Arc 721, 32 Ymiden
After Saoire’s offer of help from her school, having given Elisabeth the name of the gentleman that could assist their efforts to build the structures for the farm, the young leader of Haven quickly wrote to him, introducing herself and relaying to him the conversation she and Saoire had. An invitation had been extended to one Herman McGerman to visit Haven and discuss the matter with Elisabeth. A few trials later, a reply had come, assuring that he would be delighted to visit.
Elisabeth spent the morning making sure all the crude drawings and maps were laid out. She was no artist and what she had created looked more like a child’s drawing, but it would hopefully get the point across. She made a pot of tea and some appetizer bites, as well as clam chowder, for her guests. The very act of doing so was odd as she rarely entertained, but an enjoyable piece of logistics. At least, in her mind, she was gaining some good practice. Maybe there would be a time in the future when the idea of guests and company would be less foreign.
Balder knocked on the door, poking his head inside. “They are here. Silk is bringing them.” Nodding quickly, the young woman stopped for a second, casting a second glance at him. “Them?” Balder gave her a rare grin. “Three of them. Just wait.”
Swiftly making her way outside, Elisabeth’s eyes found their way to three small forms, causing a smile to cross her lips. Of course, they were Cadouri! Why she hadn’t thought about them being such mystified the young woman, but it was fine. She was extremely fond of the Cadouri, and watching them walk through camp with Silk was a sight to behold.
The Haven settlers were still getting used to being in a more accessible location, and as such, knew about Cadouri, but had limited exposure to them previous to their relocation. To the credit of the settlers, they didn’t just stop and gawk. Instead, they engaged the trio in conversation on their way through the settlement, offering greetings and rather treating them like royalty. Elisabeth couldn’t blame them in the least really – Cadouri were adorable.
As they approached Haven House, Elisabeth could already tell Silk was having a very hard time not giving into the innate cuteness of the trio. Stepping forward, the young mage smiled to the three, inclining her head gently. “Welcome to Haven. We are honored to have you here with us.” The smartly dressed hamster stepped forward, giving the young woman a bow. “You, young lady, must be Elisabeth? Saoire has told me much of you. She likes you very much, Miss Angelus, and it is a delight to meet you, and be here with you and the settlers of Haven.”
Smiling warmly, Elisabeth bowed her head again. “I am, and I must admit being very fond of Lady Saoire as well. She is very much a bright spot in my life. I’m very grateful that you journeyed here to meet with me about this project.” Waving her off as if it was no concern, Herman smiled, bringing forward his two companions - a raccoon and mouse “This is Miles…and Melinda. They are current students of mine and were just as eager as I to come and see Haven. The location is lovely – just lovely!”
Elisabeth stepped forward to shake the offered hand of each, bending over slightly to make their height difference more manageable. “Why don’t we step into Haven House and discuss the project over some tea and food? After, I can give you a tour of Haven and we will have our settlement builder, engineer and farmer join us to visit the potential site of the project.” Nodding his head, Herman smiled and motioned to Elisabeth to show them the way. “That sounds delightful, Miss Angelus. We will follow you.”
Before entering the house, Elisabeth glanced over to Balder. “Please tell Bran, Gilbert and Edward that we will be around after a bit?” The guard nodding and strode off to do as she asked while Silk simply stood there, watching the Cadouri, almost starstuck, and then glancing at Elisabeth and mouthing words...Adorable. Grinning, Elisabeth nodded, shooing her off as well with a laugh, having never seen Silk so off guard.
Leading the group into the house, they were immediately confronted with Sir Storm of Haven, who had woken from his morningtide nap and found himself….alone. It had been shocking and disturbing on multiple levels to the young feline, demanded immediate comfort and instead, his girl was welcoming in three….somethings. Storm wasn’t sure exactly what they were, but the smells were certainly different. Eyeing the strangers warily, he offered up a confused ‘meow’ to Elisabeth, who by then had figured out what a few of his intonations meant. Well, at least what they meant in her mind.
“Herman, Melinda, Miles…this is my kitten, Storm. He’s a lovely creature who generally acts as chief investigator of all things odd, bizarre or fish-like. And naps. He loves investigating the insides of his eyelids.” Laughing softly, she gently bent down to pick up the feline. “Storm, these are friends of Saoire. Remember her? You love Saoire.” Being in Elisabeth’s arms was enough reassurance, for the moment, that he could relax, so Storm simply purred at her and was content keeping an eye on the three. Perhaps they would prove themselves excellent servants.
Closing the door behind the group, Elisabeth gently let Storm jump down onto the floor as she brought the trio to the large table in the middle of the room, where papers, tea and appetizers were waiting. "This is Haven House. It is where I live with Balthazar Black. We use the bedroom and kitchen, and then this room is used for settlement business, like today. He is away at the moment on Element business." All three nodded, and the young mage invited them to sit. "I have tea for anyone that wishes. It's a simple, light black tea blend. The appetizers are clam canapés and I have some freshly made clam chowder for anyone interested?"
