xp_logs | The Big and the Little [Cain, Yvette; Monday afternoon]

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The mansion's largest resident meets its smallest, and proceeds to draft her into the labor force.

Cain grunted as the big axe fell, turning one piece of oak into two chunks of split wood. Two more strokes and he had four pieces of firewood, almost perfectly sized for any of the fireplaces in the mansion. Despite the modern heating and climate control in the historic building, a lot of the residents liked the ambience of a wood-burning fire, Cain happened to be among them.

With a practiced motion, he stacked three of the chunks of firewood against the side of the shed, taking the fourth between his hands and twisting sharply. The wood creaked, then splintered into thin shards that were separated and dumped into a separate bin for kindling. Cain recalled when, as a young man, he would come watch the mansion's team of groundskeepers work for weeks to accumulate enough firewood for the winter. Now on his own, he could do the same work in just a long weekend.

Even after all this time, he thought, that still took some getting used to.

There was a rustling from the bushes by the woodshed, and then a pair of glowing blue eyes appeared, set in a pointed, doll-like face. Yvette had been out enjoying the freedom of being able to go outside whenever she wanted, when her attention had been caught by the sounds of labour. Sounds that were familiar, hearkening back to her early childhood.

Although she'd never seen anyone make kindling quite so... impressively before. This must be Mr. Marko, she decided. Angel had told her stories of the big groundskeeper/teacher. Although 'big' was somewhat of an understatement here.

Reaching for the axe again, Cain heard the small rustling and crunching in the bushes. He moved casually, listening again with ears trained over years of jungle patrols. The swishing sound of leaves compressing meant someone was standing still, but adjusting their balance. The tiny clicks meant broken branches, either they were fidgeting, or - claws.

"Dammit, Gibney," Cain drawled, slamming the axe down into the chopping block. "Last time you tried to lend me a hand you damn near took your whole foot off, now get the hell out of the bushes and--"

As he reached out to yank the brush aside, Cain paused when he saw Yvette's impassive face staring back at him. Mouth open, he stood silent for a moment. "Well, you ain't Gibney," he finally decided.

A small squeak had escaped her as the brush was yanked aside, and she found herself looking up - and up - at Cain. Taking her courage in her hands, she stepped forward (instead of fleeing back into the woods like she wanted) and clasped her hands behind her back. She'd gone without the gloves and socks, wanting to feel the ground beneath her and knowing she couldn't damage anything over much. "Ah, h-hello," she managed, wishing she could smile since the teeth-baring thing tended to have the opposite effect. "I am sorry to be interrupting you. I am Yvette."

"Yvette..." Cain pondered for a moment, then smiled widely. "Oh, right! You're new, from Yugoslav..." No, wait. It's called something else now. Damn European geography... "...Kosovo, right? Dave brought you back after you went to see your mom, yeah?"

"Kosovo, yes." Yvette nodded, amused at the near-slip. And the smile was reassuring, more "helpful woodsman" than "hungry giant". "Dave... he is being Mr. Haller, yes? He is bringing me back to school, for the learning. I am sorry, you are being Mr. Marko? I am being pleased to be meeting you. Angel, she is telling me the stories about you."

"Yeah, I am being... er, I'm Mr. Marko. Pleased to meet you too." Cain stuck out a hand, crouching to bring himself as close to Yvette's level as he could. The girl probably wouldn't even break five foot if she stood up straight, Cain figured, and from his experience it was a lot easier to put kids at ease when you weren't twice their height.

The crouching down helped - it was less of a strain on her neck at the very least. She shook her head slightly and kept her hands behind her back as he offered his, though. "I am being sorry. I am not wanting to be rude, but I am not shaking the hands. I am being not wearing my gloves, and I do not want to be hurting you. My skin, it is very sharp," she explained, sounding embarrassed.

Cain's mouth twitched, then he laughed. "Kiddo, I'm the last person you need to worry about." He reached out, sliding his hand over the blade of the large axe, then showing his palm to her, unmarked. "I'm one of those what can't be hurt, see? So don't worry your pretty little head none. If you want to stay and watch, you're more than welcome." An idea crossed his mind, and Cain smiled. "Or, if you want to help..."

Eyes wide, she carefully poked at the extended palm, eyes flaring brighter as nothing happened beyond a slight denting of the skin as she increased the pressure. Something relaxed in her then, and her posture changed. "This is indeed being the best place for me," she murmured to herself. "So many people I am not hurting..." Then she looked up at Cain and nodded. "Yes, please. I would like to be helping. So many of the people are being kind to me here, and I am wanting to, how you say? Push my own weight?"

"Carry your own weight," Cain corrected, standing up and grabbing another piece of wood. With a short swing of the axe, he split it in two, bouncing one piece up into his hand. "Sharp hands, huh?" he asked. "Catch." With that, he lobbed the chunk of wood over to Yvette like a softball.

Reflexively, she spread her hands to do just that, the chunk of wood dropping neatly into them. The momentum, added to the sharpness of her skin, meant that it continued moving, however, sliced into smaller chunks almost as cleanly as a bandsaw. She blinked at the pieces lying at her feet, a little awed - she'd known she was sharp, but actual demonstrations were rare. "Is being okay?" she asked, looking up at Cain.

"Perfect!" Cain exclaimed with a smile, stacking the rest of the wood. "I'll make the big pieces, you make the little pieces, deal?" He grinned as he split another chunk of wood, tossing more to Yvette for kindling.

"Mr. Marko size and Yvette size," she agreed with a giggle, catching the piece a little less awkwardly this time, moving her hands up to meet it so it sliced even faster. "It is being the deal."