What Is A Farm?

[Pearce Lockheed]

Pearce Lockheed was familiar with the Donnelly farm. Not very specifically of course, he was hardly a farmer nor did he particularly know the family. But they were a prominent family and he knew where their farm was located. He was also aware that the agriculture of Aralore had been rsther neglected. While normally that wasn't something he considered himself able to help with...it was hardly on the backs of all the farmers to take care of themselves. Protector Evans had a point there.

He could at least offer to help.

His carriage wasn't anything special, but it was a well kept red wood carriage and the horses were certainly powerful and well cared for grey drafts. They pulled through the gate and up to the house. Pearce took a breath and stepped out of the carriage and toward the home, hands clasped in front of him and fidgeting.

He had not arranged a meeting ahead of time, instead opting to make a social call. It was a risk, especially considering he knew nothing about the schedule of farmers. But he hadn't wanted to make a show of anything just...to talk. As neighbors, of sorts.

Should no one greet him before he made it to the front door, the nobleman would knock hesitantly.

Liam Donnelly
Keiran Donnelly

[Keiran Donnelly]

Keiran promised Liam he wouldn't abandon him. And he meant it. Of course, there was going to be those few, off chances of Keiran being late or becoming "delayed"...but it was simply in his nature, and his brother should know this by now. Regardless, he'd been pretty good since the meeting with the other farms and estates, and he was in the process of trying to fix the fence that the fucking bull busted again.

Seriously, couldn't they just sell him for meat? He was more trouble than he was worth at this point.

He was rounding the side of the house with his arms full of wood when he took noticed of the carriage. And where had that come from? Not even the Hawthornes had something as nice as that, but the well kept horses brought him pause. Eventually, those dark eyes wandered across the yard to find the fidgety man knocking on their door. He hadn't a clue if Liam was even inside, so he made his slow approach before purposely and loudly dumping the pile of wood against the side of the house.

Blatantly giving the man a once over, his brow furrowing at his nice clothes, Keiran simply wiped his hands upon his thighs. "Can I help you?" They didn't often get visitors, let alone noble ones.

[Liam Donnelly]

Liam did not spend much of his day in the house, but rather in the barn or out in the fields. There was just too much to do and he worked from sunrise to sunset, sometimes earlier and sometimes later depending on what needed to get done that day. He barely took rest until it was too dark to see. Exhaustion came quickly and after eating dinner, he usually crashed pretty hard. 

There would be no answer at the house door, but Liam wasn’t too far away, as he was out trying to make repairs to the fence that their bull busted through, yet again. It wasn’t until he heard the loud crashing sound of the wood and his brother’s voice calling out, that he glanced up and shielded his eyes from the sun to get a better view towards the house. He spotted the fancy carriage and what he assumed a nobleman based on the clothing. It gained his curiosity, but he was sure Keiran could handle whatever the man was looking for, so he did not rush with the job at hand.

Still, Liam found himself continuously glancing back at them, mostly in case his brother needed his attention or help.

[Pearce Lockheed]

Pearce jumped at the sound of wood tumbling and crashing behind him, hand going to his chest as his hesrt leapt into his throat painfully. He turned, saw the man and the logs at his feet and tried to calm down.

Can he help him? "What?" The words didn't make sense for a heartbeat and then the nobleman pulled himself together with a breath. "Oh! I uh...excuse me," he cleared his throat and straightened the front of his coat before finally offering Keiran an uncertain smile. He glanced back at the door and decided from the lack of sound inside to refocus on the man who spoke to him.

"My n-name is Pearce. Pearce Lockheed. I was wondering if I could s-speak to Liam Donnelly?" At least, that was who the Lord Protector had suggested he speak to.

He didn't introduce himself with a title. And he introduced himself in person rather than through a messenger. It felt...well, more personal. And while he wasn't sure who he was speaking to, he had a feeling the family worked the land themselves, being farmers. Still...he glanced around awkwardly. He noticed another man some ways off near one of the fences...but not anyone else. He had thought he might see a few more workers. Or other farmers chipping in? Either way, the place was charming. In need of some help, but...charming. Yes...

