[PQ] [SE] Let's get down to business

Kaisel

One foot in the ground
One foot in the grave

Longnight might be behind them, but the work of cleaning up from a long ass party where the usual habits (such as, the sun and stars) are disrupted, is not. The excess darkness means an excess amount of mischief had run rampant through the town, including one of the soldier hubs. It could be construed as a direct 'fuck you' sign, which is in part because of the 'fuck you' painted starkly over the front door. The ruffians of Torchline, and hell even the usual pleasant passerby here, aren't always fond of law and order and like to stick it to the man when they can.

Aside from the lovely greeting on the door, inside there's a host of flung toilet paper, cracked eggs which absolutely reek now, and all manner of disheveled inanimate objects that had been tossed around. He's supposed to be setting up his new locker here, a little desk space for himself to soldier from, but the mess of the small, trucked away office needs to be dealt with first, clearly forgotten behind bigger priorities of clean up.

"Ugh," he greets the room, opening up every door and window he can to air it out while he waits for the help he requested after the initial sight shock of seeing the state here. He's got a cooler box with drinks and snacks, and tosses some fruit snacks into his mouth to pass the time while he waits.

---

Please describe your character arriving and if they have brought anything with them, and they can enjoy a snack or refreshment.

1. Kaisel
2. Ronin
3. Noe

It's not the devil at your door
It's just your shadow on the floor

Sweet tea in the summer
Cross my heart, won't tell no other

"Fuck you."

The voice, quiet and musing, comes from the open doorway, where Noe stands with her head tilted, looking at the words painted across the wood. Her nose is wrinkled, her lips pursed, and her expression only becomes more dubious as she enters the room (being visibly careful about where she steps). Looking around, she takes it all in: the toilet paper, the cracked eggs, the various objects strewn about. Then she sighs. "Oh, fuck me," she mutters under her breath, her resigned face the absolute epitome of the phrase immediate regret.

If Kaisel is looking, he will see the moment she pulls it together, sucking it up for her cousin's sake. At the very least, she manages to summon a sympathetic look as she picks her way across the room to help open the final window. "Sooooo," she says, her voice pitched a little weird (probably because she's doing her best not to breathe through her nose). "Who'd you piss off to get this room, Kai?"

---

Noe arrives with nothing but her big personality (insert sparkles here). Also, she declines to snack, because with the room in this state? Ew.

And though I can't recall your face
I still got love for you

Noe

RONIN

THE WHITE KNIGHT

"They got this one pretty good, huh." Wrinkling his nose as he peers around the doorway, Ronin winces at the state of the room while at the same time seeming weirdly unsurprised by it. "At least it's still standing?" He shrugs. "It's one of those things where it's too late after Longnight to even really know where to start when it comes to finding out who's responsible. That's even if they remember doing it."

The drunk mind is a fickle thing, after all.

"I brought some cleaning stuff," he adds, stepping inside with a broom, mop and a bucket filled with soapy water. Sugar, coiled around his shoulders, chirrups to both Kaisel and Noe in greeting. "Just point me where you want me to start and I'm sure the place will look better in no time."

---

Ronin brings Sugar and cleaning supplies! He also declines not to snack just yet - maybe after everything is clean.

now don’t you lose hope

I swear I never dream that we’re alone

I swear I still believe but I don’t know

Kaisel

One foot in the ground
One foot in the grave

"NOE!" he greets with a beaming grin and a swift assault of a hug, dragging her off the ground briefly. He releases her soon enough to get back to her perusal of the chaos, a low laugh echoing her sentiments. "I might owe you more than dinner after this, yeah. A bit worse than I thought from seeing it on the outside." A hand pulls at the back of his neck as he glances around after her, only mildly worried she might turn the fuck you back around and leave this mess. He wouldn't blame her, entirely.

"Isn't like Koa got sweet digs right away," he scoffs back at her question, turning then as Ronin arrives like a true white knight with all sorts of chemical warfare for the job. "Exactly! Silver lining, it's still upright." He does not sweep Ronin up into a full body hug, but he does attempt to dap him up. "'eeeeeey Ronin." The trill of the dragon turns Kaisel's eyes up and he adds, quickly, "and Sugar!"

"That's the spirit!" The room will be amazing, when done. Turning to face the space in full again, hands on his hips like a disapproving mother, he starts to gesture as he talks. "I think first we need someone to tackle scrubbing the vulgar writing away, someone to gather the toilet paper streamers, and someone to start to sweep up all the eggs and other broken shit."

