Constable Benton Fraser (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
maintiensledroit) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
singillatim2024-02-09 12:17 pm
maintiensledroit) wrote in singillatim2024-02-09 12:17 pm
[open] the lamp is burnin' low upon my table top, the snow is softly falling
Who: Benton Fraser, Diefenbaker, and you!
What: Woodworking, guitar playing, ice skating, and more
When: Through February
Where: In Milton, at the basin, in the woods, others tbd.
Content Warnings: mention of animal butchery, hunting, others tbd.
i.
[ Even in this icy weather, it's a good idea to preserve meat rather than simply stashing it, raw, in the snow, and so Fraser can be found in the first weeks of February in the woods, seeking out a likely-looking tree trunk, either fallen or still standing. Once found, he brings tools and begins hollowing the thing out, working steadily with Diefenbaker either lazing beside him in the snow or off in the woods, hunting for himself.
When the log is hollow, he hitches Dief in a jury-rigged harness attached to leather straps around the log and together they haul it back to the house where he's been staying with Heartman. Once back in town, Fraser can be found hammering nails and hooks inside the hollowed trunk, humming quietly to himself as he works. He'd be more than happy to answer any questions, should someone stop by to ask what he's up to. ]
ii.
[ Before he found the right trunk, while he was out in the woods, something else had happened in the early days of the month. Diefenbaker had gone stock-still and focused at his side, and when Fraser looked up, he'd seen the thing that had so caught the wolf's attention: a dog, enormous and mossy, watching them from among the trees.
No amount of calling and cajoling brings the best toward them, but when the dog had begun walking off Dief had followed without hesitation, leaving Fraser to come along or no as he would. They'd followed the strange animal on what began to feel almost like a path through the woods, strangely clear and easy to move along despite no signs of having been cleaned or kept up by man. It was hardly a surprise at all when the path led to a cabin he'd never seen before, sitting empty and cold but neat and sturdy for all that. He'd left Dief outside with the strange dog and gone to look for any signs of life.
There were none. The cabin was empty and mostly bare of supplies, but in the bedroom he found an impossible treasure: an old six-string acoustic guitar, tucked carefully away into its case. Even better, when he'd carefully lifted the thing out to inspect it, he'd found the case contained even more riches: extra packets of strings, a few picks, even a somewhat stiff capo.
Now, when he's finished work for the day, Fraser can be found on the porch steps of the house on Thompson's Drive with the guitar in his lap. On the first evening, he'll be there stringing it; on subsequent evenings someone might hear the rippling sounds of a fingerpicked accompaniment and a pleasant baritenor voice singing along. ]
ii.
[ But the Mountie isn't always in the woods. After an excursion to what remains of the outdoor gear store, he can also be found down on the frozen Basin, accompanied by the hissing sound of his hockey skates over the ice as he makes long loops or short sprints or simply skates backward in long, graceful swoops. Or perhaps someone nearby might hear the smack of a stick hitting a puck and the muffled thunk of said puck driving into a snowbank.
There's another stick and more pucks on the bank, just in case anyone would like to join him in his games. ]
ii but after the Kate convo
She listens appreciatively until the song ends, then approaches him.]
You're quite talented.
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That's kind of you to say. Hello, Randvi, I hope I wasn't disturbing you...?
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Besides, I was hoping to speak with you, if you have a moment.
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[ Even if he didn't, he'd make a moment to speak with her, but they all have copious amounts of free time here, him included. Fraser gets to his feet, holding the guitar by the neck, and gestures to the door to the house. He's not sure what she might want to talk to him about, but he'll offer her what privacy he can, in case it's sensitive. ]
Please, come in.
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[Randvi follows the man inside. She stands straight, with her hands folded in front of her. She hasn't had to have this type of conversation in a while and it feels a bit awkward to assume authority that she doesn't have here.]
I won't keep you long. I wanted to speak with you about Kate Marsh.
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[ He frowns, setting one hand on the back of a chair at the dining table which he'd been about to pull out for her. ]
Is something wrong?
[ Kate is very smart, but she isn't used to this sort of environment. Maybe she'd gone out foraging too far and fallen; perhaps she's gotten sick. But Randvi doesn't sound worried, only serious. ]
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She speaks very highly of you. In fact, she told me recently that you've been taking her foraging in the forest.
[The way she's saying it, it doesn't sound like there's no need to worry.]
