[right][color=9f9f9f][sub]FT: [color=fe6f5e]Poppy James[/color], [color=cdffe1]Aiyana Summerhill[/color], & [color=8DB370]Cheyenne Summerhill[/color] 
Introducing: [color=a2ffbe]Pavati Huaman (Summerhill)[/color] & [color=9B777B]Fallon Tatanka[/color]
Small FT: [color=b5392e]Forrest Proudstar[/color]
[@BrutalBx][@Aewin][@LovelyComplex][/sub][/color][/right]
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[color=b3b3b3][indent][indent]In another place, in any other time, a town would be dead silent but not Blue Hill. Blue Hill was a reservation that rose before the sun itself even lit its first spark to illuminate the land. On its dusty streets, the tribe which made up its inhabitants were already going about their days. Some up early to look after their cattle, others to build and others to commute to a bustling city to earn a fistful of simpoleons that would not see past the next day.

That was mornings on the Blue Hill Reservation.

Despite the footfall, the morning was always quiet, always peaceful. Fallon took a sip from her coffee cup as she sat on the edge of her patrol car, watching weary travelers move in silence and calm to wherever the Creator willed them to be. It was days like this that the beautiful young lighthorsewoman forgot she was deaf.

Iraq in the morning was nowhere near as quiet. Fallon could still remember the sounds, the cocking and loading of guns, the rumble of tanks and the screams of insurgents. She could still remember the entire reservation lined up outside Aponi’s when she got back, led by her father, her brother and her sisters. She could see them clapping, she could see their mouths moving but she couldn’t hear them. All she could hear was that morning silence. Then she saw her fathers tears. He cupped her face and pressed his head to hers and she cried too but there was still no sound. It was at that moment that Fallon realized that she’d need to learn to love the silence. It was going to be with her forever now. 

[color=9B777B]“Hang on.”[/color] The black haired woman placed her finger behind her ear and dialed up the volume on her hearing aid. [color=9B777B]“Sorry, I had to turn it down because Heather was like a charging buffalo when she came home last night. Honestly, how can a girl that beautiful make such ugly sounds? What did you say, Pava?”[/color]

If it wasn’t for the breakfast sandwich (almost finished, mind you) in her hand, she’d sign while talking. Instead Pavati made sure her voice was direct and aimed at the ear aid, while giving Fallon a clear view of her lips. She leaned up against the patrol car, wearing shades to protect her eyes from the glaring sun, and embraced the warm morning. Speaking slowly and firmly, Pava finished chewing and repeated, [color=a3ff9c]“Boss wants me to take some time off but I don’t know what I’d do with myself. I don’t like doing nothing, you know this. Work makes me feel useful. Productive. And yeah, I heard the girls had one of their best shows last night. Then again, it was Yana who told me. She hypes everything up.”[/color]

After placing the coffee cup down on the hood of the car, Fallon tipped her wide brimmed hat up slightly. [color=9B777B]“Nah they were great but it got wild afterwards you know how they are. Anyway, pause that. Pava you need to take some time off girl and I don’t mean the nights you spend on your laptop curled up on that rich girl’s couch in town. No no.”[/color] With every word spoken, she signed with her hands. Pavati was the first person to learn ASL for Fallon and it was something she had never forgotten. [color=9B777B]“And I know, before you say, I haven’t had a vacation either but I spend my day chasing down horse thieves and Resi. You got more serious shit to deal with.”[/color]

Finishing her sandwich and pulling a napkin out of her pocket to quickly clean her fingers, Pava contemplated her friend’s words and exhaled her locked tight grievances. Fallon was one of the few people she’d listen to; deeply take in what the other woman had to say and consider her words. The other figures in her life that could move mountains with her would be her mother, Matoaka Huaman, who was the main nurse on the Res, and her uncle, Chief Coldwind. As for her father? That’s entirely dependent on what he had to say, if he was ever around to say it. After folding her napkin and sticking it back in her pocket, she swallowed what was in her mouth before signing and responding back, [color=a3ff9c]“Serious meaning cyber attacks, cases on child pornography, and proving, or disapproving, intellectual property threats? Then I guess you’re right, that is some serious things to deal with, but that’s more of a reason for me to keep working, don’t you think?"[/color] 

[color=9B777B]“Well you may be the best at what you do Wolverine but you’re not the only one who does what you do. Don’t make me punch that pretty face and force you to have medical time off.”[/color] Fallon stroked her best friend's face tenderly before balling up her fist and throwing a mock punch which booped the computer expert's nose. She stopped midway through her second shot when she noticed some family figures walking towards them in the distance. Fallon narrowed her chestnut eyes to try and make them out through the morning haze and a bright smile swept up across her lips as she realized just who was on their way to them. [color=9B777B]“A-ho! Your sisters are here…with a very very white girl.”[/color]

There was a split second when Pavati grimaced at the sight of Cheyenne and Aiyana, the two that gave her the biggest headaches. When she saw the girl walking beside them, her eyes glistened in curiosity. She looked familiar. She definitely knew that face. The closer the stranger got, the more Pava recognized her. Officer James’ daughter. He had a picture of him, his wife, and his two girls on his desk. Penelope was her name. She worked at the cafe. Though she wasn’t wearing a face mask which was pleasant to see. Pava didn't understand why the young girl covered up such a pretty face. 

