From being an Abandoned who had rarely left the Hollowed Grounds, to embracing the call of adventure, to dying and being reborn first as an Ascended and then as an Ancient, Maea has gone through quite the amount of changes in her life. One thing remains common, though, in her attempts to find out just where she belongs; she’s always had a craving for knowledge which has brought her to so many places and to meet so many people here in Caido. We can’t wait to see what else is in store for her!
Congratulations, Maea!
Credits
Court of the Fallen was created in October of 2018 by Odd, Honey, and Crooked.
Skinning and hosting by the epically talented Kaons, and functionality fanciness by the coding magic of Neowulf. If you ever see either of them around, make sure to show them some love!
They'd had to wait a week or so for the air to be clear enough that Remi felt comfortable asking Raza, Ronin, and Sunjata up here to help. The lighthouse wasn't terribly close to the volcano, but even so, the air had been thick with ash and the alchemist wasn't about to ask those he currently trusted most to clog their lungs.
But plans had been drawn in the meantime and Remi had worked such that when the trio did arrive (or duo, Ronin did currently live with Remi after all), things would be ready to go.
Ready to go meant creating a new wing of the house...and perhaps a few other things as well. The alchemist had in mind a tunnel system that might lead into the Hanged Man, for both his benefit as well as Raza's. She'd always had heightened knowledge of the goings-on in Torchline, but with this new appointment, it just might be that having a private entrance to the Governor's house for her (or those she needed to squirrel-away in the dead of night), might just be a benefit. The pair of them could certainly work on that together, while Ronin and Sunjata, the resident muscle stats aside, could aid with the actual construction.
Remi had made the materials that they'd need. Now all he needed, was for his soon to properly-appointed council members to arrive that they might get this ooc formality out of the way.
Ronin didn't have to go far, and the Dark Star waited on the steps of their existing house with very little on his mind other than whatever he wanted to do with - or to - Remi after this task was dealt with. He was still salty about the island he'd been drunkenly promised, truth be told, but at least they didn't have to deal with the upheaval of moving again, as his husband had rightly pointed out.
The ash had cleared from the air, and the stillness and silence of Haulani nearby was almost palpable. People would be keen to move back into their homes, and Ronin hoped that meant everyone would be willing to pitch in. But more on that later. For now, they had this to contend with.
i'll put all my pieces back together where they belong, and i'll say
Like Ronin and Remi, Sunjata doesn’t have to go far either. Instead, he gathers whatever he needs, the ash itself still coating the ground but less so in the air, making it a bit easier to be out and about. He’d talked to Remi about the creation of a headquarters, a home for the governor – perhaps part of him is pleased that they like this house well enough that he’d simply offered on the spot to make it into something more long lasting. He supposes it makes sense.
Slipping from his home in a short sleeve shirt, prepared for more manual labor to start off this section of a government – something he hadn’t expected, hadn’t planned on being a part of yet done it anyway… Well, it kept his mood fluctuating. Today’s a better day, at least. Less outbursts and more sullen quiet, as he makes his way toward the house they’ll be renovating, tattooed arm folding over a scar-flecked one as he crosses his chest. “Ready.”
god, i'm a mess
SUNJATA
No permission needed for power play!
Feel free to use magic/force on Sunjata, without killing him <3
Sunjata speaks with an Australian accent and has a passive magic that makes him produce a subtle scent that matches exactly to whatever those around him most desire him to smell like.
I probably have the furthest to come and am therefore the last to arrive. Sweating from the exertion, I show up and am in need of a drink of water.
Remi’s offer had been surprising; but once I thought about it, I was probably the best option. Knowing who I know, doing what I do - it was really the perfect position for me, if I ever had any inclination to be a part of the government. Worth a shot. And Remi’s okay. If he’s truly changed the way he says he has, this could be a decent arrangement. “You tryin’ to keep people away?” I joke, wiping my brow. Not as bad as living on Apopo, but it's not like he's in Haulani, either.
Nodding to Ronin and Sunjata (did the loser become his second?), I cross my arms across my chest and look around. “Aight. Whatcha want?”
With a sly glance towards Raza, the newly-appointed governor grins. "Not that I am, but no one likes have their parents breathing down their necks." He replies. So no, he'll not be in Haulani. He'll not oversee every moment of every day from some highrise in the town, loitering on his porch and shaking his fist when things don't run smoothly. He meant it when he said he'd let the bones of Torchline remain undisturbed and at least as of now, that meant not needing to live right in the thick of things.
