[PQ] when prayer is not enough

LOREN

Loren had been placed in charge of preparing the Temple for LongNight. Seeing as he’d already been transferring everything he’d stored in the Manor to the Temple and had been doing a bit of work getting the Temple ready anyway, he figured that made sense. The formal decision just hadn’t come until recently. Given how little time it felt like they had left, he had subsequently redoubled his efforts, and transferred all the materials he’d gathered to date just inside the entrance of the Temple. Plus, he'd been ordered to do so, and he was nothing these days if not a good little soldier. He meant that literally: he was basically nothing these days, and would follow whatever orders the monarchs saw fit to give him.

Piles of wood were next to handfuls of snow moss, rugs, and black cloth; beyond those, he had smoked meats and sacks of root vegetables; next to the food, he had medical supplies that he’d pilfered or created, though that pile was much smaller than the others, given both that Phoebe had denied the Launceleyn access to her supplies and the Infirmary and the College were already pretty well stocked; finally, there were hammers and shovels and saws and nails and tools of all sorts. There was a noticeable lack of weapons, but that was quite deliberate. The monsters they were facing wouldn’t be deterred by a sword or an arrow.

The summoner didn’t know if they’d be deterred by anything, really. That didn’t stop him from trying, though. And it didn’t stop him from standing by the entrance, waiting for people to show up. Once they did, he’d either assign them to their tasks or let them choose. While he knew they’d need to get it all done sooner or later, he also knew he couldn’t exactly evaluate who would be best suited for which assignment until he knew who was coming.

--

Welcome to the PQ for preparing the Temple for Long Night! Just bring yourselves, Loren should have the tools and supplies already here for you! I would like to keep this thread moving along (Long Night is coming!), so these posts should be quick, light, and easy. No pressure! I’d like to get this started up within 48 hours or whenever slots fill up! If you'd like me to open up or save a spot for you, please message me.

1. Oliver
   
2. Sunjata
   
3. Remi
   

But don’t be weary if it’s broken

Families are like that—

they’re split up and always torn.

OLIVER

With the brand new coat from Remi on and a bundle of clothes in his arms, he had made his way through the guidance of the map. His main goal had been to get to the apparent houses that would hopefully be open, but through his inability to make any directions he had ended up heading towards a different location. Now, he didn't realize his mistakes too late, not at all. It would've been very easy for Oliver to actually correct himself and go the correct way, but something else was on his mind: food. His stomach was growling up a storm and man did he want some hot food right about now.

So, that's what led him to make his way towards the temple. If he remembered correctly, there was a notice board at the temple. This implied that it was a major hub for people. Either people would be advertising food or maybe there would be some sellers nearby. The promise of hot, fresh food made Oliver make his trek even faster.

It wasn't long before he finally arrived, the temple standing in front of him. Luckily, someone was even at the entrance! As a smile formed on the man's face, he made his way up to the entrance. Stopping just in front of the man he spoke up. "Hello, is this the temple? I was told that there would be a notice board here." Looking down at the stuff in his arms he laughed awkwardly. "Sorry, I just got here. Like...literally. Just got here. My name is Oliver." Hopefully this man would be able to assist him with the transition, show him where the notice board was, and maybe even give him some food.

a disaster!

a massive mess

trying to not die

so is there any treason in the tricky little price I pay?

i can't open up to you

If he’s being completely honest, he doesn’t expect to see Oliver so soon. But he’s noticed the Notice Board he had told the other man about, reading that there would be some form of preparations for Longnight, and Sunjata needs to make himself useful. So the trek to the Temple is easy and swift, boots clicking against the stone of the ground beneath him as he makes his way into it – pausing briefly behind Oliver as he realizes the man before him. A smile crosses his face at this, stepping up beside the newcomer with a slight nod.

“Hey Ollie.” He says by way of greeting, hoping Oliver doesn't mind being called that. Then, his slate eyes slip up toward Loren with another nod. “Hey Loren.” He greets warmly, easily with a roguish grin, the rumble of his accented voice breaking through the air. He’d missed what Oliver had asked earlier, instead, far too focused on what kind of preparation this would be. He’d already helped the summoner with hunting for Longnight, the deer that the two men and Ashetta had hunted would work well to keep the Temple stocked.

And well, while he’s helping with the Temple, the man is still uncertain of where he plans to stay. Might as well scout them both out, right? He’s been to the Monster Hunter’s Guild twice now, the temple a few more times. But at least he could gather and see what kind of things the Temple could offer that a place called the Monster Hunter’s Guild didn’t.

“What’re we doing?” He finally asks, glancing around for the tools and supplies they might need. It is his first Longnight, after all.

me and my friends are lonely

i always figured i'd be the one to die alone

SUNJATA

that's the thing about pain // it demands to be felt

Uncomfortable, awkward, and unwelcome didn't even begin to describe what it was the alchemist felt as he made his way towards the temple. He'd told Loren explicitly he'd leave him alone, and Remi had every intention of adhering to that. Only...only he wouldn't be at the Temple for LongNight apparently, and though Remi didn't like to think of things in precisely these terms, the vow he made to Ludo superseded the one he made to Loren. And so, with eyes humbly lowered and his expression suitably cowed, Remi made his way towards the temple and the Launceleyn waiting at the doors.

"Hey Oliver." He said with a warm smile. "Nice jacket." With a laugh that wasn't quite as warm as it normally was, Remi shot a look towards Sunjata, offering his new-fellow-attuned a crooked smile.

"I...just came to help." Remi added in a low voice, not looking at Loren, but instead keeping his eyes somewhere near the summoner's shoes. The flush of contrition across his cheeks was partially hidden by the chill in the air already colouring his skin, but only just. "I can go, if you like." He added as feathers sprouted in his curls.

THE

ALCHEMIST

Table coding by Sky

LOREN

It wasn’t long before people began to show up. However, given that this was the Temple, it seemed that not everyone was actually here to help prepare for LongNight. Indeed, the first person to come up didn’t seem to know what was going on at all. Loren eyed the stranger curiously. Between the question and the clothes, the Launceleyn pegged the other man as a new arrival.

Normally, the summoner would’ve done his best to be a welcoming presence, but it was beyond him at the moment. ”Hi Oliver. I’m Loren Launceleyn. Welcome to Caido.” His voice was polite, if almost completely devoid of emotion. ”There’s a notice board right over there.” He pointed in the right direction. ”Normally I’d show you, but I need to prepare for LongNight. Has anyone told you about LongNight? And...if you just got here, I imagine you don’t have a permanent place to stay yet.” Not if Oliver was carrying all his belongings around with him. Loren bit his lips and furrowed his brow. ”Tell you what. If you help me out here, I can take you to my home, the Launceleyn Manor. It’s a big house, lots of spare bedrooms.” Well, less so now, considering how many were staying there, but they could find room.

As Sunjata arrived and greeted both the summoner and Oliver, Loren glanced between the two men. ”Hey Sunjata. Thanks for coming. And it seems you’re already acquainted with our latest arrival.” Unlike Sunjata, Loren didn’t smile or nod, or muster up any sort of energy. It wasn’t that the Launceleyn wasn’t glad to see Sunjata. It was just that he was so devoid of all feeling that he nothing came out.

However, the sight of Remi was like a punch to the gut.

Indeed, the summoner hadn’t seen the alchemist since that fucking note. The one that had been completely inadequate. The one that the Launceleyn almost crumpled before tucking it away carefully. Well, he didn’t have time for this. And luckily for them both he didn’t have emotions left inside: instead of the times he’d tucked them away, hidden them from the world, this time he really was just empty inside. Magic orgasms notwithstanding, he’d been through a lot of shit and was exhausted.

So he just nodded at Remi. ”Can you collapse the tunnel to the Rathskellar?” That’s it. Loren’s voice was blank, and just weary. But it was a task the alchemist was uniquely suited for, and one that would keep the two of them apart. ”After that, if you could fortify the Medical College, I’d appreciate it.” It was attached, so they’d need to prepare there as well. And again, it was far away from where the Launceleyn would be. Turning to the rest of the group, the summoner nodded at the supplies he’d brought. ”There’s a lot to do. We need to stuff snow moss into any cracks around the windows, as well as any creaky floorboards, so we can soundproof the temple. We should probably start with that, because after we need to board up and put black cloths over the windows, so light and people can’t get out. We also need to distribute medical supplies, and finally we need to make sure all the entrances and exits except the front doors are sealed tight. Pick a task.” He’d see what everyone else decided on, then fill in any gaps.

-----

No post order! In your next reply, please put the task you decide upon at the bottom of your post.

