Barn Dances & Second Chances [Kheft & then Open]

To say that a series of unfortunate events had taken place since he had tripped and spilled his drink was an understatement. It was more like a novel for which Kirk simply kept quiet. In this scene he was only an extra, and the crowd that had gathered, while they seemed to know each other, did not know him at all; with the exception of his acquaintance the blond;though to be honest he barely knew her at all. But more on that later. To understand Kirk's current predicament, the preceding events need to be rehashed in the manner of which the young blacksmith perceived them to take place. To start with, there is the matter of the man that became drenched as well as his moll on the side.

A somewhat familiar face loped up alongside the quartet, a man that needed no introduction as everyone knew the widower Jack Lexington. Jack apologized to the older woman and intimated that he had heard the contents of the conversation. That was as much as Kirk managed to guess about as the short girl at Mr.Poers side lunged at him, nearly bursting into tears and bemoaning what he had done to her hair. "Ain't even got to see Nokota yet and you makin' me look like a wet dog. He ain't gonna wanna be seen with me smellin' an lookin' like this. Ain't never been onna date with a boyfriend before you just went an ruined it." But before Kirk could even stammer out a second apology, the girl turned to Lexington.

What followed was a rant about Noreen, Jack's treatment of Scutcher Tansy and how Elias Poers had never married. Though Kirk had his own opinions on what she was saying, he kept them to himself, seeking to edge away from the whole debacle. Was it really anyone's business how Jack took care of his wife? If he thought the pig boy should've steered clear of his spouse, then that was his prerogative. Even so, Kirk was against harsh treatment for such. Scutch never meant to hurt anyone, and Kirk was pretty sure he never had. As for the enigmatic Elias, who was to say if he had had a wife of his own or not? That was one fellow that kept his business real private like.

The look on Elias's face was unsettling to say the least, but it was his words that gave Kirk a near heart attack as he widened his eyes.“Oh don’t you worry about nothin’ there… I’ve got plenty of nice shirts at home, this one was going out of style anyway. Besides, I can think of a few good ways that I nice strong boy such as yourself could pay back his debt.” If there was one person in the district you didn't want to owe anything, it was him, the one some called "the divil hisself." Who would make a willing business deal with this one? The answer was only the completely desperate or the idiotic. As Kirk was neither, he continued to edge away from the group, though paused when he saw another face approaching.




She was dressed near the same way he had seen her last, rather revealing, her midriff exposed, and trying to balance a walk on very high heels. The look on her face was cross-eyed as she wobbled across the dance floor, narrowly avoiding several near collisions with happier dancers. Mr.Poers waved at her and she stumbled closer,before violently heaving onto Jack's backside. It continues for a few minutes before her stomach is emptied of everything that was in it. She wiped the grime for her bottom lip and moved over to put a hand on the already anxious Kirk.
“Welp… now… Which one ‘er you gentlemuhn’s gonna take me home… ‘taint feelin’ so good… Though I knows I might be able to make one of you feels better.”

Biting his lip in uncertainty, they were joined by another fellow, which judging by his actions, must have been the one that the short girl had been complaining about seeing the state of her hair. The newcomer embraced her as Jack took off his shirt and complained about what he believed Scutcher had done to his wife; again, none of Kirk's business which made him feel like a bit player. Half-listening to the flirty goings on of Nokota and Swallow-Anne, he looked at everyone in the gathering again as Jack sauntered off, noting their faces and realizing he had far overstayed his welcome. Jack was a widower, the two young un's apparent lovers and Elias and the other woman going through some kind of relationship problem.

As he was single, he felt it in his best interest to leave them to their doings. It would probably be a good idea to take the girl with him as well."Uhm, Marm you lookin out o sorts right na. Less find ya somwhur to rest afore ya pass aht."


Draping her arm around his shoulder, he half walked with half dragged the girl towards the exit, noting the glances several people shot him and blushing as they did so. What did they think of him? He was just trying to save the girl any further embarrassment as well as getting away from Mr.Poers."Ah neva did catch ya name Marm."he queried as the pair walked through the wooden doors. The night air was clean, crisp, and carried with it a hint of alcohol and animals. Making to shift her arm, he accidentally brushed something that was far softer than any limb.

Blushing again, he hastily moved her arm as they continued on their way. She was making it hard to avoid the fact that her chest was like two ripe balloons glued together with love, and he was trying hard not to stare. Passing by an overturned wagon, Kirk moved her closer to it and gently set her down, sitting next to her to keep her steady. The moon was out, glowing silently as it shone down on them."Youh the same gal that wuz at tha Bloody Bucket weren't ya? Ah said it before, an I'll say eet agin. Ah didn't mean no offence ta sommen as beeyootiful as yisself."


The question on his mind was why had he bothered to take her out here in the first place. Though he would never describe himself as such, Kirk had a tendency to be kind of a prude, perhaps even bordering on self-righteousness; something he took to be his honesty. The truth of the matter was that while he felt himself to be more respectable than others in the district, he was still young, and the hubris of youth had not yet worked out all of its kinks in his life. That, and Kirk was still a hormonal young man.