This has been on the go for 2 weeks, but I’ve got another litograph!
I’ve been wanting to remake my ‘Can Lying Be Good?’ one for a little while now, and I’m much happier with this version of it I’ve explored different colour concepts and adding in people which I think worked pretty well! Tap the pic for much better quality :D
Hope you like it!
Taglist is under the line! As always, if you would like to be added or removed- just let me know via tags, dms, asks… Whichever way is comfiest for you!
Logan was settled back in his stall on a freshly mounded bed of hay, more than content to look up his own books to read on the iPad. Thomas had the cell phone, so that if Logan needed, all he needed to do was get to the phone, read the number on a paper there, and call him.
Everyone else had on halters and was ready to go. Except Remy.
“Actually,” Thomas said, setting aside the last halter. “If you don’t mind giving me a ride, I don’t think anyone would insist on a halter then.”
“I’d much prefer carrying you around to having a halter on,” Remy said forcefully, holding a hand down for Thomas.
Thomas grabbed on and pulled himself up to Remy’s back. “Then I think we’re ready!”
Roman pranced around in a tight little circle. “Can we race? At least once we’re out of sight and don’t have to stay close anymore?”
“I don’t mind racing at all,” Thomas said, grinning.
They had to go a bit slowly at first, so that he could at least pretend to be holding onto all the halter ropes, but once they got past the end of the paddock, they took them all off and tied them into a bundle that Patton offered to carry.
When Thomas woke up, rather slowly, feeling itchy and groggy and much in need of a shower, it was to soft voices and little clops of moving hooves.
“And where is the rest of the food?”
“That’s all there is out here. Mostly we tend to eat the pre-made stuff.”
“I’ll have to put it on the list too then.”
Thomas opened his eyes, registering that Patton and Emile were talking.
Patton sighed. “It’s just… strange. I worry that with all of the new nice things that once Thomas leaves it’ll be so miserable and I don’t know how I’ll be able to handle it.”
“Thomas won’t be leaving. Or if he does, we’ll be taking you with us.” Emile promised.
Thomas nodded slightly, staying silent.
Patton moved, peeking over the shorter wall that separated his stall from the one Thomas was using as a bed, met Thomas’s eyes, and jumped back with a sound rather like a loud squeak.
“Oh, dear! I’m sorry, I didn’t think you were awake.”
Thomas sat up. “No, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“It’s alright,” Emile said. “Little mishaps happen, you both are fine.”
Thomas stood up and stretched, gratefully noting that Emile was making breakfast for everyone. Between yesterday and now already this morning, he could tell he was going to greatly appreciate Emile. He was going to have to find some way to pay Emile back somehow.
Thomas was more than a bit groggy, having gotten up quite a bit earlier than he usually would to make it out to the stable on time. He wanted to get there before the man would come back for Logan. He’d already called the police, and they should be there around the same time he was trying to be, to catch the people behind it all.
The sun was only barely up as he unlocked the door, whispering from inside cutting off abruptly as he swung it open.
“Wha— Thomas?” Roman said.
Thomas waved, hiding a yawn behind his hand. “Morning, guys. I had to get here a bit early to help the police.” He smiled triumphantly. “We’re catching those old grooms and the people they’re working with.”
“Yay!” Patton said in a half whisper, clapping his hands gently so they didn’t make sound.
“Is Logan still asleep?” Thomas asked, lowering his voice.
Roman nodded. “He’ll sleep until he’s woken up. So will Virgil, but Virgil just likes being asleep.”
Thomas nodded, and then turned, seeing cars distantly on one of the gravel roads that crisscrossed the estate. They seemed to be white, so they were probably the police. He hoped they realized that they would have to walk a good way to reach the stable, and wouldn’t just drive around looking for the turn that wasn’t there.
“I’ll go see if that’s them.”
It turned out to be a bit of a mess catching their attention and getting them to come back to the stable, but at least the jogging around and talking to people woke him up the rest of the way. The police wanted to hide in the stable and listen to what the man would say before they arrested him, though they did already have a warrant, based on what Thomas had told them the night before. So they parked the cars where they wouldn’t be as easily noticed, and hid up in the loft.
Then he just had to wait, and not even very long, before a car with a big trailer drove up. The man walked nearly halfway to the stable before he noticed Thomas.
