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3.11: Not according to plan

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Previously:  3.10: Squirrel by Zoubstance


Divisionen by Zoubstance

One of the things Simon had always prided himself with was how he dealt with things not going ‘his way’ – or rather, the way he was able to improvise around it. Plan A not working? Onwards to Plan B or Plan C until he found an approach that got the task done. It set him apart from Connor who had earned himself quite the reputation as a ‘quitter’ at the first sign of trouble – and perhaps this difference between them was what Simon took the most pride in. Anything to set him apart from his old rival, after all.
Yet the dynamics had changed between them. Connor -or Gideon- seemed different after the accident. Rather than tossing in the towel and accepting his fate like the old Connor would have done, ‘Gideon’ had stubbornly attempted to claw himself back into the game despite the odds he faced. He had broken his neck and bruised his spinal cord in March – now it was October and he was already back in the saddle. Motor skills not operating quite like they used to, but still something resembling an almost miraculous recovery. And most miraculous of all: Gideon did not complain about it. He went about his business with a jaw-clenched determination that was much unlike how Simon remembered him.
Which was why the surprising outcome of the odd stirrup incident had been quite the eye-opener.
Simon would have expected Gideon to stumble off-balance and maybe use the incident to give himself a reality check – not flop head-first into the ground like a boned fish. It had happened with all the grace of a ragdoll being dropped; he had not even attempted to brace himself for impact. Most likely because he simply could not – his nerves were damaged. So while Gideon’s reflexes might still be there, but they worked far, far too slow to make any difference. And that was the problem. Gideon’s new-found stubbornness had masked the fact that he was frailer than he showed. It could have ended very badly - and Simon's goal had been to scare his own rival – not kill him. 
But now that Simon knew
exactly where he had Gideon it was time to hone that one skill he took such pride in: improvising on his original plan. Avoid the mounting block. But it should not take much to convince both Gideon and the others at Zdarloch that someone so frail, so ‘unstable’ should not be frolicking around on horseback just yet. If ever again. For his own good and all - safety first, right?

He put the lid back on the tub of soap, giving his work an approving look. Or rather – the idea of his work, because it was quite invisible. But one floor tile was now more slippery than the others surrounding it. And only Gideon ever used this entrance at this time of day– it was the fastest route from the stable back to the car, and according to the notes Simon kept Gideon was like clockwork; leaving at almost the exact same time every day. That was the wonderful thing about predictable people – it only took some careful observance to know their routines, and once you got to know their routines it did not take a lot to really mess things up for them. This was a carefully orchestrated and fool-proof plan: Azaria would of course be right next to her friend to catch him slipping and to give him that deeply concerned look Gideon could not argue with. The look that hopefully would convince him that if he could not even walk safely, riding was right-out absurd.
And now – we wait, Simon thought to himself, removing himself from the scene a little. Perhaps this plan was a bit insidious but to get anywhere in life you had to look out for your own interests and to pay your dues in full. Gideon was not only a threat, he was also way overdue for a bit of karma to slap him in the face. Justice has no expiration date, as they say.

Lining up the scheme to convince Gideon of his own frailty and making him question his own sense of judgment had been one thing - meanwhile, like an opportunity serving itself on a silver platter, Simon had been contacted by a certain Kaira van Leeuwen; none other than Gideon’s very recent ex-girlfriend. It had almost been too good to be true. Naturally the Dutch dressage queen entertained a strictly professional goal as she was looking for a Pas-De-Deux partner for an upcoming show (and
naturally she had asked the best rider she could think of), but this chance offered up the opportunity to take the devious scheme even further. Kaira was still Gideon’s soft spot despite their breakup – that had been obvious from his reaction earlier. Simon could tell it bothered Gideon that they were teaming up. Take it one step further and charm his way close to Kaira on a less-professional basis – would that not be the ultimate slap-in-the-face? Sometimes the planets just align perfectly to pull master schemes.

The sound of a door opening tore Simon from his thoughts. Gideon was bit earlier than he had anticipated - and he approached from the wrong side – wait… that wasn’t –
Annie entered the stable from the side entrance closest to the parking space and it made Simon freeze in place. Nono… why would she take this route; right now? She better not –
There was a loud slap of body-meets-stone-floor followed by an angry hiss and a series of colourful curse words. Simon quickly detached himself from the wooden post he was leaned against and sped round the corner to the scene of the accident. Annie, as the sound had suggested, was down; sitting on the stable floor and taking a moment to gather herself. Eight months pregnant she naturally had a worried draw across her brow.
,,Gee Annie, are you alright?” Simon asked, genuinely concerned. Annie looked alright, but it was not just Annie you needed to worry about…
,,Well, my butt hurts.” Annie retorted with an ironic smile. ,,..and hip.”
,,Broken? Do I need to call an ambulance?”
Annie looked up; smile spreading a bit wider despite the pain. That poor dude was practically buzzing with nerves and concern – so he was capable of showing a wider range of emotions than ‘smugly arrogant and too-cool-for-you’ after all.
,,I’m okay – must have slipped. A bit shaken and bruised, but nothing to be concerned about. I just tried not to land on Junior.” 
She gave her belly an appreciate pat.
Simon smiled nervously.
,,Right, right. Glad Junior’s okay, even if you aren’t.”
,,Easy, Kvark. I promise you I’m okay. I’m just clumsy – part of the joys of being a whale with legs, I guess.”
Her smile was reassuring and not without irony either. Simon returned it, a bit more confidently this time.
,,Well, Mrs. Whale, I know you’re a bit of a superwoman and also that nurses tend to play tougher than most, so I think you should still sit down for a while. Somewhere soft. Restitute. See, I’ll--- fold this blanket for you and – voila, sweetheart, we have a throne.”  He gestured to one of Gideon’s strategically-placed-chairs now adorned with a folded fleece rug. ,,Here darling, let me give you a hand getting back up –”
Annie was partially amused and partially surprised with this sudden change of temper she observed in the blond. Simon Kvark had always been polite enough to her, but his smug, arrogant and rather-superficial personality shined through even so. This, however – it seemed more genuine. She accepted the hand to get back up, and with her considerable extra width it was a tremendous help.
,,Thank you, Simon. You’re a gentleman.” she thanked him as she sat down on the soft throne with a hearty sigh.
,,I’m… really not,” Simon replied with an ironic little smirk. Already his mind was buzzing again – improvising on the original plan. One carefully orchestrated idea and one so-thought fool-proof scheme that turned out unexpectedly in a row? He really was not at the top of his game today… But maybe third time would be the charm. He already had a backup scheme in mind...

