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Post by kaynemorgenstern on Apr 14, 2021 18:54:34 GMT -6
Kayne stirred as the crowing of roosters echoed through the air. With a groan he sat up and stretched, slowly opening his eyes. There was a moment of disorientation as he looked at his surroundings, wondering why he was not in his bedroom. The tools and bits of hardware scattered around him, and the machine he realized he'd fallen asleep against, jarred his memory. He'd stayed up well into the night to fix the mechanized plow, to get it ready for the sowing season. Kayne had a knack for quickly learning how things worked, so he took it upon himself to repair and maintain the steam-powered mechs that kept their farm running smoothly.
He stood up and stretched again, groaning. He didn't remember testing the mech before passing out. He looked out of the open barn door at the horizon, the sun just starting to peek out above the field that stretched as far as the eye could see. He still had some time before breakfast to finish up. Giving his handiwork from last night a once-over and nodding his satisfaction, he used the toe of his boot to scoot all of the bits and pieces discarded on the ground out of the way before pulling himself up into the machine.
He held his breath as he fired up the ignition, and let it out when he heard the hiss of steam releasing from the exhaust and felt the mech shudder to life beneath him. He directed the machine out of the barn so that he could test it fully, making sure everything worked as it should. When the plow's blades lowered and started to whir to life, he let out a whoop of victory. The damn thing had given him trouble all winter, to the point where he thought they might not be able to save it. Some last minute ingenuity (and a lot of kicking and swearing) had finally gotten the thing working.
Satisfied, he returned the mech to its place in the barn and climbed down. His stomach growled, reminding him that he hadn't eaten much in the past couple of days and was now due a victory breakfast. Cracking his neck, he left the barn, slid the large door closed, and walked up to the house.
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Justyce
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Post by Justyce on Apr 14, 2021 20:55:26 GMT -6
Rhona had found that working this farm suited her. She loved the days that started early and didn’t end until the sun went down. It suited her and the energy she had to burn and this life suited her. She had spent the last few days collecting parts for her brother as he worked on the plow and she hoped he had it running. She didn’t like the idea of hoeing all those rows. Her hands were calloused and would handle the work but it would be long days lantern oil burned to get them all done before planting time. She really did hate the thought but secretly loved the idea of pushing herself. It made her feel alive.
She had slept rather well but had watched the light in the barn flicker for at least an hour after father had sent her to bed. She wanted to argue with him but his stern look had sent her to bed without voicing the argument. She hated it that Kayne was allowed to stay up when she had to go to bed early but she understood because she had laundry, cooking, and cleaning on top of her regular chores around the farm. She had been up already and collected eggs, cut wood, started the fires in all the rooms to add warmth to the house, went hunting and felled a small deer, and then returned home.
Father was friends with the native people. They had taught her how to use a bow to hunt and other things to survive and in return they used the furthest fields to plant after they were plowed. It was a good arrangement and they also let her come and visit with Kayne. She didn’t remember much about their childhood but it was ok.
She was cooking up breakfast and she heard the plow come to life and after some machine noises stopped. Kayne was successful it seemed. She loved her brother was so smart and could fix things. She would have to tell him about the water spots she had seen in the attic when retrieving when of the chests father had asked her to bring down to the basement. Everyday was so busy for them that she wondered if she would ever tire of being on the farm. The house was a bit larger by most standards. It was three bedrooms and their father had directed its construction. She and Kayne had built it and he insisted on several things being put in. That was the boiler in the basement.
She had forgot to fire the boiler and now she was running down the steps to add wood to it. Her father was going to be mad at her. She was already adding the starter and when she had the fire going good she left the basement and returned to the stove. She had made the regular portions she usually made which for her and Kayne were larger than what normal people ate but to them it was normal. She looked out the door and saw Kayne crossing the yard from the barn. She grabbed plates and set the table for breakfast.
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Post by kaynemorgenstern on Apr 15, 2021 9:33:23 GMT -6
Kayne entered through the kitchen door, welcomed by the smell of sausage, bacon, and eggs. Only Rhona was in the kitchen and there were only two places set at the table, so he assumed that Father was busy at work in his lab already. If he'd even been to bed. That was one trait he had in common with the old man, when he set his mind to a task he wouldn't rest until it was completed.
