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"What is that?" Ezra crinkled his nose in disgust as the horse stepped off the trailer. "I have never seen a bigger ass in my life."

"You tried looking in the mirror?" Bea muttered under her breath, her side comment passing unnoticed. "Put him in the round pen please," she instructed the handler.

"Why did you buy a Quarter Horse?" Ezra asked, trailing after her as Bea followed the horse to the round pen.

"He's an appendix, and I wanted him," Her voice was flat and she forced herself to focus on the horse in the ring. She didn't have to explain herself, not to him.

"You aren't even home. This is a racing barn if you haven't realized." Ezra's words stung, making Bea's skin prickle. Everything about the past eight months had been one warning flag after another but she'd been able to escape to HCL. They were between legs now, and Bea felt the desire to come home and see Muirenn and the friends she'd left behind. It was unrealistic, yes, but she needed a break. She'd left Oliver with her teammates in Israel and would meet up with them for Moscow.

"He's a jumping prospect," she said cooly, forcing herself to take a deep breath. "His name is Hit Me Handsome and he's a six-year-old Appendix. Not that it matters to you."

Ezra visibly flinched but couldn't come up with a reply fast enough as Bea directed her attention to the round pen, watching the young gelding. The tobiano jogged around, keeping close to the panels as he completed a few circuits before he settled.

Bea had been forwarded his sale ad by a friend, after watching the videos provided she had been able to schedule a test ride proxy, who reported back nothing but good news. The gelding had been broke to ride and had been competing lightly in hand, pleasure and as a child's gaming horse. It wasn't much to look at on paper, but he'd had a kind eye and was a beautiful mover.

She leaned against the panels, clicking her tongue to call the gelding to her. He watched her from the opposite corner, considering her for a moment before walking up to press his forehead into her hand.

"You're a good boy, aren't you Henry?" Bea smiled, giving his whorl a good scratch. He was on the chunkier side, whether that was his Quarter Horse bloodlines or lack of training or perhaps a bit of both, it was hard to tell.

"When do you plan on.. fixing him? with your busy schedule and all." Ezra asked, clearly speaking about Henry's less than desirable state, the venom in his voice creeping forward. Bea made a mental note that he didn't even attempt to stop it.

"HCL is almost over," she said slowly, keeping her gaze trained on the gelding's forehead. "I'd like to continue to promote the appendix horses and take a break from the breakneck 5* competitions," she gestured to Henry, "he'd give me a chance to sit back and have a good time - Oliver needs a break anyway and I could lease Missy out."

"Buying more horses doesn't fix the problems that exist," Ezra replied.

"Right. Racing barn," Bea snapped, rolling her eyes as she stepped back from the panels. "Thank you," she smiled her best false smile in the direction of the shipping hand, who nodded and scurried back to the safety of his truck cab.

"Aaren don't you walk away from me," his voice was deadly soft with a hint of silk and Bea felt her skin prickle uncomfortably. James had used a similar voice when he got upset and while he never laid a hand on her, it always made her feel uneasy.

"What exactly has gotten into you?" she snarled, "I've been on the road competing - something you pushed me to do, for all of five months and suddenly me buying a horse is a big deal."

Ezra clearly hadn't been expecting a challenge and he blinked in surprise, taken aback by her outburst. Bea smirked knowingly, she'd changed, she wasn't about to keel over.

"Please," he said, his voice returning to normal, "let us go talk about this in the house."

"What? don't want people to see this performance?" Bea stepped back, spreading her arms out as she gestured to the entirety of the farm. "Why not? Clearly you have no respect, might as well let them enjoy the show!" her voice rose dangerously, "let them hear! I bought a horse and my boyfriend has a stick so far up his ass I THINK IT'S PERMANENTLY STUCK!" she shouted. Henry whinnied nervously and pinned his ears, Landon, shot her a quizzical look from across the courtyard where he was mucking stalls, but Bea waved him off with a flick of her wrist.

"Bea please," Ezra pleaded, his eyes reflected nothing but hurt and he appeared to compose himself.

