Chapter 8

A LONG NIGHT


DIANA


Diana grunted awake at the sudden shrill of her mobile going off beneath her pillow. She slapped her hand around until her fingers wrapped around the vibrating device and lifted it, squinting her eyes at the overly bright screen to see who would possibly be calling her in the middle of the night.

INCOMING CALL

071392287856

01:17

Not a number she recognized. She hit accept and held the phone to her ear, letting her eyes drift back shut as she mumbled, "Hello?"

"Diana, you need to get to the barn, now."

She let out a heavy sigh and rolled over onto her back, forcing her eyelids open as she pulled the mobile away from her face and regarded the lit screen for a moment before saying, "Huh?"

"It's Akko—I mean, it's Beatrix, she's colicking, just—ugh, just get here!"

Diana didn't even wait to hear the dial tone signaling the call was ended. She was slinging her covers away and leaping up in a flash of anxiety, nearly knocking over her side table to turn her lamp on as she yanked on the first pair of jeans she could find and threw a jumper over the t-shirt she'd been sleeping in. In a matter of moments, she was yanking paddock boots over a pair of mismatched socks and banging her way through the dark house, slamming doors and cabinets as she dug for the tube of banamine that she knew was lying around somewhere, not really caring if she woke Hannah or Barbara. Which, she probably did, but she didn't stay to find out—she grabbed her keys, her wallet, and her phone, and was out the door before even five minutes had passed.

Beatrix had been absolutely fine earlier that day. They'd had their usual workout, nothing strenuous, just Dressage and a little bit of conditioning, and she'd eaten her oats with the same veracity that she always showed. When Diana had finally left the stable, long after most of the other riders, Beatrix had been happily snacking on a fresh pad of hay that she'd placed into her feeder.

Besides, Beatrix never colicked.

Why was she colicking now?

Diana hardly ever drove. She couldn't remember the last time she'd even gotten behind the wheel of her car—likely weeks ago-but it would take two minutes to get to the stable versus the ten or fifteen it would take on foot. She held her breath as she turned the key and thank God, she still had petrol, before stalling out putting it into first and letting out of slew of curses before taking off. The roads were completely empty, void of any other cars and life aside from a couple of people standing outside a pub that was still open, and so she may have made a couple illegal turns. But in the dead of the night, it was mostly just her and her panic, so she justified it that way.

She racked her brain for any sort of symptom she may have missed during her time with her mare. She had completed her routine inspection as usual, carefully feeling each tendon and ligament for heat and running her hands over every inch of her tall horse's body for any sign of distress. Beatrix had acted completely normal. She had begged for treats, was willingly moving forward, drank a few gulps of water after their workout, passed manure in the cross-ties—

Diana pounded a palm on the steering wheel. "You bloody idiot," she grumbled to herself. She still hadn't pinpointed a moment in time that the mare hinted at being ill, but as her caretaker, Diana let the responsibility fall solely on her shoulders. Beatrix relied on her. She had failed her.

She could already see the dark outline of her mare before she even pulled her car into the modest parking lot next to the main barn. The floodlights over the Games arena glared down, bright and obnoxious against the black sky of near midnight. Even from a distance, she could see Akko's gaze locked on the ground as she trudged along, one hand shoved into the pocket of her jacket, the other clutching the lead rope as she dutifully led Beatrix around the outside of the arena in monotonous circles.

Diana all but ran up to the two, hissing as sharp wood scraped against the soft skin of her palm as she clambered through the rails of the fence. Akko glanced up in acknowledgment but didn't stop walking.

"When did you find her?" she asked. There was another question—what are you doing out here at one in the morning?—but Diana didn't raise that topic because if Akko hadn't been there, the situation could have been much worse than it appeared to be.

"Um... about fifteen minutes ago," Akko said. "Found her lying in her stall. I got her as soon as I noticed something was wrong."

"Thank you." Diana pulled the tube of banamine from her pocket.

Akko regarded the medicine with a cool ease before nodding at the white smears around the mare's lips. "Already gave her some. I had a tube in my first aid kit."

