my hallelujah

temporary fleeting thrills, keep me bruised and make me ill
my skin has lavender tones

Internally grimacing, and grateful Niki is abandoned and not attuned to feel the awkward flip flop through an attuned bond, Sunjata focuses instead on humming his agreement and taking a long slow sip of the coffee again before things start to brighten. Mostly, because he’s being taken up on the offer to help, and he doesn’t know jack shit about any of it.

Still, he follows Niki easily, as he takes in the surrounding room with fresh eyes. “Uh, well, probably better at measurements. Been a while since I’ve used math.. If i’m being honest.” The laugh that leaves him is a soft one, quiet and gentle as the sun fills the room and bathes him in a glow, warm sunkissed as he was before the void had made him pale.

“I do have steady hands at least.” His left hand opens, the ring glinting on his finger as the scar is visible across his palm as he waggles his fingers and flashes Niki a more content smile; fully prepared to be directed wherever the necromancer needed him to be.

the flood

tell me i'm a loaded gun, tie me up and come undone
i can cover it up, i can cover it up

totally sniped from odd ilu

NIKI

"That is alright - to be perfectly frank I do not know if I would be able to stop myself from checking your equations anyway." With a sly flash of teeth towards Sunjata, Niki ensures the curtains are tied back before gesturing for the demigod to go ahead and take a seat while he goes to collect his things from his study.

And though Niki doesn't move fast, it isn't far to go, and so it's only a moment later when he returns with a box of what looks like metal parts, as well as a few tools and a fairly thick leatherbound journal. "A steady hand is half the work, so that is a relief," he agrees with a soft laugh, setting down the box on the table and moving to the adjacent chair to sit himself down, hooking his crutch over the back of it in a practiced motion.

"Today I believe we are making trinket boxes," he says, sounding honestly bored about it, but it puts food on the table. Carefully stretching out his right leg - the one banded in metal and leather to keep it braced - he reaches for the journal and flips to a marked page filled with meticulous sketches and measurements. "So if you could measure and mark some of this sheet metal, that would be helpful." He taps the book for reference.

my body's on the line now; I can't fight this time now
I can feel the light shine on my face

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

temporary fleeting thrills, keep me bruised and make me ill
my skin has lavender tones

A snort and a shrug of his shoulders in concession to the necromancer is what greets the sky smile he gives over his shoulder. “Wouldn’t blame you for it.” He offers, as he takes a seat at the work table, taking a moment to stretch out his back while Niki retrieves everything they need.

Immediately drawn to the box and journals, Sunjata waits to be directed — content to keep his hands to himself until otherwise told, trying to make himself a smidge smaller so that Niki can stretch out however much he needs to or wants to.

So once his task is given, the Flood leans over the table a touch to inspect the measurements and directions, snagging the sheet metal and something in the box to make them with. “Yeah, I can manage that.” He murmurs, already distracted by his task. Lightning scarred fingers hold the sheet metal in place as his other hand measures, marking off edges and lines within the sheet metal and utilizing it enough that one sheet can be used multiple times with little waste. He’s wholly focused on it, only looking up when or if Niki speaks.

the flood

tell me i'm a loaded gun, tie me up and come undone
i can cover it up, i can cover it up

totally sniped from odd ilu

NIKI

The silence they fall into is a comfortable one, and Niki only finds himself glancing towards Sunjata once or twice before appearing content with the job he's doing (apparently he's in open awe of the man until it comes to the work he does every day, who knew). In the meantime, the necromancer pushes up the sleeves of his sweater and grabs some pliers and pieces of wire, apparently to craft some quick decorations.

Where Sunjata's hands are silvered with branches of lightning scarring, Niki's forearms tell a much more rudimentary story, the scars that stretch and cover his skin seeming more like marks from sutures or stitches, with his left arm taking the brunt of it. (And no, it is no coincidence that the boy is right handed). Once he's content with decorations and hinges, he glances again to the sheet metal and nods his approval.

"Here - would you mind cutting the pieces to shape?" he asks, his accent a touch thicker with his focus, and he reaches into the box to withdraw some hand shears that have clearly been honed to a razor's edge. "I can file them once you are finished."

my body's on the line now; I can't fight this time now
I can feel the light shine on my face

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

temporary fleeting thrills, keep me bruised and make me ill
my skin has lavender tones

It is surprisingly comfortable – with the task granted and Sunjata diligently focused on it (it’s the least he can do, obviously), and it’s been some time since he’s had a task he’s had to focus on the minute details on. So silence overwhelms them welcomingly, even as there’s a slight distraction to notice the fact that there’s a multitude of scars on the necromancer’s left arm – and taking note that he writes with his right.

Not that Sunjata can say much. His whole right arm is raised in crossing lightning strike scars, while he very clearly is scouting out the measurements with his left hand. It’s comfortable work, really, and his steel gaze looks up as Niki speaks, shaking his head already before he’s brushing loose curls out from his face, away from the freckles that dust his cheeks in constellations that span the bridge of his nose to disappear in the hair slightly greying at his temples. From here, he’d also likely be able to see the grey and white strands sneaking out of the crown of his head – not that Sunjata’s really old, but stress truly does a number on people.

