Can it be fixed?

[hazel]

Hazel stayed quiet for a while, but not for too long. It was in her nature to talk and be sociable, she just hoped that Conor really didn't mind her constntly asking something. "You don't live with anyone?" It was one thing Hazel hated herself, going home to nobody, it was an awful feeling, it's why she chose to stay with a family and run their errands for board and a roof over her head and for mot importantly, company.

The journey was pleasant and she soaked up all the scenery that she missed when lugging the heavy saddle here. There was so much she missed, and was quite surprised she managed to miss the views and the flowers. Everything. How could anyone be so oblivious to what was around her? Bt in any case she wasn't going to miss it on the return journey.

[conormccarthy]

His brow furrowed, a little confused by the question. Living at the Smith's house, it was assumed the rest of the people in the house was the Smith and his children. He didn't realise she wondered if he lived with a fiance or wife. His siblings were in Nottingham, maybe he wondered if his family was at the Smith's too. "No, just Arnold and his children." The Smith's wife had passed away before Conor had worked at the place, so he never knew her.

"My siblings live in Nottingham," He told her in case that was what she had meant by the question. "I don't see them often, we don't have time to visit." The young man wondered how his brother and sister were doing. It had been months since he had seen them. He should take a day later in the week to go to Nottingham and see them, perhaps sell some wares there and buy some more skins for working with. He would pose the idea to Arnold when he got back.

The road entered the forest, the trees above turning the sunlight into a dappled blanket. Millie grabbed a sneaky bite of foliage and Conor gave her a tug on the reins to warn her. The blinkers on the bridle were supposed to stop them from getting distracted, but somehow they knew exactly where they could grab a bite to eat.

[hazel]

On the up side at leas the blond worker wasn't alone when he went home. But surely he missed his siblings. "Brother or sister?" She asked, thinking to her own brother, she hadn't heard from him in a while and was quite worried, but he always pulled through for her, and she was sure he'd do it again.

Looking up at the canopy, it seemed quiet, though there was the occasional bird singing. It was a worry when there was no bird song, it only meant something bad was around the corner. Watching the horses, she smiled at the mare's audactity in nicking some food on the go. Then she looked at the road ahead. It was lovely and cool in the woods and the surroundings were just idyllic.

"I hope you don't mind my asking, but I was just curious as to why you're so quiet." He had to have noticed he didn't say a lot. Hazel hoped she hadn't offended him, it was just a question she'd been thinking of when she first met him. Maybe he'd always been quiet, or maybe something happened. If he didn't want to talk about it, she wasn't going to force him.

[conormccarthy]

As Millie tried to snag another bite of foliage, Conor pushed them into a fast trot. He looked into the trees, answering her question as a blackbird trilled a short song. "Both, a brother and a sister." He was glad to see that neither mare was able to eat at such a fast pace, and would reward them later with the lushest grazing he could find in Nettlestone.

She asked him why he was so quite, and he ironically answered with a shrug and a short mumbled sentence. "Sorry, I don't get much practice." Spending all day every day in the small room behind the smith's furnace room, Conor didn't see many people. He would sometimes be engaged i conversation over dinner with the Smith's family, and Arnold had told him before that he should practice talking more. The blacksmith frowned on his shyness and so not to Hazel's knowledge, she was experiencing his company at his most talkative era yet.

He had no real friends, no person visited on him on a social basis. The only people he saw regularly were the carpenter and the seamstress back in Knighton, and that was only for business. Not many people felt the urge to bother coaxing him to talk so Conor had formed the habit not to do so. Unless he was asked a question, Conor would remain silent all day if it wasn't for his daily conversations with the horses. They never answered back, but they were his only friends.

[hazel]

"Are they older or younger than you, your brother and sister?" Having just one older brother, they were very close and both equally and protective of one another. It was nice to know that if anything went wrong or she found herself alone she always had one person in the world she could turn to who wouldn't throw her out. It's how families should always be.

Hazel understood why he talked so little. If people were used to society, what reason would they have to be social. "Does it bother you being alone? Oh, if I am being to personal, just tell me, I'll stop. Rather silly of me to be so intrusive of your life." She commented, but she only wanted to get to know him better, and if he was so quiet, she couldn't expect him to be overly talkative after so little time.

