Having both Ru and Alys near at hand was like a countercharm for the chaos in the world beyond the little valley. Tal relaxed and breathed easier, having two of his most important people so close. It even made Sunjata's damn tallness easier to forgive, and at the gentle jest and light praise the courier cleared his throat gruffly and ducked his head. "Alys helped t'pick it," he mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck to hide the faint flush of pleasure, shooting his partner a glance and grin.
But then Hotaru was teasing him and his head shot up indignantly as he suddenly found a reason to stand just as tall as he could without going on tip-toes. "Hey! I'm perfectly tall for a Halovian!" he informed her, nose wrinkling at the utter disrespect he had to deal with - and as soon as he thought Sunjata was looking the other way he stuck his tongue out at Hotaru.
"Shifts, magic, shovels... whatever y'got that works," he assured the demigod as they split into teams to begin the groundbreaking. The Flood's dragon form certainly drew the attention and curiosity of Boreal, who watched his every move with bright, pale eyes as he shifted large amounts of soil. Both size and strength made the task look easy, and Tal paused in carrying a tile to watch in raw envy as a few talon swipes cleared an area that would have taken him an hour on his own.
Hotaru might not have been able to move the sheer quantity that her partner did, but her smaller paws were better for cleaning up and smoothing out behind him. The mountain lion handled the finer details, ensuring that the foundation would be largely flat and smooth in the dragon's wake. It certainly made Tal and Alys's job easier as he carried stone tiles from the pile and handed them down into the widening trench to Alys.
What Alys lacked in strength she made up for in cleverness and an attention to detail that was much needed in her chosen task. Working together, she and Tal were able to fit the tiles closely enough together that they hardly needed mortar. Filling the footprint that Sunjata and Hotaru excavated, they created a safe and solid base for their new home.
They were finished with the foundation before lunchtime, and Tal paused to wipe sweat from his brow as he surveyed their progress with a low whistle of appreciation. "T'be honest, I figured this'd take most o'the day," he admitted. "But we should be able t'get a chunk o'the framin' done today now, too!" With the stone foundation laid it was a simple matter to drop the long beams down lengthwise for the floor supports and swiftly hammer the rough decking into place atop them.
As they broke for a picnic lunch in the shade of the Peregrine, Tal Retrieved the blueprints that Alys's architect had drawn up for them. He laid them out on a stump and used rocks to hold the edges down so that everyone could see the plans as he held his sandwich in one hand and pointed with the other. "Let's start gettin' her bones up. These're where the studs are goin' for th'outer an' inside walls. We'll need one t'measure an' mark the distances out, then two t'steady the supports an' get 'em up. An' th'fourth'll follow behind an' put bracers in 'twixt 'em. Just be careful not t'brace where th'doors an' windows are goin'," he added with a wry grin.
Round 2
The foundation is laid! On to the framing:
1 person to measure the proper distances between studs and mark out the doors and window frames
2 people to steady and build the studs in the marked locations
1 person to follow behind and nail bracing beams between the studs so the house will be sturdy!
But then Hotaru was teasing him and his head shot up indignantly as he suddenly found a reason to stand just as tall as he could without going on tip-toes. "Hey! I'm perfectly tall for a Halovian!" he informed her, nose wrinkling at the utter disrespect he had to deal with - and as soon as he thought Sunjata was looking the other way he stuck his tongue out at Hotaru.
"Shifts, magic, shovels... whatever y'got that works," he assured the demigod as they split into teams to begin the groundbreaking. The Flood's dragon form certainly drew the attention and curiosity of Boreal, who watched his every move with bright, pale eyes as he shifted large amounts of soil. Both size and strength made the task look easy, and Tal paused in carrying a tile to watch in raw envy as a few talon swipes cleared an area that would have taken him an hour on his own.
Hotaru might not have been able to move the sheer quantity that her partner did, but her smaller paws were better for cleaning up and smoothing out behind him. The mountain lion handled the finer details, ensuring that the foundation would be largely flat and smooth in the dragon's wake. It certainly made Tal and Alys's job easier as he carried stone tiles from the pile and handed them down into the widening trench to Alys.
What Alys lacked in strength she made up for in cleverness and an attention to detail that was much needed in her chosen task. Working together, she and Tal were able to fit the tiles closely enough together that they hardly needed mortar. Filling the footprint that Sunjata and Hotaru excavated, they created a safe and solid base for their new home.
They were finished with the foundation before lunchtime, and Tal paused to wipe sweat from his brow as he surveyed their progress with a low whistle of appreciation. "T'be honest, I figured this'd take most o'the day," he admitted. "But we should be able t'get a chunk o'the framin' done today now, too!" With the stone foundation laid it was a simple matter to drop the long beams down lengthwise for the floor supports and swiftly hammer the rough decking into place atop them.
As they broke for a picnic lunch in the shade of the Peregrine, Tal Retrieved the blueprints that Alys's architect had drawn up for them. He laid them out on a stump and used rocks to hold the edges down so that everyone could see the plans as he held his sandwich in one hand and pointed with the other. "Let's start gettin' her bones up. These're where the studs are goin' for th'outer an' inside walls. We'll need one t'measure an' mark the distances out, then two t'steady the supports an' get 'em up. An' th'fourth'll follow behind an' put bracers in 'twixt 'em. Just be careful not t'brace where th'doors an' windows are goin'," he added with a wry grin.
Round 2
The foundation is laid! On to the framing:
1 person to measure the proper distances between studs and mark out the doors and window frames
2 people to steady and build the studs in the marked locations
1 person to follow behind and nail bracing beams between the studs so the house will be sturdy!
