Dirk: *wandering through one of his smaller fields, plucking weeds and removing rocks from the soil; only one crow is following him today*
Harper: -carrying a book with her tightly, having just acquired it recently. Why was she at a farm? She... cuz it was relaxing. She wasn't going to get /to/ close, but sometimes the country was better than the city....-
Dirk: *hears his crow caw, looks up and spots a strange female; he's heard of aquatics, but never seem once before* Excuse me, Miss? That's not the best direction to go. *digs at the ground, unearths a rock he'd found before he got distracted* A bunch of crows live over that way, they love to tease new people. You might accidently damage your book.
Harper: -head raising, she stares at the boy, her cheeks becoming a dim red. Wait... last time there wasn't a boy... then again she hadn't gotten /this/ close. Wait, crows? Birds? Crows were like ravens, yet smaller. They couldn't do much to her, right? Then again, she did sort of look like a fish. Didn't crows like to eat fish? Wait. Maybe. Some birds did... OH. This boy owned this farm, didn't he? She was trespassing! He could get her in trouble! Though, wouldn't she be getting herself in trouble? What would he make her do? Send her away? Make her help around the farm? She really had no talents.... Though he looked nice, if a bit messy. Wait. Wait wait. He had said something, right? Yea... what'd he say? Think... retrace your thoughts. OH!- C-Crows? Uhm.. I... -Words. Use words.- I could just...go home.. I didn't know this farm belonged... to..someone..
Dirk: *laughs softly and looks up* Well the buildings below to me and I tend the land. The earth is amazing to work with, but prefers chaos. It's a daily chore, trying to convince order to take root. *picks up the rock in his mouth and tosses it to the edge of the field, away from the girl, with a flick of his head* Right now it's just bare earth that I'm trying to get ready for planting. Nothing but rocks and weeds. I'd be a bit pickier if I had seeds planted already, but I don't. *wanders around as he speaks, digging out more rocks and pulling weeds to set in small piles in the field* You're welcome to hang around. Just, if you prefer peace and quiet it's better not to be near crows. They're a lot of tricksters. *crow chooses that moment to caw; Dirk tosses it a smile and goes back to tending the field*
Harper: -Her ears flicked back at the laugh, cheeks becoming even a brighter red. Was he laughing at her? Kicking at the ground with his feet, she clutched her book closer to her chest, head shaking side to side to shake the blush, though it failed. Seriously.... she... she didn't mean to get in the way! Though when he spoke she sat down beside a tree, staring at him. What was his name? Could she... could she ask? Was she really not bothering him? HNNN-
Dirk: *doesn't appear to look up* That's a good spot. Nice shade so the sun doesn't burn you, but open and outdoors. I've been trying to help the grass grow better so it's more plush and comfortable to sit on. *crow caws again and hops on Dirk's back, eyeing the female*
Harper: -still lost in his thoughts, when he speaks it only makes her worry. She should get up and leave.... probably... The crow that went on the mans back made her sit up, paw flicking twice- C-Crow! On you!
Dirk: Yes. *looks up while he gathers some of the smaller weed piles he's made* They like to perch on me. I tolerate them more than most farmers. *looks back down at his task* They're good company.
Harper: -Oh. so... she made a fool of herself. Looking down, she simply nodded before opening her book. Books were easier.. they didn't dislike you if you messed up, and she didn't need courage to speak to them... though absently she glanced up at the man once in awhile, her tail wrapping around a leg. Hnn... her skin was getting really dry.. she should find some lotion..
Dirk: *keeps working; slowly edges of the field are littered in small rocks, though none near the tree where the female's sitting; gathers the weeds and puts them all in a basket to be used for compost later; seems totally content to work in the silence, with the crow occasionally adding some chatter; looks up after a few moments* I could be wrong, but I heard your kind do better around water. *pulls a tuft of straw out of his shirt, chews on an end of it thoughtfully* There's a pond, off that way. *points* In the direction of the house, but a bit beyond it. If you're ever around, you're welcome to swim in it. It's clean water, good for swimming.
Rows of empty fields stretched out for acres, harvested for the year and sitting barren while they awaited the new growing season. To the edge of the fields sat a charming little house, painted a cheerful yellow with white trim. It had a deep wrap-around porch and looked two-story, though there couldn't have been more than two rooms on the second story. A young man knelt on the ground in front of the house, tending the flower beds. A basket of dead summer annuals was at his side, half full. The scent of freshly turned earth and brightly colored pansies marked his progress so far.
The man couldn't have been any older than his mid-twenties to look at his face, though there was a calm peacefulness to his eyes that made him seem older than his years. He wore dirt-smeared jeans, red-checkered shirt, and green work gloves. Chocolate-colored hair poked out from under a straw hat. Green eyes blazed against the weathered tan skin of his face, the color of new growth.
A crow sat nearby on the roof of the house, watching the man work and occasionally letting out a taunting cackle. It was waiting for the man to dig up some tasty bugs for it to snack on, though it kept an eye on the shiney garden tools in case the man's attention lasped for a moment.
Dea: ((Ooo, very nice start))
Jinx: ((Thankee ^^))
Dea: ((Now I have to figure out what to post for Karina and how to picture humanish lol
Jinx: ((Take your time, I have Sims to keep me distracted while you figure it out : ) ))
Dea: ((Thanks lol))
A young woman with flowing brown hair that seemed to flutter in the wind was walking down the dirt road. She had a basket on her arms and she seemed to be humming to herself. Her blue eyes were sparkling as she walked, seeming to be in high spirits today. On her head was fixed a tan colored had with a sky blue ribbon. She was wearing a beautiful dress with patchwork hearts on the dress.
Her eyes seemed to be soaking up the scenery, but as she approached the house, her eyes seemed to be searching. She soon spotted the young man and she approached, hoping she was not disturbing him.
"I am mighty sorry if I am bothering you, but I was wondering if you might have some sugar I can borrow,"the young woman asked, a soft southern draw detected, though it was obvious she was not fully from the south.
As the young woman approached the house, the crow turned its attention to her and changed it's good-natured taunting of the man to a loud cawing alert of a stranger in its territory, though it didn't swoop down on the woman like they sometimes did in the wild. The man glanced up, pushing the brim of his hat out of his eyes to see what had his bird riled up. He felt a spark of curiousity as he spotted the figure of the woman walking on the paths; there weren't a lot of strangers around his farm during the winter seasons.
He bent back to his planting, setting another pansy into the fresh-turned earth. She was probably just taking a walk since the weather was pleasant today. Therefore he was surprised, though not completely startled, when a female voice spoke up behind him.
He lifted his head, dirt-stained gloved hand going to his hat rim to push it up again as he turned to look at the woman. She was a charming-looking thing and could have been from farming or country stock if her clothes and accent were anything to go by. "It's no bother," he said, revealing his voice to be a deep tenor. He picked up his tools and set them in his basket, stripping off his dirty gloves and laying them on top. He stood, picking up the basket.
"If ya wanna follow me, I'll get you some. I just gotta put this up real quick, or I'll have to steal back my tools away from yon rascal on the roof," he said with a gesture to the chattering crow. As he spoke an accent made itself known; a southern drawl, subtle, cropping up in a handful of his words.
He turned and started towards a little shed attached to the house, looking back to see if the woman was following.
"Good day to you, Sir Crow, I am sorry I had to interrupt your good-natured laughter. It is a pleasure meetin you and hope to do so again real soon like,"the woman smiled to the black bird perched on top of of the roof, tilting her hat gently. She gracefully followed the man towards his shed.
"I reckon it must get mighty lonely on such a big patch of land all by your lonesome. What do you do in the winter when the crops are not growin?"the woman asked, pushing a stray piece of her light brown hair behind her ear.
The crow replied to the greeting with a rude call, which was actually not all that rude considering the nature of crows. It launched itself into the air and circled around high overhead, following the pair.
The man below chuckled softly at the bird's antics before turning his attention to the woman's questions. "Well, it's not so lonely as first glance shows ya," he said as he reached out and opened the shed door, stowing the basket just inside before closing it. "It's more land than I can really use for just myself, so I share most of my fields with the locals. Resturants that want fresh-grown, folks that want a little garden patch but don't have the space."
He led her the rest of the way down the path to a set of stairs onto the porch and a backdoor into the house. He climbed the stairs and opened the door, holding it as he made a gentlemanly gesture for the woman to precede him. "So I tend to just keep an eye on things and tend to a my personal fields, unless someone can't make it to tend their plot. I get a lot of people coming and going."
A grin pulled at the corners of his mouth as the crow cawed from overhead, miffed that they were going somewhere it couldn't follow. "And of course my friend there keeps me plenty of company. For winter I just clean up the fields, prep them for spring, and do a bit of work around the house."
The woman laughed as she heard the crow's response to her greeting, knowing that was typical behavior for the crow. She followed the man as he deposited his tools in his shed, then made he way back to his house. When he opened the door for her, she gave a little cursty, before walking inside. Her blue eyes looked around, taking in every nook and cranny of the room.
"Well, it is mighty kind of you to take care of the crops of others. Also very nice to allow people to use the land for their own private uses. Your land is very beautiful, I was admirin it on my way. Also, love the look of your house, it is quite sunny,"the woman smiled.
The man smiled as he followed the woman inside. By happy coincidence the door happened to lead right into the kitchen. The floor was bare wood with a mat thrown down by the sink. Wallpaper covered the walls, palest blue background with a repeating motif of flowers in all sorts of varieties and colors. The cabinets were wood, painted white with yellow accents. The counter was also of wood, and showed its age in the variety of dings and cuts along its surface. It was clean and obviously well cared for. Pots, pans, and bundles of herbs hung from the ceiling while a large wooden table dominated the middle of the room, its surface showing as much wear as the counters and just as freshly scrubbed. There were two doors, an open one leading out into the rest of the house and a closed one, which, when the man went to it and opened it, which proved to be a pantry.
He disappeared inside, looking over the shelves. "I thank you for the compliment. I wanted the place to look inviting, so people wouldn't be afraid to come up and ask me anything." He appeared in the pantry door, holding a plain-looking ceramic jar, with a grin on his face. "Apparently farmhouses sometimes get a reputation for housing mean, cantankerous oldsters who want to be left entirely alone."
He juggled the jar to one hand, holding out his free one. "Ah, forgot to introduce myself properly. I'm Dirk."
She walked over to the table and looked it over, then looked at all the cupboards and the walls of the kitchen. She had to admit, he kept everything looking very cared for and appreciated. She watched him go into what she could only assume was a pantry. She smiled when he came out and thanked her and talked about peoples' assumptions about farmers.
"I don't have that kind of notion, I always think of people who own farmhouses to usually be kind types. Maybe it is just the kind of experiences one has. It is nice to meet you, Dirk, my name is Karina,"the woman introduced herself with an even brighter smile.
Dirk shrugged his broad shoulders, though he was still grinning. "I guess its cause city or suburb types can't imagine living all the way out in the middle of nowhere, so they go blowing things all out of proportion while they wonder." He stepped out of the pantry and set the jar down on the table, pulling off the lid to reveal the promised white granules inside. He went to the counter and rummaged in the drawers to find a spoon.
"I grew up with farms myself." He glanced over his shoulder, spoon in hand, green eyes curious. "What about yourself?"
Karina nodded her head, knowing people sometimes jumped to conclusions about all sorts of things. She could go on about how they shouldn't do that, but then she reminded herself she sometimes did it herself. She watched him work on getting some sugar for her.
"I kind of grew up around both, the big city and the farms. My mama is from the big city, so during the winter we would be there. My papa is from the country, so we would spend all but winter on his farm,"Karina explained softly.
Dirk nodded through Karina's explanation, sticking the spoon into the open sugar jar. "I only ever visit town every once in a while, to get things I can't grow or make here. Never could stand to stay in those places for long, they just feel so croweded to me." His fiinger beat a slow tempo against the side of the jar as he thought. "Don't know if it's a city or not, the land changes gradually from farms to houses to shops, and I've never had to travel very far into the town so I don't know how big the whole place is."
He shrugged and gave Karina a slightly rueful grin and laugh. "Reckon I'm just too country clean through, probably come off as a bit ignorant to folks used to big and busy places." He tapped his finger against the jar again, and his mind returned to Karina's original purpose here. "Were you needing something to put the sugar in, or did you bring a container?"
"No need to apologize, there are definitely advantages to bein one of the country folks. You get such piece and quiet here on the farm and get to commune with nature. Plus, I reckon those with children are quite happy to have land for their children to run around on,"Karina smiled.
She thought about it and knew that she really liked being in the country, it had a certain charm that was lost in the city. The stars for example, the city lights drowned them out, but here, they could be perfectly seen. Plus the sunrises out in the country were spectacular, as were the sunsets. One could have a picnic and see some really wonderful things.
"I brought my own container, reckoned I would need somethin to bring the sugar home in. Here it is,"Karina replied, getting a canister out of her basket and placed it on the table, taking off the lid.
Dirk made a noise of assent as he picked up the container and began spooning sugar into it. "I've had a group or two bring kids out here to teach them about where food comes from and to just spend the day running around." His smile held a touch of wistfulness to it. "They seem like they're really having a great time. I'm hoping I'll have kids of my own some day that can run around and have fun like that."
Karina looked thoughtful as he spoke, a soft smile playing on her own lips. She had watched others with their children and she couldn't help but have some her own day. She just told herself time and time again that she needed to be patient, good things came to those who waited.
"I am sure the kids learn a lot when they come out here to learn about how things grow. I am like you, I hope to have kids of my own one day, ones I can watch grow and teach all kind of things to. It would be so nice, course one must be patient,"Karina spoke.
Dirk chuckled. "Oh, that almost goes without saying. I dunno where kids manage to come up with all their questions, but they certainly have unique perspectives. I once was showing some children my trellises and I had a little girl ask me if there was a plant that could grow all the way up to the clouds and make cloud beans, since they looked so fluffy and delicious."
He set Karina's container on the table, now full of sugar, and put the lid back on his somewhat depleted jar before going to rinse the spoon off in the sink and leave it on a rack to dry. "I was mighty sorry to have to tell her I didn't have a cloud bean plant, but she promised that if she was to find one she'd bring me back some seeds so I could grow one for other kids who come to visit."
Karina laughed lightly, thinking kids definitely had some very interesting thoughts about life. She tried to remember what kind of things she thought of when she was little. She smiled softly at that idea, knowing she probably drove her parents crazy with all of her questions.
