Summer 3 - action on the farm

[forever_jack]

Jack is not and has never been a farmer. But he does know the value of vigorous physical activity in helping to deal with psychological pain, and so this morning brings him over to the farm to help out with the potato harvest.

For Einar

He shows up perhaps a little later than some of the others (he's not naturally a particularly early riser, especially when he's on holiday!) and ambles up the path towards the farm buildings, looking out for the farmer.

Open

He's worked hard and by the time the bus comes round again on its way back to the village, he's ready to hitch a ride with some of the others rather than walk. They haven't talked all that much while they were working, and there are several he hasn't spoken to at all, so he grins round at the person settling into the seat across the way. "Feels like a good day's work, eh!"

Comments

[forever_jack]

He'd caught a glimpse of Einar and his family at the party on the first night, but it was only from a distance.

Now, however, he's getting a very, very good look at the burly man heading towards him, and he can't help gaping somewhat, because Einar really does look incredibly like someone he used to know, five or so years ago, trapped in an underwater dome prison called MarinaNova.

After a moment, he realises he's staring and takes a breath, pulling himself together as best he can. "Uh, yeah, Captain Jack Harkness," he introduces himself rather absently, and then, because he can't help it: "Hey, I don't suppose you have an identical twin brother called Aidan, do you?"

[norrhamn_residents]

"Nice to meet you, Captain!" He greets with a sunny smile, makes a start for a handshake but that question throws him off it.

"A twin brother?" He says, rubbing his beard as if he actually has to stop and give this a proper think. "Can't say I do. Not that I know of, anyway."

[forever_jack]

"Huh." He stares a moment longer, and then pulls himself together with a wry grin.

"Sorry, but you really are the splitting image of someone I used to know! Separated at birth, maybe?" he suggests comically, with a cheerful wink to show he's joking, even if beneath it all his brain cogs are whirring, wondering about doppelgangers and alternative universes and other pairs of people who share a face, like Spike and John Hart.

Thinking too about Aidan, realising he hasn't thought much about him lately, wondering how he and Rebecca got on after they parted ways from the dome.

[norrhamn_residents]

"Eh, who knows. Maybe you're right. I sure can't get my head 'round all this multiverse stuff."

If he does have a doppelganger out there, Einar doesn't seem too bothered by the thought. He's gone through the employee training, he's read all the material, he's... made an executive decision not to sweat it too much and just tend to his beloved farm.

"So. Potatoes?"

[forever_jack]

Jack gives him an amused look, and gallantly doesn't pursue the multiverse subject but instead tries to look interested in farming.

"Potatoes, yeah." He flashes Einar a grin. "I have to warn you, I know next to nothing about farming, but I'm fairly fit so if you can just show me what to do, I can hopefully be of some help!"

[norrhamn_residents]

Somewhere, in a galaxy far far away, Einar's doppelganger is deeply regretting not putting Jack through farmer school while he had the chance.

"It ain't too hard. You ever use a pitchfork before?"

[forever_jack]

Oh, Aidan would have enjoyed that, wouldn't he? Watching him dig, all hot and sweaty, maybe taking off his shirt when he got too hot so all those powerful muscles would be on display...

Jack grins. "More to try and fight off troublesome aliens than actually for its proper purpose, but yeah, a bit."

[norrhamn_residents]

"Then you know which end goes in th' dirt, at least." He grins, stepping away a bit to fetch a pitchfork, tossing it to Jack.

"Pointy bit in th' dirt around th' potato plant, pull 'em up, give 'em a little shake. That's really all there is to it."

[forever_jack]

"Okay, sounds do-able," he agrees, grinning, catching the fork easily (nothing wrong with his reactions, even if he's never used this precise took for its intended use before) and then looks down to study the potato plants.

"Easier than digging graves with a spade, at least," he observes dryly, because given his line of work that's mostly what he's dug in the past.

He gives it a go, and manages not to stab too many potatoes with the fork.

[norrhamn_residents]

"Oh yeah. Much easier."

What, you think he's never dug a grave before? Cows die, man. Sometimes you need to dig a cow grave.

"That's not bad! Now, gather 'em up in this basket and we'll have ourselves a proper feast tomorrow!"

[forever_jack]

You bury your cows, Einar?

