Neigh Neigh Winnie Winnie [Open to Anyone Whose Name Starts With a Letter]

"Hold it still!"
"I can't hold anything!"
"What kind of invisible being are you!?"
"The dead kind!"
Lotte was kneeling in a pile of hay in the corner of the room, focusing on getting a perfect shot of all the horses together. A shiny, expensive looking camera was in her hands and a determined smile was upon her face. She needed the shot. It would be a perfect shot.
The problem was that they wouldn't stop moving. Ethel pouted impatiently from behind the stables, next to the largest of the horses. It made her nervous, though it didn't know of her presence nor could it hurt her. The horse was focused on Lotte. It neighed at the girl, shaking it's mane energetically. It looked as if it wanted to be let out of the confining space, though Lotte wasn't much of a horse expert. She had just dropped by the stables for the first time, which was surprising considering the amount of time she had been at the school.
"Nnnnnmmm..." was the sound that the girl made as she tried to focus the camera, but once one stopped moving the others would. It was hopeless. She put down the camera, a cute but tragic frown on her face. "Oh well. They were dumb horses anyway." she muttered, letting the camera fall down around her neck
Upon her saying this, it seemed the horse sensed the insult. It whinnied loudly, momentarily kicking up it's front legs. Ethel scrambled over the gate keeping the horse inside, and Lotte cried in in alarm, falling off the hay pile and landing on her back.

Another horse padded into the stable, curious by the angry whinnies of the other animals and letting out a sharp cry back, started to jump around restlessly. The rider who had taken it out jumped a bit himself, quickly raising his hands and gently patting the creature on the neck. "Woah, there..." He sang in a soothing voice, trying to calm it down. He was definetly no horse whisperer, but after a few moments he was able to guide it calmly to it's box. The young man hadn't been out long, still having to go easy from the mended bullet wound. It was nice getting out, though.
It was when he slid the door open to the stall that he noticed his friend across the stable, sitting on the ground with a camera hanging around her neck. "Lotte!" He called, smiling and waving in her direction. "What're you doing there on the floor?" Jason finished putting the horse in its box, shutting it tightly and walking over offering his hand to help her up to her feet. "You okay?"

Lotte had started to pick the small pieces of hay from her hair when Jace had entered the stables. The memory of the meeting in the infirmary was fresh, so Lotte stared up at him for a few moments, filled with a sudden burst of anxiousness and mouth slightly open. Though, realizing she was staring like an idiot, she accepted the hand, hauling herself up and putting a hand on her lower back, straightening her spine. "The horse startled me, that's all..." she said with a smile. "I was trying to get a picture, and discovered they don't enjoy photography. I also learned that Ethel doesn't enjoy horsi--erm....horso....horses."
She didn't know what the screw up at the end was for. The plural of horse wasn't that hard to say. She crossed her wrists behind her back, feeling embarrassed by the random mistake and trying not to blush.

He honestly didn't remember everything that happened during her first visit, only certain parts. The rest left him a bit uncertain, but what he did know that - aside from his family - she was the only one that visited him everyday. Even if it was only for a few moments or to drop off homework, he appreciated it. He didn't pay much mind to the look on her face as he helped her up, a smile still on his own. "Well, that's a damn shame." Jace said, reaching his hand out and pulling a piece of hay out of her hair that he missed. The young man laughed, "Sounds like you've two have been having a rough time, anything I can do?" She seemed so shy at the moment. It confused him, seeming very un-Lottey of her...

Lotte's eyes followed his hand as it removed the hay from her hair. "W-well I'm not much of a horse person either. People think they are beautiful but I don't think so. They've got stupid looking faces." She said, whipping around and snapping a picture of one of the horses. As it materialized on the screen, she saw that it was blurry. The horse had moved it's dead. Dammit, animals were uncooperative. She huffed, extending her bottom lip so that the air exhales blew into her bangs, causing them to slightly ripple.

Jason laughed quietly again under his breath. "Real nice." He mused with a crooked smile, standing up straight again. "Is that what Ethel thinks too?" The autumn boy asked before reaching deep in his pocket, apparently looking for something. "They're kinda really stubborn, but not so bad once you're used to 'em. Have you tried baiting them close with treats?" Jace asked, looking at her curiously. "Have you ever ridden one before?"

"No no no no no no no." repeated Lotte quickly, shaking her head. "I don't ride. Things. These things. I don't ride horses, I mean." she said, determined to discourage the idea. She glared at the beast, who huffed as if saying, She could never ride me. I am too gorgeous.
The horses and Lotte weren't getting along, even if the horse could have been just making random noises. Lotte didn't trust the thing not to fling her off a few yards. She heard of paralysis and other terrible injuries from being flung off horses. She didn't want to take a chance.