"I can only imagine my parents got mighty fed up with all of my questions when I was little. Course, I would welcome all kinds of questions from kids, thinking it is nice to think like a child sometimes. A cloud bean, I reckon those would be mighty comfy,"Karina smiled.
Dirk returned Karina's smile. "I certain imagine they would be. Sounds like something I could use to stuff a mattress with and have a mighty fine sleep."
He suddenly tilted his head, expression curious. A piece of straw wedged in the brim of his hat fluttered loose and fell to the table. "You got me curious now, miss. You know that I spend my days out farming and watching the fields. Just what do you spend your time doin'?"
"Yes, they would probably provide the best possible sleep. I mean, I reckon they would be mighty soft and make it easy to fall into a peaceful sleep,"Karina nodded.
She thought about his question, wondering how best to describe her job. "Well, I reckon you can say that I help my papa with his farm in whatever way I can. When we are in the city, I am a librarian for the public library,"she replied to him.
Dirk picked the piece of straw up for the table and twirled it in his fingers, a quiet chuckle escaping from his lips. "Well can't say I've ever frequented libraries often. I'm usually covered in a mess of some kind, and the folks working in the buildings look like they can get downright terrifying if you so much as smudge a book. It sounds like interesting work though."
He tucked the piece of straw behind his ear. "Your pa's farm close to mine? I'm usually so busy around here that I can be a bit isolated sometimes." He grinned ruefully again, sure his lack of knowledge outside his borders must seem unusual even to a girl raised on a farm.
"Well, some of the older ladies do get a smidge upset if you put even a small speck of dirt on one of the books. They seem to think of the books as their babies and if you even think of soiling them, they will tar and feather you. It is just somethin I have learned to be careful about,"Karina admitted.
Karina felt a twinge of pity for him when he said he was isolated, thinking again he must get lonesome, at least sometimes. "Yeah, my pa's farm is right down the road, maybe a half mile from here or so,"she replied.
Dirk thought about his friend Harper, an aquatic female who was younger than him and had an insatiable love for books. Now /there/ someone who could be the definition of scary librarian. She was so quiet and shy, but you put so much as a mark on one of her precious books and she turned into an angry little whirlwind.
There was no age boundary when it came to true book love, it seemed.
"Half a mile," he mused, thoughts wandering away from books and back to the conversation. "You'd have thought we'd have run into each other before now. I'm not wandering around my borders all that often, but I run by to check on them enough that I shoulda spotted you if you were out."
Of course the farms weren't going to be /right/ next to each other; it stood to reason that Karina's pa's farm could have had its fields just far enough away that even if they were both out at the same time they wouldn't have made out the other as anything more than a speck in the distance.
"Yeah, you would think we would have run into each other by now, but guess we have either never been out at the same time or on different ends of our farms. Well, it is nice to finally meet you, glad I decided to come get sugar. Who knows, we may never have met,"Karina spoke quietly.
It was sad to think she did not know many of her neighbors as she ought to. It was just a terrible thing, but she hoped to remedy that now. She thought Dirk was a nice guy and it made her think getting to know people was a good idea.
Dirk considered it for a moment. "Well I could certainly understand it if you lived on the other side of the copse where the crows live. I don't go around there much at all, on account of they don't get along with my friend." As if to underscore his words, at that moment there was a very irritated cawing from outside the door, followed by a quiet scratching sound as though it was pecking at the wood.
"Yes, I do believe that is where we live, so that would certainly explain not seeing one another til now. Seems your bird friend is not very happy right now, seems a might bit upset with us in here,"Karina noted.
Dirk just chuckled, picking up his sugar jar and returning it to the pantry. "He doesn't like it when I go in the house, cause I never let him in. Tried it once, and he made the most awful mess you could imagine!"
"Yes, I reckon he would be worse than a fox in a hen house. Probably too many shiny things for him to try and grab. He will just have to be patient while you are in here, that is all,"Karina smiled.
"You ain't wrong about that," Dirk agreed, remembering the cleanup from that single overnight stay; it had taken him a week to get everything straightened out, and a month to find everything the bird had hidden!
"I got him spoiled enough though," he continued, glancing at the door as more scratching sounds echoed through the wood. "I bring him some bread or something nice to eat when I go out. He's probably impatient for me to bring him his treat."
"Yes, he probably thinks you have been in here too long with your guest. Probably thinks you plum went and forgot him, even if you didn't do that,"Karina smiled. She took her sugar and placed it in her basket, before wondering if the other would want her to leave yet.
Dirk shook his head, grinning. "Like I could ever forget that feathered noisebag." He reached an arm back into the pantry and came out with a hunk of bread; obviously this was something he had to do fairly often.
He went to a door and had his hand on the knob when he hesitated, pausing, then turned back to Karina with an odd look, like he was uncertain about something. "If you've got nothing you've got to do back home, you're welcome to stick around. I've gotta try to get these plants finished before the light runs out, but I'd welcome the company," he offered tentatively, as though unsure how the other would feel about the offer.
Karina laughed, hearing the affection in Dirk's voice as he spoke about the crew. She was sure they were fond of each other, at least as much as a crow and a farmer can be friends. She watched him getting the bread, when she heard his question.
"I reckon my pa has everything under control, it was actually his suggestion I come to you instead of one of the other neighbors. Not entirely sue why, but who am I to question my pa. I would not mind stayin for a bit, see if I can lend a hand,"Karina smiled.
Dirk nodded, easy grin coming back as Karina accepted his offer. "That'd be kind of you. I don't have a pair of gloves that would fit you, not comfortably anyway, but I'm sure we can think of something. Maybe after I clear a spot and dig a whole you can put in the pansies," he said, thinking aloud as he opened the door and quickly tossed out the chunk of bread. There was a fluttering of wings and a muffed caw (probably from a beak full of bread), then Dirk opened up the door the rest of the way and stepped out, waiting for Karina to follow.
"Gotta warn ya though, my friend here might harass you a bit," he warned Karina. "Nothing bad, but he'll come flying up and seeing if you got anything he wants and whether or not he can steal it, or tug on your clothes or such. He's a ball of mischief, he is."
"Would you mind terribly if I left my basket here on the safety of the table? I would hate for your friend to use all our sugar before I could get it home. Also, your friend won't bother me none, I am quite used to it. Have some animal friends of my own,"Karina smiled brightly.
"You're perfectly welcome to leave it here," he replied, pretty sure that the crow would have no interest in the sugar but knowing he'd make a right mess trying to find out if he was interested or not.
"I don't have anything that hangs around here besides that crow. What kinds of animals are your friends," Dirk asked, curious and interested.
Karina gently placed her wicker basket on the table, before she followed him outside. She smiled when she heard he was interested in the kinds of animals she had brefriended.
"There are some wonderful rabbits that enjoy coming to see me, course we have to make sure they stay away from the crops. Pa has built an area for them to come and go from, so that I can spend time with them. We also have some squirrels who enjoy the acorns in our Oak trees, who are fun to watch. Oh and some birds have made a nest in the trees, making such beautiful music,"Karina replied.
"I don't have many squirrels around here," Dirk remarked as he opened the shed door and pulled his basket out. "Don't have but a couple trees close to the house and it's mostly all fields out here. Don't think my friend would tolerate a squirrel in his living space. Rabbits, I do get, usually sneaking into my fields and nibbling. I try to keep them contained to just one or two fields."
Dirk pulled his gloves on, then looked curiously at Karina. "I don't figure I have any gloves your size, but if you really want a pair I've got some extras in there that you can wear."
"Well, if you want to meet any of my friends, you are more than welcome to come and visit anytime. I would love to introduce you to them, they are just all so sweet. Papa says I seem to have a natural talent when it comes to critters,"Karina smiled. She thought of her animal friends and did enjoy their company.
"Oh don't you worry none about me, I am just fine getting dirty. I don't mind working in the dirt without gloves every once in awhile,"Karina assured him.
"That should work just fine with what I got planned then," he said, slowly leading them back up the path to the area where he'd originally been working when Karina had first walked up. He knelt down on the ground beside the flat of pansies, next to an area he had yet to clear up.
"I'll pull up all the dead stuff and clear the ground, since I have on the gloves so nothing that bites or stings will bother me much," he said. He pulled the tools out of the basket off the pile of dead plants he'd already collected, laying them down. "You can use the spade and plant the flowers in the ground I cleared. And watch for that feathered trouble-maker, he loves trying to steal my tools," Dirk warned.
Alright, sounds like a really good plan to me, Dirk. No worries, I will keep an eye out for your aerial friend, make sure he doesn't take anything that does not belong to him,"Karina assured. She knelt down gracefully on the ground, her legs tucked up under her. She waited for her turn, watching him work.
Dirk dug his hands into the earth, pulling up dead summer flowers and the occasional weed that had sprouted up. It didn't take long before he'd cleared a spot where Karina could work in. He scooted over and slowly began moving down the bed, pulling up more plants. He tried to be quick, though he didn't want to be too hasty and leave anything behind.
"Tell me, what's your farm like," Dirk asked curiously as he worked, head bent over the flower beds and chocolate-colored hair trying its best to flop in his eyes.
Karina picked up the spade next to her and began to dig a hole to put the first flower in. She soon had a hole deep enough and she gently lowered the plant into the hole. Then she covered the bottom of it in the soil, before scooting over to repeat the process.
"Well, we have an area for the hens to lay their eggs, which I help gather every morning. Then we have the barn where we keep the cows, always fun to milk Betsy, even if she is not fond of it. We have a big area of land where we harvest carrots, tomatoes, and other delicious crops. I also have my own flower garden, where I plant lilies and roses,"Karina spoke, thinking lovingly of her farm.
"I've got a few perennials near the front of the house, but I'm out in the fields so often that I don't feel like I could care for anything more than a few annuals in the rest of the beds," Dirk admitted. "There is a spot with some really nice wildflowers that I like to visit every now and then, but it's so close to the copse that I can't linger too long or else there's trouble with the feathered ones."
He added an handful of dead plants to his basket, and scooted to a new section. "It sounds like you rely on animals at your farm just as much as plants," he observed.
"Yes, the animals are very important to us, we get a lot of our money from the goods we get from them. Though, we have some really great crops that bring a pretty good amount as well. I suppose we just like having animals around, not just for money,"Karina smiled. She was on her third hole, thinking about what he said about flowers.
"Well, if you wanted me to, I could come over some and help you tend to any flowers you might want around here. Flowers always are a good way to cheer people up,"she explained.
Dirk had been in the midst of contemplating whether it might be worth it to try to raise some animals of his own (he made enough to live comfortably with his fields, but hens for eggs would be nice), when Karina's offer jolted him out of his thoughts. He gave her a startled glance.
"It's a very kind offer, but wouldn't that be an imposition," he asked. "I mean I'm sure you have chores of your own to do, things you want to get done, and even if your farm isn't very far away it's still a bit of a distance to walk every day." He pushed a strand of his hair out of his eyes, smearing some dirt on his cheek as he did so. "It feels an awful lot like taking advantage of a kind nature."
"No, it would not be a problem at all. I enjoyed the walk here, so I could gladly do it everyday. Also, we usually would be returning to the big city, but Papa wanted to stay this winter, so there is not much for me to do right now. Papa has it covered and I think he kind of wants to get me out of the house. So if you would not mind the company everyday, I would certainly like to come and help,"Karina spoke.
"I wouldn't mind the company at all," Dirk said, giving Karina a friendly smile. "If you're sure it wouldn't be an imposition, I'd be glad to have you." He looked over at the expanse of flower bed. "Not a whole lot for you to do right now though," he observed, pulling up some weeds and adding them to his basket meant for the compost. "Not much grows in winter, it's just getting the perennials bunkered down for winter and ready to go when spring returns."
He made an apologetic expression. "Hope it doesn't sound like I'm trying to chase you away, cause I'm not."
"No, we will just have to find something else for me to do when I come to visit, that is all. Not sure what yet, but I am sure we will think of something. It would be nice to just have someone around my own age to talk to, so I don't have to spend all my time with animals who cannot really talk back or reading books,"Karina admitted.
Dirk let out a short laugh. "Truly there's not a lot. Weeds don't grow in the cold and there's no use trying to clear stones out of the ground now since I'd have to do it all over again before the planting. I think I spend half my winter days just walking around the grounds to make sure everything's alright, and the other half wandering around my house seeing if there's anything that needs fixing or cleaning."
He was certain there was plenty of the latter that could be done that might keep both of them busy, but it felt quite rude to suggest to a woman he'd only just met that she help him clean his house.
He was sure he could also think of a lot of other things they could do if Karina was looking for a way to make the time go by with company, but those were, well, probably not as rude as the house cleaning thing but were certainly way too forward for him to voice since he'd only just met her, so he didn't even entertain the ideas.
"Well, I wouldn't mind helping you clean the place, if you needed the help. Or perhaps we could just walk around and talk, there would be nothing wrong with that. Or we could meet at my farm and I could show you around,"Karina fired off the suggestions.
Dirk sat back on his heels and held up his hands like he was shielding himself, though he was laughing as he did so. "Alright, alright! I give in! There's probably a lot of things we could come up with, and all my fussing over how I don't want to take up your time due to selfish whims is groundless and nothing more than fussing for the sake of fussing!"
He laughed again as he lowered his hands and went back to the job, eyes sparkling with humor.
"And the lady is triumph, beating the noble knight into submission by her persistence. And the crowd goes wild,"Karina said in an announcer voice, her own eyes twinkling. This was the most fun she had in awhile and to think, it started with asking for sugar.
Dea: ((Aww, they are so cute))
Jinx: ((Yes, yes they are : ) Sorry I vanished for a bit there, got so distracted I didn't notice my computer had gone into sleep mode.))
Dea: ((Tis okay, not a problem. Been working on catching up in threads anyway))
Dirk picked up a dead flower and pointed it at Karina, managing a completely serious expression. "Perhaps the knight should seek audience with the king and let him know that his lady daughter is going around bullying the knights," he said in a voice as serious as his face. He couldn't completely hold the expression though; his eyes twinkled with suppressed laughter.
Karina picks up her own dead flower and strikes a swords-woman pose with it. She was holding back a giggle as she tried to keep a serious look on her face.
"I do believe you will have to fight me to have an audience with the king. The princess will not allow you to spread lies about her,"Karina said in a bold look, her twinkling eyes nearly giving her away.