Diana blinked at the other girl as she walked by her side, taking in the sight of her mare: the sweat-coated neck, the flaring nostrils, the gut noises that rumbled against her hand when she placed a palm on her barrel. Her tail was raised and flagged a little bit to the side and occasionally she would try to stop, pawing at the sand in preparation to roll. Akko would just tug the rope, cluck, offer a word of reassurance, and keep her moving.

"Chariot colicked once," Akko clarified, giving her a tense smile. "Got too excited on her first day home and fed her four times and rode her twice in between. Dumb move, don't do that, that's a recipe for disaster. I'm kind of an idiot, though." She scratched the back of her neck and looked away.

Diana would have laughed but she was a little bit stressed out, to say the least. She reached for the lead rope. "You're not an idiot. Thank you, Akko. I've got her. You can go back to your dormitory."

Akko shook her head. "It's alright. I don't mind staying and keeping you two company. We can just hand her off every once in a while. Besides," the other girl's eyes skimmed over Diana's messy appearance and the blonde suddenly felt extremely self-conscious, "you look like you just woke up."

"Of course I just woke up, Akko, it's one in the morning! What did you think I was doing?"

Akko hummed, turning to face Beatrix as the mare stopped to paw once more. She urged her forward with a gentle, "It's alright, girl, you can do it," and scratched her gently on the shoulder. The large mare huffed and lurched back into a walk, head hanging low, large eyes drooped with discomfort.

Diana shoved her hands into the front pockets of her jeans. It was cold, and Akko was wearing shorts—why in the world was that girl always wearing shorts?—and Diana had to wonder how she wasn't freezing. She let her eyes run over the smooth skin, the bruises dotting the pale canvas of her thighs, until she realized the other girl was looking at her and she turned away and blushed.

Akko let out a long yawn and Diana moved in, weaseling the lead out of her hand—which was very cold—and taking the mare away before the other girl could oppose. "You can go lay down in my car, if you want," Diana offered, unclipping her keys from a belt loop and holding them out to reinforce her invitation. "Or, you know, just go back to your dormitory. I won't be bothered by it."

"Nah, I'm fine." Her eyes, a dull maroon in the darkness, fell on where Diana's car was parked and she said, "Would've pegged you for fine German engineering."

"I prefer Japanese models," Diana murmured—and then promptly felt a red hot blush stinging her ears at the realization of her own comment. She cleared her throat into a closed fist and added, "Better gas mileage and less expensive repairs."

Luckily, though, Akko didn't seem to notice. She paused her stride momentarily as Diana had to force Beatrix to keep walking once more. Diana was fully aware of the shorter girl's jacket sleeve rubbing against her arm and felt herself swallowing hard at the realization of the proximity.

"Don't you have a show this weekend?" Akko asked after a moment's silence and another hard tug on the rope by Diana.

"Not anymore," Diana mumbled. Miss Meridies would probably try to get her to ride one of the horses the school owned, but that would honestly be a waste of time. Points were given based on a horse and rider combination—riding another horse would be money unnecessarily spent. No, better to just sit the upcoming show out and enter a few more classes in the next.

Diana glanced down and realized the other girl was wearing her runners, which were barely even tied, and didn't even have socks on. She frowned. The sand in her shoes had to be uncomfortable.

"I don't understand how you're not cold," she mumbled.

"I'm freezing."

Diana shook her head and laughed, switching the rope to her left hand to rest a palm against Beatrix's shoulder, which was moving mechanically as she plodded along, the muscles rippling beneath her sleek flesh. "Maybe you shouldn't wear the shortest shorts on the planet at night in the middle of October, then. My offer stands for the car."

"Nope." Akko grinned and skipped ahead a little bit, making Beatrix raise her head and flick her ears forward. The mare snorted an acknowledgment and kept on trudging. "Can't get rid of me that easy!"

She was cute. Her long hair swayed around her shoulders and pale jawbones as she let a broad grin slide across her face. Diana couldn't help but smile back.

It should have been a truly dreadful situation. After all, she was walking in a circle in the middle of a cold October night with her sick mare when she really would have rather been sleeping in her warm bed. But Akko was there—bright, cheerful, and very adorable Akko—and so Diana found that she really couldn't complain about the circumstances, at all.


