Lewis's old grey pickup truck followed the dirt road out of town, and Hrefna noticed that the farm wasn't actually that far. It was, at most, a 15 minute walk. Thankfully the rain had finally stopped, making it easier to see everything they were driving by.
When they finally pulled up to their destination, Hrefna looked round with wide eyes...Lewis hadn't been lying. The place was a mess. She could tell by the outside of the house that it was in shambles. There was a barn and a small chicken coup that look to be in ok shape, but the shed, windmill and greenhouse were completely destroyed. The crop fields were overrun by weeds and all the fences were going to need to be replaced.
Popping open the truck's door, Hrefna stepped out to further investigate. Lewis's headlights lit the area up pretty well. Slowly making her way to the house, she made a mental note to herself to get the steps fixed asap... Two of the four steps were missing.
"Well, it seems we have a problem."
Hrefna glanced over at Lewis, taking notice that he had a flashlight pointed down at what looked like a generator.
"It would seem nature got a hold of the generator and gave it a run for it's money." Lewis sighed sadly. "I don't think we will get the power back on tonight. I'm sorry Raven... If you would like, I got a couch you can sleep on for the night?"
Hrefna politely shook her head. "That's ok Lewis. I got my tent with me, I will be fine."
"Tent?!" Lewis looked a little startled. "I can't in good conscious let you stay in a tent out here. I got a perfectly good couch you can use, your grandfather would roll over in his grave if he knew I let you camp out here unprotected."
Hrefna sighed, if he was surprised by this then surely he would have had a heart attack if he saw her camping conditions back in Narth. "Lewis, I appreciate the offer but it's okay. I've been living in my tent for the better part of the last 5 years."
Lewis raised an eyebrow, his mouth opening and closing, trying to form words. "Why? Why in the world would you be living in a tent for so long?"
Hrefna shot him a small smile. "I'm an adventurer Lewis... We practically live out of tents." Hrefna went over to the bed of Lewis's truck to grab her bags. "As an adventurer you move around a lot, always chasing the next big monster bounty. So I promise you that I will be fine. I know how to protect myself."
Lewis frowned but started to understand, he has noticed that she didn't like handouts. She had insisted on paying for her own dinner earlier at the pub as well. She was extremely independent, which he could respect... She was gonna need that determination and independence more than ever to get this farm back up and running. "Very well, but make sure if you need any help that you reach out to me."
Hrefna let out a small laugh. "I will Lewis." After a moment, another thought came to mind that perhaps he could help with. "Actually, do you by any chance know of a place that deals with construction? I'm going to need some help with getting everything fixed up."
Lewis grinned from ear to ear. "As a matter of fact I do. I'll get a hold of Robin first thing tomorrow and make sure to send her your way. She's a really nice lady, and she would be more than happy to help you. She will also be able to help you with your generator."
Hrefna gave a nod of understanding as she started to set up her tent. "That sounds wonderful, thank you. I will like to get the house fixed up as soon as possible."
Lewis watched as Hrefna moved around, setting her campsite up with practiced ease and began to relax. Perhaps she was right, she definitely looks like she knows what she is doing. "Well, I apologize again for not being able to help with much... But do be sure to let me know if I can be of service." Lewis scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "It is getting late though so I should be heading back."
Hrefna looked over at Lewis and gave him a nod. "Of course, thank you Lewis for all of your help. I really appreciate it. I'm sure we will see each other around town."
Lewis gave a nod and a wave. "We sure will, have a safe night Raven." With one last look around to make sure it was safe, Lewis headed to his truck and hopped in.
It wasn't until she heard his truck sputter away that she finally relaxed. Hrefna quickly unbuttoned her cloak before folding it and stuffing it in her bag. It was too late to worry about a fire so she was just going to head to bed. Once she took off all her armor, Hrefna crawled into her tent and snuggled into her sleeping bag. She was out within minutes.
Hrefna slowly opened her eyes, it took her a minute to remember where she was at but once she did; she stretched and got up to start her day. Rifling through her hiking backpack; she pulled out a white tank top, black jean shorts, and her black leather cutout crop jacket. As she changed, she realized that she needed to find a shop that sold clothes. She only had 3 sets of clothes on her... She was definitely going to need a lot more. After putting on her socks and knee high black leather combat boots; Hrefna threw her long obsidian locks up into a high messy bun before finally leaving her tent.
It was still early, the sun hadn't even risen yet but that nothing abnormal for her. Actually now that she thought about it, she slept in... Her internal clock usually had her up at around 4 am. She was use to only sleeping 4, maybe 5 hours a night.
Looking around, she made sure that she was truly alone before she held her palm out and whispered a small incantation. Within seconds, a small glowing ball of light appeared above her palm for a moment before it rose to hover over her head; providing some light for her to see. As she walked forward her magelight followed her, illuminating her surroundings. She needed some firewood and thankfully it didn't take her long to find some. Walking back around her tent, she stacked her wood before whispering another spell to light the fire.
