Building a Better Home [Cal]

[nineofswords]

B'ram walked into one of the workshops that had been set up turns ago for the craftspeople of Semaca, nodding and smiling at people, calling out greetings to any he knew by name. But despite his relaxed demeanor, he was not here on a social call. He was looking for one man in particular, and it wasn't long before he found him.

"Xanatos, there you are," B'ram said, smiling brightly. "I was wondering if you'd allow me to pick your brain for a little while. I don't want to get in the way of any work you're doing, of course." B'ram looked as relaxed in the workshop as he did in most places around the Weyr, and if Xanatos needed another pair of hands for any reason, he'd offer his readily.

There were a few reasons B'ram was seeking out Xanatos. The first being that while B'ram had great respect for riders and handlers who'd gone on to become journeymen, their priories should be to their bond first and foremost, which meant that - intentionally or not - their craft necessarily took a backseat. He wanted someone who'd devoted their entire attention to their craft. The other reason was that Weyrs tended to prioritize riders and handlers when looking for someone knowledgeable, and Semaca needed as many skilled people as possible, not just those who were bonded. He wanted the unbonded craftspeople to feel like they were valued too in the Semaca where he was Weyrleader.

[Calingaladha]

Xanatos had been bent over some draft sketches for a blade when B’ram entered. He straightened as he was addressed, adding a light bow in the process and a small smile of greeting.
“Weyrleader, it’s a pleasure to see you. I am at your disposal, sir. There’s always work, but nothing at the moment is pressing. Would you like some klah? I usually keep a fresh carafe around to help me through evening projects.”

He straightened a few things on the work bench and a chair nearby, in case B’ram would like to sit as well. From his perch in the corner, the little bronze Puck chirped a greeting to the rider.

“I can’t promise the best pickings from this brain, but I can promise my best quality of work, as always.”

[nineofswords]

B'ram gave Xanatos as nod in exchange for the bow. He was still trying to figure out how he wanted to respond to displays of respect. He'd gotten used to that sort of thing being skipped over at Semaca in favor of getting work done, but now that he was Weyrleader people were taking the time to bow. He didn't want to just brush away people wanting to show respect to the scant hierarchy there was here at Semaca, but he also wasn't sure that he wanted to be seen as unapproachable. In this case, though, since he was there on business, he wouldn't worry about it too much, he decided.

"There is indeed always work," B'ram agreed with a rumbling chuckle. "One of the beauties of Semaca, eh? But I'm glad I caught you at a good time. And I would love some klah, thank you. That's smart, keeping some on hand. While a walk to the dining hut is a good excuse for a break, I'm sure it's much more irritating when it interrupts your work." Seeing that Xanatos was making space for him, B'ram took a seat, shooting the bronze in the corner a smile and a wink. With a thought, he summoned his own gold flit. She popped into the workshop from between with her usual litany of little noises. She took a moment to rub her head against B'ram's cheek, and at his gesture to the bronze, went to investigate this other firelizard. B'ram thought the space could use a little more levity, and his Sunny was a master of not taking thing seriously.

"The excellent quality of your work is actually why I wanted to speak to you," B'ram said, once he was settled. "Your work and product have both been invaluable to this Weyr, but I'm sure I don't need to remind you of all the troubles we've been having lately. Spotties broaching our walls, flooding in our caverns even after all these turns. I was wondering if you had any ideas about how to handle those problems. I know metal and water don't mix well, so the flooding might not be in your wheelhouse exactly, but I'll welcome any thoughts you have. And as far as defense against the spotties goes, I can't really think of anyone better than a smith for the best means to fortify our defenses." Sure, the guards probably had ideas, but a smith would be the one who'd have to implement them. Best to go straight to the source first, see what was feasible and what was asking too much.

[Calingaladha]

Puck lost all interest in the Weyrleader once the gold flit popped in. With a croon, he puffed himself up to his greatest stance, posing for her to take in his best angle. Xanatos chuckled softly at his antics.
"Always the trickster, that one. Now, as to the issues in the Weyr." He moved first to pour B'ram a mug of klah, serving it to him before getting one of his own. He grabbed a piece of charcoal and a skin to take some notes.

"I may not be able to keep the water from entering, as it is the most tenacious of elements, but I may be able to design some implements to help it flow out and prevent it from flooding to damage point. Some drains or channels."
He looked thoughtful. "I won't discount the possibility of keeping water up, but I may as well plan for both. As for the spotties..." He rubbed at his beard with two fingers.

