New Years Auction

[Sync]

The male wasn't exactly sure why he'd come here, he still wouldn't be able to ride for a while. But the draw of the auction was too much for him. He knew there would be some beauties for sale, and he also knew that if he didn't buy now, he never would. With a deep sigh, he pulled into the auction house car park carefully. It was still pretty empty, but it was early. He pulled a three horse box as he'd been told there were students on the look out for horses to go to the academy, he was the designated carrier and had to linger for the day. He climbed from the cab of the box, Paddy diving out behind him. The Irish Setter looked up at his master adoringly, causing Finn to smile and stoop down to fuss him. He leaned against the cab as he pulled his crutches from the vehicle, adjusting them to the upright position before slamming the door closed. Paddy looked up questioningly and Finn nodded. The canine stood close to Finn's side, well as close as he could without getting his paws caught by the crutches. The pair made their way slowly into the auction house, where a barrier of chatter, snorting and shuffling greeted them.

Finn had carried himself slowly around the auction house once, not stopping at any of the horses before he had a good look. There were a few that caught his eye. A Lippizana, a Hanoverian and a Arab cross Appaloosa to name a few. But one mare stole his attention every time. The first lot was a gorgeous Friesian sport horse. She had a superior look to her that drew Finn to her like a magnet. He'd never owned a mare before, and she'd probably be a welcome change. The last two horses to throw him here geldings, so maybe a mare would be better luck. He clucked quietly at the mare to get her attention, she had been ripping at a hay net when he approached. The mare looked up, flickering an audit lazily before sauntering over. He leaned most of his weight onto one crutch before reaching out toward the mare. She met his hand with her maw, snuffling it with interest. He smiled, withdrawing his hand so that he could read the information on her. His grin increased when he found out she was trained in Cross Country. His eyes were alight with excitement. The spark for horses had officially returned in the presence of just one.

He continued to scan the information, learning that her show name was Saturday Night Fever but her barn name was Fever. Calling it softly, she looked up from where she'd been inspecting Paddy through the bars of her pen. She was eight years of age and had been passed around a lot. He was pretty sure she'd stay with him for a good while to come. Leaving the clipboard swing back into place, he lifted his head to call the seller. He was a little startled to see the man already by him. "She's a pretty one, hey? But it looks like you've got a while before you can ride lad. No matter, she can wait a few weeks for you to recover." the man told him, a smile on his lips. Although the smile seemed friendly enough, it was obvious he wanted rid of the mare and get out of here. Finn nodded with his own smile on his face. "How much you asking for her?" he asked, his expression careful. The man laughed. "Not too steep. 3,000." he told Finn. Finn smiled, it seemed like a good price for the mare for what he could gather. A little too good in fact. "Deal." he told the man as he dug out his wallet. "Would you mind bringing her out to the car park and helping me load her?" he asked as he handed over the money. The man nodded, and clipped the lead rope onto the mares head collar. Finn lead the way from the auction house.

They had her loaded in no time, and Finn made sure she had access to the hay net. The car park was still pretty empty, so he decided that he'd take her back to the College and come back if anyone needed him. He awkwardly closed up the horse box and went around to the cab. Paddy climbed in first and then Finn slid the crutches in. Hauling himself into it carefully, he started it up and waited for any protests from Fever. He got none so continued to back the vehicle from the car park expertly. They were soon on their way back to the college, no drama involved. This pleased Finn immensely. Now he couldn't wait for his leg to heal so that he could start work with Fever, he knew she'd be a good companion and horse to him even if she would challenge him a little. A smirk pulled at his lips at that thought.

[Onzy]

SJ was driving the truck today, and a cheerful Connor sat in the passenger seat. They were going horse hunting today, and hopefully they were going to find something that would be good for both of them. They had agreed to limit themselves. One horse each, and maybe two. Divide and conquer, Connor joked, indicating that if they split up, then it would be easier to find a horse for each of them. SJ parked and together the pair walked to the entrance of the Auction house. They parted ways and went on a search.

SJ spotted a lovely Appaloosa. Just over fifteen hands and well-built. It was the intelligent look in his eye that made SJ think about buying him. Sheriff stared her down, and she stared right back. She wasn't about to take any nonsense. You might want to reconsider lassie. He's not a woman's horse, the seller said to her. SJ took another look at the gelding. He was a good horse, and she always like a challenge. I'll give you 800 pounds for him, she said, writing the check. The man looked astounded at the fact the she was buying the gelding. He took it, but seemed relieved at the fact that he had gotten rid of the horse. I'll fetch him later, she added with a smile.

Carrying on through the pens, SJ came across the sweetest face that one would ever find. It belonged to a large Percheron gelding, and he was the sweetest thing. Friendly in the eye, but shy. She knew that with Sheriff's attitude, he would balance out very nicely. Approaching the seller, SJ knew that she wouldn't have to spend so much on this one. 200 pounds, she said to the youngish male. He gave a curt nod, and accepted the money eagerly. Now it was to find Connor.

