Posted July 24, 2021, 11:54 a.m. by Civilian Seamus McKenzie (Future Citizen) (James Sinclair)
Posted by Civilian Ragna Idun McKenzie (Future Citizen) in Earth - Seek And Ye Shall Find… Whether You Want To Or Not
Posted by Civilian Seamus McKenzie (Future Citizen) in Earth - Seek And Ye Shall Find… Whether You Want To Or Not
Posted by Civilian Ragna Idun McKenzie (Future Citizen) in Earth - Seek And Ye Shall Find… Whether You Want To Or Not
Posted by… suppressed (3) by the Post Ghost! 👻(snip)
Yep that was him, no doubt about it. Turkaffe? Really? And then his voice…hot electrical misfires raced across her shoulder and down her arms to the tips of her fingers. NOPE! Sorry Alföðr (Allfather) not today, not any day. Nope nope nope. She turned, grabbed the door handle…and it STUCK and she heard the sound of laughter on distant thunder. Runa took a deep breath, counted to 10 like she taught her students, turned around and prayed he’d get his coffee and walk to the other side of the coffee shop and not notice her right away. What was she doing here? Answers, she wanted answers…or she had, now she was thinking she was good not knowing…Runa
“Run- , er, Ms. Edman? Is that-… is that you?” His voice was deep, but the tenor held… something… something genuine… and sincere. “I… oh, I’m sorry. Um…” and he held out his hand. “Capall. Capall McK-, er, Sutherland. Please, may I get you something?” and he gestured to the counter.
Capall
Runa was sure if she looked out the window there was a train or a tornado coming through the town from the roaring sound in her ears. Shake his hand? No…but that was rude and the man had tried to save her sister. “Mr. Sutherland.” And just like when she taken the letters from his hand there was heat, electricity, and a knowing. She pulled her hand back as naturally as possible. This man…Capall McK…Sutherland was not going to rattle her. “That’s alright, you don’t need to do that. Let me pay for yours, it’s the least I can do, after what you’ve done for us.” There that was truthful, and half the reason she’d gone looking for him. But she was not ordering Turkaffe, that was too telling. She ordered water because after all the singing and shouting at the party she needed it and then a plain black coffee. Not nearly as good as Turkaffe.
Runa
“I appreciate the offer, but I must decline. And I did not nearly enough.” His voice cracked slightly at the end. “I will not interrupt your day further. I hope the celebration is as… as… as heartwarming as it seemed to be.” He moved past her to leave, barely brushing against her, and said softly “I’ve never heard a voice like yours. It is… unforgettable. Take care, Ms. Edman.” and he reached for the door.
Capall
Runa really was a good caring person at her core. The last month had been torturous on her and her sisters, her mother and father. So much longer for Mike. And for Capall. Everyone knew Mike had been suffering, even if no one did anything. Something Revna said about Capall came back to her. He’d been suffering and no one knew and he alone had stopped the cycle. Capall didn’t see it that way, but it was true. He was in the dark, and with a silent side-eye at the gods and her sister, Runa was going in after him. She placed a hand on the door. “Then sit and talk with me, or if you prefer we can walk.”
Runa
The big man froze and stared at her hand on the door. Slowly he looked at her and then… he smiled.
It was slight, but it was sincere. “I would like that. But only if you allow me to buy you a coffee… or a tea, if you prefer.”
Capall
Not even aware of it Runa smiled in return. “Turkaffe, black.” Edman’s never did anything half way. While he stood at the counter her hand reached into the pouch at her waist, feeling the smooth black onyx stones inside. Habit and nerves made her draw one out. She took a sip of the water she’d ordered before and looked down and began to cough as the water went down the wrong way: Ansuz. Two sides of a conversation, establishing communication, and Odin - Alfather. She dropped the stone back in the bag and pulled the string tightly closed. No more of that. She drowned the rest of the water to cover up the heat rising to her face. And a sudden thought occurred to her. Capall was no longer a McKenzie - she was safe.
Runa
Capall returned and set the fresh Turkaffe in front of her and took a seat across from her. “Thats my preference, as well.” he said quietly. He took a sip of his own and then said “So… you wanted to talk?”
Capall
Runa took the cup, “Thank you.” She sipped it, not as good as on the trail, but it never was, but it was hot strong and bracing…kind of like…nope nope nope. Runa met his gaze caught there for several moments. “You helped save my baby sister. For that and that alone I needed to thank you.”
Runa
Capall shook his head and said “No… no you shouldn’t thank me.” He lowered his head, took a breath, and sighed. “I failed her… and the Clan. I should have done more… seen what was happening sooner.” He looked up, and his brilliant green eyes were red with held-back tears.
“I’m sorry, Ms. Edman. And believe me when I say that of everything I have lost today, what I regret most is the fact that this… you and I enjoying a coffee, perhaps a meal… is no longer possible. You are a noble… I am a banished traitor. If this was a novel, it would make for great plot development. As it is my life, however…” and he shook his head and looked back down at the coffee.
Capall
“Really? Let me explain something to you. That recording you sent, saved her and saved Seamus too. We found the recording of Argyle, Hamish, and the rest giving you permission to record ALL their communications so that nothing was missed. You know what that means, admissible in court. When Lady Tara sent that on to DCI Tannery, those bought and paid for police were on their way to arrest my sister for entrapment and Seamus for assault. Even though Tannery knew they were innocent of wrong doing. Without that recoding and the rest, Ragna and Seamus would have been in jail. That means not at the gathering today, that means no wedding pressing the issue, and those traitors would have drug this out longer. Your road was hard…Capall…but only you could have walked it. If you hadn’t been collecting all that for the rest, if you had realized sooner, there is so much information that would not have been gathered, and you couldn’t have given it to Lady Tara. You realized the truth exactly when you were supposed to, and then you made a decision, and you saved thousands.”
