Home Sweet Wonderful Home
Posted on Sat May 27th, 2023 @ 12:27pm by Alden Loxley & Cooper O'Reilly & Arca Loxley & Daiyu & Kindra Graham & Spencer Wainwright & Jacy Wright
Mission:
Oh, Give Me a Home on The Range
Location: Blue Cloud Ranch, Ezra
Timeline: 18 November 2517 - immediately after landing - early afternoon
On longway seats in the flat-bed back of a battered old farm truck that had followed Elle's arrival, they'd travelled the relatively short distance from landed Echo to the inner sanctum of the Thomson family's ranch. Traditional wooden fencing marked that smaller boundary, the name 'Blue Cloud Ranch' above the high gate, burned into a long, flat split length of tree trunk dangling small wooden bells that chimed together harmoniously in the wind. Beyond such sat a weathered, two storey rambling ranchhouse, a wind/solar water pump, bunkhouses, two barns (one longer than the other and painted red), stables, a couple of outhouses, a riding circle and (currently empty) cattle pens.
As they approached, Kindra took in the details of the ranch with wide eyes, noting similarities with and differences to the ranch-style estate she'd grown up on. She'd dressed appropriately in blue jeans and boots, and wore a soft leather duster over a pale blue flowing blouse that hid the wrap around her ribs. Though it was tempting to cover up her black eye, she'd decided against wearing makeup. She wanted to present herself to Alden's mother in the most authentic way she could.
"Wait here one moment?" said Alden, giving Kindra's arm a gentle squeeze, then leaping from truck to ground in order to cover the last few feet towards the waiting female figure at a quick running pace.
There was a moment of gentle collision as muscular 6'2" met short, cuddly 5'4" and Alden stopped just short (literally) of lifting his mother directly off the ground as he embraced her fully, pulling her close in against him and savouring that sense of safety for them both. Then Arca pushed him back, grabbed his face and stared into her eldest son's eyes, whispering something to him that didn't carry across the space to the others in the truck. Alden nodded, turned purposefully and marched back to assist Kindra in exiting the truck.
"Welcome to Blue Cloud everyone," said Arca as she caught up, meeting the small group of folks in front of her sizeable ranchhouse. She wore a country shirt and comfortable cargo trousers tucked into worn leather boots that had clearly seen some mileage. "My family's home for four generations, and yours for the next few days if the state of my son's ship is anything to go by," she added with a smile. "Y'all can call me, Arca. Who's hungry?"
Like her children, Alden's mother was an attractive woman, with a warm and welcoming demeanor. Kindra found herself hoping Arca was the kind of person to decorate her home with family photographs… including a portrait of Alden's father and maybe even Alden's wife. "Thank you kindly for your hospitality, Arca. I'm Kindra, and it is a pure pleasure to meet you."
"Likewise, Kindra," noted Arca Loxley with a grin that echoed in both her eyes and tone. "A fine pleasure for sure." She'd heard stories, but was far from up to date on the gossip in this regard due to the recent communications issues. That black eye spoke of bad times in Kindra's very recent past, but that was a conversation for inside when these guests were a little more comfortable. "I'm sure we both have many things to discuss," she added, taking the younger woman's hands in hers and gifting them both a gentle, friendly squeeze. Then she looked to the next member of the crew to speak up.
"You don't look dead," Daiyu said to Arca. "Alden said someone shot you. He looked brave but I could tell he was worried." She ran her finger across her forehead and down her cheek. "His face makes lines when he worries."
"Good eyes," Arca noted kindly as she offered her hands, palms up, to be taken by Daiyu in greeting if she wished. "I certainly am far from dead. But yes, someone did shoot me," she lightly wrapped her right hand about her upper left arm, the bandage hidden by her shirt sleeves. "Not the first time ever, though I keenly hope it'll be the last. I'm okay, sweet young lady," she told Daiyu, "and my thanks for your concern."
Cooper loomed peacefully behind Daiyu like a friendly bodyguard, but he introduced himself with a simple gruff statement. "Cooper O'Reilly, ma'am," he said. "Shepherd of sorts."