---

1/4

Using tools on hand (brooms, mops, cleaning buckets wit soap and water and sponges) Select one of the 3 tasks, I'll do the last one:
1. Scrub the vulgar writing off
2. Bundle up the TP streamers
3. Sweep up the broken eggs and anything else small and broken

It's not the devil at your door
It's just your shadow on the floor

RONIN

THE WHITE KNIGHT

"Good to see you both," Ronin says with a smile, just about managing to put down the cleaning supplies when Kai approaches. Bumping his fist against the soldier's (and Sugar offers her nose for the booping), he straightens up to listen to the tasks. It all seems fairly straightforward - and there's evidently no shortage of things to do - and he glances towards the slurs written across the door with a scrunch of his nose.

"I can take care of that," he offers, grabbing a few supplies and heading back out of the little space so he can start making it more presentable to passers-by. Armed with a hard-bristled scrubbing brush and a fairly potent cleaning solution, it's a good job that Ronin is outside, lest he get high from all the fumes.



Ronin chooses to scrub the vulgar writing away!

now don’t you lose hope

I swear I never dream that we’re alone

I swear I still believe but I don’t know

Sweet tea in the summer
Cross my heart, won't tell no other

Noe shrieks as Kaisel sweeps her off her feet, and she's laughing by the time he sets her back down. "Well, sure, but I don't remember anyone ever vandalizing Koa's office, sooooo..." Then Ronin appears, and the girl waves hello. He's someone that she's seen around, someone who she recognizes, but she can't remember ever having been properly introduced. So in true Noe fashion, she flouces out of Kai's hold and holds out a hand. "You're Ronin," she informs him airily. "I'm Noe Carpenter. Kai is, unfortunately, my dear cousin." She shoots the young man a look. "Who will owe me big time after cleaning up this disaster."

With introductions out of the way, Noe grabs a broom. "I'll take care of sweeping. The TP is all you, Kai."

So she gets to work, sweeping up the odds and ends that have been shattered and scattered across the room. When it comes to the eggs, she gives them a wide berth, electing to sweep up and then come back to clean the disgusting remnants. Fortunately, she finds gloves in the cleaning supplies, and she goes around to each egg, gathering up the shells and putrid goop, double-bagging everything as she finishes and taking it outside. Hopefully now it will start to smell better.

---

Noe sweeps up the eggs and other broken things!

And though I can't recall your face
I still got love for you

Noe

Kaisel

One foot in the ground
One foot in the grave

Now takes a broom like she means to beat the room into submission, and Kaisel happily steps out of her way. ”I’m gonna de-TP this room before you even sweep half,” he challenges, reaching up to grab the first low strand his fingers can get hold of. He yanks, wadding it into a ball when it tugs loose, or breaks. He grabs one of the chairs from the desk and repurposes it into a step stool to get the ones he can’t reach, even after jumping.

As they each get to work, Ronin’s combination of elbow grease and chemical warfare proves a touch too potent for the exterior paint. Regions where he’s scrubbed do remove the vandalized writing, but it also strips too much of the paint for it look passable. The writing does need to come off, and with some damage already done, might as well keep going, but he’ll need to touch up the paint now. Could be some stashed away in the office for moments just like this, or he could run into town to be sure he gets the supplies and doesn’t waste time hunting for what might not be there.

Noe’s efforts yield good results as every shattered and splintered bit gets swept up and taken out. It’s an immediate improvement for the space and keeps the walkways cleaner so they aren’t all crushing it into finer debris or kicking it around. The eggs however prove more challenging. Some are a bit too dry and cling like glue on the floor. Soap and water were always going to be needed, but the chunks seem too stubborn to leave as is and move onto that phase just yet. There’s a scraper, like a dulled razor blade, meant for peeling paint usually, but it should do the trick with minimal damage to the ground.

Grunting through the effort of reaching and yanking, Kaisel tosses his gathered TP and streamers into a trash can. ”That l;ooks sooooo gross,” he remarks with a glance towards Noe and her egg residue. Peeking under his shoulder as he grabs at more TP, he call out to Ronin, ”how’s it going?!”

---

2/4

1. @Ronin’s too strong and stripped the paint off with his cleaning efforts, oops! Gonna have to hunt for paint supplies in the space or run into town.
2. Noe cleaned up the space, but some of the eggs have dried onto the floor, she’ll need to get a scraper to get some of it off.
3. Kaisel yanked down the TP, but in so doing discovered a rotting fish on top of the lockers that he’ll need to clean up.

