Mail Order Husband [East and Lagertha]

[east]

Plane rides were uncomfortable, the air was dry, the constant shifting from side to side was nausiating, even first class with more leg room, and free drinks didn't make it desirable, and the twenty one hours of travel time from Vancouver to Cairo egypt had been just about as exausting as he could take. By the time the plane touched down, the man had his phone out, trying to find other ways to get back to his country of orgin that wouldn't be nearly so taxing on his body.

Kyle Stevens was a businessman, though he certianly didn't look it at the moment. He was sweaty, his skin had a slight shade of green to it as he got up. His jacket had been stowed in the overhead, and he was pretty sure that he wouldn't need it. He was wearing a dark T-shirt, if only so he could try and avoid sweat stains, his pants were silk fitted business pants, if only because they breathed well enough for him to wear it comfortably. his hair was a darker blond, and currently he was a tad on the scruffy side having not shaven for a while. Gathering up his things he was more than happy to be off the plain.

And immediately he was hit with the heat of Egypt, and the sweltering sun. This was a place where he honestly kind of never wanted too step foot again, and thankfully he would only be here for the single night. Leaving tomorrow morning, with the reason he had come this far out of his way in the first place.

His new wife.

Stevens had never been great at dating, or making friends. Then there was the fact that he had money, He kind of disliked the idea that a woman could love him for his cash. So he had decided to go a little old world. He had signed up to an arranged marriage site, trying to find someone young, and cute that he could purchase. The way he saw it if he bought the girl from the start than they probably could move past the whole money thing.

And the contract he had signed with the girls legal guardians was pretty comical actually. He had pretty much full rights over his new wife. Sure some would probably call that a tad bit evil. He looked over the girls photo's in his phone, at least the parents had been readily able to agree, and the dowry was paid a nice 10,000cad which in this countries currency was 13,7583.59 that and the price of travel out of this country. He had opted out of any kind of ceremony, such things would really delay his travels.

Which reminded him he seriously needed to find a better way to get back to Vancouver after this.

 

[Lagertha]

"Claire.." The voice came as a whisper, knocking on her door. A soft thing, the voice called again. "Claire...wake up." The sun had already risen outside the small home, and the animals were stirring. The bedroom was silent, save for the breathing of something under the sheets curled up on a ball on the floor. When there was no response, the door made of old wood opened slowly. It came closer, whispering to the lump on the ground of tatthered sheets. A hand came down, touching the lump as the body slumped down with a loud thud, a grunt escaping the lips of a man. "Claire, my child..you should be up by now." He patted her thigh, gripping it and watching her twist under the sheets. Out came a pale foot, connecting with his dark tanned skin. He laughed as it hit his side, and moved to grip the sixteen year olds foot. It was odd to the man. Memories flooded his head to the time she had been born, so small he might have crushed her if he held her wrong. He could still probably hurt her if he was not careful, but it amazed him how much she had grown.

"Seems like only yesterday I was holding you in my arms as you cried for your mother's milk." He patted her leg, a groan sounding from her lips. By no means were the Kató's rich. They had enough money for food and water, to maintain their crops and foods, and for his equipment to work on the digs. Jacob, her father, was not the tallest of men, or the best built. It's true his skin had grown dark from the amounts of sun exposure doing his digs in the sand, it's true he had learned the language of Egypt and fallen in love with a local, and it was true that his head was as bald as a baby's bum. It was also true, that he was originally from America, but having fallen in love with his wife; Babes, who refused to leave her country even though she was poor, he had left it all behind to have a life here with her..in the slums of their world. Love had made him a wealthy man, but had also left his family poor. Still, he was happy. Babes had gifted him with a beautiful daughter, who was mostly helpful when she was awake. "Wake up, Claire, we have work to do." Jacob always addressed his daughter by her middle name. It suited her more, he felt, but his wife might smack him if he heard the name. She had never liked it, it was too American. "Claire!" The girl did not stir until the fabrics. Angry, Jacob rose to his feet, standing only five and eight, before gripping the blanket and pulling it off his daughter's body. With a grunt, Bosede Claire Kató, awoke, one green eye opened to the dusty room. Her skin was pale, burnt by the sun from too much exposure, her shirt and pants clung to her body; a nice chest, nice curves, wild hair that spread out against the mattress, dark with blonde streaking through it. Her lips were full, her face round, her brows were only a little arched, with large eyes and long lashes, and her nose was a small button of a thing. Jacob laughed at the site of his daughter, before knocking her on the noggin. "Get up. Your mother has left, you must get up and do your chores."

"Ughhh." Bosede rubbed her eyes, before finally moving to get up. There was a small dresser in her room, a few books, and she yawned. "Where did mama go?" She looked around the room, light filtered in through the cracks in the walls, as she went to the dresser to open it up. She pulled out some clothes, a bra, panties, some pants.
Jacob was at her door, back turned. He was ready to leave, but first he would answer her questions.

"She took the truck and went into the city. Picking up someone, she said." Jacob sighed, rubbing his head. "Nonetheless, Claire, you need to do your chores until she gets back. My companions are here to pick me up for work." Jacob wore a loose long white shirt, and dirty pants. "I will see you tonight." He smiled, waving bye to his daughter. Despite being poor, at least she had her own room.
​

~*~ ~*~ ~*~​

The mother was at the airport as promised. She had signed her daughter up for a dating site, using the only computer they had. It's true, Bosede Claire Kató had the wore room in the house, but majority of it they had electricity...majority meant the parents room. The girl had never been online, besides browsing with her mother, and her mother had always looked over her daughters shoulders. Sure. She did not speak a lot of language. Sure, she had to find out how to translate web pages online. Sure, the laptop and majority of things that were nice were stashed in their room. Jacob had often yelled at Babes for that, their daughter would grow up not knowing anything about technology if she continued to horde it, and well..Babes had the habit of using all the clean water to bath. You had to give it to the small women, she had been poor her whole life.

