the beginnings of a bad habit [p]

[Deleted]

LIVING WITH IDENTITIES THAT DO NOT BELONG TO ME

Finn Rider was not exactly predisposed towards self-examination. Brooding, certainly; he often thought of the parents he couldn’t quite remember, and he was always vaguely pissy about being stuck in a village he hated. But he never really thought about his personality. He knew he had a temper – he had suffered the consequences of acting on it time and time again. But that was it, really. He didn’t think about why he had such a short fuse, and though he definitely hated it, he never made an effort to restrain himself. He didn’t think much about his actions, either. He never really knew why he was doing anything at any given point in time, unless he was working off a debt, or something. So when Finn sat on the ledge outside his rather elaborate treehouse – dubbed so because it was actually a small house carved out of a tree – his expression surly and his legs swinging rather aggressively, kicking against the ledge, he wasn’t sure what he was doing, or why, exactly. He was just sitting outside his house. Thought it wasn’t actually his house. It didn’t belong to anyone in the village, he was pretty sure – it was abandoned when he took up residence. So it was his house. For now. He wouldn’t worry about ownership when he finally left this goddess-forsaken dump of a village. Finn scowled at the entrance to Ordon Village, then sneezed so hard he thought he might have cracked a rib. Stupid fucking springtime cold. He never, ever got sick in the winter, but as soon as spring rolled around, he was snottier than a six-year-old. Fucking ridiculous. He patted his pockets, though he knew he had left his tissues inside. He didn’t feel like going inside. He wiped his nose on his sleeve, instead. Shit, he was bored. He wanted out, damnit. But Castle Town was a day’s journey on horseback, and Finn didn’t have a horse, which meant he would have to set up camp at least once – and monsters came out in Hyrule Field during the night, he knew. He didn’t even have a toy weapon, and he was so skinny, there was no way he could just beat a monster to death with his fists. Though that did sound cool. Maybe he should try training as a fistfighter, or something. But he’d have to be strong to do that. So that was out. Finn huffed. He almost wished one of the village kids would come out and annoy him, just so he’d have something to do. But not really. He hated the village kids.

   •   

CODED BY ELECTRIC OF GANGNAM STYLE

[Cassandra Amell]

Cassie could not help but wish to visit Ordon Village again. Her last visit had been so memorable with Seyka, and she had promised her new friend that she would visit her and Aslan whenever she could. Epona was always ready to stretch her legs beyond the confines of the Ranch to explore the rest of Hyrule. Her fingers were tangled within her mare’s mane as she trotted along the worn path to the entrance of the village. A good thing she had memorized the path when Seyka had shown her the first time. Otherwise, who knew how long she would have been wandering through the forest? Cassie smiled brightly when Ordon Village eventually came into view and she slowed her mare to a stop. No need to ride into the village as if she owned it, right? Hopefully they would not mind her sudden presence. She slid herself easily from Epona’s saddle and brushed off her sundress she had worn for the day.

Her hair was braided down her back as usual when she decided to ride. It became so terribly knotted when she rode for a long period of time. Cassie would rather not spend a good hour attempting to get rid of all of the tangles in her waist length hair. Epona snorted softly as she stared at her. A small pout settled on her lips after she finished brushing herself off. “Don’t give me that look. You don’t complain when I’m the one making sure you look presentable, hm?” she chided with a slight smile. Would Seyka be home at this time of day? The afternoon sun was high, which meant the younger girl could be anywhere right now. Well, Cassie could still enjoy looking around the village before she had to go back home. She could only have Seth cover her chores so much before her father noticed!

“Do you want to come with me, or go to the spring?” she asked. Epona paused for a moment as she seemed to consider her options. Her nose was pressed against Cassie’s shoulder before she turned and headed back towards the spring to relieve her thirst. The young girl watched the mare depart with a smile before turning back to view Ordon. Epona could be called when she whistled the usual melody her mother had composed for her so long ago. What would there be for her to do now? Searching for Seyka was on the top of her list, but she hesitated in being a disruption for the villagers. Perhaps Cassie would just enjoy looking around for now.