It's not the devil at your door
It's just your shadow on the floor

RONIN

THE WHITE KNIGHT

Listen, OK, the vandalism is gone and that means technically Ronin has done what he set out to do. But it's like painting something on a large canvas - you only really see the big picture when you step back and it all comes into focus. With Ronin, though, what comes into focus are the large patches of paint he's stripped away. Pulling a face just as Kai calls out to him, the Knight lets out a self-deprecating laugh and rubs at the back of his neck.

"All good I think," he calls back. "You can't see any of the vandalism any more, but I'll need to fix the paint. I'm gonna run into town and get some supplies!" Because yes, while he could hunt about here to see if there's anything suitable, if they're going to give the space a mini-makeover, why not start with something fresh?

And so, setting off to hunt down some paint, Ronin does leave another version of himself behind to keep working. One Knight is better than two, you know!

---

Ronin opts to go and get paint from town. In the meantime though, he also leaves his astral projection behind so it can continue to help if needed!

now don’t you lose hope

I swear I never dream that we’re alone

I swear I still believe but I don’t know

Sweet tea in the summer
Cross my heart, won't tell no other

Noe's efforts yield results, and for the most part, the girl is pleased with what she manages to accomplish. There are, however, bits of egg that seem to be glued to the floor, leaving her frowning down at them with her hands on her hips. Fortunately, she doesn't seem to be the only one struggling - Ronin has stripped away the vandalism, yes, but also some of the paint, and promptly disappears - sort of - into town to get more supplies. He leaves behind a version of himself, though, which Noe immediately wishes she could do. "Can you teach me how to do that?" she calls after the departing demigod, before turning her attention back to the task at hand.

The egg bits on the floor taunt her, and she rolls up her metaphorical sleeves as she grabs a paint scraper and gets to work. She's loathe to get on her hands and knees in the floor, but that's what the situation calls for. So with her nose scrunched in disgust, she gets to work, scraping and peeling at the dried bits of egg.

---

Noe is impressed by Ronin's astral projection and works on scraping up bits of egg.

And though I can't recall your face
I still got love for you

Noe

Kaisel

One foot in the ground
One foot in the grave

"Alright!" Kaisel tosses back to Ronin before the man slips away, although he does a Flora (a doubletake, that is) when Ronin emerges again to continue assisting. Fortunately he's seen this trick now, but huffs out amusement just the same when Noe asks for training. "I think you just gotta pledge yourself to Vi, no biggie," he suggests to her with a messy grin.

Ronin's trip to the market will be rather uneventful, just time-consuming. Matching the exact paint is likely a lost cause, so going for something close enough or that can be used as a complimentary color with some flourish of design is his best bet. Whatever he selects, he makes it back and ready to paint the outside just as Noe's scrubbing leaves the room decidedly egg-free and finally clean. All the upset furniture remains waiting though, with a table tipped like a cow and all its desk-topping office contents scattered. Chairs have been flung all about as well, and while she might not know exactly where it all should go, there isn't enough room to really guess wrong, unless she means to block lock doors or walkways.

In a similarly stinky situation as Noe, Kaisel has to resist gagging as he hauls out the fish corpse. The rotting thing is held between two fingers on just the tip, but it's dripping, so he sacrifices his other hand to catch it all and keep it clear of the freshly cleaned floors. Shuffling rapidly outdoors to the trashcan he hucks it away, returning like a surgeon, hands held aloft, as he uses their on hand buckets of soap and water to fully clean himself and the spaces where the fish had laid to rest in here. "Disgusting," he sighs, swiping his arm over his 'brow. "Should air out well now though," he chirps with renewed brightness, gaze flicking to the remaining needs of the space.

---

3/4

1. Ronin has acquired paint and should finish off the exterior.
2. Noe has cleaned up all the eggs and should help tidy the knocked-over furniture (desk, chairs, assorted office supplies).
3. Kaisel has spruced up the fish and TP and should help repair any damaged furniture (locker door hanging crooked, askew picture frames, a wall sconce that's swung upside-down).

