[Eureka] Sound Advice

[Praetorum]

Timestamp - 9th of Ymiden, Arc 722

Eureka was a fascinating place, Prae found as he made his way through it. He had no idea what half the buildings were for or what anyone was doing—he'd passed a pair of people arguing about glass lenses, of all things—but the atmosphere was bright, and people seemed content. Prae couldn't help but make comparisons in his mind, to Haven, to Hopetoun, to the settlement he intended to build. However it ended up, he was sure it would be drastically different from this—but he hoped that one day, he could foster the same atmosphere that Faith had in Eureka.


He'd stopped, earlier, to check in on the garrison he'd sent to the town, make sure that everyone was settling in and that there were no problems. The only issue, Perri had told him when he'd asked, was that people were already refusing to play cards with her. He took that as a good sign. No one else seemed to be having any issues either, so he'd moved on after some idle chat with the guards he was more familiar with.



After a bit of searching, Prae managed to find someone who wasn't busy to direct him towards Faith's place. Padding towards the door, he knocked gently, and waited to be let in. "Faith," he said when the door opened. "It's good to see you again. Thank you for agreeing to see me—can I come in?"


Unless she refused him entry, Prae would duck into the doorway, mindful of his size, as he'd learned to be most places in Rharne. "I hope I was clear enough in my letter about what I intend to do. Before I start, do you have any questions for me? I realize this may seem somewhat. Odd." He considered who he was speaking to for a moment. "Or perhaps not."

[Faith Augustin]

9th Ymiden, 722

Faith's house was half way up a mountain. It was, in fact, built in to the side of side mountain. It followed the natural curve of the stoe and Prae would see that there were high stained glass windows.

Entering it, he wouldn't need to duck. The door which he was shown through was tall enough for him. He might notice that there was a small door built into this larger one - and a smaller one again built into that. When he was shown in, the tall ceilings and wide corridors meant that there was room for him. The house was built as a house, but it also felt like a very light and bright tunnel and cave system. Because, of course, that was what it was. The people who had originally built the house had done so in a way which made it hard to determine where the actual cave system ended and the manufactured / carved house began.

Prae was shown in to a room which was large and strangely shaped. It was one half a perfect circle, but the other half of the circle - the half which was on the outside, was a waving line of stained glass, following the natural curve of the stone. The windows were floor to ceiling and it meant that the room was bathed in rainbow light. There were enough clear-glass panels that one could look out easily and the view was spectacular. In the center of the room was a table, high and circular. Faith was sitting on a high-legged chair, the table was the right height for Praetorum, and there was a chair that was right for him too.

On the table, there was the map of the hospital as it currently was. Faith also had stacks of parchment and so on, in neat piles. As he arrived, she looked up at him and smiled."Hello, Praetorum," she said. "I'm so pleased you came to me with this." She shook her head at the thought that it was odd. "I have questions, yes, but we can do this, I think."

Once he had sat down (and, of course, she offered him drinks and snacks), Faith got straight to business. She tapped one of the piles of parchment. "This is the record of how I founded Beacon," she said. "And I think the same principle could apply here." There was a lot of information in there, Faith knew. "You can take that away with you," she said, just in case he thought there might be an expectation that he read it here.

"Beacon was founded, and grew, on a principle of Social and Community Mutuality. In short, I set up Cally's restaurant as a high-end, exclusive restaurant where people would expect to pay premium prices for excellence. I marketed it as such, but also as a place which - if you went there - you were helping the poorest." She smiled slightly, a tinge of sadness in the expression. "I have learned that many, many people want to do something to help, but very few are willing to do anything too major. Eating in an exclusive restaurant and helping people was a good way of helping the rich assuage their guilt for being rich." If it sounded heartless, Faith considered, maybe it was. But it had the added bonus of being true.

"I took no profit from Cally's, instead I drew a basic wage. The first month's profit bought two houses. Those two houses were the homes for the first eight trainees. Former slaves, I had bought and freed. I gave them medical care until they were well enough to work, then they worked in Cally's. We taught them a trade, depending on what they wanted to learn. The next month, another four houses and some land. That became the farm, and some of the next lot of former slaves learned their trade there." She gave a slight shrug. "And so it went. Profit bought houses, land, equipment. It has a farm, it has livestock, a vineyard. It takes up to one hundred trainees at a time, now, and they are mentored and taught a trade. Their homes are free, but to live in Beacon you are expected to give your skills to the community. So, the community center is where you go if you have a skill which might be needed, or a need which can be fulfilled."

There was a map of Beacon, with last cycle's date on it. "That's it now. I think the same principle can apply here, but with some amendments."

Faith looked at him. "I'll set up a restaurant in the vicinity of Eureka. People will travel, I'm sure. Then, the hospital can provide the medical care, and we can include medical training as some of the trades we offer. We'll need to extend the residential area, I'm thinking here, to the right of the farms." She looked at him, and smiled. "And I will add this to the letter to Ilaren I plan to send tomorrow. Here is a first draft , based on my current understanding. It is open to change, of course. Specifically the addition to the proposal."

Then, having hit him with what he needed to know, she asked her question."Do you have any idea of numbers and, if we could send a force with you with the sole intention of freeing slaves - I'm thinking Zuuda and Wisps here - would that be something you'd be amenable to?"

If Faith had a reputation for being a fanatic, it was because of things like this, she knew. It was also, she had to admit, because she was one.