Dobin sealed the entrance behind them with a grate and they headed to where they had built the last wall the week before. It didn't take too long, maybe 30-minutes to find it. They didn't even walk quietly. If there were threats nearby, they wanted to know and get rid of them quickly. With all of them working, they got the same number walls built that they did before in a day. Meaning they got one third of that length since they spent three days putting in walls.
Lana was hoping the hanger crew could get back to the hanger tomorrow but was looking forward to getting all the earth team back down there. It looked like they may be able to seal that area in. With the holes above filled in or with grates on them in this area, it would mean this area would be secure.
After more food and a sleep, they ate and got back at it. It had rained into the night so the hanger was still off limits. There was an inch of water below so Alto had to hold the water back to get a good footing in on the walls. The team would need to make sure to harden the earth really well with the water present. It was important anyway but even more so since water erodes stone and dirt. At lunch the hanger crew checked out the parts and decided to go ahead and get back to work. The rest still worked below. At the end of the day, they were about half a day from the end. The area would be closed in the next day.
Lana was tired of eating but she wasn't given a choice. They made her eat before going to bed. She was up before everyone else for a change and went out to the hanger site and smiled. It would be done today. She decided to put in the adjacent 2 2-bedroom houses and the 2 3-bedroom houses. She really wanted to square it off but to do that required another 80-foot version of the 4-bedroom and she knew she was pushing it on time. If they knew how much she had done already, they would be all over her.
The funny thing was Lana wasn't even feeling tired. She had one more week left of her first trimester based on when Quinn heard the baby's heartbeat. This also meant she'd be showing soon. With twins she didn't know if she'd start showing earlier or not. She was quite active so maybe it would be delayed or she could say she was putting on weight. She'd not get away with that for very long. She didn't want to go on quests after the 6-week period anyway but would she be forced to?
She decided to meander back toward Dobin's house and called Logan while she was at it to give him a quick update. She knew she would be fed very soon and wanted to talk before she was stuffed like a turkey.
Logan stated the communication system she needed would be ready in a few weeks. He was working in it around other projects. Her lighting system production was automated so all he needed to do was send the parts when they were ready. Since she wasn't always there, he was relegated to a once a week sending. She would need to pick up her communication system, however.
Lana filled him in on everything except the king tier. She didn't want Quinn's wrath for that one. She let him know the hanger would be in soon. Once the communication system was in, they would be able to establish entry procedures. That was going to be interesting because of that other shelter. Earth still claimed them even though they were abandoned. The update was over in about 5 minutes.
Dobin saw her approaching just as he was getting ready to go looking for her. He smiled at her with worry in his eyes. "Hey, sis. Sleep well?"
She nodded, "It's so peaceful this early in the morning. Caser and I looked around a bit."
"How long have you been up?"
"About an hour."
Dobin nodded "how many houses did you put up?"
Lana laughed, "only four."
Dobin looked alarmed.
She immediately responded that they were small and she's not even tired.
Dobin sighed, "we have a few requests." She raised an eyebrow. "Picnic tables, for one. Cobblestones for pathways. That kind of thing."
It was Lana's turn to nod. "We'll get to that kind of stuff soon. We need to be living here before we start the beautification stuff."
"That's another thing. Kattie and Almin want to stay here. Permanently."
Lana took a deep breath. "No."
"No? That's it?"
"Let's go talk to them."
As they entered Almin and Kattie's house, Lana was handed a plate of food that was heaping. She didn't even want to look at it. It seemed like very five minutes she was being given food. She then surprised herself when she ate the whole plate but there was no room left even for a sip of water.
She put her plate in the sink then asked Almin and Kattie to come over and Dobin joined them. They had all finished eating already anyway. The others were all gathering outside to go down and finish the job today.
Lana looked at Kattie and Almin. "The answer is no. You may not stay here alone."
Kattie looked hurt, "just like that? You don't even want to hear our side?"
Lana looked at Dobin, "did you tell them? About what we fought?"
He shook his head, "I didn't think you wanted anyone to know," He smiled and have her a wink. He intended her to use that crystal all for herself to get her B rank.
"I'm going to put this simple. We encountered a beast below that was beyond a level the two of you could defeat on your own. I don't want to come back here and find you guys dead. Clear enough?"
They both looked at their feet. "We are tired of traveling back and forth. We'd like to be able to just hunt in one area rather than dividing our time between two planets."
Lana looked at them both with a great deal of understanding. "Do you think you're the only ones? With planetary rotations, we lose time coming here. But, this place is our home. At least it is for me…"
"We agree on that! We love the home you built for us and want to make it our own with some personal touches. We still have the money you paid us from group funds and want to use some of it."
Lana smiled, "This is your house to decorate as you wish. You don't need to ask permission for that. You may do so while we are here. The travel is not going to be forever. In fact, next time, bring all of your belongings and only bring clothing back to the Crows faction. It's what we are doing. The big thing is I hit my second trimester a few days after a week's time."
Kattie gasped, "you're not going to get your B-rank before second trimester!"
Lana cocked her head to the side, "There is some concern, yes. But remember, Nate got B-rank in 2 months. I may need to go just a bit longer."
"It's risky…"
Lana nodded, "this life is risky. If I want to give these babies the life they deserve, it may be a risk I need to take. How about we give this three more weeks and see where we are?"