Posted Dec. 26, 2021, 10:31 p.m. by Civilian Ragna Idun McKenzie (Future Citizen) (Jennifer Ward)
Posted by Civilian Ragna Idun McKenzie (Future Citizen) in Earth - Time Marches Forward
Posted by Civilian Ragna Idun McKenzie (Future Citizen) in Earth - Time Marches Forward
Posted by Civilian Ragna Idun McKenzie (Future Citizen) in Earth - Time Marches Forward
Posted by… suppressed (1) by the Post Ghost! 👻Revna stood the middle of the dusty aisle of the small stable on the edge of the main village. Donned in jeans and a loose button up flannel shirt, she certainly looked nothing like the Fleet Counselor or Federation Ambassador that everyone else saw. Despite the beads threaded into her hair, instead of a braid her hair was pulled into a high pony tail. Her hand worked the curry comb in firm quick circles over Crescent’s silvery white coat. The mare stomped and knickered occasionally. At a particularly itchy spot her neck craned and stretched and her head turned almost upside down as she leaned into the brush. The action earned her laughter from Revna and Ragna. Her younger sister having just appeared in the door way.
Ragna was wearing hiking boots, dark tan cargo pants, and a brown button down heavy shirt. Her belt had plenty of pouches and some odd looking tools in loops. She was going on a dig, maybe. She was agitated and hadn’t slept a whole lot the night before. She would love to blame that on Seamus, her sisters would love to blame it on Seamus, but she couldn’t. Time had seemed to be stalled in the Edman and McKenzie clans for too long now. For totally different reasons , but now they were having to find a way forward, together. That meant strong leadership, and being connected to the rest of the clan. Ragna was concerned.
Revna could tell that something was bothering her baby sister. She kept flexing her hand like she wished she had a sword in it. She’d heard the ringing of metal on the wooden practice dummies early this morning. And that meant that whatever it was had either kept Ragna up all night or woken her early because she and Seamus were living in Scotland. So Ragna had walked the distance to use the transporter and be in Bomlo that early. Revna knew though that Ragna wasn’t quite ready to be pushed into talking.
The clip of heeled boots made a staccato sound on the hard packed dirt and then Runa’s laughter drifted to their ears inside. “No no no! That sign stays just like that. That’s part of our clan history now. But man has he got a hard head.” More laughter and Runa walked into the stable and raised a brow at Revna.
Runa walked in, knee high black riding boots, form fitting heather gray riding pants, with brushed soft leather inner knee patches, a crimson red blouse with a navy blue riding jacket. Her hair was pulled back and a loose basic braid and she was carrying a black English style riding helmet. “Where’s Dreamer?” She craned her head to look past Crescent for the black mare with the large star on her forehead. The mare, hearing her name, stuck her head out of a stall and kicked at the door. Runa grinned, “Ready to show off lovey?”
Ragna stepped into the feed room and came back, pockets filled with an assortment of treats for the horses in residence. Ragna loved the horses, doted on them, even if she wouldn’t ride every again. She laughed at Runa’s words. “The sign needs replacing. The current one is going into the archives to be remembered for all future generations.” She snickered, she already had a copy of the vid that Runa had recorded. Mike would be lucky if he wasn’t teased at least twice a week. And Ragna thought he used up all his luck getting to marry Revna. Another glance toward the door and Runa told her that Runa was going riding. “Leiv ask you to come down?”
Revna snorted. She’d seen the sign, she’d also seen the vid Runa had taken - several times. Runa took every chance possible to show it to her and their mother. Runa thought it was hilarious the way their Da and Mike had acted. Uncle Oddvar took every opportunity to give their father grief about it as well. He was rather put-out that he’d been in the forge the whole night and had missed it. But the work he and Blaire had produced that night was beyond anything she’d ever seen before.
But Revna knew that while Oddvar might tease their father, he hurt. A deep empty ache that he’d lived with a long time. And there was a gently envy that he didn’t have Trine anymore to share such moments with. Oddvar would never wish that kind of hurt on her parents, or anyone, but it didn’t make the ache inside less. He had come to her and told her he was going to be leaving with Tara. He didn’t have any desire to leave Earth, but he’d argued that leaving had helped her find her way, so maybe it was time for him to try the same. Revna knew Oddvar wasn’t looking for romance, but she also knew that there were other forms of intimacy other than romantic ones. If Oddvar and Tara could be just a little less lonely in each other’s company, Revna was happy for them.
