Backdated to August 14th

Pharos was standing near the logbook looking through the signatures that lined the pages on the current log book. Neckars signature stood alone on a fresh page, but there were many more signatures from people who’d passed through. Pharos wondered if she should have gotten a new log book, but she liked the idea of continuing the old one. She wondered if she could one day fill it up.

Hadrian sighed, “you were a disappointment.” He said as he seemed to just appear from nowhere and walk towards Pharos, “but you are what I got and you have grown and matured some. It’s time to prepare you.”

Pharos frowned at her ancestors' unkind words, she didn't want to think he really disliked her, but it wasn’t as if that was an uncommon thing in her life. “Prepare me for what?” She chose to ignore his words, surely meant to sting.

“Knighthood of course, you are a squire and you are behind. You have to learn to maintain the lighthouse, our wonder is all its glory from the courtyard to the lens and fire at the top.”

Pharos frowned, “the door up there is locked, do you have the key?”

Hadrian, “you need not worry about that right now, you need to start at the bottom. You will clean the courtyard, weed the garden boxes and mend the cracks in the benches. Once you have managed that, we will start at the bottom of the lighthouse and work our way up.

Hadrian motioned for her to follow and Pharos made her way down the steps and out to the courtyard below. She had certainly done some maintenance over the years, but it wasnt perfect and years had passed by and her visits weren’t many. She followed him to a door on the side wall, opening it when Hadrian asked her what she was waiting for.

She hadn’t been into the room before, but she should have figured there would be some sort of supply closet somewhere. She grabbed up a old rickety broom and started to sweep the courtyard without much fuss. She couldn’t help to feel like space cinderella with Hadrian as the wicked step-father. The tale form in her head thinking about if she were a young page again with Hadrian forcing her to toil over the wonder expecting Pharos to maintain it, but acting as though she was lazy and lacking.

She swept and smiled as she worked wrapped in a daydream, thinking about Neckar being Prince Charming and traveling from afar. Thinking about how maybe everyone was to attend a ball in the Leo outpost in such elegant extravagance. She had fun in the outpost all those years ago. She wished she could stop to write some key things down, but she just held on the world that was building in the her head the new story, blooming from a classic. She figured she could write it, not exactly, but something similar.

It took well over an hour for Pharos to sweep the whole courtyard, but she wasn’t discouraged and headed back in the storage to put the broom away and get started on the weeding. She would likely need to sweep again afterwards.

“Hadrian, should I bring some seeds from home? Do you think they could adapt … think they would grow here?” She called out to the past Pharos not knowing where he disappeared off to but thinking he did go far.

Hadrian had been watching Pharos wondering what she was thinking about, but not caring that much as she was being efficient enough. He stood in the doorway of the entrance to the knights quarters when she called out to him.

“It doesn’t hurt to try, bring some flowers. It would certainly help the courtyard.”

Pharos nodded, “I can do that, but is it possible for me to do a vegetable plot. I have tomato seeds, corn, and cucumbers. Also I could add some fruit trees where trees have died off.”

Hadrian moved over to Pharos and thought about it for a moment, “I suppose that would be fine, do not bring anything that's going to spread unnecessarily or anything you would be upset about not making it. I like the idea of fruit trees. If one day this place is ever back to its former glory, it would provide travelers with a free snack.”

Pharos nodded, “Also if I ever wanted to stay, I would have food. Being a farmer is very beneficial.”

Hadrian raised an eyebrow at the tiny woman, but nodded before walking away to continue looking for the book he had been looking for while Pharos cleaned the courtyard. He had a book on the light house, its history, its inner workings and he wanted Pharos to read it so she would know more about Pharos..

Pharos went back to her weeding and continued to spin her Cinderella tale in her head, though she wanted to give her evil stepfather a redemption arc because Hadrian wasn't being too terrible. He certainly could have been worse to her, but he seemed to have buried the invisible hatchet so her brain was inclined to go with it.

It certainly wasn't easy work, but Pharos made her way around pulling weeks and trying to remember to grab a piece of paper at some point to make note of what seeds she wanted to bring and what she wanted to grow. She figured the plots closest to the knights quarters could house the plants and she could add flowers closer to the benches and the lighthouse.

Pharos yawned as the time passed, wiping the sweat from her brow with there sleeve. She didn't even realize Hadrian approached her and jumped a little when he spoke. “You should get some rest, you aren’t going to get this together in one night anyway. I have something for you, but I will give it to you on your next visit. Do not stay away long.”

Pharos nodded and put away the tools she was working with before bidding Hadrian goodbye and heading home. She knew she ought to sleep when she got home, but instead she took notes. She wanted to write down what she needed and she wanted to type out her ideas for the new spin on cinderella.

WC: 1053