A New Beginning

[moffnat]

Shino and Toshio paraded behind their mother, burying their faces in the back of her skirt and looking shyly towards the stranger from time to time. They wanted to ask their mother who she was, this red-head girl who they had never met before, but the twins knew better than to ask questions when she was speaking. That would only lead to trouble.

"Need something?" she chuckled. "No, of course not! I was just gonna ask how you liked the house. Didn't Kohana fix it up well? I didn't know he was so good with things like that."

"Kohana!" Shino piped in. "He was working all night last night. Daddy went to help him with the farm this morning because he was so tired. He works all the time."

"Yeah," Toshio agreed. "Like. All the time."

"Hush," Koyo laughed. "Mommy's talking. Anyway, Annabelle. I was just about to fix take these rascals over to Josie's for breakfast. Do you want to come with? You can meet all the kids and Lord Blackwood, too! Their mansion is ridiculous. You'll just about fall off that bike again when you see it."​

 

[Lillian Gray]

"I didn't fall I-I-" Annabelle stammered. "I was just surprised!"

It was a good thing they had to walk. When the mansion came into view, Annabelle's jaw quite literally dropped. Tall white pillars of what she assumed had to be marble, but she wasn't much of an expert. A luxurious garden wrapped around all sides of the property, stairs right up to the front of the house wrapped around some of the shrubbery. She could've sworn she saw a fountain bubbling off to the side somewhere, heard it as they ascended one of the sets of stairs up inside the home.

They didn't have to knock either, Jocelyn was waiting for them outside on the porch, the grand not-so-wooden porch. She wasn't even sure what to call it any more. Sitting cool at her side was a man Annabelle could only assume to be her husband, the Lord Blackwood, although she didn't know his name.

Before they could get to pleasantries and a few introductions, Annabelle blurted. "This is your house, my word!"

"Yes, this is our house." The man laughed, a wide smile which infected the growing crowd. He had thick hair, with a slight wave to it. Besides that, she noticed a slight accent, not like her own, but foreign all the same. It perked her interest, at least once she'd barely forgotten about the incredible house around her.

"I'm sorry, my name is Annabelle." The girl stuck out her hand and pressed the other to the side of her head to brush back her hair. "I just moved in yesterday."

"I know." He said. "My name is Lord Alexander Blackwood." Then he laughed again, "Alexander is fine."

"Shall we go inside then?" Jocelyn finally piped up. The rumbling of Annabelle's stomach answered the question all on its own.

 

[moffnat]

"I'm terribly sorry. I didn't mean to frighten you." Jocelyn linked arms with Annabelle, glowing, giddy and pleased. "How was your night's sleep? Isn't that little cottage so wonderful? I was so happy when I saw it completed earlier last night. Kohana is a master at that sort of thing and I never would have expected it."

"Right?" Koyo laughed. "I swear, he's a god of some sort."

"Looks like one too," Jocelyn jested. Her husband gave her a playfully affronted look, but she kissed him and proceeded to tell him how no one could ever measure up to him in her eyes.

"Gross, they are." Koyo laughed. "They have that fairy-tale sort of love, you know? I'll never get used to how romantic they are. Can't say I'd like that much myself."

"Oh, quiet! Masao is quite romantic if I remember right." Lady Blackwood linked hands with her husband.

"A bit! Not to the point of public ridicule, though."

The group of friends laughed. Shino and Toshio bustled through the house and towards the great backyard, leaping on the toys and laughing as a young child with sandy blonde hair joined them.

"That's Judah," Jocelyn pointed out. "Jeyne is out there too, but she's probably busy making a mess of herself. She likes to get dirty, that one."

"Much like her mother," Alexander stated, and she punched him playfully in the arm.​

 

[Lillian Gray]

Annabelle watched the children play for a moment. Their mothers were both so young! Had she grown up in Willow's Landing she couldn't help but wonder if she'd have a few of her own, it simply seemed so...so natural to have families. Shino and Toshio seemed familiar with the little boy of the Lord and Lady, as if they'd been friends from the start and they probably had been. After all, the close knit community would put them together just by being neighbors, wealth standings or not.

