Completed [The Meraki] Reaching Out Reaching Up

[Kelski]

Timestamp: 75th of Summer, 519 A.V.

At the main table, Kelski had an enormous parchment rolled out and had made charcoal markings all over it. To a stranger, she would seem to be having a discussion with the thin air. In truth, she was simply having a conversation with The Gem and planning out The Gem’s future layout. Slowly, the two entities who had vastly different ideas of what was comfortable and what was defensible were coming to a consensus and the future of the Manor House was shaping itself on paper.

Kelski now had Earth Reimancy, which meant she could greatly aid in the construction of the Manor, however, Reimancy was notoriously fickle in building structures without underlays. The underlays would be The Gem’s job, since she was fairly good at willing something into place and having it manifest itself. A wood frame in the shape of a new hall or a new corridor would give Kelski’s power the support it needed to be something that would be long lasting. And once infused with The Gem’s sentience, the Architectrix itself could do the shaping and final detail work.

The layout they had decided on was a simple one to start. It would be a great hall off the side of the tower, with a smaller tower making up another corner. The hall would stretch out, two stories, with the upper stories comprised of suites that lined a hallway that would oversee the great hall. At an angle off to one side would be the kitchen and pantry as well as a library and sitting room. The kitchen would form a barrier between the human section of The Midnight Gem and what would constitute large covered stable that could be opened up in the summer to the cool ocean breezes. A courtyard would connect the whole thing in a loop that would make the Manor House be a spread wide letter L of multiple stories. A basement full length training area would grace the space beneath the hall in the very stone of the cliff The Gem perched on. There were sketches for more gardens, and Kelski had even added little pathways that The Gem could control so long as the stone was connected to her main form.

It was enough of a drawing, at least, to get started. Kelski wasn’t sure they would stick to the plans at all. But what she did know is that it gave them a good guideline, a way to grow the magic in a guided planned manner. Kelski didn’t care how they ended up, off plan or spot on. What she cared about is that they moved forward. She wanted everyone to have space, their own space that was, so they could stretch out and find their pathways… their voices… like she was able to do.

The Tower was great… but it wasn’t enough. It sheltered them and would continue to do so as they expanded. But no one had their own space besides Kelski and Dessarian. Kelski wanted to fix that. She desperately wanted everyone to have room to breathe ad privacy all their own. This… this would fix that. And she was steeling herself to get busy when… the contractors all piled in through the tower door and cleared their throats.

The Gem hadn’t even tried to stop them.

The Dock is done. They want you to walk down and see it.

The Gem’s deadpan voice displayed her boredom. She wasn’t actually all that impressed with the dock. She knew Barn was still in his plank awaiting its completion. And she knew Kelski was guilty about that. But they had got lucky with the tower being here or The Gem would still be a mantle plank as well. Kelski refrained from pointing that out as the head contractor cleared his throat.

“Ma’am. We have it completed. Do you want to come see it and walk it for a final approval?” He asked. Two foremen flanked him and Kelski nodded.

[Kelski]

“Sure.” She said agreeably, gave The Gem a mental snuggle and swung her cloak over her shoulders. She picked up her backpack too. There were things in it she might need immediately… the board that housed Barn, some nails, and a large stout hammer. She kept pace with the men as they headed down the pony cart trail to the beach and out onto the dock. The Empyreal Beach had an outcropping that was a sort of sheltering area right next to the beach. Sand spilled down the right side of their waterfront, but then the shore turned rocky facing the bay on the left side and provided a great place for a boathouse and dock.

The dock Kelski had contracted to be built because they had the funds. It curved out into the sheltered part of their little half-moon bay on the right side forming two slips for big ships to slide into. The bay there dipped deeply, allowing for larger ships to tie up. Further down the beach was strictly sand, and the depth wasn’t deep enough or most ships. In reality, the setup was ideal. Kelski was glad to have spotted it.

And as she walked down to where the dock started, she looked on speculatively. She took a tentative step up, balanced on the rocking wood, and saw they had designed it as she’d suggested. The dock stretched outwards from where it would eventually connect to the boathouse – that had yet to be built – and about halfway out the seventy-foot dock was a wider floating space that was roofed. The dock continued past the ‘lounge’ area and T’d to an end about thirty-foot past it. Big ships could tie up to the T and smaller ships alongside the floating lounge area.

Kelski walked out to the open-aired lounge area and looked around. She noted the built-in benches to the railing – a railing that could be removed – though there was plenty of seating for the Meraki to gather on a nice day and talk, break a fast, or even do some water training. The cover was a nice touch, providing shelter from rain and sun. She walked past the area, further out, to the edge of the dock. The whole thing rocked gently, anchored by pilons but free to lift up and down with the tide.

