03.2023 | WELCOME BACK! Hello friends old and new! I'm so excited to welcome you all back to SITW! I've made some changes to the plot and added the ability to play supernatural charcaters! So come and check it out! I can't wait to jump back into this little town with all of you!
A strange history surrounds the town, it is a place where mysterious and supernatural things have been known to happen. The reputation of the town reguarly draws in visitors and newcomers alike. While some residents avidly believe in the supernatural, others are far more skeptical. What do you believe?
When Brooks had first moved to Sweetwater he knew he'd need to find a job and find one fast. He had a little bit of money saved up but not enough for him to skate on for more than a month at the most. Having been raised on a farm in the South in made sense for him to go see if he could find work with the horses upon his arrival. Lucky for him, they were in need of horse trainers at the time. He'd worked with horses a lot growing up and was very familiar with the animals and how to train them.
He'd been working there ever since and had even got a raise or two in that time when he proved to be quite skilled at the job. Today he was at the farm, having arrived after his classes were over for the day. It was late in the afternoon, nearing dinner time. The autumn sun had a dull but beautiful golden glow. He wore a simple white t-shirt with blue jeans and brown boots.
He was out in the training yard and had a grey mare on a lead. He was standing in the center of the circle while she trotted along the edges around him. He swiped at his sweaty forehead with the hem of his shirt, pulling it up and exposing his abdomen for a moment as he did so. Movement out of the corner of his eye caught his attention and he looked over to see an unfamiliar face. He had heard that a new western riding instructor had been hired part time but Brooks had yet to actually meet the man.
He lifted a hand in greeting from the center of the circular training yard he was working in with the mare.
Post by Ferris Felwinter on Oct 25, 2023 2:54:43 GMT
Breaking in new black leather boots was not a pleasant experience. He'd bought these a while back but hadn't been out to the farm often enough for them to feel comfortable yet. Walking felt like playing baseball with a fresh leather mitt. But at the same time, it felt good. Familiar. He'd grown up around a few different animals and while he wasn't comfortable enough to be a farmhand or trainer, he'd been desperate to find something to take up his days off from the station. Considering the alternative was being alone in his apartment. Or drinking with strangers at the bar. Or drinking alone in his apartment. The boots were actually quite preferrable.
A red plaid shirt hung open over his own t-shirt and jeans as he walked with his hands in his pockets over the gravel drive toward the stables and paddock and arena. It was a bit chilly, but he was used to running around in layers and it was refreshing to feel the autumn air. He had a few lessons line up in a few hours, but he'd come by earlier to see if he could get a ride in.
Ferris watched the grey mare circling the other worker. He'd not really met any of the other trainers or instructors. Some of that was his limited schedule. Some of that was on purpose. He was here for the distraction and work, not to socialize. But he supposed he couldn't ghost all of them and the farmhands forever. He didn't wave back immediately, but realized he was probably expected to play nice. Besides, most people knew he was the fire chief, and they always expected him to be chirper. He was the guy who organized the school fire safety demonstrations and training as well as local fundraisers and handled other security. He was 'friendly.'
As he neared the fence, he stopped, one boot on the lower plank, arms folded on the top. "You must be one of the trainers," he said, voice soft. Partly not the spook the horse. He eyed the man up and down. The man didn't look all that familiar, so Ferris suspected he was nearer in town than he was, but that didn't much bother him. He'd probably seen him around. And it was likely the stranger knew who he was, by name at least. Not that he was very good at introductions. "She's something," he said of the horse. "Good legs on her."
Post by Brooks Sterling on Nov 21, 2023 16:19:52 GMT
Brooks had only been living in Sweetwater for a year so while he was getting used to many of the faces, there were others he still had not met. This man was one of them though he'd recognize his name once it was spoken. In a town as small as Sweetwater you got to the know the names of the most prominent people pretty quickly and the Fire Chief was certainly among those 'prominent people'.
"She really is," Brooks agreed with an affectionate look at the mare. He was quite proud of this one. "This is Stella," he told the honestly very attractive man. It was unfair to look that good really, especially on a farm, but being raised on one himself, he did always have a thing for that cowboy look.
"And I'm Brooks. Sterling," he introduced himself, slowing the mare down to a stop and pulling an apple slice from his pocket to feed to her. "You're the new western instructor, right?"