She easily spotted him, looking at a grey. Isn't he just gorgeous, Connor whispered, patting the gelding on the neck. Friendly too, she added. He was a stallion though, and knew that he would have to be gelded. By the time SJ looked, Connor was buying the horse, a happy grin on his face. I'll go fetch my two then, she said, noting the expression on her boyfriends face. So it was to be then that the four berth horse box was to be mostly filled. Thankfully they hadn't bought a mare.

[Lottii]

Lily-Mae entered the auction house with her typical grin spreading right across her face until her eyes glowed. With three college horses now assigned to her, she wasn't really looking for another horse...much. Four horses was the limit for students without getting special permission from staff, and she doubted she would get permission. As far as her teachers were concerned she already spent far too much time with the equines anyone, let alone giving her permission to have even more on her hands. A peal of laughter fell from her lips as she started to look around the horses.

Several had already sold, despite it still being early. There were some good horses around, but her sixth sense drew her to a gray Connie mare. The same sixth sense had helped her get her first horse, a mare her mum now used as a broodmare at the town's Livery Yard, and choose to take on Blaze, Casper and Sonnet. She just found herself inexplicably drawn to them, and although she hadn't spent much time with Blaze yet, she had been very successful with Sonnet and Casper, no matter which way you looked at success. Lily classes success as a mixture between showing successfully and having a great bond.

She clucked her tongue and was pleased when the mare approached her easily. The equine had been walking around her stall, not pacing from boredom as such, just an urge to keep moving. Lily grinned again, that was something she could appreciate. Doctors labeled it ADHD, her mum called it too much sugar and Lily herself... well she just thought it was her. Her fingers rubbed over the parts of the mare's body she could reach stood outside the pen, the face and neck. Her other hand took down the information sheet as she cast her eyes over it. 14.2hh, it was a good height for the girl's thin frame of about 5'3"/5'4". Her other horses were around that height anyway. It would give her a chance to compete her last year in pony classes of her own accord, without having to ride one of her mum's equines, definitely a positive! Something about the mare's personality caught her though, somehow it almost reminded her of herself. The other information on the sheet continued to encourage. An age of five years was a nice one, old enough to be settled being ridden, but not so old to have specialized on one particular path. Shine Like The Moon, or Luna, would soon be hers, Lily-Mae was certain of it.

A woman a couple of years older than herself approached, a warm smile on her face. "I see you've taken a liking to Lunes." Strong, Yorkshire vocals sounded in a friendly manner. Lily's exterior of confidence wasn't actually that strong, and she ducked her head and nodded before speaking. "She's certainly lovely. How much would you be looking for her?" Lily slipped out the question, a mare this sweet and un-ruined would probably be out of her price range. Her eyes flicked up to the woman's somewhat anxiously. "Well she didn't cost me anything, and I can see you've fallen head over heels for her. My dad wouldn't be best pleased if I came home empty handed though... What about £200?" The grin returned to Lily's face as she nodded eagerly. That was a good price, and she didn't want to haggle the price down with a kind person anyway. She pulled her rucksack off her back and retrieved that sum, handing it over and wishing the woman goodbye.

Turning the Luna, she rubbed her forehead lightly. Outside the pen was a box of grooming equipment and tack, along with a head collar and leadrope. She slipped the head collar over the gray head, not yet clipping the leadrope on. Piling her arms with the stuff, she hurried outside to dump it into her mum's land rover that she had borrowed for the day. She'd only just turned 17, and had no urge to own her own car yet. The trailer attached to the back was bedded down with straw and a haynet, surprisingly as Lily had not technically been planning on coming back with a horse. She fetched Luna and the mare loaded easily. Giving her a soft kiss on the nose, Lily shut the trailer and climbed into the vehicle ready for the drive back to the college. Now her equines would be spread across three barns. She sighed, but it didn't really bother her.

[Sync]

Her hand rubbed soothing circles on the mare's chest, causing Maggie to give a sigh of contentment. The mare had become very relaxed around Remii now, though she still retreated into her stall every time someone grew too near. Remii moved her hand carefully along the width of the mare's shoulder and around to her swollen barrel. She grinned excitedly as she began to think of what the foal would look like. Maggie was extremely close to her due date now, but there were no signs of labor just yet. The fact that she'd mellowed as she grew nearer her date was a good sign though. Giving her one more pat on the neck and placing a kiss on her soft muzzle, Remii regretfully left the stall. Today she was going to the auction. She wasn't going to get her own horse, she had been asked by the new principal to go in search of horses for the college. Her hands reached up to pull her dark locks into a high ponytail, which reminded her that she needed to get it cut. She'd arranged to meet Harry at the auction, so now she just had to walk into town and get to the auction house.