"There's nothin' wrong with a little lovin'." Annabelle teased, rather uncomfortable on the inside. She couldn't exactly say she knew what they were talking about.

A long time ago she had a crush on a boy. He was a year older than her, at the time she was only twelve, and all she could think about was Blake Nelson. He was tall for a boy at the time, taller than all his friends, and he had dark brown hair which Annabelle found to be the cutest thing. They had a few classes together even, so she got to see him near every day. The only problem was he hated her accent, made fun of her when she got the courage to talk to him.

So ended the infatuation with Blake Nelson.

"Well it's lovely to meet you all, I'll do my best to remember all your names!" She laughed her bubbly laugh, covering her mouth with a small hand.

 

[moffnat]

Breakfast passed swimmingly. The first course was poached eggs with seasoned potatoes that had no doubt been deep fried, as well as peppers and toasted bread with four different kinds of butter. The second course was much smaller, consisting of pancakes and jams homemade from Kohana's crops, and admittedly Jocelyn's favorite. She devoured a few pieces of bread and jam, chuckling after setting down an empty glass that once held a full sixteen ounces of milk.

"Goodness, I've been eating so much lately. Jam has been all I want to eat."

"Yeah?" Koyo giggled, winking at Alexander, who didn't seem to understand what that meant. "Maybe you should see a doctor."

"For cravings? Why?"

Koyo held her tongue, though she couldn't withhold a small laugh.

When the sun was rising higher than it ought to be for a group of friends at breakfast, Jocelyn checked the time. "Ten thirty. I'd better get the kids all packed up. We wanted to go make an offering to the Harvest Goddess today and pick some flowers up in the mountain, but if we wanted to do that we'd have to go soon."

"I'll get the kids ready, you take care of lunch. You know how terrible I am in the kitchen." Alexander chuckled, kissed his wife on the cheek and went to do his duty, shouting "Judah! Jeyne!" before closing the backyard door behind him.

"Weren't you going to work at the inn?" Koyo asked. "Forgive my nosiness. You don't have to! But Brandon has been getting awfully busy lately, what with so many outlying towns getting visitors for the festival on Saturday. You should come! It's going to be a blast. Tony and Officer Johnson always outdo themselves every year."​

 

[Lillian Gray]

"The festival?" Annabelle tilted her head to the side like a small puppy in her confusion. She hadn't heard anything about an upcoming festival. If it brought more business though it must have been important, something spectacular of course. "Which one might that be?"

"The fireworks festival!" Jocelyn giggled, as if the answer had been common sense all along.

"Oh, I lo-ove firworks!" Annabelle admitted loudly over her slice of toast. The strawberry jam simply melted onto the toast with ease, the sweetness was just right for her tastes. It dawned on her that Kohana had indeed supplied it, she was once again in his gratitude. As the only farmer around, she had to believe everyone relied on him for small things like jam. Everyone had probably tasted it before, indulged in the same taste she was loving. But, it was the name which made her red in the face. It was always Kohana she had to thank for making her first few days so simple.

She couldn't hardly eat anything else by the second course though. Her stomach wasn't used to such rich flavors. Where she came from, there was one kind of butter, not four. It was all so fantastic, and she hoped that Koyo or Jocelyn might invite her over again sometime. Their company was kind, and the food delicious. Not to mention how helpful they were in adjusting her to town life by filling her in on who was who.

"I should probably get going then." She smiled, a bit of jam stuck on the corner of her mouth. "If it's busy, I best be workin'!"

Annabelle wiped off the jam, almost not realizing it had been sitting there. She started to stack her plates before wondering if someone might appear to whisk them away before she had a chance to clean up for herself.

