as the boy fumbled about but he decided not to say anything about it. The boy's remark made him grin a little harder though. Harlan could tell that his new roommate didn't take himself super seriously. He seemed to be a bit of a comedian as well. A smile stretched across Harlan's face as the boy introduced himself. "Wow what a coincidence, I've got a little brother named Elijah. Well, it's nice to meet ya." He couldn't help but chuckle a bit at Eli's joke. "Don't worry, I'll keep all my junk on my side of the room. Speaking of junk, I've got a few more things to bring in." A few was a little bit of an understatement but his point was made all the same.

Harlan disappeared into the hallway, leaving the door wide open in case their conversation would continue as Harlan retrieved his belongings. First, he brought in the large suitcase that was propped up next to the door. Then, he went back to get the three boxes that were stacked on top of each other. Instead of moving them one at a time, Harlan decided to just slide the whole stack into the room. It might not have been the brightest idea as it took quite the effort to get the boxes moving, but once he got them moving it was pretty easy for him to push them through the doorway and to his side of the room. Harlan went and closed the door and then plopped down on his bed to take a breath. "So, should we set some ground rules or somethin'? Or should we just wing it?" The two boys would have to learn to coexist as they now shared a room. Harlan just wanted to make sure that it was a pleasant experience.

[Elijah Taylor]

Elijah laughed, "Well, fair warning, I'm the oldest back home, so I know all the older brother tricks. But yes, it's good to meet you." If first introductions were anything to go by, they'd get along just fine. As Harlan mentioned having more stuff to bring in, Eli nodded and then sat on his bed, waiting patiently. He would have offered to help, but the room wasn't that spacious, and especially the door wasn't wide enough for two people carrying things in.

After Harlan had pushed the whole tower of boxes inside and had closed the door, he seemed more at ease. Eli shrugged at the question, "Either way, I guess. I've only been here for a few months, and you're my first roomie." He paused, "Are you an early bird or a night owl?" They could always get to know each other a bit more first. That would decide what kinds of 'rules' they needed to set.

[Harlan Duke]

Harlan smiled when Eli mentioned being the oldest kid in his family. It would seem that the two were similar in a lot of ways. "You're an eldest child too huh? I've got five younger siblings back home so I've got plenty of tricks up my sleeve." Of course, as Eli mentioned, being an older brother meant Eli was well accustomed to the shenanigans an older brother could inflict on a younger sibling. Harlan didn't really see the need for any tricks anyway. The two boys were on even footing and it seemed as if they'd have no problems with each other.

Bringing in all his stuff did make Harlan feel more at ease, but he still had to unpack all the stuff. Before doing that however, he decided to take a moment to get more comfortable. First he pulled his cowboy boots off of his feet and then took his hat off. He set the hat down on his bedside table and left his boots at the foot of the bed. Harlan then turned his attention back to the conversation. "It must've been nice having a room to yourself for so long. Sorry I had to come along and screw that up, but I think I'll be a decent roommate if I do say so myself."

Any teenager would love to have a whole room to themselves. Personally, Harlan wouldn't have minded having a room to himself but he had no qualms about sharing. Eli's question got Harlan thinking. On one hand, he was used to waking up early in the morning, but on the other hand he occasionally liked to stay up late. "Hmm. Well, back home I would wake up pretty early in the morning to help around the ranch before heading to school so I guess I'm more of an early bird. What about you?" It would be interesting to see how the two boys would differ and how they were the same as they got better acquainted with each other.

[Elijah Taylor]

Elijah laughed as Harlan mentioned how many siblings he had, "Okay, you've got me beat. I've only got the one younger sister, but she's plenty if you ask me!"

After Harlan had finished bringing in his stuff, Elijah waved away the apology, "It's part of the boarding school adventure. We'll make it work. And you seem fine so far!" He grinned and listened as the boy talked about his habits, "I'm a grudging early riser, mainly to take care of my horse. Maybe you'll make it easier to wake up." He grinned, having found a positive to the situation, "Although the gymnasts still have everyone here beat for getting up early." Being in the house that held most of the gymnasts, Elijah wasn't blind to their habits, "You'll probably stumble across them in the early mornings. Their coach seems pretty strict."