He had no idea what he was doing. The man he spoke too seemed nice enough. A little confrontational, but not aggressive. Simply more dominant a personality than Pearce presented.

[Keiran Donnelly]

His brow furrowed as he continued to watch the man. In truth, he was trying not to appear judgmental in any way, but this was new. The only thing he could think of was that this man was here to collect some sort of debt from his father, considering Callum still owed many nobles gods knows how much money. The man, fortunately, hadn't gambled in awhile, but that didn't mean his past ghosts didn't come back to haunt him.

Keiran lifted both hands up when he appeared to have startled Pearce, showing he meant no harm. His manners were lost on him, but at least the farmer wasn't being a complete dick. "Sorry, mate," he apologized lightly before the noble was introducing himself. Lockheed? Something about the name seemed familiar but couldn't recall why. At the mention of Liam, he turned to quickly scan the farm before spotting his brother by the fence. A hand lifted to his face as if it would project his voice further as he called out, "'AY, LIAM! VISITOR!"

Forcing a small grin onto his face, he turned back to Pearce. He wiped his hand upon his pants to make sure there was no dirt before extending it out in greeting to the other man, "I'm Keiran, by the way."

[Liam Donnelly]

He was nearly done with the fence, and it appeared Keiran might be dealing with the visitor on his own, so he continued in his work, hammering in the last nail and shaking the fence to test the sturdiness of it. Just as he was, he heard Keiran calling out to him. His gaze shifted back to where the two stood and he lifted a hand as if waving in acknowledgment that he had heard. Like his brother, he wondered what a nobleman was doing here. Did their father owe him money? Was he looking for cattle or some of their crops?

Liam glanced back down at his tools strewn out on the ground and knew it would take him a bit to clean things up, so he decided he would do it after whatever this meeting would be about. He stood, brushing his hands off on his pants before he walked over to the nobleman and his brother.

A warm, friendly smile set on his face as he approached them. “Hi, hello!” He called out just as he was close enough to be heard. He extended his hand out to Pearce once he got closer. “ Liam Donnelly… Is everything alright? How can we help you?” He glanced over to Keiran, wondering if he had already asked the man, not really wanting to make the man repeat himself if he had already told his brother what he was there for.  His gaze returned to Pearce and he smiled, giving the man a curious glance.  

For whatever reason, Liam was expecting the worst, but he kept a warm and friendly smile. It wasn’t often that he showed others a sense of distress or worry. He tried to remain calm and even-leveled the best he could, regardless of the issue- except when his patience was seemingly growing thin with his brother- but he was sure even Keiran would admit Liam rarely raised his voice.

[Pearce Lockheed]

The Marquis twitched slightly as Keiran called out to his brother. He was aware he was behaving a bit dramatically but he couldn't help it. Loud noises made him nervous, despite knowing there was nothing overtly threatening about it. So he tried to calm down with a breath.

"Kieran," he said softly, taking the man's hand without a second thought. Pearce's handshake was a lot more firm than his speech. "A p-pleasure," he said sincerely. He glanced over at the approaching figure and returned the smile.

Pearce took Liam's hand in turn, tone a bit more certain seeing as he had met the man he intended too. He was more pr less sure Kieran could help him too, however. The pair seemed friendly and capable enough. As for if things were alright...that had sprt of been what he wanted to ask them. "Pleasure to meet you, Master Liam. I'm Pearce. I am here to ask after the well being of your farm. And what I can do to...well, if you need any aide. I'm n-not a farmer and I wasn't at the agricultural meeting but..." Pearce blushed. He was more than a little worried his offer to help might be brushed aside as pointless or he would be accused of wanting to show off or that he was simply seeking a favor it the future. "We're all neighbors here." Nobles, farmers, and everything in between.

[Keiran Donnelly]

Keiran wasn't much of a people-person, and he probably shouldn't be left in charge of making any sort of decisions for the farm...if this was, indeed, what this whole visit was about. In all honesty, he was curious as to why anyone might take an interest in their home, but who was he to judge?