 

[moffnat]

"Knock knock," came a deep voice from the entrance, followed by the imitating sound of knuckles on wood. Jocelyn jumped a bit when she heard the voice, naturally terrified over reasons even Koyo did not know, but Kohana did. "Ah. Sorry, Josie. I didn't mean to frighten you."

"Oh, it's alright." She frowned a bit, curling her hair behind her ear. Koyo took the hint.

"Kohana!" the little Eastern girl chimed in, rising from her seat to greet the massive man. He had to lean over considerably just to hug her, as there was over 18 inches of height difference between them and it was difficult enough for her to crane his neck to look at him so closely. "What're you doing here?"

"I brought some more jam for Lord Blackwood, ." He gestured to the cart and horse just outside the entrance, filled with boxes of jam in a variety of flavors. "Just as much as he ordered. I have a few more rounds to make as well, so if now is a bad time..."

"Nonsense!" Alexander laughed, coming back into the house and shaking Kohana's hand in the typical way that men do. "You're right on time. Thanks for coming. I'll have Arthur unload for me. I have to get the kids all ready for a picnic atop the mountain."

"Oh, fun." Kohana smiled a little bit, an action that was so terribly rare for him.

"Arthur!" Alexander called hopelessly as Judah climbed atop a chair, jumping onto his father's back and begging for a piggy back ride. "Ar--hey!" The boy laughed, reciprocating his father. Even Jocelyn joined in.

Koyo took care of Kohana while the Blackwood family chaos ensued. "Kohana, Annie needs a lift to the inn. Can you give her a ride? I'm sure she could use it. She told me herself that she gets terribly lost, and I'm sure you'll be headed there soon with some ingredients for Lorenzo."​

 

[Lillian Gray]

After Koyo made her suggestion, Annabelle was waving her hands frantically in front of her chest in disapproval. It wasn't that she didn't want to get a lift, but he was an intimidating man. Tall, dark and handsome didn't begin to describe Chayton Kohana. His jet black hair and eyes only seemed curious the longer she stared, and stare she didn't. Annabelle tried to look away but he was always there, taking up space in some form around her, a presence she couldn't escape no matter if she wanted to or not.

"I couldn't! He's busy, I'll make it-" Eventually. "Besides, it's good for me to learn the route, isn't that right?"

No one backed her up. Although playing, the Blackwood couple exchanged a sly look before Jocelyn grinned her way. Was it obvious that the newcomer felt a little anxious around Kohana? Probably. Her feet naturally shifted away from him, her fingers brushed rapidly through her strawberry hair to hide the coming blush. Gods she was embarrassed, and there was no good reason to be. Kohana made her act that way, made her abnormally giggly and girly before she knew what was going on.

"I-I can walk." She stuttered, gasping, then resumed brushing her hair.

"Let him take you." Koyo bounced with joy.

How she wasn't intimidated by him was something Annabelle couldn't understand. She wasn't much taller than Koyo herself, Kohana stood a full head over her. The girl had to tilt her head back just to get a look at his face, then it was back to square one. The awkward shuffling, the hair twirling, you name it and Annabelle was doing it as silently as she could. The rapping of her boots against the hardwood floors was unmistakable though, eyes looked her way and she almost couldn't take it.

 

[moffnat]

Kohana frowned so deeply that he could see the worry in Koyo's eyes as she looked upon him. All of Annabelle's symptoms were wrong, her reactions less than graceful. Kohana had to remind himself that he could not expect her to be smitten with him--he was a freak of nature, after all, coppor-skinned and giant with broad shoulders and half a foot short of seven feet in height. Can I blame her for being nervous?

His confidence was immediately lowered, but he kept his face neutral. "It's alright, Koyo," he stated as he began to back out through the front door. "She can find it by herself, she said so, and I don't need to take people out of their comfort zones."

"Oh, Kohana..."

"S'fine. See you guys later." He gave a little wave to the group of friends and climbed on his wagon, taking the reigns of his horse and flicking them gently once, enough to get the mare going.

