[PQ+] there is a light that never goes out

Kaisel

"Yeah and stay out!" Kaisel yells back for extra measure, dusting granola remnants from his fingers as the last of the birds flutter away. He can hardly take the credit, but he can't help but have the final say, even to an enemy's retreating back. At Maea's flash of thumbs, Kaisel returns the gesture. "I liked your fireflies!"

Liam's addressing them again though, so Kaisel's attention drifts back towards the man, leaning into a tall-armed stretch over his head as the orders are set out. His arms come down with a dead swing at his sides for a moment before he claps them together with renewed enthusiasm. "I think I'll stick to the straw, unless it's alright if the target dummies get built upside down and inside out." Which, he rather thinks he knows the answer to already, so Kaisel heads for the boxes with all the things and pulls out a few limp bodies. There's wooden stands there, which he ignores for now, and potato sacks and leather pouches here. He grabs the empty skins and sets them next to him on the ground. His legs sprawl out as one of the potato bags is hoisted into the space between, and he gathers the nearby straw from the crate next to him and begins to push fistfuls of it into the sack until it looks pregnant instead of like roadkill.

"If you got any arch nemesis, we could turn this into giant voodoo dolls," Kaisel calls out to Liam, glancing up briefly, before continuing to assemble more.

---

Kaisel stuffs hay into target dummies

There's darkness in the distance
I'm beggin' for forgiveness
But I know I might resist it

Let's not get lost in the dark blue
But darling if we do, just find me and I'll find you

"Can’t say I’ve ever measured it," he says lightly to Kaisel, the grin he offers bright and easy. "More than some, less than others." Especially now that I moved his stats around.

Remi watches the last of the Waders flap off into the forest with a lion’s smug satisfaction before the pixui begins to fold in on itself, golden fur giving way to tan skin, feathers vanishing like smoke in sunlight. A hand rakes through his curls as he straightens, Oria clambering her way back up to his shoulder with the ease of a creature well-accustomed to his transformations.

He dusts his hands together, turning his attention toward Liam with the kind of crisp attentiveness that only really settled over him when there were clear tasks to be done. As the instructions come, Remi nods, content, even quietly grateful, to be given something tangible. There’s something inherently grounding about this kind of work. After so long destroying, it’s nice to simply...build. To not be in charge. To not have to think ahead or around or through the people around him.

He heads toward the crates with the targets and dummies, crouching with his sleeves rolled up and strong, sure hands already selecting what he needs. The hammer he picks up feels good in his grip, balanced and familiar. He arranges the frame first—quietly efficient, each strike of the hammer precise—and begins assembling the structure with a calm focus, measuring distances by eye, securing crossbars with casual strength.

His brow furrows slightly, not from confusion, but concentration. Creating something from nothing had always come naturally, and gods but it feels good.

---

Remi works on the archery targets!

the bastion

Styling stolen from Sky (obviously)

Liam

And I feel like my castle's crumbling down
And I watch all my bridges burn to the ground

With the marauding birds out of the way, it was time to get to business. Maea was the first to move, quickly grabbing a shovel to join Liam in his quest to move the saplings. He returned her bright smile with one that was, perhaps, a little soft around the edges - a smile reserved only for her. The pair of them got to work, digging carefully to avoid harming the roots. "That's a great idea," Liam agreed as they worked. "Let's try it."

Kaisel's shouted suggestion drew a laugh from Liam. "You're welcome to draw faces on them," he called back. "When we test them out later, you can pretend they're whoever wronged you last." The young dragoon's work was straightforward enough, and he would find that the hay went seamlessly into the dummies, however boring it might have been.

Remi got to work on the archery targets with the kind of concentration that suggested this was not his first time building something. It took time, but nothing went horribly awry with his work. Liam, who was glancing over at the rest of the team every now and again to check on their progress, offered encouragement. "Looking good, Remi. I think three should be enough for now." And it looked like the demigod was making good progress.

Kaisel and Remi finished their tasks first; digging up saplings and replanting them was a bit more time consuming, especially when there were quite a few to move. Liam was about to suggest that the other two grab shovels to help them out when a sudden burst of wind whipped through the clearing. Looking up, Liam noted an influx of grey clouds with a frown. He hadn't realized that they were coming, he'd been so focused on his work with the saplings. But now it seemed that a storm was rolling in - and that meant that all their hard work was suddenly in danger of being reversed.

"Looks like a storm's coming!" Liam called out. "Try to secure what you're working on!"

---

Uh oh, a storm's blowing in! Secure your targets/dummies/trees!