Short, Babes only stood around five and five, and she waited by the entrance. The image of the man played in her head. A site she had chosen for her daughter to date. A site where she had signed her up, taken pictures of her from their camera and uploaded online. She knew everything about her daughter, and luckily the site was fluent -for the most part- at translating text. So many hits Babes had gotten for her daughter, and she had kept it hush hush, a surprise. Finally...this man had caught her eye, someone her daughter would love, and after a while she had accepted his payment, and the contract without reading it fully. For it had bene in English, and Babes spoke none. So the site had translated it, but not well enough. So babes had thought the payment was a new form of dating...so she was wrong.

Kyle Stevens. She held his name up on a card with her rough handwriting. At least she had known this was his name. She waited, a blue blouse, black pants, sandals, dark tanned skin with her dark eyes and dark hair. A contrast to her husbands lighter tone of tan, and brighter eyes. When she saw him. Babes raised her arm in the air with a wide smile, waving it around widely. "Over here!" The woman shouted in Arabic.​

 

[east]

Some would probably question why choose a sixteen year old for a wife? Sixteen was the age of consent in canada, so what he was doing was technically legal, but only in the most technical and broad sense of the law, and if you took out any and all of the exploitation laws, and other minor protections, which thankfully Egypt didn't have. Even so Stevens choice was most likely not a popular one, it probably would have been more socially appropriate to go for an older and possibly more experienced whore.

The answer was simple, because she had been convenient. The ten thousand he had paid from his accounts was probably the cheapest dowry he could have pitched, and there had been no haggling in any of his dealings. As he got off the plane, and immediately hated the smell of this country he couldn't exactly say he was excited to stick around. He checked his phone, twenty hours to pick up his wife and get out of this dump of a third world country.

He scanned the airport expecting to see the young girl that was his wife to be instead finding a much older woman speaking in Arabic. Stevens knew enough of the trade languages to get along. He was a native English speaker, but had learned Spanish, Mandarin and was working on Russian. Arabic had been too far down on that list, and not in his industry so it hadn't seemed important. Arabic was for imports and oil, Stevens worked in exports, and was primarily in accounting.


His green eyes looked over the older woman with suspicion if he was being cat-fished it would cost them dearly thanks tot he contract that they had signed. If the contract was broken in anyway the family would be responsible for returning the money sent three times over.

Approaching babes Kyle stood an imposing six foot three by contrast his head towering over the mothers.

"Excuse me, but where is Bosede, I assumed she was going to be here to greet me." He spoke with a broken bit of the language it was clear that he did not share a common tongue with this woman.

It was an uncomfortable feeling of unease in that moment. He wasn't entirely sure if he had been cat-fished, or if this was some sort of attempt at a slave trade, of course he had read the internet and heard of groups that would lure people in to sell into slavery, but that always seemed more of a woman's problem than a mans.

 

[Lagertha]

"Ohhh." Babes smiled and bowed. She was thankful he spoke some Arabic, this would be easier. She looked up at him, eyes sparkling as if she wished she were her daughter. Ah, she remembered the first time she had seen Jacob. She hoped Bosede would feel the same seeing this man.

"She is back at the farm." The woman extended her hand, face cracking with her old age. She gripped his arm, urging him to follow her. Babes moved towards the doors, pointing to a dusty run down jeep that was barely held together. "I will take you to the home. You will meet and talk!" Babes giggled like a child, excited for her daughter. For...the woman still believed this man was only coming for a short time to meet her and to date Bosede. Oh..what she was about to find out.

"Do you have any bags?" Babes talked fast, and what he did not understand, she tried to mime out. The woman was not very good at the whole thing, and she had no idea how long he would be staying with them. Still, she waved her hand, moving to the care, and opening up the passenger side for him. "I drive, ok?" The woman let go of him, moving to the other side, opening the door, and slipping inside. She patted the seat next to her, covered in sand, held together by hand stitching. "Come, come! I must hurry back! Bosede will be so mad she is left alone on the farm!"​

~*~ ~*~ ~*~​

The drive was roughly three hours away from where they lived. Bosede had fed the animals; the pigs, the chickens, the camels, the goats. She had cleaned them all, shoveled out their stalls, and even played with some of them. Bosede Was in the kitchen when she heard the car still in the driveway. A tattered apron was around her waist, covering the sleeveless shirt and shorts she wore, sandals made by hand were wrapped around her feet, and her hair was pulled up, covered by a decorative scarf.

Babes lead the way form the car. Dirt surrounded the home, a small pound was nearby where wild animals would gather. She opened the door, their house a rather large thing of one story made from old pieces of wood. Babes walked inside, opening them to a small one room where a table was set up, pillows on the ground lined it, a sink where the water ran, and a long cabinet in the back that made up the majority of where they prepared food. There was also a small fire, behind Bosede, who was over the sink washing some of the chickens she had killed. A basket of eggs was next to her, and some vegetables they had gotten from town the other day.

"Bosede!" Babes clapped her hands together, a gleeful smile on her face. Her daughter was short, only standing at five feet tall. Bosede did not look at her, as Babes ran up to her to hug her.

"Mama, I'm busy. I have a knife! be careful!" Bosede swatted at her mother, knife in hand as she moved to cut off the excess of the chicken. "I'll have breakfast ready in a bit."

"Bosede! Bosede!" Babes repeated her name, gripping her shoulders. Bosede nearly dropped the knife on her hand. "I brought someone! Look! Look!" Babes finally turned her daughter who argued with her. Silence befell Bosede as she was turned around, seeing the stranger in their home.

"Who the hell are you?" Bosede questioned.​

 

[east]

It was times like this that Kyle kind of wished he was amarican. In canada gun stores are far less common, and the licencing laws, as well as the fact that most are single action hunting riffles rather than pistols made getting a gun pretty much not worth it for anyone who was in the city. As such when he grabbed his bag from the airport he felt a little more defenseless as he grabbed his bag and chose to follow this random old woman on the promise of a future wife.

