Seeing the familiar look that crossed Godric's face, Merrick grew concerned immediately. Though there was no name yet for the trauma they had all gone through as knights thanks to the endless battles and deaths they witnessed or in some cases caused, he recognized the look of someone flashing back to such a loss. He wanted to go after the man but didn't want to be rude and leave Lady Hufflepuff behind. He didn't want her to think badly of him, as she was one of his employers.
When she turned her attention back to him, he forced a slightly tense smile on his face and nodded. "I woul' ne'er de such a thin'," he promised, not wanting to draw the ire of the temperamental female founder who was renowned for her brilliant mind. "I jus' 'ope she will be pleased by the result."
Merrick held up the wineskin in a cheers and took a swift drink, trying to forget the paleness of his friend's face as he hurried from the room. He had seen the look on his own brother's face many a time. Speaking of...
"M'Lady 'ufflepuff, I 'ave a confession te make," he said, looking a little worried about her reaction. "I 'ave already tol' Sir Gryffin'or, but I 'ave written te me ol'er brother, Sir Maximus Raine. 'e's been through a lo' ye see, an' recently los' 'is closes' friend in battle. Tis me belief tha' 'e be needin' a place te 'eal so I 'ave kin' o' tricked 'im inte comin' 'ere soon."
"Pardon me assumptions, bu' I though' 'e migh' be able te o'ersee somethin' simple li'e the groun's o' the livestock se tha' ye four d'nay 'ave te worry 'bout it," he said, looking incredibly guilty. "Also, tis me 'ope tha' if he sees the cas'le 'imself, it will 'elp win me Da o'er an' we can convince 'im te sen' me little sis'er Moira 'ere as a studen'."
Helga was fairly certain Merrick had nothing to worry about as far as Rowena and her opinion of the ceiling. Her friend would no doubt admire it just as much as they already, just perhaps a small sliver of her brilliant mind would be a little jealous the idea hadn't been hers first. Well, she couldn't have all the ideas as much as she wanted to. There were plenty of good minds needing to be shown and expressed in this castle so her friend would just have to learn to share time to time.
The topic and mood of the space between them shifted a moment later however and Helga took in the worried look on Merrick's face. At first she wondered if he was about to come clean about Godric, perhaps share some personal experience on what had a hold of him and perhaps if it was bad how they could help and support him. She wasn't a fan of seeing the look on his face nor this worried one on Merrick. Much preferring instead to see people happy and smiling, that positive buzz that hung around them before Godric took a turn being a worried mother hen.
Though Merrick ended up not sharing anything about Godric, what he had said had Helga curious and it warmed her heart to hear a brother looking out for the other when it seemed they were in need. Though she was left with a bit of a confliction and it wasn't something she was sure she could answer right at the moment.
"While I find it very heartwarming you want to help your brother out by helping him find a distraction of course here, I understand the desire to tell him to come here assuming he could find a way to heal by finding something to distract him from his loss. I don't see any reason why he can't come, if he doesn't mind tending to the livestock or managing the grounds. Its a bit of a labor intense position but I'm sure a few of the house elves would lend him a hand outside. If its too much for him, I'm sure we have something here he could do that won't cause any stress or impact on his healing. It would be even nicer I'm sure if having him here will also bring your sister here as a student, keeping the siblings together to prevent either from becoming lonely" she said offering a smile she wasn't mad at his forward invitation to his brother.
"My only concern being is that this isn't my decision alone to make, the four of us need to have some say in who is brought in though I'm sure they will agree with no trouble or questions outside if he has any physical limitations and I would very much like to know what his favorite food is as well as your sister so when they arrive I can have it prepared just for them. I will see if I can collect everyone tonight after dinner to check to make sure the arraignment it ok then we can look into where we can have your brother stay while he is here. If he would like quarters inside the castle or if we should prepare him some on the grounds."
Merrick nodded and swept a hand through his messy hair, drawing it away from his forehead. "Aye, Godric said much the same," he said, understanding where they were both coming from. He hoped that the other two founders would be as welcoming to Maximus and his troubled psyche.
"'e shoul' be arrivin' sometime this week if I know 'im an' 'is desire fer knowledge," he said, though he had no idea how quickly his brother would get there in reality. It would depend on what their father had him doing back home. He sighed softly and took another pull from the wineskin to calm his nerves. He didn't want to ruin his shot here at the school but he cared about his family just as much if not more than his own career.