TAGS Finn~
NOTES Let the stalking begin. >w>

LAIKA OF GS!

[Deleted]

LIVING WITH IDENTITIES THAT DO NOT BELONG TO ME

Oh. Hello. Girl-person. With a horse. For half a second Finn considered knocking the girl down, jumping on the horse and getting the fuck out of town. Then he realized that he would probably fuck it up. She wouldn’t even be phased, or the horse would toss him, or he would abruptly realize that he didn’t even know how to ride a horse. Besides, she was—cute. He guessed. She looked more like a doll than a person, really. Maybe he would be able to hurt her. He really didn’t want to, though, now that he thought about it, and he felt vaguely guilty for even considering it for that one wild moment. Part of him wanted to say something, for some reason. What, he wasn’t entirely sure, and it didn’t seem like the girl noticed him anyway. Not that he really wanted her to. Okay, he did, but he didn’t want to draw attention to himself. He always felt uncomfortable whenever people paid attention to him. He didn’t know why. He didn’t want to. Still, Finn was—curious. He wanted to know what this girl’s deal was. She wasn’t from the village, that was for sure, and he was certain he’d never seen her before in his life— No, that wasn’t right. Maybe once, a little while ago, except she had two horses instead of one, and she was spending time with that one girl from the village. Seyka. Right, he had seen this girl. He didn’t know her name, though. Or anything else about her. He squinted at her. Maybe he could just—stay close to her. Or something. Maybe ‘accidentally’ bump into her, like a scene of a fated meeting in one of his romance novels – except those actually were accidents, and the dude usually wasn’t a weak uncomfortable loser who couldn’t even talk to someone properly. Finn scowled, but he stood up slowly, so he wouldn’t draw attention to himself, quietly shuffled around to the side of his house, and dropped off the ledge. He landed with a dull thud, which was bad, because drawing attention, and he panicked, and hid behind the nearest tree. He prayed to the goddesses that she wouldn’t come investigating. That would be uncomfortable. He was so uncomfortable. Why did he do things. Ever. He should’ve just stayed on the ledge, or went into his house or something. He didn’t need this shit. This was bullshit. But she was so cute. Possibly. Maybe she wasn’t. He’d reserve judgment on that point. But her hair was really pretty and long and—no, stop that. Goddessfuckingdamnit.

   •   

CODED BY ELECTRIC OF GANGNAM STYLE

[Cassandra Amell]

Why did she have the feeling she was being watched? Cassie could feel her shoulders tensing the longer she stood at the entrance of the village. Perhaps she should have kept Epona close to her after all, since she had not brought her bow with her to defend herself. Why would she have? She had not expected anyone in Ordon Village to wish her harm in some manner. The entire village was quaint and quiet as they went about their business. If anyone did try and sneak up on her, then she had her magic to fall back on injure them while she called for Epona. Her brow furrowed as she looked over her shoulder with narrowed, blue eyes. Cassie was tempted to call out and see who was watching her with such interest. Perhaps her appearance in the village would incite curiosity, but watching her from a distance denoted a certain creepiness she did not like at all. How should she react to this?

She could simply shrug and walk into the village as she had planned. A tempting choice to make, but she would rather deal with this potential lurker now. They could simply be a young child admiring the appearance of a horse much like Seyka had been their first meeting. Her small teeth bit into her bottom lip gently as she continued to glance over her shoulder rather warily. Cassie wished to believe it was simply a curious child, but her instincts were telling her otherwise. It would be better to call back Epona and leave with haste from the forest for another destination of the day. Oh, how she should have listened, but her curiosity got the better of her once more. Her expression eased as she turned fully to view the sight before her. Was that a house carved into a very tree itself? Cassie picked up the sound of a sudden thud and the sight of green was all she caught before a male shape disappeared behind a tree.

Her hand lifted to her mouth as she covered a giggle. Well, it looked like she had caught sight of her silent watcher. She took a small step forward before allowing herself to step before the male’s rather poor hiding spot. Her hands were clasped behind her back as she leaned forward to peak at the young male with a light smile, “You know, there’s no need to hide if you just wanted to say hello.” Cassie was still somewhat cautious as she leaned back to give him more space to come out on his own. He had been watching her from within a tree after all. That was a little out of the ordinary for her, but she was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.

