Chapter Text
Slow, rhythmic hoof beats and the distant singing of birds were the only sounds that graced Imogen’s mind. Reveling in the quiet moment, body swaying in the saddle as her trusted horse, Heart, carried her, she leaned her head back. Lilac curls slipped back over her shoulder as she let out a relaxed sigh. She cherished these evening rides.
People made the world such a noisy place. Loud and fast, they buzzed throughout public spaces, their voices impeding on Imogen’s own thoughts until she could no longer stand to be a part of the current moment. There, in the grocery store or the line at the bank, Imogen let her brain go numb; it was the only way to keep herself from running away or collapsing where she stood. Out here, though, she was present and alive. As she focused on the steady weight of her toes in the stirrups and each twitch of her horse’s soft brown ears, Imogen Temult was grounded. She was at peace.
Imogen’s gaze followed the lines of the fence as she rode. This was a route they traveled often, so Heart knew where to go without the need for a guiding rein or the press of a heel against her flank. All that was left for her rider’s mind was to inspect the fence: sometimes wildlife would damage it as they hastily tried to leap over or worm their way through, and it was important that the perimeter stay intact to keep the grazing livestock inside.
On most days, this simple task amounted to no more than a peaceful ride with no damage to be found. On occasion, a stray line of barbed wire would need to be reaffixed to its wooden post, or even replaced. Today’s finding, however, was out of the ordinary- and Imogen heard it well before it came into view.
Music.
It was beyond unusual to hear anything unnatural this far into the countryside. Normally, Imogen’s stomach would have churned at the sound. Music meant people. Maybe it was because she was already feeling calm after nearly an hour of riding, but the soft plucking of guitar strings didn’t worry her- in fact, she found herself humming along.
‘Fleetwood Mac’ she thought, identifying the familiar recording. 'Nice.'
Imogen’s nerves did begin to rise as she neared the source of the song. Cresting over one final hill, she curled her hand to lightly tug on the reins, signaling Heart to stop as a small, dented black pickup truck came into view just beyond the confines of fence. Her breath stuttered and she felt a familiar warm anxiety flood her chest at the sight of a person standing outside, rummaging through the back seat. Heart picked up on her nervous energy- she always did- and shook her head, letting out a soft snort.
“Easy there, girl.” Imogen said, reaching down to pat the horse’s neck. For Heart’s sake, she took a moment to focus on her breathing until it returned to a steady pace. Feeling satisfied that she was as calm as she could be, she angled her heels inwards to make gentle contact with her horse, who began to walk forward again in response.
When she neared the fence, she asked Heart to stop once more and swung her right leg over the back of the saddle before lowering herself to the ground. The music coming from the truck’s radio wasn’t overbearing, but it must have been just loud enough that the person- a tall woman with long, dark hair- hadn’t noticed her approach. Imogen fiddled with the reins in her hand as she lead her horse forward, working up the courage to speak to the stranger despite the lump in her throat.
“E-excuse me, miss,” She called out “What’re you doin’ out here? This is private property.”
“Oh!” Surprised, the stranger turned to face her. The woman’s hair was tangled, and her face pale. Her ripped jeans, dark makeup, and black combat boots almost looked out of place next to open field, aged wooden fence posts, and barbed wire. She held a small camera in her slender hands. “This is Ms. Zhudanna’s land, right?” she asked Imogen with the widest of smiles.
“Yes. You know 'er?” Imogen politely willed herself to return the smile.
“Mhm! I’ve got her permission to be here.” the other woman responded with a hum, looking down as she fiddled with the camera in her hands. “I’m sorry to have alarmed you. I do a bit of photography, you see, and- oh!”
Her sentence was cut off and replaced with boring laughter as Heart stretched her neck over top of the fence to tug at the camera with her upper lip. The stranger took a small step back, unsure, but with excitement and fascination on her face. “Well then…” She chuckled, “I’ve never met a horse before!”
Imogen chuckled, putting gentle pressure on the reins until Heart took a step back. “She thinks you’ve got a treat in y’er hands!”
Meeting new people was always a source of anxiety for Imogen, but something about this person put her at ease... though surely it was just the music or the peaceful evening ride that had already put her in a good mood. Regardless, she had a genuine smile on her face as she rummaged through Heart’s saddle bags.
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Still smiling wide from laughter after the horse’s strange antics, Laudna moved to carefully place her camera on the the driver’s seat of her truck. Turning around to face the animal and its rider once more, she was surprised to find the woman, soft ringlets of purple hair spilling out from beneath her helmet, reaching one hand towards her.
“Would you like to give ‘er a treat?”
“Uh- sure!”
She extended her arm to meet the other woman. A calloused and visibly scarred hand pressed a smooth, cylindrical pellet into her own. Laudna felt her cheeks flush as the hand lingered. Why did it linger? It felt like time had slowed as rough fingers slid up her palm towards her own digits, which were curled over the horse treat. She tried to look far less entranced than she felt as her eyes moved from their hands to the face of the woman reaching out to her from across the fence. She let these fingers guide her own, unfurling them until they were outstretched with the treat balancing on her palm.
“Y’ always want to feed a horse with your fingers out flat like this.” The woman explained with a shy smile. “Heart would never do it on purpose, but she might get a li’l hasty and bite your fingers otherwise.”
“I see.” Laudna responded. She took a moment to smile in return, giving her gaze the chance to settle on stormy grey eyes and a dense array of freckles. This stranger was quite pretty. Laudna's eyes landed next on a pair of soft dimples at the base of round, smiling cheeks; they shifted as the woman spoke again.
“Go on now, she’s real gentle.”
Laudna shifted her weight forward as the tan, freckled hand guided her own towards the horse’s face. She chuckled as soft, black whiskers tickled her palm while the creature gently took the treat, crunching it happily. “Well, aren’t you lovely!” she spoke gently to the animal, lifting her other hand to hover above its nose. Her eyes flickered over to the other woman once more.
“M-may I pet her?”
“She’d love that.”
Laudna shifted her attention back to the horse, slowly placing her hand on its broad forehead and covering a single white marking that resides there. She studied the creature’s eyes as she gently stroked its face. “Heart, was it? What a lovely name.” Laudna grinned as Heart’s eyes softened to a near-close, leaning into her hand as she pet her. “My name is Laudna. It’s truly been a pleasure to meet you both!”
“It’s been… nice.. to meet you too, Laudna.” The other woman responded, a hesitation in her voice that Laudna found herself curious about. “M’ name’s Imogen.”