Arc 721, 42 Ymiden
Herman, Miles and Melinda arrived on the scheduled trial with a small team of building students from Saoire’s School, meeting up with Elisabeth and the settlers just outside Haven proper. The guests were quickly shown to their guest housing, which happened to be Haven house and the guard house, with Elisabeth, Silk, Ronan and Balder moving into tents for the extent of their visit to the settlement, so they could drop their packs before the combined group headed out to the building site of Munny Farm. The cadouri from Saoire's school had brought their own tools to help things along, so those were quickly pulled from the packs.
In preparation for the build, Elisabeth had spent the trial before leveling the two build sites, using defiance to make sure the earth was flat. The young mage worked slowly and took many breaks, hoping not to exert herself too much at any one time, focusing on small areas one at a time. As well, the settlers of Haven had moved the building materials to the site so there would be no delay with that. Bran and Gilbert had spent the trial pre-cutting some of the timbers, following instructions that Herman had delivered to the settlement.
After dragging out all the notes and plan, the cadouri instructor began to hand out assignments and instructions. “Alright, I’d like to start with the house first. We need to get the floor and frame up first, and I think we can accomplish that today with a group of this size.” Casting a look around, Elisabeth counted the people. Herman, Miles and Melinda had arrived with six building students, while Haven offered Elisabeth, Bran, Gilbert, Edwin, Kenwyn, Osian, Bryn and Derec. Oh, and Storm. One could never forget about Sir Storm of Haven, who had followed the group to their destination.
Taking the group over to the site of the house, it was very evident that Herman was a teacher. His manner and the way he gave instructions was informative, and the young mage appreciated his attention to detail, especially since he had agreed to mentor her settlers in woodworking. “So, this is where we are building the farmhouse for Mr. Munny and his family. The outline is already marked with string, so you can see the outer dimensions. First things first – let’s get the floor and frame up. A reminder to all - we are building, but we are also teaching so if possible, call out questions so everyone can learn from what is said.” Elisabeth thought about that last bit for a moment, considering it a logical and valuable teaching technique.
Each of the Haven settlers was paired with a student for guidance should they need it. Herman was still providing most of the guidance, but part of the experience was letting the settlers learn new skills to advance their own, and they didn’t want to waste the opportunity so graciously given.
“So, this build will be very similar to the clam farm building, just larger,” Herman stated to the settlers. “Sometimes people try to make things more complicated than they need to. It’s a matter of mindset. There will be a few differences, but very few. The first difference, is preparing the floor foundation.”
Kneeling to the ground, he showed them all what was needed, using boards as visual aids. “Building directly on the ground is a bad idea for larger constructions. Because Faldrass has a lot of that warm orange sand in the soil, drainage here is very good, which helps, but we still want the floor of the structure off the ground. So first, we use these heavier boards for the ‘feet’. Those will sit on the ground and the floor on top of that. It offers a secondary purpose of allowing air a pathway under the structure.”
His hands worked quickly, showing the group what he wanted. “Set these beams in place, every few feet or so, within the line outline that show you where the walls will be. Once that’s done, we can start securing the floor boards over the tops of those." Elisabeth moved with the others, grabbing beams as she called out her first question to Herman. "Can I ask the purpose for building off the ground." The Cadouri nodded as he made a few measurements nearby, speaking loud enough so everyone scattered in the immediate area could hear him. "In this case, and most really, it's to protect the materials that will comprise the main structure. If they are sitting straight on the ground, they are susceptible to moisture and things like rot and such. Faldrass, as I mentioned before, has excellent soil drainage, but still, we don't want to take chances. This design will allow the addition of support beams, in the future, under the structure if the ones we are placing today start rotting out. It's a logical, and elegant design for simple builds."
Grinning from nearby, Edwin, one of the Haven settlers, chuckled at Elisabeth. "Always have to be the teacher's pet, don't you Elisabeth?" It was a gentle tease, and Elisabeth knew it. The settlers were well aware of Elisabeth's past and skills in research. Their young leader liked information, and lots of it. She also enjoyed asking questions. All the questions, and they loved teasing her about it. "Well, someone has to be, Edwin," she retorted, laughing a bit. "Besides, I can't let you lot know more than me. What's the fun in that?" It was evident that the relationship the young settlement leader had with the Haven people was warm and supportive, allowing for a bit of joking when the situation allowed it. Vega had told her once that if one changed when they became a leader, they were doing it wrong. She didn't want to change, and wanted the people of Haven to listen to her because they wanted to, and because they knew she cared about them.
