Allanon (![[info]](https://www.insanejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} doesntdotricks) wrote in ![[info]](https://www.insanejournal.com/img/community.gif){kind=small} madisonvalley,@ 2018-01-01 04:02:00 |
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WHAT: Exploring their new property
WHEN: Recently
WARNINGS: n/a
STATUS: Closed and Completed Gdoc
Eretria was standing on the edge of the dirt road that led to the land she’d purchased. It was well worth every penny she’d scraped together - 40 plus acres of mountain, field, grass, plains and hidden creeks. They’d spoken about Paranor, about needing a place here for it, and after breaking up with Wil and Amberle, she’d gone and purchased it because while she was welcome to stay living with the duo, she wasn’t comfortable with it either.
She had a pack high on her shoulders, enough dried food to last if they didn’t run across any game, and water to drink. She had her bedroll and an extra blanket, and clothes, too, though the firelock would come in handy out here. She had timed her walk, and already decided that building a small barn out here was going to be good - one further in where they spent more time and one at the road where she could stable a ride so she could walk to work. Or catch a Lyft. Whatever.
“You’re almost too quiet you know.” she looked over her shoulder.
***
Allanon smirked at her. “Committing it all to memory, so I can carry it with me, like I did the Four Lands.” He smiled warmly then, his packs full of basics as well, as well as something called a beginner’s log cabin kit, which mostly seemed to have insulation and nails and hammers and a ladder all broken down, in it.
His staff sat in a lance mount next to his right foot and he looked outward. “I like this place.”
***
Ere smirked, “it's 47 odd acres, a lot to commit to memory. Hope you've got space in there.” She tapped her head before looking up at him. “You're cheating too, I haven't gotten a ride yet.”
“I do too. It's a little out of the way and quiet. Plenty of open air, it's perfect. I can't wait to see what hidden treasures this place has.”
***
“Plenty of room so far.” He chuckled.
Allanon nodded. Then he leaped from the horse and lifted her in one smooth motion sitting her on the saddle. “Well, actually, he is for you. I was wondering how long it would take you to say something.”
He grinned. “Chaventine, this is Eretria. Eretria, this is Chaventine.” He had named the horse after the Elvin word for bravery.
“I am sure there are many.”
***
“Good. I'll probably get lost a few times out here.”
She squeaked in surprise as he swung her up then grinned. “Merry Christmas to me then.” She leaned down to adjust the stirrups considering she was a world shorter than he was.
“Views nice from up here. Hello, Chaventine, I think we'll get along just fine.” She patted him in the neck before looking out at the snowy hills.
“I hope so. I hope I didn't pick the most boring piece of land there is.”
***
“He’s apparently an ex-military horse, trained to heel even in danger, so I thought he would be useful, just in case.” Then he looked around and hmmmed.
“So far, it is beautiful and big, with lots of rocks and trees, which is what we need, so… yes.”
***
“Oh well just what I need.” She grinned at him,”probably not a bad idea out here in the woods, actually.” she shifted her pack then nudged Chaventine forward. “Well let’s get on with this, you think you can keep up, old man?” she looked down, smirking.
“I saw a little from the photos they had, it’s beautiful in spring.” she smiled.
**
Allanon liked to prepare for the worst. He didn’t like it when things popped up surprising him and his. So he had done this. He smiled at her and nodded, “Lead on, little one.” He smirked at the nickname.
“I cannot wait to see it. It will undoubtedly be amazing.” He began to run, footfalls falling evenly, as he moved ahead.
***
She rolled her eyes and nudged her ride towards one of the trails she’d see when she’d first come out to look at it. “Just because I’m shorter than you.” she stuck her tongue out, smiling though. It was kind of nice being out here away from the drama.
“Look who’s running now” she couldn’t resist as she guided them through one of the game trails on the property, she was looking forward to finding a place to make camp and potentially set up for good, she really needed this.
***
Allanon grinned as he ran alongside the horse easily. “I run every day before we train.” It kept him spry and ready when she was. He chuckled as they moved along.
“It really is beautiful here.” The woods and trails were perfect for moving about and training. He was looking forward to this a lot.
***
She rolled her eyes, of course, he did. “Well, at least I'm not the only one forced into the misery of running.” She snarked as she let the horse pick his way through the trails.
“Might not be home but it is pretty. It's hard to believe home is the future of this place.” She looked around as they crested a hill, looking out over a clearing in a little valley. A small pond sat in the center, with a creek running through.
***
Allanon chuckled as he moved alongside them at a steady pace. Senses alert, he swung his head to and fro, scanning this new land. Who knew what dangers lurked, what secrets lay hidden in it, waiting to be found? The prospect had him grinning.
“It might not be. This world is a nexus. It may well be a world in which our future does not happen.”
Which was an odd think to think, but he thunk it anyway.
***
Eretria laughed a bit “But it’s close enough - from the books I’ve seen, I’ve seen landmarks that are nearly gone back home. Things I’ve stood upon and looked at. It’s close enough to resemble the place before our time.”
“What do you think we should look for camp and stuff? High ground?” which would be the most logical, but also the coldest. While he didn’t give a crap about cold, she still did, thank you very much.
***
Allanon nodded. “I, too.” He shivered, sometimes, to see, whole, the things that were rusted, broken and nearly eroded away by time and tide. ”It's a strange thing, this time travel we have done. I never knew you could leap this far.”
