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 Posted: Sat May 05, 2012 5:44 pm
 Dirk hummed softly to himself, straightening his hat and plucking at a few of the ever-present bits of grass and straw stuck to his shirt. The plants were doing good this year, with just enough rain that they weren't wilting away. All he'd had to do was weed.
Heh, all.
It seemed like no matter how many weeds you pulled up one day, they were all back in the ground the next. It was a never-ending chore, weeding, and one of the reasons Dirk was always glad to see winter. At least then what was pulled out of the ground didn't come back until the spring thaw!
At the moment Dirk was taking advantage of the shadey orchard to have a break and just sit. A couple crows perched in the branches above his head, bright, beady eyes always open for new ways to cause mischief.
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Posted: Sat May 05, 2012 5:54 pm
Harper pulled herself up, dragging her book with her. She had recently returned to this quaint farm for quite time, her book gently being splayed into her lap as she sat up. The farm was owned by a man she had met once... but she returned. She didn't know him, but he had said she could read here if she needed somewhere quiet again. Ever since, she'd be considering it, but was too shy too do it. Today, though, the library was closed for renovations. She needed somewhere, and other than the crows the placed was nice and quiet.
She was sitting under the shade of a large tree, turning the pages quietly. Already she was lost in thought, so when a few crows perched nearby and tapped her book lightly with their beaks she didn't notice. Even when one plopped right on her head. They seemed to be enjoying seeing how far they could get without her noticing.
So here she was, reading in somewhat peace while the crows became to accumulate on her.
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Posted: Sat May 05, 2012 6:05 pm
Dirk noticed when a couple of his winged friends abandoned him. He craned his neck to see where they were headed, quite sure they were up to something. He nearly busted out laughing when he figured their destination.
It was that little aquatic that had visited his farm once. She had seemed quite shy and hadn't given Dirk her name. At the time she'd also seemed startled by the crows, maybe even a little timid of them, but now...
Either she was more used to them than he'd thought or she was totally oblivious. Dirk knew from experience they didn't weigh too much, and the little sneakers were good at landing softly. But the way one of them was perched on her head, staring down at the book as though it too was reading, was just too funny to be real!
It probably wasn't going to last much longer though. They were already poking at the book; next they were either going to lose interest completely, or start nibbling on it. You tended to notice when crows began to nibble stuff you were holding.
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Posted: Sat May 05, 2012 6:10 pm
Now, when a little bird dared to nibble on her book her eyes blinked, focusing back on the world. A tiny "Eh?" escaped her mouth, and then suddenly a gasp, squeak of alarm, and the aquatic was jerked backwards. She hit the tree, dropping her book and holding the top of her head. The birds had already dispersed, leaving the startled and now aching little aquatic be.
"Ow." Their loud cawing was slightly frightening. When had they gotten on her? Oh! And her book... She touched it, spotting marks on it. Suddenly, the girl stood, glaring at the birds despite a bright blush on her face. "You shouldn't do that! It's a crime to damage books! Or... it.. it should be! Come back down here and apologize!" The aquatic only noticed Dirk after she folded her arms and scowled, blush growing brighter. She immediately grabbed her book, pressing it against her chest.
"Oh.... G-Good evening..."
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Posted: Sat May 05, 2012 6:19 pm
Dirk was doubled over, trying not to bust out in laughter lest it startle or offend the female.
"Oooh, that was a good one," he said, looking up with humor-bright eyes. "I don't think they've been scolded like that since when they first started to hang around me. I gave up after awhile, they never seemed to listen."
A well-timed and scournful caw underscored his words. The birds appeared to be remorseless of their actions.
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Posted: Sat May 05, 2012 6:25 pm
Nervously, the aquatic gripped her book tighter, looking down. "I.... I'm sorry. I didn't mean to disrupt you." She whispered, looking at the birds again. "Maybe they can be trained... I'm sure with some food and treats they'd learn a bit." Her voice was low, nervous, though she seemed more engaged this time. She didn't have a book distracting her from speaking to the male. The book was too busy being protected.
"I hope you don't mind me returning. The library... it was closed. I'm sorry. I can leave..."
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Posted: Sat May 05, 2012 6:33 pm
Dirk pushed his hat back a bit; it had slipped forward while he was laughing. "I don't mind at all. Way I see it, you're just looking for a place to sit and relax. You're not harming anything, you're not in the way. Heck," he scratched his head, pulling a loose piece of grass from his fur, "even they were pestering you the most you did to the crows was demand an apology. Most chase them or throw things at them." He nodded. "Person like you, you're always welcome to hang around if you want to be here."
He looked up at the crows, now cackling and shouting taunts. "Just sorry they keep bothering ya. Once I move away and start working again they'll follow me though, so you can have a bit of peace."
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Posted: Sat May 05, 2012 6:40 pm
Her eyes watched the birds briefly, nodding gently. Her eyes lowered to view him, holding onto her book still. "Thank you." She whispered, biting her bottom lip. Head shaking, she glanced at the farm around her.
