Sharp as a Tack [Meredith/Frosty]

[Cavallo]

<sub>The wind whipped at her blonde locks, even the ones that had been secured in her black ponytail under her riding helmet. She shivered in the cold and was glad to have worn her face mask and windbreaker jacket. She sat astride the nearly white filly as she took her at a trot down the turf. Stella's attentive eyes took in every detail of the track. This was her first excursion onto The Wire and it had been at the request of Beth Cavallo. She was in no position to turn down a ride and had eagerly accepted the offer from the boss' sister.

Well, Malva. It seems here I am a nobody. I traveled thousands of miles over the sea to become a glorified exercise rider. Her words dripped with sarcasm as she handled the filly expertly, though Malva wasn't the type of horse to really act up. Beth had done a phenomenal job with the four year old who had really just started her career. She'd read a bit of the filly's stats before the ride and even she was impressed with the direction Beth was taking her. With eleven starts and not a single placing outside of the money, Stella could tell that this was a filly who was gearing up for the bigger games and she was going to sweep the competition right off their feet before they even knew what had hit them.

She admired her mount, but she didn't require much and so she found her thoughts wandering, traveling those thousands of miles back to her home town, Padua, Italy wondering what action she was missing out on in the European tracks. Her mind fell into the lull of her thoughts with the rhythmic pounding of Malva's hooves on the turf.</sub>

[S u N f r O s T ~]

Meredith Mahon may have just been the most unknown face on the planet. She was a groom at SOPS. Not one of the esteemed jockeys or trainers. A groom, the lowest of positions. And Meredith didn't take crap from anybody that grumbled about her negatively because of it. She loved being a groom. Being a groom let you get closer to the horses than anybody else. You became their partners in a different sense, grooming them from two to five or six and then letting them go, watching them grow up. The success of your horses made you successful. And Meredith groomed very successful horses - she didn't need anybody to tell her that. And the one thing she had learned the most from grooming was to not take crap from anyone. Especially strangers.

Meredith could be called attractive, with light skin, blonde hair and blue eyes. And she thought of herself as attractive. But no person got close to Meredith unless they could hold a candle to her sharp tongue. Hence, Meredith got along famously with Valencia Andrews. And getting along with her meant having some fantastic opportunities. Like this one. She was currently sitting aboard In The Spotlight, the most attention-hogging juvenile they had this year. The chestnut filly was definitely a looker, in person and on paper. She glided forward with the sureness of a champion. She was adorable, and Meredith knew that that part of Innie's personality annoyed her. But the part that she loved about Innie was her undying ambition out on the track, her passion to be the best.

That was something Meredith could definitely relate to.

The turf beckoned them and Meredith grinned as she began to trot the juvenile over the surface. She knew how to ride. It wasn't like she was an unskilled laborer after all. She posted smoothly to the filly's strides. Here she a nobody. I traveled thousands of miles over the sea to become a glorified exercise rider. Meredith heard the words carried over the wind and curiously looked ahead to see a mare and a woman cantering up front. She was indeed curious about this woman. But she wasn't going to let such interest show. She was the rosebush, after all. Prickly on the outside, beautiful on the inside.

So she cantered Innie right up to the mare and rider and boldly declared I don't think glorified exercise riders exist. That's like saying you're a glorified groom. Which is what I am, by the way, here in the irons of a racehorse. She grinned cockily. Guess I have no place in the world, huh? Seeing as my profession doesn't exist Her blue eyes twinkled with mirth.

[Cavallo]

<sub>Cloudy blue eyes locked onto a striking looking woman. Stella's lips pursed with a sarcastic retort sharp on her tongue. Your profession is only as good and glorious as you make it out to be. Her eyes flashed with a challenge. I'm just trying to bring a touch of class to this "exercise rider" business. She smiled and couldn't help, but look like a bit of a predator. Stella was a stunning woman and she knew it. With wavy blonde hair and piercing blue eyes, she was every inch the equal in beauty of this random self-proclaimed groom.

She had to admit, she found the women's frankness and candor refreshing. She admired the cocky grin and she gave her one of equal value. Princetta eyed the younger horse, but minded the confident hands and legs of her rider. Stella was a great rider, it showed in her posture and in the way she carried herself. She wore confidence like a cloak and she was more than okay with it. Her voice held a lilting accent, it was the Italian in her. She was new to the States and was just picking up her State-side career here with Intrepid, though she had yet to have been given a true opportunity to start in the races.

