It was a lovely day with barely a cloud in the sky. Pony stood at the edge of the water, just out of the farthest reach of the waves. This was the special beach Pearl had shown him. Finding himself with little to do but remind himself why he was angry, he came here. 

Jenny remained close to the cart but was free to wander and he just watched the waves and the birds flying over the water. It was supposed to be her special place, but he was angry at hers so now it was his. He wanted to do something to make them a little unhappy.  He felt he had some right after all they had done to him. His hands were shoved deep in his pockets as he sang quietly to himself. "The sea shells of the sea rocking to and fro, remind me of young Edwin that ploughed the lowlands low."

They'd had a similar idea of going to the beach. She was a little depressed because she had genuine feelings for him and he'd hurt her with that stupid argument. She wanted to go there and get lost in watching the waves lap at the beach, but would not be taking a swim this time, remembering how sick she was the last time she swam in the cold water. She wanted to stop being angry about Pony, and the only way to do that was to connect with the ocean... except he was there. Some rebellious part of her was glad to see him, but then she remembered that she didn't want to see him. He was trespassing in more ways than one. After all, it was -her- beach... Her father owned it, but it was her special place, and Pony was standing there as calm as could be, singing a song. "You shouldn't be here," she said in a calm tone.

Pony rose his brow as he turned to look at her then back at the water. She was annoyed? Good! "And yet here I am." He squinted as the wind picked up and moved his body just a little to keep an eye on her. She didn't seem like the kind to try anything but he would make sure he was gone before she came back if she went to the trouble of getting someone to tattle that there was a guy in her spot.

"Yes, you are. But why?" she asked. "Of all places, you chose to come to my place." Her eyes narrowed at him as she regarded him with irritation. She did not move any closer than four feet away. She didn't just look upset with him, she was guarded as well as tired. "And seeing as we have nothing to say to each other, you'd best leave." She crossed her arms over her bosom and sniffed lightly.

"I wanted to come here. I don't need more of a reason just as I don't need a reason to leave just yet. You can't exactly push me away." Pony shrugged. "Life isn't fair is it? You have money but it can't make me do what you want. And how dare I not do what you want because you said so without even a please?"

"I dare because you're trespassing on land that does not belong to you. All I have to do is scream, Pony, and I can have you gone." She snapped her fingers to signify an instant. "But I would rather not stoop to such an uncivilized manner for the likes of you. Now kindly go away." Yet she didn't scream. There was part of her that wished they weren't fighting. But then again, he was the one acting entitled! How dare he?

He shrugged. "It is a beach, not a house. I didn't have to jump a fence or break a window. I can't hurt anything, you just don't like to have patience or share. " Pony put his hands in his coat. "Scream if you can't stand it and want me gone so badly. "

"I can share. I shared with you plenty." She tapped her foot. "I just don't want to share with you now, you... ass." And still, she did not scream. He had called her bluff. There was nobody guarding the place. She was, indeed, acting like a spoiled child, she realized and then sighed. "You know what, I don't care anymore. You don't care about my feelings, so why should I care about you or your feelings?" She marched over to the other side of the beach and parked it, grabbing rocks and chucking them into the waves.

Pony rolled his eyes. "If I didn't care about your feelings or your opinion, I wouldn't have gotten angry." He decided he didn't care to be around anymore since she wasn't leaving either. So he started to walk to the cart and get Jenny in place so he could strap her back in. "I don't care or like people. I find something I have in common and that lets me see them as a person, and that doesn't happen often. But I still had ideals about what people should be like. I thought that 'love' and 'marriage' are important things that take time. But you and my sister think other people are disposable and a new one can be gained as quickly as a new shirt. It makes me feel like I don't know either one of you and I don't want to. I don't want to get married, but now that I've lost my only family I had left. I sort of hope maybe one day I will find out if there's people out there that really do care about others and believe in something deeper than what I've always considered as puppy love.'

"You put words into my mouth," she yelled in frustration. "I never said I approved of what your sister may or may not be doing. I only tried to point out that you don't know the circumstances and I bet you never even asked her if she actually loved the man or not because you're too busy assuming the worst. I don't want to argue with you, you silly man. And for your information, you wouldn't know what love was if it hit you on top of the head because you're too focused on the sins of your sister to see what you had right in front of your face and threw away!" She was too angry by that point to realize what she had just said, but it didn't matter anyway. She was livid by that point.