"As fer 'is favorite meal, 'e li'es fresh meat li'e the res' o' us," he said. "'e be particularly fond o' rabbit stew, wit' potatoes an' carrots."
"Moira's tastes be e'er changin' an' she will nay be wit' 'im on this trip," he explained. "O'r Da be uncertain 'bout the school an' whether 'e shoul' sen' 'er 'ere. Tis another reason why I am coaxin' Maximus 'ere in the 'opes 'e can 'elp me convince 'im te send 'er."
03-21-2022, 11:13 PM (This post was last modified: 03-21-2022, 11:18 PM by Helga Hufflepuff.)
Helga was a little stunned his brother would be arriving so soon but then she wasn't sure how long ago Merrick had written to his brother or it was his brothers decision to come so suddenly. It had her curious as to how much help they could be to him here. Losing anyone important in your life was not something so easily recovered from. Even the strongest had their moments of weakness when they were facing the heavy weight of losing a close friend. It drove at her a bit more to see to it his brother was welcomed to the school, whatever method she had to use to convince Salazar and Rowena to allow him to come then it was only a matter of letting him heal in his own way but making sure he was always full of her cooking would help the process a bit more however he decided to recover.
She offered a smile as he explained his brothers favorite meal followed by his sister not quite approved of coming to school just yet by their father's insistence. Helga didn't take offence to it, fathers were a little more protective of their daughters and more so when they were the youngest of their siblings. Gweneth though not the baby out of their siblings was still the apple of their fathers eye and it took a great deal of convincing before he would let her get married not that long ago. He loved all his children equally but there was usually one in particular that bonded well with a parent and Gweneth had been that to their father while Gerallt had connected with their mother a bit more than the rest. Helga was fine with the relationship she had with her siblings as well as her parents, it was balanced for the most part with a few individual adjustments depending on the person and she was hopeful her own children would embrace such an opinion too, they had been through a tough situation when their father died but seemed to still be in good spirits.
"Rabbit stew with potatoes and carrots I believe I can make happen as much as he would like it. Consider it his first meal when he arrives as a way to welcome him to the school" Helga replied with a warm smile. "In fact that was one of the first cooking lessons I gave to Godric so he could something I bit more edible out on the road. I dare say the following letter after that meal he was very thankful for asking for the lesson and wanted a few more" Helga said with a smile, then jumped lightly and glanced at the door for a second before looking back at Merrick. "Forgive me, I don't know if he wanted me to say that or not. Don't tell him I said something or he might get a bruise to that tough guy ego of his." she added. As much as Godric seemed to have fun with cooking she didn't want to detour him from continuing it if he wasn't too keen on people knowing about it. He seemed to enjoy it and she didn't want him to give it up for the sake of image or masculinity. Cooking was for everyone and so long as you didn't misuse it for ill purposes it was open for everyone. There was nothing better rewarding to a cook then seeing happy moods, full stomachs, and empty plates after all. A sign of a job well done.
"Yer secret be safe wit' me," he said placing a hand over his heart and giving her a slight bow. He took another pull from the wineskin before recapping it. He looked back up at the ceiling, smiled, and then sighed.
"I seppose I should leave ye te get back te wha' ye need te do," he said as he looked back at the lady founder. "If I can be o' any more 'elp, please le' me know an' I shall come pos' 'aste. Is there anythin' else ye be needin'?"
Merrick was wondering if there were any other tasks he could help with before dinner time that would help with the first day. A part of him was nervous still. He had impressed two founders, but what of the other pair? And Lady Moore? Would she find the sky as breathtaking as they had? He certainly hoped so. He was secretly hoping for her approval the most though he wasn't sure why.
Helga smiled as Merrick politely reminded her of the list of things needing her attention before dinner, knowing she do well to get on those before the remaining time was completely gone. Or before she found more needing to be done and further worry her friends that her workload seemed to be never ending.