As she walked, she pondered the relationship between herself and Harry. Though she wasn't one to read the gossip magazine, the other students had been talking about it mercilessly. She knew she featured in it, and apparently it was something about her and Harry breaking up? Her brow furrowed. Where had they gotten that idea from? Her expression turned to one of horror, her step faltering. He wasn't breaking up with her, was he? Shaking the thoughts out of her mind, she picked up stride again. No, she was being stupid. Chuckling nervously to herself as people skirted around her, shooting her glares. Her feet picked up into a steady walk once again, and she found that she was near the Auction house quickly. In fact, it was right around the corner. The sight that greeted her was almost bedlam. There were horse boxes everywhere. Some horses from the auction were being loaded, some willingly. Some not. She watched as the steady flow of people pile in and out of the doors, and Remii decided that she would wait for Harry outside the auction house, instead of venturing inside. Taking up post to the left of the door, she leaned against the wall heavily, a sigh emitting from her parted lips. She hated waiting, it was obvious by her expression.

[Lottii]

Harry grinned as he finished working with Sunny, the horse he was assigned for the Horse Therapy course. He had really been bonding with the horse in the past week, spending almost an hour every evening just grooming the horse. It had taken a while for Sunny to let Harry close enough to do that, but now there was almost a visible difference in the bond between them each day. Grooming was clearly the way to the gelding's heart. The session had gone well, Harry could groom and touch every part of the horse's large body without so much as a flinch on Sunny's behalf.

He murmured a goodbye to the horse and glanced at his watch as he left the barn. He had intended to leave for the auction ten minutes ago, but the male had been caught up in his work. Resisting the urge to jog until he was away from the rescue horses, his stride sped up as soon as he left. He jogged to the parking lot and was thankful he had attached the trailer to his truck earlier. Harry wasn't intending on buying another horse, but between him and Remii something was sure to catch the attention of one of them. That, and Remii had mentioned she was scouting for college horses too. He wasn't sure if she would want to transport those back if she found some. He grinned at the thought of seeing Remii in a few moments and set off to the Auction House.

A short drive later, he pulled up outside the busy area and found a space to park in. Ignoring the horses already purchased and being loaded, his eyes looked around for a single figure. Spotting Remii he hurried over to her and wrapped his arms around her waist for a moment before stepping back. His hand gestured to the door, asking Remii if she wanted to lead the way. He pulled a pen out of his pocket when he saw the crowd and scrawled a few words on his hand before showing Remii. Are we staying together to look at the horses or should I' look at one half and you look at the other and then meet up? A large grin spread across his face at all the memories of Remii and his mock anger at her not using paper to write on. He chided himself, he spent too much time reminiscing now. His conclusion was that, before meeting Remii, he had nothing good to reminisce about. Now that he could, he did it all the time.

[Sync]

Her expression went from sullen impatience to pure happiness when Harry came into view. She responded to the hug by reaching up and placing a small kiss on his cheek. As he stepped back, she followed his hand gesture and nodded. The crowds intimidated her as usual, but she had a mission to do. Looking back at him, she saw that he was scrawling a note on his hand. She laughed aloud, pleased immensely by the sight. Reading the note, she thought for a second. If they stayed together, they'd be here much longer and she wasn't really looking forward to that. But if they split up, they'd get around the auction much quicker. Taking the pen off him, she wrote on her own palm. Split up. she wrote, before reaching over and squeezing his hand. Pulling him with her, which was much harder than it had been when they were younger, and they entered the auction house. The noise was almost terrifying to Remii, the amount of people really unnerved her. She angled her chin a little more arrogantly than usual, giving her the confidence she needed to push through the people. Squeezing Harry's hand once again, she let it go and then pushed her way through the crowds, cringing away automatically every time a hand brushed her or a foot tapped her.

There weren't many horses left at the auction, and on the half that she was at, the only two she saw were both trained in Western. She hadn't really been asked to find a Western horse, apparently there was already enough. With a shrug, she was about to turn and go in search of Harry when a small movement caught her eye. She turned around and gasped at what she saw. How hadn't she seen him before? Rushing toward the pen which had nobody around it, apparently everyone was just ignoring the emaciated horse, she frowned deeply. The gelding had his head hung so low that you could tell he was oblivious to what was going on around him. The dark oracles were lifeless, his audits were pinned subconsciously against his neck. She recognized it as his last defense mechanism. She knew this look well. Too well in fact. Images of four very different horses filled her mind, each of them had something in common with this gelding. They had their souls beaten out of them when she first met them, and this gelding needed her help. Well, at least to leave the auction.

