a Meeting of Minds

[Keiran Donnelly]

This was a bad idea, right? This was a real foolish idea, gathering everyone in the same room. They were going to tar and feather him for sure. Although the reason for this meeting made sense to him, Keiran was fairly certain that no one was going to listen to him. However, that was where Liam came in. Liam Donnelly was an honest and humble man, a smart man, and could say the dumbest thing and no one would bat an eye. Yet the moment he said anything remotely foolish (which, mind you, was only a small percentage of the time, ahem), he got scathing looks.

Such as the one Melena Hawthorne was throwing at him. Dark eyes watched the people begin to filter into the Donnelly barn where chairs and benches were set up before they settled upon the redhead. He wasn't gawking this time, though...he was actually too afraid to remove his gaze lest she miraculously appear right in front of him and skewer him from navel to nose. Keiran leaned in towards his brother at his side, murmuring while trying not to move his mouth too much, "Why did she have to sit up front? Did you check everyone for weapons? I think I should go." When Keiran moved, he was actually about to do just that- leave.

[Liam Donnelly]

Liam stood up at the front of the room, arms folded over his chest as he watched the room slowly fill up.  He was glad to see that they were heeding their suggestion in coming for a meeting.  He would wait for a while longer to allow others to arrive.  

He spotted Melena and smiled at her, nodding in a silent greeting, before his brother was pulling his attention towards him and speaking out his nervousness.  He couldn't help but laugh and he shook his head, placing a hand on Keiran's shoulder.  "Relax, brother.  You'll be fine.  And you're not going anywhere."  Liam gave him a threatening look.  It was time the man took some responsibility, rather than run away from it.  

His eyes scanned around the room again and he cleared his throat loudly to try and get everyone's attention.  "We will be starting shortly after allowing a few more moments for anyone else who may be coming."  

[Killian Gregor]

Ian had been one of the first to arrive at this gathering, and he automatically took up sentry near the door, watching each participant as they entered. A few had seemed uncomfortable under his intense stare, but a few of those who lived nearby greeted him with smiles. He nodded acknowledgment to those.

Waiting for the meeting to begin, he simply kept watch on the crowd. He didn't think any of them would be stupid enough to start a physical altercation in a crowded barn, with a member of the Queen's Guard not twenty feet away, but then, he was constantly being reminded that people were extremely stupid.

Kieran's clear discomfort at the front of the room made the corners of Ian's mouth twitch upward, but he never fully formed a smirk.

[Teagan Bruce]

Teagan was one of the last to arrive--it had taken her far too long to convince her father and eldest brother that they ought to take part in this meeting to ensure their orchards got the attention they needed. The Bruce men were convinced that all they'd have to do was advertise the rate they were willing to pay and people would come flocking, from other islands even. It was all Teagan could do not to roll her eyes at them. She'd managed to win on the argument that they ought to at least listen, so they knew what was happening in case of emergency. She may have also promised to buy her brother a couple of bottles of dandelion wine from The Singing Sparrow, but her father needn't know that.

She made her way to the front, stopping to give Kieran an extremely amused grin, and a gentler one to his brother Liam.

"Hello you two! I'm glad you managed to put this together," she remarked cheerfully. "Kieran, aren't you feeling well? You look a bit pale." She teased with a wicked laugh, raising a brow at him in a challenge.

[Keiran Donnelly]

Look, he came up with the idea...why couldn't Liam just tell everyone about it? They liked him more. A lot more.

Keiran swatted his brother's arm when he was smiled at Melena in greeting. "Don't socialize with the enemy!" he whisper-yelled. "Or are you on their side?" Funny thing was...his question was only a half joke. He really was nervous because he was aware that no one took him seriously (they're fault not his, mind you). Perhaps this would have been a great time to prove that, well, he in fact had a brain in that skull of his, but he was too worried his past would catch up with him first.

And then, Teagan Bruce was waltzing right up front to dig the knife deeper. Oh no, this all was just a bad idea. But the one thing Keiran Donnelly hated more was to be one-upped, or to bow down to a challenge...which she was clearly throwing at him.

