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Description

Previously:

“What happens when people open their hearts?
They get better.”
~Haruki Murakami
Season: 11
MARCH
The two colts, held just out of reach from each other by their grooms, tentatively touched noses. They whuffled, breathing in each other’s air, before the chestnut reared up slightly with a squeal. The black one quickly backed up, ears pinned warily, but made no threatening moves.
Delphi and Abyssal, BCC’s chrome-dipped beauties, as beautiful in their freshmen glory as anyone could ever hope they would be. Though as of yet untested on the track, both colts held strong promise and practically made the farm’s lead trainer, Emma Jones, salivate. They weren’t the only ones, either. A strong, solid crop of over twenty two-year-olds populated the freshman barn at BCC. Eight of them were promised to Cyrus and Mic come July. Delphi and Abe were by far the most promising of the colts, but it was the fillies that had everyone holding their breath this year.
Atocha and Allosa. Two fillies, completely unrelated, stepping in tandem in the paddocks and on the track. They trained together every day. Sometimes Emma would lean against the practice track’s fenceline and just watch them run, trying to figure out who would win if they were pitted against each other. She honestly couldn’t guess.
A giant pink nose shoved its way into Emma’s face, making her blink out of her contemplative state and refocus on the half-ton children in front of her. Delphi was currently engulfing her vision and blocking her view of Abe. The chestnut was the loudest mouth of his crop. Abe, on the other hand, was quiet as a mouse and gentle as a dove. He was secretly her favorite. You could see the Ghost Pirate influence in Abe far more than the El Diablo.
Delphi flashed his teeth a little too close to her nose. She swatted at him and he backed up, looking bored as Hell.
“Send him out,” she barked to his exercise rider. “He has far too much energy for my liking. Wear him out a bit with a hard sprint.”
The rider nodded at her obediently but didn’t seem too thrilled about getting on Delphi’s back. For all his talent, Apollo Gold’s son was… eh, a bit of a dick. He had a habit of zigzagging his way across the dirt and seemed to relish slamming into other runners. As such, they had to work him completely separate from the rest. He was no longer allowed a morning jog buddy. It was something she was going to have to work on if they ever expected him to race without a DQ.
Abe, on the other hand, thrived with work buddies. This morning had seen him jogging with their Munnoch colt, AJ. The flashier chestnut was a ball of energy much like Delphi, but did better at redirecting that energy toward positive, helpful things. Like running straight lines.
Emma rubbed her elbow absentmindedly; it still smarted where Delphi had chomped down on it last week.
She heard Alex approach behind her and shifted slightly toward the right to make room for her assistant along the fence.
“You okay, boss?” Alex asked.
“Delphi’s a problem and a half,” she responded with a sigh.
“Yeah, but if we can’t get him sorted out, Cyrus will.”
But Emma shook her head. “Not this time,” she corrected. “Delphi’s slated for Mic.”
Alex stared at her, eyes comically wide. “What? Why?”
Emma shrugged. “No clue, honestly. Lia wouldn’t budge on it. I think she wants to see what Mic can really do.”
Alex shook her head and grimaced. “Poor guy. That’s just mean.”
***
Dani sat on the bed with one leg beneath her and ran a delicate hand down Liam’s back. He was sitting on the edge tugging on his boots but paused as he felt her touch. He still hadn’t told her about the scars. She knew what they were, relatively. It wasn’t difficult to identify the wide, slashing marks of a belt. She’d seen enough similar ones in her youth on the hands and backs of her friends. None quite like this though.
Still, she hadn’t pressed him. He hadn’t offered up the information and she wasn’t about to go digging. Not with her own demons haunting her nightmares.
Liam reached around, grabbed her hand, and placed a kiss in the middle of her palm. She smiled up at him toothily. It was rare for them both to have a morning off and they had spent it lazing around his townhouse in basically nothing. It had become her favorite pastime as of late. He twirled her wedding band around on her finger almost absentmindedly and she smirked. She had worried when they first started this thing that he would be jealous or upset with the fact that she and Eddie weren’t getting divorced any time soon. But he had surprised her. Liam didn’t seem to give a shit and had no qualms dating a married woman.
It probably helped that he had been there through the entire farce of a wedding, of course. And it probably helped even more that Eddie and Javier were all over each other these days.
“I’m going to head to the track and take some of the horses for a spin.”
Dani cocked her head and quirked a brow at Liam. “But it’s almost noon.”
He shrugged in response. “It’s still cool out and I need the exercise.”
“Well don’t take Snow, she’s being a brat.”
“She’s always a brat.”
A pause. “...True.”
“I’m thinking I’ll take Di out, if you’re okay with that?”
She frowned. Liam didn’t normally gravitate toward the filly that she and Eddie co-owned together. “Why Di?”
He just shrugged again, shoulders bobbing. “She’s one of the few I haven’t ridden before,” he seemed to hedge, and she squinted her gaze dangerously at him. Still, he wouldn’t elaborate, and she decided to let it go. For now.