It was well built and she turned to the Zeltivan Contractors and smiled. “You did an amazing job. Thank you.” She said, then did a little experimental hop to see how much the dock rocked. It rocked almost none at all, more affected by the water than the weight upon it. “A very good job. Thank you for getting it done so quickly.” She added, then unshouldered her pack, reached into it, and pulled the last of their pay out.

She handed it to the contractor, shook his hand, and invited him to feel free to bid for more jobs they would have as they grew. In fact, she assured him she’d give his crew advanced notice before she entertained other bids. He nodded, glad for a chance to get a shot at more work. It was nice for the workers to get out of the city and do something less city-orientated.

And it was then that they all gave her their various goodbyes, piled onto their little fast ship that was moored to the dock on the leeward side, and headed off – undoubtably back to the city. Kelski was sad to see them go. They’d worked hard and they’d worked fair. She was very happy with the work… and because the dock was done, that meant she could keep a promise she’d been holding onto; one that troubled her heart.

[Kelski]

Kelski walked back to the open-aired lounge and gently pulled out the small bag of nails, the hammer, and then finally the shelf plank. Much like she’d done with Gem’s mantle, Kelski had often removed Barn and polished his shelf. But unlike The Gem, she had no place to put him. Now, finally, she did. Concentrating on her Reimancy, Kelski visualized the air at her feet hardening, compressing, becoming able to hold her weight in a stairstep formation in front of her. She walked up the stairway of air, carrying the nails and the hammer, plank tucked under her arm, and fit the board just up under the eave of the roof over the open-aired lounge. She eyeballed the centering, fidgeted until she felt she had it just right, then began hammering in the plank. Once Barn picked himself a name – she hoped it wasn’t Dock – she’d come out with some paint and carefully paint the plank with his name as a decorative touch.

Once the plank was firmly affixed by nails, Kelski returned her hammer and nails to her pack, walked back down the air stairway, and released the Reimancy. She’d have new magic to concentrate on now. She wrapped her hand around one of the support beams in the corner of the lounge holding up the roof and called. “Barn….. Barn… it’s time to awake.” She whispered, forcing power up the wood, infusing the post with djed, infusing her voice with power like she did before. Kelski was starting to learn that djed infused voice was a force unto itself and it could rouse even the sleepiest of resting architectrixs.

Kelski called again, feeding more djed into the structure, pulling at the plank knowing something in it was alive… something was stirring. Her book had said nothing about moving architectrixs of Barn’s age, which was extremely young… so Kelski had constantly worried about him. She pulled with her voice, imposing more of her will in it as she infused more djed into it. “Wake…. Its time to wake, my son.” She said, firmly but forcefully, as if she could verbally drag the young sentience from its slumbler.

A stirring occurred, something simple and annoyed. It was as if the Arch in the plank was happily asleep and didn’t want woken. A wave of power brushed across her awareness, and it reminded her of a horse swatting a biting fly with its tail. She grinned. He was in there, alright, and seemingly fine. “Barn! Wake up…. we’re home. I have a new place for you. Wake up!” She commanded, her voice dripping with power now. Kelski coaxed and coaxed and coaxed, not wanting to be forceful and demanding, but rather more interested in waking Barn gently and lovingly.

It worked. In the end, it wasn’t the force behind her voice. It was the persistence. She simply nagged that budding awareness until it simply couldn’t go back into its slumber and had to come fully awake if for no other reason than to voice its complaints about its sleep being disturbed. And, as she feared, he was as grumpy as she assumed he would be.

I WAS RESTING.

“And I promised to wake you when I had a structure for you to dwell in. I don’t break my promises.” She said softly, then instead of waiting for him to respond, she pulled the use of her djed out of her voice, and simply fed djed into the wood of the dock, feeding him as his awareness spread out from the plank and infected the wood of the dock like a disease. She could feel his unhappiness, his sleepiness, and his general disorientation at having been awoke from what she suspected was a nice deep relaxing sleep.

[Kelski]

He was going to respond. She could feel him gathering strength to do so. But then the dock shook, flexed on its own, and seemed to be testing its own bound. Kelski blinked, surprised, as the mood in the Architectrix changed between one of her breaths and the next. She inhaled deeply, getting ready to reassure him when delight hit her full force. He was… delighted. She could feel him taste the water beneath him that was buoying him up. She could feel him sinking his senses into his pylons and feeling rooted to the shore while at the same time floating and flexing on the gentle waves rocking Matthew’s Bay. He flipped violently once, as a child might make the waves splash, then his laughter rocked her psyche.

