[PQ] a place to call home

Sohalia

Stormbreak was a massive city, but every inch of it had captured Sohalia's heart. Ever since she'd arrived, she'd been awed by the breadth and scope of the city and enamored by its inhabitants. There was the Celestine, of course, and its Caretaker, who she'd come to see as something of an older sister; there was the Collegium, with all its history and knowledge; and there were the markets, and the eateries, and...

The list went on and on.

And although she loved to travel, she was beginning to miss having a place to call her own. It was getting a little tiring, carrying all that she owned in the world around in a bag. Besides, what if she wanted more? Where would she store any goodies or trinkets she collected, or new, seasonal clothes to better suit her travels? Even if she only stayed every now and then, it was worth contemplating purchasing a home.

And so, with the last remnants of money that Auden, her guardian, had left her, she'd scraped up enough to afford a small home in the market district, with a studio downstairs that she could use as a shop to sell her drawings and maps, and a small apartment upstairs where she could rest and relax between trips. It really did feel like the best of both worlds, and Soh was excited to see where this next leg of her journey would take her.

She stood now in the doorway of her new home, keys in hand, looking around the dusty interior. It would need a bit of work to get it ready for living and business, but she was confident that she and her friends could get it done.

------

PQ to get Soh's new house cleaned and set up!
1)
2)
3)

The following tasks need to be completed:
1) dusting and sweeping
2) old furniture needs to be tossed out
3) walls need to be painted

these aching memories still dance around me

Not that friends kept track of such things, but Tal still felt like he owed Soh for teaching him how to swim. Sure, he would have come anyways just to see his friend again, but today he was extra motivated as he arrived with a dragon in tow.

"Hey!" he greeted cheerfully as he found the address. "Delivery for Miss Sohalia!" Boreal trotted up to bump her head under Soh's hand with a happy rumble as Tal handed over the box - a cake fresh from the baker a few streets over. "Boreal an' me can do any heavy liftin' you've got," he boasted. "Just let us know what needs t'be dragged out!"

With a whistle he headed inside, his companion trotting after him as they began to examine the furniture for damage. Anything that looked cracked or broken or no longer structurally sound was hauled outside. If it was small enough to be picked up, Tal carried it. If it was too big, he pulled it while walking backwards while Boreal set her head to the opposite side and pushed with her own considerable strength.

---

Tal arrives with Boreal and gets to work hauling out the old furniture!

JUDE

you're like the sun, you wake me up

Jude finds out quite by accident through his father that Sohalia is moving to Stormbreak, and though he hadn't been strictly invited he hopes the kindhearted girl won't mind his involvement if he shows up unexpectedly. Harper had helped him put together a little first home basket that he carries in his arms as he noses his way tentatively inside, waving quietly from the doorway. "Hi, Soh. I uh, I brought you some housewarming stuff." Looking around and realizing this was clearly meant to be a repair day instead of a party, Jude internally panics and switches gears.

"I can help sweep and dust," he offers, jolting out of the way of Talyson and Boreal as they tackle the furniture with admirable teamwork. Setting down his basket out of the way, Jude hunts down the nearest broom and starts sweeping the areas that have already been cleared so that none of the piles would be disturbed or kicked around. Dusting in between so that it would hit the floor and be summarily swept into neat little piles and discarded.

but you drain me out if I get too much

Sohalia

Tal's voice broke the relative silence of the little house, and Soh turned to beam at her friend. "Tal!" she said, accepting the cake with a squeal of excitement. "You shouldn't have!" But she took the cake anyway, juggling it in one hand so that she could reach into her pocket with the other. She revealed a strip of jerky - which she'd taken to carrying around on the off chance she needed a treat for someone's companion - and tossed it to Boreal. "We'll share it after we're done," she decreed before whisking the cake away to the upstairs, where there was an area that looked like it might one day be a kitchen. "Anything that's not bolted down goes," she told her friend. "Actually, save the nicest table downstairs, and a couple of chairs - may as well get some use out of them!"

Tal went about his task, and Soh hurried back downstairs. As her friend removed old furniture, she could go behind with a broom and a dustpan... but her plan was interrupted by Jude's arrival. Excited to see the young man, Soh waved him in with a welcoming grin. "Hi Jude!" she said, completely recovered from her shyness of their first meeting. "Oh, is this for me? How sweet of you!" she squealed, taking the basket of goodies from her friend. His help was very welcome; she had a delivery of new furniture - well, secondhand, technically, but it was new to her - due shortly, and she wanted to have the place aired out before it arrived.

