With the state of the river being what it was, and more and more snow turning into slush and mud every day, Binder Shanalorre and her militia had to stay over for an indefinite period of time, at least until the river became navigable by one of their boats. Fortunately, the laundry area hadn't started to flood yet, and thus they were able to wash the limited clothes they had available. According to Rian, their friends among her idiots also lent the visitors clothes.

One of Shanalorre's militia had volunteered to try and go back to River's Fork overland to inform them that she was all right and not, to give a random example, being held against her will by Lori. Lord whatever-his-name-was had been willing to allow it, and Shanalorre, after some consideration, had reluctantly given the man permission, but only after Rian had suggested one of the demesne's hunters accompany the man. Lori had been against the suggestion, but had also reluctantly agreed once Rian pointed out they needed to find out the disposition of the beasts outside of the demesne's borders so that they could assess when it was safe to go out hunting again.

In the end, three people had gone out. One of Shanalorre's militia, one of the demesne's hunters, and one of the men who, according to Rian, had scouted the demesne to make the map of it that Lori had tucked away. They headed out, armed with spears, dressed lightly but with warming stones on their persons, and enough food to go to River's Fork and back.

They came back the next day, all of them injured and carrying the scout, who'd been incapacitated when a pack of beasts had surrounded them. The only reason he wasn't dead was because the beast's talon that would have ripped his leg open had deflected off one of the warming stones he was wearing, and only tore the back of his leg. They'd barely made it back into the border of the demesne, and even then they'd had to make their way in and climb a tree because some of the beasts had followed them back inside. According to the three, the beasts had stayed inside the demesne even as they started bleeding heavily from the thousands of wounds covering their body that no longer had Iridescence sealing them shut, either too disoriented by hunger and pain or too drawn to the possibility of prey. The scent of blood and screaming had drawn even more beasts into the demesne, who had also started bleeding and screaming, and a few had started attacking other beasts out of hunger or perhaps panic…

As the three men had been taken to the doctors and medics, Shanalorre offering her assistance to heal them, Rian had ordered everyone to arm themselves, and get the children into the Dungeon. Once a large enough group of people had heavily armed themselves—Rian had put on his sword even though he was wielding a spear—everyone else had also gone into the Dungeon and the door had been sealed while the group investigated.

They had come back lightly injured, having encountered some of the beasts when they'd been maddened with pain. It had been dangerous putting them down, but the group had been equipped with enough spears to keep the beasts at bay until someone could find an opportunity to spear them somewhere vital.

The group hadn't brought back much meat since they hadn't wanted to risk lingering too long or getting the scent of more blood in air, but once they managed to ascertain that the interior of the demesne was properly clear of beasts—Lori had assisted by identifying voids of wisps in her awareness—they were at least able to partially recover teeth, bones, hides and feathers.

That had ended any more attempts to try to contact River's Fork overland while the local beasts were still hungry from their winter fast. Fortunately, the injuries had been repairable, and while some might have been debilitating or even crippling in normal circumstances, Shanalorre was present. Thankfully, the other Dungeon Binder was more than willing to heal everyone's injuries.

Even before the three attempted messengers had gotten injured, Shanalorre had already made it known that she would still be available to everyone who were feeling ill or otherwise unwell for the duration of her unexpected stay. Naturally, this led to a stream of children being sent to her with runny noses, as well as anyone else in the demesne with some kind of ache or pain. She sat outside of the alcove in the second level that had become her room, poised patiently on a stool, and handled all the people who came to her.

The recently pregnant women and their newborns had taken to keeping her company, along with the older women—usually mothers or aunts, sometimes an older sister—who they were apprenticed to, as Lori had decreed. The spouses sometimes joined them as well, being taught how to hold the babes properly, how the head should always be supported, and of course how to clean and change the child's diapers when they inevitably soiled themselves.

Lori had needed to alter the way air circulated in the area so it wouldn't be so drafty, as well as making it a bit warmer for the sake of the children. This, of course, led to more people lingering in the area, men and women sewing clothes, sharpening and maintaining tools, cobblers repairing shoes and boots…

Not that everyone was just lingering in her dungeon. With the coming thaw, the fields that had been covered in snow were being cleared and aerated, the vigas that had been buried over the winter were checked on, and Lori was able to start reactivating the plumbing she'd needed to shut down over the winter. All waste water was once more directed towards the irrigation cistern after she'd checked the stone and pipes for cracks and other possible expansion damage from the cold. The pit they'd been dumping waste into before the winter was cleared of snow, and started seeing use again. The mushroom farm, no longer buried in snow or freezing cold, was also being tended to.