And you don't want to know me, I will just let you down
You don't wanna know me now

Maea

I am out with lanterns

"Thank you!" Maea called back, brightening at Kaisel's praise. Too pleased to even bother correcting him as to the manner of insect they'd been - apparently she needed to work on her sculpting - she chalked it up to interpretation and moved on.

Digging was a simple if somewhat tedious task, made far more enjoyable by the company. Remi's quiet focus bent on constructing the targets was as comfortable as Kaisel's occasional comments while dummies were stuffed. By her side, Liam radiated a steady sense of purpose that kept her grounded, at ease; happy, in ways she'd not thought possible.

The wind picking up in the trees caught her by surprise too. As dark clouds threatened to obscure the sun, Maea hurried to rest the trees they'd yet to replant on their sides, as they would likely topple anyway, then made a point to steady the replanted ones in case the approaching shudder of rain proved torrentuous enough.
"At least we don't have to water them," she laughed, while the first scattered droplets began to pepper her face. Cold but refreshing, she angled her chin up to the sky, so that the rain could wash away sweat and a streak of dirt on her chin.

---‐----

Maea protects the saplings from snapping by laying them down.

Looking for myself

Kaisel

With Liam's approval, Kaisel intends to do exactly that. So as he begins to finish he sets about on a hunt for something that could leave a lasting mark on the heads of the dummies. Coming up a bit short, he glances over at Remi. "Hey... uh, you don't by chance, also ink do you?" Although Kaisel doesn't normally mind asking anyone just about anything, this feels somehow, overly intimate and embarrassing, like he's asking Remi to piss in a cup for him. He holds up one of the cloth faces to demonstrate his intent, tracing a frowny face on it with his finger and emulating with his own expression. "Just to give them more character, yanno. Motivation."

Inked or not, Liam's warning about the storm turns Kaisel's attention from procurement to protection. He scrambles to his nest of hay and hurriedly arranges some of the supply crates like a wind block curving around it. He also piles the heavier cloth and leather frames of the already stuffed targets on top. For good measure he flops his body on top of it all like he'd actually just been building the lumpiest, itchiest bed instead. In starfish position, his body weight spreads evenly.

---

Kaisel uses the supply boxes as wind blocks and lays on top of the pile.

There's darkness in the distance
I'm beggin' for forgiveness
But I know I might resist it

Let's not get lost in the dark blue
But darling if we do, just find me and I'll find you

Three tentacles unfurl from Remi’s back, each wrapping fluidly around the finished targets. They anchor themselves deep into the soft loam, pressing the frames into the earth with a steadiness that defies the rising wind. One curls around a crossbar like a protective vine, swaying slightly as if daring the storm to try anything foolish.

Straightening, Remi runs a hand through his curls—wet now from the light drizzle that’s begun to sift down through the canopy. Rain dapples his bare arms, cool against the latent heat of work, and though Oria chitters her dislike from the crook of his neck, he only smiles.

Then his gaze lands on Kaisel. Remi’s brow lifts as he takes in the dramatic sprawl of the Dragoon atop a bundle of cloth and straw, limbs flung wide like a particularly determined starfish trying to assert dominance over a haystack. Amused affection stirs at the corner of his mouth. "You alright there?" he calls, raising his voice just slightly over the wind. A fourth tentacle slinks out, as if ready to lash out and grab Kaisel by the ankle if he starts tumbling toward the treeline.

With the targets secured, Remi steps away from them, scanning the clearing in case Maea or Liam need assistance. But for now, he lingers, half-shielded by a stretch of his wings, rain rolling lazily down the feathered span. Something peaceful settles over his features, like even the threat of a storm is welcome in the Greatwood—so long as it doesn’t blow away the idiot lying in the grass.

---

Remi uses his tentacles to secure his targets and offers help to Kaisel

the bastion

Styling stolen from Sky (obviously)

Liam

And I feel like my castle's crumbling down
And I watch all my bridges burn to the ground

Liam hurried to help Maea lay the trees on their sides as the storm rolled closer. A low rumble of thunder signaled that the storm was nearly upon them as they lay the last sapling down. Liam's laughter joined the Ancient's as the first droplets began to fall; even if rain now meant that the remaining work would be muddy, at least it meant that the saplings would indeed be watered.

As the storm came on in earnest, fresh gusts of wind ripped through the trees surrounding the clearing, shaking their branches and sending leaves flying. Kaisel had built a makeshift fort and plopped himself on top; Remi anchored his work with tentacles that sprouted from his back. Both of their efforts proved to be effective. Maea and Liam's work, too, saved most of the saplings from danger.