Dirk raised an eyebrow, tossing his own dead flower onto the pile in the basket with a flick of his wrist. "I think I hear a challenge in your voice. I would answer it, but I think the king would take badly to me hauling said daughter princess in on my shoulder like a sack of flower. After all, we're supposed to use our powers to protect.
Then again-," he added, plucking up another handful of dead plant and thoughtfully brandishing it in Karina's direction, "-the princess bullying knights might just fall under that category. I'd be protecting my own ranks."
Karina bit her lip, trying so hard to keep her giggles to herself. She readied herself with her flower, waiting to see if he would make the first move or not.
"I am not bullying anything, I am just making sure that no knights, such as yourself, tries to take advantage of a girl. You know how you knights are, you think you can get away with anything,"Karina smiled.
"You know, I find that attitude highly unfair," Dirk complained playfully. "If the knight badgers the lady we're taking advantage, but if the lady browbeats a knight into something it's not being taken advantage of, it's making us "be sensible". Am I the only one who sees the double-standard here?"
"I do not make up the rules, I just abide by them. Though, I have been very respectful towards the knights in the realm, helping them when I can. I make sure I am very kind to you, do I not?"Karina asked.
"Aye, whether we will it or not," Dirk teasing, reaching forward with his bundle of plants and lightly tickling the tip of Karina's nose before tossing them into the basket as well. He carefully wiggled over so he could reach a new patch of flowerbed to weed.
"Yon princess might also be careful," he added, a hint of his playfulness now creeping into his voice. "A black feathered villian is sneaking upon thee to steal thine royal gardening spade." And indeed, the crow had been sneaking up on the garden tool Karina had abandoned in favor of a flower weapon.
Karina turned around to see the crow and she shooed him away from the tools. She picked them up carefully, making sure the crow did not have any more bright ideas. Then she threw the dead flower on the basket and went back to work.
"I shall remember to be more careful, since these were loaned to me. Would hate for the person I got them from to be upset with me,"Karina smiled.
Dirk chuckled. "I see no way to respond to that that won't give you an opening to mock me mercilessly," he admitted, wiping some of his messy hair away from his eyes and tugging on a particularly stubborn root.
"Yes, you are probably right, though I suppose I could be nice to you. I mean you were kind enough to give this princess some sugar to take back to her kingdom. The king will be very grateful for the kind offering,"Karina spoke, smiling brightly.
Dirk grinned back. "Yes, well this knight is better at experimenting with vegetables and the savory side of food more than fruits and sweets. I mostly only use the sugar to sprinkle over fruit or to activate yeast when baking bread." He dug at the ground thoughtfully. "Dunno why I don't seem to be good at making things with sweets, since some vegetables can be sweet and I do fine with them. It's just one of those weird things in life."
"Well, maybe you just haven't had enough practice with them. I work better with the fruits myself, but might be due to the fact I like things like berries and apples,"Karina mused softly.
He shook his head. "I don't think that's it. I've been cooking, or making attempts at it, since I was old enough to see over the counter. I've had quite some time to practice, and I just seem to lack an innate knowledge of when I've added the right amount of sweetness to things. Whatever I make that's supposed to be sweet either comes out bitter or too sweet to eat, even for someone who loves sugary things."
"Well, maybe it just isn't your talent, that's all. Nothing wrong with that, everyone has their own talents. You are better at vegetables and I am better at sweets,"Karina shrugged. She dug another hole, then placed another plant into it.
"Maybe that's something we can do one day, then," Dirk suggested. "Spend a day cooking up a meal. I can do the dinner portion, you can do the desert." He looked up and flashed her a grin. "It sounds better than just wandering around the fields pretending there might be something to do and knowing there really isn't much."
"Ooo, I think that sounds like a wonderful idea. I reckon I could handle cooking up some delightful desserts for us to enjoy. Plus, I would love to see how good a cook you are,"Karina replied with a smile.
"Well I've managed to keep myself alive so far on my cooking, so I reckon I've been doing /something/ right all these years," Dirk replied pertly. He deposited another handful of weeds into the basket and stood up, stretching out muscles that had begun cramping from remaining tensed up in place, walking in short circles until the muscles were loose again before he resumed his task.
"Well, you do seem to be pretty healthy, so you must be doing something right, huh? So your cooking must be doing the job,"Karina spoke. She moved over and started to work with the spade again, seeming to be at home in the dirt.
"That's my theory, anyway," Dirk agreed. He checked the progess they'd made, now that he didn't have to stop and plant the flowers as he went. Not so bad, but still another seven or so feet of garden bed left to weed. "So, are you the one who does most of the cooking in your house or do your parents tend to make the meals?"
"My parents usually make the meals, I chip in with something every once in awhile. Course it is usually something simple, since I am much better with sweets than I am actual sustenance,"Karina admitted in an embarrassed voice.
"That depends on what your idea of sustenance is," he countered. "I think some people would happily attempt to sustain themselves on sweets alone. It's more about finding a healthy balance, I think, than whether or not you can do anything complicated."
He scratched at the ground, revealing a particularly ugly and fat grub. With a cackle of glee the crow swooped down and plucked it up before Dirk had more than a few moments to react, flying away to add the bug to its tasty meal of bread. Dirk continued the conversation like the interruption hadn't happened.
"How'd you learn? Did your parents teach you, or was it more a long process of trial and error?"
"My parents taught me when I was little, trying to give me as much experience as I could. In the words of my father, 'You will never catch a man if you cannot make a meal.' So it was kind of something my parents felt I need to learn,"Karina replied.
Dirk let out a short laugh. "I'm not saying that it wouldn't help," he said, "but I can say for me at least that it would take a lot more than a woman's cooking skills for her to be able to "catch me". Me, I was more the trial and error type of learner when it came to cooking."
"Well, good to know cooking skills are not a way to your heart. Means there may actually be a chance for girls like me,"Karina giggled. She wondered what he looked for in a mate, but she pushed that thought out of her head for the time being.
"So you didn't have your parents to teach you how to cook?"she asked. Her blue eyes focused on the other curiously.
"It was just my father and me, and he was always out in the fields working. If I wanted to live on more than raw fruits and vegetables, I had to cook my food myself." A brief smile flashed across his face. "It was probably a good thing he was so insensitive to the taste of food, since I'm sure my first experiments were fairly horrible."
Karina laughed lightly at that, thinking his father must have lots of fun with his son's cooking. If hist attempts were anything like her own, they were probably near disasters.
"Well, cannot be as bad as some of my first attempts were. I had smoke coming from my eggs, nearly set off the smoke detector,"Karina admitted quietly.
"I had things explode on me. Potatoes, mostly," Dirk said, chuckling deep in his throat. "Smoking eggs don't seem nearly as bad. You haven't had a cooking disaster until you're scraping what was supposed to be dinner off the walls and ceiling."
"I believe you must be talking about my pancakes, they really do not make a good ceiling decoration at all. Dad said they looked like someone had decided to throw moldy paint on the ceiling,"Karina recalled softly. Yes, she remembered that so very well.
"I've tried making pancake potatoes before. Oddly enough, those were one of the things that did /not/ end up on the ceiling," Dirk said. "If I recall correctly, they were actually very tasty."
"I don't think I have ever tried those before, going to have to try them sometime now. Well, at least you did not make a mess of them,"Karina smiled brightly.
Dirk scrubbed away at the inside of his microwave, a small frown on his face. It had been /years/ since he'd last exploded a potato! He'd forgotten how much of a mess they made, not to mention how very loud it was; for a second he'd thought the microwave itself had chosen a dramatic way to end its life as he rushed into the room to discover the source of the loud bang.
How could have have forgotten to stick holes in the vegetable? Nerves, maybe? It wasn't like he hadn't cooked for other people before, but it had been some time since he'd last invited anyone over to his house to cook and have a meal with him.
Just the other day while out walking the farm and looking things over he'd spotted Karina out on her father's farm in the distance; he might have have before, but now he was actually looking for her and had recognized her even from afar. She also appeared to have recognized him, and the two came towards each other and enjoyed a brief conversation as a break from work. Dirk made the offer for Karina to visit tomorrow so they could cook for each other like they had half-jestingly suggested before, and she'd cheerfully accepted.
He'd been hoping to get a little prep work done before she showed up so that he wouldn't be in the way while Karina made whatever it was she planned, but it looked like his good intentions had gone out the window this time... Speaking of out the window, at that moment there was a tap on the glass. Dirk reflexively looked up, and was unsurprised to see the crow had managed to perch on the sill. He'd have to leave little treats all night to keep the corvine appeased.
Karina was singing a song as she walked down the same path she had used a few days ago to ask for sugar. She smiled softly as she thought of the discussion at the edge of the two farms the other day, which had lead to the current plans to meet and cook together. She was actually looking forward to it, having not had someone outside the family to cook with before.
The young woman was trying very hard to keep her nerves in check. Don't get her wrong, she was excited at the prospect of spending time with Dirk, but she was also scared. She wondered if she might screw something up. Normally she would not worry, but she actually liked Dirk and did not want to look stupid in front of him.
In her whirlwind of thoughts, she had arrived at the front door and didn't notice until she almost ran into it. She snapped back to attention and rapped at the door, waiting for Dirk to answer it.
Dirk wasn't known for cussing, but at the sound of a knock on the door he paused, then let loose a mutter of very colorful, creative, original, and highly unlikely curses, all seemingly directed at potatoes. He hesitated, giving the microwave and it's half-cleaned state a resigned look, then straightened up with a sigh and headed for the front door.
It wasn't that far, actually. Through a small hallway (which had a door set in the wall on the side closest to the kitchen and an open doorway that led into a second hallway stretching away from the kitchen) and an open doorframe and he was in the front room. Living room, most would have called it. It was there that the front door was located.
He took a moment to run his hands over his shirt, smoothing the checkered material, and his hand drifted up to check his hat. He found himself slightly self-conscious about how clean he felt, having scrubbed up before starting his attempt at cooking. He stood before the door with a feeling like he was bracing himself, then opened it. An unconscious grin stretched across his face when he saw Karina standing there, despite nerves and irritation with the microwave. "Well hey there, missy," he greeted her cheerfully.
Karina smiled brightly when she saw Dirk at the door, so glad to see him. She had been so excited to see him ever since their unexpected meeting. She didn't know what it was about him, but he actually made her happy.
"Hello there, Dirk, it is so good to see you. I hope you are ready for this, I have been very excited for the past day or so. I borrowed some recipes from my parents that I thought we could do together,"Karina told him. She subconsciously straightened out her dress, telling herself for what felt like the hundredth time that she looked fine.
Dirk chuckled, then made a good-naturedly rueful face. "None of those require a microwave off the bat, do they? It's kind of a mess at the moment." He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "I'm afraid old mistakes have a habit of creeping up on a person at the least convenient moment."
He stood aside and made a gesture of invitation for Karina to enter his home, adding a half-bow with a playful smile tugging on the corners of his mouth. "I look forward to seeing what kind of recipes you brought along. You've got me curious."
"No, none of my recipes require a microwave right away, so no need to worry about that. Course, I suppose that dashes my hopes of getting some popcorn, huh? Ah well, I suppose I should have expected it,"Karina laughed. She walked into his house, then looked to Dirk. She kind of wondered why they could not use the microwave right away.
Dirk laughed. "I classify popcorn as a snack more than a meal, though if that's a request I might be able to do something with it, if plain corn just won't cut it," he said, half in jest and half serious. He closed the door behind Karina as she stepped into the house, and led her through the room and down the short hall into the kitchen where they'd first conversed not even a week before.
Even though he knew it would be impossible to hide his mess from Karina for more than a few moments, he tried to shield it from view with his body as they walked in. He quickly walked over and resumed scrubbing, trying to get it cleaned faster than he had been before. "It might be a moment before I can help with anything," he apologized, giving the microwave a vigorous scrub."
"Well, I never said popcorn was a meal, I know it is a snack. We did not say everything we made had to be a meal, now did we?"Karina pointed out. She followed him into the kitchen and could see the mess. She felt sorry he had to clean up such a mess.
"Would you like some help cleaning? I mean, it might get it done sooner, so we can get to work making things. I figure cooking might be more fun than cleaning,"Karina pointed out.
Dirk felt a stab of amusement. "True enough. I don't think we'd planned a sit-down dinner, more like a make-stuff-and-eat-it-as-we-go thing. Maybe I'll try my hand at popcorn later."
He felt grateful for the offer Karina had made, though had to turn it down. "Only room for one person in here, otherwise I'd gladly accep the help," he said, shaking some of the potato mess into a bucket he was going to dump in the compost later. "I got some of it already so it shouldn't take me much longer. Any prep you need to get done for some of your recipes? We can talk as we both work."
"Thank you, glad to hear that I had a point, I reckon I get those once in awhile. Alright, as long as you are okay cleaning by yourself, I suppose I could start work on chopping up some veggies for one of my recipes,"Karina admitted. She put down her basket and took out some tomatoes, starting to cut them with a knife.
Dirk looked up from the microwave to peer at Karina. "I can't tell if you were being playful or if I stuck my mouth in my foot there," he said with a quick, quiet grin, then bent back to his task. "Feel free to rummage around in the cabinets and use whatever you need to, food as well as utensils."
For a moment he was quiet, listening to the sound of Karina moving around the kitchen while he scrubbed and feeling his muscles relax a little at the homey sounds of food prep. "How was your walk over here," he asked into the silence. "I noticed the temperature is a little in flux today, going between cold and comfortable. Wasn't too bad, was it?"
"I was totally being playful, should have made that more clear with a giggle or something at some point. Alright, I will be sure to use whatever I need, since you are allowing me to do so,"Karina smiled. She put the diced tomatoes in a bowl, then got to work with smashing some garlic.
"The weather didn't seem too bad to me, just a touch chilly. Nothing I couldn't handle though, don't you worry none,"Karina answered.
Dirk scraped more potato out of the microwave. Most of it was gone now, all that was left was cleaning a few smears so it didn't bake onto the plastic and become hard to remove. "I think it's a sign that I really need to get out more, if I'm losing my touch at recognizing playfulness, rather than lack of clarity," he assured Karina in a cheerful voice which echoed a little in the microwave.
The scent of garlic reached his nose, and his stomach gave a hungry gurgle. Dirk flushed bright red and tried to pretend like it hadn't happened. "That's good. I would feel horrible about making you walk here if it was cold. If the weather takes a bad turn you're always welcome to kip here." Well, that didn't help his blush any...
