[OTA] Hi-ho, Silver! (Watch out for the small dog)

[headfollowheart]

This is not the sight she expected to greet her when she headed to Town with Sirona to settle her back in at the repaired Town stables, and somehow she hadn't been surprised to see her cousin (or last bastion of testosterone, as he liked to refer to himself) sitting on a fence post and laughing and snapping pictures. Probably she should have told him to get Collin out of the ring and stop harassing poor Christabel, who's supposed to be living a quiet retired life.

She decides instead to whack him lightly on the back of the head and take Sirona out on the trails, riding between the Castles and out towards the new oceanic addition before finally heading back into Town.

Comments

[grrranimals]

Whoops! Tess looks up at the sound of hooves and stands up, swiping her hands on her jeans. Nope. She wasn't here building sand castles. Why d'you ask?

She waves. "Hi, Zoe! Sirona's looking good."

[headfollowheart]

"She's been spoiled, up at Spade Castle while the repairs were going on." Sirona would likely prefer it if Zoe rose high enough to earn her a stall there - but that was several ranks away. The mare best not count on that happening it any time soon.

"I'd been taking her back, but there was a literal dog and pony show going on, so I figured I might as well take her on the trails until Dillon takes Collin home."

[grrranimals]

Tess has never wanted to live in the castle. And if circumstances forced it, she'd like to have a horse stashed in town and affording her reason to be away. Zoe probably doesn't see it that way, but Tess would.

"One of these days I'm swiping that corgi from your cousin. Don't tell."

[headfollowheart]

Zoe likes the Castle, honestly. She grew up in one and moved to another - and unlike Tess and Dillon, she's never lived in Town. She'd probably miss the intrigues if she and Victor moved, honestly.

But she doesn't that's probably ever going to become an issue, even if Victor would secretly like to run a bar with Ben.

"He'll cry, you know," Zoe says as she lets Sirona investigate a patch of grass. "Collin is his secret weapon for charming people into forgetting that they're supposed to be asking him when he's challenging back up to Six."

[grrranimals]

"I'm immune to big sad eyes. Ask any of my nieces, nephews, cousins, random small children anywhere. Collin soon will be mine!" She twirls an imaginary mustache. "Is it important? That Dillon challenge to Six?"

She'd made it up to Nine simply because it was easier to read the riot act to farmers and pet owners if she out-ranked most of them. Most Cards took things more seriously than that.

[headfollowheart]

It's a moment before she answers, because it's sort of a...strange situation, and Zoe nibbles on her lower lip. "It doesn't matter to me," she says finally. "I don't think it really matters to Uncle Lucien and Aunt Olivia, either, or wouldn't if he seemed happy at Five. But he doesn't seem happy, and he was always pretty ambitious."

She shrugs a little. She doesn't realize it, but probably her aunt and uncle are addressing a symptom more than a problem. Focusing on rank because they don't know what to do with their occasionally listless son, who's suddenly embraced slackerdom.

[grrranimals]

"Takes a lot out when you lose." The Deck was full of people who'd never recovered. She thinks a bit. "It was a music challenge, wasn't it?"

[morallydefunct]

His trip to Romania had gone well, or as well as such a thing could. David was gone, there was no changing that. And it had only taken him a few moments back in Town to hear just where the wayward king had gotten off to.

It was no matter though, he thought. At least if he had the presence of mind to go digging into the events leading to his coma? He'd find that the room he was in had been occupied for months according to records, and nothing of David would be anywhere to be found. Nor the Doctors and staff that had been bribed to look after him.

It would be as if nothing had ever happened.

But when he returned to the Deck, it took a bit of leg work to find out at the stables. Or rather, not there, but apparently out for a ride. Though there was a corgi and a mare. He even managed to only nod at Dillon before he slipped into the barn and put Sionnach Rí on a lead and led him out into an empty padlock to let the gild stretch his legs at least until Zoe got back.

[headfollowheart]

She'd let Sirona run after leaving Tess at the beach and her hair was tumbling out of her braid as she approached the stables, slowing Sirona to a trot and then a walk. She started to smooth back the loose tendrils when she saw Victor, and then made a face at herself - and a face at Dillon, who's expression was somewhere between amused and long-suffering - and dismounted as she drew close.

"You're home," she said simply as she looped Sirona's reins over the hitching post before leaning up to kiss him lightly.

[morallydefunct]

"I am," he said, turning a little to look at her as she came up beside him. "I suppose you'll be disappointed that I missed my birthday." At least he willingly acknowledged that it existed this year. He moved a little, slipping an arm around her shoulders before he looked back out to the padlock where the gild was nosing about quietly.

"Did you enjoy your ride?"

[headfollowheart]

"Well, it did ruin the surprise ball I had planned for the occasion, but I suppose I'll survive." And that was just a terrifying thought, even if she'd had time to plan one on top of the wedding.

Or the inclination to see his face when that was sprung on him.

She nodded, though. "It was fun to get out," she said. "I went to the...beach." She liked it better when the magic was somewhat predictable, really. "Someone brought in sand."

[morallydefunct]

"How terribly unthoughtful of me," he said with a vague sort of smirk. He might well have turned about and walked out if she had done that.

"Did they?" He raised a brow at that, "how...industrious." He paused then, before looking at Dillon curiously. "What...is he doing?"

[headfollowheart]

"Oh, I know, I was extremely disappointed." She can't really imagine that their relationship would have lasted if she'd been given to those kinds of grand gestures.

