Even Superman Can Be Surprising (Henri)

[Kevin James Grant]

A smile was plastered on the boy's lips as he tightened the fleece covered black leather girth one last time. He was extraordinarily impressed with his father's new horse. The dapple grey was everything Henri had drunkenly explained her to be. Even Kevin had been taken aback by the obvious beauty of the mare. And the beauty wasn't just fur deep. She had been a true lady since the moment he'd unloaded her off the trailer. She hadn't spooked once; she did everything he asked of her; she didn't hesitate to follow him anywhere. Truth be told, if he didn't care so much about Henri, he'd consider keeping the mare as his own. But Superman was never on the top of his own agenda.

He stepped back, examining the pretty horse fully tacked and waiting calmly in the cross ties. "You're a good girl, aren't you, Roxy?" he cooed, walking back to stand in front of her face, rubbing her forehead affectionately. He'd only known her for thirty minutes, but he already adored the mare. It was now even more clear why Henri had been so upset over the whole matter. Roxy was a diamond in the rough.

Kevin pulled out his phone, checking the time. It was 12:26 P.M. He was expecting Henri to show up any minute. The note he had slipped under her dorm door had asked her to meet him at the barn at 12:30 sharp to go on a trail ride. Of course, the girl was probably thinking that they were on their way to the trails with Versache and Hutch, but wouldn't the look on her face be grand when she saw her beloved horse, the horse she believed to be dead, standing there waiting for her. In the stall several stalls down, his untacked bay gelding shuffled back and forth, no doubt wanting to go out. "Maybe in a few minutes, buddy," Kevin assured him, unclipping the cross ties from Roxy's bridle. He grasped her reins in one hand, reaching over and gently pressing against the mare's rump with his other hand to swing her around so that they would be facing the barn's entrance when Henri arrived.

[Henrietta Charleston]

Henri was doing her best job of moping, but it was hard to do when she had plans with a certain special someone. Still, the remorse of losing Roxy was far too hard to be too happy anyway. The brunette slumped in the desk chair as she scribbled randomly on an assignment she had been working on. Brass was contributing to his daily naptime on the bed, curled and too adorable for words. Still, the girl’s blue eyes stayed down as she scribbled harder. The poor paper finally couldn’t bear the ferocity in the sixteen year olds hands and she managed to create a jagged rip through the middle.

Sighing in exasperation, the girl crumpled the assignment up, deciding she would try it again later. Her eyes drifted to the rather smaller piece of paper laid off to the side of her desk. She picked it up, smoothing it out and reading the information once again. A trail ride. Kevin wanted to go on a trail ride. Henri shook her head, but she had already figured the boy would be able to distract her as he’d done just a day earlier in the dorm. Henri sniffed softly; the scent of his rather attractive cologne still lingering in her room.

Henri played with her fingers from eleven, then finally to twelve twenty. She grinned, realizing it would take her ten minutes to walk to where the barns were. The brunette pulled on her riding attire, and left the blue ribbon house, trying to keep the somewhat fake look on her face. She really needed the boy’s usual playful attitude right then. The girl moved toward the White Oak Barn, where Hutch was kept, but figured she’d check in with Kevin where his horse was kept before she went off to get Hutch ready.

Walking into the barn, her eyes immediately lit up as she noticed the boy and a new looking horse. Henri raised a brow, wondering when he’d gotten a new horse. She walked a step closer, about to ask, before stopping dead. The girl’s breath stopped, and she looked at the gray mare standing there ever so sweetly next to Kevin. Henri walked slow, then approached faster, her eyes already growing watery with happiness. The girl met the mare and there she clamped her hands around the horse’s neck. “Oh Roxy! You’re alive, you’re alive… Oh, my pretty girl.” she whispered into the horse’s neck letting herself shed a few tears as she planted kisses on the mare’s muzzle.

Roxy seemed a bit surprised with the random girl hugging her, but quickly realized it was her precious Henri. The girl pulled back slowly, her eyes shiny with happy tears as she then turned her attention to Kevin. “But, how?” she said quietly, before it hit her. He bought her? He saved her? Henri let go of Roxy and practically pounced on Kevin. She squeezed him as tight as she could, kissing his cheek fiercely and whispering “Thank you.” more than five times. “Kevin –“ her voice was cracked, but extremely happy as she pulled a little back from her squeezing hug. Henri held his face tightly between her two small hands, struggling to form the words that were pounding against her mind.

[Kevin James Grant]

Kevin laughed softly as the mare bumped against his side with her muzzle, probably searching for the treat hidden deep in his pocket. He always carried a few to give Versache, even if he was only passing by for a few moments. He had a particularly soft spot for the bay gelding, and he couldn't help but shower him with treats and affection. But perhaps that was in part to make up for the nasty fall they had shared earlier that year. Sure, Kevin had been badly hurt, but so had his prized gelding.

The only girl at Blue Ridge he had a soft spot for made her way into the barn. He grinned as her eyes met with his, realizing she was confused. He had played this moment a million times over in his head since the first second he had called her scary sounding father. But every rehearsal was nothing compared to the real thing. For the first time since she had been told of her mare's impending death, the girl looked genuinely happy, if not completely shocked. Although, if he had been in her position, he probably would have been pretty darn surprised, too.

As she threw her arms around the grey's neck, he released his grip on the reins, knowing the horse wouldn't go anywhere with her owner now secured around her neck. An uncontrollable smile broke out over his lips as he watched the joy wash over Henri. He glanced over his shoulder, watching his own beloved mount for a moment. If his father had threatened to have the horse killed, and then he miraculously showed up in the barn, yeah, Kevin was certain he'd be crying like a baby. But he'd never admit that.

Finally, Henri looked towards him, and he grinned down at the brunette affectionately. He had imagined the moment when she realized what he'd done for her countless times. Every man wanted to be someone's hero. But all of his imagining hadn't ever prepared him for how wonderful it would feel. He chuckled as she leaped onto him, wrapping his much larger arms around her small waist. It was funny how perfectly she fit into his arms....

