Serving the Community: Japanese Garden

[Vassagon]

As a Tamer of Stone, Toren held certain values of his Legacy dear. First and foremost it was to his fellow man. Not simply to the Awakened. The world was full of hardworking Sleepers and in each one was a potential, waiting for their soul to pass through their own trials. Until then it was his duty to use his gifts to help others. Today he was going to build a garden.

The Japanese-American community had never completely regained the sense of community they enjoyed in the past. But even so they held on to their culture nonetheless. In light of the 66th Annual Japanese Food & Cultural Bazaar, the community had commissioned Toren to build a Japanese Garden on a designated plot outside the festival grounds. Toren was of course all too happy to take on any job, despite the meager amount offered. But landscaping wasn't his forte. Yet he knew the perfect Life Mage that could help him. He had contacted his Cabalmate, Kiko kimura to join him in this venture.

He stood there in a large plot of undeveloped property. Two trucks had parked on the edge of it, one filled with construction materials, the other with special plants including flowering cherry trees, hydrangeas, andromedas, tree peonies, privets and several flowering plants native to Japan. The best part was that there were a group of volunteers, local residents who would help them in this project to divide the labor.

[Vassagon]

When Toren sees Kiko he grins, teeth glinting in the sunlight. "You betcha, Miss Kiko!" he says, his enthusiasm beaming. "This is going to be a great opportunity to put Japanese building methods into practice. Seeing it in theory is one thing but a hands on activity is...well, much better." Toren is holding a cardboard tube which he now holds up, removing the plastic end and revealing a paper rolled up inside. "I designed a blueprint for how the site should look once we're done." He unrolls it for Kiko to look.

"Items for construction will be a pavilion, a small bridge, fencing, and an archway. Items for landscaping are flowerbeds, the man-made pond, walkways, and larger foliage. The stone lanterns & benches are on order and won't be here till tomorrow. You think you'll be up for heading the landscaping team? These guys are at your disposal for digging and lifting. All you'll have to do is supervise and help out where you can." Toren waves his hand over the group of men and women volunteers, most of them Japanese-Americans. Some of them who notice Toren's gesture bow their heads in hello.

[Vassagon]

"That's an excellent idea, Kiko!" replies Toren. "I'm fairly certain we have stakes and ribbons on the first truck. I'll go set them up." Toren heads over to the truck of construction materials. Some of the volunteers crowd around to see what he's doing and then help him to get the stakes out of the truck and tying red marker ribbons to them. He shows them the blueprint and relates to them his intentions of marking out the area. "We'll have to get some measuring tape too, ah yes there it is, thank you. If we divide things into a grid we can make measurements easier." Eventually his instructions are understood and they go off to do the appointed task.

Toren walks back to Kiko, "Hmm, I'm glad they speak English well. So once that's done we'll have a better idea of where to put things. I think we may have to dig the artificial pond first, that way we can use the excess dirt to shape the surrounding earth, then we can start on the walkways, sound good?" he asked the petite Thrysus.

[Vassagon]

Toren nodded slowly lowering his voice a bit, making him sound more solemn, "Oh I do indeed, Miss Kiko. That was why I thought your presence would be so significant in this. I want ever project I work on to have a deeper meaning and I hope you don't mind if I rely on your insight. If you have any suggestions to bring more honor to the site please don't hesitate to include them."

He didn't know what she had in mind but if he found a chance to use his connections to the supernal without provoking the Abyss he would more than likely use them.

Once the stakes were lain a worker came up to Toren to ask for their next task. Toren smiled to them and gave instructions to find shovels to begin work on the artificial pond, two to four feet deep within the marked perimeter. They were to make use of the wheelbarrow to move the excess dirt to designated spots. He said he'd be along in a minute to help out.

Turning to Kiko once more he says to her, "Would you be able to help unload some of the plants from the second truck? Feel free to place them as you like so long as they don't intersect the path, pond, or pavilion. And the Bamboo should be close to the pond on the north side I think, but otherwise anywhere. But before that, what else did you have in mind?"

[Vassagon]

Toren smiled widely, mimicking the respectful bow that was a part of her culture. "You're quite welcome, Miss Kiko. I'm glad to please our little sister." For Kiko's question, Toren looked back to the workers and to her again. "Well I think they wouldn't mind, but this is a contract for a Buddhist church, so the shrine would have to be for Buddha I would think, but it wouldn't hurt to ask. With the materials available I might have enough left over for a small shrine."

ooc

Toren may not know it, but Japanese coexistence of Shinto & Buddhism is quite common, so feel free to educate Toren in this interesting fact