One day he would look back at this experaince and hopefully he would find it amusing. Getting into the car he was again assaulted by heat of this country, and the smells of farm lands. Something that as a kid who grew up in a city center he was hardly accustomed too. The smell only got worse as they hit up farm land, and he kind of hated each and every passing awkward moment with nothing but the radio which played songs in languages he didn't understand, and that was when it chose to actually function.

For the moment at least he chose to lean his head back and sleep considering he didn't need to keep his eye on the road at all. He could regain his sense of self after his long flight.

~*~*~*~​

When he got to their home he almost chuckled as Kyle realized what was actually happening. Or at least what was happening as he saw it. The dirt, the shit house, they were selling their daughter so that they could have a better life. He supposed if the price of getting out of a shit hole like this was one child he probably would have sold one as well, not that he had any or intended to have any. Despite having bought a wife he actually had no intention of having a kid, and made sure that all of that was on ice literally. Why take the risk? He had some of his sperm frozen, and then had a vasectomy. A child early in his career would have killed him financially such a thing should be planned for when it happens.

Walking past he knew he was a guest in their home, and had enough experience to know not to say anything disrespectful. His confirmation that the mother was selling the girl off came in part by the way that while he could immediately recognize the girl in front of him, she did not seem to recognize him from the pictures he had sent off. Probably because the mother had kept them.

Kyle folded his arms for a moment, his eyes looking over the girl as if appraising her for a moment when she asked who the hell he was. He didn't much care for the tone, but supposed if the mother hadn't told her anything than this would be a bit of a shock for the girl so he let her words slide for today.

"Bosede Claire Kato?" He said confirming the girls identity for a moment, before going into his jacket and producing the contract the mother had already signed online, a copy of it anyway. He pushed the few stacks of papers towards the girl not really sure if she would even understand all of the English, hell his lawyers had written the damned thing and so he barely understood it. "I'm Kyle Stevens, your new husband."

At this point he figured that it was probably for the best if he just ripped the band-aid off quickly, he had spoken in English though and he was praying that the girl spoke enough to understand him. It would be annoying if he had to give her remedial language classes, or teach her how to function in his society. Though by the looks of things he was pretty sure he would, because by the look of their dining room he wasn't entirely sure that they even had electricity in there home.

 

[Lagertha]

Bosede knew some english, it was true. Afterall, her father was American and even then he still had trouble speaking Arabic from time to time. She listened to him, as he spoke her full name, her brows furrowed. Babes was holding her shoulders, almost jumping up and down from the thing she had done. She thought she had done good for her daughter, helped her find a mind she liked, but they were both about to learn the truth.

The contract came out, papers and she gave him a confused glance. Though, he presented them to her, and it was his words next that made her lips split before she grabbed the papers. More like, she yanked them from his hands. Her mother looked own over her shoulder, as Bosede flipped through what she could read. No, she did not know much English, but she knew more than her mother.

"Oh, that was just some document I needed to sign online for your date. Aren't you excited? He's so handsome!" Babes clapped her hands with a big smile, but Bosede glared at her.

"Mama!" Bosede yelled, turning towards her mother and slapping the papers on her hip. "These are not papers to date someone!" Bosede lifted them up, wavering them in the air, she was angry. "This man says he is my husband!" Bosede crie, and her mother looked at her horrified.

"No..you are lying!" Babes shook her head.

"No! This is a contract for my hand! He gave you money? Mama! He gave you money for me!" Bosede advanced on her mother, they were screaming in arabic at one another. She flailed her arms, and her mother held her own in front of her face.

"There must be a mistake! Lemme see!" Babe ripped the papers out of Bosede hands, tearing some and half. A grunt came from the girl as some of the pages fell down on the dirt. Babes looked over them as Bosede rolled her eyes.

"It's English, Mama. You can't read!" The papers came down that she held in her hand, swatting at her mother. Babes made a twisted disgusted face. "Did he give you money for me?" Bosede growled. Her mother's smiling face still, terror striking it, but she was silent as if afraid to tell. "Mama.." Bosede's voice cracked, eyes teary. "You weren't that dumb were you..."

"We should...wait for your father to get home. He could talk to him maybe.." Babes was whispering now, trying to still herself and her daughter who was ready to break down. Bosede turned away from Kyle, grabbing the bowl full of eggs and flinging it on the ground breaking them all. "..he'd be able to communicate better than us..maybe talk the man out of it." Babes was silent as Bosede sniffled. She waited a few moments as her daughter slammed her fist against the table a few times. Bang. Bang. Bang. Her fist went, making the woman jump. "Can you...Tell him we need to wait for your father?" Babes finally said after a moment.

"You want me to talk to the man you sold me to?" Bosede retorted. Babes only nodded her head. Bosede rubbed her face, at least her back was to the strange man. She could not believe her mother. "First..tell me you did not spend the money.." Babes was silent, and Bosede sighed as she rubbed away the snot collecting on her nose. She breathed in deeply.

"Mama..says wait...for Papa." Bosede spoke the english crudely, as best she could. It was slow, drawn out in very long pauses. It was clear the girl was not fluent in the language. Only knowing very miniscule amounts.​

 

[east]

Kyle had never hidden his intentions at any point, and he was starting to see that while he had been honest from the start, his idea of 'hey lets find a wife on the internet' was probably a bad one. Hearing the fast paced argument in a language he could barely speak just made him feel a little tired. Plus he had dragged himself to this shit hole of a farm to do so. Sure the woman was cute, but looking at her she was a tad on the smaller and young side.

He looked between the two folding his arms as they spoke maybe catching some of the words. At first it had seemed like the mother had sold her daughter to try and make life easier for herself, the way things were playing out however this was more like some kind of comical miscommunication.

Only he was probably the only one actually in a position to laugh.

