6184/Horse Apples

Horse Apples
Date of Scene:	11 May 2021
Location:	Horse Stables
Synopsis:	Noriko Ashida's pony is finally given a name: Pony! Jubilation and Noriko begin the necessary plans for a private getaway to Japan. Life is good.
Cast of Characters:	Noriko Ashida, Jubilation Lee

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Noriko Ashida has posed:
Nori has been spending a lot of time out at the stables since her birthday.  All last month she's denied anyone trying to cash in their coupons on free rides.  There are exceptions.

Currently Noriko is leaning over the door of one of the stalls, one of the last ones.  She rests her elbows on the stall door, one leg straight, one knee slightly bent.  She's got on some old scrappy boots, her single pair of jeans, and a loose tank on.

And she's making kissy noises.

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    The smell of cheeseburger ribbons invisibly through the stables, just barely able to cut through the oppressive stink of straw, horse, and road apples. Jubilation Lee struts into the stables with one hand held out flat, perfectly balancing a white styrofoam clamshell with the Burger Joint logo screen-printed on the top.

    "Are you making those noises for me.... Or for the horse?" Jubilee asks with a bright, toothy smile. She finds a spot next to Noriko and sloooowly leans to the side so her shoulder falls against the frame of the door. She's not at all dressed for visiting horses -- a bright pink sun dress with a black belted sash. A JanSport backpack hangs loosely over one shoulder. And, of course, Heelys.

Noriko Ashida has posed:
Nori is as nose blind as one can get to the manure...which is, not very much, but she can still make out the smell which does not belong here.  The smell which belongs in her mouth (and on Jubilee when she gets off her shift).

Noriko shoots Jubilee an instant smirk, the effect photo like.  "Well they were for her but I think now they're for you," she says as her deviating gaze indicates why.  "You look really pretty.  I'm sure there are better words," but she clearly doesn't care about better words.

Inside the stall is a pony with a blue roan coat, a female by the looks of it.  "Do you want a carrot too?"  She waggles the carrot, foliage still attached.  "I stole a bunch from the kitchen.  I'm sure Pony won't mind."  The pony steps closer to the stall door when the waggled carrot is spotted.

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    Jubilee just came back to campus after finishing her shift at Burger Joint but rushed back to the room to change into this dress and fix her hair and makeup. All of this effort just to deliver a 'Number Two With Extra Fries' to Noriko Ashida down at the stables. She sets the styrofoam treasure chest down on the wooden railing that separates them from Pony and takes a single large step towards Nori -- a grand and obvious gesture meant to invade the other girl's personal space.

    "Thank you..." she whispers in response to the compliment. Jubilee holds there for a moment before planting a peck against Noriko's lips. She gives a lingering LOOK -- raised eyebrows, as if to say 'we're a couple...we do this' -- before taking a small step back and turning to watch Pony.

    "No carrots for me. I think that might be some kind of vegetable..." Jubilee mutters, feigning ignorance. "I'm sticking to an all sugar diet these days." She stares at the horse and sighs. "I can't believe Warren just gave you a horse..." The words come painted with envy.

Noriko Ashida has posed:
Noriko rests her hand at Jubilee's lower back for the kiss.  "Thank you...I think you know my stomach better than I do," Nori says softly after her stomach rumbles like some kind of Pavlovian response.  At Jubes look, Noriko grins, eyes flicking up to the side and back.  She thinks about stealing another kiss, but Jubilee steals her attention again in a different way.

"Yeah that's what they tell me."  Noriko looks over at the horse and back to Jubes, now her mouth full of burger, wrapping peeled back.  "Me neither.  It was weird.  He was like, 'I heard women like ponies,' or girls, I don't know."  There's a skepticism that veins its way through her words.

"A pony with stipulations...but that's not all I got.  Tickets to Japan."  It's not like Nori hadn't told Jubilee, but she certainly hasn't brought it up.  "Anyways.  I need your help to name her.  So far I have Pony and Pony.  I might as well call her Double P," which she doesn't sound excited about.

"I don't know the first thing about horses."  Nori offers the carrot to Jubilee and tilts her head toward the pony.  "You know horses love sugar cubes.  I bet she'd like you more than me if you gave her a giant pixie stick."

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    "/AND/ Japan!" Jubilee adds with mock disgust, just in time with Noriko as she mentions it herself. "I swear... such injustice!" Jubes brings her hand over her breast and presses for dramatic effect. "So unfair!"

    Jubilee shifts back to a smile -- a more genuine look, as she's truly happy for Nori -- and turns again to face the horse. She reaches her hand out for Pony, cooing a little in her direction. "It's okay, it's okay, Pony," she soothes, tilting her head towards Noriko's burger. "I don't think that's made from a family member, but if it is... It tastes like it would be one of your weird cousins..."

    She takes a deep breath and squints. "Giant pixie stick?" Jubes repeats. Suddenly, she's elbow deep inside her backpack. "I'm sure I've got /something/ in here..." Jubilee mutters. It is a very likely prospect. As she rummages, horse names come flying from every direction.

    "...Sugar.... Lady.... Princess.... Cinnamon... Twister... Lilly...." There's a sigh. "C'mon, Nori, I'm not a Horse-Namer... I'm...."

