A/N: Hey, sorry for the wait! I'm ashamed to say that I actually had this chapter ready a few days ago, but, well, things happened, and now I'm in London! :D anyway, next chapter is halfway written, so I'll complete it when I get home on Saturday/Sunday.
Btw, sorry for OOC Sherlock, but that's just the way he is in this story, at least the side Luna gets to see. So I'm sorry, but you gotta deal with it :P
As always, thanks to my beta, Ar3emis
Chapter 6: What To Do?
"Straighten your back!"
I sighed as I yelled at the actors and extras. These horseback scenes were the worst thing, they always were. It was torture to see the inexperienced riders on my precious horses. Well, I say mine, but they belong to my boss and my company. Most of them, at least. But I always felt as though they were mine, they weren't simply a job. My focus was never just on the actors; the top priority was to make sure the horses was okay with the work and the way their riders treated them.
I glanced quickly at everyone.
"Dismount!" I yelled. Once they hit the ground, I shouted, "Remount!"
I heard several groans as they went to drag themselves up in the saddle again.
"You're dismissed. Make sure you untack them properly and give them their afternoon hay. Mike and Louie, remain behind." I turned towards the gate and added, "You too, Sherlock."
Said people sat still upon their horses. Sherlock sat like a natural, quite comfortable, but the two other ones seriously had to practice.
"Mike, Louie," I barked. "That thing you did out there was terrible. You need to practice properly and make an effort, or else you won't have a part in this film for long."
They nodded swiftly in recognition. "Yes, ma'am."
"Good. You're dismissed." I waved them away. They obliged, and I once more turned to Sherlock.
"Wow." He raised an eyebrow at me. "Are you aiming to scare them away?"
I glared. "I can tolerate many things, but I won't have anyone ruin my horses and years of work." He simply smirked, and I rolled my eyes. "And you, mister, need to practice more."
His face fell and he seemed confused. "Was it really that bad?"
"No, you were better than everyone else." I sighed and dragged a hand through my messy hair. "However, as main person, you need to be even better. So I thought I'd teach you a few tricks to make mounting and dismounting easier and seem more natural."
For the next half an hour, Sherlock went through the procedure so many times I lost count, but in the end it was a lot easier for him to get into the saddle.
"Good work," I praised. "Next time we'll work a bit dressage, make your signals less visible."
"Thanks for the help, Luna," he said, patting Tracy's neck. "The car's in the same spot as yesterday, I'm ready to go when you are."
"Yeah, thanks," I smiled. "I need to check on everyone first, though. Make sure all the people have done their job." I said the word 'people' as though it was the most disgusting thing I'd ever heard. Sherlock, of course, noticed.
"Hey, Luna, why do you have so much against people?"
For a moment I froze, but my mask was quickly on again. "Long story," I said shortly. The message was clear; end of discussion. I limped away, longing for Luci to be here. I had decided to let him stay at the Holmes' today. He would like to have a day without travelling.
It was totally weird; we had already stayed with Sherlock and his family for nearly two weeks! Alex had in the meanwhile been checking out every possible solution. Including hotels and houses nearby (closest house was a two minute drive away. Sadly, the owners didn't feel like letting Alex rent it). He'd said he'd have a solution by today, though, so I made my way inside the stable, hoping to find him there.
"Hey," I said once I reached his office. We both had each our office in the main stable, next to the tack and feeding rooms. It wasn't big enough to sleep in. We'd tried to fit in a bed, but had to give up. It was big enough for a desk and drawers, though, along with places to store clothes, hats, boots and the likes. There was even a couple of extra chairs. I took one of them and sat down opposite of Alex, sighing in relief as the weight was taken off my legs.
"So," I started, leaning back. "Finding anything?"
He put down his pen and sighed, dragging his fingers through his beautiful, soft, curly dark brown hair. "We've been through absolutely everything. I'm sorry, Luna, but there's absolutely nothing to do." He looked up at me. "However, the Holmes' have already agreed to having you stay with them for the rest of the production. So just carry on the way you have for the last two weeks." He smiled, a bit apologetically. "Okay?"
I stared at him. "They agreed? Why haven't they told me?"
He shrugged. "Dunno. Ask them. But I think they have started to care for you." He looked me right in the eye, and I stared right back into his deep green ones. I could see him thinking and considering. "It's a rather easy thing to do."
I blushed and made a couple of noises before excusing myself and hurried to find Sherlock and the car. Good thing I had checked on the horses on the way to Alex, because I was too embarrassed to stay.
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