[PQ] Not Yet House Nor Home

He had spent a season and a half trying to find his place in Torchline, hoping for some windfall to balance out the ill luck of the portal that had brought him here. His first makeshift hut in the jungle had been destroyed by the volcano’s eruption, and his second had been damaged to uselessness by a recent storm. Luck, it seemed, was not only not on his side but actively working against him the longer he dragged his feet.

So it was time to start taking his life back into his own hands.

If he was here to stay (and spirits, but he hadn’t wanted to admit that for the longest time), he needed a house. A real house, one to protect him from weather and predators – both four-legged and otherwise. Haulani itself was still too crowded and dangerous for his taste, so there was never any question about making his home in the jungle. It meant starting from scratch, though; cutting vines and chopping wood, planing it into stacks of lumber, trading the results of his hunting for nails and tools, ropes and saws.

And finding the right tree.

Tall and strong, with a spreading skirt of thick branches over twenty feet off the jungle floor and roots that ran deep, the stately rainforest matron had caught Kel’s eye and enchanted him ever since. He’d been working on it for a few weeks now; a skeletal framework now held the initial platform in place high above and sketched out the overall shape of what it could become, sturdy ropes and dried vines securing the bottom of the frame to the branches while the floor atop it was half-planked already, structural supports rising like stiff fingers towards the nonexistent roof. A rope ladder provided quick access, while a rope and pulley over a still-higher branch made it possible to bring the lumber up to the soon-to-be house’s level.

The floor needed to be finished and walls put in still, of course, not to mention a proper roof, and for one man alone it was a job that was swiftly becoming overwhelming. So Kel had tentatively pinned a message to the Notice Board, asking for assistance. He didn’t know if anyone would come, but it was worth a shot, and any help at all would be welcome.

---

This is a house-building PQ for Kel’s new treehome! There are two open spots (three if there’s interest). Please help Kel make a place to live.

1. Hotaru
2. Samuel

The name on the Notice Board had been what caught her attention. It was no easy feat to forget a man as strange and enchanting as Kellan, and part of her had warmed at the realization that he was exhibiting plans of settling. All too well aware of how it can feel, deposited in a new world and having to come to terms with the reality of never being able to return home. Though she had initially returned to Torchline to meet with Nate and Sunjata - to show them Atlas if nothing else - Hotaru instead changes her plans for the day and heads off into the thick foliage the jungle offers, intent on lending a hand.

When she arrives, the only sign that Hotaru hasn't lost her way is the rope ladder and the discordant shuffling of leaves overhead. Peering up against the bright backdrop, light dappling on her face, Hotaru smiles as she spots Kellan working up there, ensconced within the arms of the branches. "Care for some help?" Is called up into the canopy as she grins, one hand resting upon her unicorn's back as Atlas - completely shameless and uninterested in climbing affairs - noses the undergrowth for sweet grasses.

With a quick pat of her hand and the impression to remain nearby through the bond (receiving only the equivalent of an eye roll in return, offended by the implication that Atlas would want to leave his bonded behind) Hotaru hooks her foot into the rope ladder and climbs up to join Kellan in the vaguely constructed house he has chosen to make. "What can I do?"

Sam had learnt that during the day, as long as he was careful about where he stood, he could take walks in the jungle. The trees provided enough shady coverage that the sun wasn't a concern if he kept an eye out for any clearings, and it let him spend some time outside when it wasn't dark. From certain angles he could even sit and watch the sea, though he'd have to move around as the suns direction changed. It was during one of these moves that he heard noises of something occurring further in the jungle and above - against his better knowledge, he went to investigate. Perhaps to prove to himself that even if it was dangerous he could still over come it, after all. When he arrived and saw Kellan simply building, he was relieved and a tad disappointed all at once. Still, he smiled as he noticed Hotaru, who he had not seen in a while, and followed to add to her offer. "I c..could help too, as lo-long as I can keep in the shade." Samuel He took a step but then felt tired He said, I'll rest a little while But when he tried to walk again He wasn't a child

The familiar voice broke the bird calls of the jungle and Kel's head popped over the side of the platform almost immediately, surprise and shy delight breaking a broad grin across his face as the first helper arrived. He'd been afraid that no one would come... but with Hotaru there he felt fresh energy and optimism raising his spirits. "Hey Hotaru, I'd love so-- is that a unicorn?!" Stunned at the appearance of the young foal he almost fell from the branches as he leaned over to get a better look. A helpful gust of wind swirled up from below, stirring his hair as he teetered precariously for a moment before catching himself and heading over to the rope ladder, intending to scramble down to see the single horned creature.

