Making It Ready

[PrlUnicorn]

((Originally posted between Dec 09, 2013 and Dec 11, 2013 by Rhiannon D Harker))

9 December 2013

Preparations for the Yule Ball were well underway. The recent winter storm had laid down a carpet of white and dressed the observatory in sparkling icicles that cast rainbows on the interior floor. For half the day, Academy's student body was in the hands of capable teachers like Jacen. That, coupled with Pearl's quickly improving office skills, allowed Rhiannon Harker to attend to preparations for the Ball and the long awaited dedication of the Rhydin Observatory Complex and Botanical Garden.

The eldest of her three children, the ever precocious Mairead, was accompanying her through the complex. Maggie was full of questions, today was no exception. "Mama, how come we gotta have a big fussy ceremony?"

Rhi chuckled. "We don't have to, but I think it'd be nice for people to know why this place is important to the city."

"You mean like how it's important to learn things and stuff?" Maggie pressed the elevator button to go down to the basement.

"Yes. Learning opens a lot of doorways to jobs and better lives. There fun things to do here, too, you know." Mother and daughter stepped out of the elevator and turned toward the natatorium. "Can you read that sign, Maggie?"

"MM? Candy R. Hart Nata...tor...ium.? Maggie's lip twisted into something akin to an old man puffing on a cigar. That expression had come to be called her thinking face. "Why did you have to use a big long word instead of just sayin' swimmin' pool?"

Rhi smiled slightly. "Because not all swimming pools are inside."

"Why is named after Miss Candy Hart?" Never Miss Hart or Miss Candy; Maggie had taken to referring to the woman as Miss Candy Hart, no short cut.

"Because she is one of the all around sports stars that has done some good things for the community. Some of the others that could have been chosen fit better with other places here."

"Oh, ok." One of Maggie's dark brows lifted as she mulled that over as her mind backtracked to what her mother had said previously. "Wait a minute, so, there's no outside place to swim here?"

"Not unless you want to swim with the ducks and swans."

"No thanks! Not this time of year! I don't want to freeze off my toes and fingers!" Maggie made a brrr sound as she peered into the aquarium that was built into the wall between the entrances to the swimming area. "Look, Mama! A lionfish!" If a creature had fins, fur, or feathers, Maggie had probably read about it. She turned her head to look at her mother. "They're pretty, but you shouldn't touch them with bare skin."

"Why is that, my little zoologist?"

Maggie peered at her mother like she was a few sandwiches short of a picnic. "You know why! Because they have prickly things with poison stuff!" The child stretched her arm up and stood on tiptoe as her eyes widened. "Seahorses! I didn't know they lived in here!"

"Someone has asked about bringing their class into observe them."

"Huh, maybe I can go, too?"

She chuckled softly. "We'll see, Shortstop." She held one of the clear plexiglass doors open for Maggie to go into natatorium itself.

She peered at the extra long swimming pool for a while. "What if that water in there freezes up? Can we go ice skating on it?"

"No, that would bad for the building materials, Maggie. But the ponds near the gardens are big enough to skate on. The ducks and swans are in winter quarters, so, they won't be disturbed."

"On the big list upstairs, it says there's swimming and diving class. I already know how to swim, but I'd like to learn to dive! Could I? Please?"

"That's 'may I' and not until after the holidays. You are supposed to be helping Ms. DeLuca with something at the Shanachie Theater soon, aren't you?"

"Yup!" She nodded and grinned. "I like doing that stuff! Watching scenery get builded is fun!"

"Built," Rhiannon corrected gently.

"Right. Built. Whatever you call it, it's still fun!" Maggie peeked into the last of a long line of changing rooms that sign on the door, Baby Changing Area. "Baby changing? What do they get for them?" Maggie was aghast!

"Not exchanging a baby, changing like in diapers or clothes.' Rhi tried to hide her amusement as her daughter got a lesson in subtleties of language.

"Oh, that's ok then! What are other rooms?"

"Changing rooms with a full bathroom in them."

"Huh? What's that mean? Full bathroom? What's it full of?" There was that old man face again.