Pony was about to argue when she slipped out her feelings. He held out a hand towards her. "My point exactly! You've never been in love! You thought you were but it was just a little affection. Love, actual love, can't turn so quick. If it could it wasn't real! I liked you. I thought you were beautiful and fun to be around and kind. But I never said it was love even to myself because how could I know? I didn't know you well enough, everyone can look great if you see their good side and you spend all your time only saying nice things to each other and acting like a friend. Do you honestly think real love is so coincidental that the moment my sister is single and she happens to meet a single man she finds handsome it just works? That boggles my mind!"

She sighed, rather depressed now more than angry. That he could just poopoo away her feelings like that hurt. She no longer cared about his fight with his sister. There was a miserable look on her face. "Believe what you want, Pony. I'm not going to argue with you anymore." If this was just infatuation, she thought, she didn't want to know what love really was. She looked away from him and turned to start walking. Then she whirled around and asked, "Did you really like me, or were you using me?" she asked, recalling the conversation she'd had with Rose where her friend had warned her against men such as Pony.

Pony rose his brow. Did she know? He didn't like seeing her hurt but he felt like he didn't know her. "If I was just using you, why would I have talked to you about something personal that could cause such an argument? I did like you.." eventually. "But I was always cautious. I mean its not like you'd have ever seen eye to eye with me anyways, being an aristocrat." That was a small lie, he had known a good life too as a child.

"Aristocrat? My father is a merchant and is not an aristocrat. I don't know where you came up with the idea that my blood is that bluer than yours, but it's not." She shook her head in bemusement. "Pony, I... This..." she gestured wildly, "isn't what I wanted when I gave you my opinion. I don't know your sister to know her motives and what I meant to say was maybe there is more to it than you know. People do desperate things when they are grieving. Maybe she isn't able to handle being alone. My own sister is a good example of that... She has been driven to drinking by the disappearance of her fiance. She thinks we don't know, but we do. I don't know if that is what it is. That doesn't make it right, mind. I am sorry that my thoughts came across as... you took them."

Pony shook his head. He kept strapping up Jenny but he slowed down a bit. "Look, I'm .. sorry I yelled but I've been angry at this a lot. My sister is a very sensitive subject for me. And I thought if I talked to a woman I'd understand instead of just be told I was horrible for being angry and thinking what she was doing was wrong. And how my opinion and trying to be careful never matters. I pushed that anger on you. Alright?" He ran his fingers over his face in frustration. "Its not grieving. She seemed almost relieved to be out of that life. And doesn't even care that I was right at all about some things. I don't care what most people think of me, but I cared about hers and clearly, I shouldn't." He sighed heavily and patted Jenny's head gently before he started to move to get back on. "I'll let you have your beach back and won't return." He hung his head with an uneasy frown. "And I realize I shouldn't have talked to you about something that I could get so upset by."

"Stay..." she blurted out, moving closer and beckoning him down. "Please... I've missed talking to you." Her words were true... even if she had been cross with him and hurt by him. She was partly at fault for it, she had realized. Instead of giving him comfort when he was in a bad spot, she had stuck her foot firmly and thoroughly in her mouth. He was one of the few people she could talk to and she didn't want it ruined. "Forgive me."

Pony shook his head and sighed running a hand down his face. "I don't want you to apologize unless you mean it. If you believe we both did wrong, then we should just call it even. But if you really believe I'm wrong and an ass for my opinions, you should say it but be open to talk and not turn on me. I don't want you to just say whatever you think I need to hear. It won't make things better later on. I want the right for us to both disagree." He had liked talking to her, but he wasn't going to have her feel trapped because she had to agree to him. He was surprised enough though that she wanted to talk to him.

"I am sorry," she said honestly. She looked up at him earnestly. "I should have been less opinionated and more sympathetic." Pearl then hung her head, saying no more for the moment since she was not trying to make excuses. She truly didn't want to fight with Pony and she missed him even if he had made her angry.

Pony sighed and looked from Jenny to her. "You had a very strong opinion. I can relate, I was very opinionated myself over something very sensitive and personal. "

He slipped off the cart and walked up to her. He extended his hand to her. "Want to make a promise? We will always talk civilly and not take things personally."