He closed the short gap between them in but a couple of steps, daring to let his face linger close to hers while dark eyes bore into her own; a wry smirk curling up the corner of his mouth. "It's a bit chilly in here," he confessed, a finger absently twirling a strand of her lovely hair. "Could warm me up-" A pause, that deep voice was at her ear then, and Keiran didn't seem to care that her father and brother were also in attendance. "Put color on both of our faces."

[Melena Hawthorne]

If Liam hadn't been the one to request they attend, the Hawthornes probably wouldn't have come. Well, her brother might have because he found Keiran amusing for whatever reason that was...but she loathed him. For obvious reasons. It was no secret, nor was she the only woman who felt that way.

Still, there was something important to be shared, that much she understood, so it would be wise to attend this meeting of sorts. It had to do with their livelihood, with the farmland that was only beginning to get better since the last war, but they still had so far to go. She was aware that the Donnellys were struggling with their crops, while she barely had the time and resources to take care of the horses. It was a vicious cycle no matter what they did, and it stemmed from lack of help. Everyone was suffering from it.

Those glaring, pale green eyes removed themselves from Keiran's face to find Liam. Her features softened somewhat, and she offered a light smile and nod of greeting in return. Then, she was tilting her head towards her brother, murmuring quietly, "Do you have any idea as to what this is about?"
"No idea," Leith confessed. "Heard it was Keiran's idea, though."
Melena looked to her brother in mild concern, expecting this all to be a grand waste of her time now.

[Liam Donnelly]

Liam laughed at his brother and rolled his eyes. "Stop it." He spoke in a somewhat harsh, warning tone. He had told Keiran to be on his best behavior during the meeting, but somehow, he found that would be difficult for his younger brother.

As Teagan wandered her way up front and greeted them, Liam offered her a smile and a nod in greeting. He watched the exchange between her and Keiran and sighed, clearing his throat to get everyone's attention.

"Good evening, everyone. Thank you for coming...We appreciate your time and willingness to hear our ideas and hopefully solutions to all of our current struggles." He glanced around the room for a moment before he'd continue. "As you, all know, and have been experiencing, the war has left a lot of us struggling. Struggling to rebuild, re-crop... To find extra time in the day to get things done when we are left with less help, less money, and less of pretty much everything. I'm not sure how you all are dealing...But my brother and I have been dealing with a never-ending struggle. We cannot keep up with the things that are needed to be done around here. The crops are overgrowing with weeds and things need to be replanted. Our damn bull and cows keep escaping because we haven't been able to fully repair and restructure our enclosures..." He sighed and shrugged his shoulders. "We simply don't have the manpower that we used to before the war to keep us all going..."

He glanced around the room to notice if anyone was nodding in agreement if he had caught their attention and interest. "So... my brother here..." He stepped up to him and clapped a hand on his chest, while his other hand placed on his back to support him. "He thought of an idea... What if we all band together? We all work on each land together... However we can... Whatever is needed. Each day... Put in whatever is needed... And then at a certain hour of every day... we all get together and work on that farm to do other tasks that have been pushed aside for the more important ones... And we move down the farms and get things done... We get one another caught up again..."

Well, if they thought it was a stupid idea, at least he could blame Keiran. He grinned at the thought and stepped away from his brother. "Any questions? Suggestions?"

[Orin Evans]

Orin had been tipped off regarding this meeting that was being held by all the farmers in Aralore. And although he had a lot of other things going on, he felt the need to attend the said meeting for several reasons. One, to ensure there was nothing being planned against the kingdom or Alexandria. And two, to see how bad things were and if he could assist in any way. If funding was something that was needed, he could perhaps send word to Aric to see if he could get Tresteria's aid further. Now with the king gone, perhaps it could be done a little easier... If their next regent was sympathetic with Alexandria and Aralore.

He quietly snuck into the barn as one of the men was explaining what was going on and proposing his solution. Orin was unsure if anyone knew him or what he looked like. But he would try to blend in as much as he could, to not draw any attention. And he would just simply listen to the meeting unfold, and hear the ideas and concerns of the others.