While the injured messengers and the need to make sure there weren't any pain-maddened, injured beasts in the demesne had forced a sudden halt on these activities, once they were sure all the beasts that had entered were dead and gutted—the trails of blood had been easy enough to follow by the other scouts and hunters—work quickly resumed. A few of the former militia had been selected to stand guard with spears, just in case, and some spears were left stacked where people could quickly run to them.

Shanalorre had also ordered her own militia to assist with the lookout and deployed to keep watch as well, with only Lord whatever-his-name-was staying at her side. Lori had been glad for the offered assistance. It annoyed her to have to put the other demesne's militia up for several more days, especially since none of them had been actually doing anything productive. Oh, they guarded Shanalorre, but it was in shifts of two at a time, meaning that for the rest of the day, the other four could probably be found in the baths, or at least just lazing around. Unfortunately, they weren't hers to command. They were Shanalorre's people, and if she was willing to let them sit around doing nothing…

Now, at least, they were earning their keep.

Lori had her own work to do. The new farm plots on the third level were finished, four new rows of bare soil with drainage beneath it. The small amount of soil left was added to the tuber planters. Now that the farm plots were ready, the Dungeon Farm was prepared for planting. Desiccated waste, ground bone, and some sawdust was added to the soil by the farmers and other workers, and all the mud being tracked into her dungeon was dumped into the third level to add to the soil there.

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With the snow gone, the old dining hall was finally unburied. Lori used airwisps to air it out, and the benches and tables that had been stored inside had been checked for rot and mold. The tannery was also uncovered, the roof inspected and repaired, and the containers full of alchemical substances had been checked for leaks as the place was put in order for the coming year. The chokers that were being kept there were dead from being buried and exposure, and their skins were the first to be tanned that year.

She also did her part to try and deal with the mud by solidifying the dirt on top of the major walkways of the village outside her Dungeon. Ruining the soil for planting wasn't a concern there, as given they were thoroughfares nothing was supposed to grow there in any case. She'd done this before earlier in the year, but the dirt had come apart over time, no doubt from wear and water soaking in and expanding during the winter. Lori made a note to get around to having the road, such as it was, properly paved this year. They hadn't had time before because of all the work, and because the rest of the year had been dry enough that the footing hadn't been a concern that had been brought up.

Since they were no longer really needed, the waste desiccator and the snow melter were dismantled, the stone used to build them added back to the stockpile. Since it wasn't flooding yet, Lori cleaned out the water hub shed of bugs by filling it with steam to kill anything in there, followed by a brief burst of lightning wisps, before having Rian send people inside to clean it out. Once it was clean, Lori reconnected all the pipes in the stone and rebuilt the bindings. She also added in a distilling stage to the water, since the river wasn't as clear as it usually was. While she already had a distillation stage after the reservoir, she wanted to lessen the amount of silt and sediment that got into it.

Despite the flood watch being kept on the river, Lori made sure to come out and check it at least once a day. The smooth, white expanse she had seen and traveled over for months was gone, replaced by flowing dark water that frothed white with turbulence. The water level was clearly far more elevated than usual, the dock wet from waves that occasionally lapped up and over the stone surface. Every day, the water seemed to rise higher and higher, and the stone dock was constantly wet and for all practical purposes under water. It at least confirmed that she hadn't made the flood barrier for nothing and that the river was going to overflow its banks.

Rian and Lord whatever-his-name-was both agreed that it was far too turbulent to navigate safely with the boats the demesne had. While it was certainly possible, even survivable, neither of them wanted to try it with Binder Shanalorre as a passenger, even on the Coldhold, where she could theoretically be secure inside. Additionally, while they could probably travel downstream, Rian was unsure as to how well any of the boats would be able to travel back upstream. With the further danger of debris in the form of driftwood in the water threatening to damage the ice of the boats' hulls, both lords strongly recommended they not try until the river was more settled.

Well, Rian strongly recommended. Lord whatever-his-name-was bluntly told his Dungeon Binder that he wasn't letting her on board such a deathtrap in the current conditions. Lori felt her fists clench at the blatant disrespect, and imagined repeatedly striking the man's head with her staff…

Still, she kept her peace. The man wasn't her lord after all, and if Shanalorre was willing to let him speak to her like that… well, that was her problem. Though something inside Lori cringed as she watched the younger Dungeon Binder simply nod and take it.