That left two - Spence and Jacy - and Alden stepped closer into the mix now they were all gathered together in the yard.
"Mum, this is Spence, our new engineer," the eldest Loxley child said. "And this is Jacy, our doc."
Spence reluctantly surrendered a hand for a shake, as well as a gentle smile. Arca was not the first matriarch that he'd met, nor did he suspect she'd be the last. The only thing on Spence's mind at the moment was that blasted engine and how he'd get that reattached to the Echo. Surely there was a crane or somethin' like it around these parts.
"I reckon Alden will have plenty of work for you to do," Arca noted with a wry smile as she stepped back from shaking Spence's hand. "You look like you need feeding up some," she added, attitude all happiness and good-naturedly now. "We don't always eat like this, but I felt a welcome-home was in order, given the circumstances. So you make sure and help yourself now, y'hear?"
Arca looked to the blond doctor next and shook her head with an air of slight sadness and concern colouring her expression.
"Now you I hope won't be too busy at all," Arca noted. "Though I'm glad my boy has a medic on his crew."
She offered a smile, “You and me both.” Though, Riley wasn’t too keen on being called a medic, but then again, it was easier if people thought that of Jacy.
Alden's mother mirrored that smile, and Arca's words were quietly spoken. "You two are quiet souls I see," she said. "And that's a rare thing hereabouts." She looked from Jacy to Spence and back again, feeling the inner sense of warmth at having what she took to be good people under her roof. If they weren't good people, which Arca had no way of knowing either way just yet, then that situation would be handled as it unravelled. For now, though, Alden's crew was to be treated as fine folk, adoptive neighbours and a welcome addition to the ranch vibe.
"Pleasure to meet you both," Arca said, with a sense of amiable finality, as she lightly gifted them each a soft squeeze of a physical welcome hug. "Now, c',mon, let me show you into the kitchen and you can wash up and see your rooms once you've had some food."
From outside to in was a short walk which skipped the full house tour for the moment and allowed everyone to enter via the family entrance - the kitchen's stable door built into the long side of the main ranchhouse.
The kitchen was an impressive and long affair, washroom to one end, big old ceramic sink by the wide windows and a large woodburning stove to the end wall. With a farmhouse table taking pride of place in its midst that looked as if it would sit about twenty people, it was clear that Arca and her family were no strangers to hosting many. Today all the chairs were in place and a vast collection of plates and bowls teamed with cold meats, fresh veggies and still warm loaves of bread with butter and home-made jam close by. There was even a two layer, frosted chocolate cake. At the far end sat a much older version of Arca cradling a mug of tea and eyeballing this new collection of souls. She didn't speak as Alden strolled over, hugged her and kissed her forehead, but her eyes smiled at the attention and she quietly studied the newcomers.
For a long moment, Kindra couldn't look away from the elder who was obviously Alden's grandmother. Alden never said she was still with them. Kindra wondered what other family he'd forgotten to mention. He'd barely admitted to being married. It suddenly occurred to Kindra that Alden and his wife might've had children together.
"Grab a seat and help yourselves," Arca instructed, after pointing out where folks could wash their hands and indicating the location of the bathroom and water closet.
Spence held back for a few moments, giving others an opportunity to use the washroom first. His eyes sampled the food on the farmhouse table. Clearly, Arca and her family did pretty well for themselves. Even looking back on his memories at Shadow, he hadn't seen a farmhouse table this full. Privately, he wondered if Arca's ranch had assistance of some kind, or benefitting from a few deals under the table. Spence shrugged the thought aside for a bit, looking out the window in the direction of the Echo's crash site. Sooner or later he'd have to go back out there. He hoped for sooner.
It was clear to Kindra that Arca Loxley was a woman accustomed to both giving orders and seeing them followed with alacrity. Kindra decided to set the meal in motion by being the first guest to comply, and gently took Jacy's arm. The poor young woman seemed a bit overwhelmed. "Come on, Jacy, we can wash up together and be first to enjoy this lavish feast Ms. Loxley has so kindly provided." In a stage whisper she added, "Mmm, chocolate cake..."
