Ancient heathens working on a Sunday

[ostro_goth]

As promised, Ragnar is helping Teja with his charcoal kilns, which he is building in that same clearing at the edge of the wood right by the forge as in the years before.

Today, that takes the shape of chopping and stacking enormous piles of wood, Viking and Ostrogoth talking while they are doing so. The subject is mostly their respective languages, and how the stories have changed over time. In fact, Ragnar has grown up with tales that reach back to the Ostrogoths in Italy -- that one king in the myths is clearly the man whom Teja knew as Theodoric, complete with his trusted weapons master Hildebrand.

Help or company will of course be welcome.


[[OOC: Say in your tag whom you want, or you might get both.]]

Comments

[athelstanthescribe]

Athelstan joins them in silence, picking up a spare axe and joining in as he listens to their talk.

[ostro_goth]

Ragnar is telling Teja about the sagas from the south of the great king Thidekr, and the deeds in the fabulous country called Italy where it is always warm and sunny, and Teja is listening, only nodding from time to time.

He does notice Athelstan, of course, and smiles at him.

"Greetings, Athelstan," Teja says. "Would you have something to drink while you work?"

He's from that fabulous country, and in the heat, it is important to always drink water while working. He has kept up that custom.

[athelstanthescribe]

"Yes, I think I will", he says, pausing to lean on his axe. "It's quite warm today, for Milliways."

[ostro_goth]

Teja puts his axe down to go to the barrel of water he keeps in his forge while Ragnar keeps on chopping wood.

He is sweating and smelly in the warm early spring weather.

"You look better," Ragnar says to Athelstan, smiling at him as he works.

It might be the sunlight, or the exertion from the work, or Ragnar's hopeful love; or perhaps he really looks less pale and wan today.

[athelstanthescribe]

"I do feel a little better today", he confirms with guarded hope, because he knows better than to think there won't be another downswing.

[bigarmy_strangepants]

"The sun one the skin feels very good," Ragnar says. "That might be helpful."

He grins at Athelstan. "Also, I find you very nice to look at anyway," he adds with something of an indoor voice.

[athelstanthescribe]

Athelstan meets his eyes for a moment, but doesn't answer that comment out loud.

"The sun on the skin and exercise."

[bigarmy_strangepants]

"Yes, it's a good chance to get the blood flowing," Ragnar says. "We work up a nice thirst and hunger, and afterwards could have a nice hot bath to make sure our muscles don't get sore."

[athelstanthescribe]

"Hot water is good for that. But so is stretching.... I hear..."

Not that he knows the prescribed stretches.

[bigarmy_strangepants]

"We could do both?" Ragnar says. "If you know how to properly do it?"

[athelstanthescribe]

"I don't really. I suppose whatever makes it hurt less."

[bigarmy_strangepants]

"Yes, that's the way I would do it, too," Ragnar says.

He keeps chopping wood; apparently, he is actively enjoying this.

[athelstanthescribe]

Athelstan picks his axe back up.

"I did miss working like this."

[ostro_goth]

"It's good to just work, and have a growing pile of chopped wood to show for it," Ragnar says. "I miss being a farmer, and am happy I can be one again at Olivier's."

Teja comes back with a basket that holds a large clay jug of water, and three cups. They are unglazed, so the slowly evaporating water will keep it naturally cool. He offers Ragnar and Athelstan a cup of water each -- these men work for him, so their well-being is up to him. And this year, Loki is busy not being Pyrrha, so there is nobody to drop by with refreshments.

[athelstanthescribe]

"Thank you, Teja." He takes some and drinks thirstily. "Yes, I never get to do anything but writing work in England."

[bigarmy_strangepants]

"Even love that one loves," Teja says, "needs balance in other things. I would not wish to be a skald only."

Ragnar nods. "And I often miss being a farmer."

[athelstanthescribe]

"One day, you'll be a farmer again. On our smallhold in Olivier's England."

[bigarmy_strangepants]

"And you will work there with me," Ragnar says, "after our exploring days are done."

It's still far in the future -- but something they can know waits for them, after the end of the rainbow.

[athelstanthescribe]

"Yes", he agrees without hesitation. "It will be waiting for us."

[bigarmy_strangepants]

"That is all a fighting man of our people wishes for, once his fighting days are done," Teja says. "It was no different for my people, when they settled in Gotland. Or me, come to think of it, albeit I chose a forge, rather than a plot of land. What is your farm like?"

"So full of life and plants!" Ragnar says, "with good, dark soil and hardly any rocks on the fields."

[athelstanthescribe]

"English soil is very good", Athelstan agrees, "and where there are rocks, they usually aren't planted very deeply."

[bigarmy_strangepants]

"The soil in the North can be poor and scarce," Teja says, "for which reason the Goths left in the first place, all those centuries before my time, or yours. It is ever an issue, and will remain so until the industrial age."

"Will they then eat industrially?" Ragnar wonders.

[athelstanthescribe]

Athelstan chuckles.

"Not the people producing the food, I would guess."

[bigarmy_strangepants]

"But do you know how they will grow food, if not on soil?" Ragnar asks.

[athelstanthescribe]

"Cows crammed into enormous sheds. And fields bigger than we've ever seen."