"It may not be as much a matter of reinforcing the walls as much as making them harder to scale. Animals have some particular quirks, and I may speak to those around the Weyr who keep felines, they may give me some ideas that will help dissuade them. He started to add some little sketches to the skin. "If I could be given access for plans to the original walls, that would be of great help to me. It will help identify weaknesses they may be able to exploit, and I'd rather build upon the designs rather than revamp. Makes it look more seamless."

[nineofswords]

Sunrise chirped at Puck in response, sniffing at him with interest when he posed for her. She didn't seem to understand that she was meant to be admiring him, and adopted a pose most canines took on to signal they wished to play, front half of her body down on the ground and her hindquarters in the air.

"Much appreciated," B'ram said, accepting the klah, blowing on it and taking a few sips as he waited for Xanatos. It was lucky he'd liked his klah with no additives before he'd come here, but if he hadn't he suspected Semaca would've trained it out of him. It was harder to get supplies reliably here, harder to know that you'd be getting the same thing next week that you had this one. The fact that klah was always on hand was a small miracle as far as he was concerned.

B'ram nodded as Xanatos talked about redirecting the water. "That sounds the easiest method," he agreed. "I'm planning to put together a group of people with the requisite skillsets to address things like that. Miners, surveyors, shells, I'll even take farmcrafters if they know about soil drainage. I'll make sure you're in the group, so you can discuss with them the best place to drain the water out to, so you're not trying to push it uphill or something." B'ram nodded. "Keeping water out would be ideal, but whatever you can come up with short of relocating us, I'll take it. We've put too much work into building this place into a home to abandon it because of occasional water." He looked very intense for a moment before remembering himself, intentionally relaxing his clenched fists and smiling a little ruefully at Xanatos.

His smile broadened significantly at Xanatos's ideas about dealing with spotties. "This is why I asked you," he said. "Your ideas are exactly the sort of thing I was looking for, but would never have actually occurred to me." He nodded. "I'll track down the plans for the walls. There may have been other plans drawn up as well, either that were ultimately discarded or else detailing some of the improvements we've made. I'll gather anything about them I can find just to be sure you have what you need." He scratched his beard. "Is there anything else I can do to make it easier for you to add to our defenses? I could ask people with felines to bring them to your workshop for instance." He said it as if he was serious, but there was a twinkle in his eye that anyone observant enough would be able to use to see that he was joking.

[Calingaladha]

Puck seemed momentarily deflated when his showing off had no effect, but he quickly adapted, ducking into his own play bow and wiggling his tail. He even added a short "barking" chirp to Sunshine.

"It is ideal to have as many experts as we can, and I will be glad to have their counsel in my designs." Xanatos said, as he continued to jot things down. "I can't pretend I'm an expert in getting water to do my bidding, but I know we can find a solution that will be effective. This will be our home for a long while yet." He added a little smile. "We won't be beaten by the damp."

At the joking suggestion by the Weyrleader, he chuckled deeply. "Well, if they can handle a forge, they'll be welcome." he teased back lightly. "But the plans will be the first thing I need. Once I get a better idea of where to construct and what I will need, then I will speak to you about materials and labor. I no doubt have some of the metal I will need, but for something that extensive, I don't think it will be enough." He paused a moment as if in deep thought. "And I'll need a canine, who better to plot against them? He grinned at his own little joke.

[nineofswords]

Sunrise was elated when the bronze joined her in the play pose. She made as if to swipe at him, then darted away in a chittering, draconic sounding laugh. She took to the air, looking back to be sure he was chasing her. She wanted to play!

"Indeed we will not," B'ram agreed heartily when Xanatos said they wouldn't be beaten by the damp. "If it didn't sweep us away during the flooding, it won't get us with its slow insidious creeping either." He sighed. "It'd be much more useful if there were people adept at getting water to do as they wished. Farmcrafters come the closest since they have to irrigate their crops, and sailors and fishermen understand water but only in larger quantities than we get inland. The control of water is too important in this wild place and we don't have anyone who seems to specialize in that and it is infuriating." It felt good to get that off his chest a little. Water control wasn't as important in the north, so there were no specialized crafts dedicated to it. There were so many things the south needed that there was no need to specialize in up north, and sometimes it was astounding how wide that gap was.

