Jogging Early (Open)

[Vincent]

It was insane to think he was up this early... but, he supposed, sleeping away the entire afternoon yesterday had changed his sleeping schedule.
He paused from the steady rhythmic jog, bending over to catch his breath for a moment. It was barely 6am, the sky just starting to lighten towards the east, mist hovering a few inches off the leafy turf, still cool enough that his breath rose as steam into the mist that hovered above the canopy. He didn't understand why he was out here; it was an impulse. Today, he just felt like running rather than riding. Besides, Rich probably could use a day off, and it was Sunday.
There was just so much to think about while running. As long as you kept tabs on where you put your feet, your mind was free to wander, to evaluate your life without that same life getting in the way.
Of course, Vince didn't have much of a life to speak of. He went to school, worked Richard and slept. Occassionally, he went home to visit his parents, but for the most part, his life was lacking. It didn't help that, once in a while, he blanked out, going back to that inciden----
He cut the thought off right there, not interested in having an episode right now, especially since sometimes they were dibilitating enough to make him collapse. If his head hit a rock, or worse, nobody would find him here for a few hours. Not a good thing.
Sometimes, usually times like this, he longed for company... but without friends, that was often a difficult wish to fullfill.
"You gotta get out more," he muttered to himself bitterly, inhaling deeply. "This can't be good for my mental health."

[<>Trinity<>]

Kelly McClain && Rambling Gambling Man

"Shh Gambit, no need to go waking up Keeta" Kelly whispered to her paint mustang as she approached his stall with his battered western saddle and stock bridle.

The stallion in question was a handsome bay and white paint mustang, sturdy in build and a very sweet horse to his owner, Kelly McClain. His full name was Rambling Gambling Man but his barn name was Gambit and he was one of the horses owned by the McClain trio as they were often referred to despite Kelly's search for independence from her older brother and twin sister. It was hard to find independence when Kelly was such a naturally withdrawn girl, constantly shy and sometimes a little too closed off. Jill probably had a million friends at the stable and Aaron had been at the stable longer, that left Kelly with no one but Paxton, Keeta and Gambit. Right now though since it was like, five thirty in the morning, she doubted Pax would be around and Keeta was sleeping in her stall.

Kelly let herself into Gambit's stall, brushing her long dirty blond hair out of her eyes. Removing Gambit's halter, Kelly replaced it with his bridle and then put the saddle on his back, tightening the girth strap to make sure it wouldn't move. With the task complete, Kelly gathered Gambit's reins and unbolted the stall door. Leading the stallion out, Kelly closed the door and led him out of the stable past a few stable hands filling hay nets and taking certain horses to pasture to clean their stalls for boarders that were away for a while.

In the yard, Kelly swung herself up into Gambit's saddle, perfectly comfortable in the western saddle. She may not be a barrel-racing champ like Aaron and Comanche but she had been in a saddle just as long. Taking Gambit at a canter, Kelly rode him toward the Honeyoak Trail through the morning gloom and mist. It was cool out but Kelly had a grey Virgina University hoodie over her t-shirt. She wore slightly faded jeans and battered boots but no helmet like most people riding western.

Letting Gambit go at an all out gallop, Kelly kept her balance and let him go. Gambit moved easily and happily, glad to be out of the stall and on the move. He was a fantastic trail horse and had never once dumped her for a reason that was not out of his control. Just as they were rounding a bend in the trail though, Kelly yelped and reined Gambit in quickly. The bay paint whinnied unhappily and swerved to avoid running over a human runner lacking his horse. Kelly nearly overbalanced but managed to get Gambit turning in a circle without falling off until the stallion slowed to a halt, facing the human runner.

Kelly looked down at the guy, blinking her baby-blue eyes in surprise. "Did...did you loose your horse or something?" Kelly asked, obviously surprised. It wasn't often people went out on the trails without a horse, even for maintenance.