"A full bath means a toilet, sink, and, in this case, a shower. A half bath means there's a toilet and sink."

[PrlUnicorn]

Rhiannon made a last check of the pool and rest rooms before shooing Maggie out the door. "Next stop?" Rhi gestured with one hand to the other doors.

Maggie had other ideas. She was reading the plaque that was on the wall across from the elevator door. "Gee-nort Drag-oon-Talanador Recreation Center."

"That's Nort," she pronounced, "the G is silent."

"Ok, you mean like knife has a k, but it doesn't talk so it sounds it starts with n?"

"Exactly like that." She ruffled Maggie's hair as she got a bottle of tea from one of the drink machines.

"Why him? Why's it get named after him?"

"Because my little Swordsman," she winked at her daughter, "as far back as I can remember G'nort has had a quirky, but wonderful sense of humor. When I think of him, I think of happy, fun things."

"And the recreation is the fun stuff." She nodded in understanding. "I get that." While waiting on her mother to open up one of the other rooms, Maggie tried her hand at an arcade game called Nexus Quest. She laughed gleefully as she finally passed the first level.

"Come on, Kiddo, we have a lot of things to check before Saturday." Rhi held the door for the room that held lab tables that could be used for several branches of science.

Maggie paused to read the plaque. "Edward Batten S...eye-en-cee? No. Science! Lab-rah-toe-ree." She glanced to her mother with a grin as she rattled things off excitedly. "I learned about science stuff in school! It's lotsa stuff like what somebody's bones and muscles look like and ... plants.. and what the plant's made of!!" Her golden green eyes lit up like there was a pile of presents waiting to be opened! "The planetarium is for the sky stuff, but at night time!"

"This part is for the experiments. The lecture hall is upstairs."

Maggie peered at the plaque again. "Batten, that's Katt's name!"

"Excellent. Edward is Katt's brother."

"So, why's his name up there?"

"A lot of what he does in his business needs science, Maggie. He build things, he invents things. And he's done things to help the community."

"Like what?"

"Do you remember when people were sick with RBF?"

"Uh huh. Gran had it."

"Well, the city put him in charge of making sure medicine to cure and prevent it got delivered safely."

"So, that means a lot of people are safe because of him, yeah?"

"Yeah." Rhi nodded. "The walls down here in the basement are specially made in case anyone makes a mistake in the labs."

"That means the whole place won't blow up?"

"We hope it won't, but your Da built with the best tech available."

"That's another science thing, huh?"

"Yes, Maggie, it is." They stepped back into the hall and Rhi polished the plaque at the door she was standing near. "What's this one say?"

[PrlUnicorn]

"Maaaaama! It doesn't talk! I have to read it!" She peered at the carefully scripted lettering. "Mor-gan le Fey du Cornwall." A bright smile appeared. "I know her! She's very pretty and she's a Baroness, too!"

"Do you remember which Barony she holds?" Rhiannon watched as Maggie thought about that question.

"Mm? the Market one. She had a different one before! I know that onaccounta because she got two at tournaments like you got the Old Temple one!"

"Impressive, you've been studying!"A pleased expression appeared as she looked her daughter over. "What does the rest say?"

"Magic and Al-chee-me?" She turned her puzzled expression toward her mother. "I don't know that word."

"Al-ka-me, Maggie."

"That's got to do with that story about the guy that said he could make gold out of stones, huh?"

"Sort of." Rhi opened one of the books to show Maggie some of the illustrations.. "Unlike the science classes you have in school, alchemy has part of its roots in magic and philosophy."

Maggie leaned back a bit to eye her mother. "That's another word we're gonna have to talk more about."

"What, magic?" She teased gently.

"Nooooooooo, the big one." Maggie looked up at the ceiling as if to ask, why me?

"We have books, we'll read." She winked at her daughter.

"Good!" the girl said as she peeked at one of the work areas. "There's lots of bowls and bottles on here. Is alchemy like cooking?"

"In the respect that one carefully measures and mixes ingredients, yes."

"You think I can try that someday?" Maggie was adding yet another thing to the already lengthy to do list she kept in her head.