B'ram laughed. "If felines could handle a forge, I'd be inviting the spotties in with open arms instead of building better walls against them," he said with amusement. He grinned at Xanatos' joke. "Indeed! We must use their natural enemies against them. Tell me, would you like to have the canine present when you investigate the felines? What better way to see their natural responses, eh?" He was joking. He didn't want to be responsible for killing anyone's beloved pets. On a more serious note, he nodded when Xanatos said that was all he'd need. "Of course. No point in making plans before we know what we're working with."

[Calingaladha]

Puck playfully nipped the air as Sunshine swiped at him, then took off after her, chirruping happily. He added a playful little twirl to his aerial acrobatics, maybe at least a little still trying to show off to the gold.

Xanatos took on a very serious expression. "We'll need two canines. One to observe and the other to take notes." But he couldn't hold in his smirk for long. At the Weyrleader's frustrations, he nodded. "Water is one of our most important resources...and yet the one that eludes our understanding the most. We can contain it to a point, but to make it do our bidding? Sometimes I think we'd have a better chance asking the Red Star not to make a pass."

He sighed softly. "But! Just because our victory hasn't been reached before, doesn't mean it never will be. Please have my every assurance that I will do all I can to fix this issue. Both of them. After all, if I let you down, Puck wouldn't have his playmate anymore." He looked over briefly then at the firelizards captivated by play.

[nineofswords]

Sunrise let out a squeak of delight at Puck's aerial stunts, whirling to try the stunt out herself. She was not as graceful at it as he was, but she didn't seem disappointed by that, darting away from him again to see what else he'd do that she could try emulating.

B'ram burst out laughing at Xanatos's deadpan delivery of his joke. It wouldn't have been half so funny if it had been delivered any other way, but as it was he needed several moments to get all of the laughs out. "Faranth, I needed that," he said once he'd gotten control of himself again. He'd been starting to let the stress of the job get to him a little. This was a good reminder why he needed to let go every now and again.

B'ram shot Xanatos a knowing look, the look of a man when someone had expressed his feelings exactly. "Indeed. How easy all our problems would be if the unstoppable forces of our world could just bend to our will." He was sure there would be other problems if that were the case, but some days he'd be willing to risk it for the ease with which he could solve these current problems.

"That's the spirit, man," B'ram agreed at Xanatos's observation that victory could be reached even if it hadn't been before. "I have every confidence in you. You strike me as the sort who doesn't give up easily, which is exactly what we need in projects such as this." He chuckled. "Yes, truly that will be the worst fallout of failure, that the flits will be disappointed." He smiled up at them flying about over people's heads. Despite his flippant words, their joy and carefree play was exactly what he was trying to preserve, not just for them but for everyone at the Weyr. It was a good reminder for him what he was working for.

[Calingaladha]

Puck, ever determined to impress the gold, suddenly folded his wings and dived, snapping them back open again a mere hair's breadth from the stone floor to prevent a crash, singing as he rose once more to meet Sunshine.

Xanatos laughed along with the Weyrleader, grinning broadly. "Well, I'm sure once metal was seen as an unstoppable force, but we've learned to bend that. Why not water?" He was still smiling, but his expression took on a more serious element. "I don't give up, if I can help it, and certainly not when there's so much at stake. You can count on my full support and greatest efforts, and don't hesitate to call on me at any time." He seemed to have taken all the notes for now that he could conjure up, and glanced back at the flits again.

"You can always send a gold messenger in your stead, too. I'm sure Puck wouldn't mind."

[nineofswords]

Sunrise let out a shriek of delight that was decidedly unladylike and rather harsh on the ears at Puck's new game. She twirled in the air to better position herself, then dived to the floor as well. She had to pull up a lot sooner than Puck, not as bold as the bronze, but she was chittering with delight at this new game.

B'ram offered Xanatos a weary smile. "You've got a point there, I suppose," he said. "Though it's hard to imagine a time when we were not masters of metal, which makes it difficult to think what it must've taken to become so." He ran a hand through his hair. For all his light-heartedness and joking, there was some lingering worry on his face.

B'ram clapped a hand on the other man's shoulder. "That's what I was hoping to hear," he said, in response to Xanatos's promise that he wouldn't give up. "I won't either. Semaca means too much to me to let it fall now. Whatever you need, you have only to ask." He let out a wry chuckle. "After all, that's all I'm really good for in this position, is providing support to those like you who have the actual skills and training to get the job done. But whatever I can do to provide that support I will."

B'ram looked up at the flits as well at that, grinning. "Sunrise seems like she's enjoying herself. I'm sure she'd have no complaints if I sent her on errands to see the two of you again."