[Teagan Bruce]

Teagan's grin quickly became a scowl as Kieran invaded her space, and she mentally cursed her lovely, pale complexion for being so quick to show a blush. How could she help it when he was being so--so Kieran? His voice so close to her ear made the hair on the back of her neck stand up, and she pulled away sharply, although not enough to be a full surrender.

She swatted his hand away from her hair, lazily, as if it were a bug that had flown too close to her face, and fixed him with a haughty stare.

"Oh, so you'd like me to slap you, would you? I'm sure that would bring a lovely shade of red to your cheeks--although it would be in the shape of my hand." She patted him patronizingly on the cheek in a less violent imitation of what she was suggesting.

Luckily--or perhaps unluckily--Liam spoke up just then to begin the meeting. Teagan turned on her heel to quickly find a seat in the front row, her wild curls flaring out behind her to hit Keiran in the face as she went.

[Killian Gregor]

Killian nodded a greeting to Orin Evans as he entered, but didn't call out to avoid drawing attention to either of them. Instead he gave his attention back to Liam Donnelly who had spoken to the group as a whole, listening carefully to the proposal. Though he wasn't a farmer himself, he was keenly invested in Aralore's restoration. After all, they all needed the farm's products if they wanted to survive.

He didn't speak up yet, but if no one else asked Liam a question, he would. Someone had to speak up, after all, if they were going to get anything done. But seeing as he wasn't truly one of them, he'd best let them have first say.

[Keiran Donnelly]

Ooh, he certainly noticed the pink that touched her cheeks, and it only made that grin widen. She was playing a dangerous game, and if she couldn't handle the fire, perhaps she shouldn't add fuel to the flame. Because he liked it too much.

Even with her words and the patronizing pat to the side of his face, Keiran was still grinning down at her. "Whatever gets you goin', love...by all means..." Did she think that would make him relent? Oh, on the contrary, it was just making those eyes trail her as she finally turned to find her seat, even if those lovely curls gently hit him in the face.

Because Liam was beginning to talk and all eyes were up front now. Shit.

Keiran quickly stepped back to stand beside his brother, trying to hide the worry on his face for the moment people realized that this was all his idea. He felt Liam's hand at his back, and he wasn't sure if he was trying to support him, or keep him from turning around and running. Maybe it was both. He offered a nervous smile to the crowd of people that, for lack of a better term, hated him. Oh sure, they were going to be so eager to listen to him.

And that was the moment Orin Evans stepped into the barn, like a quiet, menacing, looming shadow at the back. It made Keiran freeze, wondering what the commander of the Queensguard was doing here, but most of the townsfolk knew the man had personally been helping to rebuild things. Regardless, it made him nervous as he tried to stammer out a response to Liam's explanation. "Basically, well-" Just breathe. You're not a total idiot and this idea could work. "Everyone is suffering from a loss of manpower. It's impossible to keep up with demands. If we can devote, all of us, a few hours to a particular, different land each day, we might be able to get our estates to the point where they can be managed with less people again. Things will still be slow, but we could improve a little bit more with help." With every word he said, he wasn't sure if he was making any sense and was looking sidelong at Liam as if needling that validation. And as his brother had explained, everyone would worry about their own lands first before going elsewhere for the remainder of the day. However people wanted to work it out...if they'd be willing to.

[Leith Hawthorne]

He couldn't help but laugh at the look on his sister's face, but it was true. It's what he heard, and Liam was soon talking and validating that it was, in fact, Keiran's idea. His thoughts ran parallel with the older Donnelly's thoughts- if this was a stupid idea, they all knew who to blame. He could already see in his peripheral as Melena shifted in her seat, anxious to find the first flaw in this plan.