Hotaru's ascent stopped him and he sat back sheepishly, but as she pulled herself up another voice - familiar, but different than he'd last heard it - reached him. "Hi, Samuel ," His greeting was a little tentative, unsure where he stood with the red-haired man, but maybe since he'd helped the Grounder out before, the man was coming to return the favor? "Don't want to get sunburned, huh? Can't blame you." Kel had little knowledge of Ascended, and didn't know that Sam was one.

"Um. Well, first thing is to finish the floor, so if someone could use the pulley to haul more planks up here, that would be a big help," he explained, pointing to the rig and the pile of the cut lumber at the base of the tree. "Then whoever is up here will need to hammer them into place, and another behind them can sand them down as we go. With three of us it should go pretty fast. Thank you..." He trailed off shyly as he looked first to Hotaru, but also down at Sam as well, caution at trusting anyone in Haulani warring with the genuine gratitude of having people willing to help him out.

He was distracted from the unicorn for the moment, but when the work was done he wanted to meet the new companion!

---

Pick your task!

1. Hauling the wood up to the tree house with the pulley
2. Hammering the planks into place to finish laying out the floor
3. Sanding the planks down so no one gets splinters

No post order

Kellan seemed almost anxious to greet him, which was surprising; Sam supposed he might be uncomfortable with the stammer. It was only when he made his comment about the sun that Sam realised Kellan didn't know he was Ascended; a correction rose up in his throat but didn't find voice...just for the moment, he thought it might be nice to forget about that part of his life himself. The pulley would be the easiest thing to do with his current lack of strength he felt, so he went to use it, hoping that the wood wouldn't be too heavy. Thankfully it was manageable and he put all his strength into it, enjoying doing something productive. -- Sam uses the pulley to lift up the wood! Samuel He took a step but then felt tired He said, I'll rest a little while But when he tried to walk again He wasn't a child

Hotaru laughs so hard and unladylike at Kellan's scrambling surprise that she nearly swoons right off the rope ladder. By the time she clambers aboard there are tears of mirth lining her pale lashes, cheeks aflush with amusement. "Yes, he's a unicorn. His name is Atlas, he's my bonded." Not entirely sure if Kellan is aware of the connotations of the word in this land, but offering the knowledge nonetheless.

Samuel joining them is a pleasant surprise, and she smiled in return at his greeting. "I could fashion you some hats and parasols if you'd like Sam," she says softly as she wanders his way, letting it remain private between them if at all possible. Passing onward to her own task, happy to have worn shorts today instead of a dress as she gets down on hands and knees to begin sanding the floorboards, humming softly under her breath.

Samuel seemed the quiet sort, something Kel both appreciated and felt a little bad about as the red-haired man got to work without further small talk, but there would be time later to thank him properly and maybe get to know him better. He went to work without complaint, doing the first and arguably most important task - getting the lumber up to the level of the growing treehouse. The wood was awkward to load and secure with the ropes and vines, but luckily Sam's strength still held, and though the task wasn't easy he was successful at lifting the wood up for Kel to maneuver and unload from above, before sending the ropes down for the next load.

While the Grounder stayed safely in the shade below (and the growing shade from the platform being laid down above) preparing the next batch, Kel shifted the boards from the first load to the edge of what he'd completed earlier, expanding the floor atop the frame and nailing them into place with increasingly practiced hammer strokes. Nails danced around him on a light breeze, helpfully blown into his fingers when he reached for the next one as his magic grew steadier with practice. He winced at the occasional splinter or pinched finger as his dexterity was challenged, but overall he was able to work smoothly while Hotaru followed behind. "Atlas... he sounds strong." Kel glanced over his shoulder with a shy grin for his friend. "What does 'bonded' mean, though?" Somehow the way she said it made it sound like the connection was deeper than that of a master and a pet.

Hotaru's endurance was sorely taxed by the effort of sanding in the damp heat, though her practical choice in clothing helped to mitigate some of it. It was the most difficult task, and the most time-consuming, and only her strong will and perserverance and high stat allowed her to keep up, though not without a few splinters and sore knees of her own by the time they'd worked for several hours, building a smooth and sturdy floor high above the ground below.

The platform curved around in an uneven circle rather than a square, resting on the frame braced atop the largest branches while others - and the wall studs - poked through and continued high above to spread their protective leaves. Looking around at the completed floor with shining eyes, Kel wiped away sweat and went to a water barrel tucked near the pulley, scooping out two roughly made wooden mugs of water for himself and Hotaru. "Sam, do you need a drink?" he called down to the hard worker below, who had persevered and managed to get most of the wood up to the platform, where it waited for the next project. "There's water up here." He grinned at Hotaru, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "Not quite all the comforts of home... yet. But it's good, clean rainwater."

