Oh you gotta continue the dressage AU! It looks promising and already so good too!
Maybe something cute? Gil playing with Olympia? And Thena who wanted to look after Olympia coincidentally sees it? And she is not only watching her mare 👀
"Olympia?" Thena looked around, not spotting her mare in the fields. She walked down the steps of the clubhouse, the apples she swiped from the brunch table in hand. "Olympia!"
Where was that devilish horse?
Thena walked towards the stables, where at the very least there would be someone who would know where Olympia was.
She and Gilgamesh had come to know each other better. She had to admit that she judged him perhaps too quickly. He was a very experienced and diligent caretaker, and he really did know the horses very well. Olympia especially seemed to get the very best food mix, the best attention, the best of everything!
The club would insist on nothing less, after all, given she was their top prize winner. But to have a caretaker who actually cared about Olympia because she was Olympia was...refreshing. And he was not so bad to know as a human, either.
"Olympia?"
Thena walked into the stables, the doors open to air the place out on such a temperate day. She leaned against one of the pen doors, rolled open for exactly who she was looking for.
"Gotcha!"
Olympia whinnied in glee, cantering and kicking like a bunny as Gil played peekaboo with her. She was like a puppy with a toy as her handler took turns peeking at her in between shovelling her hay.
"Hm," Gil pursed his lips, setting aside the shovel as he moved onto the bales. He looked over the wrong shoulder, "it feels like someone is here...but I don't see anyone."
Olympia shuffled her hooves, moving behind him further as he slowly turned around the wrong way to see her.
"Hello!" he called out, chuckling at the sound of the horse behind him. "Oh!"
Thena leaned off the barn door, officially caught in the act. "Oh, h-hi."
"Thena," he smiled as she walked over to them. He grinned, his hands on his hips, "have you seen Olympia?"
Thena barely bit back a laugh; he had his charms, she had to concede. "I...was just looking for her."
"Me too," he put on a look of confusion, ruffling his hair. His shirt had come a little undone in his work. "I was going to get her a snack, but-"
Thena hid her laughter behind her hand as Olympia nudged his hand with her snout and then got her slobbery lips all over them. "Olympia!"
But Gil had no admonishment for the snackish mare, "there you are!"
Olympia cantered on the spot in humour.
Thena went to her mare's side, smoothing her hand down her neck, "he spoils you."
Olympia looked at her as if to tell her not to spoil the fun.
"I spoil her?" Gil smiled, taking one of the apples Thena had brought with her in hand. "And what are these?"
"They were-" Thena gave Olympia a pointed look, "for a very hard working horse when she took a break. But I don't see any hard work being done."
Olympia nudged Gil, urging him to convince her rider to surrender the juicy snack.
"Hey," he chuckled, looking down at the apple in his hands, "I work very hard."
"That you do," Thena murmured. Gil dug his thumb into the top of the apple's core and then split the damned thing right in half. Maybe he was used to it, but it was still quite a feat to witness, nonetheless. He fed one to OIympia and took a bite of the other half for himself.
"At least I have some company," Gil smiled at Olympia, patting her nose as she crunched her surprise snack. He looked back to Thena, "what are you up to now?"
"Well," she blinked; his shirt seemed to come more and more undone the longer she spoke with him. "Practice this morning was thorough. I thought I would look in on Olympia before leaving for the day."
"Aw, we're having a nice time, right girl?" Gil cooed to the horse who was so smitten with him. Her tail swished behind her. "After hay time I was going to give her a nice brushing, maybe a hose down if it's necessary."
Olympia stomped her hoof.
"Stop it," Thena chided, pointing in her horse's long face, "you behave for Gilgamesh. He quite literally does everything he does for you."
Olympia turned faintly, shamed by Thena's scolded.
"Hey, it's okay," Gil said more gently as Olympia sought to hide behind him. "The others don't like baths either."
Thena gave him a look, "this is what I mean by you spoiling her. She had declared you her ally against me."
"I'm not taking anyone's side," Gil laughed, holding up his hands in good will. "I'm here to bale the hay and brush the horses."
Thena looked at the massive pile of hay beside them, both the loose stuff and the pre-rolled and blocked bales. "This is an awful lot for just you, Gil."
He shrugged, though, like staring down a mountain of hay up to the ceiling was nothing. "It's a full afternoon, that's for sure."
"Surely they can't expect you to do it all alone," Thena frowned as he did indeed start drifting back to the hay. She put her hand on Olympia's nose.
"I'm used to it."
Thena could argue that it didn't make it right, but he hefted up a bale and started moving them into each of the pens for the horses. She knew they could weigh around 50 pounds for the smaller blocks. Hay was light, but densely packed, anything could reach a weight that was still a pain to lift and move. "I can help."
"Thena, really," he gave her a look as he walked back for another one. "I only need two in each stall, it won't take long. The rest I'll load onto the forklift to be moved later."
"There must be something I can do," she frowned, not willing to just let it go as he picked up another one.
He set it down at his feet, his back stretching as he did. Why was his shirt so thin?! Thena blinked as he stood up, pulling her eyes away from the spectacle of it all.
"Really, Thena, I wouldn't want you to hurt yourself," he said gently. "Not to mention the club would probably kill me in the back woods if I let their prized champion help me shovel the slop."
Thena rolled her eyes; what was this, the 18th century? "I am more than capable of basic horse care. I did manage it long before you came along."
"Hey, I'm not doubting that," he chuckled, looking at Olympia, who was watching their debate with bulbous eyes. "She's the best shape I've seen in a horse here."
Thena held her head high, her pride showing through.
"Okay," he shrugged, putting his hands on his hips again. Was he allowed to work in such a flimsy shirt? Wasn't he supposed to wear protective gear or something? "Hose her down for me, then."
Thena looked over her shoulder at Olympia, who looked away.
"You said you wanted to help," he chuckled, walking past her for more hay again. "She needs a brush and a little shampooing. Then, if you're really keen on helping, you can help me shovel the loose stuff."
The lighter stuff, he meant. Thena put her hands on her hips as well, "fine."
He nodded at her, seeming quite amused by her firmness, "deal."
He moved to retrieve another bale, hoisting this one all the way up onto his shoulder. His back muscles were plain to see regardless of the shirt over them.
Thena sputtered as Olympia flicked her tail right in her face. "Olympia!"
Olympia rolled her eyes and shook her mane out. If she was not going to have her fun, then neither was her rider.
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