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Post by withanyluck on Aug 28, 2012 6:22:44 GMT -8
Thomasina Miranda Chavez
19years old--- Single---New girl [img src=" "] Trees flashed past the truck windows creating a soft green backdrop in the early morning. The autumn air was brisk according to the little green number on the rear view mirror so the manually rolled windows remained tightly shut and the hot coffee in the cup holder made steam marks on every glass surface. It didn't help to have two warm panting beings inside the short box pickup. Tommy sat on the drivers seat, still relishing after a year, having her full class five license. She pushed the old three seater Chev hard, knowing exactly what her old beater could take. Her blonde hair was falling out of its haphazard braid and tickling the edges of her vision. Brushing it aside, she reached out mechanically for her latte. She turned the radio up to hear the announcer say "And at five thirty on your beautiful Monday morning, here is an oldy from the King himself George Strait!" "It's too early for this shit Simba," Tommy muttered as George started singing about how good his ex looked in love. Next to her, the big dog looked up at his name and his jowls quivered with a silent bark. Tommy smiled only a little bit and ruffled the fur around the black ears. Simba was a huge dog. His large black and grey frame took up the remaining two seats in the cab and his legs still hung off of it. Having ridden in the green Chevy enough times, dog and owner had developed a system to accommodate for both bodies. With Tommy squished into her side, she had enough room to reach for her latest caffeinated drink and to shift her cranky truck. Simba would lay, head in her lap, legs on either side of the stick shift and bushy tail wrapped right up to his belly. People would always get nervous around the three year old canine, not knowing that poor Simba could not hurt any innocent being. Tommy had no doubt however that her three quarter king shepherd would protect her till the day he died. The thing that scared people most Tommy assumed, was the fact that his grandfather was a wolf. The young woman would always counter this fear with, "My grandfather was certified insane. I'm not."[/b] Tommy suddenly had a wave of butterflies pour into her stomach. She was on her way to one of the most prestigious equestrian facilities in the world to better her riding ability. She had never been to Victoria, didn't know her way around and knew the equivalent of no one. Come on now Tomcat, you've been to fancy ass stables before. This is no different! as the old pickup pulled into the parking lot and shut off with a soft clunk, Tommy's thoughts were evaporated. Even from here the stables looked pristine and glorious, nothing like the old Mexican stables she learned to ride at. "Come on Simba, let's go meet the natives," other people speaking Tommy speakingTommy's thoughts Word count: who knows, I don't want to find out right now. Written for: Anyone brave enough to welcome Tommy and Simba. Think future enemies or rivals maybe STAFF POSITIONS Possible friends welcome too Thoughts: Written at five am on an IPhone, coding manually is hard hence the simplicity of it. |
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Post by countrycowgirl on Aug 28, 2012 17:10:53 GMT -8
Emma sat in the drivers seat of a big old rust bucket Ford. Her hands enveloped a mug of lukewarm Chai tea and the container shook slightly, vibrating along with the rest of Emma's nervous body. She nervously ran her hand through her long, blonde hair. "Cool it, Em," Emma spoke softly to herself since no one else was in the old vehicle with her. "You've worked your butt off for this opportunity. Don't let your nerves get in the way now." Easier said then done. Emma was always a nervous wreck, unless, of course, she was riding a good horse or working with a youngster, trying to bring out the best in them. That was the only time she felt nothing but contentment. Otherwise, her anxiety got the better of her and she would blurt out weird things, vibrate like no tomorrow, or, on the rare occasion, get dizzy and nearly pass out. Emma inhaled deeply, holding her breath for a moment, before letting out the air in a long exhale. She knew she might be out of her league here, but this was her last chance. She'd failed herself, she'd failed her family, she'd failed at her old job at a small country bar. She couldn't fail at her dreams, too. She had to do everything in her power to prevent that. Stepping out of the rusted white Ford, Emma glanced around at her surroundings. Talk about an impressive facility. She felt her hands begin to shake so hard that she dropped her mug. What was left of her tea spilled onto the concrete. Emma hardly noticed. She closed her eyes, took another deep breath, and then opened her grey eyes again. It was then that she saw her tea puddle had formed around another girl's feet. Emma looked up at her and bit her lip. "I am so sorry," she looked up at another blonde, feeling stupid. "I....wasn't paying attention." Emma hated it when her nerves showed this severely. How would she ever even make ahalf decent pro rodeo rider with anxiety issues like that STAFF POSITIONS |
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Post by withanyluck on Aug 28, 2012 17:56:19 GMT -8
Thomasina Miranda Chavez Simba, used to being fed tons of human delicacies, leaped towards the spilled tea at Tommy's feet with a canine grin. He lapped quickly at first before truly tasting the liquid. He slowed down and stopped, hanging his long pink tongue in apparent disgust.
