Poisedon's Kiss

Discussions with the Builder

The hall in which I am having my tea in the private banqueting hall for the royals in the castle is beautifully furnished in all the ways which I can think of. But howebit, today is not the day in which I have come to appreciate the beauty of it all but rather to deliberate over matters which would be important to me and the  progress of my game activities. 

However, the hall is white in color. Here is a huge chandelier which hangs over the table on which I sit. The tale itself is long, having roughly six chairs which are stalked by the side of it, and beside that there are the additional two chairs which are tucked in at the ends of it. One of the chairs at the end is the oen which I am currently occupying now. 

The walls of the room are designed with fire torches here and there but being that it is currently day time, there is no need for them to be out now. In the case where the fire torches do not appear, there is the draping of scarlet red tapestries which give the room a total feel of royalty and the placement of the guards at strategic corners of the room. 

The table is bare but there is the placement of a huge covered bowl right at the center of the table. I want to think that on a proper day, the table would be filled with a feast of all kinds of things for  meetings like this but this is not a proper day, it is one which is borne out of the way things have become. It is an emergency meeting and all vanities should be kept aside, at least for now. The chairs have red cushions on them, but aside from that, they are just the regular sized type dining chairs you would expect in a place like this. Not so much style was put into consideration for them, I mean.

As for Bernard, he is looking rather serious even as he stares at me, his cup of tea barely untouched. There is a little tray by his side in which there are chocolate cookies, my favorites there, for him to munch on. But by the look on his face, he does not seem like he would want anything like that. Well,what gives? More for me, then!

He is wearing a brown sleeveless jacket. He has on his body a white or rather a stained milky vest which is loose fitting on his body, and then by his waist,there is a large brown belt that straps the top to his waist side. From there on, there is the placement of the waist pack and judging from how rough it looks and weatehreed, I don't want to think about what it may be containing..

He sits close to me, that is, by my right hand side, just a chair in between the two of us, a position which he had insisted on, out of formality towards me. 

It would happen that I would not be the first to have a meeting here. And so, there has been a tradition which had been followed all along. That is, the Lord of the castle must sit at the end of the tabe and then, if it was a solo meeting with, say one person just like I am having now, then there was to be the location of the visitor at the opposite side of the Lord. That is, at the direct opposite side of the Lord. 

However, what do I care about? I don't think I have to follow that now even If I have to follow through with that, this is not the time in which that would be the most important factor. There has been a lot which has come by of late. And  getting Bernard himself to get over here had been some kind of herculean duty. It might sound like I am putting in a bit too much in this being that Bernard is the Principal Officer for construction and at a time like this, there is not much need for construction. 

Yes, I get that. But then again, I had set up the commissioning of that redirection of the water from the sea in some sort of massive irrigation project. That is to ensure that there is a year round farming activity in Titledom. And something as huge as that would need the supervision of Bernard all through its course, up until it is completed. Then to think of the many factors which would be slowing them down in it. Insecurity, loss of faith and all of that, Bernard and his crew have been out there, working all round the clock despite the strenuous time and the unhealthy period in which they are working. So, if he could actually get to be here, then I do not want to be the one who would waste that for him.

Now that he has been here, I don't think I would want to waste any bits of his time as regards that. 

After the observation of the room and the general demeanour of Bernard, I clear my throat and then shake my head. I have to talk ebacsue right now, I don't feel all too comfortable about the piercing look Bernard shoots towards me. And even if, I don't suppose I would want to keep quiet hee. That is not the reason in which I have called for him,right? 

If I want to stare at someone, I think I would have done well in choosing Claire or even David rather than some roughly built construction officer. 

“How do you do, Bernard?” I start, licking my lips. 

“I...Aheam. I am well, Y aldy!” he says to me in response, his hands collapsing over the other now.

I nod at that now. “You don't need to feel so anxious over the fact that I have called you for a meeting here.’ I shrug now. “It is just because of the fact that I have come across a thought, a thought in which I have had the insinuation to build an underground shelter for the people of Titledom. I mean, it is not like I don't trust the Knights to handle  this but even at athta, I have to be realistic about the way things are. 

“I understand, my lady!” Bernard says to me, without batting an eyelid. 

“Alright now. So i want you to discuss with me the feasibility of this, hard so you think it would take and how soon can we get it into place!” I say to him, beginning to sound more confident in myself as the seconds tick by. 

“To be frank, i do not understand the concept of this bunker of a thing. Do you hope to achieve a situation where everyone in Titledom is kept underneath the ground for safety and then after the wave, there would be a structure in place which would return them back to the surface?” Bernard asks, gesticulating as he goes. 

“Hmm!” I sigh, sipping the tea. 

Once I have done that,  I drop the tea mug and then look at him, placing my hands flat out against the neatly polished table top. 

“Yes, affirmative. I know that is coming at the nick of time but I want you to suspend each and every project that you have been working on to put full priority on this one. It is very important to the survival of our people.” I tap my fingers now as I am beginning to get charged up. ``We are going to need a really large bunker which would make provisions for the needs of the poel. There would be provisions and stations for the people to live their normal lives and there would be the allowances for ratios, up until the wave can be outlived and then once we receive news from the scout that things have normalised, we may then return to the surface for our normal lives.” 

I look at him now, staring intently. “Or what do you think? I am not the builder here so I may not know so much about all these things.”

Bernard shrugs and then bows his head, his elbow placed at the edges of the table. His tea is still to be touched still and so are the cookies which are right in front of him. I guess he is here for all serious business too. I should be serious as well. 

A-ahem, it is not like I am not serious actually. But the way he stares at me and comports himself gives me the creep, that I am not serious about this thing. 

But boy, chill off, okay? 

“My lady, if you would permit me to alter your line of thoughts here, then I would. I do not think that building a large bunker underneath the ground would suffice for the people of Titledom.” 

I frown at this. 

What Does he mean by this? I have given thoughts to this, so why would he just come up with an answer like this? I suddenly get all charged up in anger, seeing Bernard as an impediment to the progression of the town but still, I cannot shake the curiosity which is building in me towards this principal. 

He's the one with whom I do not speak with that much, so if he has a point like this, then I am betting he has something  tangible to back it up. 

“How so? Please explain why you differ/” I ask him.