The only question then was did he desire to enforce the contract, or would he leave? The money was much less a pressing matter. Sure it would suck to have paid as much as he had and walk away with nothing, the chances of him getting anything from the broken contract clause was slim just looking at their ramshackle home he doubted they had anything of value. Which was odd, he had given the woman enough money that in this country it could have bought a much larger and more comfortable house, the fuck did they spend it on? or had they just not spent any of it yet?

hearing the girl speak English he actually let out a groan for a moment. Not because she was telling him to wait for another person, he was stuck here till tomorrow, though he was certainly considering heading back to the city and getting a hotel, this place smelled of animals, and had little to no signal on his phone.

Looking at the contract that she was holding he just rolled his eyes. They probably thought he was some sort of slaver, which again comedy of errors was the same thought he had when he had first met Babes at the airport. Trying to think on how to say this. He tried to parse out his words in Arabic. <"I never hid my intent, the website, was for arranging marriages.">

He pulled out his phone, having to hold it up for a moment so that he could get enough signal to download the page, before turning the screen towards the young woman showing her the website that he had used. Indeed it was for setting up and arranging marriages online.

Trying to think of how to talk to the girl in English he walked towards the table and sat down at a chair. He put the phone down with the screen up so that the two women could look at it.

"How much schooling have you been too?" He asked the girl, he pointed to her profile where it did say that she had an education, though he supposed out here in the sticks it was probably either home schooling or public elementary she was old enough to be in high school and it was a Thursday, so there was no reason for her to be home.

 

[Lagertha]

Bosede smacked her mother, telling her to call Jacob. Babes looked at her, before looking at the man as he spoke in broken Arabic.

"Will you be alright with him? If I leave for a moment?" Bosede did not look at her mother, and Babes nodded as she moved to leave the room, to go outside to call Jacob.

The girl watched the man sit down, at the table with no chairs and only pillows to sit. He seemed...out of place in this setting, and she could not help but laugh a bit at it. Kyle was definitely her type of man, that much was true. Still Bosede turned her back, kneeling down to pick up the eggs that had broken on the dirt ground. She looked at him, when he mentioned never hiding his intention, and as he placed the phone down for her to see.

With the bowl of broken eggs in her hand, hand dripping of yolk, Bosede walked over slowly to the handmade table to look down. There. Easily, she could see the website. She expected to see his profile, but instead the phone was on hers. Photos of her running with the horses, crawling on the ground trying to catch chickens. There was even the small image of a photo of her in the city, all of her laughing and smiling.

Her head inclined when he asked how much schooling she had been given. "I...dropped." Bosede admitted, as best she could. Though, it was hard for her to know which words to use. "High." That was one word she knew. High school. Bosede had never finished high school. Her mother had grown so overwhelmed with the farm that had to drop out..not to mention there had been a few rough years since then, a drought, nothing found in Jacob's digs, no payments. Babes, they could hear her outside on the phone, speaking in arabic to her father. It was a few minutes, and Bosede was ready to turn her back to finish making breakfast..an add a guest to the menu, as Babes came through the front door holding the phone.

"I can not understand him." Jacob was shrieking in english on the other side, Babe holding the phone to the daughter. Bosede rubbed the yolk off her hands onto the apron before walking slowly over to the phone.

"What do you mean there is a strange man in our house? THAT YOU INVITED?" Bosede glared at the mother. No. She supposed the mother had told him, and he had tried to speak to her in Arabic before getting so distraught he could not think of the words. So, she held the phone away, in front of her as she sighed. "YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO SIGH AT THIS CONVERSATION WOMAN!" Jacob shrieked, his voice cracking, though the service was spotty and he cut out.

"Papa." Bosede spoke barefully, having some trouble with the word. Jacob was panting and huffing, had he been running? "Papa. Come home."

"Claire.." Jacob cried. "What is going on?" Still he spoke in english. Jacob began to ramble too;"Your mother said that she invited a man to our home..that he's trying to steal you away-"

"Papa. Don't understand!" Bosede talked over him, as he rambled on the words. "No understand!" Bosede stomped her leg, frustrated.

"Give it to him!" Babes said pointing to Kyle. "He understand Eng..lish.." Bosede glared at her mother, Jacob had calmed down.

"Ok..I'll be home in a few hours. Please..don't leave until I get there." He paused, realizing he was still talking in english. "Stay Claire. Don't leave. Understand?"

Bosede smiled and nodded her head. "Understand." She hung up the phone, her mother's hands were together as if she were praying, but Bosede turned on her mother, smacking her across the face as she flung the phone down in her other hand. Babes looked at her daughter horrified. She spoke in Arabic now; "That website! You put me on! Is for arranging marriages! In the contract, the men have to pay a dowry for their wives hands, and you accepted!"

"So..." Babes straightened herself. "I'll give it back...what we have left."

"What..did you spend it on?" Bosede grimaced at her mother.

Babes smiled softly, rubbing her hands. "It won't matter what I spent it on if you leave...it was for you." Bosede rubbed her forehead with one hand, her mother frowned. "Tell him, I'll give him back what I have."

"Wait for Papa, Mama. I don't know enough English."

"Well, you should have paid more attention to your father!" Babes stated.

Bosede only rolled her eyes as she moved back to the kitchen, grabbing the knife to continue cutting the chicken. She cut it up, throwing it in a pot over an open fire. "Mama...what I could read...you can't give the money back." Tears were still in her eyes, as Bosede watched the chicken cook, poking it with a stick that had been widdle down.

"What?" Babes looked at her confused. Bosede pointed to the papers she had before pointing to the ones Babes still held.

"Keep them for Papa to read...I think he'll see it too." Bosede said softly. She got up, grabbing the vegetables she had cut up earlier before they came, and threw them in with the chicken. "I need some water." Bosede stood up, brushing her hands off on the apron before she moved out to go out of the front door.

"What about him?" Babes pointed to Kyle. "You want me to stay in here with him?" Bosede looked at her rolling her eyes.

"You stay...or come?" Bosede looked at him, speaking what broken english she knew. "I fetch...water." She pointed in the distance, not at the pound but at the well a mile away from the home.​

 

[east]

Kyle could hear faintly the sound of english, fluent angry, and panicked as it was he knew the words, and immediately it raised so many questions. If the girls father spoke english natively why the hell didn't he teach her daughter? Did that mean this girls father was someone from another country?