Fortunately she wasn't, she thought as she leaned against his shoulder and eyed her cousin for a moment. "I have no idea," she said. "I thought it was just him being...silly, but I don't think that would require quite so many photographs." Advertising, maybe, although she couldn't imagine for what. "He's strange sometimes."

She worried about him occasionally the same way she worried about Hadyn, and for the same reasons, but it wasn't one of those things she felt like she could do much about. "You heard who came back while you were gone?" She asked, tipping her head back to look up at him.

[hamelinic]

Hello, fun friend. Someone's back out of the Spades and out of a suit (and there, somewhere, is a rimshot of hilarious, hilarious wordplay), but that doesn't maen he's not going to wave cheerfully and check in with the poor, befrazzled thing.

"Breath of air, Lady?"

[headfollowheart]

Both things were things that didn't belong - Cynric in Spades and Cynric in a suit that looked akin to one of Victor's cast-offs if Victor actually possessed cast-offs - so maybe that was a reason for her frazzled state. Or an excuse, more likely; somehow, despite the fact that the same number of things and more were wrong this week, Zoe was calmer.

Apparently she'd reached her threshold of panic. Or she'd just recovered herself enough to raise an eyebrow.

"Are you speaking to me or the horse?"

[hamelinic]

Stop revealing his secret secrets, woman. That's just not nice.

If they're settling back into being absolutely expected, normal and neat and in their little boxes, he'll of course flourish her a bow nearly to touching the ground.

"If you'll wait your turn, Mistress Fennec, I was addressing the Lady Sirona."

Who will get an even fancier bow, but also a bit of rather pleased tongue clucking and a patting of his pockets. It's entirely possible he's got a sugar cube or give apples hidden somewhere.

Don't even judge.

[headfollowheart]

She did not say a word. Whatever do you mean.

"Oh, a thousand pardons, of course," she says, and waits for Cynric to finish greeting the Queen of the World before she speaks again.

"One of these days she's going to abandon me and you'll have to learn to emulate Juliette."

[hamelinic]

Just a few moments are required for cooing, for fussing and tsking and--if he's allowed--the most awkward nose-bumping in the universe. As you do, when greeting Queens.

Well, maybe not Säde. But, you know. The other ones. The horse ones in particular.

"Emulate Juliette?"

[headfollowheart]

Possibly not Katya, either. Or Rowan. But who knows who the Clubs might eventually name?

It could be a horse.

"With her horse shadow," she explains. "I don't see her anywhere without Dutch. You might find yourself with a slave for life, you know."

[itsybitsyrigby]

Not much of a rider, herself, Karisa nonetheless waited patiently for Zoë to return after being informed that the older woman had taken her horse out for a little while. It wasn't terribly long before she was back anyway, and Karisa is waiting with water in one hand and a banana in the other (for Zoe and Sirona, respectively, of course); she heard somewhere that horses liked bananas.

"Is it okay? If I give it to her, I mean. Also I want to ask you something, but relax first." She grins, bouncing on the balls of her feet while she peels the banana.

"Did you have a good ride?"

[headfollowheart]

"Only if you want her following you every time you come by the stables," Zoe says as she swings out of the saddle and pushes her loosened hair back. She gives Karisa a slightly quizzical look - it's not like they don't know each other, of course, but it's been a while since the younger girl sought her out, and it wouldn't usually be at the stables.

"It was fun," she says, though, as she takes the water. "It's good to get out sometimes, you know?"

She nods towards the stable. "We can talk while I get her into her stall. What's on your mind?"

[itsybitsyrigby]

"I don't mind," she says with a shrug, feeding half of the banana to the horse before nodding her agreement. "I know what you mean. I mean, I don't ride or anything like that, but I know the feeling of needing to get out and do something that isn't the usual bit of daily grind stuff."

When Zoe starts walking, she follows, shaking her head. "It's just- I was wondering if you have a photographer for the wedding, is all. Because if not, I mean, I'd love to help. I have a camera, and I can take good pictures. If you need it, I mean." She's rambling. Why is she rambling?

Eh. It's just that she wants Miss Kattalakis' wedding to be perfect, is all.

[headfollowheart]

"It's a good way to get away from questions from the caterer about whether I'm absolutely sure I don't want miniature mushroom tarts for hors d'oeuvres." There's still questions about that; this is apparently a simpler wedding than most Deck brides throw.

"I don't, actually." It'd been the one thing she'd forgotten about, likely because Victor wasn't really the type of man she imagined enjoyed getting his picture taken. But the conversation with Amy last week about Annie and Chives' wedding - mostly the part where Amy asked if she could see picture - had sent into a mild, silent panic. "Would you mind? I mean, it's kind of last minute."

[itsybitsyrigby]

She wrinkled her nose. "Mushroom tarts sound...gross, actually. I really hope you don't have those for anything." Ever. Ew, ew, and double ew.

Her eyebrows went up when Zoe said she didn't actually have a photographer, though. "What? No, Miss Kattalakis, I'd love to do it. It's going to be amazing, and I'll make sure there are pictures of all of it for maximum perfection. You won't regret letting me do it, Miss, I promise." She was too distracted with her excitement to even notice that Sirona stole the remainder of the banana and devoured it practically without chewing.

[headfollowheart]

Look who she's marrying, Karisa. Can you imagine him embracing the idea of massive numbers of pictures being taken? But he can deal with it this month.

She gives Karisa a relieved smile and pushes her hair out of her face. "Great," she says. "Do you know Sophie Berthier? She's my maid of honor slash saver of my sanity, and she can probably give you the best idea of the schedule for the day of. Unless you want to see my spreadsheets, which you probably don't. They're color-coded."