"Perhaps, when you are tall enough to use one of the desks in here without having to stand on a stool?" Rhiannon rarely discouraged her children from trying new things and stretching their wings.

"I think I can wait that long." Maggie said as headed over to a machine that sat against the wall. "What's thingmabob for?"

"It's a machine to cut gemstones."

"Really?" Maggie squealed. "Like the stuff Aunt Nicole uses in her necklaces and stuff?"

"Yes. Some alchemy processes need certain stones and metals. Some need," she gestured toward the machine, "gem dust."

"Can't wait to study this stuff! What's next!" Maggie was ready to bound off to the next room."Maaaaama! It doesn't talk! I have to read it!" She peered at the carefully scripted lettering. "Mor-gan le Fey du Cornwall." A bright smile appeared. "I know her! She's very pretty and she's a Baroness, too!"

"Do you remember which Barony she holds?" Rhiannon watched as Maggie thought about that question.

"Mm? the Market one. She had a different one before! I know that onaccounta because she got two at tournaments like you got the Old Temple one!"

"Impressive, you've been studying!"A pleased expression appeared as she looked her daughter over. "What does the rest say?"

"Magic and Al-chee-me?" She turned her puzzled expression toward her mother. "I don't know that word."

"Al-ka-me, Maggie."

"That's got to do with that story about the guy that said he could make gold out of stones, huh?"

"Sort of." Rhi opened one of the books to show Maggie some of the illustrations.. "Unlike the science classes you have in school, alchemy has part of its roots in magic and philosophy."

Maggie leaned back a bit to eye her mother. "That's another word we're gonna have to talk more about."

"What, magic?" She teased gently.

"Nooooooooo, the big one." Maggie looked up at the ceiling as if to ask, why me?

"We have books, we'll read." She winked at her daughter.

"Good!" the girl said as she peeked at one of the work areas. "There's lots of bowls and bottles on here. Is alchemy like cooking?"

"In the respect that one carefully measures and mixes ingredients, yes."

"You think I can try that someday?" Maggie was adding yet another thing to the already lengthy to do list she kept in her head.

"Perhaps, when you are tall enough to use one of the desks in here without having to stand on a stool?" Rhiannon rarely discouraged her children from trying new things and stretching their wings.

"I think I can wait that long." Maggie said as headed over to a machine that sat against the wall. "What's thingmabob for?"

"It's a machine to cut gemstones."

"Really?" Maggie squealed. "Like the stuff Aunt Nicole uses in her necklaces and stuff?"

"Yes. Some alchemy processes need certain stones and metals. Some need," she gestured toward the machine, "gem dust."

"Can't wait to study this stuff! What's next!" Maggie was ready to bound off to the next room.

[PrlUnicorn]

Next in line was a room with machinery and wine vats. Before they stepped inside, Maggie gave the plaque on the door a once over. It read, Mur Ollavan Vinification Laboratory. Her dark brows nearly formed question marks over her eyes. "Ok, laboratory, I get. I know who Mur is. What the heck does viniwhatsit mean?"

"Vinification is a fancy word for wine making."

"Lemme get this straight." Maggie was mimicking her Uncle Bertie when he was being incredulous. "If we want, we can grow stuff in the big greenhouse or one of the outside garden places then bring it down here to squash it up and drink the juice?"

Rhi kept the answer simple. "Yes."

"So, how's it go from being juice to wine?" Maggie's questions continued.

"Careful storage and aging. And, if it's not aged or stored properly, it becomes things like vinegar."

"Gran uses that to clean stuff, it smells yucky."

"Well, it might smell yucky, but in the long run vinegar is safer around a farm than chemicals."

"Huh. Ok. So, when our fruit and stuff grows, will we get to make juice here?"

"We can try it. The juicer that we have at home works for us because, normally, there are only six people to feed."

"The next time we have a party, we can make the juice here and take it home!" Maggie was almost gleeful at the prospect.

"That's not a bad idea. The next big party at our house is Catie and Ricks birthday. After that, yours."

"Are we ready to go up, now? I'm gonna go push the up button!"

"Yes, we are."

The elevator took them up to the ground floor.