#debukefarmhold

"Older IS older" He says loftily

"Yeah yeah."

"I'm gonna outlive you. By fifteen minutes!"

"Yeah yeah, great, enjoy haghood." A grin of wolf teeth

They pull into the farm and others gather around to see...

"You bought a truck ?" Clem says

"This ain't a truck. It's a tenuous aggregation of rusty nonsense that contains specks of potential truck."

"Did you get it cheap? and can you make our old truck work using those specks?"

"SO cheap. Like Murray's aftershave."

Some chuckles all around.

The storm narrows his eyes.

"Oh come on, Storm, that was funny" Clem says "Okay...do what you can with it...how much time do you think?"

"She's got some studying to do, we got books" Bix says, buying his sister time to read?

"Not sure how long, depends..."

"I paid for them with my own money!"

"Oh well, if any are about things you're fixing around here let me know and I'll reimburse since we're investing in our own good" Clem says "But obviosuly the books are yours."

"Yeah..."

"Ahem" It's Agnes who speaks up "All that can wait. these two haven't eatten in hours.. they missed last meal, and that reflect poor on me. Begging your pardon, Chieftain, but please tell them to shower up and come for the food"

"Aw furkin' yeah, I'm starved something fierce."

"You heard the hearth then, off you go," Clem motions to the two "And good work. "

"Truck'll be SWEET, like *&^%$$& cherry! Just you wait!" And she's off

Anges sighs at hte cursing but nothing more.

Clem? Actually smiles. And starts whistling "The times they are a changing"/ Agnes looks at Clem "You are just a bit too fond of that tune, Chieftain." //"Mm what tune?" Clem looks innocent.//"Hmph" The grump says to the wilder , and goes to get that food heated.

(End scene)

"Well," Pearletta's mother says "I worry is all... that satyr girl among is charity, and Caspian's mother had the good taste to have him on the road...but with Earl dating that troublemaking sluagh and seeming serious about it," She sets the plate down in their own small area on the farm, "And suddenly one of our own comes out as a NOCKER?" Despite her hrumphing, she'd not be making this comment in front of Clem, she's not even sure how her husband will take it but by gum, so many changes it scares her "Has to be from Caroline's side despite her words... not that it really seems to bother her."

Her husband flips open his paper, day will get started all too soon. "Well, she did fix old nutty, and she's working hard on other things. And she is still a DeBuke."

"What she fixes isn't my point" She says "Now , Odin knows, there isn't a mean bone in my body," She gestures to herself, "I feel for the poor girl. I'm talking about what this means for the future of the farm... in twenty years? Forty? What will this place be for our grand children or great grand children if we lose our trollishness?" Kinain herself, but darn near pure blood, she fusses. "I'm thinking of the greater good."

"Uh huh" He flips through the paper "I figure we'd muddle through. Sides, this is the problem for the Chief, Mountain, and maybe Hearth... isn't it?"

"It's everyone's problem" She huffs at her husband, "And Clem is a fine young woman, but some say she was made Chieftain too soon. some say that rewarding her for putting this whole clan in danger open to the world was the wrong way to go."

The man sighs, pretty sure he's not going to get to read his paper in peace, "Well, we're selling to markets across the trods at a profit, avoiding the big aggro banality to oursides, got some newblood of trolls marrying or moving in, and our youngins are getting more than just home schooled.... heck, some are going to college in record numbers now, and even the ones who aren't staying offer to help. We got extra protection from nobles, and new allies what bring us options we never had before. NOt sure why this is all bad at all" Maybe a man can enjoy the sports section before she flies off.

"Pearletta says she curses like a sailor," The annoyed wife and mother continues, "Is that a good influence? And even Hearth Agnes lets it have a buy. And something odd about her brother too....going to Rivervale for teaching? What's wrong with our Mountain training him?"

"Thought you didn't much like Mountain Emmit." He looks up.

"Not the point" she hurumphs "He can be a bit glib, yes. But I respect him. But are is Bix showing respect with another tutor who is a noble? and a Liam at that?"

"Man fought and bleed on the quest, I hear, Clem considers him a good fellow, and Emmit himself a peer," A sigh... nope, he is not going to finish this article, "Also, Mountain here was full up. So we are trading lessons. Many hands make light work."

She rolls her eyes, "Well, if you men folk won't see the problem, I may have to take action and gather some like minded ladies."

He winces "Wish you wouldn't."

"What can I do, when my own husband drowns me out, Freja knows I work hard enough to provide for this table and our children..." She says put upon, "But what's one more load on my back? My blood is true.. I can handle it, because apparently no one else well. Humph" She scrubs furiously, making sure he SEES her working even as he reads.

Sighing, the man puts down the paper, "Seems to me, is all, that she's new to her nature and doing no one any real harm, far from it; she's trying to help in areas we can't. She didn't ask to be a nocker, but she had a dream dance, we got one more fae soul to shore up against the big Winter. Seems to me, that's supposed to be a good thing. And maybe we should judge her by her actions afore we get all panicky about going from gray and blue skin to swirls...Da'an will have its way, we can be pleasant ON the way mmm?"

"No support, no support at all. " She says "I need to call my mother... "

A sigh "Tell her I said hi." He gets up, and rises from the table , "I got to get to work on the plow. Back section ."

"Well, I'll bring you your lunch when it's time" his wife says "I Know MY duty."

Sighing, the 'man of the house' heads out to hard physical labor, and looks forward to the simplicity of it.

...........................

Meanwhile... after breakfast, Mara is muttering to herself as she works on the dishwasher. She has a bit of solitude, and that's good - free to focus! Some pillaged thresher parts, an old belt... there, yes, the machine can pick up the dishes and run it through a line... sprayed with soap and water here... rotating mechanical scrubbers there... OH, it needs a steam closet to disinfect!...

Supplies are no problem, their run on the truck and more the other day gave them LOTS of spare parts.

Also, dad hasn't played golf in years and these clubs broke down easy enough

Wrap them with towels, set them on a windshield wiper motor... drying station, whish swish...

Without her brother around (he's off to his studies) she's got no help on this one. But she doesn't need it. She has a VISION.

Yes! Of a Fully Automated Dish SYSTEM! She sets a plate at the start for a test run - the weight of it triggering an arm, which switches on the water, which triggers the belt...

She's mostly done, when her dad's voice calls out "Honey?"