“I don’t mind.” His own accent is heavier in the words, too, snagging the sharp shears with his dominant hand, sitting back with a focus to snip each portion of it off in distinct slices. His scarred brows are pinched slightly in the focus, and once he’s done cutting one out he starts a pile closer to Niki so that the abandoned can begin to file them.

the flood

tell me i'm a loaded gun, tie me up and come undone
i can cover it up, i can cover it up

totally sniped from odd ilu

NIKI

"Thank you." With a quick smile, Niki delves back into the box to withdraw what looks like a piece of wood shaped in a semicircle, something he sets down on the table before glancing back to Sunjata to see how he's doing. Catching the freckles, the silver at his temples and the scarring in even more extensive detail, it's a good thing that he's waiting on the Flood to finish cutting the metal, lest he be caught staring so openly.

As the first pieces make their way across to him, though, Niki pulls his journal forward to check his sketches, and begins to file the metal with obvious care, never taking off more than a burr at a time before fitting the pieces flush to check they still fit. Boring or otherwise, clearly the boy takes pride in his work. "I will have to save one of these for you when they are finished," he says quietly, "given that you have helped to make them."

Fishing around in the box and withdrawing a small mallet, he selects the piece of metal that will become the lid of the trinket box - curved, by his sketches - and slowly bends it over the piece of wood before hammering it to mould it to shape.

my body's on the line now; I can't fight this time now
I can feel the light shine on my face

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

temporary fleeting thrills, keep me bruised and make me ill
my skin has lavender tones

“You’re welcome.” Comes the distracted hum as he works, snipping out the pieces of metal and setting them diligently toward Niki to be crafted with. He only glances up once during this time to see as Niki starts filing and fitting them neatly together, with enough care and precision that while yes – it takes some time – it’s also quite lovely to see.

Snorting softly as he cuts out the last piece of sheet metal, he’s careful to keep from letting the sharp edges of it snag on any skin of his. “I’d be happy to pay for one, even though I helped.” However Niki would want to be paid back – at least it keeps him a little while longer away from dealing with the void and his own region..

That was likely also full of more void creatures.

But anyway, he pauses in his work to watch as Niki starts to bend the piece of metal with little hammered divots to mold it into shape, watching with a distinct curiosity that seems to suggest he isn’t typically the type to be creative or crafty outside of necessity.

the flood

tell me i'm a loaded gun, tie me up and come undone
i can cover it up, i can cover it up

totally sniped from odd ilu

NIKI

"I am sure I can spare one trinket box without struggling to put food on my table," Niki says with an amused smile, and with a few more skilled taps of the mallet, produces the curved lid of one such box. "Though I will keep you in mind for any further help, if you ever feel like an afternoon of such things." Crafting in company, he is finding, is pleasant in a way he really hadn't expected, the boy carefully fitting the pieces together again to test them before he sets one grouping of metal aside for later.

"Would you like to try? He offers mallet and wood to the other man, having noted the gleam of curiosity in his eyes as he'd been working. "With the wooden piece as a guide for the shape, you can't really go wrong. It just - ah--" Having picked up another piece of metal, Niki is not so lucky as Sunjata to avoid any nicks or cuts, and a drop of blood wells to the surface of his thumb. "A cautionary tale about gloves," he says with a self-deprecating smile, fishing for a handkerchief in his pocket to stem the bleeding.

my body's on the line now; I can't fight this time now
I can feel the light shine on my face

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

temporary fleeting thrills, keep me bruised and make me ill
my skin has lavender tones

Sunjata’s face twists into a soft smile of suit yourself before he continues to watch the mallet hammer into the metal to curve the lid, gaze dancing between the scars visible and the work he puts into it, when the comment comes a touch surprising for the Flood. “I’d like that.” He says softly, flashing Niki a brighter smile should he look. It isn’t often that the demigod gets invited to a trip solely to make trinkets, and he latches on like a person starved for normality in his strange life.

As for whether he wants to try, though, he straightens up a little and takes the mallet and wood, mimicking Niki’s motions and movements in a way that says he’s a quick study and can follow instructions quite well – when he hesitates when Niki slices his thumb. “I could heal it.. Though it would get everything wet, unfortunately.” He is the Flood after all. But while he fishes for a handkerchief in his pocket, Sunjata whips up a little bubble of water in case he wished to clean up the slice a bit – careful to keep it away from the journals despite his mastery over ensuring there would be no spills.

In the meantime, he snags the piece of metal and waits for whether Niki will utilize the bubble of water before he puts his focus into lining up the piece of metal with the edges of the box as the sketches show.

the flood

tell me i'm a loaded gun, tie me up and come undone
i can cover it up, i can cover it up

totally sniped from odd ilu

NIKI

"Of course." Ducking his head in a nod that's perhaps just a little sheepish (he hadn't been expecting such an outright positive response from the Flood, evidently), Niki glances up in time to note the handsome smile on the other man's face, looking quickly away again to put his attention on their work - and the cut on his thumb, as it happens. "That is kind of you, but it is not so bad as that," he assures Sunjata, lips curling in a crooked grin. "I do appreciate the water, though. Thank you."