Tommy laughed and stepped out of the remainder of the puddle. "It's no problem," she smiled and held out her hand, "Thomasina Chavez. Tommy works though," She tried to keep her voice steady as she spoke. Maybe this girl would be a friend. Maybe.
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Post by countrycowgirl on Aug 28, 2012 18:07:13 GMT -8
Emma eyed the girl's extended arm before slowly smiling. She firmly gripped Tommy's hand with her own, and the shaking seized momentarily while the two young women greeted one another. "Emma...Ricardi." Emma said, her voice falling quietter as she said her last name. She prayed the last name didn't ring a bell. She didn't want to bring up the past on the first day of her fresh start. Trying to recover and change the subject, Emma glanced at the large, wolflike dog. "What a handsome guy. King Shepherd, no STAFF POSITIONS " Emma asked as she slung her duffle bag over her shoulder, ready to head to the dorms to throw her bags down so she could go to the stables and procrastinate about unpacking for a month. Maybe more. |
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Post by withanyluck on Aug 28, 2012 18:27:41 GMT -8
Thomasina Chavez Tommy's eyebrows furrowed at the mention of the girls name. Wasn't she the one that was on the radio STAFF POSITIONS Probably not, when did you ever actually see those people. She grabbed her suitcase from the bed of her pickup and turned back to Emma to hear her ask about Simba. She grimaced knowing what most people did when she told them his breeding. They would cringe and make a hasty reply, excusing themselves to do some meaningless task or another. Nevertheless, she was taught to always be honest, especially with strangers. Her strong spanish accent made the words that emptied from her mouth seem exotic although they were just everyday words, "Simba is mostly King Shepherd, but his dad's dad was a wolf. He has nothing except his grandpas height though," Another smile, this one forced and slightly nervous. What would Emma think about this huge animal who accompanied her STAFF POSITIONS Then again, did it truly matter STAFF POSITIONS Yes, Tommy needed friends, but to have someone as a friend who was scared of her dog STAFF POSITIONS No that wouldn't work at all. If they had issues with big animals then the horse she was having delivered would be even more of an issue. Eli was a sweetheart, but he was a Percheron cross. Truly a gigantic horse. |
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Post by countrycowgirl on Aug 28, 2012 18:42:38 GMT -8
Emma's smile broadened. "Really STAFF POSITIONS Part wolf, huh. That's amazing. I love stalkin' those big beauties in the wilderness." The girl reached in her truck to grab her laptop case and a suitcase. "I always secretly wanted to just snatch one of their pups up and keep em. But...well, how fair would that be STAFF POSITIONS " Emma continued. "And my horse would flip if I carried a wolf pup on his back!" Some of her earlier anxiety left her grateful body. She was afraid everyone at a place like this would be a rich bitch that looked down on her. But this girl seemed friendly enough. She had a different air to her, one that Emma couldn't put a finger on but she quite liked it. |
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Post by withanyluck on Aug 28, 2012 20:50:30 GMT -8
Thomasina Chavez  Emma's reaction to Simba's breeding took Tommy away for a moment, but it was nothing compared to the shock of hearing that she had stalked wolves before. How had she ever had the courage to do such a thing STAFF POSITIONS And how would she STAFF POSITIONS All these things that Tommy was curious about, but at the same time, would Emma take kindly to those kinds of questions STAFF POSITIONS God, Tommy! Who caresSTAFF POSITIONS Who cares what she thinksSTAFF POSITIONS Just because you are nervous, she must be too. She dropped a perfectly good cup of joe! The blondes thoughts rushed through her head in moments and she managed to keep all of the insecurity that she felt locked away, deep inside. On the outside, she grinned and began walking towards the student dorms, or what had to be them judging from the map she had printed offline. She turned and glanced at Emma to make sure that she was coming, not wanting to loose what seemed like a decent friend. "So how did you come to be stalking wolves then, Ms.RicardiSTAFF POSITIONS " Again the name seemed to tickle a memory on the edge of Tommy's thoughts, but she pushed it away. Trust in even herself was not something she gave out willingly, not for a good nine years. |