Post by Ferris Felwinter on Nov 21, 2023 19:21:24 GMT
He leaned a bit more comfortably on the fence as he watched the man continue to work. He was pleasantly surprised when the man started conversation with him. Considering Ferris had been interrupting, he hadn't expected much. He watched him work the mare a bit. As much as Ferris had been raised on a farm, it was a sheep farm. The few horses they'd had were for a mix of work and pleasure, and while very comfortable with them, he'd never trained a horse from the ground up. It was interesting to watch.
"I am," Ferris echoed with a nod. "Ferris Felwinter," he added his own name. Typically, he didn't feel the need to give his surname around here, considering who he was, but he preferred to match company. "Grew up around sheep mostly, but a few horses," he said, attempting a rather lame joke. Better that than noticing anything else about the guy more than he already had from him lifting his shirt earlier.
"How long have you been a trainer?" He asked, much preferring to avoid directly talking about his childhood with a stranger. Clearly the man was comfortable in his craft and only a cowboy hat would have made him fit more perfectly into the training ring.
Post by Brooks Sterling on Nov 27, 2023 1:53:26 GMT
Sure enough, once the man spoke his name it sparked recognition in the face of the young trainer. The fire chief?! Well that was certainly unexpected. "Oh, you must have got some great sleep then," Brooks said, inwardly chiding himself for the bad joke. Something about counting sheep but so poorly executed that the man probably wouldn't even get what he was trying to say. So dumb.
"I worked my parents farm as a kid, so pretty much for as long as I can remember. This specific job I got shortly after I moved to town. So...almost a year now," he replied. Stella munched on the apple slices as they were presented and Brooks moved closer to the fence. "If you don't mind me asking, why did you take this job? You're the fire chief, aren't you? Sorry, I just- I just wouldn't have expected a professional and successful guy like you to take up the job of training riders."
Post by Ferris Felwinter on Nov 27, 2023 2:35:06 GMT
Ferris did his damnedest to watch the horse and not Brooks, but he couldn't help but notice the recognition. Not many people named Ferris here or anywhere else. At least he didn't get hit with a lot of jokes about the movie. Sure, it was made four years before he was born, but he could guarantee his parents hated the film if they had seen it, but probably had never seen it.
He looked at Brooks with a blank expression, mouth half open to express that no, he in fact had not gotten good sleep, he was a firefighter, but slowly he realized he was talking about the sheep farm. "Ah," he said after a moment, snorting and shaking his head. "See, turns out sheep don't really go for the whole single file thing," he explained, trying for a bit of a smile and probably ruining the joke with his lack of standard humor. "Good to have someone with experience around," he noted with the same easy, serious tone.
The question into his career choices rubbed him the wrong way initially and he grit his teeth, glancing away from the man to the barn and snorting as he called him successful. Not that anyone knew how much of a joke that was for him to hear. Ferris didn't like people prying into his life. But he had opted to take this job and that meant meeting new people and having new conversations. He could handle that. Brooks stumbling over himself and apologizing before he even asked the question set Ferris into a sort of older brother, protective mode while also frustrating him. He didn't like people apologizing for what didn't need apologizing for, and clearly Brooks had been taken advantage of and taught wrong at some point in his life. Ferris turned back and shook his head. "It's alright. I like to stay busy." He was not at all prepared to explain to anyone and that sounded problematically vague. "Fire chief doesn't pay all that well when you've got rent, student loans, insurance, and medical bills," he said, stumbling through the list and feeling he shouldn't have said any of it. So very professional of him.
Post by Brooks Sterling on Nov 28, 2023 19:15:46 GMT
Brooks chuckled at Ferris' comment about the sheep. Of course they wouldn't move in single file but he'd never thought of it that way and he felt better about his dumb joke after the man went along with it. Could have been worse for sure and he smiled at being thought of as someone with experience.
He nodded in understanding as the man explained. "Ah, well, that makes sense. I know it's been busier for you this year than most, or so I've heard. I've only been here a year so not sure how the fire season typically goes. Pluses and minuses I guess. You stay busy but also it's more fires which isn't ideal. Teaching riding almost sounds like a relaxing way to fill your time in comparison," he said, feeling more and stupid by the minute. Why was this so hard? He was sure he was making a fool of himself.
