[PQ] I'll Drink to That

This place was perfectly dire and all, and a lot of the people around seemed content to keep it that way, but Vervain was... thirsty. As luck would have it she had stumbled upon (a.k.a strategically explored and combed through) the Temple before finally finding its cellar. A... wine cellar. With a counter that she swore was supposed to be a bar. Huh. Excitement crackled through her and, rather than uncorking one of those questionable wonderful looking wine bottles, she thought she'd send out some feelers and see if anyone could help her clean the place up. As a huntress, she knew she could catch and cook enough to keep bellies full, and drinks tended to warm the blood and the soul both. Maybe this was what the Northaveners needed. As it happened, she knew just the person to rope in to help her start this endeavour. They needed to source tables and chairs, clean the place up, and find suitable lighting. And hopefully there wouldn't be any nasty surprises along the way. 1. Remi Abruzzo 2. Devrum Calob 3. Ashetta Valentus As you can see, there are three free spaces in this PQ - it's on a first come, first serve basis! Please post below to claim your space, and decide which of the tasks you would like! vervain where the wild things are

Vervain asking for anything almost always assured a yes from Remi. But this request...well, honestly it caught him completely by surprise in the best way possible. Starting a tavern? With Vai of all people? It dwarfed his failed attempts at running the Tempest Tavern (and while it did being up prickly thoughts of Ianto and his absence and the tea house they were going to start), the alchemist was still thrilled at the venture. "Happy to clean." Remi said with a smile, knowing it was probably one of the more undesirable jobs. Though there didn't appear to be a ton of resources readily available to assist, growing up as a merchant's son and always on the move had made the hawk nothing if not resourceful. Then again, he always had a trick or two up his sleeve. remi the alchemist

Thick, lumbering paws padded the ground leaving puffs of dust as Devrum stalked along the hallowed ground. A fish, large and glistening held firmly in his mouth as his nose twitched, picking up and following the scent of Vervain and Remi until his body mass rippled as he stood upright, shifting back into his human form.

Plain, dusted brown pants and thick padded boots echoed down toward the cellar, Devrum, for theatrics sake still held the fish in his mouth. His chest exposed, painted with film of hair along his chest and abdomen. Torso and arms painted with scars and tattoos of intricate designs, telling stories best avoided with words.

As he wandered into the cellar, his nose twitched again as he picked up the scent of fermented grapes...wine...he'd walk over without greeting and snag a bottle. His sandpaper-type grip uncorking the bottle as he looked to Remi with a fish-filled smirk. Brow arched as he looked to Vervain, finally prying the fish free of his teeth as he took a swig of the wine.

"Well...looks like things aren't entirely hopeless. Got dinner." He'd remark, tossing the trout onto a nearby table Remi most-likely just cleaned. "Wasn't expecting company...suppose it'll do. Don't look like you eat much anyway..." He quipped, glancing to Remi as he took another pull.

Ashe was sore as all hell, and she was dead tired, but her eyes were shining as she padded through the echoing temple. Claws clicked on the floor, head low as golden eyes flicked from one thing to the next, head tilting as she moved. She had slept all of about three hours the previous night, and she had been racing at breakneck speeds through the ruins during her wakeful hours. She hadn’t played like that in years, and she was certainly feeling it today. Despite this, the black-pelted wolf’s tail was swaying easily behind her, and her sore muscles felt looser than they had in a long time. It was her nose that brought her to the temple today. She had been moving through the hollowed grounds, wondering just what it was that was worshipped here. The gods had been smothered, snuffed out, and forgotten in Northwind and Northaven… so what lay here? Her wondering had been interrupted when she caught the familiar scent of a bear, and fish thickly lacing the air that carried it to her. Her belly had rumbled almost immediately, and she set off after her father and whatever supper she might try to steal share. As she reached the stairs, the wolf smelled much the same things the bear had - rotten grapes, her mother, remi. Her head tilted as she slowed her pace, padding quietly down the stairs and into the gloom of.. A wine cellar. Her eyes adjusted immediately, and the large canine took in the sight of the whole fam damily, and her tail moved gently behind her. She didn’t make any sound of greeting - did Remi even know what she was? No… no she didn’t think so. She inwardly shrugged, though. While she was jealously guarding this particular advantage that had allowed her to end the reign of her Master, Remi wasn’t someone she didn’t trust. Ashe passed by Vervain first, listening to their voices as she brushed a cold nose into her mother’s hand and her tail swished against Remi’s leg. She glanced at Devrum … and the she darted upwards, and her jaws clamped around the fish he’d left in a flash. She didn’t take it, of course. Well.. not all of it. The tail and half the body disappeared as the head and the rest of it thumped to the floor, and in the next second Ashetta was standing on her own two feet just behind Remi, flashing a bright grin at Devrum while she wiped the corner of her mouth with her thumb. ”Thanks Papa Bear,” she chirped, and then she glanced between her mother and Remi. She brushed her shoulder against the hawk’s. ”So what’s everyone doing down here? What’s this about cleaning?” Ashe wrinkled her nose at that and glanced about. ashetta it's live or die my way.

