Fields

---------Jarlon's grave

Malek walked alongside Rhea, seeing she was very quiet. He cleared his throat.
"So...you doing alright?" He asked

----------------> Jarlon's Grave

Rhea nodded,
"Im fine," Rhea answered weakly, she had purposely not come back to Vandercar since Jarlon's death as she knew everything would remind her of him. Especially her house...
Rhea frowned as she saw the crops Jarlon had worked so hard on and loved... Rhea swallow and tried to hold back her tears.
"Im sorry you had to put up with me the other day..." Rhea smiled halfheartedly, "My behaviour was...Over the Top and I'm sorry,"

He put his arm around her and hugged her tight.
"Hey it's ok. I've dealt with worse cases." He chuckled.
"I understand your loss, and like I said, if you ever need to talk I am here. Always willing to listen and help!" He squeezed her shoulder before letting go.

Rhea smiled for a second and hugged Malek back,
"Thank you," Rhea whispered with a frown, "I just don't know what to do without him...I know nothing about looking after Crops...Only what he's taught me so far..."
Rhea pulled a leaf off the tree nearest her and with the flame on the tip of her finger she watched it burn and crumple.
She really wanted to burn more then a little leaf...she wanted to burn everything that reminded her of Jarlon...or just leave the village. Rhea shook her head, she couldn't leave...not now...the Villages needed strong people and if Rhea tried she knew she could be one.
Rhea put a brave smile on her face.

----------Warehouse----------->

Ronan wandered out of the warehouse. He liked Rial but there was just something about Rhea. He wondered how she was doing. He wandered into the fields and saw her sitting there. "Hey rhea" he asked carefully. He came and sat next to her glancing at her and smiling and then looking away and then repeating it.

"Hey," Rhea smiled back, Staring at the sky, She had become less talkative since she heard about Jarlons death. "Sorry about charging out of your shop..."

"No don't worry about it. I understand. I'm sorry for your loss" he said gently "How are you doing?"

Rhea smiled halfheartedly, "thank you," Rhea said, wiping a tear away that had split from her eye, "Ah...I've been better,"

Ronan nodded "I know..but you will be again. Time goes on..memories grow fainter and the heart learns to trust again. I remeber...I remeber when my father was killed. I thought I would never smile again. But look at me now...now I live life to make others smile and in the process I started to smile again to" he sighed

Rhea smiled, "I know...My smiles already coming back," Rhea laughed, "Your father died too?"

"See there ya go" he smiled "Ya...um you remeber how I defended Bardon? Well there was a reason. My father...he was kinda a tinker/merchant. Most of his items that he aquired and sold were gathered in..eh unoffical channels if you know what I mean. He had many enemies. Well one day they caught up to him. I got the family out of there but I came back to help him. I...I was a coward though" he said as he hung his head "I stood in the forest and watched crying as they beat my father to death. I regret what I did so much that from then on I decided that whether a man deserved a friend or not, I would not stand by and let him get beat up." he shrugged

"Oh, I'm sorry," Rhea said placing a hand on Ronan's shoulder, "Kinda similar to my own story of my father's death. My father didn't spend alot of time in the house...He was barely ever home, he would be doing some dodgy work, drinking, doing drugs or with girls. But one midnight I woke up really worried, My father wasn't anywhere to be seen, that normally wouldn't have worried me but it did for once. I sat on the doorstep of our house until morning incase my father came home but he never did," Rhea frowned, "In the morning I packed my things and set off for some place new and within the first few hours of travelling on my own I found the mangled corpse of my father...I'm guessing some people he ripped off had killed him..." Rhea sighed unhappily.

Ronan smiled slighlty and placed a gently hand on Rhea's on his shoulder. He listened to her story as well. "Oh Rhea I am sorry...it is hard when you know that they...well they were into shadowy business so they weren't innocent..but they didn't deserve to die like that either." He shook his head. "Um what about your mother? Oh I'm sorry..I shouldn't pry" he said quickly.

Rhea ignored his apology, she didn't mind, "My mother? I didn't really know her...She left me with my farther when I was 3 because she had enough to his lies...That very night when My dad found out she left he was really drunk, had actually brought out his sword because he was so mad and chopped everything in sight," Rhea smiled for a second and then continued, "I was stupid enough to tried to stop him and I got in his way..." Rhea drifted off and turned her back to Ronan, lifting her hair so he could she the deep scar on her neck which ran down to her shoulder blade.

Ronan's eyes widened as she showed him the scar, he lightly touched it with soft, gently fingertips but then quickly pulled his hand back. "Sorry" he blushed. "Wow...I'm suprised it didn't do more damage..that looks like a pretty bad scar" he said carefully

Rhea's skin tingled for a second at Ronan's touch and she blushed, shaking off before looking back at Ronan.
"Don't be sorry, It's fine," Rhea smiled, "Yeah I know...Guess im lucky,"
Rhea sat back next to Ronan and then spoke again,
"What about your mother?"

Ronan blushed again slightly but then looked up "Ah my mother. My mother is half snapping turtle, half teddy bear and a might bit of wild cat" he laughed "She kept my father in line when he was around her and us in line when he was gone. She had pet names for all of us kids. Believe me..you NEVER wanted to hear your real name coming from her mouth" he said with mock scared eyes. "But she could be a sweet heart to. I remeber many a time when I was young and hurt that she patched me up and hugged me and I couldn't imagine anyone sweeter" he smiled "She is still alive last I saw..another man of the tribe married her and they have thier own traveling merchentile again. My two kid sisters are still traveling with them. Those two are more trouble than a pair of otters" he shook his head and smiled "How about you? Siblings?"

"No, I'm an only child...What was her nickname for you?" Rhea asked with a grin.

Ronan chuckled embrassed. He rubbed the back of his neck. "trouble" he laughed "na she called me flat cat" he chuckled "Two reasons..one I was always skinny growing up..and two..I was so curious they coined the phrase curiosity killed the cat on me! Well what happens to a curious cat around wagons?" he chuckled

Rhea laughed, "Your mother sounds really nice, I wish I could remember my mum...My dad wouldn't even tell me her name...I don't know if shes alive and I'll never be able to find her," Rhea leaned back against the fence, "So what have you been doing since I last saw you?"

"Ya..ya she is in her own way" he laughed "Hmm, well did anyone know your family in a friendly way? Nieghbors?" He considered "Um not alot..I helped with the stalls some, sorted through my stores to see what I need to bring over this winter to Vandecar and what I can safely leave. Nothing real interesting" he yawned slightly and let himself lay back in the field and look at the sky. "Ever just look at the sky?" he asked "Put together shapes?"

"Uh no...Our family usually hid in the shadows," Rhea laughed, "When I was little I used to Make shapes out of the clouds, It relaxs me...Does that count?" Rhea smiled.

"hmm, ya people don't know my family real well either." He laughed slightly "ya that counts. See there? It's a cat..and see the fox chasing it?" he chuckled. They talked for several more hours, just talking. He was happy to see her smile again.

Malek sat there with Rhea when Ronan came up.
"Hey Ronan." He got nervous that Ronan would think the wrong idea of him being here, but he didn't. He sighed and stood up.
" Well, I'll let you two talk." He walked off a few feet and looked at the crops here.
After about an hour, he walked back to Rhea and Ronan and sat down beside Rhea.
"Doing better, now that you've talked to another friend?" He asked, grinning.

(away from Rhea and everyone)

Mika walked quietly through the fields. Some of the crops grabbing gently at her cloak. "Jarlon was very proud of these" she said quietly. She pointed ahead "There is the town hall, some of the villagers houses, and there is the village library. Can you read?" she asked curiously