The idea was kind of laughable he had no idea why anyone would actively or willingly give up the first world and come to live on a farm like this one. Oh he knew and could appreciate a hard days work, he had paid with his university through taking up jobs at construction sites, there was nothing like the work of tying Rebar, it was heavy exausting work, but it paid well, and had helped to shape his body into the broad muscled frame he had today.

But out here? He could see a hundred different jobs that could have paid better, and would have given the girl more of a life. When she told him that she had dropped out it actually hurt him a little. Sure education wasn't everything it was cracked up to be, some people will tell you that steve jobs didn't have a degree, those people would also fail to tell you about Steve Wozniak the man who built the Apple 1, and had a bachelors in electronic engineering.

He sighed and rubbed his nose for a moment when he listened to all of the bickering and shouting going on with the phone. He didn't really care, and it sounded like the girls family had no way of giving him back his money, at this point it was a sunk cost.

When the girl offered a chance to leave the house and go with him for a walk he nodded his head, and got up from the pillow. He hated this farm, he hated everything about this, and the mother, uneducated, thoughtless and a tad on the careless side. It seemed like if she had spoken to anyone at any point this disaster could have been averted.

He got up and walked with the girl. Once they were outside of the house he let out a long sigh of relief, and fell in beside the girl, getting rid of her parents even if it was just for a little while seemed to make the transition a bit easier.

"Just so you know... it wasn't my intention... to hurt you." He said walking alongside her. He knew if nothing else the language barrier was something he would need to work on fixing, classes be it either enrollment into a proper school, or tutors either one he could pay for, maybe a private school where they have a cute uniform.

He shook his head for a moment already thinking he was going to have to care for the woman he was supposed to be marrying to help him take his mind off of the stressful things. "Where I am from, money cause problems, too much of it, and you become lonely."

"I guess I thought if i threw a bit of money at the problem of having money that would go away." He chuckled probably not even making sense as he switched to English, and even he wasn't really sure what he was saying.

"You lonely here?" He asked looking around. It seemed like it was just their farm for a long distance, just animals and, come to think of it he had never seen another person in any of the photos in that profile that wasn't her immediate family.

 

[Lagertha]

Bosede nodded when Kyle followed her. Ah. It was awkward how tall he was and how much older. She lead the way, the wind blowing up sand, but she did not really speak. Only, she looked at him when he sighed and seemed to relax when it was just the two of them. She wondered what her father might say when he got home.

"Hm?" She could hear him speaking broken Arabic, before he went back to english. She understood what he was saying. So, he did not mean to harm her? Yet..he had. Then again it was not his fault. Babes had thought she was doing something good for the daughter, but really she had no idea. If anyone was to blame it was the mother.

English. English she could understand for the most part, and her father had not taught her a lot since...well no one spoke it around here. The mother had refused to learn any, so no English was spoken unless he was really mad.

"Lonely?" She pointed at him. It seemed she knew that word. He meant he was lonely? That'd why he had joined that site and paid for her? Bosede looked forward, it would be a while until they got to well moving at this speed. So she walked a bit faster.

They were almost there, halfway perhaps. Even when they got there, she'd still have to fish for the water. His words hit her, and she looked at him. Ah he was asking her if she was lonely. Bosede did not have any friends. Not since she had left high school to help her family. She would have gone to work, had her mother not be frightened she was going to be trafficked. Her animals, the wild ones too, were her friends. However...that was not like human companionship. Lately..her parents had been fighting more.

"Yes." Bosede said after a moment. "Only..family." She pointed behind them before moving closer to the well. Ah. When she was near, she smiled and picked up that apron and ran. Not a care in the world. The scarf on her head unfolded, coming undone and blowing away in the breeze to reveal her hair. The girl seemed not to care as she grabbed the bucket, throwing it down in the well before she started to crank. "Egypt...I love." Bosede said when he got closer. "Home." This was difficult. Talking like this. She felt primitive. Half the time she was not even sure she was conveying herself right or saying the wrong word.​

 

[east]

Kyle could actually understand the love of someones home, though he didn't see it. To him this country was unpleasant from the onset. Not to mention that the country it's self was home to several conflicts at the state level, he as a white canadian, and a rather wealthy one at that kind of felt like an outsider in a dangerous space. Like at any moment he would step on a mine and be seriously maimed.

That said this dirt farm, despite the fact that it was a dirt farm, was her home. It seemed like it was all she had ever known, and it did feel weird to drag her completely out of her element. Then again staying here was... beyond thought or option.

"Opposite." He said pointing to himself. "No family, No loved ones."

Kyle shook his head, his life was a mix of co-workers, and strangers, humans that at any point could have been friends, but he had always been too busy, first with a mix of work and school, and then as a competitor on the corporate ladder. He had back stabbed, and hustled his way to his spot, and the honest truth was... at the end of the day he had no one he could actually rely on. His family were all gone.

He pulled out his phone, showing her pictures of the lush green of his city, the several beaches, he had gone too, the places he had enjoyed both as a kid and as a man. He showed her locations like Stanley Park, and first beach, two lush green locations close too the pacific ocean which were near and dear to his heart. but though he had lots of landscape pictures, and a few dumb selfies, the pictures told the story of someone who had always gone to these places alone, not a single friend or other person in them.

"This is my home. Canada." He said with a slight wistfulness. "I have to go tomorrow."

Though he wasn't going directly back to canada, he figured he would take a few detours in Europe first, he did have a couple of days and a lot of money he could burn. "First to Paris, and parts of Europe, than back to my city, Vancouver."

 

[Lagertha]

Bosede looked at him when he spoke, brows raising as she continued to crank the well. It made an annoying sound, metal rubbing together, as though it was so rusted it might break at any point in time. She had to tilt her head back to look up at him. Boy, he was tall. Her smile faded when he talked about not having that himself.

