The river, which had risen up to so high that waves always seemed in danger of reaching the top of the flood barriers, was starting to recede. It had been interesting, occasionally climbing up to the watch platform and looking out over the water. The riverbank on the other side had disappeared, replaced by more water that extended under the trees on the shore beyond. It made the river seem like it went on forever, even if her awareness of wisps let her know that the water didn't go that far.

Today though, the water barely lapped at the base of the flood barrier, and the outline of the dock was bright under the surface.

"We can bring the Coldhold out soon and start going over it to make sure it's seaworthy. Or river-worthy, in this case. The sea can wait a while," Rian said over breakfast a few days after the dehydration sheds had been finished. The firewood shed was already full of the gathered wet deadfall, drying up so it could be used as fuel and regularly filled and emptied, while the food shed was beginning to dry their first large batch of mushrooms after the success of the test batch.

Lori fixed a flat look on her senior lord as she reached for one of the bowls of soup. They had always contained pieces of mushrooms, but for some reason they stood out to her now. "Are you implying my boat storage method is faulty?"

"Oh, don't be like that. Checking over the ship after it's been left unattended for so long is only good sense. It's a vital, life-preserving piece of equipment, not checking it over would be dangerously negligent. Especially since both you and Shana will probably be riding on it at the same time. That is, unless you're planning to send her back to River's Fork alone?"

Of course she wasn't. "Of course I'm not," Lori said as Lord Yl-something slid a bowl of food and a plate of bread across the table towards Shanalorre. "I have to be there to assess the situation myself, as well as confirm the position of the core."

"And make sure everyone knows who's in charge?" Rian said dryly as Mikon and Umu spoke to each other in low tones. Probably weaver matters, since the blonde wasn't actively glaring at the other woman.

"Of course."

Rian nodded as Riz ate her breakfast in a leisurely manner next to him, all her attention on her food due to her lack of conversation. "Then the check will be even more necessary, since of course you'll want some of our own people to accompany you for protection, and we'll need to make sure the ship will be stable with all those people onboard. And we'll need to bring our own food too. After all, they're having food issues. Best to not make things worse by putting more strain on their reserves."

Lori waved dismissively with a piece of bread. "Fine. Make preparations you feel you need to, then." She started to tear the bread into pieces for dipping.

"So, same thing as usual, got it," Rian nodded, simply stirring his soup as if waiting for it to be cooler. "It should take us a day, maybe two after you get the Coldhold out of the water for us to check it over and sail it around to make sure everything is functioning as intended. Hopefully by then we'll have some dried mushrooms, and I'll see about having some meat salted and smoked."

Lori tilted her head. "I thought smoking meat needed some kind of facility?" She took a piece of bread, dipped it in her soup, and put it in her mouth, chewing.

"It does if one intends to make a lot on a regular basis, but even without we should be able to make some smoked meat by using one of the large storage jars as a smoking chamber. Honestly, salting it is probably enough, but trying to smoke it can't hurt. We'll be able to carry food with us as raw ingredients, which takes up less space than jars of stew, and it's less likely to go bad. I don't know how long we might need to be in River's Fork to assert your claim and deal with any problems, but a few days worth of food for everyone wouldn't hurt." He looked sideways. "Yllian, can I rely on you to deal with making sure that's packed and ready while I get the ship working?"

Yllian—thank goodness Rian had said his name before Lori needed to check her rock—hastily swallowed the mouthful he was eating. "As long as there are no problems with production," he said.

Rian nodded. "After that, what happens depends on you, your Bindership. I can't make more definite arrangements and plans if you don't tell me what you intend to do."

"Implying that you've already made indefinite plans and arrangements?" she said dryly.

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Rian shrugged. "I can make pessimistic estimates of what we'll find when we get there, and make general plans to deal with things. But I can't really plan further than that unless you tell me what to plan for, as a practical matter. So… what do you intend after we get there, your Bindership? You said that we'll be removing the malcontents, but then what?"

Lori didn't answer, instead scooping up a spoonful of soup and sipping to giver herself time to think. She… really hadn't been thinking about what she would do once they managed to make contact with the demesne that was technically newly hers. In all her imaginings, she had thought it would be… well, years before she'd find herself the conqueror of another demesne. Even in her imaginings, she'd never really thought of how she would subjugate the people of her imaginary conquest. The few times she had thought about it, it had been to imagine them resisting her futilely as she used her powers as a Dungeon Binder to snuff out their resistance and lives, which even she knew were just childish daydreams.