“Hey, there. Didn’t expect anyone out here this early.”
Thomas shrugged, going over some of the questions he was supposed to ask. “I was just thinking, you said you got all your money betting on him. Until I get my cut, I might want to put some money in the ring too. Where is he going to do these ‘races’?”
“Mhmm!” Patton nodded, hopping up a little bit like he did when he was excited.
“Just like this? Bareback? I don’t want to hurt you.”
Patton gave him almost a pouting look. “I can carry you! I promise!”
Thomas gave in. And really, he’d wanted to give in ever since the first suggestion. “Alright.”
Patton beamed, sidling up to the fence.
Thomas climbed the fence and carefully slid onto his back. Patton certainly seemed able to hold him, still managing to do his springy little hops.
“Hold on! Hold on, Thomas!”
“What for?” Thomas asked, but wrapped his hands around Patton’s waist.
Patton took off, almost immediately into a canter. They passed Roman, who was racing back in the opposite direction, and turned immediately to match pace beside Patton. “No fair! I wanted to be the first to give Thomas a ride!”
Something about the whole situation made Thomas very, very happy, and a laugh bubbled up and broke out. “I didn’t know you would actually want to be ridden.”
“Well not by just anybody,” Roman said. “But you’re different. Even Virgil wants to take you for a ride someday.”
Thomas glanced across the paddock, to where Virgil and Logan were both laying on the ground. Virgil was holding a fistful of grass above his head, and letting it fall into his mouth. He laughed again, not quite doubting.
“Let’s go see them!” Patton said, turning.
The three of them rushed up to the two, and Thomas felt like there was somehow a whole air of happiness following them, and spreading out as they stopped into a calm contentment. Roman plucked him off of Patton’s back, and Thomas let out a surprised squeak. But he was just set onto Roman’s back so Patton could flop down and roll.
He wished he’d brought a picnic lunch now. He could easily spend a long, long afternoon out here like this.
“Alright,” Thomas said, satisfied that Roman was properly off to his competition. “Logan and Virgil are sleeping, and Patton, do you know if you have anything for today?”
“I don’t think so, but I don’t really know,” Patton said.
“In that case, I’m going to try taking a quick nap and then maybe Logan and Virgil will wake up. If anything comes up, you wake me up, ok?”
Patton nodded.
Thomas ended up flopping onto a pile of hay and dozing off. It wasn’t like him to take naps, but he’d been up quite late and then woke up much earlier than usual.
Thomas had a full night’s sleep before going to the stable in the morning, the centaurs seemed to have slept well, and Logan’s legs were doing well, only a bit warm to the touch.
Thomas looked at the schedule again. Patton had two parties coming up relatively soon, but not too soon, and other than that the week was empty.
He dared to hope it would be peaceful. Maybe even happy. He let out a hopeful sigh. A happy week would be much appreciated by them all.
The trip back to the stable was a more sedate jog, but no less enjoyable than the race had been. Thomas felt good. Soaked in sunshine and fresh air in a very pleasant way.
Even the having to stop and put on the harnesses again didn’t dampen his good mood. Though, he considered, he wasn’t the one most affected by it by a long shot.
Once back at the stable, he grabbed several curry combs and brushes. “If I brush Patton, since he’s going to have a party this evening, and then perhaps Remy and Emile would help each other and Roman and Virgil?”
“Awww… I forgot about that,” Patton said, a bit dejectedly.
Emile nodded immediately, holding out a hand for a comb, but Roman and Virgil looked far more confused.
Roman looked at Virgil, a thoughtful frown on his face. “I suppose… it always goes sort of the same way… I imagine I could…”
Virgil gave a helpless shrug, hugging his arms close.
“What, none of you have ever groomed each other before?” Remy asked, his tone bordering on rude, and his hands on his hips.
Virgil gave another shrug. “I mean… not properly. I’ve untangled knots, especially for Logan, since his hair gets all tangled, but not with a brush or anything.”
Roman seemed more offended than Virgil. “Look, it’s not like we were allowed to just go and do things like you’ve been.”
“Well, there’s always time to learn now,” Emile said, somehow gentle and decisive at once, holding out the softest brush to Roman.
ALT