He pushed the thought away, realizing what he was getting himself into. And although part of him wanted to take it there, another part was screaming at him to stop. But something peculiar happened as she kissed his cheek. That familiar shade of red he so often saw on her cheeks spread onto his. He grinned sheepishly, his eyes darting all over the barn as he realized that he was blushing. Why was that happening? "I-er- you're welcome," he replied, stumbling over his words but ending with a warm smile. Noticing the streaks the tears left behind on her cheeks, he reached up, his large hand gently wiping them away. "Well, I know it's not a diamond necklace, but hopefully you'll accept my gift," he added with a chuckle, gesturing towards the pretty horse.

[Henrietta Charleston]

Henri simply could not help the tears that were starting to run down her cheeks. She had thought this horse was dead. The possibility of the grey showing up here in the academy she now called home, right next to one of her favorite people in the whole wild world seemed too amazing to ever be true. Shaking hands ran over the mare’s bridle and muzzle, giving her various pats and rubs to reassure herself the mare was actually standing in front of her. While Henri had gotten objects she’d wanted as a child, she had never gotten the important things.

As a child, she would’ve been quite spoilt, but with Clarence being the obvious better child of the family, Henri became rather innocent and attempted to outdo her sister. Looking at Roxy, and depending on the circumstances the mare had come, Henri realized that this was perhaps the best gift anyone had ever given her. She kissed the mare a few times more, her eyes searching over the horse’s body. Not a single scratch appeared to be on her and she seemed to be all in one piece. The smile stayed plastered onto her face as she ignored the ticklish tears traveling down her face.

They came slowly, but truthfully, showing her obvious happiness. She didn’t know what Kevin did to get the horse here, but Henri knew dealing with her father would be hard. The girl pressed her lips together as she realized the boy had now spoken to her father. Still, he hadn’t judged her at all one bit, so that clearly wasn’t a big issue at the moment. As her body practically wrapped around his, she inhaled his scent and felt his arms around her waist. It felt as if she belonged right there, a similar feeling she’d had just the day before snuggled against his chest.

As the thought struck her, the brunette quickly realized what was sitting right in front of her. She didn’t belong in his arms or snuggled against him, she belonged anywhere near him. Henri couldn’t help herself as she pressed her lips fiercely against his cheeks, the happiness she had inside of her transferring into Kevin or so she felt as if it was. Her same genuine, happy, playful Henri grin appeared as she noticed the red hue to his cheeks. Was he… blushing? The brunette grinned somewhat victoriously, finding the face he’d just blushed quite perfect. “Hmm… Someone getting under your skin?” she giggled slightly, whispering it to him. It was mean, but she couldn't resist.

Henri smiled up at him, her eyes alight with excitement and happiness and all things good. She noticed the care he held for her in his deep orbs, finding herself nearly drifting away into them. She looked back at the grey, wanting to stay there between two things she loved quite dearly. Loved? Henri shook the thought out of her mind, if Kevin didn’t want it like that she was okay with just being next to him. Still, her horse was here and the girl couldn’t really keep her mind on anything else. Mussing his hair in a playful way as he responded to her thank you, Henri couldn’t help but love how he had stumbled over his words. Maybe she did actually have somewhat of an effect on him? The girl couldn’t imagine that but gave him a look as he joked about diamond necklaces. She had a bunch of those back home, though of course she’d never worn them. “Nah, diamonds aren’t really my thing.” She grinned up at him “And this gift, I think I have to accept. But may I ask, how?” she pat the mare once more, a bit curious as to what Kevin had to deal with to get her here.

[Kevin James Grant]

Watching Henri with her horse reminded Kevin of Christmas morning. She had come in, unsuspecting of the joyous goodies waiting for her, and had blown away when she saw the lengths someone had gone to give her what she wanted most. Growing up, his family hadn't had much money, but he'd always had everything he needed. For Christmas, he'd get a few presents every year. It wasn't much, but he'd never had a complaint. Although he knew he could never ask for anything expensive, he knew his parents had always done what they could to make their son happy.

But it seemed that Henri had never really had that experience. Maybe it was because she was so shy with her feelings that she never let anyone know what she wanted. Or perhaps something at home wasn't the way it should be. He was leaning towards the second option after realizing that her father was ready to throw away a horse that his daughter clearly adored. But that was okay. She had him now. He knew what she needed, what she wanted. And just as his parents had done for him, he knew he'd always try to provide for her as well. It was odd how quickly he had grown protective of the girl. But they had become friends instantly.

He laughed, trying to brush off her realization that he had blushed. It was a rare thing to see any red in his cheeks, so why it had to happen now of all times, he'd never understand. Well, he chose not to understand it, anyways. He rolled his eyes at her, grinning. "Gosh, I don't know what ever you could be talking about, you silly duck," he chuckled, shrugging his shoulders and grinning innocently down at the brunette. She was catching on to him. Of course, he had made it painfully easy with his stupid stumbling and blushing. What was he doing? He'd have to tighten up. But it was hard to care at such a happy time. And now was probably the happiest time he'd experienced since coming to Blue Ridge.

"Well that's a relief. Because I can't afford any more gifts for you for... well... ever," he replied with a laugh, winking to let her know he truly hadn't paid millions of dollars for the pretty horse. Sure, she was nice, but no meat buyer would pay millions. And all he had to do was offer more than the meat buyer. Not that it had been easy. Mr. Charleston was perhaps the most frightening of all the men he'd ever spoken to. And he was a hard baller. But Kevin had been determined, and with his father's go ahead, he'd been able to land the deal and bring Roxy home for Henri.

"How? Well that's silly! You just say 'Oh, Kevin, I accept!' and it's done," he answered teasingly, winking at her once again. She was just so easy to tease. He backed up a step, leaning his back against the outer wall of one of the many Red Willow Barn stalls. His rib had been aching worse than normal, and he was beginning to really feel it. Still, he kept a smile, watching Henri with her mare. "You really want to know? I kept your phone when I brought you home that night, dialed your father, underwent the most terrifying negotiations of my life, convinced my father Roxy was a good investment, and called to have her trailered here." He smiled softly, shrugging his shoulders as if it were nothing.

