Dobin landed the ship as close to the shelter as he could, as close to his house as he could. It was just after dawn, a tad later than when Lana and Dobin came last time.
"Carry only your personal effects for now. We'll get the stuff in the cargo bay later. I want to get you guys to your rooms to sleep."
"Won't the sun being out impede sleeping?" asked a man named Purt.
Lana chuckled, "No." She walked toward the trees in front of the tree. The branches parted. Those unfamiliar with her ability were quite shocked. She paused and waved her hand for them to follow. Standing between the three houses for her friends, she paused and waited for everyone to catch up and the branches to close behind them.
She pointed to their house and told Kattie and Almin go rest, the same with Alto and Duff. She explained they did not have to permanently share, that 1C was built but needed to have the furniture set up and one could move if they wanted to.
She asked the rest to follow her. She had Nate and Sam stay in 2A then put 2 people each in 3A-6A. 7A and 8A would be addressed later as well as the ones she was getting ready to build.
With everyone in bed, Lana, who wanted to get to bed, turned to Dobin and Shalt and led them back toward the entrance. "Dobin, I need that ramp finished because I don't want them to see Max. Do you have the energy to finish if Max is holding you?"
"I think now is perfect. Once we get up, we'll be doing crystals and walls. I'll need to be fully refreshed."
Lana nodded and asked Max to come out and help.
The two went off and Lana brought Shalt into Dobin's house.
"You'll have to sleep in the couch. This is not my house as you may have noticed, his name is the only one on the placard. We both have a room upstairs. There are some blankets in this trunk if you're tired. I only want to get four more hours. I want to put in 1D and maybe 1E then focus on 40-foot houses, 2 rows of them."
Shalt nodded and told her to go sleep. She only needed 3 hours. She decided to put in 3B next because she wanted a clearer line of sight for the rest of the houses in row A. Shalt was awake. She prepared a bunch of food but left it in the pot on the stove. She'd offer it to people as they woke.
After eating her fill, she went outside the branches to survey the area. She found she'd be able to place the house where she wanted it and began doing so. One of the earth users saw her walk out and decided to take a look. He started to ask her a question and she shushed him.
Shalt decided to move closer to him. He explained that Lana was building a new house and he was experiencing it for the first time as well so they should just watch and let her concentrate. Them talking, although quietly, brought others. Soon everyone was there, except Dobin who was still sleeping, watching this event of a tree house being built. They all watched as the circle of mini willows intertwined themselves, branched off, grew tall and expanded out. They stood in awe as the outer branches reached out and those adjacent to them reached out and they grabbed on to each other as if they were holding hands. They created an impassable barrier in the sky, letting in some light but nothing that could pose a threat in such a tightly woven setting.
House complete, Lana's shoulders sagged a little as she turned to those standing on the side. "That's how it's done. This is a four bedroom but the bedrooms upstairs are small. Who's hungry?" she asked as she placed the stake then hung the 3B sign.
Everyone said they were.
"I have some food prepared in Dobin's house right now. I don't have the cooking facilities to cook so much all at once and the houses only seat 4. I won't be able to get the traveler center in this trip. Maybe the next trip or the one after so it will still be a bit uncomfortable. I apologize for that."
Sam responded, "I don't think any of us are going to complain after what you just did. I can cook as well. Is there food grown? How does that all work?"
"Oh! Come."
She took them into the yard area of the nearest row A house. "This is the yard for this house. Everything outside is a public area. The houses that are planning to cook, I can grow the food in those yards and you can harvest it and cook it. If you need recipe books or seasonings, I can help with that as well. I generally grow herbs for seasoning. Alto, are you up for the task?"
He nodded and Kattie volunteered as well.
"Oh, there is no plumbing yet for the showers or the tubs. The toilets don't require it and the sinks in the kitchen work a little differently. So you can use the water in the kitchen sink and flush your toilets. The sinks and water tanks require being filled but there is a well with water between 2A and 3A."
"Tubs?" a female earth user named Tabitha asked.
"They are in all the bigger houses. The two-bedrooms are too small to put them in. Honestly, they are a bit shoe-horned into the bigger ones. Okay, we need to decide which house each person is eating in. I can take two more. I'll sit in a regular chair"
Sam and Nate took two more as did Alto and Duff. The rest went to Kattie's house.
Lana told Dobin to take them to his house and feed them since there was food on the stove.
She went to the other houses and grew food for them for the duration of their stay so she would not need to worry about overextending her ability. She then showed them how to harvest the food where necessary.
Lana just finished and heard a message come in from Logan. She had sent him a message before leaving the Crows letting him know she was traveling. He had put together some things for her lighting system and had created robots to create the things she needed. He provided a code to enter into the receiver station to get the things that were ready from him. He included instructions. She rushed to the station and entered to code, eager to add light to the underground area and increase safety for those working below.