"Why? Why no love?" She was curious. He was good looking. Seemed friendly. Why would he have no one? Was there something seriously wrong with him? By the looks of him..he looked like someone that would want to skip out living out here and go straight back to the city. So..she wondered why he was staying. Maybe, perhaps he was just curious..or wanted his money back.

The bucket hit the water after a good twenty minutes. Plop! She heard the sound, and moved over to the well leaving over it to look down. No. The bottom was not visible, but still it broke out a smile on her face. "Water!" Bosede said, pointing below and looking at him. Though, the phone was there, showing her photos. She looked at it, grabbing it to scroll through the photos. No..there was only him. When he spoke of his home, she raised a brow looking at him. So that was his home? That was what Canada looked like? Then he spoke of other places. She understand the names, but not the words between.

"No understand." Bosede shrugged her shoulders shaking her head, and handed him back his phone. She moved back, cranking the bucket back up. Of course it was heavier now, and it was slower. Still she worked, on her tip toes then down, pushing all her weight into it, sweat beading on her head.

In the distance, she could see a car approaching on the horizon sending birds and animals running. Bosede smiled, pointing as she continued to crank. "Papa!" Though, it was hard to make out the car with the heat rolling off surface clouding it. Humidity shrouded it with the sand that rolled up under it. It seemed, Jacob had not been as far from home as he thought, or he had decided to come home earlier than expected. "Papa speak..you." Bosede said. She meant he could speak with him, but she was not sure she had said it well enough.​

 

[east]

As he watched Bosede work Kyle actually helped her to pull the water up, his broad muscles flexing as he made the work go faster till the two of them had the water that they needed. He saw the car in the distance, and for a moment thought he would be dealing with another Egyptian, but the man that stepped out of the car was american. He was both surprised and not, he supposed that the girl had to get her more pale skin from somewhere. It did explain a bit of the little English the girl had, though he was a little exasperated by the fact that she didn't actually speak the language.

Jacob for his part seemed furious as he stepped out of the car, walking towards the man he didn't know fists clenched. Kyle immediately recognized what was about to happen, and before the man could take a swing on him, Kyle ducked down and in getting under Jacob as he attempted to take a swing at the man.

From there it was instincts he had not used since highschool wrestling, His hands went around Jacob's stomach His neck bracing as he gripped the other mans stomach, and then threw him over shoulder as he lifted with his knees tossing Jacob over his shoulder so that the man would land flat on his back.

"Before you get up, lets try not to be rash here?" Kyle said a slight puff to his breath as the toss still put him at a disadvantage, it had been a while since he had done anything like that.

Jacob on the other hand seemed shocked for the most part as he was suddenly put on the ground. seeing a hand being offered to him by the man he had just tried to assault. "The fuck is going on?"

"Oh sweet goodness English I have never been so happy to hear it in my life." Kyle said helping the man up the anger seemingly disapating for a moment as the two men tried to collect themselves.

"No seriously the fuck is going on, my wife calls me at work, and tells me that there is a strange man trying to take my daughter away."

"Not exactly how I would put it, but I can see where she stands on this, to be fair your wife sold your daughter to me, and that was before I even knew I was talking to a woman who didn't understand what the site she signed up for was even for." Kyle rubbed the bridge of his nose, and the two looked at each other for a moment, then to Bosede whom the two men had in their attack forgotten about for a moment.

Jacob took the water, and started to walk beside his daughter protecting her from the other man. Kyle started to explain things as he knew them.

"I signed up for a website where people can arrange marriages, Your wife, approached me as your daughter, her english was... well it was run through google translate, but I never hid any intention of what the site was for, and I said about six times that my intent was marriage." Kyle gave a shrug. Though Jacob was still angry, he could tell that much, the man seemed to glare at him.

"You realize she's sixteen and your what like?"

"Fourty three, under canadian law it's technically legal, and well... she was the first and only one to approach me, I was always too nervous to actually message other people. Anyway the legalities are all in the contract on the kitchen table, which your wife signed. Technically speaking she already belongs to me." Kyle said pointing to Bosede, that comment got the other man to throw another punch, this one landing right in kyles gut, however kyle seemed to stagger and just take the hit.

 

[Lagertha]

Bosede was surprised by the man helping her. She watched him, eyes bright, before she smiled. No. Her skin was pale and she would need to go in soon, but he was making the work faster. It was surprising by the way he was dressed, she would think he was not used to this work.

"Papa!" Bosede waved as he approached, but she could see how angry he was. She backed up, holding the bucket of water as she took it off the rope. The girl jumped as he swung, and then Kyle fought back toppling him to the ground.

Some of the water fell out of the bucket as she froze watching the two man huff and puff before Kyle helped her father up. "Papa...everything ok?" Bosede talked in Arabic, at least she could with him.

She walked over by her father, allowing them to separate her from Kyle. Every other word she caught from them, until she saw Jacob swing at Kyle. Bosede had allowed Jacob to take the bucket from her so she did not spill more. Bosede moved, trying to help Kyle stand back up straight. She did not fully understand why they were fighting, or what they were talking about, but she figured it was over the contract.

Bosede ran into the house when they were close enough, brushing the sweat off her her forehead. Babes was stirring the food when Bosede walked in. She looked up, as Bosede turned around to grab the water. Yes, they had running water in the sink for the most part, but Bosede liked the taste from the well water when she cooked. She moved, going over to the open flame, grabbing a wooden spoon, to pour water into the pan over the flame.

"Husband." Babes smiled, before looking at Kyle. Her smile faded, knowing she was in trouble.​

 

[east]

"It's okay Claire." Jacob said brushing her head, for a moment he wasn't about to let this stranger waltz in and take his daughter from him, at this point she was the only thing that kept him in this country, though in reality he had been worried lately, money was getting so much tighter, and his own daughter had to drop out of high school.

Kyle leaned on Bosede for a moment thanking her as he staggered from the punch, but watched Jacob with a closer eye from that point on.

