ikissdhimbck | OOM sorta: Rooms, back door, stables, in the morning.

He's quiet as she speaks, taking the time to get his emotions back under his own control. Not that they're far out of his reach - they never are, because he can't let them get away from him - but it takes him a minute.

Doc nods, slow and easy.

"Means more than I can really say, if we're bein' honest," he admits, finally. "Thank you. I just...hell, gets to me sometimes," he says, as he then and only then looks over at her and offers her a small, half smile. "Thank you."

She'll be able to tell from his eyes that it means a great deal to him to hear that.

"'Course it does. If it didn't, then I'd start to worry. But you miss 'em, and you want to believe you've done right by them. So it's gonna get to you sometimes," she murmurs, shaking her head before meeting his eyes.

She knows what it's like. Maybe not on his level, maybe not under such extreme and harsh circumstances, but death is death. And it gets to you sometimes.

She sees the gratitude in his eyes, and she matches the tiny grin on his lips, nodding her head once.

"Don't have to thank me for a thing," she mutters, looking back out on the trail ahead.

She wishes she could do more.

"Don't have to do a damn thing I don't want to," he points out, gently. "But I want to thank you cause I don't got many friends who give a damn anymore."

It's a half-truth, but sometimes he feels that way.

They ride on a good, long while, until he hears the sound of water, and surf, and knows they're near the inlet.

"Do me a favor?"

"That ain't true," she protests, tipping her head in a gesture that screams 'Oh, Doc.'

She doesn't say anything else for a good long while. But when he asks a favor from her, she gives him a look of wary suspicion.

"What's that?" she asks.

"Ride up front? I ain't taken him 'cross runnin' water this wide before, where the ocean and the lake meet, and I think it might be easier if he has someone to follow. Nova don't give a damn about water."

A pause.

"And I know, it ain't."

She smiles at him.

"You got it," she nods, gripping the reins a bit tighter and urging Nova forward without further prodding. The horse leaps into a canter, making an awful ruckus when his hooves hit water.

She doesn't pull back to slow him, though. She just lets him blow on through the inlet, throwing spray every which way, and laughs softly. The water is cold - oh so cold - given the wind and the temperature, but it feels good.

She won't let Nova get too far ahead, though.

Doc gives them a few steps ahead before he lightly spurs the gelding on, and the first steps into the running water are met with hesitation and no small amount of protest.

"C'mon, you're alright, you see him up there? He's leavin' you in the dust..you big baby...there you go...c'mon, there's a good boy, that's it," he urges, hand firm on the reins and voice steady. "There you go...see, ain't so bad..."

She doesn't get too far ahead, and Doc talks the horse across the wide stretch of shallow water, eventually getting him up to a canter once they hit dry land on the other side.

She's far enough ahead that she can pull on the reins and turn Nova back once they've crossed the inlet, letting him step a circle as she peers over her shoulder at Doc and the gelding.

"He all right?" she calls, though she can see that he is.

Nova takes a few antsy steps, wanting to go again.

The gelding looks a bit pissy, but Doc nods his head. "Yeah, he's alright, just bit skittish. Probably don't like the sound of it," he calls back.

One corner of his mouth lifts in a smirk.

"Kind of makes me laugh, considerin' what I was thinkin' of callin' him."

"Oh?" she prompts, returning the smile as he catches up and she lets Nova loose again.

"And what was that?"

They ride awhile, the only sound that of hooves in a rhythmic tattoo beating against the ground, an easy pace.

"Well I was thinkin', since he's from Will's time and all, should honor that. And he's a hell of a horse...was thinkin' 'bout 'Lionheart'. Kinda funny, considerin' cats don't like water."

"Suits him," she chuckles, shaking her head. "King of all beasts, don't like sharing his turf with other critters... yeah, I'd say it's a right smart match."

"What do you say, buddy?"

The gelding is more interested in running, and the prospect of more sweet hay and a good brushing, than whatever the human would like to call him. Doc doesn't mind, in fact, it makes him laugh.

"Lionheart it is, then."

Katherine laughs, too, feeling the homestretch itch her own self.

"You know, you never did finish schooling me on my outlaw lessons," she calls to Doc, over the sound of beating hooves. "An' there's somethin' I've been wonderin'."

"Well it's only the first day," he protests, shooting her a glance as he nods his head, but the motion is lost in the easy gait of the run. "What did you want to know?"