Suddenly, though, a whip of wind cracked through the clearing, and with a loud snap a branch from one of the bigger trees came crashing down. Liam jumped, not having expected it, and then turned to shout to the others over the rain. "We'd better head back to the village until this passes!" Reaching for Maea's hand, he tugged her gently from beneath the tree cover and onto the path back to Sidhe Village - just in case any more branches decided to fall.

It was a good stopping point for lunch, anyway, and with any luck, their work wouldn't be completely undone by the raging storm.

---

Time to go! Let's head back to Sidhe Village for lunch while the storm plays itself out.

And you don't want to know me, I will just let you down
You don't wanna know me now

Maea

I am out with lanterns

She might have voted to stay and keep working despite the weather, but the falling branch put an end to that debate before it even began. It was a frustrating waste of daylight, but she couldn't control the weather. So when Liam caught her hand and began to lead the way back to the village, she followed, braiding her fingers into his. Occasionally glancing over her shoulder to see if the others were following along.

With no less wind in the Village, at least they had some shelter from the rain. Maea only picked at her lunch, and kept staring at the downpour, willing it to end. "Are we putting a roof up over the training ground?" she asked absently, before popping a slice of fruit into her mouth. "This feels like a hint, somehow..."

----

Maea follows Liam to the village for lunch, and suggests building a roof for the practice field.

Looking for myself

Kaisel

Kaisel flashes Remi a thumbs up and an unsteady grin in response to his question, though the uncertainty of his decision making grows, especially when the trees sway and leaves fling off with the intent of a whip. Shit, he'd kinda thought they just had to ride this out (a bit literally in his case), not really hunker down elsewhere. He thought the semi-sentient and large trees might do more of the sheltering, but it seems the wind is relentless wherever you go. As Liam calls for their departure, Kaisel frantically scans around for more weight to add to his pile so that he can get the fuck off it. He's definitely not down to come back and pick up hay one strand at a time.

Deciding against moving the rocks they'd already moved once, he instead rolls off his pile and hurriedly crams it all inside of the crates he'd originally emptied it from. He squints against the wind and the rain as he works, stumbling at one point in his haste to finish and catch up with everyone, though he manages to stay upright with something nearly identical to interpretive dance. He spends most of the walk to the village picking bits of straw out of his clothes. The stalks had an annoying way of weaving through threads of the fabric, just tiny, flexible splinters.

"Whatever you build, better make it curved or tiered. Something to redirect the wind out or up and away, otherwise whatever roof you put on will just get ripped off too," Kaisel advises in an offhanded manner as he settles next to Maea. Stormbreak has seen a breeze or two, after all. He's not really focused on wind design much though when he's got a tiny pizza to smash.

---

Kaisel eats pizza and suggests building with wind in mind

There's darkness in the distance
I'm beggin' for forgiveness
But I know I might resist it

Let's not get lost in the dark blue
But darling if we do, just find me and I'll find you

Oria clambers down from Remi's curls with unmistakable annoyance, her leafy limbs fluttering as she tucks herself into the collar of his shirt. There, just beneath the damp fabric, she anchors like a burr and emits a tiny, indignant chirr. "Yes, alright, it’s very wet," Remi murmurs with a smirk, gently patting the lump she makes as she settles in, bristling faintly like a mossy pinecone with opinions.

By the time they reach the shelter of the Sidhe Village, Remi’s curls are soaked through and clinging to his forehead, his shirt marked darker by rain and the faint smears of loam. He shakes himself off only half-heartedly before sitting down at the long table with the others. A soft request for soup earns him a steaming bowl in short order.

"Wind’s usually not the problem," he says mildly, glancing toward Kaisel. "The trees keep most of it out. But once Deepfrost ends…" He lifts a hand and waggles it in the air. "Everything thaws at once, and almost everywhere you step it's into memory mud." His smile tilts, crooked and faintly conspiratorial.

the bastion

Styling stolen from Sky (obviously)

Liam

And I feel like my castle's crumbling down
And I watch all my bridges burn to the ground

For his part, Liam ordered a bowl of stew, sure that its warmth would be a pleasant contrast to the now-chilled air in the woods. "I hadn't thought of a roof," he admitted in response to Maea's question. "Remi 's right about the memory mud, though. Maybe we can add a roof another time, at least to partially shelter the clearing. I don't have the supplies for it today, though." He'd have to source piles of wood, for instance, since one did not simply cut down trees in the Greatwood and live to tell the tale. Turning to Kaisel, Liam grinned. "I'd forgotten about the wind in Stormbreak," he said. "Does it still lightning storm all Leafchange?"