"Don't give me the kicked puppy look, you started this. You have had me on such a short leash I can barely take a shit without turning around and finding you breathing down my neck," Bea knew she was foaming at the mouth but she didn't care, she was done. After what happened to Cecily, and her months abroad bringing clarity to their relationship, Bea didn't care how many bridges she burned. "I'm tired of these games, the radio silence, the seething looks, and passive-aggressive behavior, so please, tell me what is it," she spat. "Tell me now or I walk away."

Ezra bristled visibly, not completely ready for the fight he walked into. "All you do is run away, from everything. From your responsibilities here, from your friends, your family, from me."

Bea blinked, "It is my job. You do realize?"

"Seems like nothing but a good time, if I'm being honest," Ezra replied. "You spend your time in rich cities, drinking with the high society, with shiny horses and men on your arm, what good is life back here?"

"So you're jealous," Bea scoffed, shaking her head in utter disbelief. "I'll have you know, I have barely left my teammates sides, other than to hang with Cecily and Harley who are on-site pretty much all the time anyway."

Ezra's lip curled at the mention of her friends' names, and he didn't attempt to hide it. "You didn't tell me the Givens' kid was your stable boy."

"He's not? Sure, Harley helps out now and then, but everybody helps everybody," She retorted. "You know what, we'll talk when you've calmed down. I don't have to explain anything to you. Hopefully, that happens before I fly out in a few days." Bea stepped back, heading towards the house. She could feel Ezra's gaze burning into her backside but she forced herself to continue walking.

"Bea -" she felt him reach for her before he even did, drawing her arm away sharply. She didn't bother turning around as she held her elbow suspended awkwardly, waiting to see what he'd do. Ezra didn't try again as she marched straight up to the house, opening the kitchen door, walking inside and forcing herself to close it calmly behind her. It wasn't until the door was closed and locked that Bea let out the breath she'd been holding.

by some grace, I have gotten this up before the next leg (barely).

"I want to draw my new horse" turned into "lets make it part of HCL storyline" turned into full-blown "Hey, here is the drama I've been sitting on for the past 6 months" turned into "how much heartache and cringe can I put on a poor horse's ref until it's weird?" I think I've sufficiently surpassed that point.

If you go back to the very beginning, the tension has been very poorly hinted at and she's been slightly off for a while. This has carried through all the HCL legs - both in her overall mood and choice of titles (Bad Liar and Looks Red, Tastes Blue - because I'm original af, what can I say). I never wanted to expose it until I got the lead up written and released (yes I actually had a plan) but I think it suffices to say that will probably never happen, so everyone is being filled in after the fact. I promise Ezra isn't really a dick, he's just being very dickish - he's also struggling with shit and has underlying abandonment issues that are ruining things for everyone.

There was an outburst before Bea left for Vienna and she's been stewing on it quietly ever since. Now that that is all out of the way, I can carry on with the rest of the plans and actually writing better stories for my entries instead of the same "weeee! we jumped fence one, two and three "

is it over the top and super extra? absolutely. Do I care? probably will regret it tomorrow.

Moscow will be interesting.

Truthfully, been burnt out, frustrated and just in a shit spot with my art so I just kinda let the writing happen. It is what it is.

I kept coming back to the design so I knew I had to give it a home. I promise to give Henry a more permanent ref soon™ that doesn't come with all this baggage :')

Name: Hit Me Handsome "Henry"
Gender: Gelding
Age: 6
Breed: Appendix (QH x Thoroughbred)
Height: 16.0 hh
Color: Liver Chestnut Tobiano
Genotype: ee Ata xT
Markings: Stripe, tobiano, dual-colored mane and tail
Temperament: Quiet, social and a real people lover. Can be a bit shy at first and needs some encouragement, but will warm up pretty quick. Vocal, light on his feet, beautiful mover and slightly pushbutton.
Discipline: Eventing, Show Jumping?
Bloodlines: Foundation (QH x TB)

ref - ArtemissyPhotography
design by ShineyDuckRanch

Description
PREVIOUS • NEXT

"What is that?" Ezra crinkled his nose in disgust as the horse stepped off the trailer. "I have never seen a bigger ass in my life."

