[closed]

[betroth]

Who: Chloe Weiss (betroth) & Killian Ryan (youngestone)
When: Thursday 11/07, afternoon
Where: DOWN ON THE NOT-QUITE-FARM
What: Getting the property ready for winter!

[ Chloe has prepared a big ol' checklist for the day. Nothing so ordinary as a pad of paper and a pen, no, she has an old chalkboard encased in a wooden frame hanging on the outside of a shed. It's written on appropriately, in a clean hand: ]

☑ Spread compost
☑ Winter supply of hay [ Several tons, in fact, split with a neighbor ]
☑ Organize bedding/footing
☐ Spread footing [walkways, paddock, gates!]
☐ Check water run-off [clean/add barrels where needed!]
☐ Review chore equipment
☐ Lighting, lighting, lighting!

...and it's that last of which she's taken on as her current task, leaving Killian to pick and choose what order he'd like to accomplish the chores in best. She trusted they could both get it done — it's a beautiful day, perfect for tying up all the loose ends. Cold and windy and clear and bright, but Chloe knows that they only have a little time left to finish preparing for the soggy winter months. The storms could come on quick, and they're definitely due.

She's already checked the lighting on the outside of the house, so now she's perched atop a tall yellow ladder in the middle of the stables, carefully removing the wire from the light fixtures and replacing all the bulbs.

When she thinks she hears shuffling, she places both hands on the ladder's topmost rung and peers over at the stable entrance in her direct line of sight. ]

Killian? How are you doing?

Comments

[youngestone]

Fin--dammit!

[The bag of footing stuff (he thinks it's gravel?) he was messing with falls from his hands and barely misses his foot. He's usually not so clumsy, but the chilly weather is doing a number on his hands and he doesn't actually have a decent pair of gloves just yet. His fingers are half numb.

Swearing, Killian moves to get the bag]

Fine! Where are the barrels for the run off? I can't find them.

[betroth]

[ The heavy crunch of the bag falling causes her to pause and lean over so she can project her voice better. ]

Are you alright? You can use the wheelbarrow if it gets too heavy!

[ Pursing her lips together, she taps the new lightbulb gently and moves to hitch the wiring covering back onto the fixture. Chloe places the old bulb in a tote and starts climbing down the ladder. ]

Hmm, that's strange, I could've sworn we stored the barrels in the shed...

[youngestone]

Maybe they're just buried then? Or did your dad move them already?

[Wheelbarrows. Duh. Killian sets the bag down (carefully) and goes to get that]

Or--they weren't near Marisa when she blew up, right?

[betroth]

Marisa didn't get the barrels, just the tree...

[ Goodness you are just fussing now. She talked the wardens down into believing they knew nothing and put out the tree! ]

But I don't think Dad moved them either. Should we go take a look?

[youngestone]

[Look, he won't be letting that go for a while.

Killian loads the gravel into the wheelbarrow]

Might be for the best. I really don't want to have to be out here in the snow getting them ready or something.

[betroth]

[ She knows, and she still feels a little guilty about it, so she doesn't tease. ]

Of course I wouldn't make you!

[ Wiping the back of her wrist on her brow, she looks up. Some puffy fall clouds are racing across the sky, and the sunlight seems deep, like it's later than it actually is. ]

We have a lot of sunlight left. We can everything done, I'm sure of it.

[ Lowering her gaze, her attention steadies on the stiffness of his hands as he works through the bags of gravel. ]

[youngestone]

[He doesn't realize she's noticed his hands. Yeah, he's been working here for a bit but the paychecks he's gotten have gone into getting his mother nice clothes and stuff for interviews for better jobs.]

This is the last bit of footing, so after this its barrels, check the equipment, and help you finish the lighting if that ends up taking a while. Should be easy, yeah?

[He grins.]

[betroth]

Very! [ She smiles back. ] Mm, but. First thing's first!

[ She spins on her boot's heel and marches off towards the shed with their chalkboard list currently hung on the outside. Swinging the doors wide open, she scans around. It's a little dusty, naturally, but fairly put together. Chloe clicks her tongue in thought. ]

I know I saw them somewhere...

[youngestone]

[Killian follows after her with the wheelbarrow. The shed's between him and the paddock anyway.]

What color are they?

[betroth]

Wrong "they"! [ Chloe enters the shed and pops up on her tippy-toes to glance along the shelves. Eventually, not finding what she's looking for, she winds up rooting in one of the drawers of gardening supplies set into a rudimentary work station. With a soft, "Ah, there you are!", she pulls something from the middle drawer and walks back to the entrance. ]

Alright, hands!

[ Meaning yours. Pony them up! ]

[youngestone]

...okay.

[Wiping his hands on his jeans first, Killian holds his hands up. They're kind of grubby for obvious reasons.

He's also very confused]

[betroth]

[ Shh all answers come with time. Namely, the time it takes for her to shake out a pair of gardening gloves. ]

Here, take these.

[ Which is what she says, but she's not really leaving it up for debate, considering she just steps forward and shoves one of the gloves over his hands anyway. ]

They're not as sturdy as normal gloves would be, but...

[youngestone]

[Killian is still confused, especially when she forces his hand into the glove]

Uh...is this your way of telling me that my next paycheck needs to go to gloves?

[He laughs and takes the other from Chloe, putting it on. Some people might have an issue with charity like this but Killian'd be dead without it, so.]

[betroth]

It's my way of making sure your hands don't freeze!

[ No more and no less! ]

[youngestone]

Uh-huh.

[He laughs]

Are the barrels in there, too?

[betroth]

It's a lot colder today, isn't it? [ Her brows lift, an innocuous gesture. Leaving it there, she peers back towards the shed. ] Under the tarps, I think. They're dark green!

[youngestone]

[Sigh. What is his life.

He moves to start looking under tarps for the barrels]

They should be labeled with, like, neon pink paint or something.

[betroth]

[ Following suit, she kneels to see if they may have been flipped and stored beneath the workbench, which runs the length of the shed's wall. ]

Should — [ rummaging ] oh, wait — should I put it on the spring cleaning list?

[youngestone]

Can't hurt, or at least put "organizing the freaking shed and make it Killian friendly" on there. It's a bit dangerous for me to constantly be climbing ladders to get shovels and stuff.

[betroth]

Mm, absolutely! [ She tugs on some kind of canvas and it has no give, so she digs in and tries to yank it out instead. ] I really don't want you [ PULL ] getting hurt so... when we look over the [ WRENCH ] chore equipment, let's pull everything we need out of here!

[ Frowning, her face pinches. ]

I-I hadn't realized it was so bad.

[youngestone]

Here, lemme help.

[He heads over and grabs another part of the tarp to start tugging]

If the barrels aren't in here, I'm going to be so freaking pissed.

[betroth]

They must be! [ Huffing in determination, she lets go of the tarp and just crawls right under. ] If — I can find what it's stuck on...

[youngestone]

Ack--Chloe, are you sure that's safe?

[Because Killian sure as hell doesn't. He squats down to watch her]

[betroth]

I'm fine, and the barrels are here! Now. [ There's a lot of shuffling and shifting before a loud THUMP and an ensuing squeak. RESUME MORE DETERMINED SHUFFLING SHE WILL NOT LET YOU HAVE THIS DAY, BARRELS. ] Almost have it...

[youngestone]

[Killian eyes the stuff on top of the tarp, ready to catch anything that might fall from Chloe's determined shuffling.]

Next major purchase: cell phone so I can call 911.