So she left Tal and Boreal to their furniture removal and Jude to his cleaning and went around to open all the windows, letting in fresh spring air. While they worked, she cleaned out some of the cabinetry in the upstairs kitchen, wrinkling her nose at each item she found that had clearly been forgotten some time before. It wasn't long until the furniture was cleaned out, the rooms were all swept, and Soh had a clean canvas from which to work.

She gathered her friends, offering them a drink of water from some bottles she'd bought earlier at the market. "You have to stay hydrated, if you're going to keep helping," she insisted imperiously. Then something occurred to her. "Oh, have you two met? Tal, Boreal, this is Jude. Jude, Tal and Boreal." She allowed them a few moments to rest while she checked the time. "Alright, I'd like to get the house painted before the furniture arrives. Can one of you take upstairs? It's this color -" and she presented a can in a very light, warm brown. "And then downstairs is this color -" She indicated a bright, pastel yellow. "Oh, and there's a spot on the roof I think might need a patch."

------

The following tasks need to be completed:
1) upstairs needs to be painted
2) downstairs needs to be painted
3) roof needs to be patched

these aching memories still dance around me

"Yeah, but I did anyways," the courier replied with a grin for his hostess, nodding happily at the decision to share it. Boreal accepted the treat daintily and pressed against Soh's hip with affectionate disregard for personal space as she swallowed it with only the barest hint of chewing. The lady's instructions were clear enough and Tal headed into the house, rolling up his sleeves as he got to work with Boreal's help.

Soon enough it was just the table and chairs that remained, with the less-sturdy (or downright ugly) furniture stacked neatly in front of the house for the scrap collectors to pick up later. In and around all the moving Tal had caught sight of familiar face and he nodded (with his hands full) to the younger lad. 'Hey, Jude," he called, and Boreal chuffed a greeting as they made their way out the door with a cracked bureau.

With the furniture and dust safely out the door, he turned back around to find a bottle of water being pushed into his hands and he took it with a grin. 'Yes'm," he said obediently, taking a long drink as he nodded a second time to the other guy. "We've met," he confirmed awkwardly, trying not to remember just how undignified that first impression must have been in Jude's memory.

He eyed the paint, remembering the skyport in Halo, and cleared his throat. "Ah... we'll take the roof!" he said hurriedly. "C'mon girl, I'll need you inside to help me pinpoint it..." Man and dragon trotted their separate ways as Tal went to retrieve the hammer, nails, and shingles he would need while Boreal headed inside to make her way up to the rafters, sniffing out the scent of dampness from within so she could guide her companion on the outside.

Scrambling up to the roof, Tal quickly set to work with neat, economical strikes of the hammer, replacing the cracked and missing shingles and checking for other damage while he was up there.

---

Tal and Boreal fix the roof!

JUDE

you're like the sun, you wake me up

She is the equivalent of a sunstreak, and Jude is pretty much blinded by her energy and enthusiasm as she comes bouncing down the stairs to meet him. Like a plant he is inevitably drawn to her light, but he feels pale in comparison, a quiet thing that merely lifts her back up into the stratosphere. "It has um, new house essentials and stuff," he manages to utter before she is whisking the basket out of his hands, leaving him to find new tools and supplies to fill them with. The introductions are unnecessary, as he finds he recognizes the two upstairs - now cast in far better lighting than the dark of the Observatory. "Hi Talyson, hi Boreal," he calls back, meek but still kindly.

With how little furniture there was even before it was cleared out, there's thankfully little to dust - though Jude sneezes a few times, eyes watering and cringing with how it echoes. Luckily paint is far less horrible to the sinuses, and Jude has a very steady hand, so he happily volunteers for that particular project and leaves Talyson to the difficult portions. Taking the yellow, he heads downstairs with a smile and little else, cracking the paint can open and beginning to apply it to the walls. It's a beautiful sunny color, and he can't wait to see it envelop the whole room.

- - -

Jude paints downstairs!

but you drain me out if I get too much

Sohalia

With Tal working on the roof and Jude working on the paint downstairs, Soh hurried upstairs to paint her living quarters. It was a small apartment, with a kitchen and living space combined in one room and a single bedroom adjacent. She made good time with the painting, and by the time she'd finished and returned downstairs to help Jude, she realized that he was nearly done, too. The roof was fixed, and she gathered the boys back in the downstairs. "You're lifesavers," she said with relief. "This would have taken me ages on my own."

