The walk to the Builder's Guild was short and mercifully uneventful. With her horns modified and her tattoos hidden, Vivi held only a passing resemblance to the Sorceress—a single man gave her a suspicious look before shaking his head and moving on, likely convincing himself he must be going crazy.
Once she and Sarielle arrived at the three-story building dominating the city block corner, she dropped the illusions and walked in. An employee hurried over within moments, no doubt having been waiting for them.
The man was short, well-dressed, and portly. The smile he shot them seemed forced, but he didn’t stammer over his words or begin sweating, so that put his reaction in the upper half of people ‘meeting the Sorceress.’
After routine introductions—where he provided his name as Eugen—he clapped his hands and announced, “Excellent.” His gaze darted between Vivi and Sarielle, not sure where to settle since the mini-Steward had taken the lead but Vivi was… well, the Sorceress. In the end, status won out, and his eyes settled on hers. “It’s been an absolute honor to lead this project, but of course that goes without saying. Please, let me show you what we have, Lady Sorceress.”
Oh? He’s the actual project lead, not a middleman?
Seeing how said project was for the remodeling of Vanguard, he had to be one of the best architects in the Kingdoms. And while architect wasn’t an official class, neither were most professions or arts. Such experts were still respected. Though to be fair, a Legendary Blacksmith capable of forging swords that could cut through starmetal would always have a little more prestige in the eyes of the masses.
“I’m excited to see it,” Vivi told him. Her words came out cooler than usual, so he didn’t look reassured. She tended to grow subdued when meeting new people, and that went double for ones who acted nervous around her. “Though I’m afraid I won’t make for a good appreciator of your talents. My focus has been universally”—she looked for the right word—“singular over the years. I never acquired an eye for architecture and design, not unless you mean spells.”
“Well, I…” He chuckled. “I would count humanity lucky for that fact. In any case, I can assure you that I won’t be questioning the Sorceress in matters of taste.”
She’d intended the statement more as a warning that she would defer to whatever he and Sarielle suggested, and that she wouldn’t have anything insightful to say, like most clients who hired him probably would.
She fought a sigh. I wish Rafael had left me out of this, she mentally grumbled. But a Guildmaster had responsibilities, and Rafael apparently thought a quick meeting with the Builder’s Guild fell within them.
She and Sarielle followed the man through the building to a small and empty room. A single white desk stood near the front, covered in knobs, toggles, and switches. The reason for the room’s austerity became clear in short order. Eugen pressed down on one of the buttons and an illusion shimmered to life, filling the space with a zoomed-out view of a stunning guildhall’s entryway.
Presumably Vanguard’s new entryway—or one of several proposals, at any rate.
It was a departure, if a mild one, from Vanguard’s existing style, and that predisposed her against it no matter how gorgeous it was. She resisted the first impression and tried to keep an open mind. She knew for a fact that she’d told Rafael that she had imagined Vanguard’s expansion as keeping their current aesthetic, just ‘bigger,’ so these alternatives were simply that—alternatives. Other possibilities to consider.
The aesthetic was brighter and cleaner, leaning less cozy and more toward professional. The interior featured mostly wood, but with lighter colors than Vanguard's and with far less clutter. The layout was also much larger, as it would have to be. Vanguard already struggled to host its current roster, and once the tournament concluded, the organization would swell with new adventurers and craftsmen.
It’s very well done, but still. I like how cozy Vanguard is.
This was also only the foyer and reception hall, a miniature model to represent the aesthetic style on display. The common rooms and dens would be smaller and more intimate.
Even so…
She realized she’d been quiet for too long. She probably should’ve oohed and aahed at the reveal right away.
Or maybe not? That doesn’t seem like something the Sorceress would do. Saying nothing is obviously rude, though.
The builder was waiting patiently for her response, clearly trying to discern her thoughts—and failing, thanks to her stony mask.
She suppressed the urge to shift uncomfortably. “It’s very impressive,” she finally said. And she meant that… but she also preferred Vanguard as it was.
Eugen took the reserved assessment in stride. “You are too kind, Lady Sorceress. Modifications can of course be made at your request. Everything is customizable.”
To illustrate, he flipped a switch higher up on the control table, and the red accents throughout the room shifted a hue lighter. Another switch, and the layout of furniture changed, a long side table being replaced by two statues and a painting. He continued adjusting the illusory reception hall until almost everything had been altered in one way or another.
Vivi forced herself not to get distracted. It was quite the nifty artifact. She wondered if only the super-rich clients got such comprehensive mock-ups done.
“The original decisions are what we settled on with your Steward,” the architect said, “but we’ll work with Vanguard until everything is perfect. I won’t accept anything less than your complete approval.”
“I admire the dedication,” she replied evenly.
If he found her continued lack of commentary off-putting, he didn’t show it. He launched into a proper demonstration, walking around inside the illusion and pointing to each aspect of the design, explaining the choices he and his team had made. He used quite a lot of architectural, material, and furnishing-related words that she’d honestly never heard before. She was as out of her element as she expected to be.
Feeling self-conscious, she covertly tossed up a sound barrier. “I really don’t have much design sense, you know,” she told Sarielle.
“Rafael mentioned something of the sort.”
“Meaning I have no idea what to say to him.”
Sarielle considered. “Feel no need to. A mysterious aura suits the Sorceress.”
Vivi gave the woman an amused look. She could tell a good portion of Sarielle’s casual attitude was a forced act, but she appreciated the demeanor nevertheless. The woman never would have joked with her otherwise, and eventually, fake nonchalance would become real.