Jacob walked up to his wife anger still burning in his eyes, his hand pulling back to smack the woman, but as he pulled it forward the hand wouldn't budge.

Kyle's hand was tightly around Jacob's wrist. "We can solve this without hitting the women."

Jacob snorted, and pulled his wrist away from Kyle's grasp a glare of death on his eyes as they walked in and took seats around the table, this time Kyle sat next to Bosede, making sure to watch Jacob closely.

Kyle picked up the contract, reading it over for a long moment. <"Why did you do this woman?"> He could read the contract in it's entirety and sighed putting the papers down on the table.

<"Where is the money? what did you spend it on?"> Jacob asked his wife, trying to think about how they were supposed to do this? as it was there was no way they could afford to repay this, even if they sold the land they lived on it would only be a fraction of the cost of the break clause.

 

[Lagertha]

Bosede looked at her father, she could tell it was not alright. The girl moved, fixing the last of the meal as Jacob came close, raising his fist to Babes. She jumped as Kyle intervened. Thankful, Bosede let a sigh out.

She watched them carefully sit down, Babes moving to grab some wooden plates and set the table. No silver ware. There were rags set down for their napkins and she too sat next to her husband. Bosede finished mixing the chicken and vegetables with the well water, watching it for a few minutes before she moved, and served it on the table.

Bosede listened in on her father talking to her mother in Arabic. She let out a long sigh as she moved and served everyone before, sitting next to Kyle who ushered her there. Her father on the other side of him. Weird man this Kyle was.

"I did not know." Babes shrugged, lifting her arms up and shaking her head.

"I spent some of it on a car..for us and Bosede." Babes continued. "I wanted to buy her a proper bed, but I wanted to show you first..I wanted to surprise you with a better car. I just bought it. I should be able to return it still." Babes said concerned. Bosede tried not to listen, just silently sitting next to Kyle. "Jacob, husband..we can not provide for ourselves. Maybe it is best she goes with him, for a better life?"

"No!" Bosede was outraged. She glared at her mother. "I do not wish to leave my home."​

 

[east]

"She spent it on a car." Jacob said in english trying to be a reluctant translator for Kyle. He nodded the family needed things like that, a car if anything could have been useful, but at the same time when she spoke about actually allowing Bosede to be taken to another country. The man looked defeated.

Jacob spoke to his family as he looked at the contract. Jacob looked to the man who was wanting to take his daughter, and then looked to his daughter who didn't want to leave. "Even if we can break this legally Claire it would be a mark on you. If we were in america it would be different, second even third marriages are common, here? you would be alone... forever."

Kyle was trying his best to interpret as much of the conversation as he could between the family, but also keeping quiet as he looked at the food, it was one of those hospitality things he knew he should eat, but he wasn't actually very hungry all of the sudden despite being starving.

Kyle thinking he could follow a bit of the conversation turned to Jacob. "If she goes with me, she will be back in school before the year is out, it will take time but she would resettle, good clothing, good food, a life that frankly I don't think either of you could imagine for your daughter. I would take care of her."

Jacob sneered for a moment. "I do not like this man, but he is offering you a chance to go to school, to have things, to live a better life than we can afford. We won't have the farm in two years, with him you will at least have something."

"Tell her, that I can give her a choice." Kyle moved the contract towards Bosede.

"He says, that he does not wish to take you if you have no desire to go with him, but know that if you stay... things will get worse from here Claire. I hate this, but, your mother isn't wrong."

 

[Lagertha]

Bosede was listening in, she felt like a foreigner in her own home. It was strange. The walls she had grown up felt empty as they spoke about her leaving. Her smiling face turned sober at the thought. Egypt, Africa in general, was not like where her father had come from. She did not have the option of voiding a marriage, it would still sully her for a future proposal. She looked down at her food, moving it around with a finger. Bosede was no longer hungry.

"But you need me.." She muttered. Babes smiled, bowing her head. Babes pulled on Jacob's arm, asking him to translate. It must have sucked, being the one in the middle for them all.

Bosede knew the farm was not doing well. Perhaps, she had just thought that everything would be okay. That if she stayed and helped she could fix it all..but perhaps them taking the money would help them as well as her. "So?" Bosede scoffed. Babes could only frown. The woman hated being right.

"I did not intend for this daughter. However, this will be good for you..you've always wanted to travel, and we can still write." Bosede jerked her hand away from her mother, who tried to grab it to console her. "I deserve that." Babes said resting her hands in her lap.

"But..you need me." Bosede tried to muse. Still Babes shook her head, choosing to answer before Jacob. Afterall, it was her fault this had happened.

"We need you to be happy and healthy. Your father and I will be fine..the money was good, we can live better off." Babes frowned. "You can live better off with this man...you are young enough that transitioning from one world into another won't be so hard." Bosede shoved her plate forward, she moved to stand up.

"I'm not hungry." The girl was just a teenager, hormones and all. She huffed as she got up, taking her plate.

"Daughter...you should-" Babes started.

"It doesn't sound like I have a choice but to go!" Bosede walked out of the house, letting the door swing open behind her. She went to the pigs, who were laying in mud. They got up, noses twitching at the smell of food, she knelt down, throwing the scrapes into the pin.​

 

[east]

Jacob and Kyle watched as she left huffing like a teenager looking around the room and feeling awkward Kyle looked around for a moment.

"She will go with you." Jacob said slightly defeated, Kyle could understand why, though this next part was probably going to kill him.

Kyle for his part took out a pen and some paper, writing down contact information for him, and passing it to his new in laws. "so that you can keep in touch with her. I do not wish to take apart her entire world."

He handed the notes to the girls mother, and then looked between the other two adults. "So... next I suppose comes the awkward part where I ask if I should take her to a hotel for the night."

Jacob just sighed looking to his wife, he pinched the bridge of his nose this was not a conversation that he had ever envisioned himself having, but at the same time he knew that the man was not someone he could fight when it came down to it. He looks to his wife. "The man is speaking about... consummating the marriage tonight, he wonders if he should take Claire to a hotel so that... we don't have to hear anything."