"I wouldn't mind helping to return the favor." She added gently, eyes raising to warily smile at him before settling down, drawing her legs up, tail wrapping around her frame.
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Posted: Sat May 05, 2012 6:52 pm
Dirk gave the female a smile. "That's a very kind offer to make. Won't hold ya to it though. Most of the work is dirty and tiring, about the opposite of relaxing. Right now, with summer on us and all, it's just weeding. A lot harder than it sounds, trust me," he added with a chuckle.
"I should probably intoduce myself if I haven't already. My name's Dirk."
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Posted: Sat May 05, 2012 7:09 pm
Watching him, she nodded once more. "Still, the offer stands." She said. She was growing tired of talking, she wasn't one to talk much at all. Harper fiddled with her tail, feeling the heat sap at her skin. She'd need to dip in some water soon. Perhaps in the next hour or so.
"Oh." He had given her his name. Dirk. Had she ever given him hers? No. Not that she remembered. "I'm Harper." The vixen responded with, paws gently running across her scales.
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Posted: Sat May 05, 2012 7:21 pm
"Harper," Dirk repeated, as though tasting the name on his tongue. It sounded nice. He smiled again and raised a paw to tilt his hat in Harper's direction. "Well then, Harper, pleasure to meet you. I have to get back to work now, but let me know if there's anything you need."
With one last smile he turned and headed towards one of the fields, covered in a tangle of vines that appeared to be melons of some sort. A few of the crows took off, circling overhead and throwing teasing cackles at him.
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Posted: Sat May 12, 2012 2:29 pm
Smiling as the male spoke, she settled down with her book when he made a move to leave. Flipping the book open, she took to reading quietly, though for once her mind was distracted. Dirk was so kind to let her stay here and read. She was lucky to have such a nice spot, and lucky to have a nice man to let her settle down. Was she ready to call him a friend? No. Not yet.
The crows were gone, leaving her in peace. Little did she know, rain was threatening to pour, and soon.
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Posted: Mon May 21, 2012 8:13 am
Dirk hummed cheerfully as he worked, tugging on weeds and good-naturedly enduring being nibbled on by his crows. It was their way to thank him for overturning the soil and occasionally exposing a delicious treat in the form of a juicy bug.
There were so many weeds still left for him to pull though, the only way to measure his progress was by the burn of his muscles. Every few weeds or so he would look up and glance at Harper, to make sure she was still alright. Now that the crows had left her though, she hadn't seemed to move an inch.
A sudden coolness to the wind made Dirk pause and look at the sky, a small frown creasing his brow. A gathering of clouds had appeared on the horizon. It looked like they might even be dropping rain further out. Would they come here? It wouldn't make much difference if they did (he could still pull weeds in the rain), and if fact it would be welcome.
Dirk glanced at Harper again. Did she know? Well she did seem pretty interested in her book...
He hesitated for a moment, then trotted over to the tree where she sat.
"Don't mean to interrupt-", he began, looking apologetic and using his most polite voice, "-but-," he glanced up at the sky, "-looks like we might possibly get some rain soon. Thought I'd warn ya just in case, I know books aren't too fond of being wet."
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Posted: Wed Jul 04, 2012 2:50 pm
Her head raised when he spoke, tail twitching, a sign she was irritated. However, his gentle voice and apology was enough to remind the shy girl that she was on his property, therefor had no right to be irritated. She blushed softly realizing she was being rude. "Ah! It's okay, I.. it is your farm... you have every right to interrupt." Her head tilted, glancing at the sky suddenly, puffing her cheeks out in frustration.
"Oh." She normally liked rain, when she could curl up on her window seat and read to the sound of it. However, she'd need to walk home, and surely it'd rain by then. It seemed impossible for the book to stay dry. Nodding, she stood, brushing herself off before flashing a nervous but warm smile. "Oh no. The book will get wet either way, but I should head home. I.... thank you for letting me read here again."
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Posted: Wed Jul 04, 2012 3:53 pm
"Well that's not good." Dirk bit his lower lip, hesitating for a moment. He didn't want to make Harper uncomfortable, or seem nosy. "You know, if you want-," he started slowly, "-my home has a covered porch. Right up there."
He gestured in the distance. On a small rise, nestled between neat patches of fields, sat a pretty little two-story farmhouse. It was painted a cheerful yellow color with white trim, a raised porch wrapped around the home in an L shape. The porch was deep, easily the size of a comfortable room, with waist-high railing bordering it. The second floor of the house spread out to form the roof of the porch, supported by four stout pillars set between the railing.
From the distance they stood you could see a swinging bench, moving slowly back and forth in the breeze. Fronds of greenery and color swayed over the railing, indicating the presence of potted plants.
Dirk rubbed the back of his head, hoping he wasn't being too forward. The wind picked up, carrying the smell of damp earth. "If you'd like, you can sit up there. It'll keep you and your book dry. He ducked his head, then looked over at the horizon where dark clouds had begun to spring up. "Or if that makes you too uncomfortable, I can find something you can use to keep the book dry on your walk home. It'd be a shame to get it wet and possibly ruin it."
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