He smiled at Rhona in greeting as he sat at his place at the table. "Good news, we won't be plowing the fields by hand after all this year." Not that plowing by hand would have been terribly difficult, but it would have been time consuming, and making sure all of the fields were ready to be sown before the late spring rains fell would have put them in a time crunch. Rhona had enough on her plate, what with her chores around the farm as well as within the house. Their father had no wife, so all of the womanly duties fell on her shoulders. Kayne didn't want to see his sister burn out, and making sure the mech was functioning ensured she had a little bit of time to take care of her own needs.
"I thought maybe we could go into town this afternoon to celebrate."
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Justyce
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Post by Justyce on Apr 16, 2021 21:45:22 GMT -6
Rhona was finishing the bacon in a pan on the cooler part of the stove as she put in some eggs in the hotter pan. Anyone else would look at all the gigs and good and guess that they had at least two other siblings but this was for Kayne, herself, and usually father but he was busy it appeared. The news of the plow caused her to smile.
“That is excellent news Kayne! I’m excited you got it fixed!”
Rhona turned back to the stove to flip her eggs as Kayne liked his only cooked on one side. He was such a good brother to her. He kept her out of trouble and chased off any of the boys with dishonorable intentions. She had also spent a good portion of her day feeding the livestock yesterday and seeing up Kayne’s trousers. The washing would be done today and she would be pretty much done today with most early spring chores. The sound of their father’s voice drifted up from below as his heavy boots clipped up the stairs.
“Kan'ye! U menya yest' ideya, i mne nuzhna vasha pomoshch'. Eto pomozhet vam i vashey sestre. Ob etom pogovorim pozzhe.”(Kayne! I have an idea and need your help. It will help you and your sister. We will talk about it later.)
His boots receded down the stairs and he was gone. He did that sometimes and was gone. Rhona looked at Kayne with a raised eyebrow. Then Kayne said going to town and she was excited about the prospect as the store still owed them for the grain they sold them in the fall after harvest.
“Thank you Kayne!”
She used the spatula to turn the bacon and then grabbed his plate and put his eggs, sausage, and bacon in his plate. She repeated for her plate as well and then put the last few pieces on a plate for their father with some cheese. Yes she had made cheese over the winter and stored it on a cool dry place. She served Kayne and gave him a few slices of cheese as well. Kayne had actually made the pressed which allowed the liquid to be pressed out of the cheese and she wanted to get more cows to make larger wheels of cheese.
“Oh and you need to wash and change. I have sewn both pairs of ripped pants, your favorite shirt, and all your socks. You should be good until I do the washing again. Now eat before it gets cold.”
She sat down to eat and looked at Kayne. She had a question for him.
“Kayne one of the other boys said I’m pretty....am I pretty?”
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Post by kaynemorgenstern on Apr 17, 2021 19:20:41 GMT -6
"Da, Papa!" Kayne called as their father's footsteps retreated back down the stairs. He looked at Rhona and shrugged in response to her silent question. He was just as clueless, and curious, as she was.
<<“Oh and you need to wash and change. I have sewn both pairs of ripped pants, your favorite shirt, and all your socks. You should be good until I do the washing again. Now eat before it gets cold.”>>
Kayne gave her a mock scowl. "Are you saying I smell?" He lifted his arm and took a test sniff, then wrinkled his nose. Yup, he smelled like livestock and musty barn. "Don't answer that," he muttered. The Volks were lucky. Thanks to their father's inventive genius, their farmhouse had been fitted with indoor plumbing, unheard of in rural areas. This meant no drawing water from the pump in the yard for baths, no boiling the water over the stove and dumping it in the wash basin. The boiler in the basement provided access to heat for the water as it flowed through the pipes. The water was pumped to the house from the same well that the manual pump in the back yard drew from. This meant unlimited access to water, and as long as the boiler in the basement was lit, access to warm water.
He was glad his favorite shirt was mended. He could have purchased new trousers and socks in town, but the effort Rhona put into making sure everything lasted as long as possible warmed him. "Thank you for mending my clothes." He smiled. "I'll try to be more careful with them."
He started shoveling food in his mouth, but stopped and looked across the table at her when he felt her staring at him.