Vervain barely had time to thank Remi for his help before her husband marched downstairs, slapped a trout on a clean table and uncorked a bottle of wine with his teeth. "Dev," she chided, rolling her eyes. Then her daughter decided to steal half of said fish, in wolf form, and proceed to be just as unhelpful as her father. "Ashe!" A sigh of exasperation escaped her, the huntress smiling despite herself, but when she glanced between them there was feral steel in her electric gaze. "I wasn't expecting company either, given that I was trying to turn this place into a tavern." She motioned to the bar behind her as if to make herself clear. "Congrats though, husband - you just volunteered to haul ass and find us some tables and chairs. And Ashe - you can take over cleaning. Remi and I will find some candles and lanterns to put them in. There was no room for argument, as proven by Vai turning her back to get to work. Whilst Devrum would find a few tables and chairs scattered around the cellar, a lot of them were rotten through - he might have to get creative to make this work! Ashetta, meanwhile, would be glad to notice that the fish stench was fairly easy to clear away - though what she chose to do with the other half of it was her call. Something was, however, moving in the shadows around the dusty wine bottles. What might it be? Vervain and Remi would find candles and lanterns aplenty, though they would definitely need to clean them up before they were lit. Speaking of which, they would need to find matches. They should probably get on that. No post order! vervain where the wild things are

Spying Devrum lumbering in was always a rather overwhelming sight and not just because the literal bear of a man was now married to Vai, but always because the alchemist was under the assumption that if push came to shove, the bear wouldn't mind Remi's bird-thighs grilled over a fire. Before he had time to think though, a wolf suddenly came padding in. Without golden cuffs to identify shape changers as such, and without being in his own avian body to create a telepathic link, Remi had no way of telling if this was a sentient wolf, or just the regular sort. Given that it had come all the way into the cellar however without any apparent fear definitely pointed towards it being a shifter though. As the Ashetta 's nose pressed into Vai's hand and her tail swung against his leg, Remi blinked and looked from the black creature up to the huntress. Ashe? he thought almost dumbly, having no real reason to believe that it was the assassin other than the fact that her family was here. Indeed as the wolf snagged half the fish and then suddenly became the familiar raven-haired woman Remi had grown to know, the alchemist exhaled the breath he'd been holding and chuckled. Running a distracted hand through his curls, he held up his palms submissively at Dev's comment. "A good thing I ate before coming here." Remi said evasively, unsure if the comment was a quip about his size, or simply that he wasn't part of the family. Looking at Ashe, Remi grinned. "Welcome to the club. Fur looks good on you." There was absolutely no trace of ...anything untoward in his voice, his smile just as boyish and genuine as always. As his job was given to the wolf, Remi glanced towards Vervain and nodded. "Candles and lanterns it is." Shifting his eyes to better see in the darkened room, Remi helped Vai pull out the assortment of candles and lanterns that they found. Blowing one each caused a small cloud of dust to appear, but that wasn't the current problem. Lighting them would be. "Do you see matches? I would assume they would be close by?" Remi mused out loud, opening various cupboards, peering into opened boxes, and checking on top of tables. remi the alchemist

