Rebuilding
Mar 15, 2014 20:33:03 GMT -7
Post by Chimosa Hake on Mar 15, 2014 20:33:03 GMT -7
It was considered polite to clean up after your mess. The battle had ended but now the task of fixing the mill standing before them remained. Chimosa Hake turned to the village elders standing next to him and nodded to them. "With everyone in good spirits like this, we should draw on that and start rebuilding immediately." The young man brought his hands together and put them in the opposite sleeves of his outfit. While it was only early fall, to Hake the wind was already chilling cold and he shivered as he turned back to the mill. He pushed the thoughts of the dead and the dying out of his mind and focused on the remains of his ragtag band of "troops".
"Leave a few men who know the hills and forests to continue harrying the retreating bandits. Keep the rest here. Those who have lost direct family should go and take time. Those who haven't should gather here." The elders gathered the men he had intended and he stood in front of them, swaying a little from side to side. He brought one hand to his head, softly touching against his temple to try and steady himself. "We'll need wooden stakes." He pointed to some of the burlier men and the two woodcutters he knew. "Take your weapons with you as you go in the forest to cut us some stakes. We'll need enough to encircle the whole mill."
He waited for a moment for the men to depart and then focused on the group once more. Once again he indicated a group of men, this time younger ones, already capable of work yet neither strong enough nor skilled enough to fell trees. "We will need holes, spaced out evenly, around the mill. I will indicate how much distance between them. Get shovels from the town." The young men left in a hurry. Turning to the local building professional, Hake smiled. He could see the man blush at the sight. "Ratha-san, if you'd be so kind as to patch up the holes in the mill. Take some of the stronger youths to help you."
The man nodded silently and grabbed himself a couple of the older boys to help out. With only the elderly and the women remaining, Hake smiled and waved them a little closer. His voice was starting to become painful from speaking and had turned down its volume to protect his vocal cords. "We'll have to clean out the mill. Those of you who feel up to. Please." Hake chocked up as he thought about the old couple that used to occupy the mill, now dead in their former place of business. He dabbed the long sleeves of his outfit against his eyes before tears could roll down. "Please." He repeated once more.
A few of the women left, accompanied by four of the more youthful elders to help carry the bodies out. Taking a moment to reassess himself, Hake looked silently over the remaining three elders and the women and children without any job yet. "Strip them of anything valuable and pile them up outside the mill's perimeter. We will take care of them later." Their task wasn't a pleasant one but, should they be so inclined, they would have first pick of any valuables or useful items. It made up for the gruesome task.
The one remaining elder smiled at Hake and offered him his arm. "Always the charmer, I see, Gen-San." He smiled at him and even the elder, at his age, couldn't help but blush at Hake as he guided him towards the mill. The smartest of the elders, in Hake's opinion, Gentarou-san had been on Hake's side from the moment he had started getting involved with the village. Now he was still at Hake's side. At least no everyone he liked here had died today. Together, the two of them walked slowly towards the mill, where smoke and the stench of death filled the air.
Pressing the long sleeve of his outfit against his nose and mouth, Hake and Gen-san waited for the shovelers to return with their tools. Once they did, Hake started to walk a perimeter around the mill, stopping at regular intervals and telling one of the shovel carrying youths to dig a hole. By the time the last one had been indicated his place the first one had finished digging the small hole for the pole and Hake continued indicating space to dig all around the mill. In the end a full square could be seen developing based on the holes in the ground.
By the time Hake returned to his starting position he was leaning almost all of his weight on Gen-san and his breathing was labored and difficult to catch. "Don't just stand there. Grab one of those stumps." Hake smiled at Gen-san as he ordered the youths standing about to some extra work. "Thank you." Hake smiled at the youths as they carried the stump for him to sit on. Taking his weight off of Gen-san, he sat himself down as he looked over the work in progress all around him.
The last of the hole diggers were finishing up and the carpenter had started looking at the holes in the mill, directing his assistants where he required them. The women and elders had started heaving bandit bodies on one pile outside of the square of holes Hake had designated. The four men who had gone in the mill were carrying out two bodies wrapped up in large pieces of cloth. Hake turned her eyes away from the last scene and focused on the shovelers who had nothing left to do. "You two, go check on the men cutting the poles and see if they need help. You, you and you. Go help with the bodies. And lastly, you, slender one, go help the carpenter with his work."
By the time the bodies were all carried off, the first pole was being carried towards the mill from the nearby tree line. Once again, Hake changed tasks from her stump, directing all able men towards the pole carrying and planting while leaving the women to the cleaning of the mill and the stripping of the dead bodies. Neither task was nice but both had to be done and right now, all the men were needed with carrying the poles. Hake and Gen-san exchanged some minor and unimportant news and rumors they had picked up while trying to pass the time.
Once the major tasks were done, Hake stood up, with support from Gen-san, and overlooked the work. The arrow holes and collapsed front wall of the mill had been patched up with wood by the carpenter. The poles had been planted where Hake had designated the holes to be dug. The bodies were piled up outside the designated area and their valuables were gathered by the elders, to be distributed later amongst the families who had suffered the most. In the distance, the returning villagers had been spotted.
One last time, Hake addressed the villagers. "We will finish the wall today. We'll need planks between each pole, covering up the holes as best we can. A single layer today should suffice. Tomorrow we will finish up here with everyone who is willing. After the first layer of the wall is finished, you're free to go." With Gen-san's help, Hake started heading for the village. After a few steps, he stopped him and turned back to the villagers. "Burn the bandit bodies before they attract maggots. And thank you for your help today." He passed a grateful smile towards the villagers.