"Once we have secured the demesne, we will proceed with the relocation of inconvenient parties," Lori said after some thought. "Four of five families have been identified as having members who are malcontents. They will be moved here where we will have sufficient numbers to discipline them. After that has been arranged, we will need people to replace them on a permanent basis. Rian, Yllian, I need you two to find people willing to move to River's Fork. In addition to farmers, we'll need at least three doctors and medics."

Rian finished chewing his bread. "Three?"

"Yes. Since Shanalorre will no longer be residing there, they'll need more medical personnel to make up the difference. Four of them should be sufficient to keep a population alive for long enough to ferry Shanalorre there when needed."

Shanalore looked up as she was mentioned. "I will be residing here permanently?" she said.

"Yes. The bulk of my population is here, so you will be as well to keep them alive. Unless you have a pressing reason to be in River's Fork?" Like plotting against her. "If you have been maintaining meanings, then with your connection to the core you can do so here as well as there."

"I can. I have been doing so during my stay here."

"Well, then you can continue doing so indefinitely."

Shanalorre nodded, accepting her fate.

Rian, meanwhile, was frowning. "Uh, don't you mean five doctors and medics?"

Shanalorre, realizing she no longer needed to participate, turned back to her food.

"No. As I recall, Shanalorre's idiot uncle is also a doctor, correct?"

Yllian coughed for some reason. Fortunately, he remembered to turn his face away and cover his mouth. "Yes, he is, your Bindership," he said once his throat was clear.

Lori nodded. "As an inconvenient party, he will also be deported, remember? We discussed this last time," she said, stirring her soup and drawing up another spoonful. "Shanalorre saw fit to allow him to continue undermining her rule. I will be showing no such leniency." The spoonful went into her mouth, pleasantly warm and flavorful.

"So you'll make him live next door where you can hear him starting something and kick his shin as needed?"

She swallowed "Obviously." The best way to deal with dissent was immediately, and this would be the most immediate. "The best way to deal with dissent is immediately, and this would be the most immediate."

Shanalorre looked up from her food again, her expression strange.

There was a very loud cough, and Lori looked towards Rian disapprovingly. He smiled brightly at her as he lowered the hand over his mouth. "So! A thought occurs to me! Can Shanalorre heal people in her demesne from here? I mean, she's connected to it, and all that…"

She stared at him, then turned towards Shanalorre. "Can you?"

"I… could," Shanalorre said slowly. "I did it when I was there. However, I would not know who would need healing. While I'm aware of all life in my demesne, I cannot differentiate between everyone's physical states of health."

Rian hummed thoughtfully, then opened his mouth.

"Do not suggest that she just heals everyone once a day," Lori told Rian bluntly.

"Yes, please do not suggest that."

"I wasn't! I was going to ask if she can tell where the people are in the demesne through her connection to the core. Like if they're in a specific building, or even a specific bed."

Lori raised an eyebrow. "You're suggesting placing injured people within a specific designated building, and Shanalorre simply heals anyone in that building."

Rian shrugged as Umu and Mikon finished their breakfast next to him. On his other side, Riz had been done for some time, and was taking a moment to nap with her head on the table. "It's a thought. If there's more people than can be healed that way because of some accident, something happened that will probably need us to go there anyway. If we arrange it so you check the building at scheduled times, that should let us deal with any injuries that happen in the other demesne without Shanalorre actually having to be there. Will that be enough to deal with the average amount of injuries?"

Shanalorre tilted her head thoughtfully. "It should be, especially with the doctors present. Though I will need to see if I can identify the building consistently. I will have to see. Perhaps I can use the meanings on the fruit trees as landmarks…"

Lori considered that herself. She supposed that without the ability to make any sort of meaning but healing, those would be the only actively imbued things Shanalorre would perceive through the dungeon's core. "Perhaps a building close to one of the meanings can be designated."

"We will have to find one still in good repair."

Lori nodded, then turned towards her lord. "Rian."

"Yes, your Bindership?"

"Shut up for a moment and eat."

Rian blinked, then looked around. Shanalorre's bowl was almost empty, and she had returned to eating, while Yllian was just finishing. Lori's own bowl was still half-full, but she intended to correct that soon. Rian's bowl, however, was still mostly untouched save for a piece of bread he'd left in it and was now soggy and falling apart. "Uh, yes your Bindership."

He ate.