Page 90 of Knot Happening

"Marcus," she says gently, and something in her voice makes him stop pacing and look at her. "Can you tell me about the courthouse? What makes it so special?"

"What?" Marcus's voice is sharp with confusion, like he can't understand why she's asking about architectural details when his entire business is falling apart.

"The courthouse," Belle repeats, moving slightly away from my side and toward him.

"You said it has original architectural details that are worth preserving. Tell me about them."

"Belle, I don't think this is the time..." Felix starts, but she holds up a hand.

"Please," she says, still looking at Marcus. "I want to understand what we're trying to save."

The shift from 'you' to 'we' isn't lost on any of us, and I can see some of the tension leave Marcus's shoulders as he processes the implication that Belle considers herself part of this fight.

"It's a 1890s Romanesque Revival building," Marcus says slowly, his voice losing some of its angry edge as he shifts into explanation mode. "One of the finest examples in the state. The stonework is hand-carved Indiana limestone, and the interior still has the original oak paneling and stained glass windows."

"What would Ashwood do to it?" Belle asks.

"Gut it," Marcus says, and pain flickers across his face. "Replace the wooden details with cheap laminate, cover the stone with aluminum siding for 'easier maintenance,' install fluorescent lighting that will destroy the ambiance completely."

"That's terrible," Belle says, and the genuine distress in her voice seems to surprise Marcus. "A building like that isn't just architecture, it's history. It's part of the community's identity."

"Exactly," Marcus says, some of his passion returning. "That courthouse has been the center of civic life for over a century. People have gotten married on those steps, held rallies on the lawn, brought their children to see where democracy happens. It's not just a building, it's a symbol."

"So we save it," Belle says simply.

"Belle," Felix says gently, "it's not that simple. The contract is signed, the decision is made..."

"Then we change the decision," she says, turning to face all three of us. "Look, I don't understand construction or city politics, but I do understand community organizing. I've run successful campaigns to save library funding, to get literacy programs approved, to convince the city council to support projects they initially opposed."

"This is different," Marcus protests. "This involves millions of dollars, legal contracts..."

"But it also involves public opinion," Belle counters. "And public opinion can be changed if you know how to tell the right story."

I can see the exact moment when the idea takes hold in Marcus's mind, when his business brain starts connecting the dots Belle is laying out for him.

"You're talking about a public campaign," he says slowly.

"I'm talking about making the community understand what they're about to lose," Belle clarifies. "Most people probably don't even know there's a difference between preservation and renovation. They hear 'cheaper' and think that's obviously better. But if you could show them what Ashwood's plan would actually do to their courthouse..."

"We'd need documentation," Marcus says, his voice getting stronger as he starts thinking through the logistics. "Before and after comparisons, expert opinions on the historical significance..."

"And we'd need media coverage," Belle adds. "Local newspapers, social media, maybe even some of the regional news stations if the story is compelling enough."

"The story of a historic courthouse being destroyed by corporate greed?" Felix says, sitting up straighter. "That could definitely get attention."

"Especially if we can frame it as a community heritage issue rather than just a business dispute," Belle continues. "This isn't about one company losing a contract. This is about preserving something irreplaceable for future generations."

Marcus has stopped pacing entirely now, his mind clearly racing through possibilities. "We'd need to move fast. Ashwood will probably start work within a month, and once they begin tearing things out..."

"How long do you think we'd need?" Belle asks.

"To organize a proper campaign? Get enough public pressure to make the city council reconsider?" Marcus runs his hands through his hair again, but this time it's thoughtful rather than frustrated. "Six weeks, maybe eight."

"Then that's what we do," Belle says firmly. "We save the courthouse."

The room is quiet for a moment, all of us processing the shift from despair to hope, from defeat to the possibility of victory. I can smell the way the emotional atmosphere has changed, Marcus's rage transforming into determined focus, Felix's dejection lifting into cautious optimism.

"Belle," Marcus says quietly, "you don't understand what you're offering. This would be a massive undertaking, and there's no guarantee it would work. You could spend weeks fighting for this and still lose."

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