But while he rode, he thought nothing of the jams and jellies in the back of the wagon. All he thought of was a cute little smile and strawberry blonde hair.​

 

[Lillian Gray]

Working the inn was a lot easier than Annabelle originally thought it would be. Right off the bat she was shown how to pencil someone in, getting them a key and promptly showing them to one of the available rooms. Her charm worked wonders on the guests who'd arrived. Smiling and beaming the whole way there, it was clear to everyone that the Southern Belle fit right in greeting guests at the small town's only inn. After a whole afternoon of training and escorting, Annabelle soon found herself with very little to do.

"I'll say, Miss Annabelle, you're doing quite well!" He commented.

It was well into the afternoon, business was slowing down. Although with the fireworks coming up, it was busier than ever. There were far more occupants than usual in the hotel's rooms, and patrons were constantly bustling down into Lorenzo's cafe to find something to eat. Annabelle found herself over there soon enough, acting as a part time waitress for the old gentleman.

"Thank you, Mr. Ray." She smiled brightly, Brandon waving her off.

"Brandon, please." He replied.

"Whatever you say, Mr. Ray." Annabelle giggled with her sweet southern twang. She picked up a pile of dirty plates and promptly returned behind Lorenzo's counter. Already, she was loving her new life. The patrons were kind, Brandon and Lorenzo even more so. Still, she felt a little embarrassed at the way she'd treated Kohana earlier that morning. The more she thought about it, the more it seemed as if she were afraid of him. All the nervous shuffling and awkward eye contact, he would've been right to assume she was nervous, but for all the wrong reasons. It was fair to say she had a bit of a growing crush on the man.

"Say, why don't you run this over to Kohana, hm? He's probably lookin' for lunch." Lorenzo stopped Annabelle with a gentle hand on her arm. In his hand was a small pack, containing a large portion of some kind of pasta and a sealed jar of sweet tea to go with. "Don't know if you've had a chance to meet-"

"We met yesterday, mhm." Annabelle smiled. "But I'd be glad to give it to him."

More than glad, really.

"Alright then, get a move on, you know how to get there?" Lorenzo asked her.

"I think so...East, right?" As Annabelle was thinking, Lorenzo and Brandon playfully argued over the girl. Brandon claimed Lorenzo was stealing the girl for himself, when she should've been hard at work for the inn (not that there was much work left). So she waved them goodbye and got on her trusted bike. Just another chance to see Kohana, and she was grinning like mad.

 

[moffnat]

Under the beating sun was where he liked to do his work. The warmth brought back memories of his tribe from a long time ago, a time of happiness and peace. The sun never burned his skin nor overheated him too terribly. The light was welcomed and the shine was good for his crops, absolutely.

Yes. He liked working in the sun.

Kohana stood upright and wiped his brow a moment, brushing the dirt off his hands and taking a breath. Farming was hard work, especially when there was no one to help him. Not that he minded. He enjoyed the solitude more than one would expect, and while many hands offered to help out, he usually declined.

Except for today. Masao had insisted, and when Kohana rose to take a small break Masao did as well.

"Tired?" he asked.

"Hah. Hardly. You seem to forget that I do this for a living." Kohana raised the hoe once again and battered it into the ground, preparing the soil for a proper sew.

"Yeah, but you look uncomfortable. Different." Masao leaned on the end of the hoe and stared at Kohana. "Something's wrong."

"Nothing's wrong." The Native dug at the soil again.

"Ah, it's that new girl isn't it? Koyo told me about her." The Eastern man chuckled in a way that shook his shoulders. "You like her?"

"Knock it off," Kohana smiled, unable to keep it back. "I don't have a chance. Besides, there are other single guys in the area for her to get with. I'm nothing special."

"I'm trying to tell you to make a move, you know. That's how I was lucky enough to marry Koyo."

"Marriage?" Kohana scoffed. "You were talking about liking someone and now we're on to marriage."

