She's A Real Wild One! (Lu)

[anastasia]

The day was another nice one without rain, partly sunny with some puffy clouds and high thin whispy ones that would float high over head to contrast with the sun. Keeping it rather decent - not too cold, not too hot. Just the right level of cool for a decent ride in the afternoon.

Daredevil was at a walk, taking the moment slow and ease to enjoy the day and the ride. Plus she was distracted by her thoughts. Wishing she had brought her music player on the right. Her thoughts were upon the Manor and upon the man she met the other day. He had left a lasting impression upon her and it was impossible to get him out of her head. Phantom or not. She contemplated making a beeline casually to the Manor but every time she thought about it, her stomach became became a 'butterfly infestation' and she felt rather flushed or nervous. She couldn't bring herself to just go there for now apparent reason. Ahhh, see, now that was the thing! She was going there for something in specific. Or, actually, someone in specific. She hated this yet loved it! What a sensation! What a rush! But it was just like having an old boyfriend come back into her life and she just was not ready for anything like this again.

Lifting her right hand up just a tad as she shifted her feet to touch certain points on the barrel of the horse, putting the black gelding into a well controlled canter. She needed to work her mind by working her horse to keep her mind off Lenoir. Damn him. Damn that man! Why did he have to be so intriguing? Why did he have to truly live?

Rising into a 2-point seat as she spurred the massive black into a full-on gallop. Anything to escape these wicked thoughts.

[Christine Lucinda Dallas]

Lu had now spent several days at the mansion. She was beginning to really miss Gunner. She had at first decided to let him fester a bit in his anger, but as time worn on, that part of her heart that was saved for him only was starting to ache terribly.

The suite that was given to her was really amazing. It looked like rooms from the little house she and her parents had lived in for the years when she was growing up. It held many good memories for her. And best of all her musical instruments were there! Her violin, guitar, banjo and even her mother's old spinet piano! She had been delighted to see them. But really, she must leave this behind, for she needed to find Gunner. He was probably worried sick about her and it wasn't right to make him suffer this long.

Lu dressed in her dark trousers, light shirt and dark vest. Her long duster and straight brimmed hat finished off her outfit. From the back of a horse, it was hard to tell if she were a man or woman. It was a good disguise. She found her way to the garden exit and went to the stable where she saddled Effie, her ebony Arabian. She patted the horse and spoke softly to her, telling her they must find Gunner soon. She mounted the horse and trotted off, making her way to a path that led toward the forest, from whence she had come. It should not be far to ride back home.

Lu was enjoying the day, but she still was anxious about Gunner. She coaxed Effie into a faster trot. Then up ahead she saw someone coming toward her on a horse. A black horse, cantering toward Lu. It was a woman upon the horse. Perhaps she was headed toward the mansion.

And Mr Carriére, as nice as he had been, obviously had been wrong about Lu not being able to leave the mansion. Here she was, almost halfway through the forest, and no one was stopping her. She slowed Effie considerably, hoping to have a word or two with the woman coming toward her.

[anastasia]

Pushing the big black and dodging branches that hung low causing more adrenaline to pulse through her veins. All this was somewhat helping to dim the thoughts of the Phantom she met at the Manor the other day. Which since then, she could hardly stop thinking about him. Oh, so disturbing. She swore never to let a man get to her again. She was finished with the games men play. Tired of her heart constantly being broken and fed up with being used. When a woman gave them self to a man, especially intimately, it was a commitment, a decision to trust and to cherish forever. So many times had that trust and cherishing been broken.
Never again.

Her attention was snapped from her thoughts of Lenoir to see a western style figure ahead upon a black horse. She was stunned and brought Daredevil down to a slow canter as she observed the woman a bit. But even through this, it was still not enough of a distraction. Damn that man! Oh, why!
Cantering Daredevil to the other rider and looked as though she were going to pass by Lu, instead as she came almost along side, Ana used her aides almost unnoticed and put her great black Friesian/Percheron cross into a cantering piaffe (canter in place). With a competitive streak and need to cast Lenoir from her mind, plus a chance to interact with another rider-
"Race ya!"
And with a shift in her seat and her aides she spurred Daredevil on into a passage canter. Not looking back to see if the other rider would pursue. She sure was hoping though.

[Christine Lucinda Dallas]

Still thinking about Gunner, Lu continued to ride through the woods. She seemed to remember that she had ridden about an hour before findiing the woods. Then another hour through them until she came to the mansion. It wouldn't be long before she would be in the desert again.

Lu kept an eye on the woman ho was riding toward her, astride a large black Friesian. Lu wondered who she was, and even more, wondered when the woman approached closer, that she was wearing some quite odd clothing, although it looked very good for riding.

As she approached, the woman challenged her, Race ya!. A smile crossed Lu's face. She liked nothing better than a challenge. "Yer on, lady," she shouted. "Which way we goin'? And where's the end of the race?"

[anastasia]

The other rider she barely caught a glimpse of. Kinda looked like a woman but she wasn't sure as she charged off. The big black cross barreling away at a full gallop, she glanced back to see if the other rider was following. No reply she simply giggled in delight at finally another rider to have a good run with. Would be challenging since the horse the other rider was mounted upon was an Arab. Arabians were known for their high endurance and speed.

Running that big black through the forest no particular destination in mind. Just a race to see how far they both could push themselves and their horses. It was dangerous, yes - as they could go flying off and get injured or their horse could get injured. But she took that risk! ANYTHING to get her mind off Lenoir. Anything to keep her away from the Manor.

[Christine Lucinda Dallas]

Lu had no idea who the other oddly-dressed woman was, but she never passed up a challenge. She followed the other rider on her large black Frisian. She pushed Effie to more speed. Effie loved to run, and she had taken Lu away from many a bad situation in haste and to safety.

She followed the woman, still behind, wondering where she was going. And she hoped that the woman knew where she was going, for they had come off the main trail and were in and out on some smaller side trails which even dodged between trees. They reminded Lu of some of the Indian trails which she and her father had taken at home when she was a child. They had gone hunting together many a time on those trails. And Lu never got lost on the trails at home. But she was not familiar with this area at all. She was still convinced however, that she could find her way back even so. All thsee thoughts raced through her mind as her horse continued to creep up on the rider ahead of them.

"Yo, lady, wait up!" called Lu, when she came close enough to be heard. "Where ya goin'?" She moved her body closer to the horse's back as Effie picked up a bit more speed. They were very close to catching up with the Frisian and his rider.

[anastasia]

Twisting her head back once again to see the other rider then returning her gaze ahead of them as her big black galloped along. She grinned wickedly and enjoyed this crazy, spontaneous moment. Ducking branches and weaving around trees and a fallen tree. It was obvious English was her favored style of riding.

Twisting her head back around for a moment, "ANYWHERE!" she replied with excitement in her booming voice. "No set path, no set direction! CHALLENGE ME!" daring the other rider just as she steered her horse to bank to the left and head in a different direction. Wondering if the other rider will catch on and do the same to challenge her with a direction that is IF the other rider could get ahead of her and take the lead and blaze a trail.

[Christine Lucinda Dallas]

Lu grinned when she heard the other rider say, "Challenge me!" Lu couldn't pass up a challenge and she knew that she and Effie were up to it. Her Arabian loved challenges too. At least it seemed that way to Lu. She and the horse rode as one entity. Lu and Effie ducked around several trees and ran for a straight stretch. Just as they came back to a rough path, Lu spied the other rider just a tiny bit behind her. Now Lu was ahead and she could lead the other rider on a merry chase.

She pushed the Arabian to even more speed. Effie was agile and could often outrun a larger horse because of it. Even as the other horse followed and gained more speed, Effie ran faster. They kept it up fo rsome time, neck in neck, one pulling ahead, the the other. Finally, Lu thought Effie had had enough. She knew Effie would run as long and as fast as Lu wanted, but Lu didn't want the horse to wear herself out over a challenge. She decided to call a halt ot it. She pulled Effie over just as they had inched ahead again. The horse slowed down to a walk and Lu hoped she could speak with the other rider. Unless she wouldn't stop her horse and they would continue going. Lu shrugged inwardly. She didn't care anymore. She knew she had won the challenge, well, perhaps not won, but at least it was a tie.

[anastasia]

The 'no holds barred' race was a fun challenge between the two women and their black mounts. Thundering along the forest and countryside insanely until finally one brought the challenge to an end. A wise idea really. The horses were pushed enough.

Ana slowed her big black down after shooting past Lu and her Arab. Circling back around and trotting up to Lu and her little black. Panting actually but not as much as Daredevil who was snorting but was rather happy to have raced another horse.
"Good run," Ana stated a little breathless as she brought the black Friesian/Percheron cross alongside the other rider. Extending her hand out to the other rider and realizing it was another woman for sure. Smirking at the woman looked rather old west style. "I'm Anastasia, but please call me Ana." Pausing a moment to look at the Arabian, "You have a pretty good horse there."