TAGS Finn~
NOTES Biggest mistake of her life.

LAIKA OF GS!

[Deleted]

LIVING WITH IDENTITIES THAT DO NOT BELONG TO ME

Shit. Fuck. Shitfuck. Finn’s short life – what he could remember of it, anyway – flashed before his eyes, and he regretted everything he ever did. He couldn’t believe he had gotten himself into this mess. Actually, no, he could believe it – he was enough of a dumbfuck to get caught trying to follow a (possibly) cute girl before he even started properly following her. He was a fuckup and a failure at life and he should really just start digging his grave right now, because that would be better than attempting to live with this disgusting embarrassment on his shoulders for the rest of his life. He squeezed his eyes shut as the girl walked around his hiding place, hoping that maybe when he opened them he would be on the floor of his house, and this was all just a shitty romance-novel-induced nightmare. But when he did open his eyes, all he saw was the girl’s incredibly pretty -- yes, he admitted it -- face peeking at him from around the tree, and he felt his gut sink. Still awake. This was happening. The ground wasn’t swallowing him up, either, so there was no chance of escape. Cautiously, Finn stepped out from behind the tree, his face and neck and ears flushed a vibrant red. His shoulders were hunched and his hands were shoved in his pockets. He didn’t meet the girl’s eyes. "Sorry," he mumbled. His voice was scratchy, barely audible. Stupid fucking cold. He cleared his throat and tried again. "Sorry," he repeated, a little louder. He rubbed the back of his neck. "Um, hi."

   •   

CODED BY ELECTRIC OF GANGNAM STYLE

[Cassandra Amell]

It looked like he was waiting for the end of the world when she found him behind the tree. Cassie was a little perplexed on why he was acting like that. She was sure she would feel embarrassed if anyone caught her watching them, but he truly looked like he was expecting her to react in a violent manner of some kind. Her teeth nibbled on her bottom lip a little nervously as she regarded the green-haired male. Usually, Cassie enjoyed meeting new people quite a lot, but there was something about him that still had her shoulders tensing. She wanted to scold herself for thinking that way. First impressions could be wrong, and he had not done anything wrong for the most part. Perhaps he had just been curious with her sudden appearance and was looking at Epona? Horses seemed to be an uncommon commodity for this province. It would be so rude of her to act standoffish to someone she had just met, anyway.

Cassie bit back the giggle when she noticed how flushed his face was now. Okay, he was definitely embarrassed being caught by her. In a way, it was kind of sweet. She noticed that he refused to meet her gaze, though. His shoulders were hunched and his hands were stuffed into his pockets, looking like he wished he was anywhere but here in this moment. Her head tilted to the side as a soft sigh escaped her. He did not seem like the type of person that socialized much at all. She wondered why he looked so ready to bolt like a skittish foal. Well, she would just act in a way that would reassure him she was not trying to hurt him in any way. Her lips were curled into a reassuring smile as he shuffled out from behind the three.

His voice sounded quite scratchy and dry as he attempted to apologize. Was he sick? Cassie felt her concern grow as he attempted to do so again after clearing his throat. “Hello. Are you alright? You sound like you have a cold,” she replied as she peered at him. Being outside like this could not be good if he was sick. He really should be resting in more comfortable clothing and some soup to keep him warm and full. She had to resist the urge to reach forward and check if he had a fever. Sometimes she would do the same thing if Seth was ever sick, but this boy was not someone she had known for years now. “Do you need some help?”

TAGS Finn~
NOTES Nyuuu, Cassie, what are you doing? D8

LAIKA OF GS!