[Henrietta Charleston]

Christmas at the Charleston house had always been quite rehearsed. They always had an elegant party including all the rich families the girl’s father was friends with and all their kids. Always unlike the brats of other families, Henri had in sense been ridiculed in front of the other kids. She’d preferred to be oblivious to this and stayed away from Clarence’s snooty friends. None of them had ever wanted to hang with her anyway except for the boys; but Henri had soon realized exactly why that was. Christmas had never been a happy holiday for her, simply a stage to pretend to be the perfect daughter in other’s eyes.

The Charleston family had been envied for their perfect life, but no one had ever seemed to see the truth behind the slightly too polite smiles and awkward hugs shared between them. On Christmas morning, Henri had come downstairs to find diamond necklaces and various things her mother deemed appropriate for a young lady to have. Sure, a pretty dress could be appreciated, but the brunette preferred thing she would actually like. Still, wanting to impress her parents, Henri had always pretended to be thrilled with the gifts. However, when her parents would notice her not wearing some things, she’d be put down as usual.

Still, her happiness for Roxy was certainly not fake. If this was what a good and honest Christmas felt like, Henri felt as if she could have a Christmas every day of her life. She’d always wanted to believe in a Santa Claus, but of course Mr. Charleston had called her ridiculous at four year old for ever suggesting such a thing. Her face took on a mischievous light as the boy began to scoff at her observation of seeing him blush. She poked his tummy at his response, shaking her head “Quack, quack.” she responded into being called a silly duck, but she wasn’t about to let him off the hook with this one without getting a good word in yet “Oh, you silly apple treat.” she giggled, calling him the thing he’d called her the day they’d first met.

Still, she supposed he didn’t deserve her meanness, because he had just saved her horse. Her brows lifted slightly as the boy went onto tell her he probably wouldn’t be able to afford any gifts after that. About to offer to pay him back after that, the girl stopped short as he grinned jokingly at her. Oh, Kevin… Henri stuck her tongue out at him when he responded quite like the gorgeous smarta** he was and nudged him hard with her hip. Though it probably wouldn’t affect him at all, the girl liked to think maybe it would. Her eyes widened in surprise as she realized the boy had actually spoken to the jacka** himself over the phone. Her eyes crumpled in overfilling gratitude and she gave him a very happy grin “I can’t believe you actually spoke to that little- ” Henri huffed slightly before continuing “I don’t know how to thank the bravest person in the world for actually managing to strike a deal with my father, but I shall do anything the Mr. Superman wants. And I won’t tickle you…” she grinned up at him, hoping he wouldn’t make her do a chicken dance around the barn or something like that. She paused a moment, rethinking that last sentence “Well, I won’t tickle you for a day.” She giggled at this, not knowing if she could keep that promise or not.

[Kevin James Grant]

Kevin wasn't sure what he was more thrilled about - saving a wonderful mount or seeing the joy in Henri's eyes. With every tear and smile, he couldn't help but think she really hadn't ever been given a gift that meant something more than money spent. His brows furrowed as he considered Henri never having a proper Christmas as a child. No giggling and racing down the stairs, pulling her tired parents behind her as fast as humanly possible just to make it to the Christmas tree and see what Santa had left under it. A faint smile traced his lips as he imagined a tiny little Henri jumping on her parents' bed to wake them up.

But the smile faded as he figured that had never happened. From the sounds of it, Mr. Charleston would probably have sold her to the meat market for waking him up early on a day off. His own parents had always encouraged Christmas spirit, and it happened to be his favorite time of the year because of them. Still, he had very little desire to go home for this holiday season. Ever since his fall and refusal to jump again, his father had all but shunned him. His mother was more understanding. But she feared upsetting his father. And why shouldn't she owe him her loyalty after he took her out of the strip club and gave her a lovely little home with a farm all her own? He figured Henri's dad wouldn't be too fond of the son of a stripper.

Kevin was pulled out of his thoughts as the girl's fingers again raced to his tummy. He darted away, grabbing her sides and tickling her for a moment before releasing her. "Get those duck fingers away from me!" he cried, sticking out his bottom lip in a fake pout in hopes of making her feel guilty for tickling him.

His eyes widened as her hip bumped against him, causing his body to sway a bit, sending a pain through his side thanks to his rib. He grimaced, shutting his eyes for a moment as he waited for the pain to pass before remembering Henri had no idea about his hip. He looked over to her, putting on a grin, hoping she'd think he had just been dramatic to make her feel strong. It wasn't like that wasn't characteristic of him. The pain was still throbbing, but he did his best not to let it show, glad to hear her speaking again, getting all he focus off of his rib. "Oh, he was very charming. Lovely man," he commented sarcastically, chuckling a bit. "And we both know you won't keep that promise, you little trouble maker!" He grinned, reaching out to muss up her hair playfully. "But if you really want to make it up to me, you can be my gorgeous escort to the dance," he added, throwing in a wry smile.

[Henrietta Charleston]

Truthfully, the girl wasn’t sure what she was doing for the holidays. Her father didn’t actually care if she came back home or not, and Henri was leaning toward the not side. She honestly didn’t want to go to all his stupid parties and impress his guests with her manners and looks. The thoughts of seeing all those stupid boys again caused the brunette cringe slightly. They all had sticks up their bums, or so she liked to think. If she had grown up like the rest of them had, not the runt of the litter, Henri might have been a different person than she was. She would’ve probably been with a stick up her bum as well.

Instead, she’d been told she was the worst child, the least liked one and she’d experienced quite a few emotions on her own. With all the free time she’d had, Henri had learnt to have an open mind about things and after reading, watching, hearing all the media go around, she knew many facts about the world. She however, had no experience with being a teenager, which is perhaps why she was weird in a different kind of way. To her immediate delight however, Kevin seemed quick to take her under his arm and be weird with her.

In a way, the boy had quickly taken the role of her savior and protector at BRRA. She felt safe near him and understood that when Kevin was near, she would be safe. Her eyes widened with shock as the boy grabbed her waist and tickled her as well causing her to giggle uncontrollably. “Stop, no not the tummy!” she exclaimed to his own exclamation of getting duck fingers away from him. She raised a brow, looking him over “Darn it! You’ve found my little secret weakness…” Henri realized that she wasn’t alone on the tickling method anymore.