"Marriage is usually what happens when you date someone special."

"Yeah, well. I'm just as single as I was yesterday and the day before, and the day before that and so on. I'll be fine." He stabbed the tool into the ground to make it stay upright before pulling out a small pouch of yam seeds and tossing them to Masao.​

 

[Lillian Gray]

Finding the place was easier now that she had an idea of where to go. The General Store seemed to mark the middle of town, and it was a good feature. Easy to remember, smack in the middle of it all, there was no way Annabelle could get lost. For once, she didn't, easily trekking her way past new buildings until she was on a new dirt road which wound out into the open country. Off in the distance she could make out the peak of a small house, presumably Kohana's, and her heart started to beat a little faster.

It's just lunch.

She pedaled slowly down the path, the pack of food in a bag slung around her shoulder. It was certainly hot, the open fields giving no room for trees which might offer up their shade. Annabelle took a look around at all the fields, impressed that Kohana was able to do it all alone. Maybe not alone, she thought, as she spotted two figures in the distance.

"Kohana!" She cried out, waving her hands happily. "Is that you?"

Of course it was, she reminded herself, who else would be there? She made her way to the pair, stunned again at how tall he was. The closer he got, the taller he seemed, and the larger her insecurities became. How'd her hair look? Was she sweaty? Who was that other man. Oh jeez, I'm flutterin' around too much.

"Hi." She said awkwardly. "L-Lorenzo, he." Annabelle waved her hands awkwardly back towards the direction of the inn and cafe. "You hungry?"

Annabelle pulled the pack from her back, holding it out for him to take. She noticed the stranger and instantly wanted to recoil.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't see you there right away!"

 

[moffnat]

Kohana looked at the large pack of food strangely for a minute, as if wondering what was inside. He opened the cloth and investigated. Two bowls of pasta, sides of ravioli and pita bread, along with scalilli and other treats rested within the large pack. There's enough for all three of us. There were even three bottled Italian sodas, as if Lorenzo had known there would be three dining for lunch rather than one or two.

The bastard.

"It's alright," Masao laughed, offering the newcomer a low bow. "I am Masao, if it please you. Koyo is my wife, and Shino and Toshio are my sons."

"Ah--" Kohana had forgotten himself in all the pleasantries. "Yeah, this is Masao. Uhm. There's enough here for three people if you want to join us for lunch." He looked to the massive willow tree near the farmhouse, and he knew that would supply ample shade from the hot summer sun. "If Masao doesn't mind taking a break, that is."

"Are you kidding?" He grinned. "I've been wanting to stop ever since I started."

"Shut up," Kohana chuckled, looking to Annabelle for an answer.​

 

[Lillian Gray]

"There's really that much?" Annabelle peeked into the bag, noting how much food was piled in. She hadn't the thought to examine it before she left, noting now just how heavy it felt as she biked over to the farm. "I'd love to join you both."

Lorenzo was the one who'd sent her, surely the pair at the inn would be alright. They'd managed to run it alone for the past decade alone, they'd manage an afternoon without the newcomer. So she accepted Kohana's offer and they moved to sit beneath the shade of the willow tree. The tangles which swept around her face ended up tickling her nose until she ducked down beneath them and sat on the grass there. Masao eagerly picked at the different dishes before the other two could get to them. Annabelle waited politely, not wanting to butt into the food she hadn't thought hers.

"You manage this all alone?" She noted after looking all around at the different fields.

"I'm here, as well, from time to time." Masao shrugged with a mouthful of ravioli. "Once every so, well, not very often at all."

"It's amazing." Annabelle muttered. She had to admit she was impressed with his work, working a farm alone was hard. There were probably days it was worse than others, when it stormed or rained too hard. The winter months couldn't have been all that productive, then again she couldn't say for sure what it was like. She had no clue.

She finally reached forward to make a small plate of food, cracking open a bottle of soda with ease, throwing her head back to take a long drink. It was good, Lorenzo was a talented man.