It's not the devil at your door
It's just your shadow on the floor

RONIN

THE WHITE KNIGHT

"I was pledged to Safrin when I got this little trick," Ronin('s projection) says brightly as it starts to prep the area for painting whilst the real Ronin is out at the market. "You might be able to get an item that does something similar, though I don't know if it'll be pack quite as much of a punch. Speaking of which, please don't punch my projection, or I won't be able to lift things up any more." A totally normal thing to request, yes.

The White Knight himself soon returns from his errand, dismissing said projection so he can get to work. He's opted for an entirely new colour, having selected a pale, sea green that will look effective and intentional when Torchline's salt breeze and sea storms inevitably strip it back with time. "It's starting to look good in there," he calls as he dips a brush into the paint to complete his task. It smells a lot better too, but he opts not to add that part.

---

Ronin paints!

now don’t you lose hope

I swear I never dream that we’re alone

I swear I still believe but I don’t know

Sweet tea in the summer
Cross my heart, won't tell no other

Noe blinks as projection!Ronin speaks to her, staring for a moment in awe. How fascinating. She's never been drawn to any of the gods in particular, but this is making a very strong case for pledging herself to Safrin. But in any case, she salutes the projection playfully, unsure if real!Ronin can see her or not through the fake. "No punching. Got it."

And then it's back to work. "Yeah, should air out pretty quickly now that all the smelly stuff is gone," she agrees with Kaisel. Now that everything is clean, it's starting to look like an actual workspace - but of course there is furniture to tidy before they can call it done. So Noe wanders over to the nearest piece (a chair) and sets it upright, then begins to roam about the space, pulling different pieces of furniture so that they're right-side-up and arranged in a relatively neat and orderly way.

---

Noe is amazed by Ronin, but manages to pull it together to set furniture upright and organize it somewhat in the space.

And though I can't recall your face
I still got love for you

Noe

Kaisel

One foot in the ground
One foot in the grave

"Huh," Kaisel says with a brief pause to the work as Rroonniinn (double, you see) clarifies for Noe. Maybe if he'd paid more attention to his demigod studies he would have known that, but it'd always been easier to study the outside of the window instead. "Learn something new every day," he hums, even if it is probably something he already knew and since forgot, same as feeling rich when you find money in your pocket.

As Ronin sets about sea-breezing the outside in spectacular fashion, Noe's hand at some rearranging starts to really brighten the place up into something that feels tolerable. Kaisel grabs one of the tool kits to get to repairing the locker door that isn't closing right, and glances over to find that wouldn't you know it, the little shithole office is actually more tolerable than it seemed. Sometimes, all something needs is a little TLC, which could be their band name after this. Dibs on care.

Closing the locker door, which works now, he heads over to the crooked wall sconce. "Hey this place isn't so bad after all, eh?" he asks of no one in particular as he holds the object steady and retightens it into something usable again. "Better yet, no one really thought we'd get it cleaned up so nice that I don't think I'll have to share for a while yet." Wishful thinking perhaps, but they say to dress for the job you want, so maybe thinking about the things you want works too. Shockingly though, Kaisel doesn't do well alone. Not quite separation-anxiety-dog-chews-up-the-house-level, buuuuut he would definitely be sending Flora waaaaaay too many parchment notes if no one moved into the lockers here with him.

Finishing up by straightening the paintings on the wall, and realigning one of the desk drawers that proved troublesome, he nods happily at their progress. "Alright, I think finishing touches with some dusting and polishing, sweeping and mopping, and window cleaning and this place will be good as new!"

---

4/4

Everyone has finished up the bulk of the cleaning, good job! Time for some finishing touches. Please either dust/polish, sweep/mop, or clean the windows.

It's not the devil at your door
It's just your shadow on the floor

RONIN

THE WHITE KNIGHT

Having managed to get the painting finished with only a streak of it across his cheek and a shirt cuff that's a suspicious shade of sea green, Ronin steps in through the doorway with a smile. "Like a different place," he agrees. "Whether or not you have anyone to share with soon, I'll be sure to drop by to admire the paintings, or how straight the sconces are on the walls," he says, tipping Kai a wink.

But with the finishing touches to complete, the Knight grabs up a bucket and a cloth and nods to the windows. "I'll clean these up. I can do the inside and the outside," he says. Focusing at first on wiping away the dust and streaks from the inside of the space, Ronin steps outside to use some soap and water on the outer panes, and soon the light is much brighter as it streams through towards the others. "How's that?" he calls.

---

Ronin cleans windows!

now don’t you lose hope

I swear I never dream that we’re alone

I swear I still believe but I don’t know