,,Oh look. I have soap on my hand now,” he mused, letting his thumb slip over his palm. ,,Must’ve been on the floor as well – could be why you slipped.”
,,Soap?” Annie repeated giving her own hands a closer inspection. ,,You’re right –”
,,Well – wash stall is right there,” Simon gestured. ,,Not pointing fingers at anyone of course. Anyone could have spilled it. You know, in a hurry, unsteady hands….—”
,,Gideon did wash Karn yesterday.” Annie mused to herself. ,,He does have unsteady hands right now."
,,Gideon?" Simon asked in feigned surprise. ,,Nooo, he has such a keen eye for details. He would have noticed... well, unless..."
He paused for effect.
,,Unless?" Annie inquired with curiosity in her voice.
Simon folded his hands and let a worried frown settle over his brow.
,,Well, Gideon is not himself, obviously." he said in a low, serious voice. ,,The guy is a trooper alright, but we should not forget the state he's currently in. He does seem... off. Which is understandable, of course; all things considered. But I can't help but worry for him, y'know? After that incident with Phuong I'm not too certain he's doing quite so well after all."
Annie's own expression grew more serious.
,,What happened with Phuong?"
Simon gasped quietly, putting a hand over his mouth as if he had said more than he should.
,,Oh, you didn't hear?" he hinted, knowing full well that Annie did not know - Phuong had only told him about the incident. ,,Ah, honey, I'm not sure I should tell you then. Wouldn't want to come across as a backstabber."
,,I understand that reservation," Annie nodded quietly. ,,But if you know something that could be a cause for concern, please tell me. It's the only way we can step in to help."
,,You're right, you're very right..." Simon agreed, emitting a sigh as if it took great qualms to reveal this. ,,Well - according to Phuong he went a little nuts on their last trail ride. Dashed through the forest with no regards for his own safety - a dangerous, foolish act that could have ended very badly."  He made a pause for effect. ,,And Annie, dearest, I've known our good Gideon since childhood - that is just not something he does. You know how over-cautious he is usually - this is giving me a very creeping feeling that his sanity is slipping. His... sense of judgment. He smokes pot now too, did you know that? That, and of course the way he forgets things. Kaisa has found Karn's bridle in obscure locations twice now."  ...not mentioning, of course, that Simon himself had misplaced it on purpose. ,,...and worst of all, his medication. I found these lying freely about earlier."
He drew forth a package of pills and presented it to her.
,,This is heavy stuff," he explained  ,,Something you'd give the suicidally-inclined depressed patient in need of mood stabilizing. If he can leave them laying around like that, well, I'm worried he forgets to take them too."
Annie nodded again, though slower this time.
,,So why did you take them?"
,,...eh, what?"
,,Why did you pick them up when you found them? He could be looking for them right now."
,,Oh, I was going to give them back, discreetly; have a little chit-chat under four eyes. I just didn't think the entire stable needed to find his meds and know what he's dealing with."
Hmm. Annie reflected on that for a second.
,,You're quite right," she said after a while. ,,Which is why it's probably best if I give them back to him, don't you think? I'm a nurse sworn to privacy, after all. He'd probably feel more safe that way."
She took the pills and stuffed them into her jacket pocket without waiting for his reply. It had not really been a question. If she had doubted Simon's intentions earlier those doubts vanished, however, as he did not seem to mind this change of plans. Rather, he nodded in concerned agreement.
,,Makes sense," he agreed. ,,Leave it to the professionals. I hope he's doing alright after the fall, too."
,,The fall?"
,,Oh yeah... I didn't mention that. He suffered a little fall from Karn today -- nothing serious. Just.. maybe take that into account and watch out for him, will you? For his own safety."
He once again donned a smile of friendly concern.
Sorry Gideon. This is what you get for betraying old friendships.

  

To be continued ~ 

Next: 3.12: Kicking the bucket



Divisionen by Zoubstance


Finallyyyyy continuing the storyline - had to dodge my state exam, some travelling and some threatening event deadlines, but now it's back with a vengeance xD 
REMEMBER that this is still back in october of last year, so all the events etc. that I've been working on lately are much later than this x)

This time it has LITERALLY turned into a 'soap' opera, hahaha :giggle:  ..or... soap threatre? Something soapy.
And finally Annie makes an appearance again; it's been a whale while :dummy: 

A squirrel did it.


_____

Annie Nordgren and Simon Kvark reside with me
Background replica from 1.5: Accidents happen but this time looking right instead of left |  (in the background we see Sagadir's stall, btw)
Textures from cgtextures

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© 2018 - 2024 Zoubstance
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GinasDream's avatar
Creating soap opera and then blaming it on Gideon?! Woah, I hate Simon now. like sooo bad.
Love the picture so much! I mean, I love how always clean and nicely Simon is dressed up nad he looks so not arrogant and spaced up here. And Annie is amazing just as well. Also that background? Good freaking job!
And those squirrels... omens of bad luck, so we're in for a ride again, huh? xDD