Stables
Katkin is making her round around the stable with the horses food. She carries a big pile of hay into every stall and makes sure to give each horse a good amount of love and hugs as well. She reaches the last horse, her favorite. She always ends her round here so that she can stay and cuddle for some extra time.
"Hello Persi." She talks in a call voice and scratches the horses head.
Persiphone continues to eat. Katkin pulls out an apple from her pocket. She looks at the horse as she takes a bite. Her ears immediately turn towards the sound. Persi looks up at Katkin, and sees the apple. She pushes her gently with her head. Katkin pretends to not understand.
"Did you want something?"
The horse pushes her again, and lets out air through her nose. Katkin gives in, she's just too cute.
"Alright, here you go." She gives halv the apple to Persi.
"Just don't tell the other horses"
After having spent time with the horses, Katkin goes to the saddle chamber. In a corner there is the lower half of a moving box. Katkin walks up to it, and peeks inside. A cat is laying at the bottom, with four kittens snuggled up to her belly.
"Good morning ma'am" Katkin puts down a bowl of cat food.
She watches the cats for a second, then goes to take care of the equipment. She sits in a corner and oils the saddle-girths. She lets out a satisfied sigh, she feels content..
Moped
Sel and Bree are driving around on different gravelled roads. Bree sits behind Sel and is holding tight to his hoodie. She has let go a little since they started driving though, but isn't completely relaxed just yet. Sel had lent her a helmet that he found in the back of the shed. It smelled a bit funky, but he insisted that it was fine and that Katkin had used it more than once.
Sel drives fast. Just a little bit faster than a moped should. His helmet doesn't have a visor, so he squints a little to the airflow that hits his face. He slows down outside a house, and turns the motor of.
"So, this is the last house. If she doesn't live here, I don't know what to do." He takes of his helmet.
Bree jumps of, takes her helmet of, and looks up towards the house. It's a big and old house, but with a new fresh coat of paint on it. It doesn't feel like Katkin would live here. They walk up to the mailbox first. It doesn't have Katkins name on it, it says Varis.
"She could still live her?" Sel tries to be optimistic.
Bree makes a sceptic face, but nods. They walk up to the front door, and knock. It takes a while, but then they can hear footsteps coming down the stairs. A thin, older man opens the door.
"Hello?"
"Hi! Sorry to bother you. Do you know anyone named Katkin?" Bree puts her kindest voice to work.
The man looks down on them, and thinks for a moment.
"Yes."
"You do?"
"Yes, she passes by on a horse every now and then. I've let her pick apples from the tree down by the road." He nods towards the mailbox.
Bree lower her shoulders in disappointment. Sel puts a hand on her back to encourage her.
"Okay, thank you. Sorry again." he says and starts turning away.
They step down from the porch and head back towards the moped.
"I would try at the stables, if you're looking for her. I think she spends a lot of time there." The man says and closes the door.
"Well he got that right. Not a day passes that Katkin doesn't smell of horse and hay." Sel says with a small laugh.
"Should we go there?" Bree asks as she puts her helmet back on.
"I guess so. I don't know how else to solve this riddle."
Answers
Katkin hears a familiar sound out on the parking lot. Sel has driven her several times, and his brakes make an uncanny sound. She was planning on spending the day alone, after the conversations about where she lived, but at the same time she felt happy that her friend had come to see her. Maybe Sel wouldn't ask any questions. She puts down the saddle she was working on, and goes outside to meet him. As she turns around the corner of the stable and see that Bree is with him, she hesitates for a second.
"Hi guys!" She calls for them and gives a little wave.
They turn their heads and see her. They wave back and start walking over.
"You don't usually make your way all the way up here Sel?" Katkin crosses her arms over her chest and looks at Sel to try and make out what's going on.
"Well, I thought that it would be nice to get a change of air you know?"
"Yeah because you love when the air is full of horse right?" Katkin teases him a little.
"I'm trying okay. Lay off me." Sel chuckles and pretends to punch Katkins arm.
Katkin shifts her focus to Bree, who has been standing quiet behind Sel.
"Could not have expected you two to gang up on a moped though?"
"Sel told me about it and I thought it sounded fun." Bree says with a shrug, trying to seem innocent.
Katkin looks at her, not really sure of what's going on. She turns to Sel again.
"You know what, I actually have something to show you. Come with me."
Katkin leads Sel and Bree back into the saddle chamber.
"Wow saddles." Sel pretends to be impressed.
"Ha ha. No over here." Katkin squats by a box in a corner.
Sel walks over, Bree following a bit behind.
"They are just four weeks old." Katkin says and holds up one of the kittens so that Sel can see.
Sel doesn't even answer Katkin, but immediately starts making baby noises towards the kitten, as he holds out his hands so that she can give it to him. He lets the kitten smell his hands a little, before he holds it up to his face. They look at each other, and then the kitten licks Sels upper lip. Sel makes more happy noises.
"I take it you like him?" Katkin smiles at them.
"I love him."
"Do you want to hold one Bree?" Katkin leans over to look at Bree still standing behind Sel.
Bree puts up her hands.
"No it's fine. I do need to go to the toilet though. Is there one?"
"Yeah sure. Go back outside and then up the stairs. It's the first door on the left when you get up."
"Okay, thank you."
Bree follows Katkins directions, and ends up on the top of a metal stair. There are three doors. The one on the left has a toilet sign on it, the middle on has a windowpane in the middle through which Bree can see that there is a cafeteria on the other side. The third door also has a window in it, but a smaller one, and it's covered by a curtain from the inside. Bree has no previous experience of stables but she can't guess what this room might be. She tries the handle. It's locked. She looks around and sees a horseshoe nailed to the wall above the cafeteria door. She reaches for it and manage to wiggle out one of the nails. She crouches in front of the lock to the third door, but hesitates for a moment. It doesn't feel right to try and brake in. Maybe she should just ask Katkin what's in here. Though she doesn't know why, she doesn't feel like Katkin would tell her. She decides to try and pick the lock.
Sel manages to cuddle with every kitten, but eventually returns to the first one. Katkin sits with him and talk about the kittens, and tells Sel about the mother cat, Ma'am.
"I think it's hilarious that her name is Ma'am." Sel says as he gives the bigger cat a scratch under her chin. "What are the kittens names?"
Katkin just shrugs.
"I don't know yet. I think we'll try to sell them of and let the new owners decide."
Sel puts down the kitten and stands up. Katkin makes sure all the cats are alright before she also stands up. She looks around.
"Where did Bree go? Hasn't she been on the toilet for a while now?"
"Maybe she ate something bad?" Sel answers.
Katkin isn't convinced, and head outside. Sel follows close behind.
They reach the stairs and look to the upper landing. Katkin focuses her eyes, the toilet door doesn't look locked. She starts climbing the stairs.
"Katkin are you sure. Wouldn't you want to be alone on the toilet." Sel is still following her.
"If I actually were on the toilet." Katkin mutters to herself, as she gets closer to the door and sees that it is indeed unlocked.
When Katkin reaches the top of the stairs she notices the right hand door. It's not closed properly. Panicking, Katkin grabs the handle and pulls the door wide open. Inside, in a room containing almost only a small bed, a dresser, an armchair and a small bookshelf, stands Bree. She looks up from a journal that's laying on the windowsill, and meets Katkins stare.
They look at each other quietly. Sel catches up to Katkin and looks into the room from behind her shoulder. Bree makes a gesture around the room, with her hands.
"Is this where you live?"