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 Civilian Seamus McKenzie (Future Citizen) in Earth - Seek And Ye Shall Find… Whether You Want To Or Not

(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.”

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