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Post by countrycowgirl on Aug 29, 2012 9:30:30 GMT -8
Emma looked at Tommy, shifting her weight to prevent from dropping her bagagge. She had stopped shaking, even though her mind was realing. Did Tommy just say her last name with a hint of...familiarty STAFF POSITIONS No, that couldn't be. "Well," Emma started, in response to Tommy's question, "I always..uh, ride in the mountains. It's kinda my thing, exploring, ya know STAFF POSITIONS " Emma paused momentarily. Would it be weird to open up a bit more than that with someone she just met STAFF POSITIONS She decided to keep going, despite what some show rider might think. "Bush riding is super helpful for starting my colts, teaches 'em to neck rein real nice. And it gets them to be less spooky because they see lots. Anyway," Emma realized she was rambling. A nervous habit. "My fall back career idea is a wildlife photographer and journalist. I love watching animals, studying how they communicate with one another...they're just so...much easier to understand than our own species. They do what they do, and it's not a lie. They can't 'say one thing' but secretly be meaning something else. Not like people. Animals don't know how to lie." Emma stopped talking. Wow, nerd mode much STAFF POSITIONS And maybe corny too STAFF POSITIONS Had she really just blabbed on about how much greater animals are then people STAFF POSITIONS ! Nothing like sounding like an aniti-social loner... |
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Post by withanyluck on Aug 30, 2012 19:02:51 GMT -8
Thomasina Chavez [/color][/size] Tommy fiddled with the end of her braid for a moment, " That sounds so cool!" she was intrigued. How many people ever stalked wolves on horseback! "You would have to have a fairly special horse to do that on. Are you bringing a horse here or did it make it inSTAFF POSITIONS " she new how hard it was for a rider to get into Hollow Aspen, and even harder for their horses. She had been lucky with Eli. The big black stud had been on his best behavior for the HA representative, jumping clean and clear, never putting a hoof wrong. It helped that he was incredibly good looking as well. He only just scraped by too. |
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Post by countrycowgirl on Aug 30, 2012 19:26:45 GMT -8
Emma shrugged but smiled. "Yeah, I'm bringing him. A friend of the family is trailering him down at the end of the week. He's a pretty special guy." The blonde flipped her hair over one shoulder thoughtfully, thinking about her man back home. She couldn't wait till he arrived. Then maybe she'd feel less anxious about her new adventure, because she'd be sharing it with her equine soul mate. She'd been grateful that the gelding had just enough shine to make the cut. It had been a close call, but he'd made it. "Do you have a horse you're bringing STAFF POSITIONS " Emma asked carefully, hoping her new friend had the same luck. That her horse passed the test as well. |
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Post by withanyluck on Aug 30, 2012 21:49:03 GMT -8
Thomasina Chavez Emma seemed to be a little more relaxed around Tommy, but that could jar be her outward appearance, the one she wanted Tommy to see. That was exactly what Tommy herself was doing. Inside, a fountain of uncertainty bubbled close to overflowing, but her exterior was as calm as a mill pond. She desperately wanted to have the same outward stillness on the inside, where it mattered, but she had not been truly calm for nine years, unless she was riding. Riding always calmed the nervous eruptions that frothed at the surface of her mind. There was something about galloping across a dew covered field with the sun rising behind her that made everything okay. Eli was the only horse that understood this and would stand a statue whenever she had problems to unload or tears to cry. Tommy jerked back from her thoughts to hear Emma talking, asking her about Eli, if he had made the cut. " Yeah Eli made it," she smiled and looked over at the girl with the soft face, " SoSTAFF POSITIONS What kind of riding do you do if you are forced into an arenaSTAFF POSITIONS " |
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Post by countrycowgirl on Aug 30, 2012 22:03:45 GMT -8