With a calming, motherly spirit, Pava smiled and called out to her sisters, [color=a3ff9c]“So you two are going to see dad after all?"[/color] Through process of elimination and common sense, she knew Yana would’ve found her way to the harbor with or without her help. Chey on the other hand… this wasn’t usual for her. She showed disdain for their father more than the rest of them. Was she going to see him because she actually wanted to or did she have a hidden agenda? [color=a3ff9c]“Hey, you’re Sly’s daughter, right?"[/color] Pavati forwardly asked, as her gaze went from her sisters to the newcomer. 

[color=fe6f5e]“Yes I am, and you are?"[/color] Penelope hesitantly inquired back, unable to recognize the woman who knew her name.  

Inserting herself, Aiyana chirped with glee, [color=cdffe1]“That’s our big sister, Pavati!"[/color] From there, she proceeded to gesture toward her older sister’s best friend, who was drinking her cup of joe and watching everyone else in silence. [color=cdffe1]“And that’s Fallon. She’s a lighthorseman. Or woman."[/color] 

[color=fe6f5e]“A lighthorseman?"[/color] Poppy stared puzzlingly at Fallon, while interlocking her fingers together. She had no clue of anything really about the reservation so she wanted to soak it all in. From her surroundings to the information others cared to share, Poppy knew where she was, in this moment, in the heat of summer, was exactly where she needed to be. 

[color=8DB370]“The lighthorsemen are the equivalent to your police. And Fallon here is the toughest one of the lot, scares the living crap out of anyone brave enough to commit a crime around her."[/color] Cheyenne added, giving her signature lazy wave in greeting to Pava and Fallon and making sure that she enunciated enough for Fallon to understand. Chey was still yet to learn ASL, though like Mandarin it was in the pipeline for future Chey to learn. 

[color=8DB370]“Dad will be back soon, and I don't have much to do today so why not pester someone else for once?"[/color] Cheyenne added, knowing it was rather surprising for her to be part of the welcoming committee. [color=8DB370]“Unless you want me to annoy my sweet, exasperating, workaholic oldest sister instead?"[/color] She asked, raising her eyebrow playfully. Not that Chey would mind, Pava was often the one that would react in a way that would entertain her the most- and if the stars aligned and Yana joined in, the two were unstoppable at giving Pava a headache.

The joys of being the younger sister.

Seeing the banter between Pava, Yana and Chey, made Fallon somewhat glad that her own siblings very much kept their lives to themselves. They were just as close as the Big Bears little girls but they tried to lead lives away from each other, not wanting to get entangled in ways that could cause harm. Tank did his thing, like he always did. Malia and Kalia were always striving, always grinding for more and Heather….well she was currently lying face down, ass up on the couch but she had a lot going on too. They didn’t always get along but Fallon felt blessed by the Creator for her family.

[color=9B777B]“Y’all are too much sometimes I swear.”[/color] The lighthorsewoman took another sip from her coffee as her soft dark eyes drifted to the pale offcomer that had seemingly begun to interfere herself within the tribe. She remembered seeing her the previous evening at the longhouse. There was no way she could forget someone that looked like that wandering around the Reservation. Pava commented on her being Sly’s daughter. Her best friend had mentioned this man before, a cop, one of the few good ones, back in that pool of evil they called Edenridge. In some ways, Fallon hated whenever Pavati or any of the other tribe members had to go there because she had a feeling, deep in the pit of her gut, that one day they just wouldn’t come back.

[color=9B777B]“Word of warning, Pale Girl. You stay your pretty little ass away from the girls that live on Summer Hill. Those bitches are crazy.”[/color] She playfully squished Chey’s cheek between her finger tips like a child. [color=9B777B]“You got cop instincts in you, you should know better.”[/color]

[color=fe6f5e]“That might be the case but I’m also white as heck and that alone comes with its privileges,"[/color] Penelope smiled at the officer and brought her gaze to the three sisters who seemed extremely close, at least on the surface. [color=fe6f5e]“I don’t mind crazy,"[/color] she muttered to herself as her stare grew distant when she thought back to her friends. [color=fe6f5e]“I’ve learned over time, the only people for me are the mad ones."[/color] 

Once again, Poppy was thinking about the book Charlie loved most of his life, since he could walk and pick up a book. [i]On the Road[/i]. That one quote came back to the forefront of her mind as she looked beyond the other girls and toward the lighthorsemen station. She raised an eyebrow at the architecture. Out of most of the other buildings in the reservation, this one seemed to be the most charming, in a ‘last through the ages’ kind of way. [color=fe6f5e]“When was this building built?"[/color] She unhesitantly spoke the question out loud. [color=fe6f5e]“It looks a little different from the rest,"[/color] she thoughtfully continued.