He quirks Einar a wry grin, and picks up the potatoes, shaking off the worst of the dirt as instructed and tossing them into the basket, then going for the next plant with the pitchfork.

"Great!" Definitely easier than graves. "So, Einar... Have you lived here long? Looks like someone's put a lot of work into this farm!"

[norrhamn_residents]

Someone's got to! Cows don't bury themselves!

"You could say I've lived here for a while - actually, I was born here. Right in that house over there." Just like all his kids were born in that house. "It's a family farm, we've been tendin' to these lands for generations."

[forever_jack]

Aww, so tender-hearted!

"Really? Family farm, eh? Better make sure I don't mess it up!" Well aware how much Einar will have invested in the place, if it's where he grew up.

"Is it just you, now, or have you got a family of your own there?" he asks, glancing towards the pretty little farmhouse.

[norrhamn_residents]

"Eh, it survived this long. I'm sure it'll survive you." He laughs, a warm, deep laugh from the heart. At the question he draws his attention back up to the house.

"Oh, I got plenty of help from the missus and the little ones. Six of 'em, so far. Good kids."

[forever_jack]

It's a good laugh, real and warm, and Jack instinctively grins along.

"Six? Wow, that's a good number! Keep you busy, I bet!"

[norrhamn_residents]

"Oh, you know it! Little rascals, ain't no slowing them down!" He's in a good mood now, talking about is family, as big as it's gotten. It's a bit of a dream come true, if he's honest.

"Don't know what I'd do without 'em... children really are a blessing." He sighs, happily. "You got any of your own?"

[forever_jack]

It's nice to see someone looking so happy about their family, even if he can't say the same for himself.

"Yeah. They are," he agrees, and shakes his head, busying himself with his digging. "Not at the moment, no."

Sure, Alice was still alive, but he didn't expect her to ever forgive him enough to actually let him see her again.

[norrhamn_residents]

"Well, there's always plenty of kids in th' world you can borrow, if you ever feel th' urge."

Management talked to him about the whole... you'll-get-a-family-eventually attitude he usually takes so he's trying to be a bit more mindful about how some people here may not be able to. Some won't have anything to go back to or, heaven forbid, they simply don't want kids of their own. He's trying, for better or worse.

[forever_jack]

That... isn't something he was expecting and it throws him for a moment, almost gaping at Einar for a long minute before he finally bursts into laughter.

"You know, I might take you up on that at some point!" Kids are certainly distracting, if nothing else. "Although to be fair, I already seem to have taken on a bit of a parental role here already. My roommate is very young, and I kinda feel like she needs someone to look out for her!"

[norrhamn_residents]

"Well, there you go! Maybe Olivia put th' two of you together for a reason!"

Bless her heart, she has such a big heart. It wouldn't surprise him if that was exactly what went down.

"An' if that ain't enough, you're always welcome to spend time with my hellions. They could use th' company."

[forever_jack]

"I think it's a pretty good bet that she did, yeah," he nods, vaguely amused. He's been fairly sure since the start that the room assignments weren't just random. Olivia had their application letters, after all; she knew a fair bit about them.

Although he could certainly think of other people better equipped to look after Hanako. If she needed physical protection, he'd be a great choice. But emotional support and understanding? Not so much.

He looks round at the comment about Einar's children. "Are they the only kids on the island? Must be pretty lonely for them."

[norrhamn_residents]

Olivia's administrative magic will always remain a mystery. Seriously, he has no idea how she does it.

"It can get rough." He admits, with a sigh. "They head in to the mainland for school of course, but th' summers can get mighty lonely. Good thing they got each other, at least. I never had any siblings m'self."

[forever_jack]

He forces himself not to think about siblings and how you may grow up with them but still lose them, and grins instead.

"Is that why you had such a large family yourself?" It's often the way, he finds. "It'll be nice for them to have us lot around, I guess. Something new and exciting on the island!"

[norrhamn_residents]

"Got me there!" he laughs, not at all shy about the reasons why he always wanted a soccer team of kids.

"An' they're real curious about you. Shy, too, but I wager that'll pass before you know it."

[forever_jack]

"Yeah, I bet! Have they met any the visitors yet? I'd love to meet them, if you'd be okay with it?"