Jace raised an eyebrow, surprised by how quickly she had shot that idea down. "You sure?" He asked to be sure, pulling a small plastic baggie out of his pocket with a white, rocky substance inside. Sugar cubes, mind you. Horses were suckers for them. "I'm no expert, but I could probably help you out... Or we could share a saddle if you're afraid to go alone." He at least wanted to give her the chance and didn't mind helping. With a soft grin, Jason dropped a few sweet cubes in the palm oh her hand. "Here, that should cheer the jerk up, I think."

"S-share? It's alright, I am...um....allergic to horsi--horses!" she managed to spit out. Why was she so nervous? They had been friends for long enough that that should have been partaking in witty banter.
"I can feed them, though! Sugar happens to....inhibit my allergic...reaction..." she said, her tone getting quieter with each word. It was pretty pathetic, and she hoped and longed for him not to push further with her unusual behavior. She just didn't want to share a saddle with him. Thinking about it made her heart race. She heard Ethel giggling in the background, but ignored it. Gingerly, she enclosed her fingers around the sugarcubes and walked slowly towards the horse. The large animal took one sniff into the air, and as she got right in front of it, it lapped up the sugar cubes from her palm. As it was busy coating her palm with it's disgusting saliva, she held up her camera and took a shot of the horse. The picture was successful, but she had forgotten to turn off the flash. The horse whinnied loudly, kicking up it's front legs and rattling the gate. The alarmed Charlotte scrambled backwards, letting out a startled scream and falling on her butt, scooting herself a few yards away. Her skirt was already pretty dirty from the hay, and that did not help it much.

The young man blinked, chuckling to himself a little, but he was seriously starting to worry a bit. "Lotte, are you sure you're okay?" He frowned and leaned closer to her. Maybe she hit her head or something when she fell? "You seem really out of it." Still, he let it pass as she took the cubes away from him and went to feed the horse, amused by the grossed out look on her face. "You guys look real cute together." he laughed.
When the flash went off, he had a feeling of what would happen before it actually did, reactively rushing forward and helping Lotte break her fall before she started shuffling backwords. "You're gonna die in here." he muttered in a joking tone.

"I'm cursed." she told Jace. It sounded like a joke, though her tone sounded pretty serious. "I got the picture though..."
She held up her camera and sighed feebly. More hay had found itself into her hair, pestering and prodding her scalp. She'd probably have to take a shower when she got back to the dorms. However, she felt like retiring before it was even nighttime would make her look odd to Jace. She had a good reason, though.
"I'll probably have to.....do you want to go back to the dorms, I need to get cleaned up." she said, trying to make it sound less like she was going to take a shower. She didn't want Jace picturing her naked. Such a thought was embarrassing and dirty and plain wrong. She went back to picking the hay out of her hair, but there were a lot of the small twigs in her hair. She probably looked too ridiculous to go out in the middle of the campus.

Jace smirked, looking down at the girl with a look of slight sympathy. "Good, next time send Wren or something." He said lightly. They were in the photography club together, weren't they? Well, hopefully, nothing here would try to kill her like they were apparently trying to do to Lotte.
Although she tried to dance around the idea, the thought still crept into his mind - unintentionally mind you, and he quickly brushed it away. He still saw Lotte as close friend, that'd be just... Jason cleared his throat. "Yeah, sounds good." He said with an uneven smile, getting up and offering his hand once again. "I know a short-cut back." He said.

Lotte stared at the hand for a few moments, as she did when he offered to help her up the first time, and accepted it. She got to her feet with a small grunt and smiled at the mention of a shortcut. She liked shortcuts. "I'll take it. So long as there are no horses..." she remarked with a grin, crossing her wrists behind her back once more. It was a habit.
She glared all >3> at the grumpy horse, and waited for Jace to lead the way. Ethel jogged up a little to arrive at Lotte's side, raising her dress to permit such fast travel. She needed to stop wearing that thing, but it was the only clothing she had.

He held onto her hand a little longer than last time, glancing aroundle the stable for a few moments, as if he'd forgotten where to go. He seemed to remember rather quickly and smiled back at her. "Oh, I wouldn't worry about them." Jace said, pulling away and heading to the exit, holding the door open for her. "I'd keep an eye out for teachers, though." With a mischievious smile, he led her through a nearby toolshed and around the back of the school to the teacher's lounges. A while back, he'd snuck a skeleton key off his dad's desk and made his own copy, so he could go pretty much anywhere he wanted. After they left here, it was a straight shot to the autumn dorms.

Being the Headmaster's son had its perks. Lotte was impressed by his knowledge of the back allies and paths leading throughout the campus. She followed him, nervous that it they got caught they would be in serious trouble. The toolshed had a whole "Do Not Pass" ominous feel to it. It was musty and dark, so she stayed close to Jace and made sure not to trust dem dark corners.