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[Previous] --Tuesday's Story-- [Next]
WC: 690

"I feel awful." Kylie murmured, arms crossed firmly over her chest as her teeth and lips hovered a mere centimeter away from the surface of her phone, as though threatening to worry the leather cover's corner.

"Yeah, well, accidents happen." Jasper simply shrugged at that, one of his hands raising to drag through his hair as a mild sense of frustration rose in his chest. His attention was fixated on Tuesday as she stood in the cross-ties of the outdoor bathing area, watching Shani wrap her front foot with a weary look to her ever-concerned mind. "Could she use more work in front of crowds? Sure, but I doubt you'll ever get anybody to fully train the spook out of that mare. She's reactive and excitable --always will be--but her fall wasn't anybody's fault.. not you, or mine, or Shani's, or Tuesday's."

Their vet had just gathered his things and climbed back up into his truck to go home, and the news he'd left behind was hanging over Kylie's head like a guillotine blade. Tuesday had managed to tear a small hole in her front right tendon, and her jumping career's future was ambiguous. Whatever the long-term outcome, it was obvious that the bay was out for the season, and from the guilty look on her owner's face, Kylie placed the blame entirely on her own shoulders.

"I could have pulled her out of the lineup this morning. You said she was acting unusual, and I didn't listen." The woman's teeth brushed against the leather covering of her phone case, though she must have thought better of it, for she dropped her hand and stuffed the device back into her pocket.

"There's not a day that I've ever been able to predict what Tuesday would and wouldn't freak out over. Normally you point her nose towards the jumps, she gets a case of tunnel vision, and everything works out. Today, it didn't, but I never saw anything out of the ordinary during her warm-ups or when she ran the course the first time; I only pointed out that she acted unusually after the fact, and by the time it happened and Shani and I picked up on it, she was already jumping." Jasper sighed, the sneaking suspicion that he was playing 'reassuring best-est friend-sie' popping up into the back of his head. "Yeah, she spooked when she came out, but Shani was able to redirect her attention and get her back on task; to the point where she obviously made the judgement call to run her. If I'd have been in the saddle instead, I would have made the same decision."

Kylie peered at Jasper out of the corner of her eye briefly, though something sinking still held fast to the very backs of her blues. "..I'm not trying to be needlessly self-deprecating, but if there's blame to be placed --as the person responsible for her well-being--I would shoulder it in a heartbeat and learn from it. I don't want this to happen again."

"The point of calling this incident an accident, Ms. Moors," Jasper intoned without a shred of his dwindling humor. "--is to specify that it was unfortunate, unpredictable, and entirely beyond control. Yours and mine and Shani's and my grandmama's. Hell, Outcry's too."

Silence descended between the two of them as Shani's soft tone followed the clatter of hooves against the rubber mat below. Tuesday looked quite ginger, and was attempting to find a better position to stand on her swollen leg as she tried to get used to the sensation of wearing her new wrappings.

Jasper had always liked the mare. She was spooky, and certainly had her own style, but it was glaringly obvious that Tuesday loved jumping and had a passionate talent for it despite her faults. It seemed an utter shame for her career in the arena to end when it failed to reflect just how great of a horse she really was. There was hope, of course --the veterinarian had reassured them that the injury was far from severe--but the Thoroughbred would have to take a very long hiatus for this setback.

~

Medium: Artrage.
RL Time: About 5 hours.
Inspiration: Randy Random POR QUE, sad Tuesday, sad Kylie, sad Jasper, sad Shani, UGGUGHHH.
References: None.

MH Weekday Witchcraft, Jasper Jorgensen & Kylie Moors (c) Me
Jacklyn Appel (c) Tsuki-Taiyo

Art (c) Me

Description
[Previous] --Tuesday's Story-- [Next]
WC: 690

"I feel awful." Kylie murmured, arms crossed firmly over her chest as her teeth and lips hovered a mere centimeter away from the surface of her phone, as though threatening to worry the leather cover's corner.

"Yeah, well, accidents happen." Jasper simply shrugged at that, one of his hands raising to drag through his hair as a mild sense of frustration rose in his chest. His attention was fixated on Tuesday as she stood in the cross-ties of the outdoor bathing area, watching Shani wrap her front foot with a weary look to her ever-concerned mind. "Could she use more work in front of crowds? Sure, but I doubt you'll ever get anybody to fully train the spook out of that mare. She's reactive and excitable --always will be--but her fall wasn't anybody's fault.. not you, or mine, or Shani's, or Tuesday's."

Their vet had just gathered his things and climbed back up into his truck to go home, and the news he'd left behind was hanging over Kylie's head like a guillotine blade. Tuesday had managed to tear a small hole in her front right tendon, and her jumping career's future was ambiguous. Whatever the long-term outcome, it was obvious that the bay was out for the season, and from the guilty look on her owner's face, Kylie placed the blame entirely on her own shoulders.

"I could have pulled her out of the lineup this morning. You said she was acting unusual, and I didn't listen." The woman's teeth brushed against the leather covering of her phone case, though she must have thought better of it, for she dropped her hand and stuffed the device back into her pocket.

"There's not a day that I've ever been able to predict what Tuesday would and wouldn't freak out over. Normally you point her nose towards the jumps, she gets a case of tunnel vision, and everything works out. Today, it didn't, but I never saw anything out of the ordinary during her warm-ups or when she ran the course the first time; I only pointed out that she acted unusually after the fact, and by the time it happened and Shani and I picked up on it, she was already jumping." Jasper sighed, the sneaking suspicion that he was playing 'reassuring best-est friend-sie' popping up into the back of his head. "Yeah, she spooked when she came out, but Shani was able to redirect her attention and get her back on task; to the point where she obviously made the judgement call to run her. If I'd have been in the saddle instead, I would have made the same decision."

Kylie peered at Jasper out of the corner of her eye briefly, though something sinking still held fast to the very backs of her blues. "..I'm not trying to be needlessly self-deprecating, but if there's blame to be placed --as the person responsible for her well-being--I would shoulder it in a heartbeat and learn from it. I don't want this to happen again."

"The point of calling this incident an accident, Ms. Moors," Jasper intoned without a shred of his dwindling humor. "--is to specify that it was unfortunate, unpredictable, and entirely beyond control. Yours and mine and Shani's and my grandmama's. Hell, Outcry's too."

Silence descended between the two of them as Shani's soft tone followed the clatter of hooves against the rubber mat below. Tuesday looked quite ginger, and was attempting to find a better position to stand on her swollen leg as she tried to get used to the sensation of wearing her new wrappings.

Jasper had always liked the mare. She was spooky, and certainly had her own style, but it was glaringly obvious that Tuesday loved jumping and had a passionate talent for it despite her faults. It seemed an utter shame for her career in the arena to end when it failed to reflect just how great of a horse she really was. There was hope, of course --the veterinarian had reassured them that the injury was far from severe--but the Thoroughbred would have to take a very long hiatus for this setback.

~

Medium: Artrage.
RL Time: About 5 hours.
Inspiration: Randy Random POR QUE, sad Tuesday, sad Kylie, sad Jasper, sad Shani, UGGUGHHH.
References: None.

MH Weekday Witchcraft, Jasper Jorgensen & Kylie Moors (c) Me
Jacklyn Appel (c) Tsuki-Taiyo

Art (c) Me