But don’t be weary if it’s broken

Families are like that—

they’re split up and always torn.

that's the thing about pain // it demands to be felt

Ah.

Well, if Remi wondered at all about Loren's state of mind when it came to him, the lack of greeting as compared to the rest of those assembled spoke volumes. Swallowing and trying to ignore the way he wanted to pull his coat more tightly around himself, he felt his lips twitching into a defensive half-smile as he nodded vaguely at the ground. Stiffening to hear his instructions—and shooting a shocked look up at the summoner with crystal-clear green eyes—Remi swallowed hastily as he lowered his gaze back down.

Collapse the tunnel? Having recently done quite a bit of tunnel excavating and maintenance with Deimos and Jigano, Remi was hesitant to structurally alter anything, knowing just how quickly things could go wrong. Biting the inside of his lip, the alchemist dipped his head uncomfortably before skirting his way inside and towards the tunnel in question, giving the summoner as wide of a berth as possible.

Entering into the passage, Remi stopped, folding his arms across his chest as he looked around. With his sight restored this task was infinitely easier, though the thought of it made him wilt noticeably—not that there was anyone around to notice, of course. Instead of collapsing the tunnel as Loren had instructed, and risking the structural integrity of everything around, the alchemist closed his eyes and instead created a barrier.

Rock built up slowly and precisely before him. The wall was several feet thick and impenetrable as he could make it. Moving to the sides of the tunnel, the alchemist transmuted some of the stones to fit with incredible accuracy against the curved walls, before filling in any gaps with a created substance not entirely different from grout.

---

Remi makes a wall, instead of collapsing the tunnel.

THE

ALCHEMIST

Table coding by Sky

OLIVER

This Loren guy...seemed generous. Nice. As he spoke, Oliver listened intently. LongNight was something he had heard about, but not in great detail. He had many questions but then again, what didn't he have questions about? Before he could do much as respond, Loren had offered him something great and amazing. A home. With a smile on his face, Oliver nodded. "That would be great! Thank you so much." Living alone in such an unfamiliar world frightened Oliver, so knowing he'd be close to at least one other person made him feel safer and more secure. It would be alright.

At the arrival of Sunjata, Oliver turned to look at him with a smile. "Nice to see you again," Sunjata was one of the first two people he had met in this world, so Oliver felt like he had a small, unique connection to the other man. He could trust him and look to him for guidance. It felt nice to have him here.

Speaking of that first encounter, the other half seemed to arrive soon. Looking towards Remi, Oliver could already feel a bit of tension. He watched how Remi spoke with intensity, prepared to greet him. The way he addressed Loren was awkward, as though something had happened between the two. Oliver knew better than to ask, especially when work would be taken place. He'd have to ask later. "Glad you like the jacket, I got it from a very kind person with a great taste for tea." He smiled, hoping to lighten the mood ever so slightly.

Turning to look back at Loren, he listened to the orders before nodding. "I'll take the windows. Seems like something I could do rather easily." With that he moved to place his belongings in a snow-free spot before gathering up some of the snow moss. Moving towards the windows, he would carefully begin to do as he was told, stuffing any of the cracks using the material provided. He had no idea what LongNight entailed, but judging by the level of preparation it would be intense and scary. It was important that he did his job right or he would put everyone else in danger.

Oliver fills the cracks in the windows using snow moss.

a disaster!

a massive mess

trying to not die

so is there any treason in the tricky little price I pay?

i can't open up to you

Well Loren certainly… Seems different. Sunjata’s confident smile begins to shift somewhat, hanging on the end as though there’s a small question brimming beneath it. But he doesn’t know Loren that well, so he smartly keeps his lips shut. Instead, he focuses on shifting his gaze toward Oliver and soon after toward Remi as he approaches. At least he knows Remi fairly well, all things considered. And he nods his head in a quiet greeting toward Remi as the smile is sent his way. A nod and grin is sent to Oliver in turn.

But Loren is dishing out the tasks, and Sunjata remains leaned up against the door frame to see what exactly the summoner plans on having them do, and when the tasks are laid out — well, he pauses. Medical supplies to dish out likely wasn’t the task he needed to do, especially if the boxes still remained at Phoebe’s. He needed as big of a birth as he could get, and so he chooses something else.

