House repair!

Leaves, branches, and rocks lied on the path, the storm had calmed down but a slight wind was still present, her hood was up to protect her face from the wind. Her house was still standing but needed a bit of repair. Materials were needed and she also needed food for the next period, her forest could sustain her pretty well but not all her needs could be met. On the way to the town could distressed houses been seen, the owners in a hurry to repair them. Trees had fallen, crops were ruined. The effects of the storm were everywhere. As always in the town, she bought a newspaper. The headlines said it all “BE PREPARED STORM WILL HIT AGAIN.” This storm would be around the same strength as the first one, better get to the store fast then.

Whilst on her way she saw on a post, right in front of a damaged house, a written poster. An older man needed help before the next storm was to hit. But before she could read it all she notices someone walking towards her. The old man was walking towards her trying to get her attention, she was panicking inside she was not a fan of conversation. But then a woman appeared in the corner of her eye. Looked like she noticed the old man as well, who is she?

The latest autumn storm had hit Fiore hard and especially Magnolia it seemed. Now ofcourse most buildings were protected by magic and especially guild headquarters were not impressed by a bit of wind. In fact, Teresa had not even noticed the storm. She had been inside the guild at her usual place at the bar and presumingly someone had carried her upstairs as usual. It was only to the banging on the door that she finally got up with a loud groan.

Three large cups of coffee and a very fatty breakfast later, she finally understood why she was dragged out of bad on a perfectly good day to lay in bed and be hungover. “So I am actually expected as a member of this guild to lend support to the locale populace as a sign of goodwill!?!” She asked grumpily, yet in a more reaffirming tone as she downed the last bit of coffee directly from the pot and slowly got up. With a loud sigh she nodded and then went off.

Luckily the strong coffee, fatty breakfast and a long travel to Magnolia cured most of her hangover. Upon arrival the some kind of branch of the main city council had taken it upon themselves to oversee the repairs. After Teresa had introduced herself as a member of the Silver Wolf guild she was given some pamphlet describing the job.

From the description it seemed serious and now that she was no longer plagued by waves of nausea and enough heart burn to light of Crocus city, she was actually motivated. The silver eyed witch did strongly believe in helping out others and this seemed like a good work-out. Upon arriving on the scene though, Teresa gasped slightly as seeing the destruction the storm had cost. Oh my… I had no idea. She said as her slightly trembling eyes went over the chaos and destruction.

It was definitely too much for on person, but luckily Teresa saw someone else already there, talking with the client. Considering the magical feeling emitting from that person, it was most likely a mage as well. Full of age fueled confidence Teresa cracked a faint smile and walked towards the girl and the old man. “Hi, I am Teresa Sinclair from the Silver Wolf guild.” She said friendly, shaking the hand of the client before extending it to the girl. “I think we are going to work together to undo this?” Teresa said, hand fully extended, as she nodded sideways to the broken house.

WC: 407
TWC: 637/2500
@Yingvi

Once close enough introduce the old man himself as Mr. Weathersteins. The man told her about the damage, severe was an understatement if not repaired will the house not survive the next storm. He looked at his house whilst explaining what had happened, his eyes looked fearful. Whilst listening to the man’s story without saying a word was she still following with her eyes that woman. She got closer and closer, the confidence was clearly noticeable, was she here to help the old man? The woman told her name to the old man and then turned Yingvi.

She noticed the hand that was awaiting a shake. She took the stranger's hand and reluctantly said: “Looks like we are, I am Yingvi.” Both looked at the house, a lot of working is awaiting them and a lot of materials must be bought first. To understand the damage better and to see what was necessary followed the two women the man. A tree had fallen partially on his house, the front porch had the most damaged cause of it. The floor and the railing had come down. The wood could not be used again and the same was for nails. A tree limb is still resting on the porch that also needs to be cut not pieces and moved. The old man told also about the state of the roof, the shingles had moved and broken or they simply were blown off the roof. The gutters were also no longer secured and needed new pieces. This was no simple task all of these repairs were a day of work not to mention the costs of the materials, it is even the question if the old man has the tools to repair the house. Wood, nails, the gutter pieces, and the new shingles all that needed to be bought and placed, she had made mental notes of the state and the problems. Yingvi had not enough money for all those materials and what she needed to buy for her own house, does the old man?