“I feel guilty not having the right words to compliment his hard work, though. This was clearly an undertaking.” She glanced at Sarielle out of the corner of her eye, hoping she picked up the hint.
“Perhaps I can on your behalf, Lady Vivisari?”
“If you don’t mind.”
If you want to follow in Rafael’s footsteps, then yes, I’ll shamelessly abuse your social skills. It’s in the job description.
When Eugen’s first showcase wrapped up, Vivi offered more measured praise that hopefully didn’t reinforce the fact she was as clueless as she’d warned him. Sarielle filled in the gaps, and at her more thorough commendations, he finally seemed reassured.
He flipped to a new aesthetic next, this one a much more obvious deviation. Elegant was the first word that came to mind, marble pillars and tile floors dominating the space. He dove into his second pitch, presenting the initial layout and then all the adjustments they could make, with the illusion swapping parts in and out as necessary.
Vivi threw the sound barrier back up. “I do know I don’t like this one,” she said bluntly. “It’s put together beautifully, but it reminds me of the Wardens’ guildhall.”
Sarielle paused. “He was the primary architect there as well, so I’m not surprised you see similarities.”
“Oh.” The Wardens would’ve hired the best of the best too, she thought. “Well, marble and tile aren’t the right materials for a guildhall. For Vanguard’s, I mean. It makes it look like a bank. I like warmer styles.”
“Feels more welcoming,” Sarielle offered.
“Exactly. Plus if we go for elegance, then we’ll have to measure up to the Dragon King’s palace. That’s tough competition.”
“Not… a factor most guilds would have to worry about,” Sarielle said, a hint of disbelief creeping into her voice at the comparison, “but I see your point.”
The third style hewed closest to Vanguard’s existing aesthetic, with the most similar colors and material choices. Vivi didn’t think it was sentimentality that instantly made it the forerunner in her eyes. She had designed Vanguard in coordination with her friends, so she’d already made it clear what kind of look she preferred.
Considering the sheer amount of work that must have gone into the various displays, though, she let Eugen run through them at his own pace. There were a lot of small decisions she made note of—usually to Sarielle, but sometimes without the sound barrier—on items like furniture types, positioning, and which decor she favored over which. She mostly deferred to what Rafael and Eugen had agreed on, but gave her input when a strong preference surfaced. It was her guildhall as much as it was everyone else’s; she wouldn’t automatically say yes to everything.
Once the styling discussions had completed, they had to tackle layout: how many rooms, where to place them, and how large they should be. That was much more logistical and technical in nature, so Vivi stayed largely silent as the man went over his proposed arrangements.
Some people might have found the process tedious, but she listened to his descriptions of his team’s creative directions with real interest. Glimpsing what Vanguard would become before it took shape was obviously fascinating, and yet again it made her feel… something adjacent to nostalgic.
All in all, the event lasted less than an hour. Vivi walked out of the Builder’s Guild, head spinning with the hundreds of minor choices and confirmations she’d made.
Customizing a guildhall was a lot easier through a game interface.
Back out onto the streets of Meridian, she donned the same disguise as before. “I was thinking,” she said to Sarielle. “Do we have plans for branch guildhalls?”
Right now, Vanguard was based in Meridian, but they intended to spread out as a major adventuring organization. That didn’t mean they would need to drop buildings in every city, but—especially if they were going to be sponsoring and recruiting from the demonic lands, dwarvish enclaves, and elvish forests—at least one stationed in each key region would be appropriate.
“I believe the matter is under consideration, Lady Vivisari, but it isn’t an urgent priority. Admittedly, I’m not aware of each and every one of Lord Rafael’s plans.”
“That’s fair.” As her thoughts brushed against the demon territories and Sarielle in particular, a question bubbled up. “Once the main tournament kicks off, people from all around the world are going to come flooding to Meridian. Will your father and House Keresi be there?”
Sarielle tilted her head. “He’s certainly partaking in the local qualifiers, and it seems impossible he won’t secure a spot. It would actually be… politically troubling if he didn’t. So yes, we’ll be sending a delegation.”
“That’s good. I need to thank him for lending me your family name. Nysari’s identity made things much less complicated when I first arrived here in Meridian.”
“He’ll be ecstatic to hear that you found a use for it.”
Vivi nodded. Meeting with the head of a demonic family was probably going to be a headache, though. For that matter, she would have to greet all foreign participants, if just briefly and from afar. She intended to scoop them up en masse from their respective major cities and teleport them to Meridian. The tournament was on a tight schedule; its primary purpose was scouting and recruitment, and Vanguard didn’t have weeks or months to spare for logistics as the typical event of this scale might.
“Thanks for your help today,” Vivi said after walking in silence for a minute. “I’ll make sure to give Rafael a glowing review.”
Sarielle blinked, not immediately understanding that she was joking. Vivi’s muted expressions remained a liability in moments like these. “Ah. Yes, thank you, Lady Vivisari. I’m glad to have been of service. I’ll be relaying your concerns to Lord Rafael, and there’ll be one more round of finalizations before construction begins. But you shouldn’t need to meet with the Builder’s Guild for that.”
I raised concerns? Vivi assumed Sarielle meant the assorted offhand comments she’d made on the decoration and design choices. I don’t even remember everything I said. Eugen might have been taking notes, but she definitely wasn’t. Her memory is that good?
Vivi shivered.
Stewards really are kind of scary…