Glancing from the table to Kindra, she hoped that her face wasn’t giving her away, that she didn’t appear as overwhelmed as she found herself feeling. Getting to the safety of a ship was supposed to help, not make things worse. And yet, here she was wondering just how she was supposed to get to know these people, to have any sort of relationships with them when she was mostly on the crew to spy on them. And steal. She reminded herself.
But to the other woman who had sidled up to her, she smiled, “Sounds like a plan.” She tossed one last look at the delicious looking cake and dropped her voice to match Kindra’s “You think it’s real chocolate?”
"Looks deliciously real enough to me," replied Kindra in an easy tone that was not a whisper. Truth was, real chocolate sold for double its weight in platinum and many people wouldn't know the difference... though Kindra did.
Once she and Jacy were alone in the washroom, Kindra nodded to Jacy to wash-up first. "No doubt Alden's sister can take care of herself, and Jonas and Whit definitely can," said Kindra firmly, making an assumption about what might be weighing on Jacy's thoughts. "Worrying about their arrival in need of doctoring won't change anything, so you might as well try to relax and enjoy a good meal."
Eschewing any attempt to wash up, Daiyu took the nearest chair and sat without further talk.
"Hands, please young lady," Arca called out gently and handed across a warm cloth from beside the sink. "Here, you can stay where you are and clean them with this," she instructed, her voice warm and friendly as she looked to ensure everyone felt welcome.
Cooper rinsed his hands obediently at said kitchen sink, and took the seat immediately to Daiyu's left.
After giving her hands a good wipe and Arca a flat stare, Daiyu tossed the towel back toward the sink area. "Thank you," she said dispassionately.
Following Cooper's example and letting the two women use the washroom, Alden quietly nudged Spencer to take his turn at the kitchen sink and find a seat too. "C'mon, ya'll," Alden encouraged, as he stood at the end of the table beside his grandmother. "Get settled in and help yourselves, cos right here and now you're all part of the family." He kept concern from his voice, knowing Whit, Jonas and Elle would be just fine all together, but curious nonetheless.
Kindra and Jacy emerged from the washroom in time to hear Alden repeat his mother's invitation. Kindra left the first empty seat for Jacy and went around the table to the next and took a seat.
"Someone should say grace," Daiyu suggested. "Families say grace before meals."
"Well, thank you, miss," Arca instantly stepped verbally into the fray, as she noted Alden had been about to say something. "I'd be rightly honoured for you to say grace for us."
"Me?" Daiyu's eyes widened in surprise, but she quickly steepled her fingers and began a chant:
"Pie Jesu Domine
Qui tollis peccata mundi
Dona eis requiem
Sempiternam
Requiem."
Raising her head, she looked at nobody in particular and said, "Amen."
There followed a quiet chuckling from the end of the table, and the oldest member of this culinary family gathering took a moment to study Daiyu before shifting her own attention to her eldest daughter - Arca. Alden's mother smiled wryly, gave her eldest son a look filled with unspoken questions and then dove in verbally.
"That would be a respectful goodbye to the livestock, I suppose," Arca said, her voice even and strong, neither mocking or condoning her visitor's choice. Daiyu was certainly an interesting soul for sure. "Let's all give thanks for the bountiful feast gathered before us to share, and for us all being together, alive and strong and connected in the Verse. Thank y'all for coming, and here's to us being safe while we're here and to being happy more than we're sad. Amen."
As soon as that last word left her daughter's lips, Alden's grandmother started to help herself from the closest plates to her.
Arca took her seat at the other head of the table, and Alden took to ensuring everyone could reach just exactly what they needed. Once they'd all filled their plates and their bellies, the random noise of folks eating shifted into questions and conversation.
Curious about the ranch, and attempting to make polite conversation, Kindra directed a question to Arca, "I take it you raise cattle? About how many head?"
"We do," confirmed Arca. "About 4000 head at the moment. We're a cow/calf outfit for the most part, but we grow our own crops for feed - both us and the cattle. We're quieter this time of year, on account of most of the young un's were sold earlier this month, so whoever's messing with us at least had the decency to wait until we were done with the selling..."
"We'll figure this out, Mum," Alden immediately interjected. "Promise. And we'll have a proper discussion about it all once Elle gets back."
