Home, Sweet Home

[Jaleeisa]

Her room at the Inn was actually quite pleasant, but Jal's thoughts kept turning to something she'd never had before. A home of her own that didn't move on a daily basis. Perhaps it was a sign that she was more feminine than she thought herself. Or maybe it was living in a city and wanting something permanant. She'd been house hunting. Her inheritance meant she could realise that wish. She'd been wandering the area not far from the Inn, thinking how comfortable Des and Gav's home looked, and how perfect it was with it's view of the sea. That was something she could never truely abandon. The salt was in her blood and she would always need to be at least near it.

Rounding the corner she came upon a small block that looked a little forelorn. Studying it carefully, she took note that she could see the sea from two different angles. Gray eyes played over the different buildings. There were five buildings. One was most assuredly the dwelling. Another looked to be a barn, from her vantage. Rounding the corner further, she noted what looked like a caretaker's cottage or guest house. There was also a larger buliding that could be convereted to a warehouse and merchant's market. It looked like just the thing. Now to find out who owned it, or who held the deed. It didn't look as though it'd been inhabited in a while.

A few questions around town brought the intellegence that it had once belonged to a merchant who wanted his goods nearby. His family having been lost in a plague before his taking up residence in Rhydin had left the property with no heirs. Rumor whispered that perhaps the man had been cursed or some such foolishness. So the property had been left in the hands of the man's solicitor. Gaining the name had been just as easy as gaining the rumors.

A visit to the solicitor had started out well. He was pleased that someone was interested in the property. He told her that the purchase was to benefit the Rhydin Orphanage, according to the decenant's will. Then he had decided to caution the young lass. Another version of the rumors, but holding a little more authority than the gossip in the streets.

" M'Lady, I do feel I should tell you.. " the reedy little man adjusted his spectacles. "there's been ..well.. you see.. Master Gwellyn ..some called him cursed. As you heard, his family all died in a plague somewhere to the north. He always said he'd not wish his luck on another family. You see.. even he said he was cursed. Some witch who wanted to wed his son. The lad wasn't inclined, and so she was told. She'd threatened the family should the Master not make his son wed her. And the rest I'm sure you can deduce. I doubt that the local's superstitions about the land and building taking on the curse, the Master was a prosperious businessman. However, I'd not feel easy allowing a young lass with none to watch over her to purchase the place without knowing."

Watching the little man draw a breath after his long speech, Jal carefully controlled the smile that threatened. She needed to be serious here. "Well, I shall certainly give your words due weight, sir. But I do believe the place will suit my needs perfectly. Not to mention, like most in this land, I have abilities of my own to help ward such things away.

So, shall we see to the papers? And I'd like a key so I can see what repairs need to be made. As soon as they can be, I plan to move in and set up my home and business.

Reassured that he'd given warning, though he didn't really believe the rumors. At the same time, he'd not be fulfilling his capasity if he didn't tell her what was said of the property. She seemed a capable young woman, and the property did need an owner and care before it fell to ruin. The solicitor called out to his scribe, requesting the paperwork on the Gwellyn property.

A surprisingly short time later, Jal walked back out into the sunshine, a pleased smile curving her lips. The deed to her new home cletched in her hand. Now, to find someone to go with her and evaluate what repairs were needed.

[Jaleeisa]

The fellow that she'd found seemed quite capable. He'd noticed several things she hadn't. She waved him out the main door to the house, closing it behind him. A faint sigh as she glanced down to the estimate in her hand. It would take less than she'd originally thought to make the property livable again, but it would take about a month to do so. Between the stable needing so much work that it almost seemed better to tear it down and start anew, though the contractor had said not, to a couple walls in the house needing torn down and rebuilt, to all five roofs needing retiled. Not to mention the grass and weeds tamed and the shrubbery that needed trimmed where it didn't need to be replaced. At least the warehouse was still in reasonable shape. But the goods her ships carried were different from the ones the former owner had stored there. Shelves needed to be built. Drawered cases that would be airtight be constructed to hold samples of the different spices her ships carried. A room kept temperate to house the wines would have to be built in the warehouse's basement.

But the warehouse could wait a little while. At least until the house and stable was finished. It would even wait until the guesthouse was made livable again. She would not give the word to start stocking the warehouse until she was settled in and had found a suitable manager for it. She planned that the warehouse would be a sort of market for the merchants in the area. The would be greeted with courtesy, refreshed with snacks and drink, then shown the merchendise available. It would either be brought to the showroom, or they could accompany the manager into the storage areas to check all the goods for themselves. They could also commission her ships to carry special items for a fee.