Shown:
Name: Abyssal
Barn name: Abe
Gender: Colt
Age: 2
Breed: Thoroughbred
Height: Projected 16.2hh
Color: Black
Genotype: Ee/aa
Markings: Stripe, FL and BL socks, FR and BR stockings
Build: n/a
Temperament: Abe is a very soft colt; he treads lightly, tip-toeing through life. He rarely makes noise and tends to hang at the back of the yearling herd. It is unclear how he possesses such a good and gentle nature considering his dam's more destructive energy but many suspect that Callum's timid nature evened Thalassa's temperament out in their colt.
Discipline: Flat racing
Bloodlines: Callum x Thalassa , Ghost Pirate

Name: Delphi
Barn name: Del, Big Boy, Mr. Badonkadonk
Gender: Colt
Age: 2
Breed: Thoroughbred
Height: Projected 16hh
Color: Chestnut, flaxen
Genotype: ee/Aa/ff
Markings: blaze, 4 stockings
Build: Delphi was born a delicate child, all fine joints and elegant lines, then developed into a beefy yearling with a little bit of disproportion; that awkwardness is expected to even out as he ages to hopefully result in a beautiful stallion. His head is by far his most defining feature--strong, sharp, and with massive doe-eyes that hint to an otherworldly soul housed within.
Temperament: Del is unpredictable at best, downright mean at worst. His mood can swing from good to bad in an instant with no provocation. He tends to be standoffish but takes up a lot of space with his presence, demanding he is the center of attention--as long as you don't try to get too close, of course. He is also wildly intelligent and often takes great joy in escaping his paddock, leading to BCC staffing a round-the-clock guard for him alone.
Discipline: Flat racing
Bloodlines: Apollo Gold x Saba , Smart Strike

Art, Characters, and Story (C) me

Next on:

Description

Previously:

“What happens when people open their hearts?
They get better.”
~Haruki Murakami
Season: 11
MARCH
The two colts, held just out of reach from each other by their grooms, tentatively touched noses. They whuffled, breathing in each other’s air, before the chestnut reared up slightly with a squeal. The black one quickly backed up, ears pinned warily, but made no threatening moves.
Delphi and Abyssal, BCC’s chrome-dipped beauties, as beautiful in their freshmen glory as anyone could ever hope they would be. Though as of yet untested on the track, both colts held strong promise and practically made the farm’s lead trainer, Emma Jones, salivate. They weren’t the only ones, either. A strong, solid crop of over twenty two-year-olds populated the freshman barn at BCC. Eight of them were promised to Cyrus and Mic come July. Delphi and Abe were by far the most promising of the colts, but it was the fillies that had everyone holding their breath this year.
Atocha and Allosa. Two fillies, completely unrelated, stepping in tandem in the paddocks and on the track. They trained together every day. Sometimes Emma would lean against the practice track’s fenceline and just watch them run, trying to figure out who would win if they were pitted against each other. She honestly couldn’t guess.
A giant pink nose shoved its way into Emma’s face, making her blink out of her contemplative state and refocus on the half-ton children in front of her. Delphi was currently engulfing her vision and blocking her view of Abe. The chestnut was the loudest mouth of his crop. Abe, on the other hand, was quiet as a mouse and gentle as a dove. He was secretly her favorite. You could see the Ghost Pirate influence in Abe far more than the El Diablo.
Delphi flashed his teeth a little too close to her nose. She swatted at him and he backed up, looking bored as Hell.
“Send him out,” she barked to his exercise rider. “He has far too much energy for my liking. Wear him out a bit with a hard sprint.”
The rider nodded at her obediently but didn’t seem too thrilled about getting on Delphi’s back. For all his talent, Apollo Gold’s son was… eh, a bit of a dick. He had a habit of zigzagging his way across the dirt and seemed to relish slamming into other runners. As such, they had to work him completely separate from the rest. He was no longer allowed a morning jog buddy. It was something she was going to have to work on if they ever expected him to race without a DQ.
Abe, on the other hand, thrived with work buddies. This morning had seen him jogging with their Munnoch colt, AJ. The flashier chestnut was a ball of energy much like Delphi, but did better at redirecting that energy toward positive, helpful things. Like running straight lines.
Emma rubbed her elbow absentmindedly; it still smarted where Delphi had chomped down on it last week.
She heard Alex approach behind her and shifted slightly toward the right to make room for her assistant along the fence.
“You okay, boss?” Alex asked.
“Delphi’s a problem and a half,” she responded with a sigh.
“Yeah, but if we can’t get him sorted out, Cyrus will.”
But Emma shook her head. “Not this time,” she corrected. “Delphi’s slated for Mic.”
Alex stared at her, eyes comically wide. “What? Why?”
Emma shrugged. “No clue, honestly. Lia wouldn’t budge on it. I think she wants to see what Mic can really do.”
Alex shook her head and grimaced. “Poor guy. That’s just mean.”
***
Dani sat on the bed with one leg beneath her and ran a delicate hand down Liam’s back. He was sitting on the edge tugging on his boots but paused as he felt her touch. He still hadn’t told her about the scars. She knew what they were, relatively. It wasn’t difficult to identify the wide, slashing marks of a belt. She’d seen enough similar ones in her youth on the hands and backs of her friends. None quite like this though.
Still, she hadn’t pressed him. He hadn’t offered up the information and she wasn’t about to go digging. Not with her own demons haunting her nightmares.
Liam reached around, grabbed her hand, and placed a kiss in the middle of her palm. She smiled up at him toothily. It was rare for them both to have a morning off and they had spent it lazing around his townhouse in basically nothing. It had become her favorite pastime as of late. He twirled her wedding band around on her finger almost absentmindedly and she smirked. She had worried when they first started this thing that he would be jealous or upset with the fact that she and Eddie weren’t getting divorced any time soon. But he had surprised her. Liam didn’t seem to give a shit and had no qualms dating a married woman.
It probably helped that he had been there through the entire farce of a wedding, of course. And it probably helped even more that Eddie and Javier were all over each other these days.
“I’m going to head to the track and take some of the horses for a spin.”
Dani cocked her head and quirked a brow at Liam. “But it’s almost noon.”
He shrugged in response. “It’s still cool out and I need the exercise.”
“Well don’t take Snow, she’s being a brat.”
“She’s always a brat.”
A pause. “...True.”
“I’m thinking I’ll take Di out, if you’re okay with that?”
She frowned. Liam didn’t normally gravitate toward the filly that she and Eddie co-owned together. “Why Di?”
He just shrugged again, shoulders bobbing. “She’s one of the few I haven’t ridden before,” he seemed to hedge, and she squinted her gaze dangerously at him. Still, he wouldn’t elaborate, and she decided to let it go. For now.

Shown:
Name: Abyssal
Barn name: Abe
Gender: Colt
Age: 2
Breed: Thoroughbred
Height: Projected 16.2hh
Color: Black
Genotype: Ee/aa
Markings: Stripe, FL and BL socks, FR and BR stockings
Build: n/a
Temperament: Abe is a very soft colt; he treads lightly, tip-toeing through life. He rarely makes noise and tends to hang at the back of the yearling herd. It is unclear how he possesses such a good and gentle nature considering his dam's more destructive energy but many suspect that Callum's timid nature evened Thalassa's temperament out in their colt.
Discipline: Flat racing
Bloodlines: Callum x Thalassa , Ghost Pirate

Name: Delphi
Barn name: Del, Big Boy, Mr. Badonkadonk
Gender: Colt
Age: 2
Breed: Thoroughbred
Height: Projected 16hh
Color: Chestnut, flaxen
Genotype: ee/Aa/ff
Markings: blaze, 4 stockings
Build: Delphi was born a delicate child, all fine joints and elegant lines, then developed into a beefy yearling with a little bit of disproportion; that awkwardness is expected to even out as he ages to hopefully result in a beautiful stallion. His head is by far his most defining feature--strong, sharp, and with massive doe-eyes that hint to an otherworldly soul housed within.
Temperament: Del is unpredictable at best, downright mean at worst. His mood can swing from good to bad in an instant with no provocation. He tends to be standoffish but takes up a lot of space with his presence, demanding he is the center of attention--as long as you don't try to get too close, of course. He is also wildly intelligent and often takes great joy in escaping his paddock, leading to BCC staffing a round-the-clock guard for him alone.
Discipline: Flat racing
Bloodlines: Apollo Gold x Saba , Smart Strike

Art, Characters, and Story (C) me

Next on: