“Right, exactly. So, we’ll get to the point where a governing body for management will be needed, but that doesn’t have to mean gatekeeping. And ultimately, what we’ll need is land. Come on, ladies. Time is on our side. We have the ability to make big plans.”
“Cevanorë started with a house,” one of the elves in attendance supplied.
The elf in scrubs cleared her throat. “I also want to thank you for following through with organizing something like this . . . but I just want to be clear before I mentally invest myself. I donotwant Cevanorë. I’m burnt out from having to earn my way into a seat at the table.”
Ris met her eye across the room. “That’s the whole point of this.”
“Good. As long as it doesn’tbecomethat, I’m in.”
“We need to do fundraising,” the dryad went on. “Data is kind of my specialty. I would love to put something together that gives us a clear timeline on what we can reasonably raise in a set amount of time and how much real estate that can buy us.”
The room was quiet.Well, shit. This just became real,Ris realized.
“Once we have a house, we can make this anything we want. Until then, the community center is perfect.”
She nodded, not knowing what else to do. It was startling to realize she wasn’t the only one in town circling an idea like this, and that others have been doing it longer, with much bigger plans.
“I’m a lawyer,” one of the sylvans offered. “It’s not my area of expertise, but I have a wide network. We can get the non-profit status set up.”
“I work in the office right here at the center,” another voice chimed in. “I can see what sort of continuing education options we might have to take advantage of.”
“Continuing education is such a great priority,” someone else added. “Too many of us are left floundering once our husbands die.”
“I work for the schools,” a nymph piped up. “I book all the special events, so I have the inside track to a lot of different organizations. I can put together a calendar to see what sort of talks we can put on the books?”
It was a struggle to keep her emotions in check as she nodded again, listening to them all pipe up, all soeagerto be villagers in whatever way they could.You know the way that works. They’re excited now. But once they’re back to their daily lives,volunteering isn’t as important. And that’s why we need more.This is real. This is fucking happening.
“And I work in HR,” Ris offered with a choked laugh. “So I can be entrusted with everyone’s contact information, upholding a comprehensive policy on data privacy. I think the most important thing we can each do at this point is spread the word. Reach out to someone you know who might be interested in joining us. Bring a plus one. We’re going to need a big village to make this work.”
By the time the evening had wrapped up, they had set a calendar for the next three meets. Two more evenings and an afternoon, attempting to give everyone the opportunity to attend.
“Thank you for doing this.” The naiad had pointed teeth, like a serrated knife, grinning hugely as she made her way out the door. “I didn’t know how much I needed it until I got here.”
When the dryad approached her, once the attendees began to shuffle out, chairs neatly stacked and tables cleared, Ris steeled herself.
“I’m Caleia, by the way. Thank you for being brave enough to take the first step.”
Ris pushed her professional smile into place.You’re a badass. You don’t need to be intimidated. This is only coming together because of you.“I’m very glad there’s someone else who’s already started thinking through the logistics. I can’t even tell you how long it took me to take the plunge on this. I normally can’t even get friends to meet for coffee.”
“I’m so glad you did. Seriously. You have no idea how needed this was. Well, you do, obviously. I’m sure a lot of us have been thinking it, but someone needed to break the ice. I’ll shoot you an email this week with some of the files I’ve put together over the years.” She grinned. “AndIdo have an in with eventplanning, actually. And a venue for special events we can’t do here. I think we can make this into something really great.”
When the room was empty, Ris turned. Only Lurielle and Dynah remained.
“I amsofucking proud of you,” Lurielle said, meeting her in a huge hug. “I know we’ve made noise about this over the years, but this actually feels real, andyoudid that.”
“I just miss you both so much,” Dynah yelped, throwing her arms around both of them in an awkward hug.
“What are you talking about? I’ll see you tomorrow!” Ris laughed, knowing exactly what Dynah meant. Their lives had all changed beyond recognition in just a few years.
She trembled the whole way to her car, adrenaline like gasoline through her veins. When she finally pulled her phone from her bag, she was unsurprised to see the line of texts from Ainsley, wincing when she realized she hadn’t texted him before things started.
Good luck! You got this!
Wait a minute
I can’t believe you didn’t text me.
You are TRASH, lady
