Fantasy RPG Forum - Standing Trials

It felt better, more honest and correct that she had told her employees about her pregnancy. Once the first seven ten-trials were over there was much less risk of anything going wrong and they were happy to tell people. It was good to her that they were, because it was overwhelming in her thoughts. Faith had found herself, more than once, completely losing her train of thought as her mind drifted to the life which grew within her. It was overwhelming, in an entirely delightful way. Yet, the longer she was pregnant the more she realised and recognised that the pregnancy in Rharne had not been real. It had been what she, and Aelig she suspected, expected it to be. The birth was more accurate, but then she had been present at a number of them so that made sense. In Rharne, she had felt tired, but the kind of tired which she was feeling now was different than anything she'd ever experienced. She was tired in her bones and sleep did nothing.

However, the nausea was wearing off, mostly, for which Faith was very grateful. She had a lot to do and what felt like not a lot of time to do it, but more than anything she wanted the two of them to be able to enjoy this pregnancy. To be able to experience it, fully and not let it pass them by. It ran that risk she knew ~ especially with their lifestyles and tendency to be far, far too busy. So, Faith and Padraig had discussed it and they had come up with a more-or-less plan. They'd have to be flexible, she knew that, but so long as the intention was there and they kept focus on it then they would work it out.

This season, she was preparing the restaurant for her being there less and less. Her employees knew, but she needed to make sure that the trainees were taken care of. They were the reason for this place, after all. So, having saved in the bank for it, Faith had looked at the financials and she knew that they were, finally, ready to expand the number of trainees they took in. That meant another set of houses, she knew and so she had worked out what land they would need and the cost of it. They had enough.

Now that the initial cost for the business had been paid back and they were entirely out of debt, Faith had started to take a wage. She wouldn't do that before the debt was clear, but now that it was she felt it was appropriate to do so. Padraig hadn't exactly said anything but somehow he managed to exude the words 'about time' when she'd told him that. Still, every nel she took from the business was nel which could be spent on the trainees so she had to do it in a way which she considered fair and right. With a smile, she considered that there had been a time when she wouldn't have been quite so stubborn about it. Or stubborn at all, come to that.

"I'd like to use the same plans as we did on the original houses," Faith said and looked at the others sitting around the table with her. Trudi, her front of house manager nodded. "Those work well. The sharing helps, I think, but that's going to mean that we've got a small village going on here, Faith." Trudi didn't seem unhappy with that, just wanted to be sure that Faith was clear.
"I know. With the investment here, we'll be able to add another five houses, on three acres, I believe. The money will also go to building a single large place, a classroom of sorts, I suppose. We need somewhere for the more formal education to happen. Once we've got that, too, then I want to start the next phase." Faith was entirely serious and totally focused as she spoke.

"The next phase?" Paul, her farm manager asked and he looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "What's the next phase, Faith?" Taylor, who helped Paul in the fields but also helped in the restaurant when needed, gave a snort. "I imagine," Taylor said with a smile, "the next phase is something which everyone except Faith thinks is impossible and will seem to be." Paul nodded, sagely and Faith looked between the pair of them.

"You two are funny. Funny funny. The next phase is to look at childcare. An orphanage, I think." She looked around and Trudi frowned in thought, "You know," the waitress said, looking at Faith as she did, "I haven't really thought about it, but I guess we must have orphans. What happens to them?" Faith lowered her head back to the notes and plans they were looking at for a moment, and then she answered. "I don't know. Slavery, maybe, living on the streets. I don't know. But its the next part of the plan. Maybe, later this season."

Paul shook his head, "Faith, you can't save all the people you know." Faith looked up at him and smiled, her expression a mix of determined and sad. "I know," she said, her voice low. "Just like I can't cure all the diseases. Does that mean I should stop trying or just accept that doing all I can is better than nothing at all?"

"You're going to drive yourself into the ground, you know," Paul said and Faith looked at him and smiled, shaking her head. "I have no intention of working in the orphanage, nor of building it with my hands. We have the money now, it is what we will do." It wasn't more work, except in terms of paperwork and so on, she knew that. Paul was reacting to her doing this because he worried about her, she knew that and so she did not respond in any way other than to be calm. "It's no different than adding more livestock or more houses, and we're doing that. It's just new."

With this investment of five extra houses for the trainees, Faith explained, that would bring their numbers of trainees up to twenty six. Those would be split with twelve working the restaurant, where they learned to work front of house, to mix drinks or to cook. Another twelve would be working in the farm and the behind the scenes areas. The livestock, the vineyard and the produce farm. Then, two trainees would be working as general repair and maintenance workers. That meant that the numbers were small enough in each role that they were not overwhelming the actual staff, sufficient that they had enough to do and also meant that all the trainees were learning a trade, something they could use.

In terms of the excess money following that, the orphanage would allow for their trainees to be involved in the building and set up, she explained. She'd be able to work with one or two of the trainees, showing them the business side of things, one could work on the ledgers and balancing the books, so on and so forth. It would all be adding to the service they provided to the trainees as well as bettering the lives of the orphans themselves and, she added with a grin, giving the well off people of Scalvoris a good feeling when they came here and ate the excellent food.

"Will any of us move over to work there?" Taylor asked and Faith immediately shook her head. "No, it will be funded by our work here. Now that this business is more or less self sufficient, we can start funding charities and so on, but this has to remain lucrative for us to do so." That made sense to them and they looked at the plans she had. "How will we divide up the trainees? With that many more now," Paul asked, thoughtfully, "will the process differ?"

Faith considered it for a moment. "No, I think it should remain the same. It's more time consuming, I know, getting to know them personally, but it will save time in the long run, I think." There was general consensus around the table and then Trudi spoke, "I wonder if it's worth formalising a sort of mentoring scheme with those who are in the last phase of their traineeship for those in the first?" Faith considered it for a few moments and nodded. "Yes. Lets do it." Trudi nodded and took that job on, happy to write it up.

"I'll prepare the kitchen for more trainees. I'd like to consider the layout," Jo'get said and Faith nodded. That made very good sense. With three people cooking, the two of them and one trainee, they'd had it set up in a specific manner. However, now that there would be four cooking, it made sense to change it. "I think we should make sure that where they cook is flanked by us?" Jo'get nodded and started drawing out some changes. Paul and Taylor, meanwhile, drew up a list of rotating roles on the farms. It was more complex for them because of the seasonal nature of their work, but that was fine. They put their heads together and got on with it. Faith, meanwhile, watched them all working together and smiled, lowering her head to examine the price list for the orphanage again, pleased and proud to be part of this place.