"Yes, we will," Arca noted, curtly, but then she sighed, shook her head and looked back to Kindra. "Apologies, love," the matriarch said. "That's no business to discuss over dinner, but it got me riled some. As for the ranching, it's been handed down to the eldest female descendant through the last four generations, so between us and the cows, it's a lot of women around the place. We also breed horses, but only really for the family and friends, and there's a small herd of sheep and goats which come in real useful when times are tough, or we need some new sweaters."
'Between us and the cows, it's a lot of women' Kindra choked on the delightfully crisp, fresh salad she was eating. Arca was lumping herself and Elle together with cows? Kindra took a long swallow from her water glass, and hoped Arca was making some kind of inside joke. "That is a lot of cattle, and your self-sufficiency is impressive." Kindra thought of her stepmother's efforts to recover the Buccleuch horse ranch. "Do you train the horses too, to work with the cattle?"
Arca wondered what caused her guest to stumble over her food, but merely checked Kindra was okay after the younger woman had sipped her water. "You alright there, sweetheart?" She asked, concern wrapped about her words. But Kindra caught up quickly, with her compliment and all. "Ezra's a long way from the Core," Arca reminded her. "Self-sufficiency is why we're still out here, living and breathing. It's not without some help though, neighbours, family and all."
She smiled at the next question. "Of course," Arca responded. "Horses have to work here, same as the rest of us. And Momma taught me and my kin to ride, how to herd and how to shoot, same as I taught my kids," she traded a look of familial adoration with Alden, then returned her attention to Kindra. "What about you, Kindra, did you grow up in the country or the city?"
In other circumstances Kindra's immediate answer would have been that she'd grown up in the country. But what she thought of as country on the Buccleuch estate was not quite like Blue Cloud Ranch. And then there was the second part of her childhood at Madrassa. "I suppose you might say both country and city. My parents raised me on a ranch focused just on breeding, raising, and training horses."
"A fine mix indeed, then," Arca said, with a kind tone. "The best of both worlds, eh?" She looked forward to a longer conversation with this intriguing, finely presented, but clearly wounded soul who had obviously some romantic entanglement with her eldest son. "Now does anyone need a refresh on their drink?"
Chocolate cake waited until everyone had enjoyed a selection from the veggies, meats, cheese and bread and Alden raised an eyebrow at its inclusion as he asked his first question.
"This is amazing," he said, leaning back in his chair beside his grandmother and gesturing widely to the table as his gaze met Arca's own. "Thank you. But did you save anything for the rest of the year?"
"Someone shot me," Arca levelled her tone and her gaze to her eldest son. "Then my boys came home - well, Drake's close enough - and you, Alden, with fine company." Her gaze locked onto Kindra, then returned to the pilot. "Seemed like a good enough reason to pull out all the stops and have a feast to me. I," she pointed out sternly. "Could have died." Then her whole face smiled. "Cake?"
"Yes please," Alden conceded, unwilling to go around that circular conversation a second time.
"And then Kindra and I will get some photo albums out," stated Arca, before Alden could lay down any requests for the conversation they both knew was coming. Not at the dinner table, was his mother's rule and she planned on sticking to that. "While ya'll tidy up for me."
"I'd like that, thank you." The prospect of alone time with Alden's mother made Kindra a little nervous, especially since Arca seemed to already know about her relationship with her son. And Kindra hadn't missed Arca's deliberate skip over the details of getting shot. But photo albums were just the sort of window into Alden's past that Kindra was hoping to see.
Tidy up, thought Spencer. As much as he appreciated the fine meal, his mind kept wandering back to the ship. That was one spectacular crash, and it was going to be one hell of a repair. Still, they were here for a reason, and Spence couldn't help but think that there was something else at play here, something that had yet to be revealed. Why shoot the Loxley matriarch if you weren't going to finish the job? Why cause the Echo to crash? Something wasn't adding up.
"I like cake," Daiyu offered. If she was wondering what was going on, she didn't show it. "Can we bring cake back to the Echo?"
"Don't reckon they'll be much left," said Cooper, with a smile. "We need to save a piece for Whit, Alden's sister and Jonas too, remember."
