Noah found the young warrior’s silence interesting, though he did not press it. Silence had never unsettled him—years on the tundra had carved it into his bones, had taught him that quiet was not emptiness but patience, a sharpening of the senses.
Kaisel, though, in his silence, seemed to find sucess. With the advice given, and heeded, the younger man found purchase against the frosted earth. The shovel’s bite shifted from futile clanging to measured cracks as he broke through the frozen crust and he was able to finish digging exactly where he needed to dig.
Noah, then, motioned for him to help him lift the brace into place. Timber creaked, muscles strained, and with a firm shove, the beam slid into place against the cabin’s sagging wall. "That'll do it." He said, brushing cedar dust from his gloved hands. "Next task is inside." He let his smile hit Kaisel. "The hearth needs some repair. The tools are inside and we can start on that. I'll meet you in there, you can start by mixing mortar."
For Damien, it wasn't as much inexperience that had him lingering on the roof longer than originally anticipated. Instead, it was that the man, with his experienced eyes, would see more wear and tear that was hidden beneath thick layers of ice and frost that needed repair. He would need to chip away at it before he could get to the shingles, to the rotten beams beneath. His work was slower for it, but also truer—repairs that would last. Noah stepped back and called up to Damien, "We will be working on the hearth next. Bang on the roof if you need help."
Round 3!
Damien has found more areas on the roof that need repair.
Noah and Kaisel have set the support beams. It ain't pretty, but she'll hold.