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He stood off in the distance, not entering the pen of the horse he was selling. The beast meant nothing to him, he was just the lure. His expression was one of disgust as he glared at the gelding. It didn't look up, it just watched the floor. It didn't show any emotion as people passed and commented on him. This angered the male, how was the horse going to grab his target's attention. Just as he was about to approach the stupid beast, he heard the gasp. A smirk pulled at his lips. She had arrived. His oracles searched for the frame, almost desperate to lay eyes upon her. Ah, there she was. The beautiful girl had an expression of pure horror on her childlike features. His frame arched over a little, it could easily be compared to a hunting stance. She was his pray, an unsuspecting one at that. His eyes were locked on her as she approached the horse, her expression one of pure sympathy. He had to laugh. He knew the gelding would work, but not this well. He'd been studying her for weeks, working with those damn horses. He'd never been able to get her alone though, she always had a large male stood at her side. This angered Colin. He had to have her, and the other male was getting in his way.

She was looking around for him now, well not specifically him, the person who sold the horse. When she couldn't find him, her attention snapped back to the horse. Colin smiled a devil like smile. Time to make his approach. He weaved through the crowd purposefully, nothing standing in his way. His muscled coiled in anticipation as he grew near. He'd finally have her. Why he wanted her, your probably asking. Well, it was simple. At least to himself. The older she got, the more similar to her mother she became. And although they had split up, Colin was still obsessed with Everlyn. But, since he couldn't have the real thing, he'd have their daughter. The sick thoughts that ran through his mind was enough to have him thrown in a loony bin. But, alas, on the outside, he was a seemingly normal being. If only they knew. He was now standing behind her, she was oblivious, absorbed in the horses malnourished state. "You look more like your mother every day.." the vocals would be a caress to anyone else, but he saw the goosebumps form on her neck. His hand reached out to stroke her arm gently, again causing goosebumps. He knew she was frozen, and he could probably just pick her up and carry her out. But this was too much fun. He had a lot in store yet.

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She'd know that voice anywhere, it made her skin crawl. Her mouth was slightly agape, she was no longer seeing anything, just black. This wasn't good. Not at all. The caress made her flinch, but apart from that she remained still. His hands began to play with her hair, and that did it. Standing suddenly, causing him to take a step back, she whirled around to see his expression. Her nerve was lost as quickly as it appeared though. But that was all it took. His hand stretched out to grab her arm, his expression one of pure anger. He knew she wasn't going to play along, not willingly anyway. Before she could stop it though, her lips parted and she shouted at him. And I mean shouted. It wasn't that quiet tone she usually used when she spoke, this was a tone she'd never experienced in her life. "GET YOUR FILTHY HANDS OFF ME!" she screeched, trying to pull from his grasp. He hadn't anticipated her strength and let go, stumbling back a step.

She fell, her butt hitting the ground with an almost sickening crack. Thankfully it wasn't any bones, just her cell phone. The fury that had just been in her eyes was replaced by fear as he began to advance toward her again. She scrambled backwards, but was stopped by the fencing to the horses pen behind her. The horse had brought his head up a little, watching the commotion that began in front of him. Remii looked around desperately for an escape route, but found none. Closing her eyes tightly, she wished she'd chosen to stay with Harry. She was such an idiot sometimes. She could feel that her father was standing over her, no doubt leering. She didn't react though, just kept her eyes tightly shut.

[Lottii]

Harry nodded at Remii's reply, a smile automatically spreading across his face at the sound of her laughter. It made sense to split up, he could tell the girl was as uncomfortable as himself in the large crowd. He wrapped his tall frame around her delicate one before she slipped away, and he headed off to look at his half of the horses. He passed two large grays, both already sold. They were probably the sort of thing the auction was looking for. The boy's mouth formed the shape which would allow a sigh to escape, but no noise came out. In a crowd of strangers, not a word nor sound had ever passed his lips. The few times he had spoken had been in desperation to save Casey, or in the company of just Remii.

Feeling trapped, he headed to the back of the auction house where there were less people. Someone leading a large horse knocked him as they passed, and he fell against a male. Harry held his hands up apologetically, but the glare he received in response terrified him. Shaking from the encounter, he forced himself to return to looking at horses, wanting to get himself and Remii out of this crowd as soon as possible.

Still shaking slightly, the next equine was a small pony of about thirteen hands. It was doubtful that the college would want this horse, but something drew Harry to her. Probably the fact that the mare was terrorizing anyone who dared come close with a mass of bites, kicks and squeals. He got close enough to the stall without getting injured, and grabbed the information sheet. Reading through it, he felt his heart reach out to the pony. Sure, she hadn't been abused or neglected, but a horse filled with that much anger could not be having a happy existence. He felt the same urge to help as he did with rescue horses, and when a woman who was clearly the owner started to approach, he started scrawling on the paper. Will you take £100 for her? The middle-aged woman seemed rather shocked by his method of communication and simply nodded. Handing over the money, he scrawled another sentence. I'll collect her in a minute. Harry turned to the horse, it wasn't worth trying to start working with her in this crowd. Instead, he moved on, keeping his eye open for Remii coming to look for him, and any horses that might suit the college.