Well, no, he always judged...but he was working on that.

Still, it was difficult for him to ignore the nobleman's stuttering. He'd never actually heard someone speak like that before, so it was both kind of curious as well as worrisome. So, while Liam was, as always, being his pleasant self, his brother was staring at the man in a bit of concern. Pearce seemed a little twitchy- was he nervous, unsure, something else entirely?

He was really trying to pay attention to what the man was saying, and what he heard was that he wanted to help in some sort of way...but he couldn't help but furrow his brow and quietly blurt out, "You alright, mate? You're all...stutter-y. Should we call for a doc?" Maybe he should have stopped there, but he leaned in a little closer to Liam to murmur. "Maybe we should. Might not be good for a nobleman to drop on our stoop."

Were their mother still alive, she would have smacked her youngest son upside the head and apologized profusely to Lord Lockheed.

Again, he was working on it.

[Liam Donnelly]

Unlike his younger brother, Liam was very much a people-person, though he preferred the animals some of the time. With the friendly smile remaining on his face, he firmly shook Pierce’s hand and then shook his head, letting out a small chuckle. “Please, just Liam is fine.” He wasn’t a Lord or a Master or anything really, but a simple farmer.

He quietly listened as Pierce explained why he was there. Though he was a bit relieved to learn that there would be no bad news being delivered, he was left rather confused by the nobleman’s sentiment. We’re all neighbors here. He had said, and while that was true, he highly doubted that everyone felt that way. A lot of the time, it was every man for himself, it seemed. Though as of late, since everyone seemed to be suffering from the war, more and more people were beginning to help out.

Liam smiled and nodded his head, a look of appreciation crossing his features. His lips parted to speak, but instead, Keiran was questioning the man’s well-being. His eyebrows furrowed and he turned his gaze at his brother, a look of astonishment crossing his face. Had he really not heard anyone struggle with their words, or have a speech problem? As Keiran murmured to him, Liam instantly smacked him in the chest as if to tell him to shut up.

He let out a nervous laugh and shook his head. “Please excuse my brother-- he forgets that not everyone is as perfect and smooth-talking as he is.” He smirked and eyed Keiran a warning glare before turning his attention back to Pierce. “Thank you-- we appreciate your concern.” He sighed and glanced around the farmland for a brief moment, his hands resting on his hips. “Well--” He thought for a moment. What didn’t they need help with?

A long thoughtful sigh escaped him before he spoke. “As I’m sure you are already aware of--the war pretty much, and…” He paused, hesitating for a moment. “Actually--” He turned to look towards their house before he motioned to it. “Would you like to come in for some tea? Coffee? And we can talk more, rather than stand here outside.” He smiled and let out a brief laugh.

[Pearce Lockheed]

"Liam," he repeated warmly. It was habit to give someone some sort of title. Pearce had only meant it out of respect.

The marquis was confused by the man's question, but it quickly turned into embarrassment. Which he tried his best to swallow. It was made a bit easier by the man's concern for his well-being (regardless of the reason being it would look bad for his family). It was far and away much better than being teased about it. Though it was still awkward.

"Ah, no, I'm...f-fine," he reassured Keiran even as his brother attempted to smooth any ruffled feathers and shoved his brother. Pearce had gotten used to much worse. The bit that sort of concerned him was the 'dropping on their porch' bit. That was...a little more concerning to imagine. "It's alright," he said, making an effort to relax and speak a bit more cleanly.

He understood Liam's surprise. While the marquis knew people were willing to trade favors often enough, it was quite a bit more rare to be approached with such a general offer for aid. The nobleman followed the man's gaze across the farm, from the fence to the cows to the fields, to the house. He returned a slightly less nervous hopeful smile, awaiting the man's thoughts. "Tea would be lovely," agreed to the invitation. He'd follow the other men inside at their invitation.

[Keiran Donnelly]

Whoops.

Their mother definitely would have knocked him upside the head were she still alive. She was probably rolling in her grave now watching this. But hey, at least he was actually concerned, alright?