Really, if Rian spoke to her like that, she would be reaching for her staff.

…

Well, she would hold back if he had a very good reason since she wasn't unreasonable, but if he didn't, then the staff it was!

Since neither was going to be used any time soon, and to prevent damage from the aforementioned debris, both Lori's Ice Boat and the Coldhold had been stored away to avoid risking losing them. The former's ice had been removed, the wooden frame, fittings and driver stored down in the third level in one of the incomplete excavation corridors, where the carpenters had checked all the parts for swelling and damage. Some woman had volunteered to make sure all the components were stored properly and in good order.

The larger of the two boats had been encased in stone and sunk under the water, fused to the ground so it wouldn't budge. When Lori had formulated the measure to protect the boat for when a dragon came, she hadn't expected that she'd need to use it for something more mundane. Given how many different parts and bindings comprised the Coldhold, however, simply keeping them imbued and just encasing the thing was easier to do than removing the ice.

With so much to do, so many structures that had been covered in snow needing to be inspected, so much piping that had lain dormant that had the be checked, Lori barely had time to try and expand her demesne. She barely managed to squeeze in a single expansion in the time before dinner most days, and she certainly didn't have the energy for games afterwards.

Thank goodness there was bread to look forward to.

"Binder Shanalorre," Lori greeted as she sat down for dinner. After almost a week of eating together again—tomorrow would mark ten days exactly—in addition to all the previous times over the winter, having the other Dungeon Binder sharing her bench had become routine, even if Lori did wonder how much longer she'd be staying.

Shanalorre nodded right back. "Binder Lolilyuri," she said. "You look tired again. Are you well?"

Lore waved a hand dismissively. "I'm fine, I'm fine. It's just been another long day." Opposite them, Lord whatever-his-name-was watched the kitchen, ready to stand once food was being served. Lately, Rian and the other three had been coming to meal times later and later. The presence of the man seemed to stifle their willingness to flirt, which was strange because they never seemed to have a problem doing it in front of her. The delay wasn't for very long, but it meant that she was lacking her pre-meal reports from Rian. "And you? Any problems today?"

"None. I am pleased to report that all the recently born infants are progressing well and are continuing in good health without my intervention."

Lori nodded. It was the same report for the past several days, but that was good. It meant there were no problems in regards to the health of her most delicate subjects. Said subjects would probably grow up to also be idiots, but given their parents, that couldn't be helped, unfortunately. "I see. Again, thank you for your assistance, Binder Shanalorre."

"Of course, Binder Lolilyuri. It's the least I can do while we enjoy your extended hospitality."

At this point, Rian finally arrived with a cheerful, "Hello, everyone," sliding down onto his spot on the bench opposite Lori. Despite his appearance, he was clearly tired, sitting down with the sort of heaviness that only really, really wanting to take your own weight off your feet could bring. "Ah, that feels so good…" He sighed, then shook his head. "All right, enough of that. Your Bindership, I'm told we'll be ready to plant the Dungeon farm with vigas soon, possibly tomorrow."

Lori nodded. "That shouldn't take long then. What else?"

"Well, it's not exactly a flood, but the person I have watching the river told me just now that he thinks he spotted seels in the water."

Lori blinked, then straightened. "Seels?"

"He's not sure," Rian cautioned as Riz walked up and sat next to Rian… on the side away from Lord whatever-his-name-was. "Thinks it might just have been his eyes playing tricks on him. But he says he saw something dark in the water that was moving upriver. I think we should have people scout along the river tomorrow, see if they can spot more, and maybe tell us if the seels have decided to avoid our little spot of river from all the seeling we did last year."

"Do it," Lori said. She could already taste the meat… "Tell them not to venture too close to the edge."

"No chance of that," Rian said as he unconsciously started leaning towards Riz. "With the snow gone, the colors beyond the edge are visible again."

Ah. Right. She must have become too used to the nearly undifferentiated white when she'd been making beads beyond the edge. "Warn them regardless. I don't want anyone becoming beast food."

"I'm sure they'll be touched that you care so much," Rian said with a bright smile. "Speaking of the river, we've started seeing some new growth of ropeweed along the banks… "