"Well, it's about them 'brazen acts of an outlaw nature,'" she begins, looking ever-so-serious. "Figure sooner or later I'll have to be committing some m'self, so as to earn the title, 'n I was wondering on what type of repercussions one might have to worry 'bout, if'n they were to--"

She tips her head back in a gesture of mock contemplation.

"--I don't know, say, steal another fella's horse?"

There's about half a second for Doc to see that evil spark in her blue daggers, before she and Nova set off like a rocket down the path home.

Edited 2008-11-15 09:34 (UTC)

Doc stares after her.

"Ain't nothin' worse than a horse thief!"

It's hollered loud enough for her to hear, before he urges Lionheart after the pair. She'll beat him back, but he doesn't mind. Much, anyway.

She laughs the whole way back, clamoring up to the stables with a "yeeHAW!"

Her chest is heaving just about as bad as Nova's is, and she leans forward in her seat to rub his slick coat with pride and affection once they've stopped.

"Good boy! You're a fine fella, yes you are! I'll make sure you get an extra scoop of oats tonight, my champion."

Her face is all innocence when she looks to Doc, big blue eyes round and childlike.

Well, hell. He can't be mad at that face.

Doc pulls up the reins as they head back into the stables and just resists the urge to smirk.

"Careful, now. Wouldn't do to let him get fat," he drawls, before he moves to dismount and tie the lead off to a rail. His whole body is humming with the adrenaline from the ride, as he moves to run his hands over Lionheart's neck, praising him for cooperating so well.

"After a run like that, I think he can stand to have one extra scoop," she protests.

Because it's fine to spoil him when she's the one doing it.

Her hair is an absolute mess, falling in her face like broken wheat stalks, accentuating the 'I'm just an innocent angel' look she's currently sporting.

She's careful to pamper Nova after she dismounts, brushing him down real good and throwing a blanket over his shoulders while she cleans his tack and puts it away. True to her word, she makes sure he gets that extra scoop of oats, and plenty of fresh water, taking the blanket from him after he's stopped perspiring.

Only after he's comfortable does she look to herself, peeling her coat from her shoulders. The legs of her trousers are wet from the ride through the inlet, chilling her despite the fact that she's flushed from the hard ride back. Her face is red at her cheeks and the tips of her ears and nose.

"Well, shoot," she mutters with a lopsided grin, wringing the legs of her pants out best she can.

"I think," he comments, after having done the relative same with Lionheart - a good brushing, blanket, cleaning and stowing the tack and getting him food and water - and then looking at her. "I think you and I should take that lunch and head inside, sit by the fire. Dry you out, and feed ourselves. Like a picnic."

A beat.

"Cept indoors, though I'm sure Bar'll give us a blanket if we'd like one."

"Might need one," she remarks, shivering with a sudden chill. "Think that sounds good, though. I might even have an appetite for it, after this morning."

She glances about a moment longer, rubbing at her arms.

"There anything left that needs doin' before we head in, though?"

"Nothin' that won't keep 'till I come out this evening. You and I ain't the only staff, you know," he says. "So I don't want you thinkin' this is something you gotta do every morning."

Plus, Doc just likes to sleep in once in awhile. Benefit of being the boss, and all.

He gathers up his things, organizes his desk a bit, quickly, before he nods his head and glances around. "I think we're set."

"I know. But that don't mean I won't want to be around every morning."

She pauses, realizing just what she has said. It makes her tip her face away from him shyly, and she's suddenly glad for the windburn and the chill at her cheeks, because he can't see the way she's blushing.

She busies herself getting all her own things together, gathering up that packed lunch and clucking an affectionate farewell to the horses, and then she nods.

"All right then. I'll let you be the gentleman and lead the way on back. Unless, of course, we're still being outlaws 'n you'd rather cuss and spit some more," she smirks.

Doc smiles at her comment, but when she tips her face away he chooses to stay quiet on it, even if it does make him smile quite a bit. He waits until she's gathered the basket and pulled her coat back on, before he wraps his arm around her shoulders as they walk.

He doesn't offer her his arm. Not if they're going to talk about outlaw things on the way back to the door.

"Too cold to spit," he quips. "And I ain't findin' anything that's rufflin' my feathers enough to cuss about, so I think you and I should just head on back and git us some grub. Eatin's important, you know..."

Doc laughs at the look that gets him, as they head inside.

OOM sorta: Rooms, back door, stables, in the morning.

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject