`` snapshots of happiness ; {OPEN}

[Regina Mills]

It was a sunny Saturday afternoon, one that many of Falcon Academy's students might have spent goofing around on campus - running around, pulling harmless (or sometimes not-so-harmless) pranks, getting together for a game or sport or some sort - buy while Regina didn't particularly have anything against her fellow students, she rarely participated in such activities. It was just...a little strange for her, having so many people around. Friends, particularly ones of her age, had not been particularly common for her growing up - and her mother had told her that you needed to be careful which friendships and alliances you formed in a school such as this one. You could never know for sure, mother had said, what people really wanted from you.

So she'd been tentative about getting too close to anyone, and on top of that had only been attending the school for a couple of days - so really, she hadn't had the chance to bond with anyone had she been trying to. She'd chosen to spend today off-campus in one of Davis Ville's parks. It really was beautiful out here, all sunshine and grass and clear blue skies - and despite the fact that a part of her would've liked to have been seeing what her fellow classmates were up to, Regina couldn't honestly say she regretted coming out here. Adorned in a flowy light blue sundress, she leaned back against the tree she was currently propped up against and let out a soft, content sigh. Her fingers combed the grass, pulling out bright white daisies every so often and weaving them through her dark, wavy hair. Even the short time she'd spent here at school'd had a overwhelmingly positive effect on the eighteen year-old. Here, away from her mother's judging eyes, sharp comments - and sometimes sharper actions - she was safe. Free.

A soft snort sounded from behind her, and the soft velvety texture of a horse's nose nudged at her shoulder. The action provoked a surprised but affectionate laugh from Regina, who glanced up at her companion - the one friend she did have here. "What, Bree?" she murmured to him in amusement, placing a hand on his muzzle. Bree, a beautiful bay and white thoroughbred, was kept at the stables nearby the school - just into town. Much of Regina's free time was spent visiting him; he was the only thing familiar to her in this place. "Oh, I know. I bet you're hungry." She stood and, reaching into her satchel, pulled out a bright red apple. Apples were Bree's favorite fruit - that was one thing they had in common. She held it out to him and couldn't help but giggle a bit as, with a soft nicker of appreciation, he chomped into it.

Letting him take the apple from her, Regina raised her newly freed hand and ran it along the side of the horse's neck absent-mindedly. "I should probably be doing homework," she commented idly. Some people might've thought talking to a horse was - well, strange - but those people didn't know that animals made the very best listeners. "Mother says my schooling is the most important thing right now, because these days, men don't like their wives to stupid and uneducated..." Her gaze lowered briefly to the ground, remembering Cora's implication that she was stupid. Really, by now you would have thought the sting would've been taken out of her mother's insults - but somehow, the need to gain Cora's approval had never really gone away.

But she shrugged, trying to direct her thoughts elsewhere. "Daniel doesn't call me stupid. I think he'd marry me now, if I asked him to...but in a way, Mother's right. There are things I need to learn first - things I need to know. But can I tell you a secret?" A hint of mischievousness edged Regina's tone now, and she leaned slightly against the horse as she continued. "Once I graduate, Daniel and I are going to run off together - and Mother won't be able to stop us! You can come too, of course, Bree...and we'll find some place nice to settle down. Somewhere with a lot of open space, so you won't have to be cooped up in a stable all day until I can come visit you. And the three of us are going to be happy..." Her voice had the unmistakable, wistful, and perhaps naive quality of a dreamer. The evils of the world didn't really exist for Regina - not in the way they might have for someone significantly more experienced and less sheltered. With a wide smile, she wrapped her arms around Bree's neck, hugged him tightly, then pulled back to give him a quick kiss on the nose. "I promise."




((BONUS POINTS IF YOU GET THE HORSE NAME CLASSIC LITERATURE REFERENCE.))

[chipettej]

Why did today have to be so hot? Well, okay, it wasn't really hot; but, it was a lot warmer when you had fur! And when you're a chipmunk, you've got fur. So, unlike popular opinion, today was incredibly hot! It didn't help when you lived pretty far away from Falcon Academy and you missed the community bus that made the trip so much shorter. Yeah, that's what Jeanette was going through, right now. She was a chipmunk; therefore, not only was she wearing clothes, but she had fur that made the weather much warmer than it actually was. It also didn't help that she was dragging something really heavy.

You see, on their way to their brand new school, the Chipmunks had reached the half-way point when Brittany had realized she'd left her 'special' book bag back at their home, the Seville house. Jeanette, being the good sister that she was, had offered to fetch it for her during their break. The intelligent little chipmunk had even pleaded with the teacher to allow her to leave just a little bit early so she could catch the bus and be that much faster. Getting home was the easy part. Jeanette didn't know what could possibly be in this bag to make it so heavy, but she could barely drag it. Because of this, she'd missed the bus back here; so she had to drag it the entire way. "Oh, no, Simon! It's okay! It's just a book bag, how hard can it be?" Jeanette's voice was unusually dripping with sarcasm. "Brittany, this is the last time I do something like this..." Though, Jeanette knew that she was lying to herself. She was too nice for her own good, and that would never change.

As the purple-and-blue clad Chipette talked to herself, she reached a checkpoint. She struggled with dragging the book bag over the perimeter of the park and continued on. She was almost there; still a ways to go, but almost there. Jeanette, being Jeanette, had pinpointed the exact moment when she would cross onto campus ground. It was just through this park, cross the back street a little ways off from it, and then all one had to do was head for the lamp post some person had left a wreath on since last Christmas. After that, she would, technically, be on school grounds, then all she had to do was get to Brittany's locker. 24-3-41-15. Jeanette kept Brittany's locker combination revolving through her head like a mantra, keeping her going.

Geez, why did she have to choose to wear her navy jean-jacket today, it was just making things hotter! At least she wore skirts. Brittany had tried to convince her she'd look fabulous in jeans, once. The skirt she wore now was a dark blue with purple starburst designs on the sides. Underneath her jacket, Jeanette wore a solid purple shirt with "Get 'Munked" stylized in pink across it. Some probably thought her conceited to be wearing merchandise of her own group, but she honestly enjoyed the phrase. She'd giggled nonstop when she'd first heard it from Simon. Long story, possibly for another day. Right now, she had to focus!

The seven-inch Chipette passed by Regina and her horse, not really paying much attention. Jeanette usually didn't pay much attention to anything, but she couldn't even try while dragging Brittany's luggage. Running out of focus, Jeanette accidentally tripped over a pebble that jutted from the ground of the park. With a small yelp, the poor thing fell flat on her face. Jeanette shakily rose to her feet with a sigh. Dusting herself off, she gripped the bag's drawstrings once more. She was almost there! And then a thought struck her with a gasp of fright. "What if I'm late? They might send me to Principle Slade's office!"

(I'M SORRY T~T I COULDN'T GET THE REFERENCE; BUT I'M BRAINDEAD ATM SO XD)

[Regina Mills]

Continuing to coo quietly to Bree for a couple of moments, Regina noticed rather quickly when his ears pricked forward and he lifted his head slightly, giving another snort. He'd seen something. Or someone. Immediately fearing that she'd been overheard (if she had, there every possibility that her plans for her future would get back to Cora - her mother had ways of finding these things out), she whipped around and cast a nervous glance over the field. For a moment she was confused; no one else seemed to be there...and then the sound of something dragging against the ground drew Regina's gaze downward. She had to blink several times to make sure what she was seeing was really there - because it wasn't every day you saw a chipmunk struggling to drag a bookbag through the park.

Briefly, she struggled to make sense of what she was seeing. It occurred to her after a moment that the chipmunk was wearing clothes - and glasses - and...and that she was speaking? Regina caught the tail end of something about being late and Principal Slade, and then it clicked: this chipmunk, quite evidently a female one, was a fellow student at Falcon Academy! ...Which, all things considered, wasn't completely shocking. Falcon Academy was a...pretty weird school. Understanding immediately brightened Regina's expression, and then compassion - the poor thing! Who'd left her alone to carry an object that was several times bigger than she was?

Well. Regina hadn't been at the school long, but she'd been there long enough to know that Principal Slade's wrath was something to be feared. It wasn't a difficult decision to make: whatever was going on here, the very least she could do was take a moment to help the chipmunk out. Leaving her horse standing over by the tree, the brunette took a few paces forward and quickly caught up with the chipmunk - it was going to take her ages to get anywhere having to drag the heavy bookbag behind her, Regina noted with another pang of sympathy. "Excuse me!" she called to get the other girl's attention, taking another step forward and kneeling down in the grass to get on...well, not eye-level, but closer to it.

"I'm sorry to bother you if you're busy. It's just...are you alright? You look like you could use a bit of...help." she finished tactfully, her brow furrowing a little in concern. If this was a task that the chipmunk was determined to take on, well...Regina hardly wanted to get in the way. Still, it would have bothered her to allow the incident to pass without at least offering to do something. Cora had told her that helping others was a waste of time unless you were certain they'd be able to do something to help you - that you needed to take your own best interests into consideration first. And while Regina knew her mother was only teaching her these things to ensure her survival in this big, big world...sometimes, she had to wonder whether the older woman was just wrong. If no one helped each other unless there was something in it for them - well, the world would have been a dark, dark place. And Regina was hesitant to believe in darkness where it didn't exist beyond a doubt.






((Bree iiiiis the name of one of the title characters in the Horse and His Boy (a Narnia book). IMSUCHADORK;D))

[chipettej]

It took a moment for Jeanette to realize that someone was talking to her. Blinking a few times in her confusion, the little chipmunk turned and looked up and up to find there was actually someone already in the park. Well, duh, Jeanette! It is a park. As she watched, the girl bent down to inquire her troubles. She looked quite beautiful to the little chipmunk, she especially liked her dress, and very sincere.

"U-um, hi... Yeah, I'm okay." Jeanette's voice was small and she sounded very nervous. She didn't talk to people often; she usually left that up to her sisters. Looking back at the book bag she was dragging, her violet glasses slipped down her nose a ways. Jeanette supposed she looked quite bedraggled and comical, especially with her glasses askew. As she shoved her glasses back up to where they should be, she turned her gaze back to the present company. "I guess am having some... difficulties. I'm not very good at these kinds of things." Of course, by that, she meant most anything involving strength, physique, or dexterity. Her favorite class was Science, not Physical Education. In fact, she had quite a few advanced classes, much to the ire of the "popular kids," like that's any sort of news. "D-don't give it any thought, though! I wouldn't want to bother you or take up your free time..."

Giving a bit of a depressed sigh, Jeanette let go of the bag's strings. She put a paw to her head and tapped her puffy little cheek in thought for a moment. There had to be a better way of getting this thing to the school. "Maybe if I could... hm." She should just ask for this girl's help. No, she couldn't do that. Jeanette didn't have it in her to ask for an innocent onlooker to give up their free time. Jeanette straightened her skirt and looked to the direction of Falcon Academy and back to her new acquaintance with a doubtful look. "I-I'll get it there... somehow." Jeanette doubted whether she could do it without being late, though.

(That would explain it; I was never able to get through the Horse and His Boy :\ )

[Regina Mills]

Regina's concerned expression softened a little; it was a little hard not to when you were talking with a tiny and decidedly adorable chipmunk. One who seemed far too worried about wasting her time to ask for help, at that. "You're not bothering me at all." Regina reassured her gently, glancing at the bookbag and then back again. It must've taken a good deal of determination to even get her this far, the brunette realized. Brushing her hair out of her eyes, she considered their options here. It didn't take her very long to settle on an idea - though she had to wonder whether the chipmunk would go for it. Having gone to all this trouble just to get the bookbag to this point, it had to have been important - so Regina didn't hesitate too long before speaking again to voice her thoughts.

"You go to Falcon Academy, right? I do too." she informed the chipmunk brightly, making sure to give her a warm smile to assure her that her intentions were genuine. "So really, it'd be no trouble for me to take us back there right now - Bree could get us there in a couple of minutes." With a wave of her hand, Regina motioned back to where the horse still stood by the tree, having lowered his head to graze and swishing his tail back and forth by this point. To her, the familiar sight of her oldest friend was a comfort - something that made her smile, made her feel safe. She did realize, however, that not all people - and certainly not all chipmunks, for that matter - were necessarily quite as comfortable around horses as she was. Vaguely, Regina could remember her first time on a horse. She'd been terrified of heights as a young child, but just in love with horses...so eventually, her father had been able to convince her mother to get her riding lessons.

The only way to overcome fear is to face it, she'd realized after that first lesson. ...Still, in this case, it might be better just to check and make sure the chipmunk was okay with all of this. "Have you ever, er...been on a horse before?" Regina asked after a moment's pause, settling into a more comfortable position in the grass so she could sit and talk for a moment. Her poor fellow schoolmate really did look a bit stressed at the moment, and Regina didn't want to do anything to add to that stress necessarily - but nor did she want to walk away from the situation if there was anything at all she could do to help. Besides, heading back early would give her a chance to catch up on that homework she really needed to be getting to. As if on cue, Bree lifted his head to peer over at them, his expression almost expectant.

[chipettej]

This girl goes to Falcon Academy as well? Well, that is a plus. Perhaps getting her help in this wouldn't be such a problem after all. It would certainly be better than dragging it the whole way, herself. Being a chipmunk did have its disadvantages; size being one of the bigger ones, short legs being another. At the girl's suggestion, Jeanette looked past her to see the horse she had addressed. Watching it, Jeanette shuffled backwards just a bit and wrung her wrists in anticipation.

Her voice wobbled as she replied. "Oh... W-well, n-n-no, I've never ridden a h-horse before..." Her voice broke on the word 'horse.' Just thinking of getting up on that thing sent Jeanette's head spinning. This proposed schoolmate of hers seemed genuinely sincere in helping her. "There isn't any less... extreme alternatives? Horse-riding seems like it would be very demanding, physically; and I've heard all sorts of... stories of accidents." Granted, these stories came mostly from television and Alvin, in his various schemes to scare Theodore out of his wits; the little chipmunk still had her doubts about riding a horse.

In fact, she had a distinct feeling that horses and chipmunks didn't get along too well. Not to say they were mortal enemies like a snake and a mouse, but Jeanette was sure a horse like that would appreciate a small little thing like her. Of course, she wasn't too small; she was taller than her sisters, after all, and only Simon was taller than she was. She shifted nervously from foot-paw to foot-paw, hoping her inquiry wasn't crossing some unseen line or whether her savior would allow it in the first place.

(Short post is short, sorry >.>)

[Regina Mills]

Sure enough, a moment of doubt followed her suggestion. She blinked, her expression turning slightly sympathetic at the wavering, uncertain note in the chipmunk's voice. Getting on a horse and just trusting it might've been easy for her to do; she'd been riding for most of her life. To her, riding a horse was as natural as flying was to a bird...and even more liberating. But a horse was a lot bigger and scarier to a chipmunk, and this might have been asking a lot - maybe too much? Regina certainly wasn't going to force her to do anything she didn't want to do, and she didn't intend to push the issue. Only to make an attempt to reassure her. Give her a chance to overcome her fear. Because there was really nothing more exhilarating than doing just that.

"Everything worth doing in life has it's risks." Regina told her gently, her tone earnest. "But if you can face your fears? I promise you, your life will be a hundred times more rewarding than those who can't." When she was younger, when she'd lived in Cora's shadow in constant fear of her mother's abuse, it was like suffocating. Never again would she make that mistake - allow someone to suppress her; allow fear to hold her back. A determined glint flashed in her warm brown eyes, and she didn't try to hide it. Perhaps her new chipmunk friend could see her confidence in the situation, she'd feel a little more reassured. With a glance back at her horse, Regina added, "Besides, I've been riding Bree since I was very young. I trust him with my life. And you can trust me!" Her tone was bright and crisp with enthusiasm, but at length...she paused and steadied herself. Maybe this was a little too much to bombard her fellow student with. Her mother'd always said she was too impulsive for her own good.

So, drawing a breath, Regina relaxed a little. Her tone softened with understanding when she spoke next, brushing some of her hair behind her ear. "But if you don't want to, that's alright. I'll walk you to school, if you like." Whatever the answer would be, Regina held out her hand - a silent offer to lift the chipmunk and her bag onto her shoulder. Even if they ended up walking, it'd be quicker this way.

[chipettej]

Sometimes, Jeanette wished she was just a little bit more daring. She didn't want to be as brazen as Alvin or as saucy as Brittany; but she did want to have the courage to do a few things she doubted she would ever do, like express endearment towards a certain other chipmunk. Continuing to peer at the horse quite nervously, the Chipette glanced back at her newfound friend.

She straightened slightly and did her best to steel her nerves. "N-no, no. You're right... I-I-I have to try; face my fears..." However, Jeanette was frozen in place by fear as the other girl reached down to her with a hand. Staring into the palm of that hand for what seemed like a lifetime to the chipmunk, she made up her mind and stepped onto Regina's hand. "L-let's do this...! Besides, it might be pretty cool to be able to tell my sisters I rode a horse." A slow and hesitant smile lit upon Jeanette's face for just a moment before her stomach's queasiness prevented any further positive form of expression.

[Regina Mills]

Unable to keep herself from grinning brightly when her new companion made the decision to face her fears and stepped onto her hand, Regina carefully lifted the chipmunk onto her shoulder. She gave a light, cheerful laugh as she turned and began to walk back to Bree, imagining the chipmunk's sisters' reaction to her telling them she rode a horse. That was certainly something they probably didn't hear every day. "I'm sure they'll love that! You know - you might even be able to say that you're the first chipmunk to have ever ridden a horse, and people always remember firsts!" She was sure the two of them would remember it, at any rate.

Still, she could sense that some of her companion's nervousness lingered, so she made sure to approach Bree slowly and, as they reached him, pause beside him for a moment to allow the chipmunk to get used to his proximity. Regina ran a hand down the horse's neck, combing his mane with her fingers affectionately. "Hey, Bree. We're gonna go for a little ride, okay?" Bree seemed more interested in being pet at the moment, but she could tell he was in a good-natured mood as he turned and nudged her hand a little with his nose. Smiling a bit wider, Regina spoke to her new companion next. "Okay. We're just gonna hop up on his back. Hold on!" She gave the other girl a moment to react to that - and then lifted one foot into the left stirrup and used it to lift them up and swing her other leg over Bree's back.

Bree, thankfully, didn't fuss or fidget, just stood quietly still and twitched an ear to one side. Certainly not about to rush into things just yet, Regina took hold of the reins without any intention of moving anywhere just yet. This was probably...fairly high for the chipmunk, after all, and she wanted to give her a moment to get used to it and make sure she was alright. "My name's Regina, by the way. What's yours?" she asked, hoping to ease her companion's nerves a little by providing some form of conversation to distract her.