In the village, Hake directed Gen-san towards the elder hall, where they met and discussed things, and informed him that he wanted to speak with the returning party that had followed the bandits to get their report. As he sat down once more, Hake brought his sleeve in front of his mouth for a bout of coughing as the world started blur in front of him. By the time the coughing ended and the blurring stopped, the returning party was met by the villagers at the mill with a big cheer which reached all the way into the Elder Hall.
"Leave a few men who know the hills and forests to continue harrying the retreating bandits. Keep the rest here. Those who have lost direct family should go and take time. Those who haven't should gather here." The elders gathered the men he had intended and he stood in front of them, swaying a little from side to side. He brought one hand to his head, softly touching against his temple to try and steady himself. "We'll need wooden stakes." He pointed to some of the burlier men and the two woodcutters he knew. "Take your weapons with you as you go in the forest to cut us some stakes. We'll need enough to encircle the whole mill."
He waited for a moment for the men to depart and then focused on the group once more. Once again he indicated a group of men, this time younger ones, already capable of work yet neither strong enough nor skilled enough to fell trees. "We will need holes, spaced out evenly, around the mill. I will indicate how much distance between them. Get shovels from the town." The young men left in a hurry. Turning to the local building professional, Hake smiled. He could see the man blush at the sight. "Ratha-san, if you'd be so kind as to patch up the holes in the mill. Take some of the stronger youths to help you."
The man nodded silently and grabbed himself a couple of the older boys to help out. With only the elderly and the women remaining, Hake smiled and waved them a little closer. His voice was starting to become painful from speaking and had turned down its volume to protect his vocal cords. "We'll have to clean out the mill. Those of you who feel up to. Please." Hake chocked up as he thought about the old couple that used to occupy the mill, now dead in their former place of business. He dabbed the long sleeves of his outfit against his eyes before tears could roll down. "Please." He repeated once more.
A few of the women left, accompanied by four of the more youthful elders to help carry the bodies out. Taking a moment to reassess himself, Hake looked silently over the remaining three elders and the women and children without any job yet. "Strip them of anything valuable and pile them up outside the mill's perimeter. We will take care of them later." Their task wasn't a pleasant one but, should they be so inclined, they would have first pick of any valuables or useful items. It made up for the gruesome task.
The one remaining elder smiled at Hake and offered him his arm. "Always the charmer, I see, Gen-San." He smiled at him and even the elder, at his age, couldn't help but blush at Hake as he guided him towards the mill. The smartest of the elders, in Hake's opinion, Gentarou-san had been on Hake's side from the moment he had started getting involved with the village. Now he was still at Hake's side. At least no everyone he liked here had died today. Together, the two of them walked slowly towards the mill, where smoke and the stench of death filled the air.
Pressing the long sleeve of his outfit against his nose and mouth, Hake and Gen-san waited for the shovelers to return with their tools. Once they did, Hake started to walk a perimeter around the mill, stopping at regular intervals and telling one of the shovel carrying youths to dig a hole. By the time the last one had been indicated his place the first one had finished digging the small hole for the pole and Hake continued indicating space to dig all around the mill. In the end a full square could be seen developing based on the holes in the ground.
By the time Hake returned to his starting position he was leaning almost all of his weight on Gen-san and his breathing was labored and difficult to catch. "Don't just stand there. Grab one of those stumps." Hake smiled at Gen-san as he ordered the youths standing about to some extra work. "Thank you." Hake smiled at the youths as they carried the stump for him to sit on. Taking his weight off of Gen-san, he sat himself down as he looked over the work in progress all around him.
The last of the hole diggers were finishing up and the carpenter had started looking at the holes in the mill, directing his assistants where he required them. The women and elders had started heaving bandit bodies on one pile outside of the square of holes Hake had designated. The four men who had gone in the mill were carrying out two bodies wrapped up in large pieces of cloth. Hake turned her eyes away from the last scene and focused on the shovelers who had nothing left to do. "You two, go check on the men cutting the poles and see if they need help. You, you and you. Go help with the bodies. And lastly, you, slender one, go help the carpenter with his work."
By the time the bodies were all carried off, the first pole was being carried towards the mill from the nearby tree line. Once again, Hake changed tasks from her stump, directing all able men towards the pole carrying and planting while leaving the women to the cleaning of the mill and the stripping of the dead bodies. Neither task was nice but both had to be done and right now, all the men were needed with carrying the poles. Hake and Gen-san exchanged some minor and unimportant news and rumors they had picked up while trying to pass the time.
Once the major tasks were done, Hake stood up, with support from Gen-san, and overlooked the work. The arrow holes and collapsed front wall of the mill had been patched up with wood by the carpenter. The poles had been planted where Hake had designated the holes to be dug. The bodies were piled up outside the designated area and their valuables were gathered by the elders, to be distributed later amongst the families who had suffered the most. In the distance, the returning villagers had been spotted.
One last time, Hake addressed the villagers. "We will finish the wall today. We'll need planks between each pole, covering up the holes as best we can. A single layer today should suffice. Tomorrow we will finish up here with everyone who is willing. After the first layer of the wall is finished, you're free to go." With Gen-san's help, Hake started heading for the village. After a few steps, he stopped him and turned back to the villagers. "Burn the bandit bodies before they attract maggots. And thank you for your help today." He passed a grateful smile towards the villagers.
In the village, Hake directed Gen-san towards the elder hall, where they met and discussed things, and informed him that he wanted to speak with the returning party that had followed the bandits to get their report. As he sat down once more, Hake brought his sleeve in front of his mouth for a bout of coughing as the world started blur in front of him. By the time the coughing ended and the blurring stopped, the returning party was met by the villagers at the mill with a big cheer which reached all the way into the Elder Hall.