[color=cdffe1]“Jeez,"[/color] Aiyana was taken aback with how interested this girl was to her current surroundings, to the reservation, and to their people. She tried to think hard on the question that Poppy had brought up. [color=cdffe1]“I’m pretty sure this is our oldest building. Like after Nathanial Carlisle drove out our people from Edenridge sometime in the late 1600s. It was originally a building of ceremony, I think. Correct me if I’m wrong, Fallon.”[/color]

Fallon nodded her head. [color=9B777B]“You’re not far wrong. Edenridge didn’t become Edenridge until the land was snatched away from our tribe.”[/color] Despite centuries of distance, the stealing of Edenridge from the Indigenous was still an incredibly sore place for many on the Reservation. [color=9B777B]“This building was built in the late 1600s by the family that we would come to know as Strong-Bow, Aponi’s father. Our people used it for birthing and funeral ceremonies. Sacrifice and celebration. With the encroachment of the modern world the majority of the building was torn down and repurposed into the home of the lighthorsemen.”[/color] As she explored history with the girls, Fallon signed every word absentmindedly with her fingers. [color=9B777B]“The oldest building we have is the longhouse.”[/color]

Penelope watched Fallon in wonder and awe over the history lecture. She was truly blessed recently with how much knowledge she was being immersed in ever since she touched Blue Hill soil. Thanks to muscle memory, Poppy remembered the sessions of Max studying ASL (she was the student aide in the special ed class) and replied with her hands and voice, [color=fe6f5e]“Thank you. I appreciate this information."[/color] She wasn’t perfect with her ASL, not like this native woman she had only met moments ago but she was able to sign enough to show respect to the deaf community. 

The further Poppy journeyed through the Res the more she realized how foolish she was earlier. Tena didn’t ask for them to come and find her, that was all them, or well, all her. The guilt washed over her as she wondered how she’d get Mitena to forgive her for being overwhelmed and rude. For taking out her frustrations on her. Charlie’s sister or not, Tena had her own pain because of this whole ordeal. Because of Charlie’s actions and her relationship being purely through letters. Poppy wasn’t the only one hurting and she needed to stop acting like she was. 

Before the young James could say anymore, Pava grabbed her water bottle off of her friend’s car and stretched her long, slender body, [color=a3ff9c]“As much as I’d love to chat about our history, I need to go.”[/color]

[color=cdffe1]“Don’t forget us!"[/color] Yana pranced to her big sister’s side and hooked herself onto her sister’s arm. [color=cdffe1]“Dad’s getting in and we absolutely have to see him. We also have a whole car ride to talk about setting you up on a blind date.”[/color]

[color=a3ff9c]“I’ll leave you stranded here if you fucking dare,"[/color] Pavati snapped. The amount of salt that oozed out of her being whenever romance was brought up was hardly something to joke about. And yet, her anger didn’t faze Aiyana. The Summerhill girls were used to their big sister’s rage and knew that it was all empty when it came to the family. Pava loved her sisters too much to leave them behind. She would never leave them, no matter how much she wanted to at times, which meant Yana could troll all she wanted. 

Chey imitated Aiyana by looping her own arm through Pava’s and locking them together. [color=8DB370]“Would you reaaaally?"[/color] Cheyenne questioned in a sing-song tone, her angular face sporting a cheeky shit-eating grin. [color=8DB370]“Dad would be terribly devastated if Yana wasn't there to welcome him, y’know."[/color] Chey said. Everyone (meaning little siblings, mostly) can benefit from a little emotional blackmail amongst siblings, and because Cheyenne is aware of how family-oriented the eldest Summerhill (Huaman officially, but of Summerhill blood anyway) is, everything works out just perfectly in favour for the younger Summerhills.

No matter what crap Cheyenne would give Pava, ultimately it didn't go any farther than a younger sister aggravating their big sister. Typical middle child syndrome, even if Yana and Chey were the same age and held the middle child title. At least it explains why the two would frequently be the first to bug Pava. But at the end of the day, Chey adored her sisters and was always appreciative of Pava's efforts to maintain their family's unity. She is well aware that her oldest sister works to support their family and the reservation, taking on all of their burdens but never actually sharing her own to ease her sisters' concerns. Cheyenne just wishes that would change in the future, but until then, she would settle on pestering Pavati. A (not so) gentle reminder that life isn’t just about work.