Leadership was a tricky thing, she was finding out. People had different leadership styles, and she had first-hand experience of several. Kura, Vivian, Vega, Varlum, Praetorum, Balthazar - the list went on. So when someone thought about Elisabeth Angelus' leadership style, what would they think? So hoped they would think that she led by example. The young woman had been there for the construction of the clam farm, had helped arrange the meeting where they planned the farm and was again there, using whatever skills she had to help. More than anything, that's what she wanted people to remember about her.
The beams were placed and once Herman measured them out, ensuring they were where they needed to be, conferring with Bran and Gilbert, the okay was given for everyone to lay the foundation floor. Some boards would need to be sawed, so Kenwyn and one of the Saoire students were assigned to that, getting the boards measured up and cut for the last row of flooring. The rest took wood planks and began laying them down, securing with nails. The work went quickly and soon, they had a lifted foundation floor for the Munny house.
Herman took a look at the plans again, seemingly considering something. "I think when we spoke, Bran - you said the walls of the clam farm, those were assembled on the ground and lifted into place right? I want to do the same here. I think it's worth it to build off the techniques you've used in the settlement already. There is no advantage to building them separately or on the structure, so let's just do that." Bran, the settlement building lead, nodded in agreement. "As well, I'd like to suggest that we all work on things together, instead of separating out, unless there is a specific need for a specific job. I just think things will go a lot faster and people able to learn better if we are all working on the same wall and going through the same processes at the same time. " The cadouri instructor nodded his head enthusiastically. "That is an excellent point and idea, Bran. It is easier to learn using that method and I approve. Students usually learn better when they repeat the same things too. Let's keep the same set-up with the two assigned to cutting boards as needed and the rest of us building the first wall."
Per that direction, just as they had built the floor foundation, the first wall was built. Measuring out the dimensions for the wall, boards were placed on the ground and secured together for the frame. Herman walked up behind Elisabeth, chuckling gently as he knelt next to the young woman. "Not the worst hammering I've seen, but Bran did tell me you are a work in progress. Here, let me show you something." Taking the hammer from her, the cadouri instructor tapped the nail gently into place until just after it was nestled halfway into the board. Then, he used two fierce blows to drive it home, then handing the hammer back to her with a smile. "People get into trouble because they start hammering too hard, too quickly. This usually results in hurt fingers or bent nails. Tap the nail in until it's secure in the board, and then give it all you have. You'll save the lives of a lot of nails, dear girl."
Rising, he gave her a pat on the shoulder, leaving Elisabeth to continue practicing pounding the nails while more boards were secured. Soon enough, the group had completed one whole wall, and then another. With two walls done, it was determined that they could go ahead and erect them, connecting them to the foundation floor. Elisabeth and the rest moved the first wall into place, standing it upright. Once it was there, six people remained holding the wall - three on each side - while the rest quickly secured the wall to the foundation. With each nail, the wall became more sturdy. Finally, Herman determined that it would hold with two people remaining to steady, while the rest quickly grabbed the second wall, which would face the back of the house and contained cut out for a door on the right side of it. It was moved into place, snugged up against the first wall.
The corner of the wall was secured first, allowing the two walls to counter-balance against each other, freeing people up to assist with the nailing into place. Elisabeth stayed holding one wall, and then again, knowing that her strength would be an asset. The young woman didn't look it, but her weapons training had made her stronger than most, allowing her to assist more easily in that fashion than stumbling through nailing.
When they were done, the foundation was set and two completed walls were up. Herman glanced at the plans, nodding as he agreed with some unexplained thing on the sheet. "We need to put up one more wall, and then I think we will begin framing the inner walls. My thought it, that it will be easier to do so while there is still some space around the structure. Once we close it up with walls, it will be difficult for all of us to maneuver around." Elisabeth smiled, stepping over to Herman. She was more than happy to allow him to run things, but she was charged with the welfare of the settlement, settlers and their guests, and as such, she had made a decision.
"Of course, and we can do so right after lunch. I asked a few of the settlers to prepare a meal of clam chowder and fresh bread, and it should be ready just about now. Shall we?" The whole group murmured happily about the meal, and soon enough the cadouri and settlers were sitting down on the beach, enjoying a well-deserved meal to nourish them for the afternoon ahead.
And Storm? He was happily curled up in his girl's lap. Building things was way too exhausting for him, watching all the activity and the noise, so he took the opportunity for a quick 'cat' nap.