<<“Kayne one of the other boys said I’m pretty....am I pretty?”>>
He wasn't sure what he'd expected her to say, but it wasn't that. "Only a fool would think otherwise," he answered honestly, fighting back the brotherly urge to keep her locked away so none of the local boys could toy with her. With her unnaturally bright red hair, amber eyes, and a figure that had most of the men in town drooling whenever she walked by, he was surprised she had to ask.
Many of the women in town, he knew, were already considering marriage by the age of 17, so reasonably he knew that Rhona would start looking for a husband of her own. Something Kayne didn't want to think about, because God knew father wasn't finding a wife anytime soon, so who would keep the household running? The thought made him feel guilty, though. And, really, she was only asking about something a boy had said, not considering a marriage proposal. He'd cross that bridge when they came to it.
He swallowed a bite of bacon. "This boy. Is he handsome?" he asked with a grin, wagging his eyebrows.
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Justyce
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Post by Justyce on Apr 18, 2021 21:04:05 GMT -6
Rhona smiled Kayne started teasing her about his smell and then his not wanting the information.
“We do make soap....try and use it.”
She laughed. After that she dropped it. She was curious as to what dad wanted and why he only needed Kayne. He usually asked the both of them to help him.
“It was my pleasure. Sometimes we can’t be careful doing stuff. Besides you ripped it when you were halfway inside the guts of the plow. You fixing that will give us more time to get to the barn roof this summer.”
That was part of her mind and how she thought. She was fully invested, as was Kayne, in running the farm. They had a lot of land and only two of them.
“Thank you Kayne....HEY!”
She laughed as he went right back at her. She had spit a little food and quickly stopped and swallowed.
“No.....just an over heard comment that several of the boys quickly stopped saying when I got closer.”
She really didn’t think to much of any of the boys they had met and knew through daily activities around the farm or helping your neighbor. She hadn’t really thought much of boys. Kayne and her father were the only two male figures she interacted with. The other boys they didn’t seem to want to get to close.
“They don’t say it to me. I don’t know why. Anyways you said town and well that means I have to get the horse from the pasture, unless we don’t need the wagon?”
She didn’t mind walking to town. It was only about five to six miles away. It would be fine unless they were getting seed. Then they’d need the wagon.
“Are we getting seed?”
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Post by kaynemorgenstern on Apr 19, 2021 7:29:43 GMT -6
Kayne wasn't surprised to hear that the men in town didn't approach her directly. It hadn't escaped his notice that most people tended to avoid them. Something about the Volk family seemed to intimidate the townsfolk. He figured it was their father's reputation. He'd heard the rumors flying around of the reclusive mad genius, but it didn't bother him any.
He considered her question. "Might as well get seed while we are there. We'll need the wagon anyway, to cart around our purchases." He grinned. "This trip isn't for work, just a bit of fun, after all."
He finished up his breakfast got up from the table, placing his plate in the sink. "I'm going to go get cleaned up. Be ready in an hour."
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Justyce
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Post by Justyce on Apr 21, 2021 20:40:59 GMT -6
She gave a grin and started to collect her empty plate. She waited until Kayne out his in the sink.
“Oh more than a supplies run? I’ll get the kitchen cleaned and the wagon and horse will be waiting.”
She was quick with her work and once he departed she cleaned up breakfast and took Papa’s plate down and put it on the little table he preferred his food left on when he was working. She rang the bell and added more wood to the boiler. She didn’t want it going out while they were away in town. She went up and washed up then got outside to get the wagon and horse.
~*~
Rhona had finished up getting everything cleaned up and the horse hitched and she still had to wait on Kayne. That was like him. He seemed to want to make her wait. Oh......that English soldier lady might be in town. That could be why he was washing up. She had noticed when Kayne didn’t think she was looking. She was nice and seemed to like to talk to Kayne. That wasn’t so bad for him.
“Kayne let’s go! Daylight is wasting!”
Sure the sun had just come up about two hours ago but they usually tried to get back before sun set. It was just a good idea.
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Post by kaynemorgenstern on Apr 22, 2021 11:56:32 GMT -6
Kayne scrubbed himself clean and shaved off the stubble that had grown in overnight. Unlike most men, he preferred to be clean-shaven. He dressed (yes, in his favorite and freshly mended shirt), laced up his boots, grabbed his cash, and headed down the stairs just in time to hear Rhona calling him from out front.