But the house first, then the stable. The contractor had assured her he could find hands enough to begin both immediately. He had her deposit in hand and she had a contract in hers. Gray eyes moved over her new home, a wondering light in them as she moved through the rooms. It was really too big for just her, but it would be wonderful to have room for her friends to come visit and to entertain.

Home.. what a sweet word it was.

[Jaleeisa]

Jal stood in her renovated reception room. The contractor and his workers had done some wonderful work! The wood gleamed as brightly as any on a well kept ship! And they had cleaned and picked out the faint clouds frescoed on the ceiling. The clouds had been lightly dusted with a shimmering white paint, and edged with the thinnest of silver. At night, the contractor had told her, when only candles lit the room, one would be able to see the almost crystal glimmer of what seemed like stars scattered among the clouds. Could it seem any more as though the house had been meant for her?

Well, in what would be her bedroom up the gracefully curving stairs, she had a wonderous view of the sea from both the south and the east. A perfect place to put her bed and be able to enjoy that view was the aclove that had gently scrolled waves gilded into it's walls. From there, she could draw back the bed curtains and clearly see out to the harbor and the open sea both!

The other rooms had been planned and detailed by someone who obviously loved the sea as she did. Serendipity seemed to be smiling broadly on the small heiress.

Now, if the furnature would just be ready, she could begin moving in. She'd commissioned several custom pieces from various craftsmen in Rhydin. A lovely bed to fit into the aclove.. the man had even come out and measured it so it would fit as though made there. There had been a lovely old wardrobe in the room. That had been taken away for cleaning, repair and restoration. As had the beautiful old desk that had been in the study. A new dining table had been commissioned for the dining room, with chairs to match in a delicate wave pattern. There had been a few smaller peices that seemed to belong to the house that she;d also had removed for refurbishing while the construction had been going on. Everything had been promised ready for this week.

The draperies had been ordered, delicate materials to give an airy, fluid feel to the rooms. In her bedroom they would be of a rich blue silk lined with a complementing gray linen. The linen to keep any weather from open windows from damaging and staining the silk. Those in the reception room would be a delicate green, the shade of the sea in clear shallows. Other sea tones colors had been chosen for other rooms. Another interesting find had been a tapastry found in the dining room. It depicted A galleon moving from the teeth of a storm into calm waters . beneath the waves, the god of the seas could be seen making merry with all the life of his realm. It was a piece that perhaps not all would appreciate, but it held elements that Jal held dear. So it would be carefully cleaned and restored, then returned to it's place in the dining room.

As she'd moved from room to room, Jal's gray eyes were almost silver, her delight in her new home so bright. The stables had also been repaired, so it was time to bring her stallion from the Inn's stables to his new home. She'd found a family of four to help her care for the house, stable, yards and the warehouse. A single horse would not be difficult for the almost teenaged lad to manage, and he would care for the yards as well and carry wood and water for the house. His father would manage the warehouse for Jal. He seemed a knowledgable man, and her barrister had interviewed him and pronounced himself pleased as well. The man's wife would see to the house and day to day cooking, with the help of her ten year old daughter. They would have rooms in the floor above Jal's bedchamber and the guest rooms. Once the guesthouse was completed, they would move there and it would be their own. And the Mrs had told Jal that when she wanted to entertain, she had a sister, a widowed woman, who couldhelp with the food, and her two sons could serve a table.

So, it seemed that Jal had not only a house, but a household. It might seem a little elaborate to those who thought her only an offical on the Island, or a bartender in the Inn. Those jobs she worked for the enjoyment of meeting new friends. As she did her job with the Oracle. But her shipping business would soon become more apparent. A smile lit her eyes as she stepped out of the house. Studying the work being done on the warehouse.

Yes, all was definately looking bright for the petite former deckhand. With a jaunty whistle, she set off to arrange the furniture's delivery, gather her belonging from the Inn, and bring her stallion to his new home.

[Jaleeisa]

The sunrise of a new day was a glorious thing to behold. All the dark shades streaked together and slowly lightening until the sun rose in all it's glory. A more moving picture would never be painted by mortal hands, could never be crafted by even the most clever minds.

Jaleeisa watched this one, enraptured by the panorama before her. Her room in the Inn was situated to where she could watch the rising over the open sea. All the while thinking that she would, from the next one on, be privledged to observe this same miracle of creation from the window of her bedchamber in her own home. Excitement rose even as did the sun. Until both were soaring. Today was moving day.