[conormccarthy]

Conor slowed the horses as they neared a slow corner as he answered. "Older sister, younger brother." It was becoming apparent that unless specified, Conor seemed either unwilling to elaborate or unaware that most people when asked a question would offer other details. Names, perhaps a brief sentence of his relationship with them. Conversation was clearly not his strong point.

The mares took the cart though the bend, and not concentrating quite as much as he should, Conor quickened their pace as he pondered her next question. Was he bothered? Did he even feel alone? He never dwell on the fact that he spent all his days working, and barely had time to talk to his horses let alone try and talk to people. Conor realised he should feel alone, other people would. His father had been alone when his wife had died, even with the company of his children. He had lived for their mother, and when she was gone, it had broken part of him. He lived across the country now, and Conor realised he hadn't heard from him in years. Conor had been closer to his moth than their father, but perhaps he did miss his old man. He never spent time with his siblings, and now that he thought about it, he supposed he was rather lonely. His work and his horses distracted him, however, so he never really felt it.

"It doesn't bother me." He glanced over at his passenger, a strange feeling of guilt passing over him. "Should it?" The question had been an odd one, a reflection of his now troubled thoughts. Conor might have congratulated himself on the most conversationalist response yet if he had been aware of his unsocial behaviour, and if the cart hadn't suddenly gave a great lurch and came to an almost instant halt.

Conor caught himself on the front of the cart, cursing under his breath in Gaelic. The mares were jostling nervously, their ears pinned and Conor knew if he could see their eyes under the blinkers, they would be wide and rolling. "Woah, woah." He dropped the reins, jumping from the wagon with a sprightly leap. The wagon was at an angle, the front left corner low to the ground, the rear right raising to compensate.

Conor rushed the horses, petting their faces and holding their bridles to calm them. He knew without looking that the front left wheel had broken, the metal support that ran around the circumference had buckled on an unsuspected pot hole. Conor had thought a few weeks ago that he could get the wagon wheels replaced before something like this happened, but he was in too distracted to remember what had caused him to neglect the task.

The mares stopped shuffling, but Conor seemed to have adopted their stress. His face was drawn down in concern, his brow furrowed. "Sorry girls," He muttered, "My fault. You're good girls, don't worry. My good girls." The two responded to the calm tone and soft touches and settled down.

[hazel]

"As long as you're happy it shouldn't bother you at all." Hazel felt slightly bad for apparently distressing him. "I'm sorry if I've upset you. I just wondered because I hate being alone, I much prefer being in the company of somebody. But you're good company, honestly." He didn't talk much, but he was willing to answer all her questions and even her offer her a lift home. It was rare to come across such kindness.

When the cart lurched to a stop, she grabbed hold of the seat, nearly being thrown off the wagon altogether. Regaining herself, slightly slower than Conor, she noticed his immediate concern for the horses, even over her. But that was understandable, they were his constant companions and Hazel was not. "Are they ok?" She had to check on them, truth was she liked both the mares, they had such pleasant character and temperaments.

[conormccarthy]

Conor looked up from the mare's, his cheeks reddening slightly as he realised he had forgotten about the woman. The draft horses had been his first concern, and his immediate gut reaction was to make sure they were alright. Not being accustomed to company of the person variety, he had bypassed her completely. "They're fine, just a little shaken. Are you?" He came around the mares, back to the wagon.

He glanced under the carriage, relieved somewhat that at first glance, the axle appeared to be fine. He straightened, looking up to the brunette. The young man held up a hand, offering to help her down. With the wheel bust, they wouldn't be moving anywhere for a while.

[hazel]

"I'm ok. Scared the life out of me, but no damage done. Are you ok?" He seemed fine, he jumped out of the cart to see to the horses almost immediately. Taking his hand, she shakily got off the broken cart.

"I'd say that's b*ggered." Hazel said with a laugh as she looked at the cart. If it wasn't such a dramatic way to be ground to a halt, it was also the most peasant like thing she'd ever said since pretending to be one. Not sure what prompted it, but maybe she was still in shock.

[conormccarthy]

Conor knelt down beside the wheel in question. "You can say that again." He agreed, investigating the shattered spokes. Had the wagon been carrying anything heavier, the damage might have extended past just the wheel. He sighed and sat back on his heels. He looked up the road, and then back the way they had come. They were closer to Knighton, but Hazel needed to get back to Nettlestone.