Dea: ((I don't know if I can love these two anymore together lol))
Jinx: ((Pfff! XD They are pretty cute. I sense much fluff in their future.))
Dea: ((*snuggles the pair* And RPing with you actually has helped me give her a personality, along with a really cute guy. Epic win lol))
Dea: ((Oh, I should probably reply to the RP, huh lol))
Jinx: ((Totally an epic win, cause Dirk's needed someone to chat with : ) ))
"No worries, I have to admit, this is the first time I have really cooked with anyone that was not family before. So, as you can tell, I probably do not get out much more than you do. I'll try to make myself more clear like in the future,"Karina smiled. The smell of the garlic was starting to make her hungry too.
"Well, I don't reckon it should be too cold when I leave, but we shall see. Thank ya kindly for the offer, regardless of if it is needed or not,"she told him brightly.
Dea: ((Well, I am glad he finally has a girl. Poor thing, he should have had one by now))
Jinx: ((Just bad luck, I think))
Dirk managed to get out a, "You're welcome," to Karina and another round of quiet cropped back up as he used the time to cool his blush back down. It helped to blank his mind and focus on cleaning, listening to the sounds of Karina moving around the kitchen. Good thing it didn't take much time for his skin tone to go back to normal, cause he was running out of microwave to clean!
Finally he straightened up with a little grunt, stretching a little after spending to relieve muscles cramped from hunching over. "There we go, I think the microwave is back in business."
"Good, means we will be able to have some popcorn tonight, maybe with a movie,"Karina spoke cheerily. She was busy mixing the garlic and the tomatoes into a sauce, adding a little water. She seemed to be in high spirits, enjoying the smell of the sauce. It helped that she had such good company.
Dea: ((Well, he just hadn't met Karina yet, that's all))
Jinx: ((Yup, the right Noodle not existing yet makes a difference. You don't notice until they randomly show up lol))
Dirk chuckled. "Well I don't have a large variety, but we might be able to find something. We'd probably have to rent next time if you want something specific." He looked around the room for a moment, gathering his bearings, then with a tiny hint of reluctance he gathered up more potatoes. This time he didn't put them in the microwave though! He washed them, chopped them into bite-sized chunks with the skin still on, and started collecting oil and herbs while they sat waiting in a bowl.
"Gotta admit, I was expecting you to go with sweet off the bat," he admitted as the smell of garlic flitting across his senses again. He suddenly grinned. "Please don't tell me that's going to be a desert," he asked in mock horror.
"Well, hopefully you have one of my favorites. If not, then we will just have to make do until we can rent something for next time,"Karina smiled. She couldn't believe she was actually planning for next time, it was not something she was used to doing. It was almost like she had been waiting for such a moment to present itself.
Karina made a face when he joked and she gave a small chuckle. "Not unless you count Spaghetti as a dessert. I mean, tomatoes are a fruit, but never thought of Dessert Spaghetti,"she giggled.
Dea: ((We can thank Cheza for that, she made the Noodle and Moony made Karina real))
Dirk suddenly grinned, a wide, boy-ishly mischievous grin, as he began mincing some chives, parsley, and basil, dumping each into the oil as he finished. "Who says you can't have desert spaghetti," he declared. "Maybe we should use this opportunity and make some, after we finish all the dinnery stuff!"
Jinx: ((Indeed : ) ))
Dea: ((Well, Che made the plushie of her anyway lol))
"Well, we are eating regular spaghetti first then, if you are that eager to experiment. I didn't bring these ingredients for you to make them into a dessert,"Karina playfully pouted.
Dirk chuckled, pouring the herb-filled oil over the potatoes and swirling the bowl so that they were all lightly coated. "I think I've got enough variety here for us to experiment with," he said. "We should be able to hopefully make something tasty, if a little odd." He reached down and hunting for a pan in one of his cabinets, setting it on the shove and turning on the flame underneath it, letting the potatoes sit in their herb oil coat while the pan heated up.
"I hope it is edible, would prefer we do not make something that will go to waste,"Karina smiled. She took a taste of the sauce and smiled, before walking over to get some noodles. Once she found them, she got a pan out and filled it with water. Once it was filled to the right spot, she put it on one of the burners and turned on the heat, allowing it to come to a boil.
"If it's inedible then I'll add it to the compost, to go back into the earth," Dirk assured Karina, wetting his hand in the sink and sprinkling water onto his pan to test the heat. Once the water hissed and sizzled on contact he added in the oiled potatoes, which instantly sent up a loud hiss of noise. He pulled a wooden spoon out of a drawer and stirred them until they were evenly scattered throughout the pan, then let them cool a little to get a sear on one side at least.
"I imagine something less starchy might be a better pair with spaghetti, but little late for that right now," he commented over the sizzling as the sweet-savory smell of spices joined the garlic smell.
"Alright, then that's what will happen...if it is inedible. And yes, something not so starchy would have probably been best, but we will work with what we have. Not much we can do about this now,"Karina smiled. She watched over her water until she noticed it bubbling, then she dumped in the noodles. She sniffed the air, enjoying the smells filling the kitchen.
"If we're still hungry after this I can make up something, since I doubt we're going to want to make a lot of desert spaghetti." He doubted they would be, of course; they were making enough food to make a very decent-sized meal. Any hunger they might still have would probably be meager enough to be satisfied by the desert, if it was any good, not to mention the prospect of popcorn later on.
"Alright, I do not foresee us being hungry still, but we shall see. We are certainly making enough of a meal for a small army,"Karina spoke, her eyes twinkling. She grinned mischievously as she started to eat the sauce and took a small spoonful of the sauce. She gently placed the spoon on his nose.
Dirk looked down at the single potato he had cooking in the skillet, stirring the pieces. "Oh yes, an army indeed," he commented, eyes twinkling as much as Karina's. He might have added more, but then she put a dollop of sauce, complete with spoon, on his nose.
He started in surprise, though managed not to eep or worse, inhale through his nose. He carefully removed the spoon and wiped the sauce off his nose with his finger, then tasted it. "Hmmm. Very nice." He grinned, then planted the still saucy spoon on Karina's nose before she had time to react.
Karina was about to reply, when she felt the sauce dripping on her nose. She reached up and took the spoon down, before looking at him with a red nose.
"Ooo, seems you are getting wise to what to do when I attack you, huh? Well, now I look like Rudolph, are you happy about that?"Karina asked with a laugh.
Dirk laughed. "Well you tried to turn /me/ into Rudolph first," he countered. "I was just wise enough to realize you made a cuter Rudolph than I do and remedy the situation."
He gave the potatoes and stir, then looked around for a suitable dish to dump them into. Almost ready! Would you like a strainer for your noodles and a bowl to put them into," he asked while he was rummaging, having spied the objects.
Karina blushed at his words, wiggling her nose slightly. She started to stir the noodles, when she heard his question to her.
"Yes, a strainer would be nice and a serving platter for the spaghetti would be a wonderful help. I think this dinner is really coming together nicely,"Karina replied.
Dea: ((Is it just me or is it amusing that they are making noodles lol)
Jinx: ((It is lol))
Dirk pulled out of the cabinet with a strainer and the bowl he thought would be good to put the spaghetti in, which he set on the counter before diving back in to find his dish, which he pulled out a moment later. He set it down and picked up his pan of potatoes, carefully pouring them into the dish before reaching over and turning off the stove top.
"Well, my dish is done," he commented, setting down the pan on the stove to cool down.
"Mine is almost done, the sauce just needs a couple more minutes. Then we shall have spaghetti and potatoes,"Karina smiled. After those couple of minutes, she spooned the spaghetti into the bowl and threw the meat sauce in with it.
Dea: ((Noodles making noodles lol))
Dirk nodded and went to get more dishes, this time a serving apparatus for the spaghetti, plates for them to eat off of, and silverware. "Alright, I think we're ready then!" He dished the potatoes onto both plates and waited for Karina to server herself some spaghetti before he got some himself.
"We can go look at the movies I have and see if there's anything you find interesting, unless you wanted to have a sit-down-and-eat experience instead," he said, flashing her a quick smile. "Then we can make the desert spaghetti and start thinking about when we might make popcorn." A small idea wormed its way into his mind, but he put it on the backburner for later.
"I would like a nice sit down meal, if you wouldn't mind. Call me an old fashion girl, but I like having an actual dinner. Then we can go about making dessert after we eat and deciding on popcorn. Speaking of movies, you wouldn't happen to have Beauty and the Beast, would you?"Karina asked. She took some spaghetti out of the bowl and spooned it onto her plate. Once that was done, she waited for him to get his own.
Dirk nodded as he spooned some spaghetti onto his own plate and picked up one of the forks he left out. "I've got a couple kid movies, just cause the stories are sometimes interesting and fun to watch." He placed his plate on the scrubbed wooden table in the middle of the kitchen, then went around to a spot next to it and pulled out a chair, offering the seat to Karina.
Karina smiled to him when he pulled out a chair for her and she sat down upon it. She placed her plate carefully upon the table and waited for him to sit down.
"I know it must seem strange that I am asking to watch a children's movie, being the adult that I am. But I suppose I am a child at heart, one who has never stopped loving cute things,"Karina explained.
Dirk shook his head as he sat down. "It's not that weird to me. I own the movie, after all," he said with a quick grin. "I find myself rewatching these movies as an adult and realize I had very little idea what was truly going on when I was a kid. A lot of them have very lovely stories that all ages can enjoy."
He picked up his fork and took a bit of the potatoes first, pleased to see that it had comes out well. Then he twirled up a bite of spaghetti and tried it.
"Well, I suppose stuffed animals and cute movies are things that make me happy. And you are right, you do own the movie, so you are no better than I am,"she teased. She cut herself a piece of the potato and stuck it in her mouth, looking happy as the taste filled her mouth. Then scooped up the spaghetti and quietly slurped up some of the noodles.
Dirk just grinned in response and scooped up more of the spaghetti. "Excellent meal. I think the sauce could be even better if it had longer to sit and let the flavors marry. Have you made sauces like that before?"
He munched on a few more pieces of potato, then scooped up more of the spaghetti.
All Karina had heard was marry and she blushed, then realized he was talking about the sauce. She nodded her head quietly to the question, trying to gather her thoughts.
"Yes, I have made the sauce before, a few times. Thank you for the advice, I will try to remember that for next time," Karina assured.
Dea: ((Couldn't help it with the marry thing lol))
Dirk caught the blush and had to puzzle over it for a second. After a quick review of what he'd said and done to see if was anything /he/ had done, he was pretty sure he knew what caused it. His owns cheeks went a little pink, but he plowed on like he didn't notice in the hopes that it would go away sooner.
"Time's usually good for developing flavors. Sauces and rubs usually benefit. I made a flavored oil once that was pretty good, though it needed months for the flavors to properly leak into it so you could taste them."
Karina caught the tinge of Dirk's cheeks, but turned her head, trying to pretend she did not notice. She hoped he had not seen her looking or she would be found out. She busied herself by picking up her fork and twirling it in her spaghetti.
"Hmm, that is definitely something to keep in mind. I do not make sauces and rubs very often, so I did not know all of that,"she admitted softly.
Dirk smiled crookedly. "I usually experiment with this kind of stuff to make different flavors, since there's not a lot of variety in the ingredients I use. I have to get creative." He cleaned the rest of the potatoes off his plate and worked on polishing off the rest of the spaghetti.
"How'd you like the potatoes? I know it's a double-starch meal, so I'm hoping the taste made up for it," he chuckled.
"I thought the potatoes tasted delicious. I am really enjoying this meal, we really made something pretty good together,"Karina replied. She was finishing off the food on her own plate, taking a sip of her water from time to time. She soon had eaten everything on her plate and took the dish to the sink, rinsing it off.
Dirk grinned happily and stood up with his own empty plate, carrying it over to the sink and placing it in out of Karina's way. Then it went around and gathered up the dishes used for cooking and serving both sets of food, stacking them up and bringing them over to the sink as well.
"Okay, so dessert spaghetti," he started, grinning a little at the thought of making such an odd food item. It would be amazing if it succeeded!
"Alright, we need to figure out what we are going to use in place of all of the ingredients. Maybe we could use some kind of dough in place of the noodles,"Karina mused. She rinsed off the dishes Dirk had brought over so it would be easier when he did them.
Dirk did a mental review of everything he had in the kitchen. "I know how to make noodles from scratch, though I don't know how to make them in the shape of spaghetti noodles," he said, thinking aloud. "I can mix some cocoa powder in there to make chocolate noodles. There's some fruit in the fridge, and cream cheese. I believe I also have some cream we could make into whipped cream as well. We can layer stuff in there with the noodles, almost like a lasagna."
Jinx: ((Is it wrong that I actually went and tried to find a spaghetti dessert online XD?))
Dea: ((Nope lol))
Karina looked thoughtful as he rattled off some ideas and her mouth began to water. The more he listed things, the happier it was making her.
"Yes, that actually tastes quite delicious, at least to me it does. I saw we try those together and see if they mix as well as our dinner did. Who knows maybe we make a good team ourselves,"Karina smiled, then blushed as she realized what she said. Why in the world did she say that last thing?
Dirk nodded and started pulling out various materials. "Maybe you can whip the cream cheese with a little sugar to make it a touch sweeter. You know how to make whipped cream, right," he asked as he pulled out a small carton of whipping cream. "You can get that started while I make the pasta and cook it."
Karina took the sugar out and whipped it into the cream cheese, figuring she should do that first. Once it tasted sweet enough, she started to work on whipping up the cream into the right consistency for their whipped cream.
"You know, I am looking forward to actually tasting it when we are done making it. I didn't think I would like the sound of it, but the more I think about it, it sounds really good,"Karina admitted to him.
Jinx: ((You ever made homemade whipped cream before?))
Dea: ((I can't say I have, always get it from a store lol))
Jinx: ((Really simple. Pour whipping cream in a bowl, use a mixer (much easier than hand whipping) and whip it while adding sugar. You add about a tablespoon of sugar at a time, and eventually the cream stiffens up to the proper consistancy. You stop adding sugar once you get peaks that stand up.))
Dirk nodded. "I am too, even though it sounded kind of odd when I first suggested it." He took flour and cocoa power and mixed them together and made a pile of it on the counter, scooping a hollow in the center like a volcano and adding the proper amount of eggs. He mixed the eggs with his hands, slowly adding flour bit by bit until he got the proper consistancy for the dough. He kneaded it for a bit, then pulled out a rolling pin, moved the dough to a clean bit of the counter, and began to roll it out.