Pausing a moment as she looked back at the other woman. "Do you live around here or are you visiting?"

[Christine Lucinda Dallas]

The other woman slowed her horse down and circled back to Lu. The woman had pushed her horse too. They were both good mounts. Lu looked with admiration on the other rider's black Frisian. "Good horse you have there, lady... This here's Effie... " She patted the horse on the neck. "She's got me outa plenty o' scrapes."

"Yeah, I like a challenge and Effie likes a good run. Stopped her though, I don't want her to run herself down."

The other woman introduced herself as Anastasia, but she asked to be called Ana. "Please to meet ya, Ana. I'm Lucinda, but call me Lu. Nobody but my Ma ever call me Lucinda." She smiled as she shook the other woman's hand. Lu smiled as Ana complimented her horse. She took a good look at Ana's clothing then. "Them's interesting duds, Ana. Where'd you get them?" Lu looked at the cut of the clothes. "Them's riding clothes?"

Then Ana asked her if she lived around the environs. "Yeah. Just across the desert. About a hour or so." She smiled. "Miss my fella...name's Gunner. Been away from him fer days now. Stayin' at the mansion. But he must be missin' me somethin' fierce. Gotta get back an tell him I ain't met no bad end..."

[anastasia]

Her breathing was less of a pant and more regular now than it was a moment ago while the horse still continued to pant. A moment's rest was a good idea. "Thanks," smiling a little and nodded to Lu and Effie, "Ditto." Nodding a little, "Oh?" Rather curious now as she listened more to the woman on the little black Arab. Smiling as she leaned slightly over and looked at the Arab, "A pleasure to meet you, Effie," and snickered. "She's a testament to her breed."

Shaking the other woman's hand and smiled at her, too, "A pleasure to meet you, too, Lu." pausing a moment looking at though she were thinking, "You're American, too?" Obviously rather stunned to see another American.

Looking at herself, "Bought them online or at various stores. It's from the Ariat riding attire brand. Only the best and far more comfortable than regular clothes."

Now she looked utterly baffled after Lu mentioned a desert. "Desert?" Continued to look more than bewildered, "In England?" How could one not know they were on the British Isles?
Then the western woman mentioned the Manor. This struck her curiosity a little more. So many questions raced through her head, "The Manor, hmm?" Wondering if she knew Lenoir. Wincing now as she pretty much had banished him from her thoughts with the fun distraction of the race. "I was there the other day." Curious to see the woman's reaction but one would have to be blind to not notice the strange mix of curious bewilderment. There was always more questions than answers.

[Christine Lucinda Dallas]

Lu grinned when the other woman greeted Effie first and complimented her. "She's a damn fine 'un," said Lu. "Worth her weight in gold," said said, grinning wider, knowing how much that would be and also knowing she would never take any amount of money for the horse.

Ana was considerably surprised that Lu was American. "Yeah," said Lu, her brows knit in puzzlement. "So are you...so why are you surprised? Where you from? I hail from here, the Territory of Arizona. Damn fine place. All kinda different landscapes...I like the desert the most." Lu kept eyeing Ana who was still showing surprise.

Ana explained where she had gotten her riding clothing and how comfortable they were. "Yeah, look comfortable." Lu paused."What's online mean?" The woman was saying some very strange words.

Then Lu gave Ana another odd look. Was this lady off her rocker? "Desert in England? Don't know nothin' about England. Why you bring that up? I'm talking about the desert that I crossed to get here. Saw them trees." She looked up to indicate the forest they were in. "Ain't never seen no trees like this in the desert. Other places, yeah. But not in the desert."

Lu went on. "I had a bad fight with my friend Gunner. We're gonna marry soon, you know." She looked sad for a moment. "If he ain't all steamin' from his ears and ready to spit tacks at me...I ran off that night after the fight and ...I ain't found no way to get back yet. But I figure if I get to the end of this forest, I should see the desert again." She looked at Ana for a bit of confirmation of her theory. She wasn't any too sure any more. "Ain't 'at right?"

"I been stayin' at the Manor is what they calls it. A nice French fella, tall man with a mask...showed me to a room where I can stay when I come to the Manor, he says." She laughed. "Don't think I'll be back..."

[anastasia]

She understood the value of a horse. The best ones were priceless. Smirking at how Lu spoke. The words used did not offend her really but amused her. At least for the moment they did.
When Lu continued on though Ana was confused. Brushing off the inquiry about 'online' instead she tried to explain their location. "I'm from Illinois. But," she paused a moment, "We are not in the US. We are in England." Wondering how in the world this woman could not know she was in Britain. There was by no means a desert in England that she was aware of and she looked more than confused.