He needed a new wheel to get the cart home, but it would take him the rest of the day to get it out here and fix the wagon. The fair thing to do would be to take Hazel onward to Nettlestone, and leave the wagon here in hopes that no thief would be able to move it before Conor could come back to fix it. The draft horses would take them bareback, though Conor hoped Hazel could ride so he wouldn't have to repeat the embarrassment of riding double. When he had ridden like that with Rose, it had ended up awkwardly. "Can you ride?" He asked, pushing back a few locks of escaped hair as he looked up at her.

[hazel]

Hazel could see his dilema, and she wasn't sure if there was anything she could do to help him. "I can ride. But is there anything I can do to help?" It only seemed fair as he went out of his way to take her back home, when he had other jobs. And this was going to be another job for him to get sorted, she just felt so guilty that this had happened.

Looking up and down the road, there was no one around, it was just the pair of them and the horses. It was going to be a problem, while they rode off, anyone could take the cart and everything in it. And then Conor would be left in a lot of trouble, which Hazel really didn't want for him.

[conormccarthy]

Conor stood and began to unhitch the two mares. "Unless you have a spare wheel." He said absently, patting Millie's flank as he reached over her to release the harness from the center partition. It didn't take long for the two horses to be lead away from the wagon, still wearing their harnesses but no longer attached to the broken wagon. Unfastening the long reins from each of their bridles, he coiled the neatly and hopped up into the wonky wagon bed to look inside his sack of wares.

He drew out a few lengths of leather straps, and put the reins inside. Going back to the horses, he used the shorter straps as makeshift reins. He wouldn't have to leave the harnesses behind at least, and if he could fasten the sack to the back of one of the mares, he would only have to leave the wagon itself as he could easily carry Hazel's saddle. He waved Hazel over, standing beside Lillie. "You'll have to ride astride, but you can hold onto the collar if you need to." He tapped the broad harness collar that settled over the draft's neck, resting just at her withers. "Careful not to tangle your feet in the rest of the harness." He added, partly to make sure it wouldn't cause an accident, and partly to preserve his tack. He laced his fingers together and made a stirrup to hoist her up and onto the back of the tall mare.

[hazel]

"I'm afraid I don't carry one of those around with me." Hazel said with a small smile, thinking he must've been slightly frustrated. But nevertheless, she let him get on with getting the mares sorted out and not to get in his way. Once he had managed to get everything up together, she moved over to one of the mares, Lillie she thought it was.

"I think I'll manage to ride astride." Though she was much more used to riding side saddle, how hard could it really be. "I'll need that boost. Not world's tallest." She commented, trying to make light of the situation and calm her nerves. It was all nervous humour really. "I'll do my best to stay on the horse, point it in the right direction and not cause any more havoc. Promise." Definitely nervous humour. Sitting on the mare, Hazel waited for Conor to lead the way when he was ready, she felt confident with him there that nothing bad could really happen to her.

[conormccarthy]

Conor replied with a grunt, not really listening as he fussed about with the horses. Using some more leather straps from the bag, Conor used them to secure the canvas sack onto Millie's back, using the collar to anchor it. Regrettably, he couldn't move the wagon from the trail, so any passing people would find it near impossible to get past if they had a wagon of their own.

Grumbling under his breath, cursing his stupidity and his neglect of the wagon's wheels, he picked the saddle up from the bed of the wagon and used the bench to slip onto Millie's back. Glad of the mare's sensitivity, he could use his legs mostly to direct her. With one arm holding up the saddle, it was difficult to use the reins for more than slowing the draft horse.

"She'll want to stick by Millie's side, so she won't turn too fast, she'll think she's still pulling the cart. And she's responsive, so you barely need more than a little tug on the reins. You'll barely need you'll legs except to hold on." He patted the brad neck of Millie. He was proud of the pair, they were well trained.

[hazel]

Hazel nodded her understanding when Conor told her that Lillie and Millie would want to stick close and that she'd need the minimalist of control to keep her in order. It was good to know that she wasn't on some wild, untrained horse. "Did you train these two yourself?" She wondered, as both were placid tame and so well behaved, always a bonus.

"Arnold won't be too upset by the cart will he?" It really seemed unfair he'd get into trouble over some bad luck, that would just be cruel. However, Arnold may not be that harsh in his treatment of his employees than what she thought.

Very lightly she kicked her heels into the side of the draft horse to start her moving, Conor was definitely right in his assessment of the mare, she was sensitive, but Conor was around them all the tie, he knew his horses, that much was blantantly clear.