[Deleted]

LIVING WITH IDENTITIES THAT DO NOT BELONG TO ME

She looked like she was trying to hold back a laugh. A small part of him bristled at that, but the rest of him was either too embarrassed or too enamored to process the offense. Then—her smile was reassuring, like she was trying to placate him in the same manner you would attempt to comfort a wounded, trapped animal. A suitable expression. He felt like a wounded, trapped animal. Oh. She sounded… concerned. About him. Finn’s shoulders hunched even more, if that was possible, like he was trying to curl in on himself. She didn’t mean to – at least, Finn thought she didn’t – but she was only making him even more uncomfortable. ”’M fine,” he said, and promptly began coughing as though he was trying to hack up a lung. He really fucking hated his body sometimes. All the time. Piece of shit. His eyes widened, and he shook his head vehemently. ”No!” Shit, too loud, too insistent. She was going to think he was a grade-A weirdo. Fuck, she probably already did. Because he was. Damnit. ”Um, no,” he repeated. ”I’m fine, honest. It’s just a shitty cold, it’ll go away.” Finn still didn’t look her in the eye. He kicked at the ground with a scuffed, worn boot. It was nice of her to ask, but—no. ”Thanks, though. Uh, I’m, um, Finn.” Awesome. Great job, loser. You managed to introduce yourself without dying at her feet. He floundered for something else to say. The best he could manage was, ”You have a horse.”

   •   

CODED BY ELECTRIC OF GANGNAM STYLE

[Cassandra Amell]

Cassie quirked her brow at his weak protest that he was fine. He certainly did not sound fine in the least, and his hacking fit did little to convince her. She winced at the action, but she held herself back from patting his back in a soothing manner. Everything about him was so painfully awkward that she feared the slightest touch would have him fainting. How did someone become so shy that they could not look a person in the eye? She had always been a rather outgoing girl, so the aspect of being shy was a confusing one for her. Cassie was by no means judging him, or at least she was trying not to. It would be nice to help him with him looking so horribly sick and fatigued. “You don’t sound fine,” she replied gently. A small frown settled on her lips as she viewed him with even more concern now.

It was like a small gust of wind could knock him over and he would have no strength to get back up. She nearly flinched at the volume of his protestation at her offer of help. Was there no one to take care of him at all? How horrid! Cassie was lucky that she still had her father to care for her, and she could just feel her concern for the male growing by the second. “I-if you’re sure,” she replied weakly. How was she supposed to respond? No doubt he would grow more adamant about refusing her help, and maybe a gentle persuasion would be a better way to go. Seyka would have to wait for now, if she was even in the village today. Her head tilted as he introduced herself, and she smiled a little more brightly at him. Now, if only he would meet her eyes!

“Oh, yes, her name is Epona. Mine is Cassandra Lon. My father owns Lon Lon Ranch in the Lanayru Province,” Cassie explained. Ah, what was she supposed to say now? Perhaps Epona’s presence would make him a little more amenable to help? Sometimes animals could easily lull a person into a more complacent state than another human being could. “Would you like to meet her? She’s really sweet.” Well, to everyone but Seth, anyway.

TAGS Finn~
NOTES He's so awkward it hurts. 

LAIKA OF GS!

[Deleted]

LIVING WITH IDENTITIES THAT DO NOT BELONG TO ME

Ah, shit, now he was making her uncomfortable. He shouldn’t have protested so loudly. Or talked to her. Or tried to follow her. Or looked at her at all, for that matter. He was embarrassing the shit out of himself and he absolutely should have just went into his house when he first saw her, and forgotten that she had ever come here. This was just—bad. And he felt bad. “R-really, I am,” he insisted, now digging his boot into the ground so hard he was almost burying it. Painful. He internally cursed himself for being such a stubborn antisocial jackass, then remembered that this was part of why he was such a stubborn antisocial jackass. He cursed himself some more. Finn took a chance and glanced up, and— Oh, Goddesses save him. It was like staring into the sun. He almost missed what she said in his daze. Cassandra and… Epona, she said? Epona was a weird name for a girl. Wait, no, Epona was the horse’s name. Her name was Cassandra. Which was pretty. Really pretty. It suited her. Finn blinked, startled by the question. “Um, sure,” he said, the words out of his mouth before he even thought about it. Shit. No. Bad fuckin’ idea. He was curious about the horse – he had never really seen one up close – but he wasn’t sure if he could spend an extended period of time around this girl without imploding from sheer nervousness. But it was too late to back out now. He just had to… go with it? Yeah. He abruptly realized something. “Oh, uh, Rider. Is my last name. Sorry, I forgot to, uh, mention that.” Great. Now try to continue the conversation without making a complete ass of yourself. “So you, um, work with horses? A lot?”