The furniture had arrived the day before and been situated to her liking by the delivery men. The tapastries and draperies and linens for the various rooms had been brought from the seamstresses and restorers. There had been such a hustle and bustle as workers from the furniture craftsmen carrying the commissioned pieces in and carefully settling them to her instruction, to the draper's assistants taking care that each drape and fold brought a smile to her eyes. The weaver's assistant was accompanied by the weaver herself to assure that the rugs were placed just so. All the details had to be just right in arranging things. After all, many hours of discussion, fabric and wood samples and designs had been spent. After that much care in the planning, it wouldn't do to rush the final arrangements.

Work was continuing on the warehouse and the few things needing done to the guesthouse that would be given over to the family she'd hired to help her care for things. By the end of the week, the caretakers should be able to move from the ramshackle house they'd been occupying on the outskirts of Rhydin.

So, all that was really left was her personal belongings that were now boxed and crated and ready for the men she'd hired, along with their wagon. They would be here any moment, so she hastily dressed, scrubbing her teeth and finally taking a brush to her unruly hair. Ready to face the day, she hastily tucked in the last few items. Then finally came to the small portrait of her parents. She sat on the edge of the bed, studying it for several moments, a fingertip tracing their features. Finally, she rose and wrapped it into a length of silk, tucking it carefully into the pack she would carry herself.

A tap on the door heralded the movers. A last look over the room assured her that everything had been packed and was ready to go. A deep breath drawn. Although purchasing the property was what some would have seen as a major event, it was the actual moving in that would always stand out in Jal's memories. A home of her own..

[Jaleeisa]

Later that evening Jal sat in the sitting room that ajoined her bedchamber. Curled up on a comfortably stuffed divan, she watched the fade of the day. From this room, she couldn't actually see the sunset, but just watching the play of light to dark was a relaxing thing. The last week had been so hectic. Work.. all three jobs, the house, moving, hiring caretakers. Oh, and let's not forget her encounter with the very confusing Che. She still needed to get to work on some of the leads she'd picked up from the Oracle. A shake of head, striving to clear her thoughts and regain some of the relaxed peace she'd found in the sunset.

The sitting room was a room for relaxing, soft colors, gentle lighting. More lamps could be lit should she want to read. The furniture was covered in plush materials, soothing to the touch. And stuffed to allow that feeling of being gently embraced and supported, but not smothered and encased. The light, airy draperies drifted softly with the gentle breezes from the open balcony doors. A deep sigh of contentment whispered from her lips. She'd had a couple of bookcases built in, to hold her personal books, scrolls and other pleasure reading or studying.

Below, on the ground floor, was a study with two walls lined with built in bookcases to hold books for the pleasure of guests. There was also a locked bookcase that held her business ledgers and other private corespondance. These were locked not only conventionally, but by spell as well. As were a couple of her desk drawers. There were two desks in the study. One for Jal's use and another for the use of the warehouse manager. A safe had also been secreted in the room. This one would contain only what was needed for her business ventures and household expenses. A safe for her other valuables had been secreted in her bedchamber. Not even the workmen who had delivered these would know where they were located. They had been delivered, but put in place by Jal herself using flows of air to lift and place them. And she herself had finished the details that hid them. The workmen were none the wiser, nor was the contractor. There had been several details throughout the house that Jal had told them she wanted to finish herself, or allow her caretakers to finish. In the kitchen, for example. She'd wanted her housekeeper/cook to finish some of the details there, so it would be arranged to the comfort of the woman that would be working in there. There had also been things in Jal's chambers that she'd not wanted others to finish. The heavy work, yes, but not the details that made a set of rooms ones own. It was not merely an issue of keeping security in some things, it was also the intimacy.

Below the first floor, in the basement/celler area, there were several things that were still only roughly finished. The main pantry for the kitchens would be there, accessed through a door and stairway. She and her housekeeper had decided to finish that themselves so that shelves for goods, bins for root vegatables and the like could be set up for comfortable efficancy for the housekeeper. A part of this was enclosed and tightly doored. Inside this smaller room was at a lower tempature than the rest. This was to preserve fresh meats, milk and other items needing cold. The wine racks were in place in the pantry area as well, keeping the bottles that Jal had taken a liking to at a consistant tempature. All of this area was finished with stone flooring, as was the laundry area with an access to a side yard between the house and stables for hanging wash to dry. But, between these two areas was one that was unfinished. There were a few rough shelves, and the stones had not been laid for the floor. Jal had been rather curious when she'd explored it. Why would someone build a house and complete it to such detail, but not finish this area? An oddity, but one she'd put aside for the time. Too much else had needed done for her to move in. She would decide later if she wanted to have workmen come in and finish the floor. For the moment, it would remain rough walls, with a few shelves and the rich, black loamy soil.