[Vincent]

Vince took a few more breaths before he straightened, lowering his hood to get a good look at who had spoken, a small frown lowering his brow. He did realise that these trails were meant for horse riding, but considering how early it was, and on a Sunday no less, he didn't expect anyone to be out here.
"No, I didn't lose 'im. I was jogging... didn't really expect to see anyone else out here at this God forsaken hour."
He stretched his arms up over his head a moment, body cracking in response. He stuffed his hands into the front pockets of his sweater, stepping back a bit.
"If you want to go through, be my guest. I doubt you'd want to be pacing behind me anyways."
It figures that his only alone time would be interrupted by someone else who decided that now, of all times, was a good time to excersize their horse. Oh well... at least he'd be alone shortly, especially if they wanted to be on their way.

[<>Trinity<>]

Jogging? This early? On a horse trail? What if Kelly hadn't seen him and Gambit had run him over? Kelly raised an eyebrow at the guy, looking down from her perch on Gambit's back. The stallion snorted, eyeing the male human curiously as if half expecting another equine to appear beside him. It wasn't unexpected considering that was how Gambit often saw equines, in the company of a human, especially outside of the confines of a stall. Seeing no such thing happening, Gambit lowered his head in the typical waiting stance of a stock horse, neck straight out waiting for some sort of order to move.

"Some of the earlybirds will be out here soon" Kelly said, chewing her lip a little. "Someone might not see you, this trail is a little windy and you might get trampled."

Truthfully Kelly wasn't a fearful person. She didn't flinch when she saw her shadow or jumped at the sight of a spider. She may not care for spiders and snakes but they didn't particularly terrify her. What she didn't like though, was others being unsafe. She didn't ride with a helmet because she trusted Gambit not to throw her and helmets were impractical for western riding no matter the skill level. This guy had no way of being seen and if someone riding a sixteen hand galloping monster, they might not see him in time to slow their horse or swerve without going in the ravines.

"Maybe it would be safer if I just rode alongside? Gambit's pretty visible." Kelly patted his white-splashed neck. "Just as good as caution orange out here."

If he really didn't want her around, Kelly would of course, leave him on his own but probably report him to Amy for unsafe conduct on the trails this early in the morning. All riders had to be visible in one way or another. Some rode in groups, others left notes on the wash board beside the trail map in the stable. Either way, she didn't like the idea of hearing somebody she'd seen got trampled when she watched the five o'clock news.

[Vincent]

"That's up to you," Vince replied, his lack of real interest evident in his tone. "More than anything, I'm just going to slow you down."
Wasn't that just like him? Slowing down someone else because he couldn't follow the rules. He probably should've brought Duke with him, if only for safety reasons, but he hadn't been near the barns when he'd started out. He just took off like a shot, sprinting for the trees, ignoring the twinge in his knee, and was well down the trail before safety had even thought about entering his mind.
He smiled in faint amusement at himself, shaking his head. No wonder people avoided him; he was nothing but a time waster, and a waste of time. Well... it could be worse; he could be dead.
"So... to whom am I speaking?" He asked politely, turning back onto the trail at a brisk walk, knowing the pinto could keep up, and probably outstrip him, fairly easily.

[<>Trinity<>]

Kelly chose to ignore his obvious disinterest in her or safety. It wasn't the first time people spoke to her like that. Heck, there were times when Aaron did it but that was usually before a competition when he had more pressing things on his mind. Sometimes it was hard having a star for a brother but Kelly still loved him, and Jill too despite her showoff tendencies. Being the quiet and enduring one in the family, Kelly was used to such treatment. Besides the fact she didn't want to be responsible for this guy getting trampled just because nobody saw him around a bend in the trail.

Clicking her tongue lightly, Kelly urged Gambit forward. The fifteen point three hand stallion went as told, his stride an easy walk with his head bobbing a little with the motion. Kelly patted his neck affectionately. The stallion sure was something, hyper as hell one second and then sober and relaxed the next. Oh well, that was why she loved him.

Turning an artist's eye on the surrounding green springtime foliage, Kelly studied the shapes of trees and the patterns of light they made on the ground. She was an avid sketch artist, using materials that ranged from washable markers to willow sticks which were her preferred material. She had them with her now, in Gambit's saddle bag with her sketch pad. She often sketched Gambit after they found a place to rest on the trail or she would sketch a tree with squirrels and birds, sometimes an old bridge over a creek.

