Delyth is to stay away from horses for a day per Roisin's request. All she needs is a pack of ice to reduce any possible bruising on the back of her head but all in all, Delyth is fine. Apprehensive as Tiarnan is when it comes to Delyth's well being, he took it among himself to inform Cillian about Roisin's advice, which Cillian didn't like. The days are growing shorter, he worries that Delyth won't have the time to be taking half days for minor injuries but he also needs her to be healthy so he allows it.

Tiarnan leaves Delyth for a few hours to take care of some duties he is required to attend to as the Captain of the Guard but makes her promise to take care of herself and not let temptation drag her back into doing something strenuous.

So here she is, talking to the same horse that threw her off. At the sight of her, it gets a bit excited and starts neighing loudly. Delyth extends her hands to try and calm it down.

"Why are you upset with me?" She places a hand on her chest, pointing out to it the irony of its reaction. "You're the one who threw me off and almost paralyzed me." She lets out a sigh and her eyes fall to the floor and her eyes widen as she eyeballs a specific area. Upon examination, she makes note that the horse is a male. "Okay, what about introductions? My name is Delyth, well not exactly but that's the name I go by now. I'm going to call you...Copper."

The horse neighs, his head moving side to side as if to say no.

"No? Okay. Rebel?" He neighs. "Uh, Eclipse?" Another neigh. Delyth pinches the bridge of her nose and closes her eyes to think. A name crosses her mind. Personally, it's not as bad as the others but at least it's better.

"Outlaw." She watches his reaction and sees that he remains quiet. She waits and is about to start thinking about another name when the pause drags on for too long until he snorts. Her eyes light up at the acceptance of the name. She thought he would neigh for all the names until she gets the hint that he doesn't want to be named by her but he– Outlaw actually isn't as bad as she thought him out to be.

"Good. Now that we agree on something, I want to make it clear that I don't hold what you did early against you as much as it did hurt. We all make mistakes. I'm going to let you in on a little secret," she begins, drawing closer to him and running her hand along his mane. "I shouldn't be anywhere near you until tomorrow but I won't say anything if you don't. Do you mind if we try again?"

Outlaw neighs which almost makes Delyth jump in glee. She grins from ear to ear and runs off to get the saddle. Outlaw watches her in the most excitement he's seen in a grown adult. It amuses him. She comes back with the saddle in hand and gazes in his eyes for permission. He snorts and brushes his head against her arm. Outlaw is almost baffled when he sees her smile get bigger. He didn't think it was possible.

And he isn't the only one. Tiarnan has been standing for the past couple minutes watching the ordeal between her and the horse she's named Outlaw. At certain points, he finds it hard not to burst out in laughter at how adorable she is. It is a complete 180 degree personality change to how she was when she first arrived. She was a tough nut and now she is like a kid who is learning things for the first time, loving it and wanting to explore more.

He keeps around the near corner watching as she carefully climbs onto the horse's back. At first he is proud of her until he remembers Roi's instructions and it pushes him to reveal himself.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you. Aren't you supposed to be resting?" She jumps a little by his sudden appearance. How long has he been standing? How much did he hear? Are the questions that pop into her head. Because of the amiable expression he always wears around her, she assumes he was not standing there long enough to know anything or he would have asked about it.

She shrugs her shoulders. "Says your sister but it doesn't mean I have to listen. Besides, I'm not in pain."

"You don't know how to ride a horse, Delyth," he points out. His legs crossed, his arms folded over his chest making his muscle bulge while he leans against the steady board wall of the stable.

"Thank God that you're here. You can teach me." He thinks about it for a while, contemplating the possible outcomes and evidently the pros outweigh the cons. He sighs and runs his hair through his golden hair causing Delyth to clap her hands in content.

"Don't get too excited. I just don't want you to run out of time." He pushes himself off the wall and approaches her, his lips turning up in a half smile.

She smiles and rolls her eyes. "You care." He lightly taps her leg and removes it from the stirrup as he pulls him onto the horse's back and sits behind her.

"Oh, you have no idea how much." She softly gasps when his hot breath brushes against her ear. Her head sways to the side, captivated by the heat of his body due to their proximity. He brings his hand up and lightly caresses his fingertips against her collarbone. Her chest moves up and down, forgetting how to breathe. She twists her body a little to face him but meets his eyes immediately as he is already watching how his touch affects her. His lips part as he stares intently at her lips. The pull is too strong, he gazes into her eyes and leans in closer and stops waiting for her permission. She leans in as well, setting his body on fire. Their lips brushing gently against each other.

One wrong move that will feel right.

One accidental move that turns into an intentional action.

Suddenly, Delyth pulls away and Tiarnan feels a pang in his chest as the rejection. When he looks into her eyes and sees that it hurts her as much as he does him, a slow smile spreads across his face.

"Tiarnan," she says barely above a whisper, her eyes cast low, unable to look into his eyes.

He licks lips and tilts her chin up with his thumb forcing her to look at him. "Not yet. I know. We will get our time, my golden dream, but until then we ride."

It still amazes Tiarnan how quick of a study Delyth is. She grasps the basics easily and a few things that some Squire would take longer to learn but not Delyth. She listens, she captures, she remembers and she demonstrates. There are still a lot of things she needs to learn but it is proving to be possible that it won't take long for her to apprehend since she already formed a connection with the horse.

Tiarnan sits behind her with one hand on her waist and the other on top of one of her hands that hold onto the reins. His thumb stroking her hand while she laughs cheerfully at her speedy progress. Abruptly, Delyth pulls on the reins to stop Outlaw and a confused Tiarnan looks up and sees a displeased Cillian standing with his bulging arms crossed over his chest and understands why.

He swiftly climbs down from the horse and reaches out his hand to help her down. He pushes her behind him to prevent her from facing Cillian's wrath but she stands her ground and stays at his side. He can't be the only one at fault when it is both their doing.

Cillian points his finger at the pair with a harsh glare. "You two need to be careful. I could've been anyone. Do you really want to risk everything she's worked for just because you love her?"

"I don't love her," Tiarnan interjects. Delyth's heart sinks at his admission but she also has to admit to herself that also doesn't love him. She can see herself loving him but for now they are friends testing the waters of a possible relationship.

"You—" He waves his hand. "It doesn't matter. The point is, all Ruadhan needs is one good reason to get rid of her and it will kill you if it would've been your fault if he does get that reason." Tiarnan peers down beside him at Delyth then averts his eyes to the ground, admitting that Cillian is right. She stares right back, understanding the seriousness of their 'friendship'.

"Yeah. Draw a line. Make boundaries. Got it." Tiarnan states, nodding his head curtly. Cillian clears his throat and raises his eyebrows at their joint hands. They let go of each other faster than they would've liked. They barely had the time to revel in the warmth and security of the fact that they were holding hands the entire time; so it hurt to let go and lose it especially when they don't know when they'll get this chance again.

"I know this will be hard but tread lightly," he warns them for what he knows will not be the last time and turns on his heels walking. The pair look at each other then at Outlaw wondering if they should continue the lesson but deciding against it.

He nods curtly. "See you later, Delyth."

19/05/22

Au revoir...

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