(no subject)

[52-dropoff.livejournal.com]

Charlie is dangling from a tree branch near the lake. It's not quite spring yet, but it's mild enough that he's come down from the rafters and moved outdoors.

Comments

[source_fairy]

Sirona is taking a walk outside. It's a bit bright for her, goddess of starlight that she is (and generally a rather nocturnal person), but sometimes, you have to prove you've not turned into a vampire yet.

She blinks in the sun and then startles.

There's somebody dangling from a tree!

[52-dropoff.livejournal.com]

"Hello," he offers pleasantly to the young woman.

[source_fairy]

"You're dangling from a tree!" Sirona says, stating the overly obvious in a whimsical fashion.

[52-dropoff.livejournal.com]

"It's good exercise. It helps establish balance. And it lets you see the world in a different light." Or at least upside down.

[source_fairy]

"There's too much light as it is," Sirona says, blinking into the sun again.

[52-dropoff.livejournal.com]

"Really? We're a good week from the equinox." If anything, it's just barely bright enough now.

[source_fairy]

"I know," Sirona says. "I'm just not used to it, that's all. I'm a bit nocturnal, and spend my days with computers, as it is."

[52-dropoff.livejournal.com]

"Programmer? Or hacker?" Charlie swings himself upright and sits on the branch.

[source_fairy]

"Depends," Sirona says. "On what needs doing."

[52-dropoff.livejournal.com]

He laughs. "I'll take that as hacker. I used to dabble in that. But I preferred looking at paper files. It was simpler." And more of a challenge sometimes. And it also reminded him that he was breaking and entering, and thus crossing the line.

[source_fairy]

"I see no point in doing anything on paper that can be done electronically," Sirona says. "Except voting, if at all possible."

[52-dropoff.livejournal.com]

"You don't trust electronic voting, either? Good. Though where I come from, they found other ways to cheat." Charlie remembers all too well the election that ended, despite the best efforts of too many other forces, with Myra Fermin in the mayor's job for real,

[source_fairy]

"Tell me about it," Sirona says. "I know about computers. There is no way to make computers safe. None! There were state elections in the place where I'm living in the state capital at the moment, the first to use voting machines, that is, computers. The result left the place in political shreds. A small party got in, with barely more than five percent, that upsets the whole power balance and leaves the state ungovernable. If you subtract the electronic votes, not so much. Recounts are unadvisable, and not really possible, because of those damn computers."

[realmrsreynolds]

Sallie's taking a tour of the outside when she spots Charlie, waving to him lightly once she thinks that he is looking her way.

"Wèi, Charlie. Having fun?"

[52-dropoff.livejournal.com]

"Hi, Sallie. I'm exercising and viewing the world from a new angle. So I would say I am." He's done this so often in his life and afterlife that he doesn't even notice the blood rushing to his head. "How are you?"

[realmrsreynolds]

"I'm doing good. Keepin' busy. I haven't had the chance to annoy you in a couple days so when I saw you were decorating the trees outside with your own self I saved time and came out."

Beat, "No, I was just about to go to the stables, see if everything was square over there with my son's horse. Want to come?"

[52-dropoff.livejournal.com]

"Sure. Though I didn't know your son rode a square horse. Are those common in your time?" He's good a perfectly straight face on. You don't need a mask to be a poker-face.

He dismounts with ease if not grace.

[realmrsreynolds]

Sallie doesn't bite down too hard on the jibe. "You're kiddin' me, right?" She walks ahead of Charlie knowing that his large stride will trump hers before they get to the stable, and keeps talking.

"His name's Tequila, 'cause he's got a dumbass sense of humor. And he's a Waler horse so he eats everything he can get his hands on, but he's a good animal. Pretty too."

[52-dropoff.livejournal.com]

"I never kid. You know that. I am without a doubt always serious. I have no sense of humor and truly think that you are here to annoy me." Charlie, without realizing it, is doing his best Castiel impression.

"I don't know a lot about horses. Most city kids don't. Unless you count the people who bet on the races." Though Hub City's last track closed when he was in high school.

[realmrsreynolds]

Sallie, while never having met Castiel, would probably find the angel accidentally hilarious.

(So long as she doesn't recognize him in relation to the brothers Winchester. Then she may worry.)

"Then you should learn - you're all about learning, if I remember..." Sallie doesn't wait for a reply before pulling the stable door open and walking to the third stall on the left and smiling at the brown nose that sniffs the air as Sallie approaches.

"Hi there, dongwu. How've you been, hmm?"

[52-dropoff.livejournal.com]

The smell is new to Charlie. Pungent, sharp, a little harsh, but better than the stink of the city or the market. He follows, noting the various horses, noting the little things that indicate the sorts of people that own the horses.

"Er, hello, Tequila."

[realmrsreynolds]

Running her hand along the bridge of the horse's nose, Sallie laughs a little bit. "You don't have to talk to him if you don't want. You could say hello at Lime though."

The stall next to Tequila's is suspiciously empty, except for a scratching sound near the bottom of the stall door.

[52-dropoff.livejournal.com]

"Lime..." He peeks in and sees...

"Sallie? That isn't a colt, is it?" He's seen pictures and video of colts. This horse? Far too stable and not gawky at all. "Did someone shrink the horse?"

[realmrsreynolds]

"No...that would be a very tiny horse. Malcolm makes some interesting acquaintances, and this would be the result of my son not recognizing that some prayers may actually get answered."

Beaming at Charlie: "He's nice though?"

[52-dropoff.livejournal.com]

"I guess. If you want to find a mount for certain alien races or a kid who's an advanced rider.

"Did Malcolm actually pray for a miniature horse?" He's met enough gods to not doubt the possibility.