Startled out of her thoughts by the guy talking, Kelly looked over at him, sweeping her blond hair out of her eyes. "Oh, I'm Kelly McClain, this is Rambling Gambling Man but he prefers Gambit." Kelly patted Gambit's neck making the stallion look around as if expecting something more interesting than just a human guy to have appeared.

Finding nothing but a human walking next to him, Gambit let his head lower again, trucking along at a steady pace. He would much rather gallop or even trot but Gambit was anything but a misbehaving stallion. Besides, if he was good maybe Kelly would let him into the pasture later so he could chase some of the colts or something?

"Gambit you just wish you were back in your stall flirting with Keeta" Kelly said to the stallion, laughing lightly. Gambit snorted as if in denial before falling quiet, leaving his owner to roll her eyes. "You're such a weird ol' boy Gambit."

[Vincent]

Gambit's behaviour brought out a genuine, if small, grin from Vince. He'd always loved spirited horses, which was why he and Duke were so suited. Where Duke was buoyant, quite often a handful, but at least a willing one, Vince was like his counter-part, calm and sure. Horse kept human on his toes, and human was the calm needed to assure the horse. He was quite privelaged to have a creature such as the Duke.
"Don't give him too hard a time," Vince murmured, resisting the urge to pat the stallion himself. "At least he's got personality. I've met some rather bland characters, so perfectly trained that you'd sooner see a reaction out of a rock."
A low chuckle escaped him, though it faded rather quickly. His depression continued to suck him back into his constant indifference; happiness, in any form, rarely lasted more than a few seconds, minutes at most. Even his choice in music had become tired and sad as of late. On a fast track to self destruction, with nobody to hit the brakes, or even slow him down.
His grin became twisted with bitterness, though from the angle Kelly was sitting, that'd be rather hard to see. His mask of unintentions, coupled with the steel walls around his heart and mind... it made it hard to see the real pain he was in.
"Just as well," he muttered aloud, forgetting he was alone. "Less people who'll miss me later on."

[<>Trinity<>]

"Sounds like my sister's horse Smoky, she's a school horse and really laid back. Sometimes I think she's carved out of a rock" Kelly said, glancing down at Vince and noticing the change that seemed to take place in a nano-second. One second he was more or less ignoring her, the next he's talking about Gambit and the next he's looking about as joyful as a stag that broke his antlers. Don't know where the alalogy came from, usually Kelly's analogies made no sense to anyone but her. This was one of those cases. Either way, she couldn't help but wonder if the guy was clinically depressed. It wasn't her business so Kelly tried to push away the question before it could escape her lips.

Bobbing his head, Gambit snuffled and leaned toward Vince, lipping at the kid's shirt sleeve. His bay tail lashed back and forth to swat an early-rising fly but apart from that the stallion looked almost like he was getting sleepy walking alongside the human. Gambit flung his head up tossing his forelock out of his eyes before settling again in the typical trail posture for a stock horse.

"So, why jog and not ride?" Kelly asked, looking over at the boy again and noticing that the air around him seemed to reek depression or at least unhappiness. Maybe he was just having a rough week or something?

Of course, having a fairly active imagination, Kelly's mind supplied several possibilities for the guy not riding but jogging instead. Maybe he was training for a marathon or something? What if his horse had been put down recently and he had no horse to ride? An accident maybe? What if his horse had gotten loose and he just didn't want to admit it? All pretty odd reasons but that was Kelly's mind, laid back but odd.

[Vincent]

Vince gently rubbed Gambit's nose when the stallion lipped his shirt, but didn't press beyond that. Friendly or not, it wasn't his horse, and people were protective of their friends.
"Why jog?" He asked glumly, before answering his own and her questions. "I play baseball. I do need to keep in shape, though I got started a little late this year. This morning though, I just... felt like running. Didn't think of anything else, I just took off down the trail." He chortled dryly. "I probably should have brought my horse for safety reasons, but I'm afraid I wasn't thinking of that when I started out."
He made a mental note to visit the batting cages later in the upcoming week. His swing was probably lame after the winter, and he needed to get back on track before the season started.
"So what are you doing out so early? Not many people are out around this time."

[<>Trinity<>]

Baseball was definitely not something Kelly knew a lot about. Jill played volleyball with friends, Aaron had been on the football team in Kansas and both Jill and Kelly had dabbled in soccer as kids. Sometimes Aaron watched hockey or their dad would contemplate a basketball game but for some reason baseball had never really been a big part of their family entertainment. That was probably why Kelly would have never pegged Vince as the kind of guy to play baseball. He just didn't look like he would play such a sport. Then again, who was she to talk? She didn't know anything but the basics they taught in gym class.

Running though, Kelly could understand stuff like that. She had a sketch in her book of Jill running track, mid-jump over a hurdle but it wasn't very good. Kelly's talents leaned more toward sketching birds, plants and horses than it did toward drawing people. She never got the shape just right.

Track was one thing but what Vince seemed to be doing seemed more like Kelly like...running away. He seemed really bottled up and if that was the case than running away might not be far from what he was trying to do. It really wasn't her business though so Kelly stomped her questions and decided it was just easier to answer his. Keep the conversation neutral. He wasn't thrilled she was there but hadn't given her a reason to gallop ahead with Gambit yet.

"My brother was coming up to work his horse, Comanche, and I was already awake anyway so I figured...why not? He gave me a lift and Gambit was already awake so I thought I might get in another sketch of him out on the trail once I find a good spot. Haven't sketched him for a while and he usually likes getting all my attention. Figured we could just hide out for a little while."

Ok that was probably the most she had talked since Aaron had made both her and Jill sit and talk after their mom had died and custody had been thrown from father to uncle through a tangled up court mess. Honestly it had turned into less of a talk and more into a crying session for both her and Jill. Even Aaron had after a while but that was behind them now. Still, Kelly usually only answered direct questions despite Aaron's encouragement for her to break her shell and get out into the world.

[Vincent]

Unexpectedly, Vince's indifference vanished rather suddenly, focussed for the first time in a long while. Everything was highly defined, like he'd been looking at life through a veil of mist long enough to think that it really was how the world came; hazy, ill defined, gloomy...
And now... it was as if the scenery had exploded in colour. Vibrant, full of the life he'd been ignoring for the past two years, everything screaming for attention.
He was mistified. So now he remembered what it was like to have an active interest in something... anything. And amazingly, which is what he'd been expecting if this had happened, the pain didn't follow. Clarity of the present offered no path for the past to sneak up on him, pounce and cause all the more unneccesary agony over something that happened ages ago.
Well... wasn't that something?
He forced his attention away from his revelation for the moment, remembering his company.
"You sketch?" He asked, his tone already brighter, genuine interest evident, and prominent.

[<>Trinity<>]

Kelly eyed her unexpected company curiously, noticing another subtle change in him. Ok, maybe not so subtle but a change nonetheless. It was like a blind man seeing for the first time, or at least that was the only analogy Kelly could think of. His eyes seemed a little brighter, more like he was actually paying attention to the world rather than just going through it, trying to be unnoticed and unseen. Kelly smiled a little, looking at Gambit's reins when he asked about her sketching. Not many people took interest in her works. They weren't fantastic, at least not that she thought. Sure, Aaron had kept every sketch she gave him of Comanche or Heart and Jill would always adore the ink drawings she did of Smoky but it had never been something Kelly thought of as interesting. It was just a pass time, a hobby of sorts.

"Yeah, its mostly the horses my dad has owned. Sometimes Gambit or Comanche. I've even done a few of Jill's horse, Smoky."

Leaning back slightly, Kelly flipped open the saddle bag on Gambit's saddle, trusting the stallion not to throw her or go off the track. Pushing aside a pack of willow sticks, pencils and smudged up erasers, Kelly pulled out her sketch pad. Flipping up the cardboard front page, Kelly looked at it to find a picture of Gambit rearing up done in graphite pencil.