The big black shifted as it was calming and then lowered it's head to start grazing. She sat there casually and comfortably while listening to the other woman explain what happened. After a moment, her face was slightly pinched with sympathy. There was no way she was going back to where ever it was she came from. The more Lu spoke, the more confused Ana was.
Shaking her head slowly, "I'm sorry. But... no." Pausing a moment as she watched Lu. "I don't know how you came here. But, there's no desert beyond this forest." Now she was beyond confused.

The mention of a 'French fella' and the further words caused her to react in some restrained anxious way. Damnit! She was never going to get him out of her head, was she? The look on Ana's face said it all that she knew who Lu was talking about. At least, she thought she understood who she was talking about. If it was Lenoir, then everything made perfect sense. Lenoir had mentioned that those who come to the Manor had a room. And those with a room could never leave the Manor. They were a prisoner of the Manor.
Ana's stomach sank and she looked at Lu with a light sympathy. "I don't think you have a choice."
That Manor haunted her. There was something about it that made her rather uneasy.

[Christine Lucinda Dallas]

"From Illinois?" asked Lu. "And we ain't in the U.S.?" She stopped speaking, looking puzzled. "I ain't never been to England. I know I ain't now...." She narrowed her eyes, not neessarily thinking the woman was lying, for she seemed sincere, but thinking that she was a little confused or a lot crazy.

Lu decided to give her the story from the beginning. Then she would see that they could not possibly be in England. "I was at my house .... which is in the Territory of Aruzona, right? Okay. Then after a big ol' fight with my Gunner, I ride away for a hour or two on Effie here. She could tell you, could she talk." Lu smiled and patted Effie's mane. "Anyway, I see this forest here. Strange lookin' out in the desert ... them kinda trees. So, curious, I ride throught the forest and come upon the mansion after a while. I dismount and go in. The first person I meet is this tall Frenchy fella. Nice man. Might be good lookin' if he didn't wear no mask. It made me curious. Why he wears a mask... He has blond hair and a cape and is real polite. And pretty blue eyes. Ooh them eyes!" She smiled at the thought of Carrière's eyes. "Well it was late. So he shows me where the rooms are for sleepin'. Imagine my surprise when I find one with my very own name on it. She giggled and smiled. "I know somebody must be funnin' with me. Had my full name on it like Mamma used to call me when I was a naughty girl.. I can still hear her call me....Christine Lucinda Dallas! Them was the days...." She went on, "Inside I find....all my musical instruments....I was more shock than if I woulda seen the white buffalo."

"Anyway, I ain't seen my fella Gunner since I left, good week ago. I miss him a hell of a lot and I just need to ride back and tell him I'm ...really sorry." Lu hoped he would forgive her. She missed him so badly.

She frowned then, remembering what Ana had just said. "There ain't no desert out there? I know there is...I seen it when I come here. Yeah, it was later at night. But I can see fine. And I know a desert from a....England place...." Lu's voice had just the slightest bit of doubt in it now...

[anastasia]

He big black continued to graze and she let him as she faced Lu. Nodding when the other woman mentioned the state she was from, "MmHmm," then shook her head, "Nnoooo," trying her best to make a point they were not in the US at all!
"You're in England. Sorry." Utterly baffled as to how this woman could not know she was in England. Raising her hands like a surrender, "Look, you don't believe me, that's up to you. You can go to town and have a look see." Putting her hands down upon her thighs.

She listened to Lu tell her story while Daredevil shifted and took a step forward. Furrowing her brow a moment in confusion. A masked man with blondish hair and blue eyes? Lenoir had stunning mismatched blue eyes, but definitely not blond hair. Pondering a moment this interesting bewilderment until she narrowed her eyes slightly remembering that Lenoir was collaborating with another Phantom-
"Carriere?" She said rather softly, almost too soft to be a whisper as though she were talking to herself. This really was getting very strange and started to question her own sanity. What the devil was going on here?!?

Her face sank a little then went a little hard as Lu mentioned a room with her name at the Manor. This made Ana recall what Lenoir stated about if a person had a room there. She felt immediately sorry for the other woman. She was trapped there now.

"No. There is no desert. You can ride all over this great big Isle and not come across one. Sorry." Then she closed her eyes and shook her head. This was really so very strange to the point she really could not comprehend any of this.
"Sorry to be the bearer of bad news. But, Mr Lenoir told me that once you have a room with your name on it in the Manor... you're a prisoner there." Looking sadly at Lu.