She had asked the man about which tools he owned and he guided them to a shed. Yingvi walked behind the man and the woman because she can't tell if they were trustworthy. The shed was lit by a small light and there on a workbench a bunch of tools, basic ones but they would do fine for the repairs. “I guess we need to go to the store for materials. Do you know a good one nearby?”

“It is a pleasure to meet you.” Teresa said with a genuine smile as she shook Yingvi’s hand. She felt the smooth skin of the young person in hers and it was warm. At least that was always a good sign. The assessment of the house was not so good though. As she followed the young mage, she saw the damage from the storm up close.

What she also noticed though was the shoddy construction work. Or rather the lack of maintenance. Most of the wood had already been weakened and she could see traces of mold and water. Given the patterns in the wood she estimated the roof had been leaking a bit for at least three to five years. There were signs of termites as well, but it seemed they were stopped. Actually done by a pretty decent contractor from the looks of it. Clean sweep, got all the little buggers at once. Of course the damage had never been repaired and she shook her head about the state of the paint on the remaining structure.

“Oof, we will need at least seven more to finish the job this week and it might actually be easier to tear everything down.” She said out loud, though more as a statement than to anyone in particular.

Before the man could reply though about the latest set of inquiries, Teresa could interfere as she had good news. For both of them. “Actually you don’t need to bother about that. When I arrived in the city to offer my help, I was given directions to the mega mart a few blocks away. If we tell them we are with the restoration process, we can get the materials for free. I presume the mart will directly get it’s money from the organization.” Teresa said friendly as she still could not believe sometimes how nice most of the people where in Fiore. They were no saints, but by far better people than some of the other countries. They actually tried to help people without being forced to it.

Now the only problem was the division of work. “Do you want to go to the mart together or shall we split up quickly? One of us could start cleaning things up here, while the other shops.” She said as she scratched her chin. “Hmmm I am okay with either. However I think I could also go for a quick bite to eat.” She added as she suddenly noticed the rumbling of her tummy.

Of course it was not very fair to put the decision immediately upon the other person and it was not that Teresa was incapable of making decisions. Rather the contrary. She had worked for the duke of Mermosaint as head of the household staff. Including gardeners and supply supplies, she had been in charge of over eleven hundred staff members each day. She could literally yell out orders the entire day without straining her voice. However where would be the fun in that. She was ancient and much more liked it to see the younglings around her adept and grow into their own. So she had made it a habit to never intervene if there was no need and let them take charge.

“So what do you think we should do Yingvi?” She asked with a smile as she put her hands in her side and leaned back a bit, adopting a more passive stance.

WC: 558
TWC: 1,615/2500
@Yingvi

That question shocked her for a moment. What did she prefer? It is a trouble to tell if Teresa is trustworthy but that woman did know where to go and seemed not to really dislike shopping. “I will start cleaning here it is a way to do this faster.” Once the woman is back she will check if everything is bought. A lot needed cleaning, the tree limb for starters, but also all broken and weak wood and shingles needed removal. After a small discussion about what was needed went there separate ways, that woman is kind and confident.

First the tree limb, that was a lot of work in itself. She grabbed the axe from the tool-shed of the old man. It stroke again and again until the limb could be carried. She was not done yet, now the floor planks and the railing. More than the broken ones could go, many were attacked by mold. One piece, another one, and another one, but finally the porch is cleared. She had grabbed the ladder and set it against the house when Teresa appeared. She was gone a while but she had bought the materials. Wood yes, nails check, shingles yes, and enough as well. Alright good, she had brought back everything he needed. Now everything can be repaired. Repaired she thought. More fortified, the house was in such a bad state overall it just needed to be stabilized to survive the weather but in the future must major maintenance be unleashed on the house to be liveable. That thought made her think of her own little cabin, she could not wait until she is home again. There went her thoughts she needed to focus on. Shingles, first needed the shingles to be removed. That alone took an hour, it was dangerous, luckily she was not scared of heights though, that would make it so much worse. Then the placement. Teresa and Yingvi worked as a team. Teresa gave her the shingles whilst Yingvi placed them. This made the placement so much faster than when they both did something separate.  

Gutters were easily put back and it was time for a little break. Yingvi was starving and thirsty she had only eaten a bit before she left her comfortable home. Her stomach made a loud rumbling sound, whoa she really is hungry.