They ate their meal and chatted, and by the time they had finished, the wind had subsided - although a misty drizzle still remained. That was alright, though - they could work in the rain, so long as no more branches decided to fall and crush someone.

Liam led the way back out to the clearing and surveyed the damage. The branch was big enough that it would require two people (or maybe just Remi) to lift it. The saplings still needed to be replanted, though they seemed to have withstood the storm. And the archery targets and training dummies, while all seeming to be intact, would need to be placed and secured. All in all, not a bad outcome from such a sudden onslaught of wind.

"Alright, let's get everything cleared away and the saplings planted," Liam instructed. "Then we can see about actually setting up the field."

---

Back to it! We need two people to move the branch and two people to plant the saplings! Go go go!

And you don't want to know me, I will just let you down
You don't wanna know me now

Let's not get lost in the dark blue
But darling if we do, just find me and I'll find you

Remi eats quietly but contentedly, even if his conversation is more nods and murmurs than flowing words. The warmth of the soup cuts through the chill with pleasant efficiency, and he listens with an easy half-smile as the others talk—weather, roofs, Stormbreak storms. He doesn’t have much to add, not in the moment, but there’s a comfort in simply being among them, even if his small talk leaves much to be desired.

Once their bowls are cleared and the drizzle has softened to something more like mist than rain, Remi rises with a lazy stretch, rolling his shoulders beneath the cling of his damp shirt. Oria pokes her head out from the collar, leafy antennae twitching in protest as she peers around at the gloom like a small, offended queen.

Back in the clearing, his gaze lands immediately on the fallen branch—a limb thick as a boulder and sprawled directly where they need to work. He exhales through his nose and tips his head, already stepping toward it. "Hey, Kaisel," he calls over his shoulder with a grin, slowing only long enough to glance back at the Dragoon. "Give me a hand? You get one end, I’ll get the other."

A few more steps bring him to the branch, where he squats low and tests its weight with a casual hand. Not unmanageable—not for him, anyway—but it never hurts to have help.

---

Remi goes to the branch and asks Kai to help him!

the bastion

Styling stolen from Sky (obviously)

Maea

I am out with lanterns

Maea filed away the tidbits of suggestions and information for later use, not minding saving her ideas for later. She could always make it a project of her own, to build a deck and roof that would make the area usable at all times of the year, even the wet and muddy ones. Battles did not stop for rain, nor for mud; armor may rust and soldiers would be miserable, but certainly war did not pause when the weather turned inclement.

Returning to the area they were preparing, she went to check on the plants alongside Liam. While wet and somewhat bedraggled looking, the saplings were none the worse for being rained upon, so Maea simply went to fetch her shovel and got right back to work. Waterlogged soil made it heavier to lift. It didn't take long before herr back began to ache, for strands of translucent hair to plaster against her damp skin. At least she was warm - but that was also the only really pleasant thing about this job.

It was a relief each time she could take a break to set a sapling into its new home. Planting them at a slight angle so that it would be easier to weave them together, the initial result looked slightly unhinged - a case of trusting the process, without a doubt. 

-----

Maea plants saplings.

Looking for myself

Kaisel

Memory mud sounds like all mud, but either way it all sounds terrible. "Maybe just dig out a trench and make a seasonal moat then," Kaisel offers instead with a shrug. "Could be an extra training feature." They could fill it with toy alligators even, or who knows, maybe a real one would take up residence. As the food dwindles and the conversation shifts, Kaisel nods at Liam, an enthusiastic "yeah!" punctuating the agreement. "It's the best. Just non-stop storms and chaos." Usually means avoiding metal and staying lower than other things around you, but there's plenty of that built in that the sky' drama could just be witnessed for all her vicious glory.

Although helping someone out by eating lunch is certainly the best way to lend a hand, the storm does subside enough for them to walk back. The dedicated training area is thoroughly soaked, and riddled with some felled foliage and straw strewn about like a free mulching. At Remi's request, Kaisel easily tosses back a "sure." Although he's extremely skeptical that Flora's dad needs any help at all, much like a younger sibling cousin being handed a gaming controller that isn't plugged in and being told good job, you're winning. Still, Kaisel get's into position (the OSHA approved safe lifting position again, in case you're wondering), but expecting that he's mostly here for show he instead spends his breath on conversation. "Where'd you get that crazy throat scar from?"

---

Kaisel helps? pick up the branch

There's darkness in the distance
I'm beggin' for forgiveness
But I know I might resist it