Have you asked him? 
Well, you only need Vim vis to prepare the item for enchantment. Both powers are based on ReTe, so some of that vis can be used for them. As for Petronius' fee, you don't know yet what he will be asking for... You may be surprised. 
Fiona gazes at the statue in silence for a couple of minutes, looking not unlike a girl who's been promised a pony for her birthday. She finally gets herself under control ((Com 2 + Guile (Hiding true feelings 3 + die roll of 9 = 14)) and turns to Petronius.
[color=blue]"Unfortunately, my apprentice will be busy for most of the next year, so it would be...mid-1230 before the laboratory will be ready for use. Unless I can find someone else to work on it in the meantime, I'll have to look into that." [strike]((I was going to check to see what Abigail's schedule looked like, but she's not on the planner yet.))[/strike]
[color=blue]"But now that we know what we're looking at, what would you expect in exchange for opening the statue for enchantment and for installing the flight enchantment?"
((Abigail's there, but right beside Korvin instead of being with the other apprentices.))
Petronius frowns a bit at this and spends a few moments to consider something unpleasant. "That is... not ideal, to say the least. Unfortunately, I doubt that I will be available at that time. I need this to be completed by mid-1230." He turns to Fiona, his eyes uncharacteristically hard, although his tone is more sad than angry, "I will not be available at all after 1230. So if things could be arranged to fit that deadline..." After another heartbeat or two, he adds, "There's a storm coming, and I have to prepare for it."
"As for payment for my services..." He shrugs, "I could use a few more pawns of that Rego Terram-aligned vis you have. Say, three per season?" ((A Bargain roll against an Ease Factor of 6 will tell Fiona that this is unbelievably cheap for the services of a magus of his experience and skill.))
"Consider this my part in the hommage to Praxiteles' legacy. And a gesture of friendship to Mons Electi." ((A Folk Ken roll against an Ease Factor of 9 will tell FIona that there is more to this. She may also make the link to the fact that Petronius has apperently agreed on casting their Hermes Portal for such generous terms in recent years, provided that Korvin shared that information with the other magi.))
((Ah. S'what I get for only glancing quickly.))
((Hmm...looking at the planner, it looks like Sheelagh's free in the winter. If we have the craftsman start right away on the new lab, that should be finished by then, and Sheelagh can do the first season of the lab in Winter 1228. Or earlier, if she can get away with setting up the lab while the workers are working and Fiona can teach her while she's working, which sounds vaguely munchkinish. I can forgo the adding the Unseen Porter variant to her talisman in Spring 1229 (since it hasn't really come into play yet and I can redo it later adding magnitudes for complexity to allow it do what I thought it would with regards to Corpus) which frees up Sheelagh for Spring of 1229. Thus, it should be ready for use by Summer of 1229.))
Fiona, in turn, thinks intensely for a couple of minutes. [color=blue]"I can juggle a couple things around, and have the laboratory ready for use by June. Which, if I understand your timetable aright, means you can have the statue ready for flight by the next March?"
((Com 2 + Bargain 3 + die roll of 4 =9.))
[color=blue]"So, that would be six pawns' worth? That sounds...quite reasonable, and I don't think there'll be a problem. Agreed."
((Int 1 + Folk Ken (Magi) 2 + die roll of 3 = 6...not even close.))
((You're not alone feeling that stacking the teaching while Sheelagh is setting up a lab sounds munchkin. And anyway, it's doubtful that she could set up the lab while craftsmen are working on erecting it, particularly if it's made of stone (scaffolding).))
"That would be perfect."
"Nine, actually. One season for preparing the statue for enchantment; a second season to allow it to move and be ridden as a horse; a third season to give it the ability to fly."
((So much for that. Unless she talks to someone else about how inexpensive Petronius' services turned out to be, considering that she did realize that he was asking such a cheap price up front. In fact, considering the project, I'd be surprised if she didn't mention it to everyone over dinner sometime... ))
After some more small talk and reminiscing (unless there's anything else to be done that I'm missing), Fiona will send a page to ask Korvin and Gerulf to meet with her in the council chamber at their earliest convenience, and that she awaits their pleasure.