Now it was time for breakfast; getting her cooking pot, Hrefna walked across the property to the old well to get some clean water. Once filled; she went back to the fire pit she made and put a cooking rack over the fire before placing the cooking pot on top of it so it could boil. While she waited, she whistled a small tune to call for her raven. It only took a minute before Hræsvelgr appeared and landed on her shoulder.
"There you are..." Hrefna smiled as she watched him ruffle his feathers. "I was wondering where you took off to."
Hræsvelgr bobbed his head up and down, hopping from foot to foot. "Hey, good lookin." He chirped, followed up with a "Good morning."
Hrefna laughed. "Good morning Hræs."
Hræsvelgr fluffed his feathers again. "Hi."
Her grin widened. She absolutely loved this bird... Even though she felt a little silly when she would have conversations with him. He never failed in bringing a smile to her face. Looking down, Hrefna noticed her water was boiling. Reaching into the side pocket of her backpack, she pulled out her coffee mug and a jar of instant coffee.
It only took her a minute to make her morning coffee and once it was finished, she fished out her pack of cigarettes. Pulling one out, she took a couple of puffs before her magic kicked in and lit it.
"Breakfast timeeee." Hræsvelgr whistled and began to nip at the loose strands of her hair.
"Yes it is..." She slowly sipped her coffee before taking another hit.
cough* *cough*
Hræsvelgr gave her a gentle speck on the head.
cough* *cough*
Hrefna rolled her eyes. "Yeah yeah, I know. At least let me smoke half of it before you get on my ass about it." She shot Hræsvelgr a playful glare. Really, her habit wasn't that bad... She only smoked one in the morning and one in the evening but Hræsvelgr didn't care. Everytime he saw her smoking he would fake cough to get her to stop.
cough* *cough*
"Ok, you know what?! It's time for you to go get your breakfast!" Hrefna gently shrugged the shoulder he was perched on. "Go get some worms or something."
Hræsvelgr did a cat call whistle before flying off, leaving her to enjoy her 'breakfast' in peace. She could still faintly hear him whistling a little tune as he fluttered around.
Silently she watched as the sun slowly began to rise and once she was finished with her 2nd cup of coffee, she decided it was time to explore the property. She needed to fully take stock of everything that needed fixing. Pulling out a pen and a small notepad, Hrefna stood up and began to walk towards the house.
She carefully walked up onto the porch and made a note about the steps before she hesitantly opened the door. It was still dark in the house, so she resummoned her magelight so she could see inside. The place was a mess. There were a couple of floor boards missing, the wallpaper was peeling, and a window was broken. The place itself was small. It only had a kitchen, small bathroom, one bedroom, and a cellar.
She paused in writing her next note, contemplating an idea. Looking around one more time, Honestly... She wanted a bigger home and since this place was in pretty bad shape, it probably would cost her just as much to fix it as it would to rebuild it. With a firm nod, she made her decision. Let's knock it down and rebuild it then. Looking over her notes, she scribbled a couple things out and wrote 'Rebuild' before moving on.
Once back outside, she checked on the windmill, which needed to be completely rebuilt. The greenhouse also needed to be rebuilt. The well was in pretty good shape so she didn't need to do anything to that. Then she came upon the shed, which surprisingly it wasn't that bad. It just needed some roof and flooring repairs. Looking around, she found some useful tools. An axe, pickaxe, scythe, gardening hoe, and a watering can. She also saw some sprinklers and gardening pots too, which she was sure would become handy.
Moving on, she made her way around the small pond where she took notice of an orchard. So she made sure to take note of that so when she decided to start removing some trees, she didn't want to accidentally chop these down. Walking around the pond, she made her way to the chicken coop. Like the shed, it only needed some minor repairs but she would have to replace the fence entirely. That only left one last building to check... The barn.
On the outside it didn't look that bad so she was hopeful that it also only needed minor repairs. Gently she pulled open the double doors, and looked around. For the most part it looked good, honestly it was the best one out of all the other buildings. Floor was cover in dirt and hay, so she didn't need to worry about that and she saw no holes in the roof; but there was something that did take her by surprise. Off to the right side of the barn was a black pickup truck.
Hrefna quickly approached the truck to look it over. Getting this thing up and running would definitely become handy. It could use a new paint job but she didn't see any rust, so far so good. Opening the driver side door, she peeked inside. The leather seats look a little worn but there were no holes. Investigating further, Hrefna found the latch to pop the hood. Now for the tough part.
Closing the door, she walked around the front to take a look. She knew that this thing probably hasn't been driven in years, therefore it was definitely going to need some inner work. She just prayed to Yoba that they were minor fixings. She can fix minor... But if it required the whole engine being torn apart, then she was in trouble. Running around adventuring, you tend to learn a few things. Fixing vehicles was one of them... Granted, she was more familiar with dwarven mechanics than human mechanics though.
