The Dorm Lawn: Monday afternoon

[vkandis-son.livejournal.com]

It was cold enough that Karal was bundled in a long cloak, and it was weird enough that he'd spent most of the day with Trenor - first hiding in the stables and then on a long, rambling ride around the island.

Now Trenor was grazing on the front lawn while Karal sat on the picnic table, holding his lead and staring vaguely off into space.

[ooc: Open of course, but may be subject to flurries of SP and unexpected moments of AFK.]

Comments

[solo_sword]

Sometime after stopping in to see her grandfather, Jaina headed out to just take a walk, clear her head about some things. Or banish some things from her head, more like. It was luck that she saw someone she'd been wanting to talk to. "Having fun wherever you are?" she greeted Karal.

[vkandis-son.livejournal.com]

Trenor was far more alert than Karal, and he lifted his head, ears pointing at Jaina, and whuffled.

Karal slowly blinked back to here and now and smiled sheepishly. "Hello, Jaina," he said. "I don't think I was anywhere."

[solo_sword]

She took a moment to rub Trenor's side affectionately, asking, "Should I leave you to it?"

[Omfg lj.]

[vkandis-son.livejournal.com]

Trenor sighed happily and nosed her hand, making Karal smile. "I'd much rather you stayed, if there's nowhere else you need to be." He studied her carefully. "How are you?"

[solo_sword]

There was a long pause where she focused on Trenor, when she was trying to figure out how to put it. "Rotten week," she said simply. "You?"

[vkandis-son.livejournal.com]

"The same," he said quietly, watching Trenor, whose ears were flopping out to the side as he basked in the attention. "Thank Vkandis it's over."

[solo_sword]

"Feel normal yet?"

[vkandis-son.livejournal.com]

"Sometimes yes, sometimes no." He looked up with a tiny smile while Trenor nudged Jaina's foot, dropping his head to graze again. "You?"

[solo_sword]

With one more little pat, she came closer to where Karal was sitting. "Well," she said. "I finally crashed after the memorial for about twelve, thirteen hours, and then woke up to everyone being twice my age, so, not really. Thank you for being you, by the way."

[vkandis-son.livejournal.com]

Karal dropped his head in his hands. "That happened to me as well. Aravis is pregnant with her second child. Gavin has five children. I had no idea what was going on until Luke told me they were here for a reunion." He paused. "No, I still have no idea what's going on."

[solo_sword]

"My boyfriend's thirty-six now," Jaina informed him, hopping up to take a seat on the picnic table. "I'm going to smile and nod until it all goes away or I'm going to end up rocking back and forth in a corner."

[vkandis-son.livejournal.com]

"Do you think there might be room for me in that corner?" he asked, nudging her gently with his shoulder. "I spent last night pretending everything was normal while my friends told me about the twenty years they'd lived since leaving Fandom." He glanced sideways. "Finding John twenty years older must have been very...disconcerting."

[solo_sword]

"And yet disturbingly normal. Yeah. I don't know," she admitted. "I'm just hoping whatever if is wears off soon so it's at least a little less confusing."

[iseewhatyoumean.livejournal.com]

Cassandra was sort of staring at Trenor. She was a fairly widely traveled girl, but that was mostly urban travel. While not completely unfamiliar, large four legged animals were still a bit strange.

That was why she was staring. And why she hadn't noticed Karal yet.

[vkandis-son.livejournal.com]

Trenor lifted his head, ears flicking forward and back as he considered her, then he began walking twoards her, nose outstretched.

That got Karal's attention, and he hopped off the picnic table, ready to stop Trenor if necessary. "He won't hurt you."

[iseewhatyoumean.livejournal.com]

Eyes still wide, Cassandra hesitantly extended a hand palm up. It was quite odd, really. She was used to knowing about intentions and threats simply by looking, but she didn't really know what Trenor's movements signified. She heard Karal, of course, but since she wasn't paying him much attention at the moment.

[vkandis-son.livejournal.com]

Trenor's ear went straight forward and he nosed her palm, whuffling gently as he searched for treats, long whiskers quite possibly tickling.

Karal moved to stand by his neck, smiling a little, but stayed silent.

[ack, getting dragged to meeting!]

[iseewhatyoumean.livejournal.com]

Even in Trenor's gentle exploration Cassandra could feel his contained strength. Her eyes were still wide as she shifted her gaze slightly to look at Karal. "What should I do?" she asked helplessly.

[vkandis-son.livejournal.com]

"He likes to have his nose stroked, just gently, or you can rub his forehead," he replied, still amazed that someone could have had so little contact with a horse.

Trenor was still exploring her palm - treats could be well hidden, after all - and he blew out a short breath.

[iseewhatyoumean.livejournal.com]

Sadly Cassandra didn't know she was supposed to have hidden treats in her hand, and had come unprepared. Still, she did have a hand free which she hesitantly stroked down Trenor's nose.

"He's very big," she told Karal. Not that she had any idea if he was big for a horse, just that he was bigger than she was.

[vkandis-son.livejournal.com]

With a happy sigh, Trenor dropped his head a little, ears flopping sideways. "He's a nice size," Karal replied, running a hand down Trenor's neck. "Not as big as the horse he shares the stables with, though. His name's Trenor, though he'll answer to anything if he thinks there might be a treat or a pat for him."

[iseewhatyoumean.livejournal.com]

"He seems nice," Cassandra decided. Then she nodded to Karal, really noticing him for the first time. "Hi again."

[vkandis-son.livejournal.com]

"Hello," he said, giving her a warm smile. "And he is. He's been with me for a long time." Trenor gave her hand another little nudge, then returned to grazing. "How are you doing?"

[iseewhatyoumean.livejournal.com]

"Seems like he's a good friend, then," she nodded in approval.

"I'm..." she considered. "Not as bad as I could be?" Bart had died, after all.

[vkandis-son.livejournal.com]

Karal nodded, resting an arm over Trenor's withers, prompting the horse to nibble his shoe. "He is," he said quietly. "It's hard to know, sometimes, how to feel. How to react, after such a terrible thing."