"Okay, I know the bath situation last night was a bit rough. So this is a bathhouse and sauna complex. There are half a dozen small private tubs, two larger spas, and one big communal sauna. The shower rooms are all those doors down that way." Amelia pointed in one direction, then turned to point in the opposite direction. "That hallway leads to more WCs. Oh, and a wading pool for the kiddos. I was gonna put in a big pool, but thought I'd hold off on that, 'cause I forgot to ask if you guys like swimming."

There was a pause as they fished Pasi and Lumi, Tuuka's twins, out of one of the spas. Then another when the triplets "accidentally" fell into the wading pool. All three of them. Several times.

Once they were all dried off, Amelia opened a door in one corner, revealing a spiral staircase leading down into the ground. She had worried momentarily if she overdid it on the spiral staircases, but they were more convenient than ladders and took up less space than regular staircases. Plus she liked them, which was certainly reason enough to have so many.

"This door has a security feature so that only people that live here, or accompanied guests, can come through. Follow me! Down we go!" she called, heading down the stairs. The security had been Bert's suggestion, and since he already monitored the whole hollow, it wasn't an extra strain on his part.

She waited at the bottom for the crowd to catch up. It took some effort to get the triplets down since they kept turning around to go back up towards the pool. The toddlers also wanted to go down the stairs on their own, which they did backwards, lowering themselves down each step. Progress was slow, but they eventually made it.

There was considerable whispering going on among the crowd. It seemed not everyone had truly believed the stories that Tuuka, Tyni, and Picker had told them about the cottage and its magical transformation abilities. There were several apologies given, and Picker looked particularly smug.

"This hallway leads back towards the cottage, and there's a stair access there, as well. So you don't have to go outside to get to the bath!"

That announcement was greeted with cheers, particularly from the goblin contingent. They didn't hate the sun, not as such. It was more of a deep-seated distrust.

"Okay, on this level are a bunch of living spaces. Bedrooms, dens, storage spaces, that kind of thing. I think I got all of your preferences, but if I missed anything, or you'd like something changed, let me know. There should be room enough for you all to spread out, but there are even more rooms in the cottage, so feel free to stay there if you want."

The majority of the rooms down here were deliberately cave and burrow-like, with rough walls and ceilings. Thick carpets kept the floors warm and comfortable. There were lamps throughout, but placed so it was still fairly dim, with comforting deep shadows here and there. The remaining rooms were smoothly plastered and brightly lit, just like the interior of the cottage.

The hallway ended in a thick, soundproof door. Amelia opened it and waved the group through.

"This is the print shop. I think we got everything you need, but let me know after you look around. The supply room is over there, for inks, papers, that sort of thing. We're under the tower cellar here, so noise shouldn't be an issue. That's where those stairs go. Head on up, and keep going up past the brewery, okay? You've all already seen that, and nothing's changed there. Somebody make sure we don't lose Tuuka when we go through, though."

This time it was Bellows who had to drag his spouse out, while Picker assisted with Lede, his own wife. Stet was a master printer, who had taught Lede, who was in turn teaching her own daughter Frisket. None of them had ever seen such shiny and new equipment, or such an assortment of type, ink, and paper.

They climbed the stairs up through the cellar, pausing briefly to admire the many casks and kegs again. Some had bathed here the night before and already knew the liquid treasures stored in this room. Then it was up through the brewery, with only a passing comment from Tuuka about wishing his father could see the place. Tyni took the opportunity to dash back to the kitchen momentarily since the brewery was on the ground floor and connected through to the living room.

The next level up from there had been Amelia's master bedroom, but while she was reorganizing she realized that people would have to pass through to get to the workshops above. Plus it just felt too large for herself so she'd moved her room elsewhere. So now this room was the metal and wood shop, walls crammed with tools and machines. A system of leather belts connected the lathe, mill, saws, and other tools, running up to a pulley on the ceiling that Bert could keep moving.

Continuing up the stairs, Amelia pointed out how thick the walls and floors were. For soundproofing. She'd thought about having the smithy in here as well but figured it would be safer to have the furnace and forge further away.

Above the shop level was a floor subdivided into different art studios, for sculpting and painting. There was even a good-sized music room, although nobody had asked for one. It just seemed to fit the aesthetic of the space, so she had Bert squeeze it in.

The kids were overjoyed when they found that the next floor had a playroom set aside just for them. Places for naps, cubbies filled with toys, and even plush couches for the older ones to lounge on. Their enthusiasm waned a bit when they found out the other rooms on this floor were classrooms, and there were a few tears at the sight of rows of desks and chairs.