Kyle was looking at the walls they were paper thin, and he figured that things would probably get noisy come tonight. Jacob's face was one of disgust and repulsion.

Kyle left the table to let them consider things, and walked outside to speak to his new wife. Walking up behind her, he placed a hand on her head, brushing her hair for a moment. He didn't really have anything he could say, but he still wanted to find some way to comfort and assure the girl that it wouldn't be all bad.

 

[Lagertha]

Babes looked at Jacob horrified when he spoke about them consummating the marriage. "No! she is only just a child!" Babes cried, looking at her husband before Kyle. "Can he not wait to get to know her?" Babes moved, trying to get up and smack Kyle, as if she could or had the right to.

Bosede looked up when she heard someone coming. It surprised her when he ruffled her hair up, but she gave him an annoyed glance. "I'm not a child." Bosede spat, watching the pigs fight over her food. She wished she had ate, but the food no longer appealed to her.

She swatted his hand away. No. Bosede did not like him being familiar with her. It was bad enough her mother had signed something so stupid thinking she was helping. It worse that her parents had both agreed on letting her leave with him. If she had been two years older, she'd have the right to decline it all..but then again...she'd never be allowed to marry anyone else if she nullified the marriage either way. So this was it? The man she would have to live with the rest of her days? How terrible.

"Pig." Bosede called him, even though he probably assumed she was talking to the pigs oinking in front of them if he understood what she said. In way she should have been grateful. There were times she had envisioned a knight in shining armor stealing her away from the harshness of this life...but now that he was here? She wanted him to go away. Bosede looked up at him. She supposed she would have to get used to his face, but she could not even speak his language properly or him hers.​

 

[east]

When she called him a pig, he shrugged, he guessed it was a little early for him to be thinking about sex. Not that she had any real way out of the situation if he were to make demands, but at the same time yeah this entire situation had the word pervert written all over it. He had just after all asked about fucking her, and well he wasn't entirely sure if she had heard that after the shouting from her mother.

"I deserve that." He said with a shrug, he couldn't understand her, which was a problem. He was already trying to think of a solution that could allow them to talk in the short term, but he was also sure that he didn't have a lot in common with a girl who was raised on a farm in a third world country, it was like she was from another planet as far as their experiences were concerned.

Still he smiled as he walked up next to her, trying to find a good way to speak to her. "Awkward." He motioned between the two of them.

He pulled out his phone, and started trying to google a solution, but the signal was weak and pages took forever to load. "We will need to get a translator..."

"You're not a kid." He aggreed with her after a moment. "But you are small." He moved his hand to show that he was talking about her height. "Cute." He said pointing at her.

He smiled at her even though she looked at him like she was angry. "I'm sorry. I thought this." He gestured between the two of them. "Would go a lot smoother."

 

[Lagertha]

Bosede had not heard her parents, she had simply called him that to call him that. He seemed fat with money, and thought it was easy to take a girl away from her home. At least, that's how Bosede looked at it.

She looked up at him, her long hair blowing in the wind mixing with sand. Her eyes followed the motions and she laughed a bit. He was weird. She watched him get the phone out as if it might work.

"Stay...here...tonight.." Bosede spoke the words slowly in English. She gave him a questioning glance when he spoke about her height? The word cute coming up.

"No understand." Bosede moved to stand up, dusting herself off. She pointed at him. "Strange."​

 

[east]

"With you?" When Bosede was asking if he was going to stay here for the night his return question was simple, did she want him in her bed or not? He looked at the girl for a moment as she stood up, her hair blowing around in the wind, she was cute and small. He liked her physically and plus those breasts were big, yep he was definitely at least a little bit of a pig.

He moved in closer to her, his hand pressing lightly against her chin, lifting her face slightly as he moved so that the two of them could look at each other. He decided to go for something a tad more chaste than what she was probably expecting, and he pressed his lips onto her forehead a soft but affectionate motion.

He smiled at her, and nodded, it was strange. He was trying to make a connection with a girl he could barely understand. He thought about how to explain what cute meant, but in the end just shrugged. "It means, I like you."

His stomach growled but honestly the last thing he wanted was food from that kitchen, he could wait half a day to get some food once they were back in the city.

 

[Lagertha]

Bosede had been stating innocently she wanted to spend the last night here. She knew, most likely they would leave tomorrow and she might never see this place again. Her home.

"Eh?" Bosede looked up at him questioning when he tilted her chin up. Was he going to kiss her? Take her first kiss right here? She tensed, expecting it, ready to hit him. Instead, she was surprised to feel his lips on her forehead. A smile crept on her face. It was much like her father kissed her when she was sick, so she relaxed, and leaned into him.

"Like...me?" It seemed Bosede understood that. So he liked here? Even though she really did not think he knew all that much about her. Rather, she knew nothing of him.

She pushed him away, laughing. She could hear his stomach growling, rumbling for food. "Food." She pointed to his stomach, as she giggled.​

 

[east]

Kyle sighed as she pushed away from him, he had liked that moment of embrace, but when she asked him if he needed food he shook his head. like with her, he hadn't found the situation all that appatizing, and the truth was he didn't really want to eat all that much. then again these people didn't seem to have a fridge so not eating probably seemed disrespectful.

"Hey you didn't eat either." He said pointing back at the plate she had carried out to feed to the pigs. He shook his head, "no meat."

He hadn't eaten meat in a long time, well he did enjoy fish every now and then, but he tried to avoid any of the land or birds. He shook his head, it wasn't smart but at the same time he didn't know what else to say on that situation.

The other thing he realized is that while he knew her through the profile that her mother had set up, he didn't actually know the girl, and he was probably a complete mystery to her, he let out a sigh. Though he did enjoy the sound of her laughter. He walked beside her. Trying to think for a moment on how to meet her half way, he tried to speak in some arabic. "Is... there... place... you want.. to go to before... we go?"