A Faire-Read Easter Closed

Rhys kinda just sat there on Balance as Azzy ran up to their parents and the various horses that were being unloaded from the trailer. The rain had stopped, and Rhys was glad for the flannel that they had, as they were less cold than they would have been in only the t shirt. Their legs were still chilled, though, in the shorts that they had decided to put on without checking what the weather would be like in Ireland. They tuned out for a bit while Azzy went about naming some of the horses, then snapped back to reality when they heard their name.

"Rhys! How about you come name one? You can work with them as like a show horse or a horse to ride when you're here!" Azzy was saying, clapping their hands as they did so. Rhys froze, surprised. Azzy was... offering them a horse? To, like, have and board at their farm? That was... something, they guessed.

"Oh, um.." Rhys clumsily slid down off of Balance, twisting their ankle a bit as they landed with a thud on the ground. They walked over to where Azzy was, registering how sore their thighs were. And they'd only ridden for, like, 45 minutes. They crossed their arms in a self-hug. "I mean, are-- are you sure? They're your horses, I- I wouldn't want to--" They were interrupted by one of the shires-- a dappled light gray one, with a long black mane, tail, and feathering around the hooves-- walking over and nuzzling against Rhys's shoulder. "To intru-" Rhys tried to continue, but the horse nudged against them once more, and eventually they had to relent, turning towards the giant equine and sighing. "You, huh? Alright.." Rhys smoothed a hand over the horse's muzzle, trying to think of a good name before they bit back a smile. "Alright, I think I'll call you Onyx," Rhys finally said, indicating the contrast of the grey-white fur with the horse's black mane, tail, and feathering. They looked over at Azzy for approval, but their attention was quickly drawn over to Rhylee, who was tugging on their mother's sleeve.

"Mum! Can I have a horse, too, if Rhys is getting one?" She pestered, bouncing on her heels. Rhys's mother hesitated, and Rhain bit back a laugh.

"Really, Rhy? Do you see the size of those things? And Rhys is Azzy's friend, you aren't," He pointed out, though not unkindly. Rhylee quieted, frowning slightly. She looked dreamily at the horses, then back to her mother, crossing her arms.

Rhain put his hands up in a placating gesture, taking a few steps back. Rhylee nodded, laughing a little when Azzy picked her up and brought her over to King's Honor. She swayed slightly, not accustomed to being on a horse, much less one without a saddle, but she maintained a huge grin all the while she sat there. Rhys smiled as they watched, then turned their attention back to Onyx as she nudged them yet another time.

"I don't have any treats," Rhys insisted, putting their hands up before relenting and rubbing a hand down Onyx's soft neck. The horse, it seemed, had already grown attached to Rhys, nudging them often lest they forget to continuously provide her with their attention. She reminded Rhys of their aunt's dog, who was always nosing his way under people's hands so they would pet him. But she was about 10 times the size, and a lot more appealing to Rhys than the needy terrier dog.

Rhys walked alongside Onyx as Azzy's father started leading the horses to the stables, smiling softly as they continued to get prompted by the large horse for attention. Rhain watched with his mother a moment before the two of them turned and headed back towards the house.

Rhys continued to walk alongside Onyx as they all headed for the stables, halting once they got there. Onyx also stopped (she had been, more or less, willfully keeping alongside Rhys without much persuasion), and the two seemed to wonder simultaneously what was next. Rhys got the sinking feeling there were a lot of chores to be done regarding the several horses, and of course they'd get involved with it because a) they felt the obligation to, what with technically "owning" one of the new arrivals (and Rhylee having one too), and b) the alternative was hanging out in the house with Azzy's mother, their own mother, and Rhain, the last two of which had stayed behind as everyone else had followed Azzy's dad. (Who, apparently, was American, in the country sense. The surprises never ceased.)

Rhylee, at least, was having the time of her life, atop the horse Azzy had helped her onto, grinning a cheeky little shit-eater grin, as children are wont to do when they get their way. It'd be annoying if Rhys didn't have a soft spot for her. And if it hadn't warmed them a little to see Azzy so easily interact with their younger sister. Yeah, if they were a bit more unaffected by the happiness of both Rhylee and Azzy, this entire day would be a drag. But, as it was, this was Rhylee (who Rhys cared about) and Azzy (someone Rhys was starting to care more about-- a fact that they had finally come to terms with. More or less.) Seeing both of them so happy and at ease was almost unbearable, because, after all, it made Rhys feel things as a result, and feelings are... But these weren't bad feelings, per se. They were actually kind of alright. Still.

Rhys walked away from Onyx (who of course tried to follow), sidling up next to Azzy. They didn't say anything, just sort of nudged them gently, shoulder-to-shoulder, and gave them a small smile. Rhylee was too distracted to notice, thankfully, and Rhys waited to see Azzy's reaction.

Rhylee ran from the stables, giggling as she did so. Rhys smiled softly before realizing Azzy had started to clean up and doing their best to follow along with what they were doing. Following their lead, more or less. If only they knew what the lead was supposed to mean.

Staying alongside Azzy, Rhys nudged them again, humming slightly. Azzy's dad seemed to have disappeared, so for the moment it was just the two of them, the horses, and the dogs that had just barraged in. Rhys didn't mind: they much preferred animals to people. It was probably why they liked Care of Magical Creatures so much. And it explained their horse phase thing.

"So, what's the plan?" Rhys had considered calling Azzy one of the nicknames they'd come up with, 'Az' specifically, but they stopped themself, insecurity creeping in like a plague. They weren't sure how bold they wanted to be with Azzy-- how bold they could be with Azzy-- and the thought of doing anything too forward made their stomach turn. Because, despite everything, they were still scared of rejection. That Azzy would change their mind once they got too close to Rhys, suddenly decide that this wasn't worth pursuing. They knew this was definitely paranoid, and unreasonable, but it was where their mind was at.

"I guess the plan is to clean up and head inside for dinner. Since the sky should be clear tonight, afterwards I might go for a midnight ride." Azzy said, nudging Rhys back. "What about you Rhys's Cup?"

Rhys almost choked on their own spit in surprise at Azzy's use of the nickname. They'd been called various things related to the Reece's brand growing up, but it had always seemed a personal, family nickname. No one outside of Rhys's family had ever really used those nicknames. Until now, with Azzy. Oh, how Rhys's walls seemed to come down around the other Gryffindor.

"I, uh, well, I'm down, but I have a feeling we won't be sticking around that much longer." They said regrettably. Night had fallen, and the Reads had a long trip home to make. Rhys assumed their mother's plan was to drive a few hours, stay the night at a hotel, and then drive the rest of the way the following day. Rhys walked over to peer outside to see whether or not their mother had quite geared up the car to leave. It remained off, and the only lights Rhys saw came from the house. As Azzy spoke again, Rhys wheeled around.

"Hey. Uh... Do you wanna go to the Spring Court with me?"

Rhys could not hide the blush that arose on their face, and they had to remind themself to close their mouth, which had dropped to form a small o in surprise. They took a moment to recover their composure, before offering Azzy a coy smirk.

"Well, I'll have to check my schedule, but I suppose if I'm free, then I'll consider tagging along." Rhys bit back a grin. It was obvious that the answer was yes, and that they did want to go with Azzy to the Spring Court.