Gasping at his adorable face, she shook her head “That is not fair! No making me feel guilty!” she exclaimed, laughing and pulling her hands up to his face and trying to make him smile. “No making that face because it’s too cute.” she recognized this tactic she’d used earlier, and realized perhaps she wasn’t the only one that was learning from the other. Henri narrowed her eyes in concern as the boy was in some sort of obvious pain when she bumped his hip. She eyed him quite worriedly, hoping she hadn’t actually hurt him.

The girl hadn’t thought she actually would hurt him. Of course, she’d imagined he’d pretend she did, but Kevin always did it playfully. His reaction showed true pain. The brunette bit her lip as he shot her grin, and she turned her eyes back to Roxy. Was he hurt and trying to pretend he wasn’t? Henri wasn’t sure, but she was quite ready to figure out what was wrong. Before, she gathered up the will to ask him what it was, the boy captured her attention with his response in talking to her father. Henri chuckled along with him, hoping he hadn’t said anything to terrible “Yeah, he is very charming and caring. I absolutely loved being his least favorite daughter my whole life.” Henri said in the same tone, smirking slightly. Yeah, the old man could go screw himself. She was so over her futile attempts to impress him.

Still, the brunette giggled as the boy mussed with her hair “You know me too well…. Though now you know my weak spot now, I guess I’ll just have to be more careful, won’t I?” she asked with a raised brow. If only he knew how many weak spots he’d uncovered, the main ones being in her heart and her feelings for him. Eyes widening in surprise at his request of thanks, she giggled with a nod. “Why dear sir, I would absolutely love to escort you safely to the winter formal.” she grinned at him, blushing slightly when he used the word gorgeous. She had never been to any type of dance before however, and had no idea what to expect. The girl tilted her head slightly, as she thought about this. The night posed a lot of fun however, as dancing was one of Henri’s favorite things to do.

[Kevin James Grant]

A giant grin spread over his lips as she squealed when he found a ticklish spot. He pumped his fist in the air victoriously, chuckling as she realized she had finally been caught. It was rather adorable to watch her squirm. He raised a brow, looking down at her, laughing once more. "Ah! It seems like Henri has been abusing her powers when she has the exact same weakness!" he cried out in a joking accusatory tone. "I now hold the power of the Henri in the tips of my fingers!" He winked at her playfully. As great as it was to know her secret, he had a feeling he'd feel guilty exploiting it too much. That darn girl tugged on his heart strings in a way no other person ever had.

As he felt her fingers messing near his mouth to form it into a smile, he stuck out his tongue, running it along one of her fingers before laughing. He knew Henri well enough to know she wasn't such a girl that she'd slap him or cry over such a little joke. She was laid back, just like he was. Maybe that was why they meshed so well together. Well, one of many reasons why. "You think I'm cu-u-u-u-u-t-e-e-e-e-e!" he chided, drawing out the word cute for as long as he could before running out of breath. He grinned down at her, making another pouty face to see how she would react to it. There was something fun about knowing she would give in to him if he made such a simple little face. It seemed she had a weak spot for him just as he had a weak spot for her. And something about knowing the feeling was mutual made him feel worlds better.

There was no mistaking the concern in her eyes. She was painfully aware of the true pain in his side, and he could see all the questions forming in her mind. He gulped softly, unsure of whether or not he wanted to tell her the whole truth. Sure, she had been honest with him, but that all started when she was drunk. And it was a heck of a lot easier to be honest when intoxicated. He let his eyes drop from her's, breathing out slowly in an attempt to release some of the pain. Why was his rib hurting so much worse today? He had bumped into the trailer door when he was opening it up to let out Roxy, but that had been such a soft bump. But a soft bump was really all he needed to send the pain back full force. He still didn't understand why his rib hadn't healed properly. He thought he had been careful it.

Although Henri moved on, something told him she wasn't going to just let him go, so he readied himself for a question or two. He figured it was due anyways. He knew a good bit about her, yet she knew nearly nothing about him. He frowned a bit at her comment, realizing she wasn't kidding. "Well then, he's even dumber than he sounded over the phone then," he replied, offering a warm smile. He wasn't sure how someone as beautiful, sweet, and intelligent as Henri could be a disappointment of a daughter in any way.

He bobbed his head up and down in agreement with her, laughing a bit. "Yes ma'am! Watch out, I know how to defeat you now." He grinned down at her playfully. Everything with Henri was always so enjoyable. She was probably the most fun girl he'd ever known in his life. Which is why a large grin came over his features as she agreed to go to the dance with him. "Why, my kind, gentle lady, what an honor this is! I shall alert my mother at once that a beautiful woman has finally accepted me!" He winked playfully as he dramatically brought his hands to his heart as though this were the best news on earth. "But let's try to dance without being intoxicated this time, eh? I don't need my lovely date to be dancing on her butt the whole night," he teased with a laugh.

[Henrietta Charleston]

Henri was a bit confused as to how he had managed to figure out that she was ticklish as well, but decided to figure that out after she wrapped her head around the fact Roxy was actually back in her grasp and sight. The horse was now safe as she was, all thanks to one boy. Henri gave this particular boy a priceless smile, one that told him she adored him to the ends of the earth, even if she wouldn’t admit it to herself. Still, she couldn’t help the scoff that came as the boy pumped his fist into the air. The girl honestly was unable to come up with something smart to his victorious words very quickly and she felt a bit tongue tied for a few moments. “Don’t worry Kev, I’ll find a new weakness on you soon enough…”

The brunette giggled at this, figuring she’d better start searching soon enough. Before she could start on that however, Henri’s eyes widened in surprise as she felt Kevin’s tongue slide right along her finger. Raising her brows and crunching up her nose, the girl couldn’t help but laugh. “Ewww! I see Hutch has been teaching you!” She made a large snapping noise with her teeth, giggling slightly “You better be careful Mister, cause I actually bite!” she threatened, giving him a playful look to know she wouldn’t… too hard.