"I think it's going to be more fettuccine than spaghetti cut, but I think that'll be close enough," he said cheerfully as he began to flatten out the dough.
"It is the thought that counts, doesn't matter if it is not a proper spaghetti. Who knows, this may become our own special dessert,"Karina smiled. She took a bowl and poured in the cream, then got out a mixer. Then she took the sugar and started to make the cream.
Dirk set some water on the stove to boil and pulled out a second pot, filling it with cold water, then rinsed out the strainer that Karina had used for the dinner spaghetti. He set it on the draining board to dry and went to the freezer, pulling out a try of ice and adding it to the bowl of cool water before refilling it and sticking it back in the freezer.
All that done he began cutting up the flattened dough into thin strips, carefully putting them into his metal strainer. Once all the dough was in the strainer, he looked at the pot of water to see if it was boiling. There were some bubbles, but it wasn't /quite/ hot enough yet.
Dirk glanced back at Karina. "How's the cream going," he asked.
"Cream is getting there, not quite the right consistency yet, but I will get it there,"Karina assured. She continued mixing, making sure she didn't overmix it, since she knew that would turn the cream into more of a soup than anything.
"Do you think we should make some ice cream to go with it?"she asked.
Dirk shook his head. "I've got some in the freezer right now. I don't think I've got everything we'd need to make homemade, and it would take time to freeze it. Maybe next time though, when we've had some time to plan." He glanced at the water. Yup, that was really starting to bubble now! He picked up the strainer and plunked it, noodles and all, into the hot water to cook. He watched it carefully, occasionally inserting a fork in to stir the noodles and pick one up to check doneness. As soon as he determined they were ready it picked the strainer up from the boiling water and moving it to the ice bath, soaking the contents with the cold water.
"There we go, they should be ready to eat," he said, picking one up and trying it. Not his best work, but it had a faint chocolatey taste at least. Next time he'd try with an actual recipe.
Dea: ((*still giggling that our Noodles are having noodles*))
Karina soon had the whipped cream ready and she brought it over to Dirk. She placed it next to him and looked over at the chocolate dusted noodles.
"Alright, I think we are ready to put all of this together and see how they taste. Seems someone already took a taste of the spaghetti part,"she teased.
Dirk just shrugged and smiled. "Better taste them to make sure they're alright now then put everything together and discover it was nasty," he said, pulling out a dish they could layer stuff in and put down a bottom layer of noodles. "Put some of the cream cheese on that," he directed and went to get some fruit out of the fridge. "Then we can put some fruit over that and the whipped cream on top of that. If we think it needs it we can add something else after tasting." He began cutting up strawberries and blueberries on a cutting board.
"Alright, sounds like a good idea to me,"Karina nodded as she took some of the cream cheese and spread it over the top of the noodles, just as she had been told to do. Then she waited for him to finish with the fruit.
Dirk finished slicing the fruit and neatly layered it over top of the cream cheese. Then, because he'd only used two thirds of the noodles for the bottom of the dish, he evenly layered the rest of the noodles on the fruit. "There we go, now let's add the whipped cream and I think we have our highly odd dessert," he chuckled.
"I don't mind it being odd, as long as it all works together,"Karina told him. She took the whipped cream she had just made and put it on top of the dessert, her mouth watering again at the thought.
Dirk pulled out clean dishes and a serving spoon. "I hope it's good, cause there's enough here that I think we'll have a little left over," he said with a chuckle. He dug the spoon deep into the dessert to get all the layers and spooned some onto his plate. He put the spoon back in the dish and offered it to Karina, waiting until she served herself before trying it; it only seemed right they eat their creation together.
Karina took the serving spoon and made sure she scooped up enough of all the different layers. Then she slid it into her own bowl and looked to Dirk.
"Alright, I am ready, let's try this together, shall we?"Karina asked, hoping it would taste good.
Jinx: Dirk nodded and scooped his fork into the food, twirling up some of the noodles around the eating utensil and then scraping up some of the fruit, cream cheese, and whipped cream. He held the loaded fork up like he was making a toast. "Here's to hoping experimenting with desserts turns out as tasty as it was fun to make," he said in a serious voice, green eyes glittering with laughter. He waited until Karina had also scooped up some of her own dessert on her fork, then placed the dessert in his mouth.
Karina giggled softly at that, filling her own spoon with some of their dessert. She held it out similar to the way Dirk did, a playful grin on her lips.
"Here is to hoping we do not kill ourselves with our own dessert. I would hate to see the obituary pages for that. 'People killed by dessert.' Not the greatest idea,"Karina added with a twinkle in her eyes, before putting the dessert noodles in her own mouth.
The taste wasn't too bad. The noodles did have a sort of cocoa taste, but they weren't exactly sweet either. It was more like a back-up note of a taste, with the berries and cream cheese taking center stage. That was fine though, because it was quite good. With actual recipes and planning they might have been able to make something even better.
"Well-," Dirk finally said after he finished his mouthful, "-I don't think we're gonna win any rewards with it, but it actually wasn't that bad."
Karina chewed her own, allowing the tastes to fill her mouth. She had a thoughtful look in her blue eyes, trying to decide the best way to describe it. When she heard Dirk, she laughed with a soft nod of her head.
"It is actually pretty good, I quite enjoyed it. I reckon if we work on it, it may actually become some kind of prize winning dessert yet. It wouldn't hurt for us to try,"Karina told him brightly.
Dirk nodded. "I think I would need to research noodle recipes. Make the sweet taste a little more prevelant, maybe, or if we stay with mildly sweet and starchy we should fine things to add with it that would best compliment it."
He finished his dessert up in a few more bites, now feeling contentedly full. He put his plate in the sink and covered the remainer of the dessert in the dish, putting it in the fridge to be eaten later. Maybe aging would do something to the taste, he'd have to eat it tomorrow and see if there was a change.
"So? Should I make popcorn for a movie, or do you think a movie by itself will be good," he asked Karina, happy to go either way and wanting to see what her opinion was.
"Well, I think it could be a little sweeter, since I like sweet desserts, but we would want to make sure it is not overpowering with the sweetness too. I am sure we will figure it out, just will take some research and some experimentation,"Karina nodded. She finished up her own dessert and placed her dish into the sink.
"Some popcorn sounds good to me, since I need something salty now. Then once it is made, we can sit down and enjoy a nice movie together,"Karina answered.
Dirk pulled out the necessary items from the pantry and soon had a pan on the stove with jumping kernels underneath a lid. As soon as it was ready he tipped the fluffy corn into a bowl and added not only salt, but a bit of cracked pepper as well. Not a lot of people did that, but Dirk found it added a nice flavor to the popcorn. "Alright, I think we're ready to go," he said cheerfully, holding the bowl in one hand. "Wanna lead the way? It'll be back in the front room."
Dea: ((Nice how you came back on with a post lol))
Jinx: ((My internet is just evil.))
"Alright, then let us go get this movie started right, shall we?"Karina grinned, leading the way out of the kitchen. She walked to the front room and then looked back at Dirk for further directions on what to do.
Dirk gestured for Karina to sit down on the old yet comfortable couch in the room, setting to bowl of popcorn down on the coffee table while he went to the TV stand and opened one of the shelf doors, fiddling with something inside then closing the door and turning on the TV. After flicking through a couple channels he found the proper one, Disney theme music blaring out from the speakers.
Dirk moved back to the couch and settled down on it, picking up the bowl and holding it to the side so that Karina could easily reach in to grab some of the popcorn.
Karina sat down on the couch and got comfortable. She watched Dirk get things ready, waiting very patiently for him to finish. When he sat back down, she smiled, taking a handful of popcorn when it was placed between them.
"This is such a beautiful story, if not a little sad. It is a shame the prince had to learn how to care for others in such a hard way,"Karina spoke softly.
"The ending seems happier for it, even if the way there was hard," Dirk commented. There wasn't much talk between them after that, as the movie's opening credits began to play. They sat comfortably side-by-side on the couch, sharing the bowl of popcorn. Both were so absorbed in the movie, it probably didn't occur to them they looked quite a bit like an old married couple.
Karina munched on the popcorn from time to time as she watched the movie. When it was over, she wiped away some tears that had rolled down her cheeks. She looked over to Dirk and smiled softly at him.
"Thank you for the movie and popcorn, I really enjoyed it,"she told him.
Dirk glanced over at Karina and smiled, leaning forward to set the empty bowl back on the table. "I enjoyed it too. I don't get company very often," he confessed." He leaned back into the couch, flushing a little as he realized how close he and Karina were sitting, and glanced over at the windows outside. It was dark, and looked cold.
"Doesn't look very nice out there right now," he commented, then without really thinking about it asked, "Would you like me to walk you back home?"
Karina smiled, glad she could provide him with some company. She thought it was a shame that he didn't get to enjoy things with others, he seemed like the kind of person people would enjoy his company. When she looked at him again, she saw his cheeks and she wondered why. Then she saw how close he was to her and her own cheeks became a light pink.
"Sure, I wouldn't mind you walkin me home, might be nice,"Karina replied to his question. She looked outside and shivered, thinking how cold it probably was. She was happy she had brought her coat with her.
Dirk nodded and stood, going over to a peg on the wall where a coat hung. It was a red plaid like his favorite shirt and covered in patches, and looked faded and old, yet it was actually very warm and comfortable.
"'M ready when you are," he said, pulling the coat on and waiting by the door for her.
Jinx: ((Wanna do a skip to them being in front of her house or something, with you post?))
Dea: ((Yeah, I can totally do that, would not be a problem))
Karina grabbed her own worn blue jacket and walked to the door where he waited. Once there, she walked out and led the way to her home, trying to stay warm on the journey.
Soon they stood outside the front door of her family's house and she turned to Dirk. "Thank you for walking me home, it was really sweet of you. I was a little scared to travel in the dark by myself, but you made me feel safe,"Karina told him softly.
Dirk smiled softly at Karina, hands shoved deep into pockets to keep them warm. "Glad to hear that, since that was my intention," he said in a half-joking tone, though truthfully it really /was/ the reason he'd walked with Karina. The thought of her walking alone in the dark and cold just hadn't sit well with him.
Suddenly he felt a little bashful. "That was fun. We should do it again some time. Well..." He suddenly moved forward, planting a little peck of a kiss on Karina's cheek while he own flamed from the force of his blush. "See ya soon again, I hope," he said quietly, then quickly turned and walked away into the darkness, overcome by embarassment at his actions.
"Maybe we can meet here next time, to show you my animal friends,"Karina suggested. When he kissed her cheek, her eyes widened in surprise and her own cheeks glowed to match his own. She watched him disappear into the darkness and she stayed rooted to the spot for a minute or two. Then a blast of cold air reminded her how cold it was, so she rushed inside to get warm.
Dirk walked down the rough dirt road, going in a direction he rarely ever headed. Above him was his crow, circling and calling mockingly down at him to let him know it didn't approve of this change in their routine. Dirk ignored the bird like he always did. It might have seemed like he didn't care for the creature, but the opposite was true; it just seemed better to him not to give the corvine too much attention, or it would become spoiled or a menace. Plus if something happened to him, Dirk didn't want to bird to suffer for him not being around.
Today was the first day Dirk was going to offically visit Karina's farm. He was a little excited and nervous at the same time. He knew she had a large variety of animals on her farm, something he wasn't particularly familiar with. He found himself wanting to impress the kind and lovely woman, and working around animals didn't seem to way to make that happen. Perhaps he should start getting some animals of his own on his farm, and working with them?
The boundry markers showed he had reached Karina's farm. He hesitated for a moment, then turned on the path that led up to the house and collection of buildings ahead. Should he see if she was in the house or...?
Karina was out in her garden, a beautiful song coming from her lips. Some of the bluebirds in the tree near her was joining, sounding a lot like a symphony. Karina had a shovel in her gloved hands and she was digging a hole in the soil. She had some beautiful looking bluebells next to her, which would be going in her garden. Her eyes looked up from time to time, to see if she would be able to spot Dirk, who was supposed to come today.
Dirk paused as he reached the house. He couldn't bring himself to knock on the door just yet; he was scared it would be Karina's father who answered, and he didn't think he was prepared to meet him just yet!
So he began to wander around, poking curiously about the buildings and hoping he ran into Karina outside somewhere. He was debating whether or not he should try calling for her.
Karina had dug a big enough hole, so she took her first flower out of its pot and gently placed it in the hole. She then started to cover the roots and bottom with the soil, her eyes still looking for Dirk. She wondered if he might have gone to the house and she wondered if she should go look. She sat there and pondered that decision, the spade poised in her hand.
Jinx: ((You're gonna make him call for her, aren't you XD?))
Dea: ((Yes, yes I am lol))
Dirk finally gave up. There was a /lot/ more going on here than at his farm, he had no idea were Karina could be in the sprawl of buildings. "Karina," he called out, loudly and a little uncertainly. She was here today, wasn't she?
Karina heard Dirk's voice calling her name and she smiled, glad to see he had come.
"I am over here, Dirk, in the garden. Just follow my voice and you wll find me. In fact..."Karina began, before she broke into song again. She made sure it was loud enough that Dirk would be able to hear it and follow it. She would keep singing until he found his way to where she was.
Dirk felt his lips stretch into a smile as Karina's voice floated on the air in a song. He moved slowly, having to stop and listen. Finally he rounded a corner and there was Karina, hands buried in soil and flowers. He found it almost ironic and more than just a little amusing. His crow had already picked a landing spot nearby, and cawed grumpily as he came into view.
"Lovely voice," he teased it, then looked down at the woman who was the reason for his visit. "Of course, I think I'd prefer to hear yours any day over his," he said in cheerful tones.
Karina saw Dirk come into view and a smile came upon her own lips as she finished her song. She blushed lightly at his teasing and she placed her spade down in her basket. She brushed off the soil that stuck to her gloves, before taking them off.
"Hello Dirk, it is so good to see you could make it. I would have met you at the house, but decided I should get to work on planting these flowers,"Karina explained.
Dirk smiled at Karina and walked over, surveying the work she'd already done. "I believe I'm getting a sense of deja vu, and it's rather amusing." He turned his warm green eyes to her. "Did you need any help finishing up?"
"Yes please, if you wouldn't mind helping me with digging the holes, so I can put them in, I would appreciate it. Yes, this scene does seem a little familiar doesn't it, except this is my garden,"Karina laughed. She had only planted a few flowers, she still had quite a few left to put in their places.