The final floor was a revised aviary and quiet observation lounge. Huge protruding bay windows surrounded the room, and being so many stories up the view was fantastic. The birds still had their entrances under the eaves, and nesting spaces just as before. There were leather couches and wing chairs scattered around the space, each with a coffee table or side table nearby. Just perfect for quiet chats or reading. A nice alternative space to the living room, or the smaller dens in the warren underground.

Amelia had reserved a tiny sliver of a room on this floor for her own bedroom, barely the size of a walk-in closet. It was cozy though, with a good-sized window and just enough room for herself, Pancake, and Shock, should they choose to keep sleeping with her. There was even a small entry flap to allow the animals access.

Back in the viewing room, she pointed out the special feature of the front window. It could be opened like a large door. A huge beam projected out from the roof above it, ending in a hoist system. Every floor below had similar access, so if they needed to transport heavy stock or finished products, they didn't have to manhandle them via the stairs. The brewery didn't need the hoist, but still had a large set of double doors in line with the others, for moving any large barrels or other goods on the ground floor.

Tour of the tower complete, they descended back down to the ground floor. The cottage proper had stretched to twice its original width, but the depth was the same. That kept the front door in the same place, conveniently. But it allowed room to double the size of the kitchen, pantry, and living room, while still adding another WC. Amelia pointed out the dumbwaiter, saying that it ran to the attic above, but not explaining why. The new room attached to the kitchen was a shop space with service counter opening onto the porch. There were places for ready-made items and rows of drinks containers, both hot and cold. Amelia had added this space almost as an afterthought, wanting to keep the kitchen just for cooking.

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The floor above was much the same as it had been, subdivided into individual bedrooms. There were eight of them now, instead of four, and two larger WCs with tubs in them.

The attic, last stop on the tour, had been returned to a mostly empty storage space. It could also serve as a meeting hall if they needed it, its tall, steeply pitched roof high above the floor. There was a fireplace on either end, one connecting to the chimney from the living room fireplace, and the other to the oven chimney. There were foldaway tables and chairs already set up here.

Tyni had timed it just right, and as they reached this final area, there were steaming tureens of soup in the dumbwaiter, with crusty loaves of bread and crocks of fresh butter already on the tables.

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"Hey there, toots. Nice remodel. Little somethin' somethin' for everybody, sort of thing. Almost everybody, if you catch my drift. Ahem."

Somehow the goat had climbed up onto the table where Amelia was still sitting after finishing lunch. Everyone else had already drifted off to admire the various new work spaces or rooms, or just to wander around. So she had been alone in the huge attic space.

"Hi Pancake! I did make you something, didn't you notice? One of those classrooms is for you. You offered to teach me magic, and I thought you might do the same for the kids, or anybody else who wanted to learn. I hope that was okay?"

"Really? You did that for me? Awww!" he responded, clearly flattered.

"And I made sure there is plenty of space in my bedroom, so you and Shock can stay with me. Unless you would prefer to sleep in the stables?"

"Uh, no, no, thanks, doll face." he stuttered, now contrite. Amelia realized that he'd been thinking he was supposed to be with the other animals, and had been planning on objecting.

"Anything else? Just ask! We gotta burn off some of the excess energy Bert's been accumulating."

"Nah, I'm good, thanks. I'm, uh, I'm gonna go check out my new teachin' digs. Maybe start some lesson plans, sort of thing. Yeah, that's the ticket. See you 'round, baby cakes!" He said, then carefully worked his way off the table onto a chair, from there onto the floor. His hooves clop-clopped as he pranced away, considerably happier than when he'd approached.

"Hey Bert? How's the energy doing? Did we use up enough?"

[Temporary buffer was emptied. Energy level is currently just below maximum.]

"Wow! I thought we'd used a bunch up doing the remodel?!?"

She spent a few minutes in discussion with the core trying to understand how it all worked. Bert was able to gain energy from everyone in the hollow. Placing or modifying rooms used some, but that was a one-time cost in most cases. So they had used a considerable amount with the remodel, but there were so many people in the realm, generating so much positive energy, that it exceeded the rate of drain considerably. Especially with all of them so pleased with safe, cozy accommodations. Not to mention the best areas to indulge their hobbies and passions that they had ever had access to. The happy energy flow was off the charts!

Further discussion revealed that the amount of energy that Bert could store was dependent on the number of rooms he had. It was a little more complex than that, but that was the simplifying explanation that Amelia went with. And since many of the rooms were so small, they barely registered. So that left him with maybe a dozen rooms that counted towards his storage capacity. Which, he informed Amelia, was miniscule compared to most realms. She sensed he was a bit touchy about the subject.