By the time Beatrix was feeling better—and Diana knew because she left a heap of manure in the middle of the arena and was no longer trying to roll away her discomfort—the sun was starting to peek over the horizon and through the line of trees that spread in a barrier around the Luna Nova stables. She was exhausted and could feel the heavy bags beneath her half-lidded eyes, the palm of her hand stifling a yawn every other second. Between all the stirrup-less riding Meridies was making them do and walking her horse for nearly four hours, she was almost grateful that she wouldn't be able to ride her mare for a few days. Her legs needed rest.

She looked to wear Akko had curled up against the fence by the gate, her legs stretched out of hoof-pocked ground. The other girl had dragged Chariot's dirty winter blanket from the tack room and had it wrapped around her body, her head tilted back against the wooden post and her mouth wide open as she slept. Akko had champed her way through most of the night and had only settled down about an hour ago, refusing to sleep in the car or just go back to the dormitories, "Just in case Diana needed her to take over."

Company had been very much appreciated. The exact source of the company had been even more appreciated.

"Hey, Akko."

Diana knelt down and placed a hand gently on the sleeping girl's shoulder. Her eyes fluttered open, a weary, dull red staring back in momentary confusion before Akko yawned, raised her arms in a deep stretch, and said, "Morning, sunshine."

Diana rose and stepped back, patting the mare's neck. She was much more alert than she had been over the night, but it was easy to tell that she, too, was exhausted. A back pastern bent with every pause in stride as she tried to rest her weary body.

"Do you need a break?" Akko asked, yawning again as she clambered to her feet. "I'll walk her." The collar of her jacket was sticking up and Diana suppressed the urge to reach out and fix it.

Instead, she shook her head and offered a tired smile. "No, she's feeling better. I'm going to put her in her paddock so she can keep moving around. Come on, let's go."

She waited while Akko gathered the blanket into her arms and opened the gate for her and her horse, yawning all the way across the cobblestone lane and into the stable. The birds that lived in the trees and rafters had woken in a harmony of early morning chirps and Diana felt her stomach gnawing with discomfort from being up all night. She wanted so badly to climb back into bed, but she had a class in a few short hours and so that need would have to wait to be fulfilled.

Akko disappeared to go put the blanket back into her tack stall while Diana led Beatrix through her box and into the small paddock that connected to it. The mare stepped away with a snort, lowering her nose to begin sifting through a pile of hay. Good, she was interested in food. Diana let out a sigh of relief and unclipped the rope, leaving her halter on, just in case.

She found Akko all but laying on Diana's monogrammed mahogany tack trunk in front of Beatrix's box. The girl was struggling to stay awake, unfocused eyes staring off into the distance. "Good?" she mumbled, sleepy gaze turning to Diana.

"Good," Diana confirmed. "Come on, let me give you a ride back to your dormitory. If you walk I'll likely find you passed out somewhere in the middle of campus."

Akko chuckled and didn't even bother to retort. She obediently followed Diana to her car and slid into the passenger seat, slumping against the faux leather and barely even managing to buckle her seatbelt. "Nice car," she barely managed to mumble before letting her head drift sideways.

She fell asleep somewhere between the stable and the three minutes it took to get to her dorm building, but the sound the car pulling to a stop woke her back up. Diana slid the car into neutral and held her foot on the brake, glancing over at the Japanese girl as she fumbled with the door handle.

"Hey, Akko?"

"Hmm?"

Akko turned to face her, suppressing another yawn.

"Thank you. Again."

Akko nodded, a slow smile spreading across her lips as she lingered, one leg dangling from the open door of the car. "Sure." She hesitated and took a deep breath, then said, "Can I ask you something?"

Diana felt her eyebrows knit together as she studied the other girl—the messy brown hair, the tired eyes, the bare legs prickled with goosebumps-and nodded. "What's that?"

"Do you suppose we're friends now?"

She didn't know whether or not to be hurt that Akko didn't think that they were friends before or to be excited that Akko was considering them friends now. Play it cool, Diana. Stay neutral. She licked her lips and tightened her grip on the steering wheel. "If you like."

"Cool." Akko nodded again and pulled herself out of the car, pausing for a moment for a final glance before adding, "I like."

The door slammed shut. A bit hard—Diana certainly would have scolded Hannah and Barbara for that—but she didn't necessarily care. She was tired and smiling, watching the brunette as she dug her key card out of her wallet and disappeared into the sliding doors of the dormitory.