Henri laughed out loud as the boy exclaimed about being cute. Before she could respond, the boy made yet another adorable face causing the brunette to cover her eyes with one hand. “I’m warning you, I’m gonna make a puppy face very soon.” she giggled, knowing fully well how much Kevin responded to that from before. It amused the brunette how much he reacted to her and how much she reacted to him. While the obvious reasoning to their liking for each other was right in front of her reach, Henri pretended to ignore. She didn’t know anything about boys anyway, other than the little things, and figured she was simply imagining things.

Henri was quite horrified at the thought of hurting Kevin, but he for some reason, his pain seemed to disappear as quickly as it had come. The girl noted to ask him about that later as he obviously hadn’t wanted to talk about it, which she’d realized from earlier on. Kevin was certainly guarded, but that didn’t stop her from wondering about him. Perhaps one day he would tell her what happened up there in that little ingenious head, but until that day, Henri would be waiting. She’d already tried the asking approach and that hadn’t worked so she decided to leave it be for now.

Grinning all over at his comment, the girl felt as if her heart lifted a bit as if it could with all the happiness she’d gotten from finding Roxy right there. Her hand gave the animal little pats, and played with her muzzle as she responded to Kev’s little playful antics with her own. She gave the boy a bright smile, looking at him from under her eyelashes “I’m glad you think so.” her voice was quiet, but meaningful and past the point of playfulness.

Henri couldn’t help the giggle that escaped her lips as it had been doing quite a bit when the boy stated he could most certainly defeat her now. She raised a mischievous brow “I wouldn’t be so sure Mister Valiant, I’ve still got a few tricks up my sleeve.” The girl bluffed in hopes to getting him playfully scared. Of course, tickling had really been her only tactic, but she supposed she could come up with something else. She could certainly tickle him until he realized he was stronger than her and did that wrist grabbing thing. Henri chuckled, noting she’d have to figure some way to evade that later on. Henri let out a little snort as he then proceeded to call her a kind and gentle lady. Batting her eyelashes teasingly and flipping hair, Henri raised her chin in an aristocratic look “Oh the pleasure is mine dear sir! I suppose I shall have to go tell my mother as well.” She laughed at the thought of her father hearing about this dance. She didn’t think he’d care too much… Henri blushed at his teasing, looking down for a moment and nodding “I think that actually sounds like a very good plan. Though, dancing on my butt doesn’t sound too bad…” Henri giggled at this, completely oblivious as usual to how these things came out.

[Kevin James Grant]

The young man raised a brow at her comment, examining her face closely with his amused blue eyes. She was so adorable for thinking she could actually find a weakness in him. But, come to think of it, he did have a lot of weaknesses... His stomach, his ticklishness, his rib injury, the pretty brunette in front of him... Whoa, wait. Did he just think that? He reached up, running a hand through his messy brown hair. He hated to admit it, but Henri really was his biggest weakness. Bigger than a hurt rib, bigger than a sensitive stomach, bigger than tickling. Yes, it was in fact true. He had a soft spot for the beautiful girl in front of him. "Oh, we'll just see about that. I'll find your weaknesses first," he teased, giving her a menacing look in an attempt to get her worried.

He broke out in laughter as he saw the look on her face after his tongue grazed her fingers. It was pretty much priceless. He grinned innocently, eyes darting around as though he were looking for the hand licking culprit. As she mentioned Hutch, he bobbed his head up and down. "Neigh!" he replied, snorting through his nose in an attempt to mimic Henri's primary mount. He pushed himself off of his leaning spot on the stall door, taking a sharp breath as the pain came back in his rib. If it persisted like this, he knew he'd need to visit a doctor about it. Even though he'd made plenty of doctor trips already. After the sharpness of the pain faded to a dull throb, he put on a smile, remembering what he was doing in the first play. The boy walked closer to Henri, then rubbed his head against her arm, demanding attention just as he had seen Hutch do in the past.

His head whipped up and he jumped back as he heard the clacking of her teeth, realizing a bite was in order. He put up his hands, grinning. "No, please, I'll be a good Kevin, I swear!" he pleaded, putting on his best scared face. Something told him that she wasn't kidding; she really would bite. Of course, he probably would, too. And that was one of the many reasons they were great together... As friends, of course. He shook the thought out of his mind as his stomach twisted nervously at the thought of taking anything farther.

"Ahh, no! Don't do that!" He jumped forward, wrapping his arms around Henri, raising his right hand to gently pat her head. "There, there, little one, it's okay. Just no puppy dog faces!" he soothed, chuckling softly as he realized how odd he sounded. But he always sounded odd, so there was no point in stopping that now. He pulled back, grinning down at her. "No sad faces now?" he asked in his best 'little boy' voice, gazing down at her with hopeful eyes. He was certain she'd melt at the sight, and he wouldn't have to worry about seeing that adorably sad face he knew she had hidden away in her arsenal of 'Kevin convincers.'

A softer smile came over his lips as she replied to him simply. He still could not understand at all how Henri could be the lesser of two daughters. As far as he was concerned, she was the best girl. Not out of her family, but in general. She was wonderful. A feeling of anger washed over him at the thought of the girl's father ever telling her differently. No wonder why she seemed so unsure of herself at time. The man who was supposed to show her how all men should treat her hadn't done his job. Nothing would make that okay, Kevin knew that. But he had a sliver of hope that he would be able to at least show her what her father hadn't. He smiled down at her, brushing a strand of hair away from her eyes. "I'll kick the butts of anyone who thinks otherwise," he replied, smiling as though he were joking, though there was a hint of seriousness in his voice.

Kevin shook his head, a deep laugh rumbling through his throat. "Oh, don't you go lying to me young lady!" he replied, staring her down with a raised brow. It was rather cute how she thought she could fool him. If there was one thing Kevin had always been good at, it was seeing through other people's acts. And while most thought it was a great gift to have, sometimes he felt it was more of a curse. Maybe life wasn't so painful if you lived in ignorant bliss.