   •   

CODED BY ELECTRIC OF GANGNAM STYLE

[Cassandra Amell]

Cassie could feel the tension begin to thicken in the air, and she wondered if it was more on his end than her own. Socializing with others was not something she shied away from. There was just something about Finn that still had her shoulders somewhat tense. What was she supposed to do if he really did not want her help? She knew she could venture into the village, but she would feel so guilty for leaving him alone when he was so sick. Perhaps in a little while she could coax him back into his house to rest at the very least. Her fingers idly tugged at the skirt of her summer dress as she stood there in the awkward silence. Goddesses, she had never experienced anything like this before. A part of Cassie was wishing for the ground to open and swallow them both whole.

Finn glanced up as she spoke of Epona, and she nearly stumbled over her words at the expression on his face. It was rather, well, odd. He was looking at her like he had never noticed another being before. Her cheeks flushed a light pink in embarrassment, but she continued to smile lightly. Maybe it would dissipated the awkwardness? It would take a miracle from the Goddesses for that to happen at this point. His answer seemed rushed, as if he had not realized what she had said. Cassie was desperate for her mare to come back, so she immediately whistled the familiar tune into the air. Her sensitive ears picked up the distant sound of Epona’s hooves, and it took all she had not to sigh in relief right there.

“Oh, yes, I work with horses nearly everyday. I like to help my father with the Ranch as much as I can,” she replied brightly. Epona soon entered the small clearing as her pace turned into a comfortable walk. Her blue eyes were locked onto Finn quite warily before she stopped before her mistress. Cassie turned and immediately reached out to stroke Epona’s muzzle. The mare relaxed and whickered softly in contentment. “Finn, this is Epona. Epona, meet Finn,” she introduced with a sweet smile. Goddesses, she hoped her mare would take better to this male than she did with Seth.

TAGS Finn~
NOTES He's so awkward it hurts. >w>

LAIKA OF GS!

[Deleted]

LIVING WITH IDENTITIES THAT DO NOT BELONG TO ME

Finn was so preoccupied with his own discomfort that he hardly noticed Cassandra’s. He figured out that she was uncomfortable, of course, but even that was due to his marvelous talent for projecting his own emotions onto other people. Even if she had been perfectly at ease, he wouldn’t have noticed. At least this time he had projected correctly, though he was wholly unaware of it. Cassandra’s smile was fuckin’ blinding. And strangely encouraging. He managed to stop stabbing his foot into the ground, and he straightened slightly, though he was far from having perfect posture. Even his permanent scowl had lifted into a more neutral expression, as though something within him wished to convey that he was not totally displeased with the situation. If he had thought about it, Finn would have realized that he was actually quite pleased to be talking to a pretty girl, awkward as this encounter was. But he didn’t think about it. His gut was still twisting violently, and another vicious cough was snaking its way up his throat. He tried to force it down, at least for the moment. He actually focused enough to listen to what she was saying, this time. “That—” He was cut off by his cough, and he rubbed his throat in irritation. “That sounds fun,” he finished, as though nothing had happened. Surprisingly enough, he meant it. There was no sarcasm behind his words, no biting double meaning. Finn liked the idea of physical labor; he had the mentality for it, if not the build. He was neither overly attached to nor terribly hateful towards animals, but working with them sounded… nice. Maybe he could try doing that, once he got out of this shithole. He’d never really thought about his prospects before. He’d have to build some muscle, though. That was the real problem. Finn instinctively backed up a step or two as Epona approached. Fuck, the horse was big. Were all horses that big? Then he realized what he’d done, and mentally kicked himself. He was a big fuckin’ baby, he swore. It was just a horse. He moved forward again, one thin, slightly trembling hand extended in a nervous greeting. Keep the conversation going, you fuckin’ twit. “Uh, so if you work at the ranch, why’d you come here? This place is kind of a shi—a dump, honestly.” He barely caught himself in time. Spending so much time alone had worn away at his ability to speak politely, but at least he could watch his mouth, if he wanted to. Strangely enough, he found that he wanted to.