The next two horses were also sold, a massive Percheron and a large Hanoverian. It seemed all the good horses had already gone. A disappointed look spread across his face, mingled with the slight guilt he felt for buying a horse without getting Remii's view. He moved on to the next horse, a pretty colored colt. Looking around, he couldn't see Remii. She was probably still looking at horses. Harry spent a few minutes in the pleasant company of the youngster, foals always cheered him up with their cheeky little ways. He glanced up, and still couldn't see the girl his eyes were searching for. The male started to worry, and moved across to the other side of the room where Remii should be. He had only reached the first horse when he heard a familiar yet unfamiliar voice. Before he even understood, he was pushing his way through the crowd, his face tinged with anger and hatred, and utter desperation. As he forced himself past the people he realized the voice was Remii's, that's why it was familiar and he automatically, desperately needed to help. But, she was shouting. Which meant it was something really bad. He elbowed a few people out of his way, his tall frame used to his advantage for the first time ever.

He saw her, curled up on the ground. A male whom he faintly recognized leaned over her, terrifying her. Remii couldn't escape. He had to do something. His frame pushed past the man, putting himself inbetween Remii and this threatening male who had caused Remii such fear. It must be her father, the small, detached part of his brain said. The rest of his brain was still focused on protecting Remii. A low, angry hiss slipped out of his lips with him every planning on talking. "Get away from her." His voice stayed even, not cracking with fear. Truth was, all he felt was two things. Anger and hatred towards the male, and love and a need to protect towards Remii. The same fear which held him back from talking, the fear which would usually keep him away from this man, had vanished. Remii was simply more important. "You heard her, she doesn't want you near her. Leave." His voice sounded commanding and strong, like nothing that had ever left his mouth before.

For the first time in his life, Harry felt a violent urge. He wanted to hurt this man, wanted to injure him. And the shocking realization that he would do that. He would hurt this man to protect Remii. His hands raised in front of his body, ready to defend himself or Remii. In the large crowd, Remii's shout hadn't attracted attention. He started to gather himself for a scream, anything to get someone else's attention. He paused for a moment, glanced behind him to check Remii. Her face was frozen with fear. Anger surged round his body again and he stared at the male, waiting to see what would happen.

[Sync]

He reached down and caressed the side of her frozen face, smiling darkly. She still would not open her eyes, and this angered him. He was about to reach over and grab her chin, forcing her to look at him, before he was shoved away from his little 'prize'. He stumbled back, his expression one of surprise due to the fact that he hadn't thought that anyone was paying attention to them. When he realized who it was, his expression contorted into one of pure hatred. It was that damn male who seemed glued to her side. The voice just made him laugh, he wasn't ruffled by this boy. He crossed his arms arrogantly over his chest. He waited for the boy to finish speaking, observing how his stance changed. Colin could see this male would devote his life to the female, but still it didn't make him waver. He was going to have her, painfully or otherwise. Inspecting his nails as if he had no care in the world, he addressed the boy. "I'll think you find she's MY daughter. I have the right to take her with me." His tone was condescending, something he was sure would annoy the male. "Now, if you behave, you can have her back after i'm done with her." he told him airily, stepping forward a few steps. Movement behind Harry startled him though. It seemed dear Remii was not ready to listen yet.

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Remii felt the hand on her face, but couldn't pull away. Fear had immobilized her. But then she felt the rush of air as someone stood in front of her. Refusing to open her eyes, she didn't know who it was until he spoke. The relief she felt was unreal, before the surprise rocked through her form. She'd never heard Harry speak like that, and it gave her the courage she needed. Then it was her fathers turn to speak. The hairs on her neck stood up, anger beginning to fill her petite form. Rising quietly, her eyes now open wide. She saw the anger flash over her father's expression as he met her eyes. Apparently he thought this was going to be much easier. Slipping past Harry, she stood in front of the one she loved. "I'm not your daughter. I haven't been since the day you abandoned me. You don't want me to be your daughter either, you want a replacement Everlyn," she didn't say mother, that woman had never been a mother to her. "You mean nothing to me, you never have. The only family I have is Grandpa. He's the only male I will ever say that I'm related to by blood." she spat. Her nails were digging viciously into her palms as her fists clenched, she was shaking violently. But her voice was steady, which surprised her. She drew in an unsteady breath, before turning away from the man, with the intention of going toward the pen where Andy was still standing. Before she could walk though, she felt arms drag her back, holding her tightly to his chest. She didn't scream, due to the fact that his hand smothered her mouth. Her eyes screamed for her though, pleading with Harry who was still in front of her.

