Posted by Civilian Ragna Idun McKenzie (Future Citizen) in Earth - Time Marches Forward
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.

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?”

She 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