[PQ] we are the music makers, the dreamers of dreams

Lily First Lucas appears in the doorway, and Lily cannot stay the delight that springs up, keenly aware that being here with her, fully awake, is a small sacrifice for the devilishly handsome man. Propping her broom up against a wall, she sashays towards him and pulls him inside, offers a demure kiss on the cheek for his efforts. “You sure you want to get into the habit of protecting me, Mr. Copperhead?” she teases gently. There is a look behind her eyes that suggests she wouldn’t say no, that with the way things were going, it was likely to be worth both their whiles… on the stage, the bar, the floor, the stools. But she is interrupted by another knock and a familiar voice. She swings to one side of Lucas and finds Bastien there as well, which is utterly surprising. She is unaware of the tension between the two Ascended men, indeed - she doesn’t even known Bastien has become an Ascended. Nevertheless, she is a gracious hostess and offers the man a hug and a warm welcome. “Bastien! What a surprise! Please, come in. Happy to have your help.” And she is, truly. He blocks the approach of Rexanna, and it isn’t until she hears the lovely woman’s voice that Lily even knows she’s there. “Rexanna?” she says with a trill of joy. Once her head appears, Lily’s hands clap together and she grins. “Oh, thank you, dear!” The would-be-entertainer is about to pull the two of them into the room to join Lucas when Remi pops up, making them a solid team of five. Stepping to one side, she laughs and gestures for the three of them to come on in, storing away the information about the ‘couple’ for later, and giving the alchemist a fond, grateful squeeze on the arm. “Of course not, Remi. How very kind of you to come and help.” Blithely oblivious to anything that’s gone on between the three four helpers, Lily lets them mingle amongst themselves for a moment while she pours them some water and makes mental notes about who might be best suited for doing what. The house is smallish, and all one room. A fireplace is built into the wall at one end, and one of the long side of walls has windows in it. There’s a trap door leading to a cellar and cold storage area by the fireplace, but what she likes the most is the lovely candle-bearing, ornate chandelier hanging from the ceiling. It gives the place a feeling of real potential. “Once again, thank you all for coming! I certainly can’t do it all myself. Now, there’s a hole in the ceiling that needs to be repaired - Remi, do you think you can manage that?” She points up to the roof with a hopeful expression. “There’s a big pile of wood outside, enough for that and the beginnings of a stage, I believe. Bastien and Luc, could you begin to tackle the stage? I’d love for it to be slightly raised, maybe with a step or two. Just against the back wall there. Taking up maybe a third of the room.” She walks back to the area and gestures heights and dimensions, illustrating her idea. That leaves Rexanna. “And could you help me do a thorough deep clean of the place?” It clearly needs it, and will be just as sweaty and dirty as any of the other tasks. “Any questions?” she asks the group with open hands. ----------------------- Boys: Outside you should find an assortment of hammers, nails, and a large stack of wood already cut roughly to size. How convenient! There is also a ladder, some gloves, and a rusty saw, just in case. Girls: Cleaning materials are inside. Buckets, rags, brushes, brooms, and lots of soap. women are like tricks by sleight of hand which, to admire, we should not understand