Pushing himself from the door frame toward the supplies, he finds a type of sealant, some added nails, and a hammer, and he picks them up and shoots a glance toward Oliver and Loren now that Remi has effectively disappeared. “I’ll seal the entrances.” He announces, accented roughly as he slips inside and sheds his jacket and furs to be able to move his arms far easier. He starts at one of the entrances, fortifying it with the nails around the frame before he adds a bit of snow moss to the corners, and finally some boards that he begins to lift and hammer into place — doing his best to ensure that there’s no gaps for people to be able to reach in and pull the boards down.


Then when that’s done he moves onto the next.

---

Sunjata picks the entrances and seals all sides and hammers boards into place over them!

me and my friends are lonely

i always figured i'd be the one to die alone

SUNJATA

LOREN

Yeah, Loren didn’t have the capacity to deal with Remi’s hurt feelings right now. If anyone was in need of comfort and support, though, it was the summoner, not the alchemist. After all, Ronin was back, and Remi had Aoife, a family, friends, a whole support system and community looking after his health and well-being.

Loren, on the other hand, was alone, and it showed.

Ignoring the shocked look Remi gave the Launceleyn—the orders came from Wessex, so if the alchemist had a problem, he could take it up with the queen, or the king (yup the summoner was petty)—Loren waited until Remi left before the Launceleyn relaxed, almost imperceptibly. Thankfully, both Oliver and Sunjata went off to their tasks without complaint. "Thanks everyone. Let me know if you need help with anything." Then Loren went off to his own task.

Remi’s tunnel would obviously hold up, given how powerful the alchemist was and how carefully he’d constructed it. If he chose to continue following the summoner’s instructions and go to the Medical College, the alchemist would stumble upon Phoebe already there, hard at work trying to get the school ready for LongNight. Inside the Temple proper, Oliver would find that he had no trouble stuffing the moss into the windows, and while Sunjata’s construction job was a bit makeshift, it managed to hold up surprisingly well.

Loren, on the other hand, was not so lucky. Seeing the others scatter to their tasks, he’d picked up an armful of medical supplies to bring them over to the infirmary. When he arrived, he reached up to put them on the top shelf; however, given how physically weak he was, he managed to drop them on his own head. It hurt like a bitch, and he sighed before sending a pulse of healing magic there, then summoned a golem to stack the supplies for him.

---

No post order! At the bottom of your next post, please indicate whether you will continue with your current task or move on to another one.

But don’t be weary if it’s broken

Families are like that—

they’re split up and always torn.

that's the thing about pain // it demands to be felt

"Hey you." Remi called out, leaning against the door-frame with his arms folded across his chest. There was bits of silt all over him from the creation of his wall far below, not that he seemed to notice. "I have been sent to help you." He said with a slightly raised brow, likely not needing to say more. Remi had already explained to Phoebe in detail what had occurred between he and Loren. Hard as it was to be here, at least seeing the midwife made it slightly more bearable. The air in here didn't seem to be as cold as it was, with Loren around.

As Phoebe led him to the door needing to be reinforced, Remi scrunched up his nose as he studied it. "And you are sure it will not need to be opened?" He asked a touch skeptically. "One door in and out obviously makes sense but...That was the theory last year too. And we all saw how well that went."

---

Oh look, Remi continues not to do his assigned tasks.

THE

ALCHEMIST

Table coding by Sky

OLIVER

It took a bit of work, and a bit of stretching and climbing because damn were some of those windows a little too high for Oliver, but eventually he did manage to stuff in the cracks of all of the windows he passed. Doing one last walk around the Temple, Oliver tried to make sure that he hadn't accidentally missed any of the windows or if there were any cracks left behind. The actual task itself was easy and he even had a very small bit of moss left behind, which he would stuff into one of the windows he saw on his second run through. Glancing behind him, he could only hope that his attempts were working and that all would be well.

Going back to the entrance of the Temple, he went to gather more of the snow moss, now moving to go inside of the Temple. Looking around he smiled as he felt the warmth from being indoors.

Shedding away his coat, he started to walk around the Temple. He wasn't exactly sure how to go about this task so he could only try his very best to achieve it. Whenever he heard a creak, he would kneel down and start to stuff snow moss around the floor boards. It was a bit of him aimlessly wandering and walking a bit weirdly to try and elicit a sound out of the boards below his feet. It was a slow process and he had a lot of working to do, especially considering the size of the Temple and all the floorboards he'd need to check.