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[ That's simple enough to answer, and Fraser continues with pulling out the chair, offering the seat to her with a polite gesture. Diefenbaker, who has followed them inside, has gone to curl up by the hearth, ignoring them both. ]
She's been making rosehip syrup, and was going to be needing to push further out to find supplies. It can be dangerous in the woods, so Dief and I sometimes go with her.
[ He lifts his eyebrows at her, uncertain. ]
Were you interested in joining us?
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Yes, of course.
She is a young girl, Kate, and very trusting. Should she be dishonoured here, I know who she associates with.
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If someone's been bothering her, that's concerning news.
[ Lieutenant Little would like to be informed, he thinks... he hopes. He's seen the other man around once again, but he still needs to check in with him, to see if he's feeling better.
He can only imagine how Ray would react, if it were Francesca. ]
No lady should be treated anything less than chivalrously. And Kate is a very sweet girl.
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She is. And hearing that she was travelling alone in the forest with a man that she does not know well was of great concern to me.
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Oh. Oh!
[ His eyes open wide and round with surprise and chagrin. ]
Oh, you mean me. Oh, dear.
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No, of course.
If it would help to know my credentials, I was selected as chaperone to the daughter of a fairly important Canadian diplomat.
[ A moment, and then – ]
I realize now that, firstly, you have no reason to believe my word, and, secondly... unfortunately I was not as successful at chaperoning a seventeen year old girl through Chicago as I had hoped. There was the incident with the cab... and the bar... and the gunman...
[ And the way she kept running off on him. Fraser clears his throat, considers Randvi closely, and licks his lip before launching into a new topic entirely. ]
...Are you at all familiar with the chivalric code?
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I see. A gunman?
[This whole thing sounds fraught but not in the way she’d been expecting.]
I don't know about this code, either.
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[ He really isn't helping matters. ]
– but the point of this story is that the girl was unharmed. And, I believe, thoroughly enjoyed getting to see some of Chicago in the meantime.
As for the code, there's a great many elements not pertinent to this particular conversation, but the relevant part is that it strictly forbids dishonoring any lady. A more modern interpretation might add that it is crucial to avoid dishonoring anyone at all, but.
[ He can almost hear Ray's sigh. ]
What I mean to say is: I would never intentionally hurt Kate, and I would do everything in my power to keep from hurting her unintentionally, as well. I really do just want to help her with her foraging.
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[Randvi studies this man for a moment. He seems as if he truly believes all of this. It really does take all kinds.]
I would really prefer that you take a third person with you, but I understand that we are a bit thin on the ground at the moment. I am often hunting in the forest these days to supply those who eat at the hall. Perhaps on occasion we will encounter one another.
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[ He stands very nearly at attention as she speaks to him; head up, shoulders straight, though his hands are clasped behind his back. His nod is regimentally crisp.
Well, perhaps Lieutenant Little will want to come out foraging. He can hardly think of a more appropriate chaperone... aside from himself. Considering that's not an option. ]
Yes, I hope we will. I'm often out there, myself, checking my traps.
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[Randvi’s authority in Ravensthorpe often feels like it's held together by a fraying thread, so it's gratifying to see this man immediately take her warning to heart.]
I hope you understand that this isn't a question of your character. These girls don't have family to look out for them here.
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Perhaps not, but they certainly benefit in having you here to look out for them. I appreciate your thoughtfulness and candor, very much.
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[Randvi returns the smile. She can only imagine the havoc she might have wreaked in a place like this at Kate’s age. The only thing keeping her in check at home had been her father's explosive temper.]
If I may ask you to keep this from Kate? I'm afraid she’d be embarrassed.
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[ Although he might just mention it to Lieutenant Little, who, after all, would be the most appropriate chaperone. He's taken Kate very much under his wing, and Fraser has every intention of letting him know what's transpired here, while offering a reprimand to himself for his thoughtlessness. ]
Is there anything else I can help you with, while you're here, Randvi? Are you settling in all right? Do you have enough food?
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It's an adjustment, but I imagine that's true for everyone. For now I'm still living at the hall - a central hall to care for travellers is how things are done at home - so the others supplement what I catch while I relearn the skills involved in hunting.
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[ He only knows a very little of Randvi's background, but she's a sensible woman, and she seems perfectly capable of taking care of herself. ]
Haven't been out hunting in a while?
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apologies for being so late, fade for a fresh start later?
no worries! Just in time for a new snag in the Kate saga it sounds like