Chapter 8: The trio gets a new home

The two talked of their day until the sun had already set many hours ago. They slept knowing of the long day coming tomorrow. As the sun rose once more an old woman was watering plants as she did every morning. She started to pour water over a large thicket brush before she heard three boys yelp! She dropped the bucket, "The bush can talk! About fucking time! I've watered you for 30 Gods damned years!" She criticized the plant, and three laughs were heard. "Alright alright stop playing around, come on out" She said smoothly like the tough old broad she is.

"Eh were sorry mam, we were sleeping here for the night" The trio said bowing and greeting her as their senior.

"Why were you sleeping here?" She asked confused, this was a blank garden grove between her business and the shop across from it.

"Well…you see, our foster mom is greedy and just made us start working. If we go home the money we make will be taken by her…We will never save enough to be successful if we stay. We really enjoy this grove and don't plan on ruining your garden either. We met an…" Spectre trailed off as he brushed himself and Yuki off, while thinking" "We met a kind old man here during our 6th birthday yesterday that gifted us with knowledge that help determined our paths. If we can…we can pay you uhm…silver a week for this bush here. We will even keep people from your garden and tidy it!" Spectre said with heart felt feeling.

The woman laughed, "You want to pay me to sleep on dirt? You are so young to be made to work at such an age…your Foster mom must really be mean. I like you three, how about…atop my building is an old coop I don't use anymore. Tidy it up, and you can stay there instead for a silver a week. It's spacious enough for you three. You can come by and get food from my shop in compensation for tidying up the garden every other day. Deal?" She said with good spirit. She saw these three young kids were good hearted. She couldn't sit by as the old woman she was and throw them off to a bad foster mom and the streets. As she knew they wouldn't return home even if they couldn't stay here.

"Yes! Deal!" The three said with bright smiles! They had a home now, they were used to sleeping in their fort anyway. So the coop was perfect. They might even have a good view too.

"Alright. I'll see you later this evening for dinner!" She turned around with a smile on her face. She never had grandchildren, so these boys filled that hole in heart.

The three still had a couple hours till they started work, so they decided to go fix up the coop now and see it. Especially since they didn't have to walk the arduous 20 miles it gave them great time. They turned to the left and saw an Iron bar ladder going up in a corner of the grove attached to the old woman's building. They walked over and one by one climbed up it. The building was two stories, the first her shop and the second most likely where she herself lived.

As they reached the top of it, the buildings edge, they saw the building was quite flat up here. The stone flattened with Levis that lead to drains at the edges of the building to drain water. A common architecture scheme. The water also fed to the grove. They saw in a corner there was a small shack that was about 45 feet by 45 feet. They stepped through and saw dust on everything, an old broom set against a wall, as well as a couple wire cages.

"Well boy's. Let's make it spiffy!"

"Alright!" The two almost sang in chorus to reply.

Apollo carried the cages out, the wire could be used or even the cages themselves if they ever got chickens or an animal. Resources were always key, not to hoard but to keep things of potential value on hand. Yuki cleaned with the broom to get the dust off the floor, while Spectre pulled old white sheets off the covered walls revealing a large corner set window overlooking the street below. This place was perfect!

He got out one of the pieces of paper he was given by his Boss for note taking, drawing a diagram of the room in scale to the size proportionate. He then began to deduce the quantity of wood for expansion, although the room was good, if he could make it better he would. He loved this as a hobby anyhow; it's how he built the fort back at Helga's in the first place after the three were taught simple mathematics by her husband.

Even at a glance he had several ideas come to mind, a utility counter with storage space under it. Most definitely a garden space for growing food for Yuki, it was self-sustaining and added Feng shui to the room. He divided the room into equal portions and after the room was cleaned up asked Apollo and Yuki to come over.

They looked at the paper and each thought for a moment, on the corresponding back side of the page, Spectre created 3 boxes each with the ideas they wanted for their corner, the last corner was where the door was at. Right at it too it created a 5th wall in a sense because it was a cut edge to the square like building, from that point to the window equidesent to the corner of the building itself. It had an inclining roof till it hit the peak. That's what made the window so large. Spectre opened the left side window with a swivel letting in fresh air to the musky room. He then walked back and sat down between the two looking at the sheet.

Yuki spoke first, "I would love to create a garden under the window corner. If I could have that spot I would for it, it would be perfect. If possible, I'd like to create glass walls in a 5 ft. square to the corner of the window to create a green room."

"That's a marvelous idea" Spectre knew he would say that, and so looked to Apollo next.

"Uhm, on uh this left corner I just want a bed and maybe a rack from clothes and such." Apollo said simple ideas because he liked to actually live simply. If he needed a space for something he would still have it for later. Spectre understood this and drew a proportionate bed on the page alongside as well a 5ft square green house of glass marked at the edge of it next to the window.

He drew on a loft above the green room, this would create a second level since it was tall enough. This could be used for storage space or even a Meeting hall. As grandiose at that sounded.

"I like that! It would be the highest point of the room and give an even greater view of the street. What about the outside?" Spectre had thought of this too, but hadn't come up with any ideas as of yet.

Apollo thought and came up with something, "Could you build me a training dummy or something? We could train right up here, we could also just build a garden outside as well. Keeping Yuki's pro-choice plants inside, and cultivate some vegetables and fruit. We would just have to not say anything to the old woman. Although she wouldn't like the idea, if she saw it once it was finished how she could turn it down!" He said the idea proudly.

"That was for once a great thought coming from you" Yuki said in a mild sarcastic tone laughing.

"He's right though Yuki, that really is a good idea. I can't think of anything else."

"True true… Alright let's do it!" Yuki said proudly too.

Spectre got out 3 chalk sticks, the three went off and started to blue print the room with the chalk, lining the sections of each corner as if they were tracing what Spectre created on paper with pencil with the chalk to the room instead. Creating two lines on some places for the width of the wood to be counted. They stood back and imagined it in their minds, the beds, the green house, the loft. It would become a good house to them.

"Alright…one last thing! We now gotta play for who gets to name it!" Spectre blurted out after a while, Apollo looked over and looked down…he got to name a majority of the fort's name since he was the one that climbed the tree to bring the wood up and also fell once because of it. He wouldn't mind if they got a chance this time and backed up exclaiming it was up to them.

Yuki and Spectre locked eyes, fire erupting in their spirits! The views they gave to one another could cut stone. They whipped their hands back, and with a fast and mighty swing smashed their palms!

"Shoot!" They instantly exclaimed.

Spectre threw paper and Yuki threw a rock.

"Man god's damn it!" He yelled in retort to losing.

"Hey look at the bright side, when we ever grow up and leave and get a new home you will without a doubt be naming that one. I swear on my heart!" Spectre crossed his chest, still keeping the paper hand position the same. Yuki could tell he meant it, and grumbled a "Okay okay…."

Apollo laughed, "So? What are ya gonna name it?"

Spectre thought for a moment, as he looked out the window he saw a Raven fly by, "Let's name it the Raven's nest!" "OoooOOOoooh. I like that" The two chimed.