She laughed, "Really? back flips? Spark will love it." of course she was only joking, but Simon would have to figure that out on his own, Clair nodded, "Yeah, I'll check it, so you do not slide off while we are galloping around the fields." again, another Joke, hopefully Simon would know that they were only going for a four hour ride where they would never go higher then a trot at the most.
she laughed at Simon wiping his hands, "wait till after when you need to take the bridle off and her mouth is all wet, Spark has a thing for.... foaming."
she listened to Simon talk about some book, as she tightened the saddled and checked the straps, "Well, you almost got it, western saddles are hard, English saddles are better because the girth is just a clip. I've never heard of Winnie the poo, is he a poop or something? the only Winnie I've heard of is Winnie Harper, from Hogwarts!" patted Spark and handed the reins to Simon, "Ok, You hold her, do NOT let her eat grass or she will never STOP! I'll get helmets."
running into the barn Clair got two helmets, putting her helmet one she walked back and handed Simon his helmet, "C'mon Blaze!" she said unclipping her horse and grabbing the Lunge whip and Lunge line, "I'll put this on her when we get to the ring," she reached back and got a few treats from a bucket, "Take some treats for the horses too!"
once at the grass ring Clair tied Blazes reins into a knot, so that if he put his head down the reins would not fall forward, then she let him go to the other side of the ring, "Go get a green face Blaze!" she said pushing the horse away, turning to Simon she smiled, "Do you know how to mount? I'll give you a leg up and then I'll show you how to steer and everything like that Ok?"
(wc 336)
@Simon Kincaid

Clair helped Simon get everything set up and then showed him how to get on the horse - which was very different than getting on a broom, and then some of the basics. Turn left, turn right, go straight, stop. Now that he had that underway and it seemed Spark was cooperating with him for the most part, Simon wasn't so nervous about the four hour horse ride.

They practiced for what seemed like a good while and she answered any questions he might have had and when she asked if he felt ready, he nodded and acted as though he was tipping a cowboy hat. "Ready as I'm going to be, Miss Fernandez," he smiled to her.

Clair told him to stay next to her. Spark would sort of match Blaze's speed and the two could then attempt to ride through their three hundred acres side by side.

"So just before we set out on holiday from school I uh...I wrote my father," he admitted. Simon wasn't quite sure why but talking about personal matters could be a bit difficult for him. Maybe it was because he always wanted to be the one to help other people and he didn't want to bother others with his problems - trivial or not. Still, it was sometimes hard to fight your battles alone and in silence.

[Word Count: 225]

Clair mounted her own stead, Blaze lifted him head and looked around, his nose covered in green snotty grass mess.
Clair made a click noise and Blaze started to walk, Clair grinned at Simon, "Spark might be a little jumpy for a bit, she always is, just don't kick her and she won't run off."
Clair had warned Simon and she knew that no matter what Spark would be jumpy, the mare would jump about for a few moments, she moved Blaze up to a slow trot, "I'm going to go for a quick trot ok? Spark will just follow, but is is the best way to calm the mare down, and she is rather smooth" Clair moved Blaze to a faster trot, Spark trotting beside them, Clair reached a hand out, feeling the air slowly move through her fingers.
She moved Blaze back to a walk, nearing the entrance to the forest Clair turned and looked at Simon, "Oh? So what did he send back? A nice sweet letter about missing you?" She smiled, "Like in a movie? Where in the end you run together and hug, you tell him everything and he tells you everything that you missed?" She smiled as she thought of that seen, of Simon running to his dad, a man who looked like Simon, just older.
"I wish I could write to my dad, but well, I just can't."
(wc 236)
@Simon Kincaid

Simon felt awful for mentioning it. He should have thought about it a little more. Of course bringing up something like fathers wouldn't be the best of ideas around Clair and he sighed, frustrated with himself. "It was sent back. Wrong address," he said, leaving it at that.

Lately, on this whole journey of trying to discover things about his father, he wanted to talk to someone about it but no one was the right person. Haley was off being Haley, Emily had distanced herself from him, and it wasn't something he really felt he should talk to Aunt Maggie about, nor could he bring up his vampire dad to his muggle friends back in London. Still, he realized that this wasn't the best place either because the last thing he wanted was for Clair to be said.

So he'd keep it to himself longer and do his best to deal with it internally. "I wish you could too," he said and looked forward. "So uh...won't the horses get tired after hours?" he asked, hoping to get off the topic of dads entirely.

Truly though, he didn't know if horses usually liked four hour rides through the farm or if they'd get tired after that amount of time. So it was still a valid question, even if one just to change the subject.

"well that's too bad, I guess we don't all live in a fairy tale world."
She sat back in her saddle, letting Blaze walk under the trees, the trees made a shelter and the sun filtered down, making the shadows greenish, it was very calming, the woods always calmed Clair.
"No, if you left them in a field to eat grass and be lazy and not work them every day and then randomly go out for a four hour ride then they might get colic which would kill them, but if you do like my family does and work them Every single day then they should be good." Clair said in a matter of fact-ly way.
She looked at Simon and smiled, " Horses like work, and with these two if you don't work 'em then the next day you get a hand full of busy horses. Belle rides them when I'm at Hogwarts, but it was my job."
She looked around and watched as the snow fall from branches.
"Do you ever feel like you are not apart of your family when you come back from Hogwarts? I thought it would be just like it was when I left, but now Belle is engaged to a boy I hate -but only because he is engaged to her- Izzy hates me because I'm not Slytherin. Mum thinks I need to eat.
I thought that I would return with Izzy, and Mum would hug me and tell me everything I missed, I thought Izzy would speak to me again,. There was a lot I thought would happen. But I now feel like I'm looking through a window, at a life i once k ew, that is now gone to me, that everyone else is still in, like I'm too big to get through that window."
She sighed along slow sigh, one that came from her gut.
(wc 316)
@Simon Kincaid

"It's hard to stay in touch with my muggle friends," he stated after giving it a moment's thought. "I saw some of my best ones back in London before coming here and I can only say so much about my school, you know? I'm leaving out some of the biggest details because I can't say anything about magic and that makes me feel distanced already. But for like Aunt Maggie, I suppose it feels the same. Just like stepping back into my church, everyone's glad to see me and it feels like home again." He was fortunate for that.