"Agreed." She said and took his hand. She gave a shake, lingered for a moment longer, and squeezed his hand before letting go. She wanted to hug him instead but hesitated in doing such a thing.

Pony knew it would be a while before he could trust Pearl to anything that bothered him, but if she had truly felt bad enough to be the one to apologize, then he wouldn't hold it against her. Unlike his sister, she realized her ways. It was really difficult to admit being wrong. He noticed the way she hesitated then smiled weakly. He held open his arms to her, "friends again?" It would be slow but he hoped they would be back where they had been not long ago.

"Friends..." she said and moved in for the hug. It was slightly awkward but it made her feel better, that was for sure. She pulled back from the hug and looked at him with a tentative smile.

The hug was quick and felt somewhat cold. He didn't expect much more. He gave a slight smile. They weren't fighting any more but it certainly wasn't like it had been. "So.. ah.. how have you been?"

"I've been alright," she was fibbing a little, for she had missed him and was sad not to see him, but it seemed like things would be awkward between them for a time. "How about you, Pony?" she asked softly.

Pony ah'd and nodded. "That's good. I've been alright. Mostly been sleeping in my cart. Oh, but I met a nice man in town, better than most i ever met. He offered me a place to stay, but it seems he's got a girl there. He acts like it's fine but I can't imagine a woman would like a stranger just coming in. Even if they are just friends, I wouldn't want to make things seem more scandalous in his house than already is."

Her eyes widened a little, "Goodness." She couldn't imagine living with a man out of wedlock, though this was most certainly not the first she had heard of it in Whitby. She recalled that part of her conversation with Rose where they were discussing a certain Mr. Meijer and his fiery-haired fiance. Her cheeks went red. She wasn't sure what to say.

Pony noticed her look. "See! He assured me they were just friends and it seemed like he was helping her from a bad situation. But he clearly fancies her. So I couldn't stay there."

"I understand." She paused and then thought about what to do to help him. She didn't want to come off as improper by offering him some money, but it seemed like the only solution she had. She couldn't invite him to stay at her house, that would be unthinkable, putting the final nail in the coffin that belonged to her reputation. He seemed to care a great deal about reputation... "Would you like to stay at an inn for a time? I could pay your fare."

Pony held up his hand. "No no. Trust me, the cart isn't the worst. And usually I can still stable Jenny. It lets me stay closer to keep an eye on her, so that's nice. Besides, since I'm not staying in town to keep an eye on my sister any more.. I am wondering if I should move on to the next town. I rarely stay in one place for long. I have a restlessness, you know?" He usually makes enough enemies he has to leave.

She did her best to keep her face from falling into an expression of sadness but it didn't work. She didn't want him to go. "I see," she said in a reedy voice. Pearl looked down and bit her lower lip. "Where will you go?"

Pony blinked and looked away awkwardly. He laughed weakly and ran a hand through his hair. "Don't look at me like that. I mean.. I have no where to go whether I stay here or out of town. But you make me feel bad if I go. I might stay here, if it upsets you so much. I will just keep to the other side of town. I really don't want to run into my sister at all." He then seemed in thought and smiled. "Can I have you buy my food and I'll pay you back? That way I don't risk running into her in the market place."

"It's true that I don't wish for you to go, but if you must... it would be awfully selfish of me to make you stay." She looked up and gave a slight smile. "But if you do stay, I'll bring you food." She promised, though she probably wouldn't take his money for the food. She understood that he didn't want to be around his sister, so she would do whatever she could to make that happen.

Pony smiled more. "If I have a friend in town, I don't think I'd want to abandon you. You seemed to have missed me, and I am happier you are on my side. I will stay, I'll come by every day or two to visit if that won't cause you trouble."

"I told you I missed talking to you," she reminded with a smile. "I missed you in general, but I know part of that was you being busy." She turned and looked toward the water.

Pony shrugged and smiled rubbing the back of his neck. "Well, since I'm not worrying about taking care of anyone but me and Jenny, it'll be easier again." He turned and looked at the water too, stuffing his hands into his pockets

She nodded in response, "I am glad I'll be seeing more of you again," she murmured honestly. She did not add the part about the circumstances under which she would be seeing him again, but that didn't need to be spoken out loud. Pearl turned her gaze to him.