Emma placed her bags down outside the building that they would be living in and slipped her hands into her Wrangler pockets. She felt cool, rusted silver in the right pocket and wiggled her fingers. The old charm bracelet that was shoved inside jingled softly. For a second, Emma closed her eyes, fighting back the awful memories that the bracelet brought forth. Luckily, Tommy had seemed to be lost in her own thoughts as well. But when she replied, it jarred Emma out of her painful past. "Arena STAFF POSITIONS " Emma asked, caught slightly offguard, though she didn't know why. "I game. Barrel race mostly, but will do gymkhana and some cattle sorting as well. How bout you STAFF POSITIONS " Emma pulled her hand out of the pocket a little too fast to wave away a fly that was buzzing around her face. But the old jewlery was hooked by her little finger and flew out with the sudden movement. It landed in a small puddle from the previous night's rain and the scene immedietly chilled Emma to the bone. It was so...familiar...like deja vu... And with all the stress over the last few days, Emma choked out a loud sob and shut her eyes tight. The young woman felt like she was haunted...like she would never ever escape because something would always come up, right when she caught herself relaxing, and it would take all the small comforts of Emma's life away. Karma was a bitch. |
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Post by withanyluck on Sept 1, 2012 8:30:24 GMT -8
Thomasina Chavez [/center][/size] Listening to Emma talk, Tommy fiddled with the tiny key attached to her key ring. The jingle of her truck keys along with various others mingled with the clang of Emma's bracelet hitting the ground and Tommy didn't realize that she had dropped it until Emma bent to retrieve it from the puddle. "What's thatSTAFF POSITIONS " Tommy's voice held real curiosity as she opened the door to the dorm building. Inside, a pleasant fresh smell wafted over her and she had to smile just a little at her luck. She had made it to Hollow Aspen and so had Eli. Things might be going her way now. Tommy turned to see Emma's reaction to the building, the tiny smile still on her lips. |
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Post by countrycowgirl on Sept 1, 2012 9:15:57 GMT -8
Without much warning, a tear slipped down Emma's cheek. Her face turned beet red as she bent and slowly picked up the bracelet. Emma stared at it, almost as if it was burning her hand. Then, she slowly slipped it on. She looked at Tommy, attempting to recover and get control over herself. But her eyes were watery and her hands began to shake.
"It...." Emma trailed off. "It was my sisters..."
She gulped, struggling to get a hold of herself. Natalie's death was years ago! But the pain never would seize.
Emma chewed her bottom lip, debating on whether to tell Tommy anymore. The topic felt so private, like a bad secret that, if anyone else knew about it, she would lose grip on her life and fall into eternal turmoil. People would see her as the girl who killed her own sister, just like her small hometown had! And Hollow Aspen was supposed to be a fresh start...
Emma decided to just skip past the whole horror story and get to the part that made her not seem like such an insane, emotional wreck. "My sister died back when we were teens...the anniversary of her death is this week," Emma explained, not meeting Tommy's eye and her voice hardly above a whisper. "She...was my best friend even though we were exact opposites..."
Emma followed Tommy into the beautiful building, slapping her tear away with the back of her hand. As soon as she could, she planned on escaping to the stables. At least there would be horses down there, and they would see her as a gentle, broken girl. Not like people, and even her own parents, who saw her as an evil little bitch who left her sister to be tortured and murdered at the hands of a psychopath.
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Post by withanyluck on Sept 4, 2012 16:43:22 GMT -8
Thomasina Chavez [/center][/size] " Whoa, whoa! Hey, it's okay sweetie," Tommy's smile slipped along with Emma's tear. She stepped towards her and put a hand on the slightly shaking shoulder. It was a tentative touch like she was afraid that Emma would break. It wasn't that however that kept Tommy's touch light, and it was shameful for her, but Tommy was afraid for herself. She didn't want to be comforting anyone, to have them start trusting her. Against her better judgment her hand remained soft yet steady on Emma. "Let's go find our dorms heySTAFF POSITIONS " Tommy was desperate to escape and settle in, but she felt an obligation to the crying girl in front of her. |
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