Dirk settled down and took up the spade, looking up the row at what Karina had already planted and moving down an appropriate amount of space to start digging up a new hole. "Even the tasks ellicite a sense of deja vu, plus that feathery little commmentator," he chuckled, as the crow swooped down and began digging through the freshly turned soil further up the garden, hunting down some bugs to eat since the people weren't paying attention to him.
"So," he said, finishing a hole and moving on to start another, "did you have anything in mind for us after we finished this?"
"Well, I did promise to introduce you to some of my animal friends, so we can do that. Or we can go inside for a snack, since I know my mom assured me she would have something together for you to eat, since she was quite posiive you would show up,"Karina told him gently. She picked up another flowering plant, lifting it from its pot and placing it gently in the hole. Then she covered the bottom of the plant with the soil, as she had done before.
Dirk moved over to a new section and dug another hole, glancing over at the flowers Karina still had left to plant. Not that many more left. "It's gonna sound silly of me to say, but I'm a bit nervous about meeting your parents," he said, blushing a little and chuckling to hid the emotion. He lifted up a hand and tugged at the brim of his hat, going back to dig a new hole. "Perhaps we could meet your animals friends, while that guy over there is still distracted and won't harass them," he said, nodding towards the crow still rooting in the earth.
"You really do not need to be nervous, Dirk, my parents are lovely people. They may ask some questions, but if you do not feel comfortable answering some of them, just tell them, I am sure they would understand. But I am alright with starting with my animal friends, since that may allow you to calm your nerves,"Karina spoke gently. She took another plant and placed it in the newly dug hole.
He just grinned and tried to keep his blush from returning. It did seem silly, being scared of parents when he knew they had to be nice people. What did he have to be afraid of? That he wouldn't make a good impression? If Karina had been talking to them about him, surely they already knew a little about him and what to expect. They'd have told Karina if they disapproved of him.
He finished digging the rest of the holes they needed and slowly stood back up, stretching his legs. "Well, ready whenever you are," he said, feeling a new shot of nervousness run through him. Approval from parents was one obvious thing, but approval from animals friends was, if not as obvious, just as important...
Karina finished placing the flowers in their new garden home, before getting up. She brushed off her pants, making sure there was no trace of soil on them. She took the gloves off of her hands and went to put her tools away in the shed. She came back out and tilted her hat, before stretching.
"Alright, let's go to a special area where I usually go to see some of my animal friends,"she smiled.
Dirk fell into step beside Karina, following her. "Who do you think we're likely to see today," he asked curiously, trying to remember all the animals she'd told him they had here.
"Let's see, if we are lucky, we may see some of the squirrels, since where we are going is a place they enjoy. I am not sure who else may be there, but I do hope they will be on their best behavior,"Karina replied. She led the way into a grove of trees not far from the garden.
Dirk pondered that. All he knew about squirrels was that they were climbers and rarely came near his house; when they did, they usually stayed on his roof where they were quickly chased away by the crow. He knew most people didn't like them since they stole from gardens and bird feeders, but since he had no bird feeder and he'd never had a problem with them in his fields, he hadn't paid much attention to them.
"They going to come out with me around," he asked. He only knew bird behavior; squirrels could be completely different.
"I don't know, I am certainly hoping they will come out while you are here, Dirk. I would hate to think you would not get to see my friends because they were shy around you. I want you to meet them so very much,"Karina answered.
"Well if it seems like they won't come out cause I'm around, I can always stand back and just watch you interact with them at a distance," Dirk offered, the only other way he could think to see Karina's friends if they decided not to show with him around.
"Well, let's hope you will not have to do that, since I want them to get to meet you as well. I mean, if you come to visit me often, I want them to be comfortable around you. It would make me sad if they didn't like you,"Karina spoke quietly.
"It would make me sad too," Dirk agreed, trying to make his voice light and not betray how worried he really was at the prospect. "Hopefully with the feathered menace behind us we won't run into troubles though." Dirk looked around curiously as they walked, taking in the farm. It was quite lovely. Not as many fields as Dirk's, but then all he had was fields and not the barns and coops that Karina's land boasted. "It's a really nice place here," he interjected in the silence. "It feels more lively than my farm, with all the animals."
"Well, I have always found that they can really bring a lot of joy to the place. Someone people may not like animals around, but I love them so much,"Karina smiled. She soon got to the trees and began to make a little chittering noise, trying to get her furry friends to come out to play. Soon a small head peeked out from one of the trees, its ears twitching on top of its head.
Dirk held his breath as he watched Karina lure the squirrel out. He tried to keep his posture relaxed and nonthreatening, not wanting to subconsiously scare the critter away when the start seemed to be so promising. Should he talk or stay quiet? Erring on the side of caution, Dirk decided to remain silent until Karina indicated otherwise.
"Come on, little one, it is okay. I brought you a treat and made sure it was your favorite,"Karina cooed sweetly. She reached into one of her pockets and pulled out some acorns, offering them to the squirrel with her palm up. The little squirrel darted out of the tree and Karina knelt down to hand him the acorns. The squirrel chittered happily as it took one of the treats in its little hands.
Jinx: ((The squirrel outside my bro's dorm loved Cheezits.))
Dirk stayed where he was while Karina moved to greet the squirrel as it scampered down the tree for its treat. He felt safe enough to say something, though was pretty sure the little creature wouldn't tolerate him moving close just yet. "Is it normally bold or pretty shy," he asked with interest, only knowing his crow's very bold manner.
Dea: ((Awww, cute))
"This one is bolder than his mate and daughter, so he doesn't scare easily. If he likes you, then he will be okay with you being around those he loves. He is a pretty fun little guy, when he knows he can trust you,"Karina replied to him.
"He might come to dislike me," Dirk said with a chuckle. "From what I've managed to observe, squirrels and crows almost never get along and I've got that little black shadow with me at almost all times." He was surprised his little friend hadn't appeared yet; there must be a lot worth digging for by the flowers.
"Well, hopefully he will not dislike you, since he is usually a pretty laid back squirrel. I suppose we will see what happens, huh? Oh here, give him one of these,"Karina suggested as she handed Dirk one of the acorns. She figured if Dirk showed he meant no harm, the little creature would trust him.
Dirk stood there hesitantly, looking down at the little seeds in his hand. Slowly and a little awkwardly he knelt down and held out his hands, looking at the squirrel and having absolutely no idea if what he was doing was right or not. "Like this?"
"Yes, make sure it is low enough so he can see it, so he knows you have the treat. Then when he approaches, you should bend forward, as if offering it to him,"Karina explained gently. She could see her little animal friend looking curious, wondering what was going on.
Dirk nodded, hat slipped forward a little. He let it stay there, not wanting to move his hands to fix it and startling the squirrel when it, he, seemed interested in whatever Dirk might be holding. A lot of chocolate-colored hair tickled at his nose, making his face twitch, but he duly tipped his hands a bit and moved them slowly as close as he could without over-balancing, making sure the squirrel could see the acorns he held.
The squirrel started to cautiously start forward, seeing the stranger with the acorns. He continued to go forward, his little nose twitching as he got closer, until he was standing beside Dirk's hands. He tok the seed from him and chittered away happily.
A smile stretched across Dirk's face. Feeling the little paws scrabble at his palms as they gropped for an acron was remarkably similar to how bird feet felt, though on a much small scale! He was glad the little guy grabbed with hands and brought the seed to his his mouth before he chewed; those teeth looked sharp!
"I appear to be accepted as a reliable source for food, at least," he said, laughing quietly.
"Yes, he seems to have trusted you enough to take the food. So I think that is a very good start. Maybe if we are lucky, you will have a new friend,"Karina smiled brightly. The squirrel hopped up and down in excitement, which made Karina smile.
Dirk smiled in response to Karina's smile. At that moment there was a loud cawing and a flurry of black, feathery wings. The crow sat on Dirk's shoulder, claws digging in possessively as he leaned forward and hissed at the small mammal. Well, so much for progress.
The squirrel scampered to Karina, climbing up on her shoulder and chattering in annoyance. It shook its paw at the black menace, telling it he was not happy with the interuption. Karina reached over and patted its head, trying to calm it down.
Dirk sighed and reached up with one hand to clamp the crow's beak shut, while reaching out with the other and carefully closing Karina's hand around the rest of the acrons. "Sorry, he gets jealous really easily," Dirk apologized, releasing the crow's beak as he buffed the back of Dirk's head with a wing in protested. He hit one of Dirk's ears with his beak then hissed at the squirrel again, settling firmly down on Dirk's shoulder. "He gets really bad when he's defending food and territory. I'm only vaguely territory, so as long as he doesn't think your squirrel is stealing "his" food, he shouldn't be much worse than he's behaving now."
"It's alright, like I said, my friend can be a little defensive as well. I figure it is because he has a family and he considers me family. I guess he isn't a fan of your crow,"Karina spoke. She put all the acorns she had left, except for one, back into her pocket and handed the one to her squirrel friend.
The crow stood and shifted his weight, hissing with a bit more vigor and trying to get to Dirk's other shoulder; the one closer to Karina and the squirrel. Dirk reached up and held the corvine's beak again, the easiest way to keep hold of him without hurting him. "Well, this guy here isn't much a fan of squirrels. I guess it's a territory thing, though I imagine both species have good reasons to dislike the other." The crow tried to wiggle free from Dirk's grip, muted sounds coming from within the beak letting all gathered know he wasn't happy at all.
"Yes, considering they are probably used to fighting over things and land, it would make sense these two do not get along. Well, I suppose we are just going to have to come up with a plan,"Karina suggested thoughtfully. The squirrel watched the crow carefully, not liking the way it was complaining over there.
Dirk sighed ruefully and stood up. "It'll probably be better if I move away. This guy will probably stay with me no matter what now, and with them going at each other looks like my moment with your squirrel friend is over." He gave Karina an embarassed smile. "Least things were going well before."
"Yes, they really were going quite well, huh? So see, I told you my friends would like you,"Karina spoke brightly. She patted her squirrel friend on the head and a thought came to her.
"Dirk, what would you say if I said I might have just the friend for your crow?"Karina asked.
"I would probably laugh," Dirk responded with a slight chuckle. "If you're talking lady friend, he's never shown any inclination to join the flock of crows in that little copse that sits on the edge of my farm, and we've been by often enough that he's had plenty of chances. If you mean just a friend friend, I've never seen him take a lasting interesting to anything that couldn't offer him something." He chuckled again. "Sometimes I think that's the only reason why he still hangs around me! I'm a reliable source of food."
"Well, I have a friend who doesn't like to go with the flock either, even though I have suggested it. I think she is waiting for something, though I am not sure what. Maybe she and he will actually get along,"Karina suggested. She wondered how her crow friend would take to a male crow, it would be interesting to see.
Dirk released the crow's beak. He shuffled on Dirk's shoulder and cawed low in a disgruntled tone, hunching down and clearly unwilling to go anywhere anytime soon. "Well we'll see. Though your friend might not take well to his presence here if she's as territorial as he is. It would be better for them to meet somewhere neutral."
"Yes, question is where could we go to have this meeting. I agree, somewhere not in this spot would be best, since I do not want her getting all upset if she sees him as a threat. I have never seen her interacting much with her own kind, so it is a mystery to me what she would do,"Karina admitted.
Dirk shrugged, sending the crow up and down with the movement of his shoulders. "I don't think it's something we should worry much about today. Perhaps we should wait until closer to their mating season. They might not pick each other to mate with, but it may make them more tolerant. In any case, I don't think it's something that needs to be solved today."
He pushed back his hat, bushing some of his bangs out of his face. The crow nibbled on his hand in protest as it moved past him. "Were there any other friends you wanted to introduce me to today? Depending on what they are, it might be fine."
"Well, let me see, I have some bird friends that I can call with a whistle. There is also a puppy we just recently got that is just so adorable. Oh and you could always meet the sheep, they like attention. So does my favorite horse, she just adores being paid attention to,"Karina replied. She thought about the crows and figured that would be a very good idea.
"The birds would be a bad idea," Dirk said with a hint of amusement in his voice. "I don't know that a puppy would be the best either. A horse might not like him so much, but that or the sheep would probably be the best choices for a next visit."
"Hmmm, my horse is pretty calm, except when someone does something to tick her off. As for the sheep, I don't think they will mind too terribly to have a crow in their company,"Karina replied to his suggestions.
"Let's try with sheep first then," Dirk decided. "I wouldn't put it past the guy to flap around your horse, maybe even land on him. I'd rather not see him hurt or your girl spooked."
"Yes, I agree, probably be best not to do that. So let us go take a trip to see the sheep then,"Karina nodded as she led the way back to the farm area. She walked to the sheep pen and motioned to them.
Dirk stood at the edge of the pen, examining the sheep curiously. It wasn't like this was his first time seeing sheep, even seeing them up close, but it had been quite a while since the last time and it wasn't like he had any experience with them personally. Just helping farmers herd them by keeping them from running onto his land. "Are they hard to take care of," he asked, leaning on the fence.
"Hmm, no they are not terribly hard to care for, usually pretty easy. Just have to make sure they are well fed and also, make sure none of them wander off. They kind of need to be led or they will get themselves in trouble. Not the brightest in the world, these sheep are,"Karina replied, patting one of them on the back. They were pretty creatures, but she was glad she knew what to do with them.
The lanolin scent of sheep wool hit his nose as some of the flock wandered over. It was a strong smell, but not entirely unpleasant. "What do you raise them for? I can't really picture you raising them for mutton, so wool?" He certainly couldn't imagine a far having all these sheep just for pets!
"Yes, we raise them for their wool. They have such wonderful wool and we make the softest sweaters you can imagine from them. Papa thinks it is probably the feed and care we give them, treating them like they were our pets,"Kartina smiled.
"Good breeding would help that, I imagine. Some sheep just genetically have superior wool." Dirk couldn't help but smile as he watched the sheep milling around, contentment on their faces.
"If you had to start over with a farm of your own-," Dirk asked suddenly, "-what kind of animals do you think you would have?"
Karina looked a little surprised by the question, then a thoughtful look came into her eyes. What kind of animals would she have on a farm of her own?
"Well, I suppose I would have sheep, since I do enjoy looking after them. Then I would have some chicken, since I do love me some eggs to eat. I would have to have a cow to get milk from, since I am going to be thirsty. I would have horses, since I do love those creatures so much. Also would have to have some dogs, since they are such wonderful animals,"Karina replied.