Then, to his chagrin, Stella used that opportunity to unexpectedly push her nose against his back, pushing him forward the last few steps as he grabbed onto the fence directly in front of Ferris with a thud so that he wouldn't slip and smack his face to it instead. The mare shook her long neck, her mane cascading around her, it looked like she was laughing at him. His cheeks turned pink and he took a half step back, looking back to the horse with the shake of his head. "Yes yes, very funny Stella."
Post by Ferris Felwinter on Nov 28, 2023 20:59:50 GMT
"Usually not so busy. The season can be hit or miss. Usually depends on tourists more than anything." Except not this year. The total fires from campers and hikers, even including the townsfolk, was a lot lower. Probably somewhat due to people not wanting to go out with the high risk of wildfires with unknown causes. It was like entering a mini hurricane season, even the local sailors weren't comfortable outside safe harbor. "And yeah, it's...a very different pace." Normally he found a lot of work to do waiting for his real job. Here...here he could take his time. He could focus on one thing, one rider, one horse. It was a drastic change of pace for the man.
Seeing Brooks stumble toward him as he approached the fence with the horse, Ferris instinctively put his hands out to help catch the man at his chest and shoulder, not wanting him to face plant into the fence either. "She like you or something?" he teased, looking the man up and down to be sure he was alright. Which was when he noticed Brooks' hands on the fence. Covered in slick silver and steel rings.
"You're a musician?" He guessed. Only he knew the answer, he was asking because that was polite and he was honestly curious what he played (not guitar, he didn't have the calluses), what was his favorite type of music to play, if he wrote, how long he'd been doing it and all that. But he started simple.
Post by Brooks Sterling on Nov 29, 2023 17:46:16 GMT
Ferris had quick instincts and the idea that a hot firefighter had helped to catch him certainly didn't cross his mind...His ears turned a soft shade of red at the touch though he shook it off. It was nothing more than instinct and general kindness. He readjusted his stance to something normal again and chuckled a bit as the question about the mare. "I've been working with her since I first started. We're good buds," he said with a little shake of his head in her direction.
At the following question he turned back to Ferris. "Hmm?" he wasn't entirely sure how he'd made that guess but he was also a bit distracted at the moment. "Oh, yeah, drums," he said with a smile. He did love what he did. "I'm in a band actually, just a small one, we've played at Harland's Alehouse a handful of times now."
Post by Ferris Felwinter on Nov 29, 2023 21:04:24 GMT
From just the brief points of contact, Ferris could tell Brooks put a lot of effort into his work. He was slender, but certainly not skinny. It took muscle to work on a farm and to learn the smooth firm movement needed to lead a horse or other animal. As Brooks straightened himself, he let his hands drop back to the fence and then shoved him in his pockets, glancing away. Even just the vaguest of thoughts made him embarrassed at himself.
He could sense Brooks' uncertainty in how he spoke and moved. "Educated guess. I had a...friend that played drums and base and always told me I ought to," he explained. Still very much a leap of a guess, but it reminded him of Garrett. Which...wasn't something he came across so much anymore, which was by design. The man had given him a few rings and Ferris still had them somewhere, though he never thought he would wear them.
"A band, eh? That's great. You'll have to let me know next time you perform." He could tell the man was distracted, that perhaps now wasn't the best time to strike up a full conversation on music, so he kept it simple and avoided mentioning himself. Ferris looked over at the stable. "I should probably see who needs brushed and warmed up today," he said vaguely about the horses. "You need a hand with anything?" Since he did have the time and he didn't really want to stop talking now that he had started. Funny how that human connection worked.
Post by Brooks Sterling on Dec 5, 2023 18:19:48 GMT
Brooks grinned when he spoke about his friend. "Oh? Did you ever try it? Do you play anything else?" he asked, music was always a topic that could get him going. "I'll definitely let you know when we play next, sure." Why did that thought make him blush? He turned back to the mare for a moment to try to hide the pink of his cheeks.
As the conversation turned he looked back to him with a nod. "Actually I was about to go do the same. Stella is done for the afternoon but needs a brush and I know at least half of the others need the same. Do you have any lessons today? We can start with the ones you're planning to use?" he suggested as he patted Stella's muscled cheek and started to guide her towards the gate, walking along the fence so that he and Ferris could keep talking.