"I suppose I have detoured a bit longer than I should have, I still have a feast to finish preparing to accompany your breathtaking work and enjoy the both together at dinner. At the moment I don't believe I have anything but I'm sure if you stop by with Godric and Rowena in a little while they could use some help putting the candles up into place to make sure we have enough light. Other than that, perhaps if you felt up to it providing we still have some good light outside you could look around the grounds for a suitable place to set up a house or cabin of some kind for your brother to stay in while he is here tending to the grounds if you think he would rather stay outside then inside the castle. Though if he is looking after the library he may not want to have to travel across the grounds every day. Well, I will leave it up to you and him to decide if he would prefer inside or outside, then if he prefers the later the founders and I can come up with something with your help to make him feel at home. So long as Godric doesn't try to do it all himself that is" she replied. She knew her brother-in-law already had Godric standing on thin ice, no reason to put any cracks in it to make things worse for her friend and given Merricks brother would be an employee all of the founders should have a hand at helping to see he feels at home here while he was working.
Helga slowly stood up, glad for now the dizziness and lightheaded feeling had passed. No doubt thanks to the insistence of Godric she take a break before she collapsed. Maybe she would do the right thing and thank him again later, if he wasn't off currently causing trouble that is. No, no doubt she would anyway regardless of what he got up to next, he had helped her and it was the least she could do to thank him for it.
She turned to grab the tray Merrick had brought from the kitchen when she remembered something and turned towards him. "Actually Sir Raine, could I ask you for one small task that you can do now or wait until you come across him later if it won't be too much trouble" Helga said then she dug into her apron for a moment then produced a small ruby colored velvet bag tied neatly at the top and roughly the size of her palm. It made an audible clinking sound in her hand as she held it out to him. "When you see Godric again will you give him this and tell him its for the candle order. He is to use this and not a cent of his own money or he will be dealing with more than just me. There should be plenty for how many we need for the ceiling plus a little extra for supply to make Salazar and Rowena happy to have on hand."
"O' course Lady 'ufflepuff," he said reverently as he took the small coin purse from her and tucked it safely away in his vest. "I'll see' 'im ou'. Figure I should check in on 'im anyway af'er the way 'e lef' the room. I know tha' loo' an' tis nay good."
"I'll be sure te 'elp wit' puttin' the candles up if Lady Ra'enclaw an' Sir Gryffindor agree te me 'elp," he promised her so that no one would be overtaxed this day. For it was a great day, a new beginning to something glorious for their people. It might not be a fully realized dream yet, but it had to start somewhere and if that somewhere was small class sizes in an overly large castle and a skeleton crew of teachers, then so be it. Merrick was proud to be a part of it.
Giving her a low bow he carried the wineskin with him as he left the room, looking up to marvel at his handiwork one last time before slipping out to find Godric, wherever the knight had gone. Probably to his hunting hut or somewhere along the Black Lake. It's where he usually liked to think or vent himself.
03-29-2022, 05:35 AM (This post was last modified: 03-29-2022, 05:36 AM by Helga Hufflepuff.)
Helga offered Merrick a smile and a nod as he took the coin pouch. As she had assumed, something off had happened to Godric and no doubt caused his early leave of the room. It didn't help it seemed Merrick knew what it was and hinted to her it was not the first time Godric had looked that way. It worried her to know something could upset him like that but she understood it came with the life of someone who had been through a battle or two and suffered the loss of a friend or comrade. Her late husband during the last few years of his life often had nightmares and because of that and their small children Helga had shifted to a very light sleeper, often waking up at the first notice of trouble and jumping into action to help calm them down. It was a sacrifice to her own sleep but one she would gladly make if it helped her loved ones find peace and sleep.
"I'm sure Rowena would appreciate the help with the candles, you would have a better eye at were the candles worked best to provide light but not disturb your hard work on the ceiling. I'm not sure Godric will remember where we had them before so a second pair of eyes would be best. Plus, I think she will be very surprised to see it and will want to offer you her praise and compliments as well" she said warmly.
She watched as he bowed politely, picked up the wine skin and took his leave after taking one last look at his masterpiece. Helga turned to look up at it too once he had gone, taking it in one last time before reminding herself there was still much to do. Picking up the tray of bread and her goblet of wine she took her leave of the room, pausing just in the corridor to gently close the door before making her way to the kitchens. No sense in letting the surprise out early in case a wandering student came by and peaked in. Better saved when they weren't expecting it later at the evening dinner feast.