Dirk laughed. "You don't need a cow to get something to drink," he teased. "There's stuff like water or juice, you know."
He mentally ran through the list Karina had given. When trained dogs could be useful, but in the beginning you had to make sure they didn't dig holes in the garden or chase the chickens around to death. He imagined one would have to outline where they could relieve themselves as well, unless one wanted to risk stepping in poo around the yard.
"Horses are expensive and a lot of work to keep," he commented absently, going over what he knew about /that/. "Would you only have them because you like them, or because they have some use?"
"Well, I would also have them because they would be wonderful help when plowing. They could also be used for quick transportation around the area. Yes, they would be a bit expensive, but I suppse I could always work up to them. And yes, I know there are other things to drink, but milk is useful for many things,"Karina reminded with a gentle laugh.
"Milk can be bought though," Dirk countered amiably. "Also you'd have to arrange to breed the cow every year to keep it in milk. Bulls are very dangerous to keep and not useful except as a way to make more cows, so you'd have to find some other way to breed the cow. With all the other animals you'd have, you probably wouldn't want to keep more than three at maximum, so you'd have to find folks to sell the babies to."
Karina listened to him and thought about what he was saying. She knew he was right, she would have to sell the babies, so the farm would not be overpopulated.
"The more I think about it, the more I think I couldn't run a farm all by myself. I am so used to my parents making the big decisions, not quite sure I could handle all of them myself,"Karina admitted softly.
"Well they have a lot more experience than you do," Dirk said gently. "I'm sure when they first started out they made a few mistakes and had to go with trial and error on occasion. I only know what I do about farm animals cause I've thought about getting some a time or two and researched the usual care."
He smiled a little. "I never got any because I didn't feel like I had enough time as it was already. There's just so much about their care that I didn't feel prepared to take on at the time."
"Yes, I suppose my parents probably had their share of problems in the beginning too. I guess I am just worried about failing and letting down my parents. I love them so much and I would not want to be disappointed in me,"Karina admitted in a quiet voice. She looked down to the ground and gently prodded a leaf out of the way.
"I can't imagine they would be disappointed in you just because you make a few mistakes," Dirk assured. "As long as they were honest ones you worked to fix, rather than let the problems go on because you're too proud to admit you're wrong or to ask for help."
He thought about it for a minute, hand running over rough, sun-warmed wood. His crow landed on the fence nearby and began grooming himself, ignoring the two. "I imagine if you started small and built over time, it would be easier," he said. "Sheep look like they'd be easy to care for, maybe you could start with a small flock of them and then work your way up?"
Karina managed to pick her head back up and look at him with his words. She smiled softly, those words something that seemed to bring life back to her. She noded her head in agreement, she could always start with sheep. Maybe she could ask her parents for a herding dog that they could trust, so she would be able to keep the sheep in line.
"Yes, sheep would probably be a safe bet to start with. Of course, I would have to use some kind of dog to watch out for them. Like I said, not the brightest animals in the world,"she laughed.
"Plus dogs like that can be trouble when they don't have a job to do. Trouble meaning destructive. With a flock to look after, a dog would be less trouble and more useful." His expression was curious. "Do you know how to train herding dogs?"
"I learned some stuff from my parents, who have a few on the farm. In fact, one of them just gave birth to puppies not too long ago. So I am sure I could handle teaching them what to do and what not to do,"Karina replied.
Dirk nodded. "That's good. It's only less thing you'd have to learn. I admit-," he said with a laugh, "-that I have no experience training animals. I can even get the featherball over there to listen to me, so I'd be no help whatsoever with a dog.
"Well, your crow friend doesn't seem like the type to listen very much anyway. But yes, I can handle training dogs, we have had dogs around since I was born. As soon as Papa could teach me, I was training some of our dogs,"Karina explained with a gentle smile.
Dirk smiled as Karina did, then went quiet with speculation for several long moments. It was a very peaceful setting to speculate in as well, with the warm sun beaming down and a pleasant breeze cooling them. The sheep made the occasional pleasant little bleating sounds, alternating with a shuffling and crunching as they moved around and grazed.
He knew what he /wanted/ to say, but was terrified to suggest anything lest Karina reject his idea. It might not affect their friendship in the end, but Dirk found that these days when he thought of Karina he wanted a bit more than friendship.
"Sounds like you'd need to get some land of your own to start up something like that," he began slowly. He paused, then his next words were hurried like he hoped if he got them out quickly the potential rejection wouldn't hurt so bad. "I've got a lot of land myself that doesn't get much use. I only have a few people who rent out one or two plots from me, and that's just a fraction of the land I have available. So...if you wanted, you know..." He stuttered over his last few words, blushing scarlet and unable to continue speaking.
Karina was quiet, enjoying the breeze that was ruffling her brunette hair. She was thinking about everything Dirk had talked about, when his voice broke into her thoughts. She turned to him and listened to his suggestion, her cheeks flushing. Was he really suggesting what she thought he was. Her heart fluttered in her chest, urging her to say yes, to take him up on his offer. But she feared she might have been putting words in his mouth, which she would hate to do. Over the time they had spent together, she had found herself starting to like him more each time. If he was actually saying what she hoped he was, she would be delighted.
"If you wouldn't mind me taking care of some of your land, I would be more than happy to,"she spoke softly. She had decided to start with the gentle way, to figure out if it had just been her jumping to conclusions or there was more to it.
"Well, I-I mean,-" Dirk stuttered, feeling his face grow even redder (if that were possible). He lifted his hands, pulling his hat off with one and running the other through chocolate-colored hair, half-hiding his face. He knew he couldn't keep it there for more than a few moments, no matter how appealing the thought was.
He replaced his hat and tried to muddle through his embarassment to get the rest of his offer out as coherently as possible.
"I was thinking... I just...thought that..."
Yea, /that/ was coherent.
"I mean if you don't want to that's fine," he suddenly burst out, managing to make his earth green eyes meet her ocean blue. "But I've got a lot of land available that you could start raising your own animals on, and it's not so far from your parents place so if you needed to ask for advice they're practically right next door, and...." By now he was so red it probably looked painful. He let his words trail off, trying really hard not to squirm like an adolecent schoolboy with a crush.
Even if that was exactly how he felt.
Karina watched Dirk carefully and could see how nervous he was being. She was quiet for a moment letting him say what he wanted, though when he finally seemed to be quiet, she knew she needed to say something in return.
"Oh no, I would be happy to use some of your land. If you have more than you know what to do with, I wouldn't mind starting my...our..."Karina began, her own words seeming to be jumbled.
Dirk took a moment to cool his blushes before responding. It was hard, because every time he looked at Karina he felt that flush rising up behind his cheeks again. It wasn't entirely that he was embarassed either; Karina was very much adorable when flustered! Dirk wished he could manage attractive flustering, insteaded of sunburned scarecrow.
"I'll have to put up fences and probably build some kind of shelter of course, which will take time," he said, now able to respond in normal speaking cadences again. "It's all open space though, so maybe I can claim you for a day and we can walk around and mark out where some good places would be to set things up."
Karina took a calming breath, knowing she needed to calm down. She managed to look up at him, knowing she needed to look him in the eye.
"Yes, of course, you are more than welcome to come get me anyday and we can set things up. I look forward to having some land to call my own and take care of. Getting to work with you.."she spoke, then felt herself at a loss for words again. How did one go about saying that they had feelings for another, without it sounding awkward?
Dirk laughed softly, raising a hand to the back of his head to run through his hair, pushing his hat up a bit. "Well it'll be a learning experience for both of us. I'm a fair hand when it comes to construction; built my toolshed and the porch, though the house was there when I moved in. I can do fences as well, but you'll have to tell me exactly what's needed. The fences I have now are more boundry markers and probably won't do a thing for keeping sheep inside."
"No worries, I would gladly be able to tell you how to build fencing for keeping each kind of animal in that we would have. My parents told me the kind of materials that each animal requires and how to build it just right. Good thing you are better at the building, since I would totally mess that up,"she admitted with a light cough.
Dirk gave Karina a good-natured grin, feeling the last of the blush finally recede from his cheeks. "Well my knowledge came from a lot of trial and error, but I had to learn how to at least do basic stuff since it's just me on the farm and I have to do all the repairs myself. Not unless I want to call someone in every time something needs a bit of mending, and that just seemed like a waste of money," he said, looking back out over the field of sheep, then glancing down at the fence on which he was leaning. It didn't seem nearly as tightly together as he'd imagined something like that should have been, so maybe sheep usually stayed in their enclosures?
"Well since sheep seem so easy-going, the building of their enclosure will be good practice for other animals as you acquire them," he said, looking back at Karina. "What kind of housing requirements do they usually have?"
[10:31:57 PM] Dea: "Yes, I could imagine that costing a lot to have someone come out to fix things everytime you needed them to. I guess it is better to do it yourself, if you are able to. I supposed I cannot imagine living by myself, I would get too lonely. I may be quiet, but I kind of like being abyt to talk to others,"Karina admitted softly.
"Oh, the sheep just need enough grass to graze on and some kind of barn if the weather gets too bad. Usually they are outside, though,"Karina explained.
Dirk pondered that for a moment, chewing on his lower lip. "So pretty much just a weather-tight room big enough to hold a flock," he asked. "No need for stalls or anything? Are there any supplied or anything special you think the barn would need for sheering or care?"
"No, they are very much group orientated, so they should be fine without stalls. I barn big enough for all of them should work really well. We are going to need some shearing equipment and probably a place to do it, so the wool does not blow away when the wind is really bad. Also, we need to make sure to have some brushes for them,"Karina replied to his questions.
And so it went, for most of the day. Once Dirk had questioned Karina about sheep enough to give himself a comfortable basic idea of what the sheep would need, she took him around to see the rest of the farm and various enclosures. They even went into a few of the barns so Dirk could see how the were structed. It was an endless round of questions about the function of things, requirements needed for various animals, and even how Karina herself would arrange things in a building if she could have had a hand in the construction of her family barns.
As the sun began to touch the horizon Dirk and Karina found themselves standing on the road that would take Dirk back to his farm. "Well, that was ceratinly a very full day," Dirk said with a chuckle as they slowly walked along. He wished the day could go on long so he could spend more time in Karina's company; this walk down the road was all he had for today, knowing that eventually she was going to turn back and return to her home.
Karina had a bright smile on her face as she walked with Dirk back to where they would have to part ways. She felt a sadness in her heart, but knew they would get to spend plenty of time together getting her own little patch of farm set up. She was actually looking forward to it, enjoying his company immensely. When they got to where she would have to turn back, she looked at him and knew she needed to say good-bye for now.
"Well, guess this is where I need to head back home. I had a wonderful time today and I appreciate it. I look forward to seeing you again very soon. For now, I must say good night,"she told him, before heading back in the direction of her family's farm.
Dirk took off his hat and waved it at Karina, smiling and watching her walk back up the path even as his heart felt a bit heavy at watching her go. Overhead the crow circled; it looked down and called an insult at the lagging male. Dirk chuckled a little. His friend was right, it was time for him to go home as well. After all, there was always tomorrow.
Dirk bent over his post-digger, using his foot to jam the special shovel deeper into the ground. He and Karina had walked his land and found a stretch of ground that looked like it would make a good field for the sheep. Half of it was plowed ground, but that wasn't so big a factor for now. The half that was lush grass was more than enough for the small flock that Karina would start out with. Dirk would build the barn for them on the plowed ground and they would sow new grass and foraging plants on the upturned land wherever new grass appeared to be growing in slowly.
But that was all for later. Right now Dirk was starting on the fence, and that meant digging holes and putting up posts. It was back-breaking work for a fence the size he and Karina were going for, but with some luck he'd have of the posts in by today and perhaps the other half up tomorrow. That was the hardest part, so once that was done the rest of the fence was easily assembled.
And it wasn't like Dirk lacked for good company either.
"So are you getting your sheep from your parent's stock to start with, or were you thinking of looking for a seller and breeding your own flock," Dirk asked as he pulled up the dirt-filled shovel, dumping the earth off to the side and jamming the blade back down in the hole.
"Well, Mom and Dad told me I could use some of their sheep, since they could easily get more from a seller themselves. When I told them what we were planning, they thought it was a wonderful idea and encouraged us to do our best. So I reckon that it is a good start for us to have sheep from good stock, since I know how well my parents take care of them,"Karina replied. She watched him work, thinking of lending a hand, but figured he would tell her he had it handled. She had a basket full of stuff ready, just in case she needed them. She also had packed them a picnic lunch to enjoy, since she figured they would get hungry.
Dirk nodded. "Wouldn't hurt to get some new blood in the flock, but starting out with a blood-line you're familiar with is probably for the best," he said. He finished digging the hole down to the proper depth. He'd dragged one of the heavy fence posts over before he started digging; now he hauled the thing upright and set it in the hole, wiggling it until it was properly centered and level. A little mark he'd made on the side of the post showed him when he'd gotten it to the right depth. Satisfied, Dirk began scraping dirt back into the hole, packing it down tightly every few inched with a sturdy stick he used for such things. Once he'd gotten all the dirt back in the hole and packed down as tight as it was possible to make such things, that wooden post wasn't going anywhere. Now it was on to the next spot; at least Dirk didn't have to run back to the shed to get another post, since he was able to haul two at a time! He'd set the second post down at the spot he intended to dig the other hole, which was where he headed now.
It was as Dirk was packing the last few inches of dirt around the hole of the second post that the weather suddenly changed. It had been a chilly day for spring, but the sun shining down still gave warmth and the breeze was light enough not to snatch it away. The first hint that all was not as it seemed was a line of black clouds on the horizon, too far away to tell where they were heading. Then all of a sudden the wind picked up, bitter cold and carrying with it the scent of rain. Dirk cast a startled glace at Karina, clapping his hand to his head to keep his hat from blowing away.
"Looks like the weather's got other plans for our day," he called to Karina over the dull roar of the wind, loose ends of his shirt flapping about and making him look even more like a scarecrow.
Karina was calm when the breeze started blowing, thinking it was just going to be one of those refreshing spells that would cool them while Dirk worked. When she saw the black clouds on the horizon, she frowned softly. She had to quickly grab for her hat as the wind started to swirl around her. She shivered lightly, knowing they could certainly not stay out in this weather.
"Yes, seems the weather is a force to be reckoned with today. I think it might be best if we pack up and get out of this. Not a good idea for us to be here,"Karina called back over the wind. She looked to him to make sure he had heard her and agreed.