But Arca made an immediate point of cutting an extra piece and wrapping it in a beeswax wrap for Daiyu, the little parcel handed across to the younger woman personally. "You keep that for yourself for later," she noted, kindly. "But you're my guests tonight, Daiyu, you don't need to be sleeping on a noisy ship."
"If you think it's safe..." Daiyu looked unsure but wasn't about to argue.
"Mum's right," Alden added, giving Daiyu a supportive look as his tone laid the words down friendly-like. "There's a lot of work to be done on Echo, and I need to make sure she's fixed up and ready to fly again. We'll all sleep in the ranchhouse tonight, okay?" It was still a question, but the implication was that it was the only available option. "Plenty of room for everyone." He looked from Coop to Spencer then, another thought on his mind. They needed a meeting, a get-together to discuss whatever the hell was going on, and Echo was the perfect distance from the house for privacy for said discussion. "Spencer and I need to take a look at the ship, see how bad she's broken, so we'll do that once dinner is done, then we can grab our stuff and settle in here. Okay?" It went out to them all, though Alden was looking at Daiyu as he asked the confirmation question.
"You mean when the sun's going down?" Daiyu wondered aloud. The doubt in her voice was unmistakable.
"For sleeping, yes," replied Alden, his voice calm and sure. "We'll get our stuff when it's still daylight though. This house is very comfortable," he promised Daiyu. "I grew up here."
"And your mother got shot here," Daiyu pointed out. She paused for a moment to reflect on the conundrum before asking, "Can I have a gun too?"
Kindra silently followed this conversation between Alden and Daiyu with fearful attention. Whichever of Daiyu's personalities was currently speaking was drastically more coherent than the one that usually spoke for her. Kindra fervently hoped Alden wouldn't put a gun in Daiyu's hands. One of her violent personalities could emerge at any time… and then an external threat might be the least of their worries.
"No, Daiyu, you cannot have a gun," Alden confirmed with simple authority. He looked to his mother, who nodded, and picked up from there.
"Oh, honey-child," said Arca, with warm empathy in her tone. "You're safe here. We do have plenty folks with guns to protect us, though when I got hurt I was outside this safe homestead boundary." She segued straight from that admission and confirmation to a totally different subject with seamless maternal efficiency. "I hear," she said, "that you have a way with plants, Daiyu? Would you like to come look at my herb garden with me after dinner? It's just out back," Arca added, "well within our boundary."
At first Daiyu's eyes darted suspiciously back and forth between Alden and Arca. Points of authority here were becoming blurred. But with the mention of the herb garden, Daiyu's attention shifted from power structures to her first love. "What kind of herbs?" she asked, eyes unblinking with enthusiasm.
Alden met Daiyu's gaze and simply nodded with a casual grace. It was okay. And Arca picked up the young woman's question with artful grace, listing off a multitude of well-known herbs. "Well, let's see," she began, "I have sage, rosemary, oregano, coriander, mint, lemon balm..."
Kindra made a conscious effort to unclench her jaw and smile. Arca had expertly presented the perfect distraction to bring Daiyu's gentle botanist personality to the forefront. Kindra wondered how much Alden had shared with his mother about Daiyu, and hoped it was enough that Arca wouldn't be in danger, alone with Daiyu in the garden.
Spence remained silent, watching the exchange take place. Surely, he thought, Alden would keep a couple people to watch over the wrecked ship. After all, terrible things were known to happen when a ship was downed. Still, it'd be nice to sleep somewhere where the air was fresh and not recirculated past the point of musty and stale.
Meanwhile Arca was still going, quietly responding to Daiyu's question. "Thyme, basil, borage, dill, fennel, parsley, chives, garlic and a bay tree."
"We'll clear the table and wash up," Alden stated, gifting his grandmother a gentle kiss on her cheek as he stood up from the table. Then he looked from his mother to Jacy and Spencer and repeated some of his earlier sentiment for clarity and confirmation all round. "We'll gather a few of our things from the ship and settle us into the house," he added. "And then Spence and I will take a proper look at the damage."
Hopefully by then, Whit, Elle and Jonas would be back...
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