"You tried looking in the mirror?" Bea muttered under her breath, her side comment passing unnoticed. "Put him in the round pen please," she instructed the handler.

"Why did you buy a Quarter Horse?" Ezra asked, trailing after her as Bea followed the horse to the round pen.

"He's an appendix, and I wanted him," Her voice was flat and she forced herself to focus on the horse in the ring. She didn't have to explain herself, not to him.

"You aren't even home. This is a racing barn if you haven't realized." Ezra's words stung, making Bea's skin prickle. Everything about the past eight months had been one warning flag after another but she'd been able to escape to HCL. They were between legs now, and Bea felt the desire to come home and see Muirenn and the friends she'd left behind. It was unrealistic, yes, but she needed a break. She'd left Oliver with her teammates in Israel and would meet up with them for Moscow.

"He's a jumping prospect," she said cooly, forcing herself to take a deep breath. "His name is Hit Me Handsome and he's a six-year-old Appendix. Not that it matters to you."

Ezra visibly flinched but couldn't come up with a reply fast enough as Bea directed her attention to the round pen, watching the young gelding. The tobiano jogged around, keeping close to the panels as he completed a few circuits before he settled.

Bea had been forwarded his sale ad by a friend, after watching the videos provided she had been able to schedule a test ride proxy, who reported back nothing but good news. The gelding had been broke to ride and had been competing lightly in hand, pleasure and as a child's gaming horse. It wasn't much to look at on paper, but he'd had a kind eye and was a beautiful mover.

She leaned against the panels, clicking her tongue to call the gelding to her. He watched her from the opposite corner, considering her for a moment before walking up to press his forehead into her hand.

"You're a good boy, aren't you Henry?" Bea smiled, giving his whorl a good scratch. He was on the chunkier side, whether that was his Quarter Horse bloodlines or lack of training or perhaps a bit of both, it was hard to tell.

"When do you plan on.. fixing him? with your busy schedule and all." Ezra asked, clearly speaking about Henry's less than desirable state, the venom in his voice creeping forward. Bea made a mental note that he didn't even attempt to stop it.

"HCL is almost over," she said slowly, keeping her gaze trained on the gelding's forehead. "I'd like to continue to promote the appendix horses and take a break from the breakneck 5* competitions," she gestured to Henry, "he'd give me a chance to sit back and have a good time - Oliver needs a break anyway and I could lease Missy out."

"Buying more horses doesn't fix the problems that exist," Ezra replied.

"Right. Racing barn," Bea snapped, rolling her eyes as she stepped back from the panels. "Thank you," she smiled her best false smile in the direction of the shipping hand, who nodded and scurried back to the safety of his truck cab.

"Aaren don't you walk away from me," his voice was deadly soft with a hint of silk and Bea felt her skin prickle uncomfortably. James had used a similar voice when he got upset and while he never laid a hand on her, it always made her feel uneasy.

"What exactly has gotten into you?" she snarled, "I've been on the road competing - something you pushed me to do, for all of five months and suddenly me buying a horse is a big deal."

Ezra clearly hadn't been expecting a challenge and he blinked in surprise, taken aback by her outburst. Bea smirked knowingly, she'd changed, she wasn't about to keel over.

"Please," he said, his voice returning to normal, "let us go talk about this in the house."

"What? don't want people to see this performance?" Bea stepped back, spreading her arms out as she gestured to the entirety of the farm. "Why not? Clearly you have no respect, might as well let them enjoy the show!" her voice rose dangerously, "let them hear! I bought a horse and my boyfriend has a stick so far up his ass I THINK IT'S PERMANENTLY STUCK!" she shouted. Henry whinnied nervously and pinned his ears, Landon, shot her a quizzical look from across the courtyard where he was mucking stalls, but Bea waved him off with a flick of her wrist.

"Bea please," Ezra pleaded, his eyes reflected nothing but hurt and he appeared to compose himself.