Dirk turned to hide his face as he coughed into his elbow, a dry cough that sounded like a bit more than a dry throat. Once the fit had passed he turned to look ruefully at Karina. "Yea, I don't think my body would thank me for sitting out in the cold and wet." He scooped the rest of the dirt into the hole and began energetically pounding it, coughing again. "I'll finish this up and make a dash back to the house. Hopefully I'll beat the storm before it hits."
He glanced at Karina as he continued pounding down the dirt. "You're welcome to join me, but if you're heading back to your place you better get going now to avoid a soaking!" Concern tinged his tone.
Karina heard him cough and a gasp escaped her lips before she could stop it. It sounded like he really needed to get inside, before he got really sick or something. She tried to think of something that would help, then it came to her.
"I am going to go home to make some soup for you, you sound like you could use it. Would you prefer me bringing some to you later today or tomorrow sometime?"Karina asked, raising her voice to be heard.
Dirk waved an arm at Karina, trying to impress she needed to hurry if she wanted to beat the storm. "Tomorrow," he called over the ever louder wind; it was climbing from a whine into a roar, plastering his shirt against his skin. "Don't go out today, give the storm time to blow itself out. I'm tough, I'll be alright, so be careful!"
"Alright, shall see you tomorrow then. Do not worry, I will try to be very careful. Not going to let some storm think it is faster than I am,"Karina giggled. She waved good-bye to him, before she quickly headed back in the direction of home. She could only hope he would be alright until tomorrow when she could bring the soup to him. It was her mother's recipe, always was wonderful for anything that bothered someone.
Dirk waved, watching Karina run down the road with a worried expression, then quickly got back to pounding down the dirt with far more energy than he'd used before; he was glad the rest of the earth beneath it was hard-packed and not a rush job, though once he was finished with this it was going to be sturdy at least.
He finished and made a dash back to the house, reaching the safety of his porch as the black clouds boiled overhead. He found his crow sheltering on the lee side of the covered porch and scooped him up to bring him in to shelter. As the door closed behind him the sky opened up; it sounded like a waterfall had suddenly appeared over his house, and Dirk was very glad the roof had no leaks.
Karina ran as fast as her legs could carry her, determined to beat the storm. She managed to arrive at the main building of her family's farmhouse just as the rain started to come down. She let out a sigh of relief, before opening the door and letting herself inside. She spent the rest of the day preparing the chicken soup she had promised Dirk that she would make for him. Once it was done, she put it in the fridge to take to him the next day. Then she watched the rain, before going to get some sleep.
_________________________________________________
The next day, Karina looked out the window and saw it was still raining. She sighed, debating with herself if she should chance going out in it. She thought it seemed pretty calm for the moment, so maybe she could make it before it got any worse. Plus, she needed to get the soup to Dirk, she couldn't let him get sick. She took a calming breath before grabbing a raincoat and her umbrella. Once she was in her coat, she grabbed the soup and placed it in a basket. She also grabbed some napkins, before heading out of the house.
Once outside, she opened her umbrella and started to head in the direction of Dirk's place. She let a soft cough come from her lips, but she figured her throat was just dry or something. She hurried along the path as quickly as she could, hoping to get to Dirk's before the storm got bad again.
Just as she got off her family's land, the wind started to pick up again, nearly knocking her over. She managed to right herself in time,but the umbrella started to be be pulled by the wind. Karina tried to tighten her hold on the handle, but the wind proved to be stronger and ripped the umbrella out of her hands and far away. Karina sighed, trying to decide if she should continue or head back home. The wind was coming from behind her and she figured she would make it to Dirk's before she got too wet.
It started to get darker and the rain started to pour, making it hard for Karina to see. Luckily, she had a good sense of direction, so she continued to hurry to Dirk's. Unfortunately, it was so dark and she was in such a hurry, Karina did not see the hole in the ground until her left foot got caught. She fell forward and yelped in pain as she brought up her arms to catch herself. She felt a rush of pain shoot through her leg and tears sprang to her eyes.
She knew she couldn't just sit there. so she got to her feet and winced, her ankle in a lot of pain. She had dropped her basket, which lay smashed near her feet. She knew she was closer to Dirk's so she decided to keep going in that direction. She hobbled through the rain and wind, her hair being blown all over the place. She shivered several times as she walked to Dirk's, every step painful. She just hoped she could get there before she was frozen to death.
About ten minutes later, Karina saw a building come into view and she could only hope that it was Dirk's. She made her way to the door, feeling exhausted and barely there. She managed to knock on the door, before she fell over, everything being too much for her.
In the future when Dirk would think back to this moment, he'd feel a sense of awe at their fortunes. In the present all he felt was a sent of curiousity as he stirred on his couch, wrapped in a warm blanket with a bowl of popcorn and watching a movie, wondering if there was someone knocking on his door or if it was a trick of his ears. Had he been in any other room in the house, he wouldn't have heard the sound. Curiousity got the better of him and he stood, reluctantly letting the blanket drop to the couch. The crow, gorged on popcorn and perched on the back of a chair near the window, didn't even stir as he passed by and opened the front door...
...And let out an oath that would have made a sailor stare. He dropped down to his knees, checking for a pulse from the sodden and stone cold Karina, sure for a moment she'd dropped dead on his doorstep. The erratic beating under his questing fingers sent him shooting up, snatching the discarded blanket off the couch and bundling it around the inert female, whom he lifted like she weighed no more than a doll.
The crow had wakened and gave him a disgruntled look, letting out a sleepy caw. Dirk didn't even hear, using his foot to slam the door closed against the elements and hurrying his steps towards the bathroom. Gods but she felt like ice in his hands!
"Karina," Dirk asked in a soft but insistant tone. "Karina, you awake?" He reached the bathroom and turned on the tap, waiting impatiently for the water to heat up.
"So...cold...can...hardly...move...lost.....soup on...my way...here. Lost my...umbrella...to the...wind. Sorry...Dirk,"Karina managed to get out. Her teeth were chattering and it was a fight to open her eyes. She was shaking like a leaf, her body trying to soak up the heat around her.
Dirk shushed her, pulling her closer to his body with one arm and freeing the other by her head enough to stroke her head, brushing her hair away from her face. "It's alright sweetling, it's alright. There's nothing to be sorry for."
Impatiently he reached down to test the water again; finally it was warm! He set the flow onto shower mode and adjusted the head position, then carefully lowered Karina into the tub, clothes, blanket and all. He quickly added some cold water to the hot so that the water wouldn't scorch her, and now a warm rain fell onto Karina's torso and legs, soaking into the blanket then running down the drain.
"I'm right here. Will you be okay while I find you something dry to wear, or do you want me to stay here a bit longer," he asked anxiously. He was hoping the warm water would help take some of the chill out of her body before getting her into dry clothes; he was also hoping Karina was away and able enough to get into most of those dry clothes on her own. He'd change her if he had to, but he wanted to spare her dignity if he could.
Dirk's starting to build the fence for the sheep enclosure, and Karina's with him to oversee the site and to keep him company while he builds. All of a sudden and out of nowhere comes a spring storm, but the weather's still nippy so it's a really cold rain. They both pretty much have to make a run for it to Dirk's place, cause it's a really bad storm. It goes on all day raging as strong as when it started, so Karina ends up spending the night. I'm think Karina could have maybe caught a cold somehow, but because of the really cold rain and wind chill the cold develops into full-blown pneumonia by the next morning. Dirk gets up normal time and goes to make breakfast, with the cold rain still coming down, and realizes that Karina's not up yet and goes to check on her, and that's when he sees how sick she's gotten.
I figure it can be a bacterial strain, since that can usually be cleared up after one to three days if you take antibiotics properly. The storm can go on for several days, making it a bad idea to move Karina. Dirk can make a run out in the storm (wearing proper gear so he doesn't get sick) to let Karina's parents know, if you want to include that in some way, and to get medicine for her. It's pretty much three days cooped up in his house with Dirk nursing Karina. [12:13:05 AM] Dea: Hmmm, very interesting idea. [12:16:27 AM] Jinx: XD We going with that or do you want some time to think out alternatives? [12:18:41 AM] Dea: No, I think that works fine. Only adjustment is maybe the first time she actually gets home. Then she tries to venture out in the storm and manages to make it worse. Maybe makes it to Dirk's, where she collapes and he has to take care of her. [12:23:32 AM] Jinx: Hmmmm. You thinking she gets home paritially soaked, then turns around and runs back, or were you thinking more of a gets home then the next day runs out to Dirk's place in the storm? [12:23:49 AM] Dea: The second choice lol [12:33:04 AM] Jinx: Okaaay. Hmmmmm. I don't think it could be anything with her familiar, even if we are adding her familiar to the story, cause Karina'd have taken her with her as she ran back to avoid the storm. Uuuuummm.
Maybe Dirk had a really minor cold too, and Karina offered to bring him soup make from fresh chicken from their farm the other day before the storm rolled in. With the cold rain she's worrying Dirk might get sicker and doesn't notice the start of her own cold. She figures the rain isn't so bad, and that she can get to Dirk's place with an umbrella and coat and be fine, and heads out. About halfway there the storm suddenly picks up. Wind is driving the rain; Karina loses her umbrella to it, but even if she could have held on it wouldn't have done her any good. She runs to Dirk's place cause it's at least with the wind, but because the darks clouds above make things dim and with the rain softening the ground, she trips and sprains something. So the wind's battering her around and she can't walk properly; by the time she finally collaspses on Dirk's porch she's soaked and frozen to the bone, and her cold is steadily getting worse. Then same thing, Dirk tries warming her up and puts her in a spare room to sleep for the night and in the morning she's got pneumonia
jinxgirl5
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jinxgirl5
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Posted: Thu Feb 07, 2013 6:54 pm
[1/5/2013 8:41:46 PM] Dea: Okay, sounds good. Oh and I was thinking about it and wondered if for the serious one we are doing after the animal one if it would not be better if it was something like a car accident instead of a sickness. [1/5/2013 8:44:16 PM] Jinx: Hmmm. They're both farm-folk, and injuries are more complicated than sick. Sick can happen at home, car accident would be like a hospital thing if it was serious [1/5/2013 8:45:08 PM] Dea: True, but sickness might be hospital too, specially the serious kind we were thinking where they were on death's door. [1/5/2013 8:47:54 PM] Jinx: Depends on how you work it. Say we go with a really bad flu. They could meet up outside, and one notices the other is pale and comments on it. The other tries to play it off as not as bad as it is, they're just a little tired or didn't sleep well or something. Then they just collapse. That alone is a major scare for the other. Then it's getting them home, and they're out for several days before they wake up. The other person would practically be twisted up with anxiety over the sick one and reluctant to leave their side. [1/5/2013 8:48:49 PM] Jinx: We could do a doctor house call thing and they just confirm it's a flu, so the person would know it's not deadly but would still find the whole thing a bit of a eye-opener at how the other being so sick makes them realize how much they care [1/5/2013 8:50:06 PM] Dea: Yes, that is true and it does have a sort of charm to it that way. [1/5/2013 8:50:13 PM] Jinx: *nods* [1/5/2013 8:50:21 PM] Jinx: Car accident is more if we want a permanent damage quirk [1/5/2013 8:50:29 PM] Jinx: Like a limp, or bones ache more [1/5/2013 8:50:49 PM] Jinx: More drama, pretty much [1/5/2013 8:51:00 PM] Jinx: Which I don't mind if drama is what we're going for XD [1/5/2013 8:51:06 PM] Jinx: I just figured we were keeping it more low-key [1/5/2013 8:51:35 PM] Dea: Maybe down the road we can do more something like that, when they are lifemates. I think the one you just described is much better for right before they become lifemates. You painted it so well lol [1/5/2013 8:52:39 PM] Jinx: lol Plotting and story-making are my favorite hobbies. I'm not as good at playing out said plotting, but it's fun to make up the stories [1/5/2013 8:52:56 PM] Jinx: But yes, maybe a car accident after lifemating. Maybe after first batch of kids? [1/5/2013 8:54:58 PM] Dea: Stories are definitely fun. And yes, after their first batch of kids would be much better. Then you have the added factor of their little ones worrying and makes the family understand how precious life is. [1/5/2013 8:56:15 PM] Jinx: Yup! [1/5/2013 8:56:52 PM] Jinx: Hmmm. I think one should be sick and one should be in the accident. And by car accident, you're thinking they're hit by a car? [1/5/2013 8:57:09 PM] Dea: Yeah, that's what I was thinking *nods* [1/5/2013 8:59:24 PM] Jinx: Maybe Karina gets sick and Dirk gets hit by the car going into town for supplies one day or something? Maybe he gets hit cause he has one of their kids with him and was either not paying attention to the road cause he/she was up to antics or because he was saving /them/ from getting hit. [1/5/2013 8:59:46 PM] Jinx: I was figuring he could come out of it with a limp. Since he'd have family to help on the farm, it wouldn't be as bad for him. [1/5/2013 9:00:17 PM] Dea: I think saving one of the kits would probably be the best idea. Sounds like the type of thing he would do. [1/5/2013 9:00:51 PM] Jinx: Sounds good to me [1/5/2013 9:00:58 PM] Jinx: XD We got tons of fun plotted out for them, it seems [1/5/2013 9:01:11 PM] Jinx: *reminds self to mark it down in their log when she goes in to update it* [1/5/2013 9:01:30 PM] Dea: That is a mark of a favorite couple, when you can already come up with ideas for them lol [1/5/2013 9:03:59 PM] Jinx: I sense the drama from the car accident thing will bring very emotional roleplay and a good renewal of bonding :3 [1/5/2013 9:04:32 PM] Jinx: Though if we do have them in a breeding by next month, their bond will still be pretty new XD [1/5/2013 9:04:59 PM] Dea: Yes, but nothing wrong with that lol [1/5/2013 9:08:22 PM] Dea: I do agree I can see the car accident being quite an emotional one. The sick one will be too and I like the idea of switching up the one getting sick from the one getting injured. [1/5/2013 9:11:05 PM] Jinx: Yup :3 [1/5/2013 9:11:31 PM] Dea: *huggles their couple* Sorry you two, in advance lol [1/5/2013 9:14:49 PM] Jinx: We'll make sure they get happy endings to make up for it. Limp aside, but with kiddos to help out it's not as bad as it could be lol [1/5/2013 9:25:31 PM] Dea: Yep, totally smile
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