Arc 721, 85 Zi'da
The pair strode up to Saoire’s School, bundled up as Zi’da weather, even on Faldrass, could be a bit bracing. Silk once again accompanied Elisabeth, and the two had chatted about various things on the way. Short trips away from Haven, the young mage believed, helped strengthen the relationship between her and the guard. Silk enjoyed the little outings, and they got to know each other better – a win/win type situation.
Silk decided she wanted to explore the school a bit while Elisabeth attended to business, so they arranged to meet back up in a few breaks for the trip back to Haven. After asking for directions, Elisabeth slowly made her way down the halls, marveling at the beauty of Saoire’s School. It was her first time within it, and everything about it made her smile. It was all very Saoire - warm and inviting.
Winding her way through the hallways, Elisabeth finally found the right room. As she poked her head inside, a smile flitted across her lips, spying the very cadouri she was looking for. “Professor McGerman?”
The cadouri lifted his head from what she assumed was some paperwork, immediately smiling at his surprise visitor. “Elisabeth! What a wonderful surprise! Come in and sit, sit!” Gesturing her over to a set of comfortable chairs nearby, he rose swiftly to join her. “I am so happy to see you, dear girl. And oh! I hear congratulations are in order! Gianella is lovely, but she can’t keep a secret for anything. A wedding! How exciting!”
Giving Herman a big smile, she reached out to pat his hand. ”Thank you so much, professor. I’m thrilled and excited. Gianella, as I understand it, is coming out to Haven near the beginning of Cylus so we can discuss my dress, and I’m looking forward to that visit as well.” Big news had a way of taking over conversations, and Elisabeth was mindful of that, turning the subject in another direction. “But enough about me. You are well, I hope?”
Herman McGerman had spent a fair amount of time with Haven’s leader, well aware of her ability to steer conversations. With a laugh, he replied to her well-intentioned question. “I’m fine, dear, and things are well here at Saoire’s Dream. However, you came to see me for a reason, so let’s get to it. Everything is well with the farm, yes?”
Nodding, she immediately sought to reassure him. “Yes, yes. The farm is wonderful. It’s another matter that brought me here today. It seems I require you and your team’s skills once again.” That revelation prompted the cadouri to arch his brow. He leaned back in the chair a bit and grabbed a nearby notebook and quill from the table. “Oh? Do tell me about this new project then, and we’ll get it sorted.”
With a smile, Elisabeth began to explain. "Well, I'd like to build a chapel in Haven. Nothing huge, but large enough to accommodate the people in the settlement, considering future growth." With no more than a few words out of her mouth, the cadouri was already making notes. Having been through this process before, Elisabeth and Herman knew how to work with each other for maximum efficiency.
"A chapel? Excellent. Excellent indeed. So, let's consider the outside first. Where are you considering putting the chapel?" The professor had a working knowledge of Haven, staying there when the farmhouse and barn were built. She knew he wouldn't need much direction to understand the spot she was thinking of, but a visual always helped. "May I borrow a piece of paper and quill? I'll draw you a map," she replied, grinning a bit. "It won't be a good one, so don't get excited."
Chuckling, Herman gave her the supplies she asked for, and Elisabeth spent several bits drawing what she considered to be a slightly better map than the first one made for Balthazar. This version was minus the blob with cat ears and stick guards, so in her opinion lacked appropriate flair, but it was a business meeting after all.
Sliding the map over to the cadouri, Elisabeth waited for the expected laugh, but the kind professor just smiled at her. "There's room for improvement, but it's not the worst map I've ever seen. Now, explain to me what I'm looking at."
A sigh of relief escaped. The mage knew Herman wouldn't tease her about her lack of artistic ability but had instead given Elisabeth a bit of encouragement and hope that perhaps she wouldn't always be awful at drawing. It was something, at least.
Quickly, she went over the significant landmarks in Haven, moving him through the settlement, past the trees, and to the large area west of Haven where Munny Farm sat on the north end. "So, you see the farm here. The site we've agreed to for the chapel is south of that. It ends up being behind Haven House, with the trees between the two structures."
Herman's eyes lit up with recognition. "Ah, yes! I remember. I'm not an expert in settlement planning, but that does seem to be a good spot. Far enough away from the farm to not impede growth there, but still close to both the farm and settlement proper. I also like how you work with the trees in the area, using them as natural barriers instead of cutting them down. It's a smart thing to do. Keeps the feel of nature in the settlement, making it not feel like just a collection of buildings."
The compliment was unexpected but warmly received. "I appreciate that Professor," she said, smiling gently at him. "That's one of my main goals with Haven. Nature should be part of the design and not something to be removed. There is balance with nature, and I don't wish to upset it. Most especially here on Faldrass, where the eruption already did so much damage to the habitat." While Elisabeth didn't understand much, she knew that sometimes disturbing, for example, something like trees, could damage the soil beneath. Far better in her mind to work with what was in and around Haven.
Herman's eyes moved from the map to his notes as they got back to the chapel plans. A few trills later, he asked his next question. "Tell me about what you'd like this chapel to look like. Haven's aesthetic is very simple, so I'm assuming you'd like something that will blend with the existing structures. I also need to know what you are thinking regarding the types of rooms. I can imagine a huge common room, being as it's a chapel, but beyond that?"