Oliver finished up with the windows and is now working on stuffing any creaky floorboards with snow moss.

a disaster!

a massive mess

trying to not die

Phoebe I know I am good at something, I just haven't found it yet As one might expect, Phoebe was in the College, prepping it for LongNight – though she didn’t really expect any help. Her preparations would be meticulous, planned out as well as only someone with her level of anxiety over the week of darkness and terror could. So when Remi arrived and announced that he was sent to help. ”By who?” she said, putting her hands on her hips. Already she had stuffed enough snow moss under the floorboards to deaden any noise – having laid out thick layers of it under blankets on the stone floors where she could not do so. She glanced at the door at the back of the lecture hall that led out to the medicinal garden. ”It doesn’t matter really. There were two doors at the Palmer’s. If something bad is going to happen, it is going to happen. But at least the main entrance doesn’t lead directly outside like this one does.” Phoebe said. Already the windows had been boarded up, large bookcases shoved in front of them to prevent both light and sound – as well as any attempts to break in. The College would be a fortress by the time she was done.

so is there any treason in the tricky little price I pay?

i can't open up to you

Honestly? He’s surprised it works as well as it does. He was never one for the manual labor side of things, and his upbringing kept him from most of it, geared more toward books and writing than construction — but he wasn’t stupid when it came to it. He understood how it worked and what the goal of it was. And manages to make a fairly standard, if not somewhat bootlegged kind of blockage for the entrance there.

And he moves onto the next, fitting it out with a similar situation, and then the next until a small amount of sweat shines along his arms and shoulders. It’s been awhile since he’s done a workout like this, and part of him misses it while the other wishes that he hadn’t agreed. He’ll certainly be sore tomorrow.

He notices Oliver continuing with the task he had chosen, and while he passes over toward another entrance to board up and block, he nods to the pale haired man as if a silent conversation takes place — as if he’s saying he’s doing a pretty good job so far.

---

Sunjata continues his task and moves onto the next entrance!

me and my friends are lonely

i always figured i'd be the one to die alone

SUNJATA

LOREN

Loren managed to finally get the medical supplies where they belonged. Or rather, the golem got the job done. Sighing and rubbing his head—there was no pain, but he still felt the impact—he walked back into the main room. Taking a moment, he surveyed the main area of the Temple to see how everything was shaping up. Surprisingly it looked pretty good.

Oliver had continued to stuff moss, though he’d moved on from windows to the floor. The task was a simple one, and the newcomer would have no trouble with this aspect of it as well, or with finding creaky floorboards. Sunjata was still closing off all the doors, though he’d moved on from his first effort to what appeared to be his third. Unfortunately, this particular construction project wouldn’t hold up as well as the first two: even as Loren watched, the piece of wood at the top creaked, snapped, then fell, taking the rest of the boards with it, though they just fell off and didn't break. Hopefully the other man wouldn’t be hurt, but if he was Loren would heal him before moving on.

For the summoner’s part, now that the windows were boarded up, he had his golem scoop up boards and cloth, while he himself carried a hammer and a bucket of nails. He instructed the creature to hammer in a bunch of boards across the window, and was in the process of nailing a cloth over it when the whole setup came crashing down, just as Sunjata’ had earlier. Sighing, Loren ordered the golem to get back to it, though the Launceleyn went slowly, carefully, and methodically this time. It was going to be a long day.

During the conversation at the Medical College, one of the bookshelves would begin to tilt almost imperceptibly. Perhaps it was because Phoebe wasn’t that strong, and in her frantic efforts to shove the bookshelves into place, she’d left one dangerously off balance. Or maybe something had fallen on it, or knocked into it, or the contents had shifted, or it was pure dumb bad luck. Regardless, it fell, knocked into a nearby cabinet, which hit another bookshelf, until a whole wall of windows had been exposed in a deafening crash. Remi and the healer would be safe, but the room would be in shambles.

---

Oliver’s efforts to stuff moss into the floor went well!
Sunjata’s efforts to shore up the third door failed.
Loren’s efforts to shore up the first window failed.
Phoebe and Remi have to clean up the fallen furniture and reinforce the backdoor.

No post order! Please post what your character does this round at the bottom of your next reply.

But don’t be weary if it’s broken

Families are like that—

they’re split up and always torn.