"Don't give me the kicked puppy look, you started this. You have had me on such a short leash I can barely take a shit without turning around and finding you breathing down my neck," Bea knew she was foaming at the mouth but she didn't care, she was done. After what happened to Cecily, and her months abroad bringing clarity to their relationship, Bea didn't care how many bridges she burned. "I'm tired of these games, the radio silence, the seething looks, and passive-aggressive behavior, so please, tell me what is it," she spat. "Tell me now or I walk away."

Ezra bristled visibly, not completely ready for the fight he walked into. "All you do is run away, from everything. From your responsibilities here, from your friends, your family, from me."

Bea blinked, "It is my job. You do realize?"

"Seems like nothing but a good time, if I'm being honest," Ezra replied. "You spend your time in rich cities, drinking with the high society, with shiny horses and men on your arm, what good is life back here?"

"So you're jealous," Bea scoffed, shaking her head in utter disbelief. "I'll have you know, I have barely left my teammates sides, other than to hang with Cecily and Harley who are on-site pretty much all the time anyway."

Ezra's lip curled at the mention of her friends' names, and he didn't attempt to hide it. "You didn't tell me the Givens' kid was your stable boy."

"He's not? Sure, Harley helps out now and then, but everybody helps everybody," She retorted. "You know what, we'll talk when you've calmed down. I don't have to explain anything to you. Hopefully, that happens before I fly out in a few days." Bea stepped back, heading towards the house. She could feel Ezra's gaze burning into her backside but she forced herself to continue walking.

"Bea -" she felt him reach for her before he even did, drawing her arm away sharply. She didn't bother turning around as she held her elbow suspended awkwardly, waiting to see what he'd do. Ezra didn't try again as she marched straight up to the house, opening the kitchen door, walking inside and forcing herself to close it calmly behind her. It wasn't until the door was closed and locked that Bea let out the breath she'd been holding.

by some grace, I have gotten this up before the next leg (barely).

"I want to draw my new horse" turned into "lets make it part of HCL storyline" turned into full-blown "Hey, here is the drama I've been sitting on for the past 6 months" turned into "how much heartache and cringe can I put on a poor horse's ref until it's weird?" I think I've sufficiently surpassed that point.

If you go back to the very beginning, the tension has been very poorly hinted at and she's been slightly off for a while. This has carried through all the HCL legs - both in her overall mood and choice of titles (Bad Liar and Looks Red, Tastes Blue - because I'm original af, what can I say). I never wanted to expose it until I got the lead up written and released (yes I actually had a plan) but I think it suffices to say that will probably never happen, so everyone is being filled in after the fact. I promise Ezra isn't really a dick, he's just being very dickish - he's also struggling with shit and has underlying abandonment issues that are ruining things for everyone.

There was an outburst before Bea left for Vienna and she's been stewing on it quietly ever since. Now that that is all out of the way, I can carry on with the rest of the plans and actually writing better stories for my entries instead of the same "weeee! we jumped fence one, two and three "

is it over the top and super extra? absolutely. Do I care? probably will regret it tomorrow.

Moscow will be interesting.

Truthfully, been burnt out, frustrated and just in a shit spot with my art so I just kinda let the writing happen. It is what it is.

I kept coming back to the design so I knew I had to give it a home. I promise to give Henry a more permanent ref soon™ that doesn't come with all this baggage :')

Name: Hit Me Handsome "Henry"
Gender: Gelding
Age: 6
Breed: Appendix (QH x Thoroughbred)
Height: 16.0 hh
Color: Liver Chestnut Tobiano
Genotype: ee Ata xT
Markings: Stripe, tobiano, dual-colored mane and tail
Temperament: Quiet, social and a real people lover. Can be a bit shy at first and needs some encouragement, but will warm up pretty quick. Vocal, light on his feet, beautiful mover and slightly pushbutton.
Discipline: Eventing, Show Jumping?
Bloodlines: Foundation (QH x TB)

ref - ArtemissyPhotography
design by ShineyDuckRanch