They had come to the part of the conversation where Elisabeth knew would be a bit tricky. Answering his questions required a bit more knowledge than she had, but the young woman trusted Herman to help her. "A simple aesthetic is fine. Nothing too fancy. Simple, clean lines," she responded. "Eventually, I'd love to have gardens surrounding the chapel. A fancy building would detract from the natural beauty I envision having there, and besides, the focus should be on the purpose of the building, I'd think."
Ever the teacher, the professor seemed to like that answer very much. "Yes! That is an excellent observation, Elisabeth. Many people don't understand aesthetics and the need to consider the environment when choosing how the structure will exist within it. Excellent, excellent!" His eyes often traveled to attend to their conversation and what she said, but the hand never stopped, oddly enough, swooping across the page, adding small drawings and notes as their talk continued.
"As for the rooms, you are right – one big room for people to gather in, with long wooden benches and the like. As I understand it, chapels have in-residence priests, so we need some area for whoever takes up that post. A bedroom, bathroom – small kitchen perhaps? I think a study as well, but that should be a bit bigger than the other rooms. And a special purpose room, probably the same size as the study." The plan had evolved since speaking to Balthazar last, but both had contributed their thoughts on the subject.
As the note-taking continued, he nodded. "This is what I think. Come stand behind me, and I'll show you this basic outline," he offered. Rising to her feet, Elisabeth did as asked, walking behind him and glancing at his basic blueprint. "The front part of the chapel is the common area. A few long steps lead up into the building, and right there is the place for everyone. I like this concept because you are including some private areas for a priest, and you don't want others in that space."
His finger pointed to the back half of the almost-square structure. "A wall will separate the common area and all the others, which again are back here. I recommend….yes, I think this will work wonderfully." Drawing a new line, Herman continued. "Large common area, and then two exits from that room – one on either side of the wall dividing the front and back. Beyond those doorways, imagine a long hallway, the length of that wall. All the extra rooms will be back there, but…"
The momentary pause was quickly explained as the cadouri drew a few arrows to explain how people could move through the chapel. "The long hallway will have a wall right in the middle to keep people from being able to access all the rooms. Using the left-side doorway into the hall, they will come to the priest's private quarters, complete with a bedroom, kitchen, and bathroom. If a person chooses the right-side doorway, the study and special-purpose room sit, which I believe you intend to be a little more publicly accessible, correct?
It was exciting to see her ideas come to life, coupled with Herman's professional suggestions. The blueprint in front of her was perfect in its design and precisely what Elisabeth envisioned, only better. Had he asked a question?
She quickly glanced at the cadouri, blushing just a little. "Sorry, Professor. I was a bit lost looking at your plan. Yes, that was the intention. Absolutely."
A few trills passed before the cadouri set down his notebook, offering a warm smile to his guest. "I think we have a very workable idea here. I'll get Miles and Melinda going on things. The last decision to make is simply when you'd like to get started?"
Timelines. Reaching back to remember how long the farmhouse had taken, Elisabeth knew that in paying for the chapel to be built, Herman would bring along a few more experienced workers, and they would have to consider extra time for supply delivery to the settlement. "Well, Cylus is obviously out of the question. I want to get started as soon as possible in Ashan, though. We are hoping to have the chapel done in time for the wedding, which is on 100 Ashan."
Herman grabbed another notebook off the table, presumably his calendar. "I think last time we operated on a thirty-trial timetable, and I'd like to stick to that this time as well. Are you wishing to have the settlers involved with building again?" Nodding, Elisabeth smiled. "Yes, if that's alright. I think it's important for us to be part of the process. Community-building and such." She had an idea about building the chapel, and it was hard to shake. Part of her continued to feel like Vri wanted them and to be as involved with the building as possible, for the process could be just as important as the final product.
"So," he began, "Let's do this. We will arrive in Haven to begin work on 30 Ashan. That gives time for the supplies to arrive during the first thirty trials of the season and preparation of the site like you did before. Thirty trials for the building and the chapel should be complete on or before 60 Ashan - a whole forty trials before the wedding. Will that work?" She quickly agreed, writing down a few notes of her own.
As he jotted down the information on his calendar, they spoke of the final few arrangements to be made. Just as last time, the cadouri would stay with them during the build. Elisabeth knew the settlers were looking forward to having them in the settlement, having learned a lot about Saoire and cadouri during the previous visit.
Their farewells were warm and brief, with Herman's assurances that Elisabeth would be getting married in Haven's chapel as planned. She appreciated the encouragement and looked forward to working on the project with him.
As Elisabeth walked the halls on her way back to meet Silk, she couldn't help but continue to think about the process of building the chapel. For her, knowing her wedding to Balthazar would be in the chapel, it was a labor of love. But then again, wasn't Haven a personification of that ideal? Every trial, they worked and worked for the betterment of the community because they cared about it and each other.
Building the chapel together, for Haven, would be a labor of love. And since its dedication would be to Vri, Elisabeth thought that was just about perfect.