He left a quick note on the kitchen table for their father to let him know where they had gone and then went to the opposite side of the house, out the front door. He grinned as he caught Rhona's impatient look. "Hey, you're the one who told me I needed to clean up," he teased.
He climbed up into the driver's seat and took the reigns, waiting for Rhona to hop in before jostling the reigns and clicking his tongue to get the horse moving.
The trip into town was a long one, and quite boring without company. Two hours of nothing but fields on top of fields was enough to drive a person crazy. Certainly there could be a faster way. If their farm equipment could be mechanized, surely transportation could be mechanized as well. Before he knew it he was lost in the thought, trying to work out this puzzle mentally.
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Justyce
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Post by Justyce on Jun 15, 2021 21:36:48 GMT -6
Rhona say their quietly as Kayne drove the wagon towards town. She was thinking about the list of things they needed for the house. She had been told they would do some shopping as well but her mind was wired one way. As they moved along the dirt road she looked the scenery. She was thinking about the native peoples she spent time with them as much as she could because they had taught her how to work the land.
“Kayne….have you ever thought of leaving? I mean getting married and starting a family of your own?”
She didn’t know why she was questioning him about that one topic. She hadn’t really ever thought about it for herself. She worried over Kayne and their dad. She was concerned though that Kayne may not get married.
It was just how her mind worked. She remembered that their father had said they were special and that they needed special people to marry.
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Post by kaynemorgenstern on Jun 20, 2021 13:43:45 GMT -6
Kayne, startled out of his own reverie, looked at Rhona. "Where did that come from?" he asked. He looked up at the sky as he thought about his answer. "I think...it would be nice to have a family, someday." He looked back at Rhona and grinned. "But before that, I would have to have someone to court. Besides," he nudged her shoulder with his as he turned his eyes back to the road in front of them, "if I left to start a family of my own, who would take care of you?" Until someone worthy began courting her, he couldn't think about leaving. He needed to know she was going to be taken care of.
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Justyce
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Post by Justyce on Jun 21, 2021 18:48:51 GMT -6
Rhona looked at Kayne and smiled. That was good to know he did want to start a family, “Well that’s goo…”, wait! He thought she couldn’t take care of herself?!?
“Seriously! Kayne, I can take care of myself. Who feeds you? You are such a pain about this…,” she laughed and nudged him back, “plus as a team we could expand the house if either of us get married. It’s a good idea. Families working together to ensure they succeed.”
She gave him a grin as they could see the town when they created a hill. They still had a bit to go.
“What about Lady Viola? She fancies you…”
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Post by kaynemorgenstern on Jun 23, 2021 19:45:18 GMT -6
Kayne perked a brow. "Now you're just teasing me," he said, though a faint blush did creep across his cheeks. It's true Viola did seem to enjoy his company when they ran into each other, but did she really 'fancy him'? And why?
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Justyce
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Post by Justyce on Jun 23, 2021 22:18:33 GMT -6
Rhona after horrified that Kayne thought she was teasing him. She would never do such a thing….wait, wait, yes she would definitely tease him about dirty clothing and holes in his socks. That though she wouldn’t tease him about.
“I wouldn’t tease about that Kayne. Lady Viola, who signed our land grant, does fancy you for more than a guide and translator with the native people. She, I believe actually likes you beyond the he’s a great hand for finding my way around.”
She stopped as she realized perhaps Kayne didn’t see it. Heck she didn’t see a lot of things when it came to the opposite gender.
“She’s a British Dragoon. She can more than handle find her way around. She just likes having you around and that says she fancies you for more than the skills you possess.”
That she could see……after all she was protective of her brother.
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Post by kaynemorgenstern on Jul 6, 2021 20:36:21 GMT -6
Kayne considered what Rhona was saying, running his previous interactions with Viola through his head. She had a point. She was a soldier, an impressive thing for a woman. No doubt she was trained in all manner of combat and could probably navigate using the stars and a leaf.
Why would she be interested in him? He was just a farm boy, after all. The son of an eccentric man, and quite a bit different from the other folk in the town. Even though it confused him, the thought brought a smile to his lips.
"You're right. You're very perceptive, you know."
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