"I'll save the appreciation speech for someone who cares." Remi begins with a roguish grin. "I think it best that the muscle do what they're best at." The muscle of course being Ronin and Sunjata. "If we can add an extension onto the house so that there's at least a bit of a divide for my family, that's all I want. A sitting room and an office, perhaps?" He shrugs, leaving it in their oh-so capable hands. "There's three of you, so I"m sure you'll make quick work of it." Two Stars and one Flood.
Turning to Raza, Remi waggles a finger that she might follow. "As for the more clever of us, I thought perhaps a tunnel from my office to somewhere in the bar might be...helpful in your line of work. An easy escape if ever there was a need, a place to hide things..." Mutually beneficial, Remi thought. Which was basically at the heart of his arrangement with Raza.
If Raza agrees, the alchemist will start using his magic to remove the soil that their little construction project might begin. Luckily the town is not that far off, but still, it will take work to make a safe passage through to the bar.
Ronin and Sunjata to begin construction on the extension. Wood and tools have been provided. Get to clearing the land and framing the walls!
Raza to agree/not Remi's idea to make a tunnel connecting his office to the Hanged Man. If she agrees, there is a shovel/gloves for her. If not, they can go and assist with the house project.
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
The muscle? Ronin would have been offended if it weren't so true. Nodding at Sunjata and Raza in greeting, the Dark Star rose to his feet, leaving his projection in his wake so that it could follow along as well. "Aye, governor." He shot a shit-eating grin Remi's way, heading already to the land to be used for the extension on the house.
Clearing the land would be the hardest part, argably, so both Ronins went to grab tools - a shovel for the projection, and Emmett's axe for the original. They went to work levelling out the ground, removing larger rocks and clearing weeds and other shrubs so that there would be a blank slate to frame the walls.
i'll put all my pieces back together where they belong, and i'll say
A nod is given to Raza when she arrives as well – having not met the woman before but likely needing a reason to at some point anyway. Bar owner to bar owner. That’s a time for later, however, nowt hat there’s work to be done – snorting at the mention of muscle but neither denying nor accepting it. He moves with Ronin as the star and his projection get to work on clearing.
That leaves Sunjata to dig the trenches for the wood framing to go. And he thinks that he could likely get away with it with a shovel – but why not have some fun with it? He shifts to his panther form, padding over toward where the walls would both line up and extend, working on digging the trenches for the frames to go into with clawed paws, creating the guidelines and space for it all.
Sunjata shifts to his panther form to dig trenches for the framing to go into!
god, i'm a mess
SUNJATA
No permission needed for power play!
Feel free to use magic/force on Sunjata, without killing him <3
Sunjata speaks with an Australian accent and has a passive magic that makes him produce a subtle scent that matches exactly to whatever those around him most desire him to smell like.
When Remi puts it that way, I chuckle and nod. Fair enough. Dropping it.
Preening a bit at being called clever (because I sure as hell ain’t the muscle with these three (four?) burly men standing around) I’m nonetheless started at his proposition. And it shoes. Taking my time to think through it, I try and weigh the pros and cons, knowing only that it’s only beneficial when we’re on the same team. And while I have an inkling that both of my teams are his teams, I can’t be completely sure. And Jack… well, my loyalties lie with Jack first. And who’s to say that whomever follows him will be of the same inclinations?
There’s always a solution, though.
“On two conditions. One - that you see if I want to keep the tunnels after you leave office. And two - that it can somehow be locked at either end.” Assuming that Remi agrees to the conditions, I grab the offered gloves and a shovel, waiting to dispose of any dirt he misses, tamping down parts of the tunnel that seem loose and directing him to put the entrance at her end in the back room.
The muscle, that is Ronin x2 and Sunjata appear to have done this before. In fact, they both have which makes the work fly by. After just over an hour, the area is clear and posts dug. Luckily a few Torchers have arrived to help, because even in fantasy-land, it's absurd to think of these two erecting an entire addition in a day.
The next step is framing and the roof. Wood and axes have been provided. Off you go!
"If I stop being governor, I will happily destroy the tunnels and call it a temper-tantrum, if you like." Remi chuckles in agreement. "But doors?" He ruffles a hand through his hair and exhales as if this is truly a weighty request. "You drive a hard bargain, Raza. But who am I to say no?" Governor though he might be, alchemist, mage, and manticore wrapped up into one. But Raza would always have something he didn't (boobs): the ear of the people.
The going is easy enough for Raza and Remi at first. However as they find themselves deeper into the tunnel, it takes longer and longer to haul the earth back to the beginning. The walls also begin to buckle. They can't really call on help from the Torchers aiding Ronin/Sunjata, as that will ruin the secret-nature of the tunnel (murder them after they help? That's on the table). So the option then is to split up. It's up to Raza if she wants to keep hauling/digging the dirt, or reinforcing the walls.
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
04-08-2020, 07:36 AM (This post was last modified: 04-08-2020, 07:36 AM by Ronin.)
the baffled king composing hallelujah
Success, it looked like - and with help from other Torchers, this would not take long at all. "Having fun?" he called across to Sunjata, spotting the panther digging the trenches and, now that the land was clear, approaching the wood and axes to start to make the frame. Directing the Torchers where needed, Ronin began to cut the wood to shape and knock the structural posts into the trenches that the guildmaster had dug.
"If we work together, we can hammer the frames to shape and get them set up?" he suggested, before going to do just that because are you serious, Honey doesn't know how to build a fucking house.
fightin' with my shadow, that is somethin' i am good at / givin' me the power that is provin' to have backlash
Digging the trenches seemed to be successful enough, and when he takes a moment to glance around again, Sunjata notices the others that had joined in. Steel eyes flickering along the work already done, the cleared land they’d successfully removed everything from. Which meant that the next step was to place the beams and begin to fix up the roof once the base was laid out.
First, they needed a base, though. So he shifts back into himself, hearing Ronin out when he suggests the idea of working together. A nod is granted to the star, grabbing an axe to cut the beams when required, before beginning to prop them up and help Ronin knock them into place. Once it seems to make a general shape, he can get an idea of how to go about the roof and begins to offer some hopefully helpful instruction on how they should cut the beams to work on the foundation of that. In the meantime, however, he focuses on the task of setting up the base.
SUNJATA
No permission needed for power play!
Feel free to use magic/force on Sunjata, without killing him <3
Sunjata speaks with an Australian accent and has a passive magic that makes him produce a subtle scent that matches exactly to whatever those around him most desire him to smell like.
Now that my big asks are granted, my side eye comes out, arched brow and all. “I have a feeling doors aren’t actually an obstacle for you.” It’s a guess that he is far more powerful than I know, but the semblance of privacy and separation is what I’m after. It’s important.
It’s hard work. I’m glad I ate a full meal before I came, but let’s be honest, I’m not like these men. The gloves protect my hands from blisters, but my muscles begin to ache. I take off my shirt and tie it around my head to catch the sweat so it won’t sting my eyes so much. At this point, I don’t care if Remi minds my little sports bra tit-holder, we both know it doesn’t mean anything. Eventually something seems to be wrong with the walls, they’re dropping more dirt than usual. “Hey Remi?” I call to him. “This section doesn’t seem stable. I’m gonna try to reinforce the walls, but if it collapses, don’t let me suffocate.”
I start to take the dirt he’s moving and pat it up against the walls, forcing it to compact with the back of my shovel, my hands, whatever is easiest.
Given Sunjata 's expertise in this, the shape comes along nicely. However two of the Torchers get into a fistfight and end up knocking each other into one of the supports, toppling about 10% of the current structure. This will have to be fixed before proceeding, and likely the Torchers will have to be managed more carefully going forward.
-- Manage the Torchers better.
-- Add walls and a roof!
Remi smirks a touch at that, shrugging his shoulders as if he has no idea what it is she's alluding to. As they work, it's true that he doesn't notice as Raza begins to shed her layers. What does draw his attention is the threat of buckling walls. "Here—" A bucket appears, and in it, a mixture not unlike cement. Sure, Remi could just stabilize the walls himself, but in this task however small, the alchemist keeps his campaign promise: he won't change the fundamentals of Torchline. One such fundamental is that the people are more than capable and need little coddling.
Continuing to remove earth, the alchemist works in tandem with the bar owner to create the most efficient tunnel in terms of direction.
-- Raza's efforts to stabilize the walls are at about 80%
-- The tunnel is 75% of the way to the bar
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
A bucket just appears and I should be surprised, but ain't. Instead, I peer inside, poking with the shovel at the grey mixture. Oh. It’s like cement. Cool. “Great,” I say, and begin to add a layer of the mixture to the parts of the walls that look the weakest, pausing every now and then to make sure its setting correctly and not dripping on to the floor or hardening in spikes. I continue to work without complaint, hoping that we’re almost done. Without any outside reference, it’s hard to tell how far we’ve come.