Post by Ferris Felwinter on Dec 5, 2023 21:09:29 GMT
Ferris nodded. "I can play drums but...not so well as him. Probably not so well as you." He was musically and rhythmically enough inclined that with enough practice, he could draw sweet music from nearly any instrument. But as with many musicians, he had a certain amount of raw talent for a specific one. "I can handle bass, but I play guitar. Acoustic and electric. All kinds of genres." He got excited about music too, but he hadn't exactly meant to take the conversation this direction until he saw Brooks' rings.
"I look forward to it," he said firmly. "There a type of music you all usually play?"
He appreciated the company to the barn. He'd been there once before but having someone who was more experienced and knew where everything was located was a huge boon. "Yeah, I have two in a couple hours. Both are relatively inexperienced riders. I'll take suggestions on which horses to use, since you know them better than me." He was keen to let the horses get used to him just as much as he wanted to get used to them. That meant learning their personalities and quirks and comforts, but it also meant letting them get to know him. Something as simple as getting used to his scent could be helpful. He had his eye on the horse he thought he might ride himself. Not that he planned to be mounted for every lesson, but being new to the teaching aspect, Ferris had a feeling he would lean heavily on teaching by example.
Post by Brooks Sterling on Dec 21, 2023 16:55:10 GMT
Brooks eyes lit up with delight as he found out that Ferris not only played the drums but the bass and guitar as well. He very much wanted to hear the man play or even play with him but he wasn't sure that the Fire Chief would want to rock out with a 21-year-old college student. Still, it sounded like a blast to the young man. "No way, that's so awesome!" he said enthusiastically as they started to walk towards the barn. "I'm decent at the guitar I guess but would love to get better. The problem with drums is that it's usually better in a band setting than solo," he said with a little shrug and a smile.
"We're still finding our sound, mostly somewhere between alternative and indie rock. I like to experiment with all sorts depending on my mood, but my guitar skills are usually lacking so it's not quite as creatively satisfying as it could be."
He had a few horses in mind that Ferris could use and he thought about which ones he might suggest as they walked.
Post by Ferris Felwinter on Dec 21, 2023 20:23:12 GMT
Ferris would kill to be better at drums. Keeping a beat was all well and good, but there was always something about watching a real artist bang out a drum solo that moved him, even if he knew he could never reach that level. He could appreciate it though, feel that connection of rhythm in his soul. He looked forward to hearing how good Brooks was. If his skill even just matched his enthusiasm, then Ferris had high hopes. He smiled awkwardly at the man's returned excitement. It wasn't that he had never shared his love of music with anyone, but he'd been in a bit of a personal rut for the last few years which kept him closed off. He still was, but he was at least trying to make steps to get out more.
"Maybe we can play together sometime?" he asked as they walked. Was that weird? Probably very weird. He gathered Brooks was younger than him and besides maybe seeing him once or twice in passing they were strangers. He didn't know if he worked somewhere else or went to college or who knows what. But... "I'm not much of a teacher, but would be nice to not just play solo, guitar or drums or whatever," Ferris agreed. "Uh, not to interrupt any band stuff," he added quickly. He understood the desire to find something in music, to experiment as Brooks said.
Post by Brooks Sterling on Jan 16, 2024 1:29:57 GMT
Even when he did find people who liked music, it wasn't usually in playing it, and no one had ever suggested playing together. Brooks was elated. "That would be awesome, ya!" he said enthusiastically. "The band has been slow lately anyway with the holidays coming up and family plans." Brooks couldn't relate, he wasn't planning to fly back home for the Christmas break and his family actually didn't even know where he was at so they couldn't exactly come visit him either. No, Christmas would be spent alone this year, but it was better than spending it with his family so he was trying not to dwell on it too much.
"Just say when and I'll make it happen," he said happily as they reached the barn and stepped inside. It was an immediate relief from the chill outside. Though still cold it wasn't quite as sharp now that they had walls around them. He hooked Stella's lead to the hook on the side of the wall so he could brush her in a moment, but then led Ferris down to offer his suggestions.
"So for inexperienced riders I'd suggest Ernie or Rose. Ernie is a gelding getting on in years and has always had a sweet temperament. Very patient." He motioned towards the stall with Ernie's name next to it. Inside was a chestnut gelding with grey starting to come through his coat. He wasn't paying them any attention as he munched on his latest meal.
"Rose is younger but has a real gentle mothering instinct. She seems to want to mother anything smaller than her and the kids always love her." Rose was a red roan mare and looked at the two from over her stall door and huffed out, looking for any kind of attention.