Posted by Civilian Runa Siff McKenzie (Teacher) in Somewhere Between Here and There

Posted by Civilian Capall McKenzie (Colonial Intelligence Agent) in Somewhere Between Here and There

Posted by Civilian Runa Siff McKenzie (Teacher) in Somewhere Between Here and There
Posted by… suppressed (2) by the Post Ghost! 👻
Over the weeks the days on board had turned somewhat routine. There had been no more fights or divisions between the clan. Well, no divisions anyway. There was no way to avoid disagreements and arguments when you threw people together into a cramped space. The Beck was huge, but it was still a flying tin can, and even with only half the ship full, space seemed to shrink some days.

Runa spent most of her days helping teach. The other half of her days she was on the comms or working on projects for the Oed school system. Runa had created a routine of story time at 1900 every night for the children. It was something that would be easy to continue, no matter how harsh the land was. Everyone was welcome, and most came, children or not, because gathering together was reassuring.

Today though there was no school, no children, no pressing needs that needed her attention. That’s what she told herself anyway. She was carrying knots from her shoulders down to the small of her back. First she was going to soak in the hottest water she could stand, and then she was going down to see about their four legged clan members. Cpt Grek had helped them move things about, and they now had plenty of room to exercise and ride the horses. That meant they were calmer and there was less behavior issues. Stormwhite was still being a pain in her arse though.

Runa

Capall came into their bathroom as she soaked. “Sit up. Lean forward.” he said; and when she did he began rubbing her shoulders and working out the knots. “It’s about time you took a break. You’ve been going non-stop for weeks. I thought that was my job.”

Runa leaned forward and grunted as fire raced through protesting tissue as Capall forced the knits out. It was uncomfortable but once the muscles released it was so worth it. “Nope… both… our… jobs.”

For his part, Capall had been immersed in virtual simulations, computer coding, and programming equipment so it was ready the moment they landed on Oed. The holodeck training and classes had been a huge success, and the clan was already practicing in rhe Oed V holo simulation constantly. And with the help from the unexpected House members, the simulations and virtual classrooms were running almost constantly.

Capall

The biggest surprise was Caitlyn. She was excellent at ‘roughing it’ and outdoor cooking. Her training program was a hit. She was also inadvertently a huge motivator. She put people to shame. When others started complaining about how hard the work was, how difficult, how primitive, or they couldn’t do it (usually out of laziness or misguided frustration) it came out that Caitlyn was blind. But she was there every day, working just has hard, faster, and more accurate than most. Runa knew Caitlin hadn’t said anything, but if one paid attention to details they could tell.

Ashran and the others had been a huge aide to helping people adjust. They had been living a lot more simply than even the Edmans were used to. They integrated slowly at first, but now they were constant participants. The children, all of them, were amazing and accepting of everyone.

Runa dropped her head forward, stretching out the back of her neck. “How’s… your… hiss… arm? Kirsten take care of it?”

Runa McKenzie

Capall had been working with the ship’s crew moving things to make room for the animals and he had twisted his arm and shoulder. “Better.” was all he said as he worked further down her back. “I’m going to start working with Nimbus now that we have the room. And I think I may pull Stormwhite into it, as well. Give him something to concentrate on besides being locked up in the ship. Thoughts?”

Capall

“It would be good for him. He’s always been high strung, from the day he was born. And he’s smart and has a wicked streak. Knows who can and cannot handle him” Runa groaned, but it had mouthing to do with his hands on her back. “The Norns are laughing at me. I gifted Stormwhite to Seamus as a joke. Now, I’m stuck with the crazy beast.” Runa sighed as a particularly tight k ot suddenly released. “I think it would be a good idea. I haven’t had time to work with him as much as he needs, and the more people who handle him, the better.”

Runa

Capall nodded behind her in silent agreement as his fingers found a particularly hard knot between her shoulder blades. “This isn’t going to feel good. I’m sorry.” he said.

His thumbs dug into the knot, squeezing and rolling it to stimulate blood flow to the tissue underneath. Years of wrestling had inured him to the pain, both giving and receiving, of massage and working out strained and sire muscles.

Capall McKenzie