Stepping back, she really needed to find the keys. Going to the passenger side, she tried to open the door but no luck, so she would have to fix that too. Wrapping around to the driver side again, she hopped in and began her search. Which thankfully it didn't take her long to find them. Sticking the key in the ignition, she tried to start it but...
Nothing.
The truck was getting power but making no noise... So she is going to need a new starter more than likely.
With a frown, Hrefna got out and knelt down to look under the truck and... "Damn". There was fluid everywhere. With a sigh, Hrefna stood back up and looked around, her grandfather had the tools and everything she would need. Walking over to the tool box, she grabbed a couple tools before scooting the 'creeper' to the front of the car. Once positioned, she turned around and sat down on it before she laid back. After summoning another magelight, she then used her feet to roll her under the truck.
"Now... Let's see what's wrong with you."
"Hellooo... Is anyone here?"
Hrefna jumped, accidentally hitting her head. She silently swore to herself as she rubbed her forehead. With a quick wave of her hand, she de-summoned her magelight.
Looking down at her side, she turn her right wrist to face up to check her watch. "Shit..."
She had been working on the truck for about 2 hours now. What she had hope to be a small little fix, turned out to be a big complicated mess.
"Is anyone here?!" The voice was louder now.
Hrefna cleared her throat "Yeahhhh... I'm in the barn!" With a little wiggle and some shuffling of her feet, she started to roll herself out from under the truck.
When she was out, she slowly sat up and watched as an older woman with bright red hair entered the barn.
"Oh My!" The woman grinned widely as she looked Hrefna over, taking notice that her hands and face were splattered with motor oil. She giggled. "Well look at you... Such a pretty little thing you are!"
Hrefna lightly blushed as she sat there stunned. It took her a moment to collect herself and finally stand up. "Uh, hello."
Robin giggled again. "Excuse me, where are my manners? I'm Robin! Lewis had called me this morning... Told me you were lookin' to fix this place up."
"Oh, you must be the carpenter! I'm sorry, I lost track of time." Hrefna turned and grabbed a clean rag to wipe her hands, once they were as clean as they were going to get; She turned to shake Robin's hand. "I'm Raven."
Robin smiled bigger as she gave her a strong handshake. "It's nice to meet you sweetheart!" Looking her over from head to toe again, Robin gave a full laugh. "You know, my Sebby would absolutely adore you!"
Hrefna looked at her confused. 'What the hell is a Sebby?!' But before she could ask, Robin waved her hand in a dismissive manner... She must have caught Hrefna's confused look.
"No worries about that now... Let's talk shop!" Robin motioned for Hrefna to follow her. "Now tell me what you would like done."
Hrefna gave Robin a quick tour of the property, showing her everything that she wanted done and hashing out some ideas she had about the house. Robin listened intently, taking some notes along the way. It took about an hour or so before they made their way back to the barn.
"Well sweetheart, I'm not gonna lie to you. With everything you want done it's gonna cost you a lot of pretty gold coins." Robin sighed as she looked over everything on her list. "Especially the house, since you want to completely rebuild it and double it's size and add a full wrap around porch."
Hrefna gave a nod, she knew it would cost a small fortune but she wasn't worried about that. She has saved up all her bounty earnings for the past two years for this, so she is sure she has enough. "How much will you do it for?"
"Hmmm..." Robin looked over her calculations one last time. "Were looking at about 110,000 gold pieces in total."
Hrefna gave a firm nod, it actually cost less than what she expected. She was guessing around 150,000. She had around 200,000 saved up. "Ok, that sounds fair... Just give me a moment."
Robin raised an eyebrow as she watched Hrefna go to her tent.
Hrefna grabbed her very heavy duffle bag and unzipped it. It was filled with nothing but medium sacks of gold. Each sack held 10,000 gold pieces a piece. She quickly took out 9 sacks and stuffed them into her backpack before lifting the heavy duffle bag, throwing it over her shoulder.
Making her way back to Robin, Hrefna quickly handed the duffel bag over. "110,000 gold pieces, as requested."
Robin's eyes widened as she took the heavy bag and looked inside. Reaching for one of the smaller bags, she peeked in and gasped.
"Each bag hold 10,000 pieces. There should be 11 bags in there." Hrefna explained as she watched Robin dazedly zip up the duffel bag.
"Good Yoba kiddo! I surely didn't expect you to pay up front." Robin ran her hand through her hair in disbelief. "Well, sweetheart, is there anything else I can help you with? Anything at all?"
Hrefna gave a small chuckle. Thinking for a moment, there actually was something she was curious about. "Well, I don't know if it is something you can help me with per say but..." Hrefna looked back over at the truck. "Do you by chance know a mechanic? I need to buy some parts and need help fixing this engine. I am unfortunately more familiar with dwarven motors, not so much with human made ones."
Robin gave her a big grin, with a twinkle in her eye. Mischief was definitely afoot. "As matter of fact Sweetheart, I know just the young man that can help you!"
Hrefna hesitated... The look Robin was giving her screamed pure orneriness.