ALL NOVEL Ch. 8: A Little Fixer-upper
Getting the place leased, Fiona realized, was just the start. With their work cut out for them, she knew she was going to have to get this place up to par in record time, and she needed to pull in every favor she could. She looked at her list of contacts she had dialed in on her arcane relay, and sprawled out on her bed. Tucker was curled up at her feet, kneading the blankets softly.
She did have the adventurers guild to call on. She had more than a few favors she could call in, and this was super easy compared to exploring forgotten temples, monster slaying, or escorting nobility.
She ended up calling Jake, and felt a little anxious. He was the one guy she felt anxious about talking to, but he also knew a lot of friends who worked the various other guilds. She thought to hang up, but held firm. No time for fluttery butterflies now!
“Hey, Fi! You got my message, how are you?” The deep male voice called out over the arcane relay. Tucker yawned loudly as if on cue, and Jake laughed. “I see that little furball is getting the first word in, eh?”
“Hi Jake, I'm good, I've just been super busy since I got back!” She twirled her hair around her finger loosely, and sat propped up on her pillow. “Man, I’m sorry I didn't catch up to you earlier, I've been on a swivel! You heard that Barry took over Greybeard's throne for a bit? Well, he's sort of the reason I've been so busy.”
“Oh, that guy?” He snorted as if he knew his reputation already. “Steer clear of him, honey. He's nothing but trouble. I loved Greybeard because he was level-headed. I've known Barry since he was a kid, he's a snooty, scheming viper who loves money more than he does looking after people. I can't believe he's on the throne while Greybeard takes some well-deserved time off, and he's not that close to retirement.”
“Yep. I tried to not get involved. The first thing he did was congratulate me when I got back. Then he handed me a tax bill for all that dragon loot I took! And because it has to be cash–and believe me, Greg scoured the rules–I have to move tons of stuff, or I go to jail! The nerve of that dum-dum!” She fumed.
“Whaaaat? No way, Fi, are you trying to handle this on your own? I'll go put that pencil pusher in his place, the guild has influences in court, and Greybeard would be furious if he heard about this! Why haven't you called him?”
“I did! We couldn't get through, it was like, the first thing I tried! I sent a courier on express, because Greybeard owed me a favor. I still can't believe he put this black sheep on the throne!” She threw herself onto the pillow, frumpled slightly. “Still though, it sounds like this carveout law exists, so I'm opening a shop to sell the loot! Auctioning would take too long, plus the auction house gets a massive cut. Many kobolds were humiliated in the pursuit of this loot,” she growled.
Jake laughed heartily at this. “Oh, Fiona, don't change, please. I mean, what do you need? You've got friends who can help you out, just ask!”
“Oh c’mon, I would pay you guys–”
“Nuh-uh! You helped make a big impact on the effectiveness of the adventurers guild as a stopgap for the military, and for resource acquisition! You tell me when you start this renovation work, we’ll be there, hammers and nails ready! And we still owe you a celebration for that massive effort this weekend!” He offered with confidence. She felt her cheeks blush, and she put a hand to her chest.
“Aw, thank you, Jake! Me, Bonnie, and Greg are starting work tomorrow morning. I already have stuff ready to ship to the place, so we’ll be ready.” She couldn't believe it, they were going to go out of her way for this? She had the bestest friends!
“Awesome, we’ll be there, Fi! I'll call a couple of guys tonight, and we'll take care of it. I'll get it on right now, we’ll see you soon! And give Tucker a hug for me!”
“Aw, I will! Bye, Jake!” She sang as she hung up the arcane relay, and gave Tucker a loving hug. He grumbled in protest at this abrupt motion. “Oh, don't you be a goober! You like Jake, he's the best! And he's hot! I'd take him home with me, I'd add to my collection of lovable fluffy friends!”
Tucker merely yawned before flopping down on her legs and flicking his tail lazily. “Oh, you’d get jealous, wouldn’t you?”
“Mraooow.”
Fiona wiped the sweat off her brow, and she didn't sweat often! This was dirty, busy, nasty work, having to repair bricks on the external facade. It wasn’t just lifting the heavy bricks that were heavier than her weapon.
It wasn’t a breezy autumn day like it was supposed to be, it was a hot early autumn day, and she was glad for that fishy breeze coming off the lake to cool her off, while she hefted up the next set of bricks. A few bags of unmixed mortar sat up there, after she’d bound up the steps with them in tow.
Bonnie took the easier route, and levitated up a small pallet of bricks, while posing on a scaffolding. “Man girl, have you never heard of magic? This would be a lot easier if you just, you know, applied yourself!”
“Nah, I’ve got no time for magic, and you taught me some basic stuff! I can lift a book from across the room! I can close the toilet from the bed if I forget to close it before nighttime! I can extinguish dinner if I leave the stove on for a tad too long!” Bonnie laughed at Fiona’s assertion, while setting down the bricks gently on the platform. She’s gotten a pair of coveralls with a small sleeve opening for her tail, and even she’s breaking out in a sweat, too. Poor thing must be so warm with all that fur!