Runa grinned and winked at Ragna, “Oh that’s even better. Everyone must know how much Mike loves his princess.” Runa ducked just in time to miss getting hit by the brush Revna hurled across the aisle at her. “Yes he did. New potential buyer. He’s looking for a horse for his son, and Leiv wants me to show off some of the horses more specialized skills. And his daughter is busy in the clinic today. I need to warm up though, it’s been awhile.” That comment earned a scowl from Ragna and a muttered, “Really I hadn’t noticed.”
Ragna made her way slowly down the aisle. Crescent snuffing her as she passed by, and then lipping at her pocket. “Okay okay, I know, someone has to spoil you since no one else is around.” Her voice was biting and irritated. It gained a questioning but long suffering look from both her sisters. Ragna ignored it. They’d left, they’d ignored what needed to be done. And that was okay for years, but things were different now, the future wasn’t years away, it was here, right now. Ragna could not maintain all of their responsibilities by herself anymore.
Revna finished with the curry comb and dropped it into the bin at her feet and grabbed a course brush. Crescent looked like she’d been rolling in brambles for all the crazy which ways her coat was going. The course brush moved in quick strong flicks, brushing the loosened dirt off and fixing the direction of Crescent’s coat. After a few quiet minutes Revna looked up and sighed. “Out with it Ragna, you’re going burn a hole in my back otherwise.”
Revna
Ragna paused almost at the end, feeding a carrot to the bay gelding there. She ran her hand over the cheek, rubbed at the ears and down his neck. “There is more unrest than Seamus and I can deal with alone. And seeing us together calms some, enrages others. The clans as a whole are happy, but the cousins had more…support than…well it boggles my mind. The party and wedding were fine, but they won’t hold them all together.”
Ragna
“She’s right. Capall has been helping Tannery with tracking more of the electronic evidence. Honestly I didn’t think there could be more after the files he sent Tara. But then again, he didn’t have a warrant to go digging into the other side of things. He said he’ll be busy with it for awhile. ” Runa led Dreamer out into the middle of the aisle and got to work on grooming her. “You know while we’re all here we really need to go to The House. And I would like to go visit some of the scholarship recipients.” She watched Ragna with the bay, “I can tack Baby up if you want Ragna and you can ride down with me.”
Runa
Ragna shook her head ‘no’ to Runa. She loved the horses, but she wasn’t going to ride. During the last few years she’d ride in a small two seater carriage with her mother, or even Oddvar, but she could never bring herself to actually ride anymore. When she was younger, Cuyler used to set her in front of him and hold onto her, but after she had a seizure and fell off, she never rode again.
Revna nodded, “No matter what anyone though, this wasn’t going to be an easy fix. The majority of the clan is happy to have Mike instead of one of the other cousins, but a good majority of them also don’t know Mike. They don’t know what to expect. And then there are those that were loyal to the cousins. It’s a mess, to be sure.” She looked over at Runa, “We do need to go The House. They are self-sufficient but we took on the responsibility.” Revna sighed as Ragna glared at her. She crossed her arms and leaned back against Crescent’s flank and waited…
Revna
Ragna was known for hot temper, and maybe she’d been keeping it in check for far too long. Playing Tara’s game, pretending like nothing had happened, sneaking clan back and forth, walking into that farce of pre-wedding gathering. Then…THEN Runa threatens to leave the clan. For a traitor! Okay well Capall wasn’t a traitor. They all knew that now. Okay so they knew that before, but the idea of Runa coming back just to walk away. It made her feel like she was 12 again, abandoned by both her older sisters as they left for college. And then Runa said ‘while’ they were here and Revna agreed. Her temper seemed to have no where else to go, but out. “While? While you’re here?” She took several steps towards Revna, “You’re leaving? You come sweeping in, save the day, and you’re leaving?”
“Don’t. Just don’t. You can expect a few days, a week at most to fix the problems that have been decades in making, Revna. You’re going to leave again. You can’t. Da made you chief! The clan, we, have waited for you to come back, to stop running from everything. Now you’re here and you going to leave. It will destroy us…the clan. And now we have a whole, the entire, of another clan we are supposed to support. You’re going to leave and we’ll have no leader. Mike will name Seamus and you’ll name me or Da. Da deserves to retire, and I am the worst possible choice.”
She spun, “No Runa! This isn’t a game! I don’t care about technology and warp travel. It’s like you in the classroom. Things were done the old way for centuries for a reason. I swear Revna, if you leave, you aren’t fit to wear that torq!”
Ragna
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