He laughed again, shaking his head in a 'no.' "Er, let's not tell mother dearest just yet. I don't think daddy dearest will be too excited," he replied, grinning. But it wasn't a complete lie. Her father hadn't sounded too impressed with him. "And you're a wonderful butt dancer! But I'd like to see how you dance on your feet this time," he added, grinning down at her.

[Henrietta Charleston]

Henri’s weakness range was unfortunately quite vast. To make matters worse, she didn’t understand the majority of them which in turn made the weakness even deeper. The thought of the boy trying to pick on them however didn’t strike her as right however as all Kevin had seemed to be doing was making her stronger and happier. Of course, he was a big weakness of her as well. Even though she wasn’t quite clear with it yet or making sense of it, the brunette wasn’t sure what she’d do if anything ever happened to Kevin. Like he was protective over her, Henri had grown to be quite protective over him as well.

The thought still mildly frightened her, but slowly, the girl was coming to the terms that she was falling slowly and very subtly in l- Henri’s thoughts were interrupted by the billion and one questions that popped into her mind at that almost continued thought and she looked up to see Kevin giving her a menacing look as he told her he’d find her weakness. Shrinking a little under his much taller and muscular body, Henri puffed out her chest in her best fighter style. “Pshh! You wouldn’t stand a chance against the mighty Henri even if you do find out a weakness!” she giggled at the ridiculousness, knowing Kevin himself could easily deck her in the matter of half a second.

Henri giggled as the boy turned into the spitting character of a very mouthy horse she knew quite well. The ‘Hutch’ snorted and pawed over to her. However, as he did so, the brunette’s eyes did not miss the sharp inhale as he pushed himself off and nearly had to stop herself from rushing over to his side to figure out what was wrong. Henri furrowed her brows slightly, but smiled when he nudged her. Holding up her hand, the girl stroked the boy’s forehead “Awe KevinyHutch… You’re such a silly boy.” she cooed slightly, the worry still in her voice a tidbit. If she noticed that one more time, the girl knew she wouldn’t be able to handle ignoring it any longer.

It didn’t matter if Kevin didn’t want her to see him and pain, Henri was going to make him feel better whether it killed her or not. Of course, she cared so much about him because of how attractive he was and he’d saved her horse. At least this was what was going through her head, but deep inside, Henri knew she was starting to feel a lot like the people in the books she’d read. Shaking the thoughts off, the girl was unable to contain the little laugh of victory as the boy jumped back to her biting action. She nodded, a victorious smirk on her face now “Mhmm. Maybe I shall be merciful today… Since you saved my horse.”

Her eyes lit up in surprise at Kevin’s reply to her threat of making a puppy face. She’d known it affected him, but she hadn’t thought it would affect him that much. She giggled, realizing perhaps she did have another weapon, though it was a bit pathetic. Chuckling as he soothed her, the girl couldn’t be mean with his gorgeous eyes looking down at her like that. Shaking her head in defeat as his own look, she sighed “Awe Kevin! You’re so mean. Stop it, you cutie-pie!” Henri laughed and covered her eyes with a hand.

Despite all the playfulness and Kevin’s happy look, the girl shivered as his words reached her ears. She smiled up at him, knowing at that moment, maybe he would actually do what he said. Trying to conjure up the thought of a big scary Kevin charging at her, the girl barely could, though from a glimpse, it looked quite terrifying. She chuckled at the thought, quite amazed how he seemed to be sweet and cuddly, but had certain intenseness to him, a part of him that was strong and tough despite his beliefs. She rubbed his cheek with one hand, nodding “And I’ll kick the butts of anyone that tries to hurt you.” she said with a grin, knowing she really would try.

Henri giggled mischievously as he easily saw through her little statement, trying to make an innocent face. “Well… My sleeve will be filled soon!” she retorted back, knowing that that wouldn’t be happening any time soon either. The boy in her eyes seemed weakness-less, other than the little things he’d shown. Of course, everyone had problems in the past and Henri understood this to an extent. She didn’t expect him to be a God, even though he was one to her. Henri laughed at his next statement, shaking her head “Daddy dearest can go fly a kite.” she scoffed, officially done with her father because of the whole Roxy incident. Of course, she knew as soon as she saw the man in person, everything would go back to normal and she’d be back to being somewhat intimidated by him. Realizing, that Kevin would actually possibly get a word from her father if she did tell him, Henri added in for the boy’s sake “But alright, daddy dearest can go fly a kite in the dark...” she chuckled, feeling quite light. She was doing something naughty for once! She was actually going out with a boy to the dance of all places and she wasn’t telling him! Henri laughed out randomly “Oh I love being naughty!” she exclaimed excitedly, very excited about this dance business. Nodding to Kevin’s comment about dancing on her feet, she twirled, doing one of the ballet moves she’d learned from class spinning right into a stall and nearly falling over. “Whoops.”

[Kevin James Grant]

Kevin began to laugh as he laid eyes on the girl puffing her chest out like a rooster. Oh, she was hilarious. And adorable. He shook his head, trying not to discourage her. In some ways, she reminded him of a Chihuahua. She was tiny, at least compared to his much larger frame, but she tried to compensate for it by acting scary. Of course, she wasn't as annoying or oddly ugly as a chihuahua, but the idea was still there. He chuckled at the thought, tilting his head as he looked down at the silly girl. "Oooh, I'm really scared! Not the mighty Henri!" he cried out in his best attempt to sound frightened.

The boy couldn't help but bite down on his lip as he realized that she was catching on to his obvious discomfort. It was increasingly hard to hide as the pain continued to pop up. He must have aggravated his rib somehow in the past day or so. He sucked in a deep breath, letting it out slowly, not letting his eyes meet her's all the while. He knew soon he'd have a lot of explaining to do. But how much he'd tell her, he wasn't totally sure. It was fine for a guy to admit he'd been in an accident. But it wasn't fine for him to admit that he had been too afraid to jump ever since...