She begrudged the wait or trial period she seemed to be in. What were they going to do? Ship her back to Italy? She almost scoffed out loud at the thought. She wasn't going to go back home with her tail tucked between her legs. That just wasn't her style. She liked to take things head on and she wasn't denied often.

Her attention returned to the similar minded rider. She silently wondered if she should open the door of a possible friendship to this prickly woman. She held Malva at her pace, knowing that the older filly had plenty of steam in her. My name's Estella Marino. Or Stella if you'd rather speak a name of true glory. Her words teased and she silently hoped this woman wouldn't be a push-over with tender feelings like most women she met. She could use a friend that could handle her true personality.</sub>

[S u N f r O s T ~]

Meredith grinned. She liked this woman. She had some humor and sarcasm of her own, something Meredith could compete with. She had tired of dealing with Valencia and Timothy's banter a long time ago. They weren't providing the new challenge that she was looking for. Perhaps this woman could give her some of that. Merry often got a bit lonely, with few friends outside of SOPS. Perhaps this woman could be her first, and even best. In response to the woman, Merry nodded, her blue eyes gleaming. Oh yes, I do agree. The person makes the profession, not the other way around. I guess I'm saying that grooms should be allowed out on their own horses sometimes, you know?

Innie trotted forward haughtily, just a step ahead of Princetta. Merry stopped talking briefly to take a tighter hold of the juvenile. The chestnut filly was too competitive and attention hogging for her own good sometimes. It endeared her to Merry, whose eyes gleamed with affection for a brief moment before returning to her conversation. She snorted good naturedly at Stella's words. Estella Marino, eh? I thought I picked up a foreign accent. Where are you from Estella? And were you shipped here voluntarily or against your own will? Merry's question was sarcastic but serious. She had heard of people, like Laura DeComte of Witch Creek, who hadn't wanted to ride but ended up riding anyway for their stables. Perhaps Stella was one of those?

Oh, and I'm Meredith Mahon. The rosebush of the Stride of Perfection crew. Her ridiculous description of herself was said without a trace of humor, but all the humor needed to flavor it was gleaming in her eyes.

[Cavallo]

<sub>She nodded at Meredith's comment about grooms being allowed to ride their mounts. Her lips pursed in thought, she didn't know how she'd feel if the groom just hopped up on Malva whenever they wanted...but if they asked, she probably wouldn't have minded...especially if the groom had been this woman. She seemed more than comfortable on her charge's back. Oddly enough though, she found herself warming up to this Meredith. Things were still in transition for her here. Making a big move from Italy hadn't been the easiest decision she'd made, but she wasn't about to let her brother leave her across the seas.

"Estella Marino, eh? I thought I picked up a foreign accent. Where are you from Estella? And were you shipped here voluntarily or against your own will?" She smiled saucily back at the woman, her icey blue eyes snapping with challenge as she thought about her journey here with Intrepid. Yes. Italy is my home, but this place is slowly growing on me, so far that is. She watched as the woman moderated her mount. The chestnut was a juvenile, of that she had no doubts. He was showing the muscling of the past year on the tracks, but he still carried that touch of newness to him. He was a competitive son of a gun and as she saw tenderness light up in the woman's eyes, she knew that this pair got along famously. She patted the steady going Malva. The older filly watched the younger horse with almost an amused light in her eyes, but she made no moves to break from her current pace. No, no. I don't ride against my will. She laughed at even the idea of someone trying to make her do something she didn't want to...it was a comical concept. I very much ride because I want to. In fact, I found myself be slapped with the title of an exercise rides...but I'm thinking that will change soon. Fire sparked in her eyes with a challenge. She was out to change her fortune and she pitied the forces that would try to oppose her...though she didn't think there would be much opposition. Malva and her were becoming an unstoppable force and Beth herself was busy...She was predicting a change in her current job title very soon. Or she hoped so anyways.

Then the woman gave her and and she chuckled at the title she gave herself. The Rosebush. How fitting. It was a good thing she had thicker skin. Tell me Meredith, do you often get outside of Stride of Perfection Stables, or do they have you on a rather tight leash? She raised an eyebrow in jest and her voice was teasing, but she had an agenda to achieve in this loaded question.</sub>