All three perked up at the idea of tea and food, and after a moment or two, everyone had both in front of them, and it seemed as though they were ready to discuss the project. Herman spoke up first. "Why don't we start by you telling us about your needs, and we can go from there? I know what Saoire told me, but sometimes I find it helpful to hear another's ideas. It gives me an idea where to begin." Herman's behavior was very similar to Saoire's, and Elisabeth realized that he was employing the same mentoring skills with her that Saoire did, which made her feel even more comfortable with him. "Very well. So, we need to build a permanent farm site. I've already taken out the lead farmer, Edward, and marked out the site he wishes the farm to be located on. We've marked everything out, which includes a house for the family and a large utility barn that can be multi-purpose. Storage or for winter frames for seedlings."
The Cadouri took out a small notebook, writing a few notes in it and then returning to eating as he listened. "I see. Excellent. I'm thrilled you and the settlers took the initiative to find a site and measure out and mark the buildings. Very good, indeed. That shows foresight, and that's not necessarily a skill that can be taught easily. Now, how large would the house need to be?" Elisabeth looked into the middle of the table, finding the paper where she wrote everything out, and included a crude sketch. "Forgive me. My artistic skills are akin to a toddler's. Four adults would currently live in the house that needs to be built. Preferably one level because of the winds here on the coast."
Herman grinned at the young woman, reaching over to pat her arm gently. "That is an excellent observation! I agree. Buildings should only be as tall as they need to be, and this one would not benefit from being taller. Wind is a problem when one is talking about building design, and that's not even considering being located on the coast. I think, at least until Haven is a big larger and you have more competent builders in the settlement, one level buildings are fine and preferable. Nothing wrong with that, my dear. The structures will last longer, as well, not having to deal with being pushed by the wind on the taller portions. Of course, there will always be wind here, but the closer to the ground your buildings are, I think, the better."
Elisabeth passed around a few other papers, noticing that Melinda and Miles were making notes as well, intently listening to the two speak. "The utility barn, I know we are a small settlement and not much was asked for there, but I had a feeling that perhaps we would want to make it a bit larger, so it can serve more purposes and accommodate a bit of growth." All three nodded, seemingly agreeing with her. Melinda spoke up, pointing to the map of the site. "Honestly, it's a rather simple build so making it a bit larger isn't going to impact much. It's a small adjustment that gives the settlement big gains in covered space. It's smart." Herman nodded at Melinda's comment. "Excellent point, Melinda. Sometimes changing just one tiny thing can create so much more. For a small settlement, storage space is at a premium. Covered storage space. Make note of that and we can see what other little touches we might be able to add." Scribbling quickly, Melinda nodded her head, smiling, and conversation continued as Elisabeth noted how Herman's reassurance to his student was received in a positive light.
Herman looked at his notes a bit, then smiled at Elisabeth. "Saoire tells me you have some people that have some skills. Tell me about that, if you would." Swiftly, she ran down the situation for him. "Bran is our builder. His skills are basic, but competent. Gilbert has some skill in putting things together, engineering. Everyone else is learning. Under their guidance, we've been able to build basic, simple structures for shelter and the clam farm. The farm needs something a bit more. I was hoping with guidance, this could be a learning experience for our settlers." Bobbing his head enthusiastically, the Cadouri jotted notes and returned his attention to her, taking another bite of soup. "First, this soup is lovely! And second, I think that will work very well. I prefer mentoring others, helping them learn skills. I'll bring a team of students and we can oversee your group as the work is being done, pitching in as well. I think it will be a good working arrangement, giving the students and your settlement members experience. Students need experience teaching, and hands on is some of the best!"
They continued to eat and talk, although the conversation turned to mostly socialization. Herman, having heard of Balthazar, asked how he doing. What struck Elisabeth was how sincere he was about his question, making her believe that he truly wished to know other than just being kind. It was very reminiscent of Saoire, and of course, her children would be very much like her. "He's doing well. Busy, as I understand it. I miss him when he's away, but always look forward to when he come back home." Melinda bobbed her head in understanding and Miles remained quiet, but polite with his smiles.
Soon enough, they finished their meal and the food was cleared, although Storm had insisted upon a few pieces of clam. The trio had thanked her profusely for the food and drink, and Elisabeth rose, ready to lead them on the tour. "Are we ready to head out and see the farm site?"
OOC
Saoire's offer to assist the building of the Munny farm is linked. I also obtained permission from Pegasus to begin building. NPC Herman McGerman borrowed from Saoire's Dream