Teresa nodded to Yingvi before setting off. The little girl was nice enough, even if a bit shy, but she definetely seemed capable enough. Teresa was strangely confident that when she would come back, Yinvi had finished the clean-up. “I will see you in a bit Yinvi. Just be careful not to hurt yourself.” Teresa said with a friendly smile as she turned around. She raised her hand in the air and waved as she set off, until she had to turn left and out of view. Luckily the mart was just a few blocks away and it was easy to find. The thirty meters high sign above it, lit up like an Christmas tree on crack.

With the shopping list long enough to serve everyone in a toilet in an Indian curry restaurant during ‘spicy’ night. Still this was not bad at all. In a way Teresa loved a good construction market and as she was shopping, she did window shop a lot at all the cool gadgets they had. Not to mention all the little things that those markets offered on the side.

Several times she had to force herself to put back a nice hanging lamp or a nice clock. That was currently not her assignment. It was difficult though, as this market had so many cute things. Off course everything has a bell curve and she had to be told by some of the shops personal she did not need the heavy duty drilling devices to repair a roof. So she had to put those back as well. In the end it became kind of like a bug spencer movie, where Teresa kept piling things on the cart and the personal shook their head and brought 70% back to it’s shelves. In the end though Teresa got everything and even arranged for the market to load it into one of their trucks and deliver it to the house for them. They knew the owner rather well and were all to happy to help out.

With a loud honking sound the truck pulled up an hour later. “Oh wow, nicely done Yingvi.” Teresa said with a loud whistle as she observed the young girls work. She had almost completely finished with removing and prepping everything.

With combined forces they unloaded the truck and then She and Yingvi started repairing the roof, while some other people started working on the fence and minor repair works to the walls. Naturally progress was quick and by the end of the afternoon the roof was at the very least waterproof again and the walls kept out the wind. The old man was delighted and wanted to thank everyone, but the people here would not hear about it. Apparently Josh had been practically a saint in his prime and was still helping out where he could. He still organized bingo evenings and collected money for a number of causes. So instead of accepting their help, the people were already conversing and planning to help improve the house even further.

Luckily that was not the job Teresa and Yingvi had signed up for. “Whoa is that your stomach?” Teresa asked as her eyes widened upon hearing the rumbling noises. “Shall we go have a bite to eat then? There is a nice little restaurant around the corner.” She said as she handed Yingvi her share of the reward for a job well done.

WC: 575
TWC: 2,582/2000
@Yingvi

Lunch would be great and a nice break before the final fixing work that needed to be done, the porch. They explained the plan to the old man and the other helpers, they gave them a wish of a happy lunch with thanks for gathering all the materials and for fixing the roof. After lunch would Teresa and Yingvi help them with the porch. The sun was high in the sky still a slight wind blowing at the two women. On the walk, they discussed the plan for the porch. The extra helpers would do the cutting of the planks and when the women were back they would the finishing touches like finishing laying the plank and putting up the porch railing.

They found the restaurant and took a seat. They began talking whilst munching sandwiches. Teresa asked Yingvi to tell more about herself, they both realized that neither really knows one another. What did she need to say, her past is not her favorite subject to much hardship still. After a bit of thinking, she told Teresa about her love of nature, “Nature is my heaven, my comfort spot, it is peaceful, full of untapped knowledge and she can be all alone. I do not like hustle and bustle, too many people around me, and paying attention to me makes me uncomfortable, so nature helps me then.” She had her hood off and looked down at her sandwich. She was not sure but she had a feeling that Teresa noticed her slight discomfort, to not put the focus of the warrior to her discomfited went she on talking: “I also like learning and getting and sharing knowledge is one of my purposes in life… um I think.“ She felt a slight bit uncomfortable, she did tell a bit about her life. She told that from a young age she hoarded books to learn more and more in the hope it might be of some use someday. She learned the anatomy of the body and how to treat some illnesses that way. Her second purposes help everyone in need to repay the kindness she received years ago. Whilst talking she stroke the tattoo on her arm, not many people knew what it meant but is special for her, would the woman ask her about it.

Was it wise to tell more, the woman did seem trustworthy and she had a warm kind charm with her, she probably had already told enough. At least she would not tell her fears those are her secrets. “What about you, tell me something about you.” Might be better to let the woman also talk about herself more about her, it was only known that she is a Silver Wolf and confident.

Teresa just watched as Yingvi relayed the final orders and took the lead in this affair. It was adoringly cute to watch and Yingvi gave such precise and good instructions, Teresa had nothing to complain about. The workers knew what they had to do and surely they had given their blessing to this little break. The two mages had been at it all morning and the early afternoon, without so much as taking a break. So without a guilty conscious Teresa led Yingvi to the establisment around the corner. The ‘Two-headed bald eagle Inn’ had been recommender by the bartender from her guild HQ.