"Maybe you're hesitant to change," he said, thinking on Clair's perspective. From what he knew, Belle was just growing older, her mother was still welcoming, and Izzy was Izzy. Still, she had first hand knowledge on the subject that he certainly didn't have. "One thing's for certain though, here or back at Hogwarts...either way, you've got me," he said and flashed her a smile. It wasn't one of those I'm-so-cool sort of smiles, but a genuine one. He meant it.

There must have been something calming about the woods to the horses too because, at least for the moment, Spark wasn't giving him any trouble. She seemed happy to walk along side Clair and Blaze for their morning stroll.

[Word Count: 216]

Clair smiled, it was true she did have Simon.
"yes, that is true, anyway! How on earth did we get to be such close friends? I mean we only met by breaking rules." She grinned "If I met a friend every time I broke a rule I would have way to many friends!" She laughed a little, "did i ever tell you? At Muggle school they had this thing, at the end of the year you would get a list of all the things you did wrong, my list was always super long, Mum said that I was too bored while at school, but half of the things were magic I could not control."
She grinned, "I wonder if other kids have the same problem? Or if I'm just a bad girl, I don't back away from trouble, and I don't try to find it, it just comes to me. Like I'm a magnet."
She pulled on the reins to make Blaze stop trying to eat a tree, "C'mon Blaze-y no trees on the menu today bud!"
Blaze stopped attempting to eat the tree and started to walk on, his big hooves clip clopping on the snow.
"So in the City, is there any gardens? Or fields? I went to the city with my Mum and Izzy and Belle a few years ago, London is nice, i guess if you don't like grass." She shrugged
"Do you find it hard not seeing grass or horses every day?"
(wc 248)
@Simon Kincaid

"Well, there's Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens and luckly those are pretty close to where my home is," he said, but still didn't think that would suit Clair's nature needs. He could tell she liked to be in touch with the outdoors. Maybe someplace like London was a great place for a dhampir to grow up in, because he really wouldn't miss things like large open spaces. "There's some fun parks too. Still, I certainly don't see horses every day."

There were times Simon did wonder if he wouldn't be more into nature and the outdoors if he weren't the way he was. If he could be out in the sun, he could see himself possibly as one of those people that loved the ocean and someday would want to move to the coastline, learn how to surf. Maybe he would love to be around animals, or want to study birds. He didn't know.

It wasn't the life for him though. Instead he learned how to ice skate and play hockey. He danced and made music. His interests and hobbies and most of his knowledge based all just revolved around those indoor activities.

"I mean, I guess it's just what we're used to. You could probably go a day without playing music and I could go a day without being indoors."

"i guess" she agreed, "Music is mot my strong hold, I can do Violin, and some piano, i can play Violin way better then Piano." she smiled, "What do you play? only the guitar?"
Blaze seemed to be asleep as he walked, his steps slow and heavy.
"C'mon! where is your Spunk you big baby?" she complained as Blaze stepped slowly.
"Oh yeah, the branches get low around here, might want to duck as low as you can, and be aware there is a stream up ahead just after the branches, this is the worst part of the path."
as she spoke she ducked down, up on such big horses it was hard to get away from the branches, Clair pressed her body flat to Blaze's, if Simon did the same he should be good and only get smacked in the back by branches, if he did not stick himself flat to Spark then he would get a face of branches.
once past the branches Blaze seemed to wake up more, his steps faster and more light, his ears perked up and forward a d his head held high.
"I forgot to put his Martingale on!" she said with a rather loud sigh, without the handy piece of leather Blaze would be holding his head pretty high, which could be a pain because she would have to sit higher in her seat so she could see lver his head.
"I put Sparks on but not Blaze's wow." she said grinning.
(wc 251)
@Simon Kincaid

OOC note: Please know that Clair's thought's actions and words are Clair's I might not agree with everything she says or does, if your going to hate her, Hate her not me. Thank you for understanding!

He had never attempted a violin before. He was more of a band type person when it came to musical instruments and not orchestra, although some day he could see himself venturing out and learning some of those instruments. "I play the guitar," which she knew, "and the piano. Both of those I've been playing since like three or four," he was proud of how far he had come. Both of those he could confidently say he played proficiently, if not even better than that. They were were his passion rested. "I'm also learning the trumpet, saxophone, and drums. I find the drums to be a little easier than the other two. I don't know whether it's switching from a horn to a reed or what...maybe I should give them a try one at a time. Learn one first then the other," and just at that moment he saw a large branch and tried to lean down in time but some of the more tender branches still thwacked him in the face.

Simon spit out a bit of a leaf and brushed his hand over his sweatshirt to try and get some of the twigs and leaves off, but he would soon find that it would just happen several more times on this part of the walk and it was better to just let it go until they got to the calmer path ahead.

"Isn't a nightingale a type of bird?" he asked, getting the horse equipment's name wrong. He was pretty sure Clair wasn't putting a bird within the horse's bridle or mouth or wherever it was and whatever it was she was trying to make reference to. He truly tried to follow, but all the farm talk was mostly lost on him.