A smirk curled his mouth, however, at hearing Liam's words, and he lightly jabbed his brother in the arm in a funny gesture of thanks and love. "I'm glad you think so, Liam..." he said, probably only half joking. Keiran certainly had his conceited moments, but it wasn't his fault he was "perfect" and was such a "smooth talker". He was just born that way. Liam could learn to be just the same if he allowed himself to be- just saying.

So, clearly, he was ignoring his brother's glare of warning. He shouldn't have complimented him then!

Suddenly, Pearce was being invited in for refreshments and Keiran had to refrain from rolling his eyes. Great, more pleasantries that he would mess up. At least the nobleman seemed kind and harmless enough, but Liam knew more of what would be needed. Keiran just did as he was told (when it came to farm tasks, mind you) or whatever he felt needed to be tended to. Surprisingly, he hadn't slacked off too much yet.

But, he had thought about it, and right now was one of those times that he was heavily considering it.

Holding back a sigh, he picked up a few of those wooden logs again to head inside, making sure the fires kept burning. On his way though, he leaned in a bit to murmur to Pearce, "Sorry, about that, mate...didn't mean any disrespect by it." Even though the man already said it was fine, it was still polite to apologize, no? Strangers were quick to realize that the younger Donnelly brother often spoke before he thought things through, and didn't always mean ill by it.

[Liam Donnelly]

Liam fought the urge to roll his eyes at his brother’s words. “Yeah, I certainly think something of you,” he said sarcastically countered.

He offered Pearce a warm smile as he accepted his invitation in for tea and to talk. There was still a lot to do, but certainly, they could take a few moments to engage in conversation--especially since the man was offering to help out.

Stepping past the nobleman and his brother, he pushed the door of the farmhouse open and held it for the two men to follow behind him. The kitchen was off to the side of the entrance, and he motioned for Peace to take a seat at the table before he wandered off to get cups and the kettle to make some tea.

“So, Pearce… You heard about our meeting that was held for all of the farmers?” He asked genuinely curious, wondering how far of a reach the news had traveled through Aralore. Would others be offering their help? Or would they begin to notice the farmers all teaming up with one another to help out and then perhaps decide to offer aid as well? He wondered.

He eyed his brother for a moment, giving him a look to try to be polite and on his best behavior. It wasn’t that he thought his brother was this huge troublemaker and couldn’t control himself--but he knew that he didn’t often think things through before he opened his mouth or acted.

Carefully, he poured the piping hot tea into the three cups he had placed on the table, before he sat down across from where Pearce was, folding his hands together as he gave the man his full attention.

[Pearce Lockheed]

Pearce would probably have been quite honored to be called "harmless enough" out loud. Not that he thought of himself as entirely incapable of physically defending himself or the like, but certainly he didn't want to. As for harmless in a figurative sense, he did indeed mean well. He actually felt a bit awkward, imposing as he was. Pearce was almost certain the younger brother, Keiran, wasn't exactly comfortable with his presence. But he was friendly and Pearce always tried to behavior kindly toward anyone, 'proper' manners or not.

"Oh, ah, it's quite alright..." he reassured quickly, though he hesitated at what to call the man. Not his first name, certainly, but he wasn't the senior brother... Pearce flailed for a word for a moment and then awkwardly added; "...mmmmate?" Almost like it was a question, but he very clearly meant it as a returned use of the address Keiran had given him. The word sounded strange coming out of the nobleman's mouth. Pearce wasn't really sure how...familiar or not the word 'mate' was so maybe he shouldn't have used it? Well. Now they both felt awkward.

The Marquis settled himself gingerly into one of the chairs at the indicated table when Liam motioned to it. He started a little at the question, still clearly a bit nervous, but it seemed the question actually helped him focus. "Ah, yes. I was n-not at said meeting," he wasn't exactly a farmer and even had he known about it before hand, he would not have dared attended without a direct invitation. "I d-don't know all the specifics, but I understand there is a shortage of laborers. And finances, to some degree?" At least, that was part of what he had heard secondhand. "I...well, this is all second hand information. And regardless, I would rather discuss...actionable items than general ideas. If you could tell me what you need, perhaps we can work from there?" The more he spoke, the more certain of his voice he became, even if he was still very much seeking to understand their situation.