She also found out that even though he "covered" the entire hollow, the only true rooms he had were the cottage complex, which included Briar's garden and home, the yard, and the structures within it. The rest was effectively "free space", which he could control, but didn't really do anything for him.

Amelia was particularly surprised to find out that the vault area wasn't part of Bert's rooms. When she tried to get more information on that subject, Bert told her that was "root access only" (whatever that meant), and that she wasn't authorized for that. Which was odd, but she decided it wasn't worth worrying about.

She did confirm that having excess energy incoming wasn't actually a problem. It was just wastefully inefficient. So she felt better about some of the continuous drain effects, like the fires in the furnace and forge, the belt drives in the shops, and restocking the pantry and cellar for so many people. Perhaps they could come up with some other things to make life easier, as well.

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"So, adventuring. Why did you guys give it up?" she asked.

Picker and Quiet shared a surprised look. That was a question they really hadn't been expecting.

Unsurprisingly, despite her name, it was Quiet that answered for the pair.

"Well, it's dangerous and doesn't always pay well, sweetie. You have to provide your own equipment, and the good stuff is expensive. And hard to get. One of the reasons my son and I were, um, uh, scouts. You don't need as much stuff, and we're well suited to the job." The last she said while gesturing at herself and Picker, meaning their small and slight builds.

"Why?" asked Picker, in his usual taciturn way.

"Well, you see, I have some new friends. You'll probably meet them sooner or later. Anyways, they like to play at being adventurers. Games and such. Pretend. I'm betting a few of them would like to try the real thing, or at least visit it. You know, like maybe the Night Market or something. I know I'd like to see more cool faerie stuff."

The two goblins exchanged looks, with Picker rolling his eyes at the 'faerie' label.

"So, would you guys be willing to be like, guides, or something, leading expeditions, things like that? If you wanted to, of course! Maybe teach some classes on stuff us mortals don't have a clue about. Safety, traveling realms, you know. Don't feel pressured. I just want everybody to have something they enjoy doing!"

Quiet looked over at Picker, but he just lunged forward and hugged Amelia, which was a first for him. He stepped back, cheeks ablaze, and looked at the ground. His mother patted his back, then winked and nodded at Amelia.

"I think you can take that as a yes, honey. We've both missed being out and exploring. I suppose we can be tour guides if it means getting a chance to do that again."

"Yay! Bill and his gang will be around sooner or later, 'cause I said they could game here. When I see them, I'll ask if they want to go on an expedition. But even if they don't, I do! So you guys should start thinking about cool places to see and things to do."

"I think we can handle that," Quiet answered, a gleam in her eye. "We could get the girls in the print shop to run us off some brochures! And handbooks! Posters!"

"Ooooh! Faerie handbooks! So cool! Great idea! You know, we should probably make a brochure for the Hollow! Not just the hiking, but also all the stuff people can do! Smithing, woodworking, printing, that sort of stuff. Sandy said there isn't a printer anywhere near here, so that'll probably get some business. Most people around here are farmers, and they surely have stuff that needs fixing, or custom things made. That would be awesome! Help the community, and have fun things to work on!"

"I love your enthusiasm, dear! So many goblins and dwarves had to give up their dreams and work in the mines, which barely paid anything. Actual productive, paying work they like will do them a world of good!"

"Yay! That's what I'm hoping!"

Amelia left the two discussing the best places to take tour groups to. There were some neat places here in the hollow, and they'd probably start there with short trips, just to get the kinks worked out. She had already seen some of them, but as she'd found working on the paths, there was more in the Hollow than first appeared. There was bound to be some things that would surprise her, which was half the fun of an expedition!

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"Hi, Alder! How're you doing out here?"

"Hoom! Caretaker! I was wondering, ahoom, about this building that just appeared. I assume you have, hom, something to do with that?"

"Sorry! I should have warned you! Remember those people in the funny clothes from the other day? They wanted a place to hang out and play games, so I put that there for them. That's why it has all the windows. And look!" she said, pushing on the wall closest to Alder. It slid aside on tracks, so the interior of the room and its furnishings were open to the outside. Inside was a large table and several comfortable chairs, along with a few sofas adorned with cushions.

"I thought maybe you'd like to watch, or even join in! This way, you can have easy access!" She waved at the structure proudly.

"Ahoom!" Alder harrumphed, a twinkle in his eyes. "First visitors to speak with, ahoom hoom, now games? I'd hug you if I could, caretaker!"

Amelia glomped onto the old tree, hugging him tightly.

"I was worried you might be a bit lonely. I know the birds and squirrels come talk to you, but thought some variety might be nice!"

"Hroom! How considerate! Now, ahoom, tell me about these games ..."