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Her words made anger boil, and he knew he had to snatch her or he'd never get her. He grabbed her unsuspecting form, holding her close. He glared at the male, a glare that said that he'd hurt her if he stepped forward. The auction goers were still ignoring them, it helped that they were hidden by a large, wooden pillar. Eye's still on the male, he leaned down and whispered into her ear. "You do not disrespect me girl. Without me, you wouldn't be here today. And now I feel like you should repay the favor." His vocals insinuated something she really didn't want to happen. Her frame thrashed violently against him, and he winced. She caught his knee first. Then a little higher. Her elbow dug into his gut, and he knew his grasp was slipping. She was much stronger than he thought. The next blow was too much though. She caught him straight in the private parts, causing him to double over in pain. He clutched himself painfully, releasing her. "You stupid b***h! he shouted, still kneeling on the ground. He glared up at her, meeting her still frightened expression. He was down, but not out yet.

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She rushed toward Harry, shrinking into his chest. This was her safety, and she just needed to touch him right now. Peering over her shoulder, she saw that he was still on the floor. The expression told her that he wasn't given up yet. Her expression was still fearful, but then the gelding in the stall caught her eye. He now had his head lifted and was pacing inside the stall. There was an almost crazed look upon his face. She knew she had to get him out of here, the commotion was too much for him. "I need to get him out of here." she told Harry quietly. She glanced over her shoulder to see her father still on the ground, but looked as if he could soon get up. "Please keep him down." As she said that, she realized how much she had spoken in the last ten minutes. There was no barrier around it either. Not giving herself time to over analyze, she made her way toward the gelding's stall, casting a wary glance over her shoulder every now and then. After making sure Harry had things under control, she slipped inside and began to try and sooth the horse.

[Lottii]

Harry's face grimaced as the male spoke again. He didn't know the legal situation with who Remii's legal guardian was, but now she was eighteen, she was in charge of herself. The male was also aware that Remii had grown up in care, and therefore the state had probably been her legal guardian until she turned eighteen. The words came easily from his mouth again, almost a snarl at the hatred for this man. "You don't own her. Remii is a person, not a belonging, not some toy! She's eighteen, she's not legally bound to you at all." His voice calmed into a quiet rage as he spoke the last sentence. His fury hasn't gone, but it wasn't raw anger anymore. That changed as the other male carried on speaking. The thoughts of what he intended to do with her. Harry's body shook with his anger and he started to step forwards.

The male's body began to shake with fear rather than anger as Remii slipped in front of him. His arms ached to pull her back, but she needed to speak. Harry barely allowed himself to listen to the words that left the girl's lips, he was too busy watching her, ready to protect her. Some small part of his mind noted she had probably just destroyed all the healing her palms had done in the last few weeks. His body moved an inch or two to the side to let Remii passed as she headed to the equine behind them and then froze with shock as the girl was dragged away from him. As he started to rush forwards to do something, to hurt the male, to get Remii away from him, he stopped suddenly. The male's eyes told him that Remii would end up worse if he continued forwards. Harry paused, not knowing what to do. The best bet seemed to be to attract attention, but would someone notice and help before it was too late? His arms were clamped to his sides, unable to move.

Harry didn't hear the words that passed from the filthy male's lips into Remii's ear, but the response from Remii freed his statue-like form. He ran forwards as Remii came to him, briefly holding her tight against his chest. He followed her gaze to the horse, guessing it had been the lure that drew her unknowingly closer to her father. "Sure, you sort him out. I'll be okay here," he replied in quiet vocals, much closer to the voice Remii would recognize from the times he had spoken before.

His gaze returned to the male who was still on the floor. Angry eyes flickered around the room, lighting on a police officer who was patrolling a little way away. "Could I have help please?" He called out gently, most of the surrounding people ignored him. But the police officer heard him, and hurried over towards him. Harry's hand gestured to the male as he spoke in little more than a whisper. "This man just tried to kidnap my girlfriend. He's her father but has no legal right to be anywhere near her. He just assaulted both of us." His story sounded flimsy even to his own ears, but the police officer was speaking quickly into her radio and seemed to be handcuffing Remii's father. He dug a clean scrap of paper and a pen out of his pocket, scrawling down his own phone number and Remii's. "Here's my number, and Remii's," he held out the slip of paper before continuing. "Please, excuse me."

Not looking back, he heard the sound of more officers pushing their way through the crowded hall. But now his focus was Remii again, who was intently working with the horse. His frame stood at the entrance to the pen, not wanting to ruin her work. "I'm sorry, we shouldn't have split up. Bad idea. You 'kay?" Harry held his arms open, clearly inviting her for a hug. When she came over to him, he spoke again, his tones little more than a whisper now the anger had faded. "Who's this?" he spoke looking towards the clearly neglected horse. "I brought another horse too," he added as an afterthought. His arms wrapped around her body as she explained about the equine, starting to relax now she was safe. It had made him realize just how much he loved Remii, and the fact that he had never spoken that to her. A ghost of a smile appeared on his lips, "Remii," he started quietly, taking advantage of this new-found ease, "I love you more than anything in the world. Please don't put yourself in danger ever ever again." His eyes looked up at hers, and he bent down slightly to kiss her hair.