That did bring him to a much more pleasant subject, though. "Did you bring your own horse from home?"

[Harlan Duke]

"Oh I'm sure she is! My younger siblings drive me crazy, but at the end of the day I love 'em." Harlan knew all too well how bad younger siblings could get at times. Over the years, he's been snitched on and blackmailed countless times, had a bunch of his possessions stolen or broken, and has often been stuck babysitting his younger brothers and sisters. When it comes down to it however, he and his siblings always have each others backs. Harlan was sure that Eli and his sister had a similar relationship.

Harlan was glad that he and Eli got along so well. "Well you ain't to bad yourself." The two boys seemed to be on the fast track to becoming friends. When meeting new people it was never a guarantee that you'd see eye to eye with them, but it was nice that Harlan and Eli had no problems with each other. Especially since they were roommates now. It would be a pain to have to live with someone you don't like. Harlan smiled at the suggestion that he could help Eli wake up early. It was good that they both were kind of early risers. It would be problematic if one of them was constantly screwing up the other's sleep schedule. The mention of the gymnasts and their strict coach brought back memories of Harlan's time on the baseball team at his old school. He knew how tough coaches could be on their students. "I don't envy them. My baseball coach used to run us ragged before and after school. It's probably just as bad if not worse for gymnasts."

Eli's question caused Harlan's eyes to light up. He loved horses and could probably talk about them all day. Eli was probably the same seeing as he was attending an academy for horseback riding. "I sure did! I brought my trusty steed Texas Two Step. He's a bay roan American Quarter horse." He whipped out his phone and pulled up a picture of the horse to show Eli. "What about you? Did you bring your own horse or did you get one from the academy?"

[Elijah Taylor]

Eli chuckled, "Yeah, he seems to keep them pretty busy, from what I've heard." He moved to the edge of the bed as it seemed he'd brought up the conversation that everyone at this school could get excited about, happy to move away from trying to set up rules with someone he'd never met before. He took a look at the photo Harlan showed him, whistling with appreciation, "Nice looking horse."

He pulled out his phone in turn, speaking as he pulled up a photo, "I did bring my own horse, Northwoods Compass. He's a gaited Morgan, but we rein and do trail together." He showed Harlan the photo, deciding not to go into the whole backstory of Nav waiting for him at the school, "He's not your typical breed, but he's a good match for me all the same and we enjoy ourselves."

[Harlan Duke]

"Thanks! Your horse is really nice too. Northwoods Compass is a really neat name." Harlan could tell by looking at the picture that the horse was well taken care of. The way people treated their pets was always an indicator of their personality. Eli was passionate about horses and seemed to take good care of his. It'd be a red flag if he didn't seeing as he joined BRRA, but someone who didn't care about their horse probably wouldn't be at a horse riding school. Although, there were probably a couple of stuck up rich kids at the academy who saw their horses as nothing but entertainment or some hobby they can use to impress people. Harlan hoped that he wouldn't encounter anyone like that.

Eli's mention of reining and trail piqued Harlan's interest. The two boys even had riding events in common. "Oh you ride Western? So do I, but you probably already figured that out," he said while motioning to his hat and boots. The obvious western wear was a clear indicator of Harlan's riding style of choice. Not to mention the rope he brought along with him. "So, do you just ride Western only or do you also do English events?"

[Elijah Taylor]

Eli grinned, "He came with it, but thank you all the same. I like Texas Two Step too, I think quarter horses have some of the coolest names." Although, sometimes they did end up crossing the line to bizarre... But most of them were decent. "What, the hat?" He laughed, "That screams 'I'm a dressage rider', didn't you know? And the boots suggest a bit of show jumping too." He shook his head, "And while I know the basics of what I'm talking about there, I don't ride English. My sister does, though. Mostly dressage. What about you, do you dabble?"