Long Nights and Horseshoes

Horseshoe Meadows

New Jersey. Why did it have to be New Jersey. Blake was driving down a secluded street in New Jersey. Heading to a secluded farm. To spend the day with random people she's never met. And Horses. Gross, Nasty, Disgusting, horses. Blake was looking at her phone. It was already at 78% and if she didn't stop using it now she wouldn't have it later for when she actually needed it. Blake reluctantly put her phone in her back pocket and squirmed uncomfortably in the car seat. The faunus glanced out the window to her left. Open fields. No trees. Clouds. Lot's of clouds. Blake sighed. She saw a barn slowly coming into view. A barn. A large outdoor arena. Two huge paddocks. A slightly smaller paddock. And a ranch house. A really large, kind of pretty, ranch house. It wasn't a distasteful view. It was eye catching. What made Blake narrow her eyes however, was the amount of people running around, screaming, and having an overall good time.

As the car turned into the parking lot of the barn, Blake could feel her body turn towards the right, not even trying to stop herself. Ghira parked the rental van in the closest parking spot and stopped the engine, getting out of the car. Kali followed not long after, but it took Blake a few seconds to regain her poise. With a long sigh, she lifted herself out of the car.

Blake examined her surroundings again. In front of the parking lot was a large barn. Across from that was a large, oval shaped arena. Next to the arena was a small paddock with three ponies. In the arena with the ponies was a tall, blond man. He was kneeling next to one of the ponies while a little girl held an apple slice out in her hand. Blake watched as the pony gently took the apple from the girls hand, a smile creeping onto her face as she giggled happily. Blake looked away to focus on something else. Something other than the happiness coming in that particular direction. Blake blinked as something caught her eye. A girl with a rather small frame was running towards her. She was wearing blue jeans, brown leather boots and a red flannel.

Before Blake could react, the smaller girl stopped in front of her and her parents excitedly.

"Hello my name is Ruby and welcome to Horseshoe Meadows!" She beamed, her silver eyes glowing. She was bouncing up and down uncontrollably. Blake was almost amused. This little girl had so much energy and yet the majority of people who even looked in Blake's general direction would lose all of their energy just by looking at her. Blake didn't hate it. There was something amusing about the young girl that stood in front of the faunus. Was it her smile? Maybe her timeless energy? Or that fact that her undershirt flannel shirt was somehow on backwards? Whatever it was, Blake didn't have enough time to think about it because her hand was being grabbed and then enthusiastically shaken by Ruby, who was still jumping up and down excitedly.

"Umm... hello." Blake responded after what would usually be an awkward amount of silence, yet Ruby seemed unfazed, her smile brighter than before upon hearing Blake's voice.

"You must be new here! I've never seen you before! Vale is just so small, it's one of those towns where you just know everyone and you know everything that's going on!" Ruby exclaimed, still jumping up and down. Blake watched as the younger girl eventually calmed down and released her hand.

"Well, we are having a trail ride this afternoon! You should come! It will be loads of fun. Just an hour through the woods and back!" Ruby continued, her excitement seeming to calm back.

Blake paused. She wasn't looking to have fun. She wasn't looking to make friends.

"That sounds like fun!" Kali's voice came from behind Blake, startling her and drawing her from her thoughts.

"I-," Blake was cut off. Not by anyone in particular, but by her own irritated thoughts. Seriously? Now I have to do this? I don't even like horses.