She is in her customary seat, having changed into her business robes.
[color=blue]"Thank you for meeting me on such short notice, sodales. I just wanted to touch base with you on a couple of things. I promise I'll be brief, I'm sure we all have other things we'd rather be doing.
"First. I know that we have been talking, off and on, for years the desire to have a guest laboratory in the covenant for the use of people who will be staying for a time. It hasn't been a real priority because, in the past, we've had people leaving as fast as they come. But now that all of our sancta and laboratories are occupied, that has become a problem that should be addressed.
"To that end, I've decided to have a laboratory built adjacent to the stables in the mundane side starting immediately. Once the structure is completed, Sheelagh will spend the next six months setting up a laboratory, under my and Petronius's direction (but mainly mine).
"Next. I am going to have to redeem a significant portion of my owed vis allotment, and an advance against my future allotments. To wit, I am in need of 24 pawns of Vim, 7 pawns of Rego or Terram, and 9 pawns' worth of the chess pieces."
She stops and looks at the others, waiting for questions, objections, or beating with rolled-up magazines.
((Did she invite Petronius along for the meeting? Or ask him to wait until it was concluded? If he was supposed to wait, he will chat with Sheelagh during that time, probably about her studies.))
Korvin glances over at Gerulf as he tries to arrange the inventory tablets in front of him.*
I will give my brief assessment while our Aedilis familiarizes himself with our records. The Rego and ReTe aligned vis we have. We are short on Vim vis. I was planning on asking Jacques or Isen to learn the 12th magnitude Aegis for this year. That will mean we will need 12 vim in the fall. We harvest 10 vim every fall as well. But if, for some reason, we we unable to harvest the vim...
*((just keeping this moving 
))
((Just in case it isn't clear, Korvin is expressing his reluctance to go to the well of House Mercere. There are multiple reasons for this, some of which only Korvin/jebrick knows, but the fact that Korvin hasn't mentioned trading with his House is like a huge elephant hanging out in the room. Feel free to bring it up IC, if you'd like, though.))
((We could also settle the tropaea from the 1228 Tribunal - I think we put in a request for a Vim vis source.))
((You don't think it's going to be that easy, do you? 
))
((She didn't say...Secretive. Although she won't refuse to answer him if he asks where she's going or tell him he's not welcome at the meeting or everything.))
[color=blue]"We should have an adequate stores of some of the other forms, why..." Fiona starts to ask, then stops mid-stream and looks at Korvin thoughtfully.
[color=blue]"There's something you're not telling me, isn't there, sweety?" she asks (with her best Fry face).
((Korvin must counter the Fry face))
I'm not sure what you mean Fiona. I would check the accounting to see our stores.
((By default, if she didn't tell him where she was going but didn't act dismissive of his presence, he would have followed her. So, unless she specifically asked to wait outside of the council chamber, he would have followed her in. Basically, it's up to you to decide if he's there or not. That's what I'm asking, is all. 
))
((He can be there, I don't mind.))
Petronius, seated near Fiona, listens with interest at the deliberations of the magi of Mons Electi, but keeps his mouth shut for now.
We have plenty of Corpus and Mentum. I'm sure Gerulf can exchange it in Harco for some Vim. I would say that we could give 8 Vim from stores now. After that no one can have any more Vim.
Timeline wise, Roberto wants 10 pawns of Vim in the summer. That needs to be taken into account, and may have happened before Fiona even thought of the logistics as it relates to her project...
[color=blue]"Thank you," Fiona says, then turns to Petronius.
[color=blue]"Do you want the vis now, or wait until you've started the project?" she says. [color=blue]"And, from the way you were talking earlier, it sounds like you're more than capable, but do you want me or Sheelagh's help once you've started work?"