He wasn't really sure how to begin such a discussion so he figured he would get straight to the point. What they needed, what he could provide, what that meant for everyone involved.

[Keiran Donnelly]

All he could do was offer his most dashing smile to his brother. Oh, he knew he was being sarcastic, but Keiran was going to take it in stride. And maybe his agreeing and amused smirks in return would just bother the older Donnelly more. That was the entire point.

At Pearce's use of "mate", he chuckled lightly. It wasn't in a mocking way, but the farmer found it amusing, maybe endearing in a way. He even gave the man a quick and light clap upon the back before proceeding inside. Okay, no harm done. Hopefully.

Making sure the fire had a couple of more logs on it to keep it going, he dusted his hands off on his pants while the two conversed. Keiran too, surprisingly enough, had wondered if any others in the kingdom had heard about the meeting. Their gathering had only been most of the general area, but if they could get anymore help, the better.

He was rolling his eyes as he caught Liam's look of warning. The way he nodded his head indicated that, yes, he would try. So, maybe that meant him to just keeping his mouth shut unless he absolutely needed to. Keiran picked up one of the freshly poured cups of tea but didn't take a seat, just casually resting against the nearest wall. He was afraid if he sat down then he wouldn't want to bother getting back up again.

Yes, it was called laziness, but at least he was trying to avoid it.

"We need that damn bull to stay in his pen," Keiran complained. Not to Pearce, of course, he was just annoyed about it in general. How many times were they going to have to try and mend that bloody fence? The nobleman had asked about what help they needed, and that was simply the first thing that sprang to mind. "Can't Melena, I don't know...train the ignorant ass?" Sure, she worked with horses, but...close enough?

Again, maybe he should leave the discussions to Liam.

[Liam Donnelly]

Liam tried to pretend that he didn’t notice or think anything of Pearce’s stumble on what to call Keiran. Mate. It wasn’t typically something that came from a nobleman, but he knew the man was trying, and he didn’t want to make him feel any more awkward than he probably already was. He just smiled and seemed to turn his attention on getting the door open and peering into their home to ensure things weren’t in disarray.

He listened attentively as Pearce explained what he knew, or had heard about their situation and why the farmers had all come together. He nodded in response but didn’t say anything yet, allowing the nobleman to continue, stating he wanted to discuss actionable items rather than ideas. Was the man offering to help somehow, or did he have additional resources to help out?

Liam inhaled a breath, preparing to speak, but Keiran was answering the question instead, complaining about their damn bull. He released the breath in a slow sigh and forced a smile. While he liked to think that he was rather good at carpentry, it was still difficult to produce a good and sturdy fence and enclosure with shotty materials. Still, he took it personally, wishing he could somehow manage to do better with the resources he did have.

He let out a nervous laugh and shook his head, eyeing Keiran for a brief moment before turning his attention back to Pearce. “We have a bull who likes to bust through the fence… Because we can’t--” He stopped himself, feeling a bit too proud to admit they couldn’t afford the proper materials. “So, he gets out and disrupts the neighboring farms, helping to make matters worse at times.” He chuckled softly and shook his head. “But there are far greater needs of others than our bull disrupting the peace.” His broad shoulders lifted and fell. “We need more men to help with crops and rebuilding structures. A lot of homes and barns have been left in shambles from the war because the focus has gone elsewhere.”

Liam thought quietly for a moment, taking a sip of his tea before continuing. “I think the Eaton family are living in their barn currently because their house caught fire in the war, and they are struggling to get their crops in order…. And the Browns lost a lot of their crops and haven’t been able to get the equipment needed to treat the soil and replant.” He sighed again and shrugged.  To Liam, their bull escaping was the least of anyone's worries.  “Those are just a few of the issues at hand. We are all going to try and pitch in to help in each farm to give more manpower to try and get things in order… But that means work gets neglected on our own farms when we are focusing on others.” He forced a small smile and gave Pearce a curious glance, wondering how he’d respond to this information.