[Sync]

Colin glared at the male as he called over the police officer. Goddammit. I'll get her again. he thought to himself, eyes locked on his daughter as his hands were yanked roughly into handcuffs. He didn't wince, he didn't give any other reaction than the leer on his expression toward the girl. None of what the officers were saying was sinking in, and as they dragged him away, he called back over his shoulder. "I'll get you Remii. Just remember that."

[/b] he threatened, laughing darkly as he saw the fear pass over her beautiful features. The police offices dragged him along, shouting at him about threats or something. He still wasn't listening, eyes locked on his daughter until he was pulled out of view.
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A shiver ran along her spine as her father spoke, fear passing over her expression. There was no doubt in her mind that his words were true. Time to be completely on edge over again. Remii looked up from Andy when Harry appeared in the entrance of the pen. "I'll be fine," Her tone implied that she definitely wasn't going to be. "He's my worry at the moment." she told him, gesturing toward the gelding. Andy had calmed now, no longer that crazed look in his eyes. But they weren't flat and emotionless as they had been when she had first lain eyes upon him. Looking up from Andy's narrow cranium, she looked directly into Harry's eyes. Tears were brimming, and the call of her boyfriends arms was too much to resist. She almost threw herself into them, pressing her cheek into his chest. She kept herself from crying, but a gasp slipped through her lips when she caught sight of her palms. They were cut up again, not as much as last time, but still pretty bad. "Crap." she muttered, but didn't try to hide them, Harry knew her too well. She looked up when he spoke, glad that he was talking in his usual tone. It made her relax. "That's Andy. He sadly acted as a lure in his sick game." Remii spat in disgust, and then rose a brow. "What's it like?" she questioned in interest, knowing that it wasn't going to be a straight forward, been there done that horse. Harry was to similar to herself.

She settled into his arms contently, looking up from Andy when Harry called her name. Her heart fluttered as she continued, her goofy grin that she reserved for him spreading over her features. "Harry, I love you too. More than words can describe. I'll try to keep myself out of danger, but you know what I'm like when it comes to horses like Andy over here. I can't help myself." she said softly, smiling impishly. When he pressed his lips to her hair, she twisted so that she could kiss him on the lips. Pulling away as quickly as she did it, grinning at him slyly, she unwrapped his arms from around her. "I'm going to take him to the principal. He'll take care of him, and at least then I can keep an eye on him too." she said, gesturing toward Andy. She couldn't see a lead rope anywhere, so held onto the head collar. The gelding followed obediently, his expression returning to completely flat. Her expression was pained as she looked at him, wanting to keep him to herself. But she knew she couldn't do that, not with Maggie due to give birth any day now. "Ready to go?" she asked Harry, looking at him expectantly.
[/blockquote][/blockquote][/size]

[Lottii]

Harry sighed as Remii responded, saying she was okay but clearly not meaning it. He nodded, the neglected horse would always come before Remii's self in the girl's mind. He shook his head disapprovingly, but he would be calling himself a hypocrite if he said anything more. His worry faded once she was in his arms, and acknowledged her gasp at the sight of her palms. "Stitches?" he queried quietly, wondering if there would be another trip to the hospital. In his opinion, she could probably do with someone checking them out, but she would probably deny it. At least she didn't try and hide it from him as she used to. He'd rather know than feel she wanted to hide something from him.

The body of the male tensed when Remii became cross again, but he relaxed as she did, taking in the facts about the horse quietly. "I know you can't help yourself when you see a horse like Andy, but please make sure I'm with you. What if he tries it again?" Harry frowned, worry again marring his face. He shook the thoughts off, distracting himself by speaking about his latest equine. "She's called Secret. Seems to hate people." He smiled as he described her, but the male was aware that as the adrenaline faded from his body, is was becoming harder to speak freely.

A delighted, almost childish smile lit his face as Remii replied to his declaration of love. If, three or four years ago, you'd asked the boy if he ever thought he would feel like this about someone, and have the luck for them to feel the same way, he would have responded with a resounding no. Harry leant into her kiss, showing an exaggerated disappointed face when she moved away. Grinning, he listened to her plan for Andy, nodding along in agreement. With everything that had happened, he hadn't had a chance to worry about how she would cope with another horse. "Sounds good." The male agreed with her plan and nodded when he asked if she was ready. "Come with me to get Secret, then we'll load them." Normally he would have let her go off and load Andy whilst he fetched Secret, but even with her father presumably at the police station, it would be a while before he felt safe enough to let her out of his sight, certainly off the college ground.