Exasperated, Pava sighed, holding both her sisters close. These two were tweedledee and tweedledum and never failed to give her an early morning headache. She didn’t need coffee with sisters like these. [color=a3ff9c]“Yeah, yeah, yeah,"[/color] she grumbled to Chey, before looking over her shoulder to her best friend and the lost soul. Briefly, she unlatched Aiyana’s hold on her to make a visible gesture of her departure. Waving goodbye to her friend and their welcomed visitor, she resounded, [color=a3ff9c]“Catch you later Fallon! And Penelope, I do hope you find what you’re looking for here. We might be a small village, but we’re mighty. Lean on us if you need to. Take time to yourself to just be. It was nice to meet you."[/color] Once the eldest Summerhill finished her spiel, the girls faded off into the distance to where she parked her car. 

[color=fe6f5e]“They’re really nice people. You are all so kind,"[/color] Penelope commented, her eyes turning to the officer who had been mostly silent for that whole sisterly exchange.  

Fallon waved as the girls from the Summer Hill faded off into the morning haze and she returned her attention to the pale white stranger that seemed to be vibrating with the magic of the day. [color=9B777B]“You have to remember when you’re with the people here that we don’t have a lot.”[/color] She signed with her fingers though her words were clear. [color=9B777B]“So much was taken from us that all we ever had was each other and the land. Both are just as important here. Be kind to each other, be kind to the land and you’ll get it all back….or some other fortune cookie shit Chief teaches us.”[/color] The lighthorsewoman laughed a little just in time for her to see a very familiar face carrying a heavy looking rucksack. [color=9B777B]“Not stealing again are you Forrest?!”[/color] She called.

Resi turned his head and shook it defiantly. [color=b5392e]“No ma’am. I am reformed.”[/color] He made his way over to Fallon and drifted his almond colored gaze over to the beautiful ghost girl in the pretty summer dress. [color=b5392e]“Hello again.”[/color]

Penelope’s smile beamed and her cheeks tinted pink when she saw a familiar face. She only had a brief interaction with Forrest the previous night but she already felt safe around him, like he was home. A feeling that only Mordechai and Jade emitted right now (and her parents, but that’s different). [color=fe6f5e]“Hi, Resi,"[/color] Poppy gleamed, her mood shifting even more in his presence. After a moment of her staring at him, she surveyed her surroundings and realized that Fallon was likely on the clock. [color=fe6f5e]“Oh, I’m sorry for keeping you,"[/color] Poppy apologized in sign language, politely turning to the lighthorsewoman as she addressed her. [color=fe6f5e]“I should let you get back to work… I did enjoy this and I hope I get to meet you again.”[/color]

Fallon was deaf, not blind and the instant that Forrest Proudstar entered her field of vision she knew that her new friend had forgotten all about her. The way the girl's bright green eyes lit up in his presence, like a lantern igniting in the dark of night; that was the real magic of Blue Hill Reservation. [color=9B777B]“Stay out of trouble, you two. This one?”[/color] The officer patted Resi on his shoulder and smiled. [color=9B777B]“He has a habit of finding it.”[/color] She ruffled Forrest’s wild mane of hair and turned and walked into the lighthorsemen HQ. 

Upon her leaving, a solitary raven dropped down and perched itself on Fallon’s squad car, watching as Penelope and Forrest conversed.

Resi tightened his grip on his backpack, it was heavy but when Poppy looked at him with that big smile it somehow felt lighter. [color=b5392e]“You wanna walk with me? I’ve gotta drop this stuff off back at the van. I can sweeten the deal with some fresh baked goods?”[/color]

There was no way she’d refuse spending time with someone she wanted to know more of. Poppy gracefully strolled to him, looked up into his eyes, and nodded, [color=fe6f5e]“I’d like that."[/color] She hadn’t noticed the glaringly obvious raven not too far off on the patrol car. Her attention was completely on Forrest. [color=fe6f5e]“Lead the way?"[/color] 

[color=b5392e]“It’s not far. I’m parked just up by the longhouse.”[/color] Forrest swept back some of his hair before he motioned with his head for Poppy to start following up the dirt road. [color=b5392e]“You look really pretty today.”[/color] He wanted to ask whether or not the spirit girl’s mission to meet his cousin was successful but based on the small ringlets around her eyes that betrayed tears; he doubted it was as fruitful as everyone had hoped. He wouldn’t ask, that was Poppy’s story to share and no doubt Mitena would speak to him about it later. [color=b5392e]“I think this place is bringing something out of you, something you needed.”[/color]

As the pair walked off up the path, the raven hung its head for a moment before taking off into the sky once more.

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