    "Aha!" Jubilee holds a Sugar Daddy triumphantly in the air. She picks off a bit of backpack fuzz and yanks off the wrapper. "Pony...." she coos before sticking the glob of caramel over the railing.

Noriko Ashida has posed:
"I guess you don't need your ticket then," Noriko calmly plays into Jubilee's performance, too calmly.  "I mean, what would Warren think if you went?  That it's okay to get young women ponies for their birthday?"  Her smile shifts as quickly as Jubilee's.

"I'm pretty sure all of those are horse names...Moonbow?"  The blue roan coat looks nothing like a nocturnal rainbow, but this is a new word Nori learned, clearly.

"I'll just throw them all into a hat and pick one," as if to say, 'Problem solved.'

Jubilee seems to have more luck with coaxing Pony over.  Eager, curious.  Nori is totally old news.  Pony lowers her head and lifts it up girlishly vying for the sugar.  After the polite display, she pushes forward to full on try and nuzzle Jubilee's palm before she devours the confection.

"I think I ruined her name.  Now she comes to Pony."

"And I'm pretty sure she's yours now," Noriko says as she watches Pony smack her horse lips.

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    "/IF/ I went?"

    Jubilation gives Noriko a look that could only mean 'very funny.' An index finger is playfully jabbed at Nori. "You're bringing me to Japan, Noriko Ashida! Do you hear me?!" she declares, her mock outrage shifting effortlessly to a smile again.

    Her grip on the Sugar Daddy's wooden stick tightens as Pony's teeth strips it of caramel. Jubes brings the stick up to her eyeline and sighs. "So much for sharing..." she murmurs. A joke... She wouldn't eat candy that's been in a horse's mouth, right? RIGHT? Jubes pats Pony on the snoot and shifts her gaze back to Nori. "I don't know... Maybe Pony is her name," she suggests. "I honestly can't think of a name that would fit your horse any better than that..."

Noriko Ashida has posed:
"I'm not so sure I'm even going to go," Noriko drops ever so casually.  It's so clearly one of her oh let me mention something on the sly but it's so obvious and let's just immediately wrap that up in a 'For Later' wrapper because she's as delicate as a hammer.

Noriko smiles at the thought of trying to share with a horse.  Pony huffs through her lips when she realizes there is no more, but the little pat seems to quell her desire.  Jubes is, after all, the one who brought this miracle on a stick.

"Okay.  Pony.  See?  I knew you'd help me figure it out."  Noriko smiles and reaches out toward the horse.  Pony comes up to see if there's anything in Noriko's hand and then looks vaguely disinterested.

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    "Yes you are," Jubes replies matter-of-factly as she rummages around in her backpack in search of more candy. "Whatever reason you think you've got... can we just just agree that I'm going to wear you down until you change your mind and go? So..."

    A Laffy Taffy is rescued from the bottom of the backpack and Jubilee begins to make quick work of the wrapper. "...Let's just save us both the trouble and agree that I've done it, you've changed your mind... and..."

    Jubes sticks her arm out towards Pony, giving the animal free reign of the candy as she herself remains distracted with her own playful imagination.

    "...and we jet set off on a romantic trip to Japan..." Jubilee adds softly, taking a step in Noriko's direction again. "Just you and me on the other side of the world..."

Noriko Ashida has posed:
"..."  Noriko thinks on Jubilee's words for about a quarter of a moment, her mouth screwed up to the side.  "Yeah.  I don't see it going any other way...but we'll need an escape pla-..."  but Noriko trails off as she sees Jubes go into her daydream.  No matter how short it is for Jubes, it's a daydream to Nori.

Pony is getting a bit more friendly.  Lots of snuffling against Jubes' hand, so soft and gentle.  Not quite as rude as earlier.  Or maybe she just thinks she's sneaky.

No one's watching Pony though.

"Yeah.  I'd like that," Noriko softens as Jubes' nears.  She reaches out take Jubilee's wrist and draw the girl closer.   Her entire manner has flipped like Jubilee just turned on a switch labeled 'Unabashed Grin.'  "When do you want to go?  Tomorrow?"  Eager, earnest.  "I think I have a pop quiz tomorrow," she slaps on, still grinning like a loon.

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    For a moment, Jubilee's eyes light up. Tomorrow! But then... oh. Logistics. "We can't go tomorrow..." Jubes admits. "We'll need...ugh. Money." Suddenly, Jubes sours a little. "...We can't even afford a free trip to Japan," she mutters, temporarily falling into a lull as she silently works through the problem.

    "We'll figure something out!" Jubes declares suddenly. She waggles the Laffy Taffy so Pony knows to take it from her hand.

    "C'mon..." Jubes says softly, her eyes staring at Noriko's. Her voice trailing off... It could mean only one thing. She reaches out to give Nori's wrist a gentle tug.

Noriko Ashida has posed:
"He gave me money for the trip and the hotel.  We can just stay in a youth hostel and change the return dates if we want to -"  Noriko starts off, fast, because she can't stand forlornJubes.

Pony chomps for the taffy with another burst of gusto, making snurfling gluttonous noises in the sudden silence when Nori feels Jubes hand at her wrist.

Noriko blinks as if switching tracks suddenly and grins as she steps off slowly to walk with Jubes at her own pace.  She opens and closes her gauntleted fingers to signal for Jubes to take that as they leave.