Heading over to Secret's pen, he stopped at a tack stand to buy a leadrope and headcollar. Offering them to Remii, he waited until she accepted them and sorted Andy out before he continued to Secret. The mare snapped at him as he attached the lead-rope which was hooked over the pen to her headcollar, but he swiftly moved his arm out of the way and gave the mare a stern looking. Checking again that Remii was behind him, he set off towards his trailer, pausing to let Andy go first. From what he'd seen of the gelding, he was unlikely to offer any resistance to being loaded. Secret on the other hand might cause a fuss. When Remii had loaded Andy, he walked Secret up the ramp, praising her loads as she entered the trailer willingly - only to get kicked at for his troubles. Her front leg didn't strike him though, and he climbed into the car with Remii beside him. "What will he try next?" Harry questioned lightly, wondering if Remii had any further ideas of her fathers' plans. "Police said we could charge him for assault..." He left the statement open-ended. If it was okay with Remii, that would be exactly what Harry would like to do, as well as getting a restraining order put on the man. But he still wouldn't go against Remii's wishes, and she might have problems pressing charges against her own father. His eyes flickered towards her before he looked back to the road. Even when she was sat next to him in the car, he still felt the need to check she was safe.

[Cara]

Cara parked her vehicle and float in the parking lot behind the auction house. She didn't even know why she was here, but before she had come, she had spoken to Mr Trevenian, the college's vice principal, and he had granted her the permission to purchase a young horse if she couldn't find anything of suitable age, within the height range she wanted. Other than school horses, she was through riding horses that were bigger than 15 hands.

Walking into the auction house, she kept her distance from crowds, not wanting to be bumped. She saw the number of empty yards, which was an indication that she was late. She stepped back out of the way of a girl leading a dappled grey Connemara mare past her. The pony was very pretty and Cara almost felt jealous that someone had beaten her to the mare.

She continued on her way and looked in on a couple of the horses that were still lazily standing around their yards. They were trained in western riding though, the discipline that Cara had no wish in learning, even if one was of perfect height. Shaking her head at herself for even considering it, she carried on.

"Hello, handsome." She whispered as she came to the yard of a Skewbald colt. "What's your story." She laughed as the colt came right up to her and butted her with his head. She gently pushed him away as she read the colts information sheet. "You're intelligent enough so the distraction issue you should grow out of."

"You interested in our wee Noah?" The voice of an elder gentleman spoke up from behind her. "What would you be planing to do with him?"

Cara nodded her head. "Yes, Sir." She replied as she looked at the colt again. "I would have him gelded." She tipped her head to the side as she watched the rambunctious colt who had lost interest with the humans as a bird landed on the fence on the opposite of the yard and the colt cantered off toward the bird, which flew away. "I would do groundwork with him for the next couple of years. We'd look at attending a couple of inhand shows. After that it would all be up to him."

The man nodded. "It sounds like you have a good head on your shoulders, young lady. We don't want too much for him."

"Would you accept two-fifty?" She asked.

Once money had exchanged hands, Cara entered the arena. After convincing the colt that he really did want to get caught, she led him out of the auction house and toward her waiting float.

[Myssi]

Wes was driving down the street in an old, extremely dingy-looking truck. An old trailer was hitched to the back, and steady notes beat the air as the country station wove itself from the radio and into the air. Country wasn't Wes' preferance for music or anything - he just honestly didn't care what he listened to when driving.

His destination was the Auction house. He needed another horse, mostly because he wanted to get started on another on. Jolly-Boy was broken, so his training was quite as demanding as it had been before, and the hard training was something Wes actually missed. It gave him exhileration, and he also wanted to break another one to started getting in line for training, because after Jolly-Boy was done and had competed a few times, Wes was most likely going to sell him, get him room for another horse. He'd miss that plucky gelding though.

He pulled into the lot and swiftly found a place to station down his busted-up vehicle. He was out in a minute, keys sliding down into his pocket, his boots covering the distance to the building withen minutes.

There was only one horse left. A horse with a creative face, inquisitive eyes and an expression of mischief that only made Wes smile, especially when the glint in his eyes only reinforced the look further. He entered the stall, running his hands expertly over the small gelding , feeling for any structure problems. He was of good body, and his legs seemed sound. As Wes felt over him, the horse never flinched, not once, only looking on curiously.

Wes met the eyes of the owner, who'd leaned on the stall door when finding his horse examined. He looked at the young Australian, his face serious, and older. He knew horses, and he knew people who knew horses. He already liked this youth who moved so easily with Oak, and at once wanted the black-haired teen to take the bay. Though no words were exchanged, money was. and just like that, Wes had a horse.

[Sync]

THIS AUCTION IS NOW CLOSED
Look out for a new one coming very soon!