He furrowed his brows as she mentioned being merciful for once, the scar above his right eyebrow scrunching up. "Is that so? I'm glad it took getting Roxy here to earn your mercy," he chuckled, glancing over at her pretty new mount. Truth be told, he understood everything much better now. He understood just how heartless her father must be, and just why she was so heart broken over the death of the mare. She was a stunning animal with no reason to be put down before her time. She was a good, sturdy mare, but there was no denying the obvious life in her eyes. "Ya know, I got her all tacked up. You better let me see what she can do before we put her in her very own stall," he added as his mind reeled over what she had said they did. Jumping of some sort, no doubt.

He smiled again as he heard her words, shaking his head. "Don't you dare try kicking anyone's butts. If anyone ever lays a hand on you, I'll have to hurt them. And that'll leave me with an awful lot to do," he answered, grinning down at her. But he wasn't kidding in the least. He wasn't a fan of fighting, but he knew his way around a punch and wasn't going to let a thing happen to her. Even if it meant a bit of extra... work.

"All your sleeve is going to be filled with is lies, you silly!" he teased, grabbing her in his arms and spinning her once before the pain came back all too quickly. He gritted his teeth, sucking in another sharp breath through his nostrils. He gently, but rather quickly, set the girl back down on her feet, his body stiff. He offered a smile towards her, pretty certain that she wasn't going to buy it much longer. In hopes of moving the attention off himself quickly, he nodded at her comment about her father. "I think it'd be much more fun for your father to fly kites in the dark, for all of us," he replied, his voice a bit strained.

He raised a brow at her next comment, laughing a bit though the motion hurt his rib a bit more. "I think next time we need to have a lesson on thinking before we speak," he replied with a wink. "But I assure you, I love being your company when you're naughty," he added, chuckling. Honestly, what guy wouldn't want dirty time with such a gorgeous girl? Of course, he'd never actually let it get that far for risk of taking advantage of the precious girl.

He clapped softly as she danced. He was momentarily impressed until she began to trip over herself. Ignoring the pain, he leaped forward to grab her as she lost her balance, grinning down at her. "Man, heroes never get the day off, do they?" he laughed, leaving his hands protectively on her waist until he was sure she was fine. A frown tugged on the corners of his lips as the pain fought to be noticed, but he quickly put on another smile for the girl.

[Henrietta Charleston]

By how the boy tilted his head in nearly a curious look, Henri realized her so called menacing attempt had failed; as always. The brunette raised an intrigued brow, somewhat curious about what the boy was thinking about. Whatever it happened to be, it seemed to make him laugh so she chuckled a bit as well. Appreciating Kevin’s attempt to make her sound quite scary, Henri snorted and shook her head. She didn’t want to shove him as she might’ve done at another time from the earlier pain she’d caught onto when she’d shoved him with her hip. The horrifying though of being the one that hurt him overruled the thought that he was actually hurt and Henri’s happiness was dwindling a bit on that thought.

Still, the brunette put on a seemingly genuine grin before shouting out quiet enough for the horses not to get scared “Roar!” With that, she gave the boy her cutest smile, one that showed she could be vicious and adorable at the same time. It seemed Kevin could be that way too, but she had never gotten to see this vicious side that seemed to protect her so well. Still, it slowly dispersed as the brunette caught a peek of his forehead when she’d brushed it. There, a little scar, one nearly invisible from far caught her persistent eyes. Frowning for half of heart beat, Henri’s curiosity expanded ever so more. What had this poor boy been through?

The thought of the boy being in so much pain nearly brought tears to her eyes, but Henri knew he probably didn’t want to talk about it. Her smile remained firm, but slightly plastered until his next words met her ears. Grinning genuinely a bit now, she shook her head “Naw… You’ll never earn my mercy because it’s just so much fun to be unmerciful! I just love how you react when I do this…” Henri giggled and poked softly at his stomach this time. She’d seen enough to know something was wrong. It didn’t look too bad at the moment though, so she’d keep quiet.

Henri raised a brow as the boy went onto to explain how he’d gotten Roxy all tacked up and wanted to see what she could do. The girl’s blue orbs lit in pure excitement, showing off the mare’s jumping talent would certainly make into her list of fun. Still, even if she couldn’t jump as high as Hutch could, the brunette knew there was a whole lot of potential in the horse. Grinning and giving Roxy a pat, she nodded “Yes! Finally I can show you how I actually jump… Not jumping and flying off the horse.” Henri chuckled at that memory, now finding it a bit amusing of how she had flown off.

The girl felt her eyes widen a bit as the boy’s words left his lips on the matter of protecting each other. They had a certain seriousness to them, she didn’t doubt he’d certainly try to kick anyone’s butt that messed with her. It made her feel safe, but a bit guilty due to the fact she couldn’t exactly do the same thing. Not wanting to admit the obvious as usual, the brunette shook her head with somewhat of a ‘oh you silly thing’ look before speaking “Oh, you underestimate me Kevin.” she grinned, doing a karate chop against one of the stall door before cringing as she realized that it was wood. Sucking in her cheeks slightly, the brunette made a little caught grin before hiding her now smarting hand behind her back. “The Henri karate chop will take anything down!” Her voice was small, but still had a little amount of pride left in it before she laughed.

Giggling as the boy lifted her up and spun her around, Henri had known she couldn’t get past Kevin. The boy seemed to have a certain perceptiveness to him that tended to catch every little thing she tried to bluff. The brunette’s happy face soon came to a stop as he put her immediately down, before grinning in that of a six year old boy with his hand in a cookie jar. Henri gave him a concerned look, aghast at the thought of hurting him. Chewing on her lower lip unconsciously, she eyed his body from head to toe for some gory cut or jutting out bone.

Henri’s muscles relaxed a bit as the boy went onto joke a bit more, which then led to her putting on a somewhat confused face. Were they talking about the same type of naughty? The type where you steal cookies and use your mother’s lipstick? Her mouth made a little ‘O’ in realization as Kevin went onto wink at her. To her immediate surprise, Henri realized the idea of having that type of time with him sounded quite exhilarating. She grinned mischievously before cocking a brow in somewhat of a seductive look. Of course, she had no idea how to look seductive, but hopefully it worked. “I do too.” she whispered with a naughty grin, before pursing her lips and adding a quick voice “Um, I mean being in your company when you’re naughty of course. Not me. Cause that would be a bit weird.” Henri fluttered out before laughing at her ridiculous babble. Of course he knew what she meant.