She knew each picture by heart. The one after it was Comanche standing next to a rodeo barrel with his head up looking to the left as if waiting for Aaron to walk into the sketch and mount. The third picture was an incomplete image of Jill's warmblood Smoky grazing next to an old apple tree that had been in the pasture back in Kansas. Handing the sketchbook to Vince, Kelly flushed a little.

"They're nothing special, just doodles really. The first horse is Gambit, on the second page is Aaron's stallion Comanche and the third is Jill's mare."

[Vincent]

Vince handled the book gently, almost with reverence, as if he were holding something crafted of fragile glass rather than sturdy paper. Practiced fingers traced the lines that spiraled the page to create the image, like he was feeling the spirit of the creation carved into the book... feeling the plateaus and valleys, the dusting of the shading versus the solid, continuous marks of the line art.
Vince wouldn't admit to many that he, too, was an artist of many varieties, but none so much as visual. He had countless filled sketchbooks of everything imaginable, from leaves, to insects, to the horses that had lived in the trotting barn out back of his old home in Canada, even landscapes... all eternally etched into thick sheets of paper. He had years and years' worth of drawings, all slowly improving from flat, uniform, unrealistic images to refined, three dimensional works of art.
He closed Kelly's book and offered it back to its rightful owner, after spending quite a bit of time engrossed in each image, and though deeply involved in his observations, his feet never once deviated from the path.
"Those are really good," he said softly, smiling somewhat shyly. "You ever thought of doing something with your talent?"

[<Amy>]

Focusing on the trail ahead while Vince looked at her sketchbook, Kelly tried not to fidget or look nervous. She always got nervous when people handled her work. Didn't matter if it was a teacher or even Aaron or Jill. The best guess Kelly could give the reason was she was scared someone wouldn't like it and then lie to her saying they loved it. Who knew how many people had lied to her about liking her art when really they thought it was a waste of time or just plan horrible. Maybe the proportions weren't right or it was shaded somewhere it shouldn't be? That was why Kelly had never had the nerve to put her work in any kind of art show, it just made her sick with nerves. Once Aaron had put one of her drawings in a contest secretly and given her the prize money but she had promptly thrown a riding boot at him for doing it at all and then gone and vomited even though the contest was over and she'd already won.

Looking up when Vince offered her the book back, Kelly took it and slid it back into Gambit's saddle bag, blushing when he complimented the work and tightening her grip on the reins. "No. I...don't like showing people my stuff so...I wouldn't be any good as a commission artist. Plus my dad would probably disown me like he almost did when Aaron said he wasn't going to college. Being an artist and being a rodeo star aren't things our dad approved of. Said Aaron would get himself killed in the ring and I'd probably wind up broke in the gutter."

Kelly bit her lip, looking at the reins in her hand. Vince would probably agree. Her dad had never been supportive of careers that didn't garantee a steady income. He said horseback riding was fine as a hobby, riding in shows for fun was fine but riding in professional ciruits like Aaron wanted to do wasn't acceptable. Going to an art school and becoming an artist wasn't what he called productive either meaning Kelly was up a stream without a paddle and probably missing the boat too.

[Vincent]

A low, amused chuckle wound its way out of Vince, and he found himself shaking his head in disbelief.
"There's nothing wrong with being a rodeo star, or an artist," he interjected, looking up at Kelly from the corner of his eye. "Just because it's not a guaranteed way to make a living doesn't mean that it's not worth pursuing. How are we to know if we can make a living at it if we don't try? It may not work out at first, true, but still. At least you're trying, which is better than sitting back and letting the world pass you by."
He was being a hypocrite, he knew it, but he couldn't help himself. Parents hindering a child, just because their career path may not lead to instant success... it was rather unfair. He was lucky; his own parents encouraged him to do whatever he felt he needed to in order to live happily. Happily, not miserable in luxury. He shook his head again, huffing a cloud of breath into the still morning air.
"You should do what you feel is right... but I guess I'm in no position to say anything otherwise. I should show you my sketchbook sometime... well," he laughed, "If you'd ever want to see me again after this morning. People seem to have a rather large aversion for me."