at the water's edge [parry w/chase]

"What a smart idea, always with the smart ideas Chase" He hadn't stopped muttering to himself since he had left the barns confinements. The walls had provided him with a kind of comfort that dirt and trees lacked. Out here in the bush, off the beaten track had seemed like a wonderful, almost romantic notion to begin with. A handful of broken spider webs and branches to the face later and he was reconsidering the thought. His little mare was being a surprisingly good sport about the whole adventure her ears had given up searching for his voice whenever he spoke, having long ago figured out they were not for her. 

His first ride on her was proving to be a huge success on her behalf, now if only he could find a track of sorts and maybe he could begin to repay the favour. With a finger he traced one of the mares many spots along her neck, her white mane was flecked in spots of mud and grass stains, in fact the majority of her was less than sparkling clean. Grooming a horse had never before been his job, it was one he had been surprised to find he actually enjoyed, when he wasn't short on time or course. Today had been one of those days. Late and lost, as if that wasn't a perfect metaphor for his life of late. 

Just as he was about to contemplate asking for a trot his phone went off. Surprisingly it hadn't made a noise before and he reasoned he must have stumbled across a tad of reception at last. Apparently the mare beneath him hadn't heard such a nice before and cat leaped an inch in the air. Caught reaching forward to wiggle his phone out of his pocket Chase was flung forward even more. His phone flying off to the side as his legs clamped down in a last desperate attempt to hold on. He knew in that instant that he was gone and before he could process it he lay beside his phone on the leaf cluttered floor. " Well, you won't do that again will you?" He reprimanded himself through fits of laughter. He hadn't fallen off since he was a kid and even then it had been in a much more spectacular fashion. This, well this was just pathetic. 

He didn't blame his mare, she was a baby as green if not more so than he was. The fact that she hadn't stuck around to watch him pick himself up from the dirt, was a quality he actually admired. Roles reversed he would probably have done the same thing. Brushing down his ass and running his hands through his hair he picked up his phone, helmet and pride. Starting along the path his horse had taken, hoping she knew the quickest route back towards wherever they had come from. He hadn't walked far, a few short metres in fact before he stumbled along a sight that almost, almost made this whole venture seem worth it. Across the way, on the corner of a body of water stood a girl, a girl in a bikini. Next to a horse of her own. If he could see her, then it stood to reason she had seen everything, better yet had heard everything. As worried as he was about his horse, opportunities like this didn't present themselves every day. Besides, who would he be if he didn't at least introduce himself. He was new around here, people deserved to know who he was. 

Not bothering to brush himself down further Chase strode confidently forward, his blue eyes shinning in amusement as he closed the distance between them. The distance had seemed closer in his mind, but wasn't that always the way. Finally coming within talking distance of the stranger he smiled almost apologetically. Then without giving her a chance to yell at him or send him away he spoke. " Hi, you haven't be any chance seen my horse have you?" He knew she hadn't if she had he would have too, but it was as good an opening as any. His tone held a hint of cheekiness behind his usual raspy voice. His Australian accent as thick as the day he landed. 

Something in the girls gaze made Chase falter, the way she watched him wearily and took a step back reminded him of a cornered yearling. Startled into submission with nowhere to run they would stand and tremble till the pressure of your presence was released. It was disconcerting to see in a human, especially an adult. He let his pace drop till he stopped some paces away in an attempt to give her some space.  As it was she continued to back up, closer to the lose horse behind her. 

Her voice was shaking, literally shaking with what he could only assume to be fear. Fear of what? Him, men, a stranger, humans. Granted he knew all these things worthy of fear, he had just never imagined himself to be the cause of such a strong reaction before. His hand rose up to scratch at the back of his neck, running up through his messy hair, a nervous reaction. With eyebrows furrowed he gave her an apologetic smile, one that was supposed to be reassuring but no doubt fell short of its mark. The silence lingered stale between as her black horse at liberty walked over from the waters edge and came to rest to his owners shoulder. 

