Posted July 26, 2021, 1:53 p.m. by Civilian Kenzo B'tren-Hyrushi (Governor) (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
(snip)
They approached the drive for the main estate, there wasn’t any traffic. Those staying were settled and those leaving had already gone home. Runa stopped them before the gate, where all the shields were hanging. She reached up, in an impressive show of upper body strength, and pulled herself up, unhooked her shield from where it was hanging, dropped quietly, and then reaching between the wrought iron snagged her sword from where it was leaning against the fence. Sword slipped onto her belt and shield on her back, she took his hand and kissed Capall with all her heart. She knew he may not be familiar with their traditions or even the McKenzie ones, his parents not having seen value in them, but he was worth it. And she was going to do this the right way, because she wanted him to know he had value for himself and that she knew he was worth it. Then taking his hand the walked through the gate.
Capall hesitated, his size refusing to let Runa drag him through, and then looked at her. “Only for you would I do this.” and he stepped through and onto the grounds.
Runa turned and looked at him, dead serious. “We leave, right now, and never come back. There is nothing here for me with out you. We’ll walk away and make our own life.”
Capall looked down at her and smiled. “Here or not, we make our own life. This is just… family stuff.” and he leaned down and kissed her in front of the onlookers.
There were whispers at first. Runa expected it and she simply held Capall’s hand and kept walking. There were insults from the McKenzies and Edmans a like.
Capall was unfazed. The only reaction to a particularly cruel taunt from a young Edman woman standing next to a young McKenzie man was a gentle squeeze of Runa’s hand.
Runa turned her gaze on the woman, letting her see her face, and she was shocked. “So easily we forget, Ella, to Rise from the darkness,” Runa’s voice was soft, a reprimand but kind and a hint of understanding the woman’s confusion, but that clearly she was wrong. Ella stepped back and grew quiet and contemplative. “I’m sorry Runa.”
“No offense taken, lass. Pretty close with the term about my mother, though.” Capall said with a nod.
“OH MY GODS RUNA! Where have you been we’ve been searching EVERYWHERE!” Ada came up in a rush, comm in her hand, =C= Revna we found her!=C= Runa looked at Ada, “Found me? I wasn’t lost.” Ada waited for a response and wasn’t really look at her. “Revna’s been trying to comm you for HOURS.” Then she looked up, eyes landed on Capall and her whole body language changed, “Runa?” She held out a hand to her. “I saw him across the wall, he was trying to get at you and Ragna.” She lifted the com to call Ragna and Seamus. The whispers were spreading, but Runa stepped closer to Ada, taking Capall with her, by sheer momentum and the look on her face making Adam back up.
Runa
“Easy, love.” he whispered. “They’ll certainly spare you… me not so much. And there has been a lot of drinking.” he reminded her.
“I can handle drunks.”
Capall looked around and said “This is a lot of drunks…”
Soon, however, they found themselves approaching the main bonfire. Seamus looked up and snarled slightly, standing and drawing his sword and stepping in front of them. “No, Runa. Just no. This is not the time or the place for… for… for whatever this is.”
Seamus
Runa stepped right in front of Capall, blocking Seamus and she didn’t blink. As he drew his sword she shrugged the shield down onto her arm. She wouldn’t draw steel on him, her brother, but she wasn’t going to back down. “Seamus, I gave you my word, if there was a problem and I needed your help I would tell you. Well I’m telling you, there is a problem, but it’s not a Marshal problem. We’re going to see the Chiefs, Michael and Revna. Now you can call Ragna and the two of you give us an armed guard if it pleases you, but we’re going.”
Runa
A voice silenced the crowd that had gathered to backup Seamus and protect the Chiefs from the traitor. “Enough, all of you… Seamus, let them pass and say their peace.” Mike said, standing up and fixing Runa with a glare. As they got closer he said directly to her, not even acknowledging the form of Capall in their midst, “Runa… this isn’t my bar on the Atlantis. As much I love you, you don’t make the rules here or get to break them and then say ‘Its cool I know the owner.’. And this? Sister… this is way past stepping over the line.”
Mike
Runa came to a stop several feet away from Mike. She met his gaze, and she was hurt, he could see it. In the bar? Sure, they were friends, family, she would do anything for Mike, for Revna. But this was serious. She loved her clan and she would never ask him to break rules for her. “No this isn’t some bar on a distant space ship. This is half of your clan seat.” And she looked at Revna who had walked up to join Mike. “I’m not asking you as family,” and she unclasped the thora pin on her dress, marking her as an Edman daughter, and tossed it on the ground. She wouldn’t ask Revna to go against Mike, they had to be united and so she wouldn’t ask that, she wasn’t here to ask that.
“Or as the clan Shaman,” the capelet came off, tossed to the ground, the turtle brooches too, “but as a clanswoman,” she looked at Revna, “As a shield maiden to declare to you, my chiefs, that I choose this man, Capall Sutherland as my own, and I am his. That I choose to share his fate, to have my name added to the list of útlagi!”Runa
Mike watched and took Revna’s hand, squeezing it to let her know everything was fine. As everyone looked on, Mike turned so that his face was hidden from Runa. He looked at Cuyler and Helka, who had concerned creases on their brows now. This was a step they hadn’t anticipated on Runa’s part…
But then Mike winked at them and grinned.
He turned back to Runa and Capall, his face serious and still ignoring Capall’s presence, and said “Fine. If that’s the way you want it, Runa…” and he paced back and forth a moment. “So tell me… where is this man that has driven you to seek such measures?” and he stopped in front of her.
Runa looked at Mike with a blank stare, then a scowl of confusion. She and Capall looked at each other, then back to Mike. Capall spoke up, for once his voice not quite certain. “Lord Michael… it’s… it’s me she is with.”
Mike looked at Capall as if just seeing him for the first time. “You?!?! No… that makes no sense. It can’t be you. She said the one she is doing this for is some slimy English twit named Sutherland.” Mike reached into his sporran and pulled out Capall’s letter, complete with seal. He slowly walked over to the fire, held it out, and the dropped it in the flames. He then said “Oh, ‘scuse me. Too much mead.” and turned to face away from everyone. A few motions of his arms, and then a steady stream of liquid fell onto the ashes of the charred and destroyed paper.
Jumping up and down once for full effect, Mike dropped the front of his kilt and turned back. “You are Capall McKenzie. I don’t know who this Sutherland jerk is, but I think he’s tryin’ to steal your woman, Cousin.” and he started to grin…
And then everyone lost it.
Mike
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