   •   

CODED BY ELECTRIC OF GANGNAM STYLE

[Cassandra Amell]

Goddess, Cassie was sort of wishing she had continued onto the village without stopping. Surely Finn’s awkwardness was from his cold, or he was unused to the company of strangers. There was just something off about him that she could not place. Her stomach was twisting in a manner that reminded her of when she spent time with Seth, but it was not in a pleasing manner. She felt a different sort of nervousness than with her fellow Ranch hand. His posture was easing somewhat the longer she spent in his company, which was reassuring. Perhaps all he needed to do was grow more used to her company. A shame that Cassie could not shake the uneasiness from her bones. At least Epona was here as her support now. Her mare had never left her side when she truly needed her assistance in keeping calm.

She winced when he coughed again. Her fingers twitched in her desire to reach out and pat him on the back, but she held herself back. It was probably a wise decision on her part. “Yes, it can be quite fun most of the time. The work isn’t always easy, but sometimes animals are better company than people. They are usually always happy to see you,” she replied brightly. Unless that mare happened to be Epona and her handler was named Seth. Otherwise, said mare would sit on said boy and nothing would get done. How she wished the two would be able to get along better. Her fingers trailed lazily through Epona’s white mane as she stood there. Yes, she could feel her frazzled nerves beginning to ease away.

Epona stared resolutely at Finn as she snorted her discontentment. The boy was not giving off a welcoming aura, despite Cassie’s attempts at being friendly. A small frown tugged at her lips as she watched her mare’s rather lackluster greeting towards Finn. “I’m sorry, she usually gets like this with most males. Even my father has trouble with her sometimes,” she admitted with a sheepish smile. Her head tilted to the side at the question, catching his near slip with the curse word. Did he truly view this village as a ‘dump?’ Cassie could not imagine why, because Ordon seemed quite charming and peaceful. She would not mind living here. “Oh! I have a friend here by the name of Seyka. I promised her I would visit when I could,”

TAGS Finn~
NOTES He's so awkward it hurts. >w>

LAIKA OF GS!

[Deleted]

living with identities that do not belong to me.

Din fucking save him, he sort of wished Cassandra had just continued into the village without stopping. She had obviously been heading there, and he just had to disrupt her plans and throw them both into a painfully awkward situation. But there was something about her that he didn’t quite understand. His gut had been twisting violently since she first approached him, and initially he had dismissed the feeling as the usual unease he experienced when speaking with people, but this was… warmer, somehow, almost pleasant. It was uncomfortable in a comfortable way, like he wouldn’t mind the wriggling sensation so long as he got to keep spending time around her. Finn pushed the thought aside for the moment. He was beginning to sound like one of his shitty romance novels, and that was not something he wanted to think about while trying to hold a casual conversation without imploding. That would be counter-intuitive to the not-imploding portion of the exercise. If animals were better company than people, he really should be a ranch hand of some sort, Finn thought. But, again, he’d have to be strong for that, and he just wasn’t. The horse and the girl looked nice together, though, like models for a painting. No, that was a shitty comparison. They looked good, that was it. Especially Cassandra. Finn’s gut twisted. He stepped back again as the mare snorted and pulled as hand back as quickly as if she had bitten it. “R-right,” he said weakly, looking faintly alarmed. Maybe being a ranch hand wasn’t the career path for him. Back to the drawing boards. Finn actually looked at Cassandra for once, his brow furrowing as he thought. Seyka, right. “Oh, yeah, I know her,” he said. Kind of. “She’s that—” This time, he stopped himself before he actually started to say anything. He was going to go for ‘annoying little bitch’, but Cassandra probably wouldn’t appreciate his insulting her friend. Though he didn’t actively hate her, though; she was just irritating. As were most people in the village. “—um, energetic… girl.” Nice save, shithead. Keep it rolling. “You were with her that one time, with her new hor—” Damnit. Shit. Holy fucking shit you were not supposed to say that you creepy fucking dunderfuck what the fuck is wrong with you— Finn had clamped his mouth shut shortly after realizing what he had begun to say, though he… may or may not have mumbled some of his vicious interior monologue. He prayed to Din that he didn’t. “Uh. I should go.” He turned abruptly on his heel and began walking away, in the speedy fashion of one who wished to make a quick retreat but still wanted to retain what was left of their dignity.