Runa shook her head and made an irreverent noise in her throat. “Cut the noble crap, that works in Scotland, but I’m not Scottish. I’m Norwegian, I’m a shield maiden in my own right and I choose who is worthy of my time. Not rank, not title. And at the risk of offending, you Scotts have forgotten that’s how it used to be for you all too before the English started throwing their weight around. Nobles earn the right to title, and some of the greatest nobles, H&^# royals, were traitors, because they stood up for what was right. Hindsight, as they say, is 20/20. You did what you thought was right and when you saw the truth, you were honorable enough to admit it and fix it. So yes, thank you. You can think you didn’t do enough, and that’s something you have to deal with, but your decision made a difference.”
“And you have earned your right to the title. Many times. You say that many earned the right by being traitors. And that’s true… but you forget that they betrayed unjust and corrupt kings and governments. Lady Tara? Lady Tara is the most noble and fair leader the Clan has had in generations. And you know how I know this? Because I looked for years… years trying to find something for those bastards to use against her. And I found nothing. And I may have helped… but that doesn’t begin to mitigate the damage I did. You say I made a difference? Perhaps. But if I did it was because I saw what it meant to be Clan. Family. Loyal.”
Runa nodded, “Yes you did collect all kinds of information on Lady Tara. And you found nothing but good despite what they wanted. But a corrupt man would have manipulated the files to twist her words to make her look bad. You did not. And we both know you could have, but you kept the truth. You know, you were raised to believe that they were the true leaders of the clan who had been denied the right, that they were right. So yeah you did betray clan, the wrong clan, a fake clan, but you were raised to think they were true, and then when you saw what they really were your actions made sure the right person led the true clan. Life is shaped by perspectives. You were taught one that wasn’t true, and you aren’t responsible for what they taught you. You are responsible for your actions once you learned the truth. That matters Capall.”
She sipped her coffee, wow that was more passionate than she expected, but it was true. “…Capall…” she waited till he looked at her. “We write our own stories. So you want an epic for the ages then write it. This isn’t the end of the story.”
Runa
“I don’t want an epic for the ages. I want to be happy, and to know that anyone who loves me does so for me… not what I can do for them to give them an edge.” He finished his coffee and stood up. “I want my life to matter… me. I want to matter as a person… not a tool. Or a reminder of the transgressions of the past. Perhaps someday.”
Oh that poor man. He only saw himself as a tool of their machinations. He mattered, but he had to matter to himself first.
He held his hand out again and said “Enjoy the wedding. Please extend my sincerest congratulations to the bride and groom. And to Lord Michael and Lady Revna.” and he turned and walked to the door and opened it. He turned and smiled and said “Just so you know… you are the reason I did what I did. You showed me the path. And for that, I thank you. Good day… Runa Edman.”
Capall
She took his hand and there was that roaring again…he let go and walked to the door....Oh no that man did not try to do a mic drop in a coffee shop....Gods help him. She really considered not following him, but there was a distant rumble of thunder and she rolled her eyes got up and walked out the door. “Yeah you don’t get out of this that easy,” she said walking up to him. “See if I’m the reason then I didn’t teach you very well so now you’re stuck with me.” Runa was not as good at this as Revna…she wasn’t really trained for this, but then you didn’t really need training to simply help someone. “You want to matter for who you are, not what you can do. So who are you…Capall. Tell me.”
Runa
Capall had turned right out of the coffee shop and was walking down the sidewalk. As Runa came up to him, his pace slowed slightly. “I’m not trying to get out of anything, Ms. Edman. And I never said you taught me. I said you showed me. And as far as who I am? I am curious why you, of all people, want to know? I would imagine you have many more pressing obligations than asking me who I am.”
Capall
Runa laughed, “Teach, show, synonyms Mr Sutherland. Either way I didn’t do a very good job, did I?” Runa fell into step beside him, her gait lengthening slightly to match his longer one. “Because I am curious about the man who wrote me a letter, addressed it to me by name, and whom I’ve never met until now.” She sipped the Turkaffe and shrugged. “I have no pressing obligations until tomorrow morning. And I wouldn’t call my sister’s wedding an obligation.”
Runa
Capall chuckled softly and smiled a knowing smile. “Oh.. we’ve met before. You just don’t remember. Cambridge. I attended on a wrestling and academic scholarship. You were there supporting one of the recipients of your family’s scholarship.” He glanced at her and then away. He said “it was a… unique… event, if I do say so myself.” and he chuckled again at the memory.
Capall
Runa laid a hand on his arm making him stop and then turn towards her slightly and stared hard at him. “You flipped your opponent right into the ref 2 minutes in and knocked the ref out cold. Thought it was amazing. He had been making bad calls the whole match. I was there to watch Joseph’s match. He was struggling with Trig and could have lost his scholarship. I’d promised to help him. The team tore him a new one because of me. You made them stop. They called you, ‘Plan B’, but they shut up.” She slipped her hand into the crook of his arm, like she’d always done it - natural and right, and started walking again. “You were a junior then. Did you wrestle the next year?”
Runa
Wthout even thinking, just as reflex, his hand laid gently on hers as they walked. “I did. I was an alternate on the Olympic team that year. I am… pleasantly… surprised that you remember. But yes, that was me.” He scowled slightly and said “I didn’t appreciate the way they used you to tease Joseph. He was a good person, didn’t deserve that. And yes… Plan B… creative on their part, wasn’t it?” and shook his head.
Capall
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