Yet, as it was explained, and Keiran added a bit more explanation, Leith was silent. It did make sense, but it was still the question of whether or not it would help. Granted, there weren't too many things at the Hawthorne estate that a whole group couldn't hammer out quickly in a day, but he knew the Donnelly farm could use a lot of work. And it was only the two of them trying to do a job that required at least a handful of people. If they got that many people even once a week? Sure, it could make a difference, maybe.

"Aye, makes sense," he finally said out loud, if only to show his support for his friends. Melena elbowed him in the side. "What?" he whispered to her. "Do you want to ride around collecting all their damn cattle again?" When his sister rolled her eyes at him, he knew he had made a good point, though she probably hadn't minded that little bit of time with Liam. If only because he wasn't Keiran.

Leith stood then, offering up another idea. "Perhaps we make a list of tasks that need to be accomplished, and see if anyone here would be willing to help? Could at least start us off in the right direction."

[Liam Donnelly]

When Liam fell silent and Keiran decided to speak up to add to what he had said, he smiled and nodded in agreement with his brother. Light blue eyes glanced around the room at the others--their reactions to Keiran's idea and whether or not they looked like they were buying into it.

He noticed Orin Evans step quietly into the barn as if trying to go unnoticed by the others. His eyes widened with a bit of surprise. What was the queen's brother doing here among them? He knew that he and the king consort had been roaming about Aralore helping wherever they could, and he admired that--but he hadn't expected one of them to show up at their meeting. Arms folded over his chest and he returned his eyes to his brother as he spoke, trying to act as though he hadn't seen the commander of the Queen's guard.

As he finished and the room fell silent, he frowned only slightly, lifting a hand to scratch the back of his head in nervousness. Did they think it was a bad idea? Was no one willing to help one another out? He was about to sigh when Leith finally spoke up. His attention shifted over to him and he offered a smile of appreciation. He nodded at his suggestion. "That's a great idea. Anyone who wishes to join in to help, we can all write lists and submit them and tackle each thing one at a time for as long as it takes..." He nodded again to Leith as if thanking him. "Does anyone else have any other ideas...Suggestions... questions?" He placed his hands on his hips and again, looked around the room to see if anyone else would speak up.

[Teagan Bruce]

Aw, it was almost sweet how terrified he looked. All that bluster around women and he couldn't talk to a crowd of men? Probably because he knew he'd slept his way through half their daughters and sisters, and most didn't appreciate that kind of familiarity--even if the ladies themselves did. She wasn't blind, after all, she knew that there were plenty of people who would go along with his routine willingly. She just wasn't one of them. No, the only way she was getting cozy with anyone was if they went about it the right way. She was worth the time and energy to court well.

But then...here she was, spending all this mental energy on a farmer. So where did that really put her? In a kingdom where all the noblemen were too busy with the land to give her the time of day, perhaps it made sense that the one person who did pay her any attention had earned quite a bit of hers. And it didn't hurt that he knew exactly how to get on her nerves, or that the stupid smirk he gave her made her brain short circuit. She wanted to strangle him.

Still, annoying as he may be, his idea was good. She wished it wasn't. But honestly, it was good, and it was simple enough that it shouldn't be too hard to put together as long as no idiots decided to throw a wrench in the works by being selfish or lazy...and one particular idiot had better not, considering it was his idea. It was almost encouraging, to see that he could be more than just a flirt. Goodness knew his brother could use the help if Keiran could stick to it long enough to make sure that it went smoothly.

She smiled at Leith as he spoke up in agreement, glad that someone was going to do so, and his suggestion was good too. See, that was the kind of initiative people needed to take. Anyone who wasn't Leith was clearly too chicken to speak up, so she did it herself.

"My questions are these: First, can anyone participate in the work, even if their land isn't being worked? Second, are you going to allow women to chip in as well? And lastly, how do we decide what order things go in? Simple turns? Urgent items first?"

[Killian Gregor]

Hm, good. The redheaded girl in the front had asked his question for him. He may be part of the guard, but he knew how to care for some crops, and he wasn't afraid of hard work. He wouldn't mind chipping in when he could. He raised an eyebrow ever so slightly as he listened to her, then turned to the Donnelly brothers to wait for an answer.