tagged: cassie~ notes: i'm so sorry, cass. now RUN AWAY.

[Cassandra Amell]

Goddesses, Cassie was wishing the ground would swallow them both up whole right now. Socializing should not be this difficult, right? Speaking with strangers was not new to her, since she dealt with potential customers on nearly a daily basis that were interested in buying a horse or a flightless loftwing. Finn was certainly like no one she had ever met before, but she did not know if it was a good thing or not. Cassie kept one of her hands tangled in Epona’s mane to keep herself steady. Her mare did cut an imposing figure with how big she was. Her body rippled with muscles that spoke of a powerful horse that also had the speed to back her up. Not that she wanted to intimidate Finn! Oh, no, she did not wish to do with the socially awkward boy at all. Epona just gave her a comforting presence that kept her from bolting in the opposite direction. Not the sort of reaction she liked to have around people.

Her brow did furrow when he abruptly paused over whatever he had been ready to say about Seyka. Blue eyes narrowed just a little, because it sounded like he had been about to insult the young girl without fully realizing it until the last moment. Did he really think so poorly of the village and it’s inhabitants? Cassie wondered what had happened to him to make him think like that. Her gaze softened after a moment, but she was tense the moment he mentioned having watched Seyka and herself beforehand. The two of them had spent time near the spring where Cassie had showed the younger girl how to properly saddle and ride Aslan. Granted, the spring was close to where this tree home was, but watching them without announcing his presence? How should she react to that?

Her shoulders were so tense at that unintended admission. Finn looked ready to bolt himself after he realized what he had said. Cassie tightened her fingers into Epona’s mane even more, wondering if she should swing herself onto the saddle and come back at a later time. Some of his inner thoughts had also been voiced, which sent a flush of color to her cheeks. She was unsure whether it was from embarrassment or a little anger. Perhaps both? Cassie swallowed a little nervously as she watched Finn walk away, and she knew she should let him leave. A part of her felt rather sorry for him, though. “I--you don’t have to. It’s not a good idea to watch people without announcing yourself, but we were quite close to your home. I would not blame you for being curious about what we were doing,” she reassured in a gentle tone. The same tone she used when working with any of the more skittish animals on the Ranch.

TAGS Finn~
NOTES Your template ish so smexy. And CASSIE NO WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!

LAIKA OF GS!

[Deleted]

living with identities that do not belong to me.

Finn paused, swallowed hard, turned slightly. He wasn’t facing her, exactly, but he didn’t have his back to her, either. His shoulders were hunched again, his face a vibrant shade of red, his hands shoved back into his pockets. All of the apparent pseudo-confidence he had gained vanished in an instant. She was speaking to him like one would a wild animal. More importantly, she was actually speaking to him. Who did that? If anyone normal had found out that some weird creepy dude had watched them from a weird creepy distance, they would’ve flipped out. Gotten angry, yelled at him or something. But she was—reassuring him. Like she pitied him. She didn’t actually want him to stay, she just felt bad for him. Anger bubbled in his stomach. “I don’t want your fuckin’ pity,” he snapped, his thin fists clenching in his pockets. “I’m going.” All desire to retain dignity gone, Finn ran for the ladder that led to his home, scrambled up, stomped into his house, and slammed the door shut behind him. He promptly slid to the ground, his legs pulled flush against his chest, and he pressed his face against his knees. Fuckin’ loser. [exit pursued by bear]

tagged: cassie! notes: this boy makes no sense. i regret everything and nothing. as does he. 8D