Difficult to Please
Dragonsfall Weyr
Amber Hills Hold
Vintner Hall
Healer Hall
Hidden Meadows
Dolphin Cove Weyr
Dolphin Hall
Emerald Falls Hold
Harper Hall
Printer Hall
Green Valley Hold
Leeward Lagoon Hold
Barrier Lake Weyr
Sunstone Seahold
Citrus Bay Hold
Writers: Halyonix, Heather
Date Posted: 18th June 2025
Characters: Zathris, Laithan
Description: Laithan comes to talk to Zathris about the progress on the Healer Hall construction site.
Location: Amber Hills Hold
Date: month 7, day 9 of Turn 12
Notes: Snow (28°F)
Clutching the rolled maps in his hand tightly, Laithan strode across
the courtyard at Amber Hills, taking the steps into the main building
spritely despite his forty-odd Turns. “Zathris!” he shouted as he
entered.
The Lord of Amber Hills, who was still dusting snow from his
shoulders, turned and smiled at the shout as he recognized the man.
“Master Laithan,” he waved him forward.
Laithan waved his hand dismissively. “Lord Holder. All that. We need
to talk about these plans. The draftsmen keep changing everything and
it’s going to delay it all if they keep this whershit up.”
Zathris’ lips twisted with amusement. “Follow me, then,” he said while
simultaneously nodding to a nearby drudge. The Lord Holder and Master
Healer were soon ensconced in Zathris’ private study with hot klah and
refreshments.
“What exactly has been changed?” Zathris asked, having shed his coat.
The two men stood over the table in the center of the room where the
blueprints were spread. Laithan was leaned over them like a dragon
protecting eggs.
“Here. See these lines here? Terribly imprecise for one. Accurate
drafting my ass. Those are pipes. They go _through_ this wall here
when they were supposed to end at _this_ spot. The builders punched a
hole in _this_ wall instead and now we’ve got pipes dangling out of
the ceiling. This is the _fourth_ time they’ve changed something on
the fly. You think our patients are gonna like having water splashed
on them because the builders aren’t capping the right lines?”
The Lord Holder sighed as he followed Laithan’s fingers across the
blueprint. “I see. Have you talked to the Master Woodsmith in charge?”
“The one who likes to play least in sight? Yeah, sure, let me get
right on that. Let me know if you see him,” Laithan answered sharply.
He pinched the top of his nose to try to rein in his temper. “Look,
I’m not meaning to take it out on you, Zathris. It’s just, we’re
supposed to be opening this in what? Two months? These delays are
costing us more than just marks.”
Zathris didn’t take offense at Laithan’s tone, but he was one of the
only people who could get away with talking to the Lord Holder that
way. “I’ll go above his head then, contact the Woodcraft Hallmaster.
I’ve got some good men here who are experienced with building. I’ll
send Embric to the construction site to be our liaison with the
workers. He’ll keep them in line.”
“Thanks,” Laithan answered. “That’ll let me get started on the supply
orders. We’re going to need a lot of paper from Printer Hall. I’ve got
an entire room of records that need to be transcribed clearly so we
can start sending those out to the other Halls. And I’ve got to start
interviewing for the administration. Especially that nursing position.
I’m not teaching diagnostics _and_ caregiving.” Laithan was really,
really good at one of those things and was piss poor at the other.
“Did someone from Farmcraft contact you about those seedlings we need
for the greenhouses?”
“Yes, I’ve actually contacted Green Valley to see what they have to
trade. As soon as I hear back I’ll let you know.” Zathris thought
about the paper situation and hoped they would be able to work out an
affordable solution with the Printer Hall. “Have you talked with the
Vintner Hall, yet?”
Laithan’s expression became sharply confused. “No, why?”
“They tend to have crates of used bottles of all shapes and sizes.
They’re recycled for different purposes, but if you worked out a deal
- you’d have bottles for your tinctures and other… things,” he wiggled
his fingers to refer to any other type of purpose for the bottles.
The Masterhealer’s expression turned into a scowl. “Like drinking?”
“No, I was thinking whatever liquid medicines you healers brew,”
Zathris said with a confused arch of an eyebrow.
“Who knows what those vintners pissed into those bottles. I’ll talk
with the glasssmiths directly. Unless they’re backing out of the
deal?” The masons certainly had balked at some of the requirements.
Who knew if the glasssmiths were pulling the same stunt.
Zathris wanted to sigh out loud, but he kept it to a mental one
instead. Healers could be so finicky. A glass bottle was a glass
bottle, wasn’t it?
“No, they’re not pulling out. We’ll make sure they stay on track.” He
turned and uncorked a glass decanter of dark liquor and splashed a bit
into a glass for himself. “Brandy?”
“Vile stuff,” Laithan muttered. “Sure.”
A decorative glass of the dark stuff was passed to Laithan. “Is there
anything about the project that you _do_ think is going well?”
The Masterhealer took a few long, critically thoughtful moments to
consider that question. “The curriculum,” he answered. “The
recruitment. Since announcing that we’re accepting women into the
craft, they’ve been applying in droves. Might need to build another
dormitory.”
This made the Lord Holder of Amber Hills smile. He thought of his own
daughter, Nimiliee. While only four Turns old, she might one day want
to do something like join the Healer Hall and save lives. “Good.”
“If the students are able to scribe with any decency, we might be able
to get some of those basic first aid books printed by the end of the
Turn,” Laithan added. “That’ll be a big help to some of those smaller
cotholds. And don’t worry. We’re including easy to follow
illustrations with those in case no one can read. Maybe one of those
book dragons can deliver them.”
Last updated on the July 15th 2025