Ashe flashed a wicked grin at her mother, but knew better than to make any comments. She was half eyeing the other half of the fish still, but she turned a glance to Remi . Warmth hit her at his comment, and she took a soft breath and nodded. ”Glad to be welcomed,” she murmured back. It had been a while since she’d spent any time with the hawk… she’d have to remedy that. She had time for that now, didn’t she? Sure, there was the mystery asshole to track down, but her worst fears were gone, ripped apart and conquered. She had time for things like… regular friends. Family. She smiled and was about to say something along those lines, but then she looked up sharply at her mother’s direction. Cleaning. Ashe let out an indignant huff and nearly protested, but the look on her mother’s face had her thinking better of it. Instead she just scowled and sighed, glancing around the filthy cellar. Five hells, this would take forever… and she hated cleaning. She pursed her lips as Remi and Vervain departed to other areas of the cellar for lanterns and candles, Ashe strode for the half of the fish left on the floor and plucked it up with a slender hand. She had half a mind to scarf the rest of it down too - she was damned starving, always starving - but she turned her gaze up to Devrum instead with a smirk as she would hand it off to him. If he refused to take it, it would end up back on the counter. ”I dunno if you want me cooking that for anyone,” she said as she moved to seek out the cobweb covered broom behind the counter. ”Might as well finish it off Papa.” She cleaned the cobwebs from the broom, and she swore she sneezed more than she ever had in her life with the dust that made her eyes itch, and she was grumbling curses to herself as she lifted the broom to sweep at more spiderwebs along the ceiling and rafters… and then she heard something. Ashe froze, and she strained her ears at the sounds of something scuffling about in the shadows behind her. Slowly and silently, she leaned the broom against the counter, turning carefully to face the noise. Her eyes narrowed.. And then there was a large black wolf in her place. Golden eyes locked on where the sound was, so much louder now as she perked her ears forward. Her eyes adjusted to the gloom as she crouched low, creeping forward. She couldn’t smell hardly anything beyond the dust that clogged her nose, but she still moved towards whatever that sound was. A low growl of warning rose from her throat, lip peeling back from bone-white teeth at whatever it was hiding behind the wine. ashetta it's live or die my way.

Devrum walked over to Vervain with an arched brow. "I don't see a modified band on this wrist any longer woman...I would be careful as to how you speak to me..." he growled, though only she would see the rather...bemused look in his bi-colored eyes. "At least...You don't mind ruining what would be a fine place of business as I show you the effor of your ways." Paw-like hand clasped her rear before he looked to Remi and Ashetta . "Right...kids are present..."

Again he huffed, giving Ashe a grin as he thought to finish off the fish...but instead left it on the side for Vervain. He looked over to them respectively as she barked her orders. Devrum grumbling at the sight of rotted wood on otherwise effective furniture.

To his benefit, he found a webbed axe, aged and untouched, a hatchet, and a mallet. He stepped out, hatchet dangling from his belt, hammer hanging in his pocket, and axe slung over his shoulder.

He was aware of their assignments...but what was the benefit of having another man on this job if there was no sense of bonding with them? "Remi!" Devrum called out, aware he was with Vervain. He would wait a few spells before calling out for him again. If she showed up just outside, Devrum would toss the axe for him to take. If not...well...would secure his previous assumption of his soft nature.

Vervain couldn't help but grin at her husband's comment, though there was much too much to be doing for her to take advantage of it at present. She and Remi would be able to clean up the candles and lanterns but, as he had said, they needed matches. At that point, however, Devrum's voice echoed down to them. Vai winked and nudged Remi. "It's your call," she told the hawk with a kind smile. "If you go, though, push him around for me, okay?" On top of tables - nope. In cupboards - no chance. But if Remi and Vai peeked into enough open boxes, they would find... matches! Ha, no. Not matches. But a large black and white something would leap from a box, mrowing insistently and frightening seven hells out of the poor soul who encountered it. Since her father had left the fish behind, it seemed Ashetta would still have some cleaning to do after she swept. But of course, there was the wine-monster to contend with first. Her growl of warning startled the creature into the open - Ashe would be greeted by a large (read: the size of a kitten) and spindly legged spider that seemed incapable of keeping its own balance. It squeaked in a noise that might well have been a hiccup, and if one didn't know better, you'd swear the thing was drunk. Regardless of whether Devrum received help from Remi or not, there was still wood to source and furniture to repair or replace. All in a day's work! Post Order: 1. Remi 2. Ashetta 3. Devrum vervain where the wild things are

Hearing the sound of his name ringing out from the bear-man’s lips made Remi look quizzically at Vai. Having never had a good relationship with his father at all, the notion of bonding with Devrum, in so far as if Vai was his surrogate mother that made Dev his– – wait. no it didn’t. Though the alchemist almost always sought to meet the expectations of others, he felt slightly hesitant in this endeavour. Still, he gave the huntress an awkward and slouchy smile and nodded. “Ahh yes. Hawk against bear. A very fair fight. “ He laughed, before trotting down the darkened corridor towards Devrum. As the axe was tossed towards him, Remi raised a brow towards the bigger man, hefting the object easily. Arm strength was really the only sort that Remi’s athletic frame possessed, and working with tools was what he did all day long. Albeit this work was a bit more blunt than he was used to, but he was sure he could make due. “Are we planning on carving our own tables and chairs?” The alchemist asked skeptically, his musical voice dampening the concern in his voice. Most of the wood was rotten, and while it would help keep the hearth stoked, it wouldn’t help their future patrons with seating arrangements. Hefting the axe onto his shoulder (putting it down seemed like a bad idea, for some reason), Remi glanced around the room. Moving towards what looked like a closet, Remi tried the handle, hoping to find more tables and chairs within. There weren’t enough in the room currently to have filled it; surely there were more elsewhere? remi the alchemist

"The wood here ain't worth a fucking thing...most of it at least..." Devrum muttered as he motioned Remi to follow him. "Not that we should have expected as much...no boy, we're harvesting our own wood just outside...so yes, most of the shit inside will be needing a man's touch."