As they approached the building Teresa understood why. The building style was quite germanic, white plaster facades with black wooden beams worked into it. The glass windows were old fashioned, a bit yellow and orange was mixed into the stained glass windows depicting a bald eagle with two heads. Above the entrance was a big white sign hanging from a mast and from it hung a waterfall of the most exotic and exuberant plants. It was like a waterfall of green and the customers had to navigate through it to enter the restaurant.

Inside was even more beautiful.

Teresa gasped audibly as they walked through the living wall of vines, acting as a curtain. The entire inn looked as if it was carved from one big tree. The ceiling was covered with slowly crawling vines. The light fixtures where radiant “Puloma’ flowers, spreading their warm light across the floor. The tables looked like their were made of antique oak and between the tables were a meter high and long flower pots, filled with the most colorful flowers. “The gigantic waterfall ending in the aquarium is a nice touch.” Teresa said with a bit weak voice as she pointed to the big pond in the middle of the room, only to let out a little squeaking sound as she looked up. “Oh wow… it looks like there is a second floor and it looks so much like a tree house.” She said, enthusiastically6y slapping her hands together, before pulling Yingvi enthusiastically up the stairs.

Imagine her surprise to see that the ceiling was in fact no made out of vines. They were just there to carry the unimaginable beauty. The entire upper area was a gigantic aquarium, with the most beautiful kind off fish swimming through it. In a flash Teresa noticed a squid, two baby sharks and even some types she did not recognize -aside from the thousands of smaller fish hurdling through the aquarium.- In the middle the aquarium opened and led into gigantic waterfall that could be seen from below.

“I swear if the food is a good as the scenery, this will definitely become my favorite restaurant.” She said with a grin as they finally sat down.

As they sat down, Yingvi began to talk and it became apparent to Teresa the young girl was as cute and adoring as she was shy and introvert. Still she could not help but agree with Yingvi. “I agree with you, nature always does help me calm down as well.” She said as she stopped a garcon and order drinks for the two of them. “It is one of the reasons I signed up with the Silver Wolf magic guild.” She said as she pulled on of her black cigarettes from her pockets and lit it. “Part of our guild territory is the Phoenix Mountains. They are absolutely beautiful and spectacular. Especially when it snows.” She said with a grin. As her eyes kept wandering over the restaurant. Everywhere she looked she kept finding new things to see. “Oooiiii vay!” She moaned softly, biting her bottom lip softly, as she pointed at a moving painting on the wall. “Is that a real Notrusdi” She asked as she pointed at the painting, which was made of hundreds of tiny little seeds, sprouting and unsprouting, constantly forming a new picture. If it was it was quite valuable and increasingly rare, since the artist had died several decades ago.

As she kept gazing, she kept listening though as Yingvi talked and explained. She did notice the young girl stroke a tattoo on her arm, but decided against asking. Maybe later, but usually she thought it was nicer for people to be allowed to keep their secrets. So she tried not to pry.

“Wow you sound like an interesting young girl, Yingvi” Teresa said with a genuine friendly smile, just as the drinks came. “I think I was a lot like you when I was younger.”

WC: 761
TWC: 3,799/2000
@Yingvi

After talking and eating it was time to get back and finish the porch. On the way back they discuss the different possibilities they could face when repairing it. When they came back they saw that the other helpers were quite far with the repairs. Teresa and Yingvi went straight to work once they were back. They nailed the planks on the constructed frame with care and speed. After the planks were the railings turn. They needed sanding and placement which took some time but were still installed quick enough for a final strength check. After a few hours looked at the porch as good as new and where the two ladies did with the work. There was enough time for Yingvi to get everything she needed and get back to her house. Before she went she had one thing to say to Teresa: “I hope I see you again for another fun day!” She had started to trust her, she was kind and caring and confident, maybe sometimes a bit too excited but not too overwhelming.

The two girls parted their ways after then man had shown his gratitude. Once home again needed she some quick house maintenance to strengthen her roof. That took less time than the old man, she hoped his house could get a major structural repair after the last storm. The wind began to pick up again and the rain was on its way. She went into her beloved home and picked up a book to read with a nice calming cup of tea she could use one after a labor-intensive day.