The fact she had apologised twice made Chase grimaced involuntarily. He hated the word. Yet he resisted the urge to lecture or make some kind of snippy remark in reply. Instead chose to focus on the gorgeous heavy horse behind her. Without moving any closer he nodded with a smile to her horse. " He is lovely. You said his name was Light? Maybe it is a good thing I fell off, if my mare had seen him I am not sure she would have willingly come home again." His voice was softer this time, more guarded as if afraid to say the wrong thing. " I am Chase by the way." He went to take a step forward with his hand out for a hand shake, yet pulled back awkwardly at the last second, turning instead to the side to face the lake instead of the girl and her horse. Looking down below he noted that the water dropped off suddenly. 

Without giving her time to respond and with a slight cheeky grin plastered on an otherwise suddenly serious face Chase turned to face her, hand reaching out in her direction. " Wait! Names are not important. Jump in with me." Nodding his head towards the water he wiggled his hand. " Don't think, jump." He didn't care that it was impulsive, that he didn't know her. That she was a second away from turning tail and running. Suddenly this was exactly what he wanted, a random impulsive encounter. It was his answer to awkward situations, his answer to a lack of control. It was his fix. 

He laughed at the horse and human duo going on. It seemed that the black stallion was in tune to his owner, and they worked together to answer questions and handle strangers. It was not a partnership he could see anything coming between. Thinking about his mare reminded him of how much he butt and hip ached from his earlier dismount. " Light certainly agrees in any case. He would be able to bring some manners to the table at the very least. She could learn a thing or two from him."

He could see her thinking, see her mind ticking over over analysing the situation. It was easy, no thoughts, no complications. " Just Jump" Then she did. With a look Chase was unable to place she launched herself into the water. Sparing a moment only to throw his phone on the surface Chase followed after her. His hands covering thrown up above his head as hit the icy surface. His jeans were water logged within seconds and threatened to drag him down. His shirt clung to his body as he bobbed back to the surface. Her laughter rang around them, a sound that sounded foreign on her lips. But it was an honest sound, she was honestly laughing. He laughed with him, the cold water ripping it from him. Her laughter was infectious.

Her laughter turned into giggling, then talking. " In hindsight a gradual dip may have been the smarter move." He said through chattering teeth, his laughter returned at Lights reaction. " I think your horse thinks we are nuts." Cupping his hands together he squirted water in her direction with a smirk. " At least you had the common sense to undress before leaping in."

As the water soaked into every fibre of his being and every stitch of his clothing he found that it wasn't as cold as he had originally thought. All though as always some forethought would have been a good idea. He was in half a mind to shrug out of his water logged clothing, at the very least he wanted to remove his jeans that continued its attempts to drag him down to the murky below. But the difference in the once stammering girl who all but turned tail and ran when he had first approached was too great. He wasn't about to jeopardise her comfort level for his own. Something still had him treading distance some length away from her, giving her more space than was usually necessary.

He followed her gaze over to the black horse as he lowered his heavy frame to the upturned mud below him. Yet the stalling as beautiful as he was couldn't hold his interest for long and he found his sights flicking back to the blonde girl he had convinced to jump in with him. The way her face lit up, it almost explained her animals namesake. It held a beauty that made all her other expressions seems contorted in comparison. He had seen his share of broken women, there was a time in his youth where he had specialised in just that kind of person. Choosing to wallow in others self pity rather than deal with his own. Yet they had never held his interest for long, a drink, a night, a conversation. He had never wanted to be a part of their internal struggles, he was not the kind to offer to untangle such a mess. Being inside his own mind was often enough, without the added burden of someone else's trauma. Yet as she turned to him, the fire in her eyes not yet extinguished he couldn't help but smile with her. Genuinely smile at her honest happiness, he could see even if it was only for the briefest of moments, she had a side that clung to sanity, clung to happiness.

" I find that incredibly hard to believe." Instinctively he moved towards her, his body moving almost of its own accord taking its signal from her. Her abrupt halt and retreat saw him also pull up short, a lop sided smile on his face asked all kinds of unspoken questions. With a raised eyebrow he looked behind her and pointed to a stick floating some lengths away. His expression suddenly serious as if pondering a life altering question. " First one to that stick wins" With a wink that once again returned his goofy demeanour and easy smile he ducked his head under the water and started to swim towards the stick. His clothes pulling him back with every stroke.