Friends. That was okay. Diana could certainly settle for being friends.


"Bloody hell, Diana, you've got me wet," Hannah said from her doorway.

Diana froze mid air-grind with her hands out to the side. Her gaze snapped to the door of her room, where Hannah stood with a shit-eating grin and her mobile held sideways in front of her face. She could feel the blood rushing to her neck and face and lunged forward.

"Delete that! Now!"

"No way," Hannah howled, jerking her phone away from the desperate blonde and breaking into shrill laughter. "That's quality content right there. I'm adding this to my wank bank."

Diana dropped her bright red face into her palm, gritting her teeth together.

At least I've got you in my head

"Hayley, too," Hannah said through laughs, propping herself up against the door frame and folding her arms over her chest—mobile snug and hidden against her abdomen—as she nodded at Diana's MacBook. "Who's got you feeling saucy?"

In long, embarrassment-fueled strides, Diana stormed over to her MacBook and muted Spotify with the press of a button. She had been studying for an upcoming exam in Equine Nutrition, but her favorite Hayley Kiyoko song came on and Diana had been feeling it because thoughts of Akko were plaguing the back of her mind, and so she had started dancing. In a tank top. And her underwear. Because it was her room and private personal space and she could do what she wanted in it.

And, of course, now Hannah had a bloody video.

"Why do you feel the need to enter my room without announcing yourself?" Diana moaned, running a hand through her wavy blonde hair and crossing her arms tight over her chest in some sense of self-preservation as she leveled an icy blue stare at her roommate.

"What's going on?" Barbara mumbled from down the hall. Diana could hear the creak of her bedroom door and her bare feet plodding against the hardwood floor.

Hannah was smirking. "Knock? Then how would I catch you doing things like this? I mean, shit, girl," she hissed, holding her phone up. "Hey, Barbs, look at this-"
"Delete that!"

"Absolutely not! Don't worry, I'll only send it to everyone you ever crush on."

"Wow, Diana, I don't think I'm so straight anymore."

"I've got an idea. You're single, I'm single, this is hot as hell, let's-"

Diana groaned and buried her face in her hands again. "Hannah, I told you not to flirt with me! That's so weird and inappropriate. And both of you, get out of here! This is an invasion of privacy!"

"Eh." Hannah waved a hand dismissively, turning to walk off. "You're not my type, anyway. Too sexy. I prefer boyish charm."

Barbara blinked at Diana for a moment from where she stood in her sleep clothes, somewhat confused but also entertained, with one black eyebrow quirked. "I mean, damn, though," she muttered, inhaling deeply and letting her eyes trail over Diana's body before before following her roommate.

Diana lunged for the door and pressed it shut, turning the lock this time for good measure. She had asked time and time again for her roommates to either knock or announce themselves before entering her room, and time and time again they barged in without any kind of warning. One of these days she was going to be

doing

something

inappropriate.

She let out a heavy sigh and slammed her MacBook shut. It was late anyway and she was still trying to get her sleep pattern back in order from being up all night earlier in the week with Beatrix. The mare had settled out just fine and seemed completely back to normal, but Diana wasn't about to take her to the show. Hannah and Barbara were going without her, which would be pretty nice, because she'd have the flat to herself and wouldn't have to worry about them barging into her room.

She paused for a moment before flicking out her lamp, staring through her window to gaze across the street and the university beyond. It was always a sight she could appreciate: the ornate architecture reaching into the night sky, the bright stars that glimmered overhead. In the distance, she could see some of the rolling fields of the stables and the very edge of the barn that held her mare. She liked to look every night, just to remind herself of where she was and what she was doing.

Just as she was settling beneath the covers, her mobile vibrated on the other side of her pillow. Nobody texted her—unless it was Hannah sending that stupid video, in which case she would kick her all the way across campus—and so a message so late in the night was a little strange.

Thursday, October 4, 2018

Akko 22:08

Heeeeeeeeyyyy what are you doing :3

Akko?