Had he chosen to follow Devrum he would be led out, Devrum walking over and burrying his hatchet into the trunk of the nearest tree, prying it free he licked the sap. "Have experience building something with your hands?" He asked, turning a moment to Remi and looking over his hands. This tree is ready for harvest...want to strike it in a wedge like chop, angled down, angled up until the tip of the wedge breaks through. Keep your hands locked around the bottom of the handle and swing from the hip, otherwise you're aiming to get blisters."

He instructed. Broad arms crossing as he observed Remi with subtle amusement to his reaction toward the impromptu lesson.

The wolf’s snarl vanished and her growl turned to a ylp she hopped a step back when the spider appeared from the shadows. Hackles still bristled, she warily lowered her head to peer at the little beast that was.. rather big for a spider. And it was… was that spider drunk? Ashetta tilted her head and peered closer at the spindly-legged newcomer, sniffing carefully. After thinking a moment, the wolf huffed and was moving back to sit on her haunches - only instead a small woman crouched back on her heels instead, bright eyes considering the hiccuping arachnid. ”Those webs were yours then?” she said softly. ”They were a mess, you know. Drunk when you spun them?” She pursed her lips and watched it for a moment, then smirked wryly. A drunk spider stumbling about on eight legs. That was a new one. She'd never had a problem with spiders, having moved beyond any fear of them at a young age. Having to study them for their different sorts of venom, she learned quickly that they weren't really something to be afraid of. Certainly never studied a spider like this, though.... Ashe glanced over her shoulder and smirked, rising to her feet and grabbing something before she turned back and sat down before the spider. ”Here little buddy,” she murmured, and she set down the half of a fish before it. ”You like fish at all? It'd be a big help.” Should she have killed it? Relocated it? Probably. Is it aggressive? Well... ashetta it's live or die my way.

Since Remi had gone after Devrum, Vai was left to contend with the box-creature, and she let out a curse and a yelp and fell promptly onto her rump as the thing leapt at her. "What on... oh. Hello." She arched an eyebrow down at the feline in her lap, which purred and headbutted at her hand. Once it was content that it had her attention, it leapt away with its tail high and went to investigate the rest of the tavern. Luckily enough, the box it had jumped from did have matches inside, so Vai was able to light the lanterns. At last! Devrum and Remi would literally have their work cut out for them. Whilst chopping at trees would most definitely give them sturdy and long-lasting seating, it was definitely a lot of back-breaking labour. Hopefully they were up to the job! Ashetta, meanwhile, seemed to have gained the spider's trust with both the fish and the not-being-a-dog anymore, and it scuttled clumsily towards the ex-assassin and her offering. Unfortunately it wasn't meant to be. The black-and-white feline who had just claimed Vervain leapt with an astonishing agility (considering how fat and odd-limbed and one-eyed it was) onto the spider, flattening it dead. That done and with a pompous flick of its tail, the cat turned to start feasting on the fish. All's well that ends well. No post order! Time to wrap up your tasks, folks! <3 vervain where the wild things are

Did Remi have experience building things with his hands? He most certainly did. Although the construction of tables and chairs was a bit more base and inelegant than that which he normally worked on. The alchemist’s speciality was creating complex objects, not basic structures. Even so, he was more than happy to give it a go. Finding nothing in the closet, he followed closely behind Devrum, listening as the larger man spoke. Remi had indeed felled trees before, though none with the girth of the ones they were currently aiming at. Previously he’d only needed to chop down trees for firewood, the thickness of such not being especially important. For the creation of chairs and tables however, clearly something sturdier would be required. Listening as the bear spoke, the alchemist nodded studiously and began to mimic the man’s actions. Quickly the pair were able to drop a good amount of wood. Gathering the wood, Remi looked to Dev for instruction. However quickly, the shapes within the wood began to take hold in his mind. If he could just get them out somehow. “What if we–“ The alchemist began, before sketching out his thoughts for Devrum’s approval. The shapes he wanted to carve out of the wood were crude, but he thought they would make comfortable seating and wouldn’t be too hard to fasten together. With either approval for the bear or an alternative approach, the hawk would begin to meticulously work on what would eventually become the seating area for the Rathskeller. remi the alchemist