It was at that moment that a knock on the door captured Soh's attention, and she turned to find that her new furniture was being delivered. She turned back to her friends. "Do you have time to do a little more? While I get this furniture sorted, it would be absolutely amazing if one of you could clean the windows -" And she gestured at the large windows at the front of the shop. "And I have a sign over there that I was going to paint and hang outside." Indeed, there was a sign in the corner. It was wood, and cut to read 'Lumaris Arts & Cartography.' A bucket of white paint sat next to it.

"If you have to go, I understand!" she added as she turned back to the front door, where the furniture delivery man waited patiently. Leaving Tal and Jude to sort it out between them, Soh began directing the delivery men with her furniture. A bed, dresser, and side table went upstairs, along with a sofa. The men were kind enough to move the table that Tal had saved for her upstairs, completing her sparsely decorated apartment. Downstairs, a few chairs and a sofa were brought in and arranged to Soh's specifications, along with a number of easels for her artwork. Once her drawings were framed, it would be a nice little gallery area for patrons to enjoy.

------

1. Soh directs the furniture people.
2. The windows need to be cleaned.
3. The sign needs to be painted.

these aching memories still dance around me

JUDE

you're like the sun, you wake me up

While he hadn't anticipated helping in this fashion, Jude came from afar, so he had ensured a full day of open availability long before he got on the boat to visit. "I can stay longer," he calls back, though it feels strange to raise his voice, especially indoors. Luckily the silence doesn't linger long with the furniture being delivered, and as Jude wipes his brow (streaking yellow paint from the top of his nose to his temple unknowingly) he cleans up the drop cloth and brushes and neatly puts them in a pile before peeking his head out for further instructions.

Both are acceptable, but given how Talyson had practically run away from the painting, Jude tries to be nice and buckles down to do more of the same task. "I can do the sign," he offers when he manages to track the courier down. At least it wouldn't take nearly as long as a full room!

Even more luckily, the paint is simply white, no fancy colors or alternating shades for the letters. Jude sits down with it laid out on the floor and begins to paint, careful and keen-eyed.

- - -

Jude paints the sign!

but you drain me out if I get too much

Tal had been more than happy to meet back up downstairs, in the hopes that the cake might be served soon. Alas, it wasn't that easy, but he grinned crookedly and echoed Jude's assurance. "Me too. I figured I'd spend a couple days in Stormbreak since I was here. What's next?"

Painting and window washing, as it turned out, and the courier's scowl tugged threateningly at the corners of his mouth as he contemplated both tasks with almost equal 'joy'.

He felt like he should have been more surprised when Jude offered to take the painting - Boreal certainly wasn't shocked - but he was too relieved to worry about it and he gave the kid a grin. "Hey, thanks!"

...which left the windows for him. Heaving a heavy sigh Tal got to work, filling a bucket with soapy water and collecting a few rags as he morosely began the thrilling task of scrubbing the grime from the glass.

Instead of helping her companion, the dragon sauntered over to Jude to sniff at his paint and inspect what he was doing with the brush, offering her opinion of the work in a happy croon.

---

Tal washes the windows!

Sohalia

Soh smiled at her friends gratefully, brushing past them to direct the movers with the furniture. It took some time, but eventually, all of her new things were in place. Soh was ecstatic. "Oh, isn't this marvelous?" she cried, spinning in place in the center of the shop. "The windows look great, Tal, and Jude, I can't wait to hang the sign!" Clasping her hands before her, she beamed at her two friends with gratitude. "Come on upstairs. Let's have some cake to celebrate!"

She led the way upstairs, which was now cozy and inviting, and gestured for the boys to take a seat wherever they'd be most comfortable. She gathered the cake from the counter and began to cut it; partway through, she paused, tilting her head to one side. What was that sound? But it disappeared as quickly as it had started, and she shrugged to herself, thinking she must have imagined it. She served up three slices of cake and delivered each of her friends their piece before settling near them daintily. "Thank you both again," she said. "I truly couldn't have done it without you!"

She took a bite of her cake, which was delicious, and was about to take another when she heard it again. Was that a meow? Soh put down her fork. "Did you hear that?" she asked, frowning and looking around in confusion. There it was again! Soh set down her plate. "I swear I'm hearing - a cat?"

------

Uh oh! A cat is stuck somewhere in the building. The group should spread out and look for it!

1. Someone should look upstairs
2. Someone should look downstairs
3. Someone should look outside

these aching memories still dance around me

After much soapy, sudsy chaos and a few adventures involving a dragon and the water bucket Tal and Boreal were able to get the windows cleaned up rather nicely. Stepping back inside, the courier was surprised at how much brighter the place looked and he beamed with pride as Soh complimented him.

"I was hopin' you'd say that," he teased his friend as all three humans (and one companion) headed up to test out the new furniture and the reputation of the bakery where he'd gotten the house-warming gift.

Cake was served and Tal had managed two bites in the time Soh had taken one when her question caught him with a mouthful of sugary goodness. He swallowed his bite and glanced over to Jude for confirmation. "Could be..." he admitted cautiously, setting his fork down with obvious reluctance. "I guess we could check outside, right girl?" The last was directed to Boreal, who snorted amiable agreement and heaved herself up with a shake. Man and dragon headed back downstairs at a trot, and he sent Boreal up to check the roof while he poked around the sides of the house.

The sooner they could reassure Soh, the sooner they could get back to dessert!

---

Tal and Boreal head outside to check the roof and perimeter of the house!

JUDE

you're like the sun, you wake me up

Jude smiles shyly at Talyson for the man's gratitude. "Of course. You didn't seem to want to paint earlier is all." So he was more than willing to do it in the man's place to spare him the task. Especially when he has a steady hand and a decently artistic eye, which makes the sign easy to finish up quickly.

All the better, because there is cake on offer, and while Jude doesn't have much of a sweet tooth he's quite hungry after all that painting. Following in Talyson and Boreal's wake up the stairs, he takes his plate of cake with a grateful smile and tucks himself onto the couch. He doesn't get to rest his feet or enjoy his cake for long before a soft sound interrupts them not once, but twice. Already sitting up and alert by the time Sohalia asks, Jude abandons his cake immediately. "I'll look downstairs, maybe it came in with the furniture?" He is careful to walk on quiet feet as he goes down to investigate, quietly clicking his tongue and tapping his fingers on furniture to try and entice any response.

- - -

Jude looks downstairs!

but you drain me out if I get too much

Sohalia

Soh felt bad for interrupting her friends' snack, but if there was a creature loose in the house, she certainly wanted to make sure that it found its way home. And if it didn't have a home, the least she could do was feed it and send it on its way. With Tal wandering back outside (with some reluctance) and Jude checking downstairs (much more eagerly), Soh was left to her own devices upstairs. She checked in the corners, beneath furniture, and everywhere else she could think of with a small frown on her face. Every once in a while, she would hear that tiny mewling sound, but she could never seem to get any closer.

Finally, she gave up and went downstairs, where Jude was walking quietly around, tapping and clicking his tongue. She called Tal in from outside. "Thank you for looking. I just don't -"

She turned around just as a tiny kitten tottered out from beneath a couch, following the sound of Jude's clicking. It was orange and black and white, a little calico creature, and Soh made a noise somewhere between a squeal and an "aww." The kitten made its way over to Jude and mewled up at him pleadingly. "I think you've made a friend," Soh said with a smile, walking over to the young man. She crouched in front of the kitten, offering her hand for it to sniff. It rubbed against her fingers, purring loudly, and she scooped it up easily.

She looked around at her friends. "Do either of you know where I can take this little one? I can't keep her - I won't be able to take her with me when I travel."

------

I think that makes four rounds, friends! Thank you so much for participating in this PQ <3 I'd love to wrap this up after each of you post one more time.

these aching memories still dance around me

JUDE

you're like the sun, you wake me up

It almost seems like a lost cause, even Sohalia calling Tal and Boreal back inside. But Jude believed her, and he'd heard it himself, so he continues to gently tap the furniture and crawl around on his knees making soft kissy noises. It must be the perfect combination because a tiny kitten comes tottering out from under the couch, and Jude's heart melts straight into his ribcage as it sniffs at his fingers first then Sohalia's. Standing and hovering close to where Soh holds it, he has to bite his tongue against the desire to ask to hold it next.

Except there's something far better on the horizon, and Jude's eyes go wide and beseeching as they dart quickly to Tal before back to Sohalia, interjecting before Tal can speak in a way he would otherwise never do. "I can take her! She can stay in either of my houses, both my parents love animals." His visitations were evenly split, so he wouldn't miss her too much either when away. And, so he won't succumb to the desire to pluck her out of Sohalia's arms, Jude instead busies his hand with petting the kitten around his friend's fingers, marveling at the softness of her fur.

but you drain me out if I get too much