She blinked down at the message, kicking her bare feet against the cold sheets as she pushed herself up to sit against her headboard. She'd saved the number, obviously, in case she ever needed to call or message the other girl, and she'd be lying if she tried to say she hadn't hovered over an empty screen for a while trying to think of something to say without coming across as weird, but Akko texting her out of the blue was... a pleasant surprise.

She'd started to type out a response, deleting it once (because she was going to say "About to go to sleep", and if she said that Akko would likely stop talking to her) and typing out something new when-

Akko 22:09

Wrong person sorry

Diana's thumb froze over the keyboard and she frowned down at the dim screen until a couple more messages popped up in rapid succession.

Akko 22:09

just kidding

Hey Diana

Her disappointment quickly turned to amusement as she chuckled and let herself drift down against her pillow, rolling over onto her side.

Diana 22:10

You sure about that?

Akko 22:10

Yep

Well, now she didn't really know what to say. Chloe had always told her she was terrible at texting—she was usually delayed in her responses and "too formal", whatever that meant—and so she didn't want to say something stupid.

Which seemed fine, because dots lit up on her screen indicating Akko typing, anyway.

Akko 22:11

how's B?

Her muscles were shaking a little and she tried to relax. Why was she nervous? It was just Akko and it was just texting. No big deal, right?

Diana 22:12

She's great, thanks again.

Akko 22:12

(* ^ ω ^)

Whatever that meant.

Akko 22:12

still not going this wknd?

Diana 22:12

Unfortunately not.

She needed to go to bed—she had a quiz in Microbiology and a presentation in Pharmacology—but now her adrenaline was on high and she didn't want to close her eyes at all.

Akko 22:13

we are going to LWS tmrw night if u wanna come!

She was about to ask what LWS before she realized it probably meant Last Wednesday Society and mentally scolded herself for almost asking a ridiculous question.

But... we. That meant the rest of the Games team, probably. Girls that really didn't seem to welcome her company in the least. Especially Amanda O'Neill.

Diana let out a long sigh and tensed one calf muscle, rolling her jaw as she stared off into the darkness of her room. Light from somewhere else in the flat was still flooding in through the bottom of her door: either one of her roommates was still awake (unlikely, they had to wake up early to prepare for the show) or they left on a light unknowingly (more likely, they always did that). She flicked her eyes back to the screen and realized she'd let time go by just thinking about a response.

Diana 22:17

Maybe.

A few minutes passed and Diana was starting to think that her message was a little too terse and was considering what else she could say when-

Akko 22:21

Pleeeeease? :3

I owe u drinks

2 to be exact

maybe 1 more as interest

Akko 22:22

so 3 drinks

I guess 4 if u want 4

thats a lot tho

how about just 3

(/ω/)

Diana laughed and turned her face into her pillow, twitching her toes into the sheets. She nibbled at her bottom lip and tried to stop the blush from working into her cheeks as she typed back.

Diana 22:23

How terribly convincing.

Akko 22:24

sounds like a yes

She did want to go and hang out with Akko, but-

Diana 22:25

We'll see.

Akko 22:25

Diana 22:25

What are you still doing up?

Akko 22:26

texting you duh :3

its not late

wait

is it too late

ughh

Good lord, she messaged at the speed of light. Every time she moved to start typing something back, Akko had already sent three more before her thumbs could even hit the keyboard.

Akko 22:27

i'm so sorry

(/ω/)

Diana 22:28

lol. It's fine, Akko.

Akko 22:28

ok

good

:3

Akko 22:30

tmrw?

Diana 22:31

Fine.

Akko 22:31

ok see you there! :3 night!

Well, okay, that happened. With a sigh, she typed out one final message and hit send before shoving her mobile back under her pillow.

Diana 22:32

Goodnight.

So she was going out with Akko. Well, and the rest of the Games team, but that was besides the point, because, well—Akko would be there. She pulled her covers up to her chin and flexed her fingers into them, squeezing her eyes shut and trying hard, while also failing miserably, to suppress a grin that she was pretty sure she fell asleep with.


HORSE & CHARACTER PROFILE

Constanze Amalie von Braunschbank-Albrechtsberger | 19 | 5' | German | Major: Electrical Engineering

Mounted Games Team

Stan | 11.3hh | 8 | German Riding Pony | Gelding

Dappled Grey with 4 white stockings