Letting out a little shake of her head at herself, Henri realized she was going to fall flat on her face. Scrunching up her face for the impact, the brunette tensed her muscles until she realized an especially strong pair of arms wrapping around her protectively. Peeking one eye open to find Kevin’s handsome face looking down at her, she gave him an innocent grin at his question. “Ermm… No? But thank - ” Henri’s voice stopped midway as she saw the boy’s pain once more. Setting her teeth and shaking her head firmly, she pulled of his grasp, only turning around to face him in doctor mode. He’d certainly been hurting around the abdomen, or so she’d noticed. Tilting her head slightly as she looked at his stomach, Henri moved forward and began to attempt to pull his shirt up a bit. Finally coming back to the Earth outside of making Kevin feel better, she realized she probably looked… a bit strange. Shooting him a concerned look, the brunette went on “Kev… Can I please just see what’s wrong? I’m so sorry I hurt you, but I can get you ice or something, or anything. I am soooo sorry again; but please just let me make it better.” Henri’s tone turned from somewhat firm to pleading as she stared up at him with big, blue eyes. She had hurt Kevin someway somehow, and she didn’t know how to fix him. That was unacceptable.

OOC: First post since the week-end, so it's a bit clumsy... xD

That's an understatement, it's a mess of words, but hope it's good to reply to. xDD

[Kevin James Grant]

Kevin began to chuckle softly as she told him that he wouldn't get her mercy because he was fun to bother. If anyone else had told him that, he would have smacked them. Probably because he just all around hated having people know any little weakness of his, even something as silly and insignificant as tickle spots. But when Henri said it, it was just kind of cute. Which he hated but loved at the same time. He was reminded of why he didn't like people knowing his weaknesses when Henri's fingers reached out to tickle his stomach. His eyes widened as he moved back quickly, snatching up her wrists in his much larger hands. "You better hope I'm nicer than you and actually do give people mercy," he retaliated, grinning playfully. He pulled her closer to him, looking down at her, raising a brow, but released her delicate wrists from his grip.

Her happiness was contagious as she realized that she would be riding Roxy soon, and Kevin couldn't help but grin along with her. It was so obvious that she adored her horses and trusted them whole heartedly. He missed the days when he was fearless on his own steed. Versache was a wonderful horse, but ever since the accident, Kevin was terrified to jump to horse. It was a shame, really, to see all his talent unused. Versache had been the most talented horse his father had ever bred, and it had been an honor that he had trusted Kevin to own him. And yet there he was, sitting in his stall, not doing what he was intended to do.

Pushing away his negative thoughts, he grinned once more and nodded. "How about you make sure you don't fly without a horse under your butt this time?" he suggested, grinning though a bit of seriousness laced his tone. He would never forget the fear that had overtaken him as the girl's fragile figure had been thrust to the ground. He felt a twinge of pain in his ribs once more as he thought about the fall, memories of his own fall overcoming his mind. He pushed them away, keeping a happy look on his face for Henri. He was quite certain she was about as talented as any rider he'd ever seen, and he was eager to see her in her element.

He grinned again at her next comment, shaking his head quickly. "Oh, no, I don't underestimate you. I fear for the poor people you'd go after. By me beating them up, I'm saving them," he replied with a joking grin. Girls could be pretty darn scary when they were angry, and he figured Henri was no different. He had learned early on not to anger any woman in his life. They were capable of things far worse than men ever pulled on each other.

As her hand raced to make contact with the stall door, his eyes widened in concern. He opened his mouth to warn her against it but couldn't get his words out quick enough to stop her. Eyes filled with concern, the boy moved to her side, then walked behind her as she hid her hand behind her back. He gingerly grabbed her forearm, avoiding any area that had a chance of being sore, and looked it over. The hand was a bit red, but nothing life threatening. He raised her hand up, gently kissing her red hand and looking up at her with a grin. "There; all better?" he asked in a soft voice, a hopeful smile on his lips.

Kevin gazed down at the girl, smiling with amusement as she seemed confused by his flirting. In his defense, she had started it! Not that the poor, innocent girl had any idea of this. He couldn't help but chuckle as she slowly but surely realized what he was talking about, grinning down at the girl. But his grin faded slightly and his brows raised as the girl began to flirt back. He had to hand it to her, she had gotten better with this flirting business since they had first met. And he had a feeling he ad something to do with that. But, as always, the poor girl tripped all over her words. He laughed once more, mussing up her hair with his hand affectionately. "Oh, Henri. So much to learn yet, young grasshopper," he teased, letting his hand drop from the top of her head.

As her eyes opened after her near fall and landed on him, he put on his best heroic grin, fighting to ignore the terrible pain in his side. He was still puzzled as to why the ribs hadn't healed correctly after so long but decided it must have been due to something he had done during the healing process. As she stopped mid-thank you, his heart sunk. She was finally done ignoring his pain, and he knew it. The last thing he wanted was for anyone to know what had happened to him or that he was still beyond afraid to jump.

He jumped a bit as the girl's fingers tugged up at the edge of his shirt, obviously wanting a peek at the injury it seemed she thought she had caused. He chuckled slightly at her words, shaking his head "no" for a moment, quickly pulling his shirt back down to conceal the light scar along his rib cage she would have noticed if she'd continued to undress him. He took in a deep breath, then puffed it out through his lips slowly, running a hand through his hair as he fought to decide what to tell her and fought to fend off the pain. "Hey, calm down, you didn't hurt me," he informed her, smiling softly and brushing his fingers against her cheek gently. "It's, uh, an old injury. I..." he paused, trying to figure out how to phrase this in a way to conceal most of what happened. "I broke a few ribs a couple months ago. The doctor said they would be better, but I guess they never healed properly. Sometimes they still hurt."

OOC: Ack, I'm so sorry to keep you waiting AGAIN. I'm so busy with college and Christmas and New Years and whatnot. So sorry ):