Noah had a knack for assembling a coterie of astute minds around him, an essential strategy for effective accomplishment. Brute force, however formidable, possessed its limitations. But even the most adept minds encountered an insurmountable impasse two months prior when Noah’s cohort confronted an enigma that defied resolution.
Noah and his de facto leader, Lucas, embarked on extensive deliberations to decipher a nonviolent stratagem that would effectively thwart their rivals’ encroachment upon Cheltenham. Initially, Noah proffered the notion of a parley, a proposition veering towards decorum. Yet, the decorum inherent in diplomatic discourse scarcely harmonised with the street’s volatile reality, where negotiation yielded to the rigours of physicality.
Alternatives of a less savoury nature hovered at the periphery of Noah’s contemplations. Conversations of such a nature, however, necessitated utmost confidentiality, an exigency compelling them to confine discussions to the enclave of the hardware store. Bayside remained one of the few sanctuaries within the city, an unclaimed haven that endured amidst the chaotic clashes between Melbourne’s rival factions. While this oasis ensured safety, its placidity chafed Noah’s disposition, one rooted in the allure of concealed manoeuvres.
Lucas broached an alternate avenue. “Perhaps we ought to resort to the physical.”
Noah’s countenance furrowed, retorting, “No violence, recall?”
Dismissing the notion with a resolute shake of his sun-kissed hair, Lucas withdrew a ballpoint pen, its nib weaving an intricate dance upon the scrap of paper before them. “Consider the architectural marvels that history bears witness to—the fortifications that safeguarded civilisations. Think of solutions that meld practicality and longevity, crafted by skilled hands.”
Noah’s contemplation bore fruit. “Walls?” he contemplated aloud.
“Bingo.”
Hence, the blueprint materialised. Twilight witnessed the assembly of the group outside the best building supplies store Cheltenham proffered. Pockets brimming with coins and countenances etched with unwavering resolve, they poised for the moment of action. Upon the shop assistant’s return from her reprieve, they would ingress methodically, akin to water cascading through a sieve. To arouse no suspicion, the influx needed to maintain a delicate balance, numerous enough to advance the construction, yet discreet enough to avoid detection. The endeavour, an undertaking restricted to a solitary occasion, would unfurl its magnitude by dawn. Their rivals, roused to a stark thirty-foot, fortified timber edifice, would grapple with disarray, their equilibrium toppled, as they endeavoured to navigate the ensuing months.