"Thanks, sir", the man nodded and went his way.
The fall reminded him that quite a few winters crept into his bones, as he could still picture the scene in his mind:
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He carried the scorched planks to the upper floor and then it gave in. Still, Matteo considered himself lucky: should he have fallen head first, he'd be just another First Province casualty to be tossed into the pyre - just in case. Another stroke of good fortune was the arrival of the Foundry's construction crew. There was a major renovation initiative taking place just outside the Fort, in the market lane. He had almost instantly struck a chord with the construction workers, themselves men who also cherished hammering nails instead of fancy linen high-brow chatter.
It was them who shared both tools and advice on stuff he didn't know, when the foreman wasn't around breathing on their neck, that is. On a round of cider, they'd sometimes toast to their 'rooting hog' of a boss and snicker, crowning another day gone by without sore thumbs or smashed toes for the occasional dropped hammer. Regardless of how fond Matteo was of their company, keeping an eye on what they did was crucial to what he occupied himself with the last few days.
He had been to the northwestern part of the Fort quite often, analysing the large rubble site that once was probably a large manor. That's all he did at first, coming back with questions regarding plaster, lyme and mortar. However, he couldn't quite keep the eyes off the ruined site as he crossed the Fort towards the Temple every night and decided to do what he came to do in the Province: help rebuilding the place. Everyday, he'd retrieve and reclaim the odd chair that might still serve a table set or a good box with a missing hinge. Things that he could manage.
He'd put all workable debris in a large crate outside the wagon, alongside the broken furniture the occasional neighbor asked him to fix. Not exactly the kind of carpentry he imagined he would perform, but the one he was needed for. Matteo actually liked that his plans were somewhat thwarted, because that was life: you thought you would sell cribs and shelves to folk, but Decus ultimately wants you to help restore and rebuild a fallen property just because you know it's the right thing to do.