“Well, okay, I guess knowing some basics is fine. I saw Jake arrive with a few friends from the builder’s guild, they’re getting to work on the arcane wiring! No charge on the installation, all they did was take the supplies you pre-purchased and they’re already replacing stuff.” Fiona lit up like a beacon at the mention of Jake, that hottie who was one of the top leaders of the Adventurer’s Guild. He was someone she treated as a friend, since he’d been the one to bring her in, on her first days in Fiefdala, and set her up with her early jobs. She remembered he’d asked her class, and responded that she was a professional monster slayer. Which was, technically, true.
So, why hasn't she asked him on a date? Those pesky butterflies in her tummy were back–they had to wait until she finished this job. “Alright, let's fix these broken bricks, mortar them up, then we'll go see Jake!”
“Careful dear, I might steal him, if you're too slow,” Bonnie said with a sly smile, even as she used a tiny water sprite to get the mortar mixed and chiseled out a broken brick. “Actually, I might not be foxy enough for him! His first love is his guildmates, like they're some big weird family!”
“Oh, is it a race?” Fiona grinned while prying up another damaged brick, and put in a new one seamlessly. “You may be the cutest thing Bonnie, but you have nothing on my zany!”
“Girl, no one can touch you in that category! Alright, let's get this section done, and go mingle for a bit.” With Bonnie's suggestion, they got to work as a team, with Fiona doing the heavy lifting and prying of damaged brickwork and molding. Bonnie magicked everything into position, and stuck her tongue out as she focused on getting everything perfectly aligned, and smoothed out the mortar to even rows.
It wasn't an easy job, but working together, they got it done quickly. Fiona rubbed an errant bit of mortar from her cheek and smiled. “What color do you want the brickwork to be? White, like the original color?”
“Hmm. Something bold. Green, maybe?” She pursed her muzzle and took a step back–and Fiona grabbed her before she walked off the scaffolding. “Whoops.”
“Head in a cloud, dear,” Fiona teased, and tried to think of the big picture. “Green is nice. It'll stand out a bit. But, what about a mural?”
“Hire an artist? Unless you're hiding a painter's skill there somewhere.” Bonnie grabbed her arcane pad and started sketching something for a minute, while Fiona got to work on the last bricks. “Ya know, I like the idea of something artsy, grand, a little eccentric! It'll draw eyes. Like you,” she continued with a chuckle. Fiona pretended to pout for a second, but grinned after she couldn't hold it in any longer.
“It's an expense, but it might pay dividends. We want eccentrics! People who love fancy, intriguing, exotic! We want customers who want to shell out a lot of money for something exclusive and unique! The dragon lord has a lot of that stuff, but it's hard to sell, including a ton of items that adventurers might find handy in the field.” Fiona slapped the last brick in place, and glanced at her watch, they'd been at this for way longer than ten minutes. “Let's go say hi to Jake!”
Fiona wasted no time and rappelled down the rope and landed gracefully, while Bonnie did the same and landed with her springy legs from a higher height. Fiona looked admirably at that vixen with the disheveled fur, she didn't shy away from putting in hard work, at all!
The interior was a touch cooler, and warmly illuminated arcane lights were back up and running in most sections, casting a sunny glow on the various crews working inside. Jake's crew had wasted no time, with a variety of races bounding around, getting errands done.
Fiona couldn’t help but smile warmly at all the people Jake had pulled favors from to help her–no, help her, Greg, and Bonnie, on this effort. A lizard man helped a Kitsune with a roll of wiring. A few humans milled about with coffee, and discussed how to address a few patches on the stone slab. A dwarven man showed off some geomancy and ‘healed’ the stone with a patch of mud that hardened seamlessly into the material. A group of adventurers in hardhats brought in some scaffolding for Bonnie's shop, using her quick sketches to lay out the framework with lumber and some tiling.
And there in the middle was Jake, tawny brown fur and bright blue eyes and built like a wolven lumberjack. Today he was dressed in a vest and leggings, with small bindings on his clawed feet. He stood cross-armed and occasionally pointed and directed others, who gave sharp affirmations and wasted no time on the various tasks. He turned and smiled at her once he realized she was there.
“Hey, there are the girls of the hour!” He declared with a deep voice that sounded like the edge of a bark. “Fiona, wasting no time getting busy, I see! And you've got Bonnie roped in, too! C’mere!”
Fiona and Bonnie both practically pounced at Jake, who had arms for days, and hugged them. “Oh you big softie, it's so good to see you!” Bonnie opened with a tiny squeaky sound.
Man, this girl gets high-pitched when Jake is around, looks like I'm not the only one with an itty-bitty crush! Fiona thought as Jake gently put them down, after lifting them in the air in greetings. She felt all rosy-faced, and noted Jake looked like he was in good spirits. “So, uh, hi Jake! Sorry I didn't call sooner, I ended up running around town looking for answers to my current predicament as soon as I left the palace. Barry totally denied us a celebration! There weren't even any snacks or merrymaking!” She lamented while scraping a bit of mortar off her coveralls.
“I know. The new management is a bit of a copper pincher, and I wish Greybeard had given people more warning.” Even Jake, the perennial upbeat, sounded a little deflated at the lack of snacks. “Alright, let's get you gals up to speed! Who’s ready for a tour?”