"Time is but a saga for the immortal and but a blink for the divine."
Without Ratau around to tend to the gardeners while Eve foraged (or to needle them incessantly about their apparent divine duty to free the Waiting God), Eve found themselves spending a lot longer within the garden-grounds rather than out in the Old Lands. Given it was now up to them to further cultivate the beliefs and energy of those within the cult, they were trying harder to remind themself to use proper terms to further the veil - referring to the followers as 'gardeners' both aloud and in their head was the biggest one. Removing the ever-present reminder that there were gods watching them, lessening the overt influence the Waiting One's gaze likely held over them would go a long way to making them feel more comfortable. Eve wasn't nearly as skilled with needle-work or fabric as Ratau appeared to be but thankfully, the old leader had kindly left a large stack of shirts (kindly modified to feature the head of a black sheep now) to be passed around.
Before they had even known it, two months had come and gone with Naliyen finishing off the much better skin-tents paired with a far warmer series of bed-rolls to house their gardeners. Eve had to admit, having just one night using one of the 'proper' bed rolls, they couldn't imagine going back to their previous variant. Which only made them more grateful when the vixen presented them with a large red tent, made from multiple red pieces sewn together. Eve had immediately granted her a blessing (that strange, inner energy of theirs they discovered) followed by offering her a necklace of beautiful blue-hued feathers and a cute necklace of camellias and lilies for Tynamar who's lovely scarecrows were quite effective.
On the other side of things, the lumberyard had been constructed and filled with hardly any preamble. Venturing deeper into the land surrounding the garden, Eve had searched furiously - if this had once been the home to a thriving cult in the name of the God of Death, then surely there had been facilities like the ones they'd needed once upon a time? Their self-imposed quest had been successful, stumbling upon the remains of decayed axes and eaten away stacks of lumber - a timber-place. Eve was quick to mark off the location again, the gardeners trading off who helped the black sheep clear the trail back to the main garden for ease of access. There was even already a storage place already built within the timber-yard - sure the wood previously stored was long into the process of decay (Eve was starting to wonder how old Ratau really was), but it had only taken a couple of weeks to clean the place up and make it usable again.
They were still looking for the entrance to a stone mine of some sort but Eve was optimistic that one existed. Running their hooves across the excellently crafted, large stone walls that sheltered them from the outside world reassured them of that.
All this time in the Garden hadn't even haltered their efforts toward growth.
Staying inside meant they finally had the time to perform the burning of effigies around the bonfire crafted in front of the temple. It had been a fun ritual, starting with a few tentative but hearty songs the gardeners remembered from the Old Faith that still sparked good memories while they crafted straw creations of the four bishops. Eve had then instructed Amdusias, Valefar and Barbatos to specifically craft versions of the Old Lord of Chaos, declaring to the watching eyes of the remaining gardeners that with the burning of the effigies, these former cultist had relinquished their ties to the Old Faith.
"I pledge my life you to o Blessed Silent Lamb," Valefar had said enthusiastically, tossing his Leshy-doll into the fire altogether rather than letting it sit on the warm stones on the outside. An act that awarded him a series of somewhat intimidating cheers and a tight hug from Lumor.
Then not long after that, they'd gained another group of followers - two gray cats and a pig, all sickly individuals begging to join in exchange for medical attention. Eve had let them in without hesitation and immediately banished them to the farthest corner of the Garden to prevent whatever they caught from spreading. They weren't exactly what you'd call a 'doctor' or anything, but being a sheep meant having an above average knowledge of herbs - and being an adventurer had meant developing an even higher aptitude in treating illnesses and injuries.
Luckily it seemed no more serious than a simple flu - an intimidating virus surely, capable of spreading rapidly through a large group and downing them in a matter of days but by keeping them isolated and being careful to burn or discard anything they used, they were right as rain only a few days later. Eve had firmly kept them restricted to their corner for another few days while the vomiting and diarrhea passed, only allowing them to interact with others when they were sure they were sickness free - a stern stance that had earned her a revitalizing rush of Faith through their veins.
They were only broken out of their work feuge by the delivery of a note - a very simple one, inviting her to a location beyond the Garden. A place known as The Lonely Shack.
Eve sat on it for a bit, mulling over the message for two days before they went.