And so as the Flood takes over to curve the lid of the next box, Niki spends a moment cleaning and inspecting his thumb, before pressing the handkerchief to it for a minute or so. "There, good as new." It has only been a shallow cut, and he doesn't seem bothered by it enough to stop working. "Ah, that is looking perfect," he says of Sunjata's box lid, smiling his approval and gathering the next set of materials to set aside.

"Once this preparation is finished, the next stage is to solder the pieces together. My equipment for that is in my study, though, so we can stop once we have finished with this."

my body's on the line now; I can't fight this time now
I can feel the light shine on my face

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

temporary fleeting thrills, keep me bruised and make me ill
my skin has lavender tones

“You’re welcome.” Sunjata hums, his accent playing on the words a little deeper with his focus, letting Niki clean the cut before he’s dispelling the water back into thin air. It gives him the time to focus on the box’s lid, ensuring he follows the instruction and the curved bend, letting the necromancer take a few moments to inspect his thumb.

Then, of course, there’s the twitch of his smile when the praise comes of having done a great job. He sits up a little, nodding as the explanation is offered, huffing a small laugh. “Yeah, I’ll leave that to your capable hands.” He’s never soldered anything, and he wasn’t about to start now. “I can help carry them in there, though, if it’d make it easier for you.” He offers, gaze flitting from the necromancer to the cane briefly, still hooked to the back of the chair, before dropping to the boxes they’ve been working on.

the flood

tell me i'm a loaded gun, tie me up and come undone
i can cover it up, i can cover it up

totally sniped from odd ilu

NIKI

"Hopefully my capable hands will not add any other injuries to themselves today," Niki says with a half smile - add a couple of burns to the cut on his thumb and he might call it quits on today's allocation of work, for fear that he'll lop off a limb if he keeps going. The offer to carry the pieces is a surprisingly welcome one, the boy nodding gently as he examines their growing pile of materials, arguably larger and bulkier than the pieces of flat sheet metal had been. "That would be a great help," he agrees, before settling back down to work.

Soon enough, between them they have fashioned three more box lids, and Niki carefully sets aside all the tools and scrap materials they have leftover so he can fill the crate with the little sets would-be trinkets, as careful and precise in his arranging of them as he is with everything else he has done that morning. "I can come back for the tools later," he says, waving them off and grabbing his crutch so he can get to his feet.

"If you would follow me?"

Providing Sunjata is happy holding the crate, Niki will lead them from the living room and down a (now sun dappled) corridor, pausing outside a door around the corner from the kitchen and opening it to hold it open for the other man.

my body's on the line now; I can't fight this time now
I can feel the light shine on my face

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

temporary fleeting thrills, keep me bruised and make me ill
my skin has lavender tones

“The offer of healing still stands.” His accented rumble trails Niki’s words with an equal half smile gracing his face, crooked for the scar that cuts through his cheek. But they continue to work and Sunjata continues to focus on crafting the lids to the precise measurements that Niki’s journal and the marks have suggested, pleased when it all seems to come together. He harbors a few nicks of his own from the sheet metal, but it’s essentially nothing in comparison to what these hands have been through anyway.

Nodding to the mention of tools, Sunjata happily hoists the crate, carrying it and trailing after the necromancer easily. “Yeah, I can do that.” He hums before they begin their trek and while they go Sunjata takes a moment to appreciate the corridor, the golden warm glow of the dappling of the sun a welcome touch, he thinks. But he doesn’t linger, not as Niki brings them to a door down from the kitchen and as it’s held open, the Flood slips inside of it with the crate still in his hands, looking over to the abandoned with a twist of a smile on his freckled face to be instructed as to where to put the crate.

the flood

tell me i'm a loaded gun, tie me up and come undone
i can cover it up, i can cover it up

totally sniped from odd ilu

NIKI

"And I will still gently refuse it," Niki says with a smirk; nicks, cuts and burns on his fingers may be bothersome, but they hardly merit the use of a demigod's powers, and he'd sooner urge Sunjata to save it for someone who really needs it. Luckily enough, they do get through the rest of their work unscathed (so far - when the Flood leaves and Niki continues alone it may be another matter), and the boy is soon leading his new acquaintance into the depths of his study.

It's a cluttered place without being chaotic; a workbench dominates the back wall beneath a large window to make the most of the natural daylight when it's there, and candles and lanterns cover many available surfaces, suggesting that Niki often works long past the point where the sun dips below the horizon. Bookshelves, supply racks and a desk stacked with papers and half finished projects furnish the rest of the walls, and if Sunjata looks closely, he'll see that the majority of the creations are not related to trinkets and jewellery.

"Just here is fine," Niki says, gesturing to the workbench and stepping further into the study, smiling sheepishly. "As you can see, space is quite a commodity in here. The other room was a nice change of scenery."

my body's on the line now; I can't fight this time now
I can feel the light shine on my face

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!