He grinned and glanced at her. “A grove I think, at first. Near water, but with high banks if possible. Or a cave. We can expand and pick better, more permanent when we can see the land without ice and snow in the Summer.”
***
Eretria sighed softly. “How strange to see things as they once were, I am still not used to it. I see home in my dreams and it overlaps with things I’ve seen here and it’s hard to reconcile that they are, in fact, similar.”
She nodded - “Alright, I don’t know if we’ll find a cave but I’m sure if we follow that creek we might find something closer to what you think is best.” she gestured to the pond and creek down below.
***
“Nor am I. It was a shock arriving here and seeing the buildings and cars and computers and guns of this time. Everything looking new and shiny.” he chuckled. “It makes my brain hurt sometimes.”
He cocked an eyebrow at her. “With you on the lookout, I have no doubt we will find a good place.”
***
“It’s kind of amazing. Cogline would be in heaven.” she mused as she looked around then nudged her ride forward to head down to the creek, casting a glance upwards then nodding to herself. “So many things for him to tinker with.” she snorted in amusement.
“You put a lot of faith in me and my skills, Allanon.” she cast him a look, sideways, her lips quirked a little. “I never really scouted for a good place to stay, that wasn’t exactly my job.”
***
“He would.” Allanon nodded, and grinned, if a little wistful. He had suspicions that Cogline had been another renegade druid, but he did not know for sure. The man knew things he should not. OIf Allanon had had more time… but he did not. Allanon shooed that thought away, still not completely reconciled with being dead in their world.
***
The old retired Druid was a troublesome part of Ere’s past - he knew too much, and spoke too little for her tastes. She never was able to get a full story out of him without some kind of twisting of her words.
“How about over there?” she asked after a bit of time coming up to a small hill bordering the creek. “With a little work we could dig out the side, the earth insulates and keeps inside an even temperature, so that would be less effort in heating?”
***
Allanon eyed the place and nodded. “Looks good. Let’s go take a closer look and see.” He could tell, though, that it looked good.
“A nice find, Eretria.” He smiled up at her as they approached.
***
Ere hopped off the horse and tied him to a tree, “Don’t you move.” she muttered as she made sure he could nibble on whatever grass he could find under the snow before getting close to explore the area.
“It’s not bad for a starter location - though I am sure in spring we’ll find better. But it’s tucked back out of the wind, by water, and not a hard ride to get to.” she looked around, “and plenty of firewood around, probably game not too far away either.”
***
Allanon chuckled and followed her, He knelt to brush away snow, then touched the ground and closed his eyes. He beckoned her close, blindly pointing right at her. “Come, another lesson.” he waited until she was close. “Put your hand here, on the ground and close your eyes, then concentrate on the feeling of the Earthpower, the feeling you get when you feel it, and let yourself fill with that feeling, then imagine rock, hard, obstinate, slow, and let yourself just think on that.”
And deep from the earth, the answer came, a sense of a spread of rock, true bedrock, below them, not fifty feet down, filling the area below them for some quarter mile in every direction. Allanon nodded and opened his eyes.
“A good place to build.”
***
Eretria did what he asked, fingers splaying on the ground as she focused and reached out to Earthpower to try to feel what he was instructing her. “Ooh.” She breathed out quietly.
She could feel it, just barely. “Oh, it is a good solid place to build.” She said after a moment of sorting through the feelings the place was giving her.
“I think there's a spring feeding the creek too”
***
“That would be useful. We can tap it and make our own well, and streaming water if we like.” He grinned at her. He liked that she had picked it up, and he liked that she was developing her talents. That was a good sign.
He hoped he did not step wrong with her, like he had with Bandon.
Looking around, he nodded. “A good place to make a camp, and slowly make it wintertight.”
***
“That'd be good, of all the creature comforts, I like running water the best.” She was happy she was figuring things out, that she was learning. “So that would be good in my opinion”
She didn't think he would.
“Well, should we get started then? I don't think I'm ready to go stay at the house so I'm camping.” She brushed her hair out of her eyes.
***
Allanon nodded. He watched her, and grinned. “Yes, me too. I am fond of that myself.”
He nodded and began to unpack tools. “We’ll need wood, and I’ll bring up rock to make a foundation. We can start with a lean-to to one side and then build a frame of a house. That way we get shelter, but also start building for the winter.”
He nodded to her. “I am glad you’re here, if not happy about what happened. It will be good to have you here.”
***
Ere nodded as she looked around. “I'll go see what logs I can find, I'll bring the horse, he can drag some smaller ones back. Dig into the hill, use that as a house? Frame it inside, make it more solid.”
“Me too, Allanon, me too. It didn't go well but that's okay. It gives me time to learn.” She smiled.
***
Allanon nodded. “Sounds good. I’ll start with the foundation, then set up a tent and firelock as a core for the lean-to, and when you are back we can do the rest after lunch.” He grinned at her.
“How does that sound?“
He nodded, sobering. “And that we will do. I imagine Winter will pass quite quickly.”
***
Ere nodded, “that sounds like a plan to me.” She dropped her pack and dug into it, pulling out some rope to drag the logs with it was going to be hard work but she hoped the horse would manage okay.
She smiled faintly. “I'm sure it will be over before we know it.” Then she untied the reins and disappeared into the trees, hunting for smaller trees.
FIN