Water! The Ocean! You made me a dock! It’s … it's so lovely! I feel weightless and rooted all at once. I can see the comings and goings of the sea creatures and the activities of the creatures on land as well. I love it, Kelski. I so love it!

A thrilled Architectrix linked to a mage who was reading his every emotion was a beautiful thing. Kelski never felt more rewarded and happier to have done something – even if it meant putting off releasing Barn back into the world until the dock was done. She had hated the delay, but she couldn’t have imagined not having something he would like better than being a barn ready for him when he awoke.

Speaking of which… Kelski frowned.

“I hate to bring this up. But since you aren’t a Barn anymore, do you want to pick a new name? You won’t ever have to be a barn again. But I’m not sure you want to stick with Dock either. Do you have something else in mind?” She asked curiously, hopeful that he indeed did have something in mind.

The Architectrix formally known as Barn paused, felt as though a person looked when they looked thoughtful and took a long long time thinking things over. Kelski squatted, relaxing on her heels, more than willing to wait him out. She would rather he chose something he really wanted, thinking thoughtfully, rather than rashly pick something out of the blue.

While she waited and he thought, a gull circled overhead and landed on his roof. She wondered if the gull would defecate on Barn and put him in a mood again. However, the bird didn’t seem inclined to do so, though sooner or later it was bound to happen. Maybe he would mind, maybe he wouldn’t. But that was his objection about being a Barn in the first place. Kelski wondered on about Barn’s psychology before the Architectrix made his decision and finally answered her question.

I am at the edge of the water, bridging the gap between the land and the sea… and in some ways between those two things and the sky. I reach out… even the stars will touch me at night. I want the name Reach because I do that. I reach for more than most do. I wasn’t going to settle with what made me unhappy. Call me Reach. That way I will always remember to speak my mind and not to settle for things that don’t make me happy.

[Kelski]

The structure – Reach - was firm and she could feel tendrils of pleasure coursing through him at the new name. Kelski rather liked it as well. It thrilled her that her son was so thoughtful and recognized things weren’t to his liking and did things to change it. He was strong, firm, and something she was entirely grateful for. She laid her hands back down on the wood beneath her feet where she lightly squatted. Reach’s gratitude filled her, infusing her ever little nook and cranny with his apology because he hadn’t believed she’d do what she said she’d do. Then she felt his surprise at how nice it felt once she followed through and not only met his expectation and exceeded it.

“You aren’t upset that The Midnight Gem will be The Meraki’s home? That she will be the Manor House?” Kelski asked thoughtfully, and listened with all her heart, intent on Reach’s Answer. He was slow in coming

No mother. I am not. I do not wish the company of people more than brief moments in time. I much prefer the solitude of the sea and the windswept shore, especially if you are usually nearby to speak with If I get lonely.

Kelski couldn’t believe how she felt hearing that Reach didn’t want people but still needed her. Thankfulness infused her, that he could be so open and so honest with her and that he would be so willing to share his happiness.

“I will do all I can to make you happy and be near when you need me. I cannot always be home, but I will always have time for you if I am.” Kelski promised. And truth be told, it was more than enough for her… more than enough for her to understand that she was blessed by not only The Gods but by the power in her veins, and the power she’d passed on to The Gem and Reach. Lucky…. Unbelievably lucky.

She reached out and touched him again, infusing all those emotions into Reach’s form, wanting him to know just how she felt and that he was responsible for making her feel that way. Then, quietly, she asked one last question.

“We are planning on adding a Boathouse to this shore attached to the dock you occupy. It would accommodate guests and people that may live here full time. You’d be responsible for them, Reach, if it does. Because before long you will be so infused in the dock and anything attached to it that those structures would be considered yours. Is that something you can live with?” She asked, taking into account what he had just said about people and wanting to be alone a lot.

Yes. So long as I get to say who. I will not like everyone, but I will not be the creature that doesn’t like anyone.

Kelski smiled. “That’s more than fair. We’ll get started on the Boathouse and take all your opinions into account. You can even help design the rest of your features like The Gem is getting to do with the big house… “ She added, smiling happily because she could feel that he was happy, even with the idea that people would be along shortly.


Yes. But I will have had a chance to get use to the idea of people before people are here. I am glad you told me. Thank you, Kelski. Thank you for keeping your promises. I love you.

Kelski sniffled, wondered what she did to deserve such good children, and gave Reach a final pat. “I have to get to work in the shop. You enjoy. And if you need me just call me in your head. I will come running…” Kelski promised, offering him a grin before she quietly turned and headed back up to the tower.

Count: 3100

[Kelski]

G R A D E S

Kelski-

Drawing +1, Construction +1, Architectrix +4, Psychology +1

Barn: New name is Reach, Reach: What Makes Him Happy

PM me with questions or concerns.