fandomtownies | The beach: Saturday afternoon

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@beach

The beach: Saturday afternoon

Karal had drunk a lot of water, and tracked down some little white pills called aspirin, which he firmly believed were a gift from Vkandis Himself. He had also had a long shower and returned to bed for several hours, all of which managed to turn him back into a human being.

Which was good, seeing as riding a horse with a hangover was never, ever, going to be a fun time.

He was leading Trenor as they walked out onto the beach. "You have never ridden a horse before?"

[ooc: Karal is here with Molly, and their thread locked to them, but otherwise open for all your sand and surf needs!]

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Molly shook her head. "Never," she said looking up at Trenor. "I have ridden a dinosaur though. This will be a bit different than that, I'm guessing."

Karal had no idea what a dinosaur was. "I'm not sure. Is a dinosaur anything like a horse?" he asked, lifting his head into the ocean breeze as they made their way across the sand. "Trenor is very easy to ride, though. Smooth gaits and very well mannered."

"Uhhh, Old Lace, the dinosaur, is a bit smaller than Trenor," Molly said, giving Trenor another look. "I think. She stands on her back feet though so she looks taller."

"Well, Trenor will not stand on his back feet," he said with a laugh. "That would be a very bad thing. But if you have ridden her, I think you shouldn't have too much trouble with Trenor." He drew the horse to a halt and scratched him under the chin. "Do you want to try first by yourself, or double behind me?"

Molly held out a hand for Trenor to sniff. "Would he let me try by myself?" she asked.

"He would." Karal watched as Trenor dropped his head to sniff her hand, then nudged her. "He likes you," he said, smiling as he offered the reins to Molly. "First thing to remember is don't pull on the reins, he just needs a little pressure to stop or turn."

Molly grinned as Trenor breathed on her hand and laughed when he nudged her. She looked up at Karal as she accepted the reins and nodded at his instructions.

Petting Trenor, she went around to his side and looked at the saddle which was pretty much at eye level and then at the stirrup which was also pretty high. "Uh, I think I may be too short to get up without help," she said uncertainly.

"I'll give you a leg up. Can't have you flailing about," he teased. "The stirrups will need to be shortened, but I'll do it once you're up." He moved around behind Molly and joined his hands together, holding them at about her knee level. "Hold the reins in your left hand and use it to hold on to the front of the saddle, hold onto the back with your right. Then put your left knee in my hands and push up with your right. I'll boost you up into the saddle."

Molly tried to follow all of his instructions correctly. She pulled the reins too tightly though and Trenor started to turn.

Molly eep-ed and took a step back, letting go of everything. "Are you sure he likes me?" she asked.

Karal was standing behind her, so she almost ran into him, but he took a step back as well. "Trenor, stand," he said, reaching around Molly for the reins, and Trenor stopped, though he did crane his neck around and look at them both curiously. Karal patted his nose. "No, no, it's all right, truly. He thought you wanted him to turn. Shall we try again, but I will hold the reins this time?"

"Sorry," Molly said, glancing at Karal with a blush. "Sorry Trenor," she added for the horse.

She nodded to Karal's question and stepped up to Trenor again. Without the reins in her hand this time, she took a hold of the saddle and, placing her knee as Karal had directed, pushed up.

Trenor held very still, ears flicking forward and back, and Karal smiled as he lifted Molly. "Just swing your leg over the saddle."

Molly did as directed and settled into the saddle. "Made it," she said with a grin.

"You did," he said, grinning back at her. "How does it feel?"

"I know now why cowboys are bowlegged," she muttered as she adjusted her seat a bit.

She looked down at her foot. "I can't reach the pedals-- the stirrups."

He laughed at that and patted Trenor's neck, holding the reins loosely in one hand. "We will fix that, I promise. First get comfortable. You need to sit back, stretch out your legs, point your toes at the ground and relax."

Again, Molly did as directed.

She looked down at Karal and grinned again. "I love being this tall," she said.

"It is a good feeling," he agreed. "Let me just adjust the stirrups," he touched her calf, and blushed a tiny bit, "if you could just move your leg back, please?"

"Oh, sure," she said and moved her leg, not noticing the blush.

Karal pulled the stirrup down and adjusted it, fiddling with the length until he was happy with it. "There, try that," he said, smiling as held it out to make it easier for her. "Don't slide your foot all the way in, the stirrup should press against the ball of your foot."

Molly nodded and put her foot in the stirrup. "Okay, that feels good," she said.

"Good." He moved to the other side and repeated the action, holding out the other stirrup. "Let your weight rest in your heels, so they sink down and your toes point up, and then I'll show you how to hold the reins."

"Okay," Molly said and followed his directions, shifting her weight to her heels.

He demonstrated how to hold the reins, and explained the basic signals, then offered them to her. "All right, ready to take control?" he asked, threading one hand through the bridle, just in case.

Molly listened attentively and nodded as she took the reins from him. "As long as he doesn't run off with me," she said with a laugh.

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