After a break, he headed over to the pile of cut lumber, hoping he had enough. Still, as long as they could get most of it in place today, he could finish the rest himself later. "I'd like to get some outer walls up before we add the roof," he explained. "But with the heat, I thought maybe it could be mostly windows? " He looked to Hotaru, seeking advice and willing to adjust if she had something better in her experience. "So maybe two of us can hammer boards up about three feet high all around the outside, then skip three feet for windows, then finish the top foot off with more boards?" They'd need to fill in some of the walls in-between all the way up, too, but it was a plan to start with. "And then if someone could make storm shutters to go over the windows?" Either a pair of shutters that opened outward, or a single broad board that could be propped up to let the breezes in - or better yet, a combination of both for different windows.

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Well done (and lucky rolls!) on getting the floor put in! Next task:

Building the walls (with lots of spaces for windows):
1. Kellan
2.

Making storm shutters for the windows (roughly three feet by three feet boards with hinges)
1. Samuel

No posting order!

It was a gift to Sam's currently very weak self confidence that the wood went up without any issues, a smile on his face as he saw the pulley system work and the lumber sail up into the air. At least he could still be useful in some ways without the Voice, for the time being. When the load was finally lifted all the way he watched Kellan magically move the nails with an expression of some wonder on his face, enjoying the theatrics of it. The offer of a drink made him blink: he'd grown so used to everyone knowing he was Ascended that he hadn't been offered one out of the blue in years. "..Erm...n-no, I'm fine. Thank you." Sam responded after a moment, holding up a hand. Still, a break was welcomed, a chance to make sure he had plenty of shade to move around in and just enjoy the jungle scenery. At the jobs available after, he felt the shutters probably fit his quiet mood better. "I'll ma..make the shutters." He offered, then went to work on them: with his usual work taking a lot of expertise and measuring already, he hoped it would be easy enough. -- Sam goes to make the shutters! Samuel He took a step but then felt tired He said, I'll rest a little while But when he tried to walk again He wasn't a child

They have a nice rhythm already building between them, and Hotaru only has to pluck a few splinters from her knees as they toil onward. No real harm done. "Thank you," she responds warmly, proud of the name she had chosen and glad to see it well-received. "A bonded is more than a pet, their soul is intertwined with yours. A link of sorts, to give and receive impressions, feelings and the like." It's no hardship to inform him, so innocent is his query.

The work never rests however, and her stamina is well and truly tested as she sands the boards down to the smoothest grain she can manage. Sweat tickles at the shallow of her spine, tickling beneath her nape. Until she gives a frustrated wrinkle of her nose and pulls the hem of her shirt up, twisting it and tying it down through the neck hole between her breasts. It's only marginal additional coverage in comparison to her breast bindings, but she doesn't want to scar either man for life if they're of the more sensitive sort.

"Good enough for me," she assures kindly as water is offered, drinking her fill before dipping her fingertips into it to rub across the make of her neck and her throat to try and cool down a little. Queen or no, a rugged life is not beyond her, and Kellan has been the best host he can to both she and Samuel already.

The work resumes shortly however, and she is admittedly both taken aback and flattered as he asks for her opinion on the structure. "So long as you have some sort of lip to the roof so that the glare through the glass doesn't set fire, and extra ventilation in the ceiling to avoid too much heat gathering." As the desert dwellers she'd lived with had done, though their windows had been narrow and too high to look through (and no, that's not just because she's short).

Sam picks his task, and Hotaru doesn't mind picking up the remaining task. With a gamely smile she approaches the materials for the walls, ready to coordinate with Kellan to get them properly mounted and secured.

Hotaru’s explanation brought an expression of wistfulness to the mage’s face, a moment of daydreaming about what it might be like to have a connection so deep and meaningful with another soul. ”A soulmate,” he said softly, before realizing he’d spoken aloud and clearing his throat awkwardly. He ducked his head to hide the flush of embarrassment as he went back to work with a will, trying to focus on the task at hand instead of his silly slips of the tongue.

The work went better than he had any right to hope for, though Hotaru’s adjusting of her outfit to cope with the heat brought another blush to the hunter’s cheeks, and a peek of appreciation over his shoulder from time to time, hoping she wouldn’t mind the admiration in his eyes.

A break for water and stretching was definitely in order afterwards, and Kel smiled shyly as Hotaru graciously accepted the mug. He looked down at the red-haired man below him with a little concern that he wasn’t drinking, but the old saying about leading a horse to water certainly held true with people, too. ”Well… if you change your mind, just let me know,” he called back, a little uncertainly. Then it was time to choose their next tasks, and he waved for Sam to grab the thinner boards and broad hinges to affix to them, and the slender slats to brace them.

Hotaru’s suggestion was met with a nod at the idea of a lip to the roof, but her mention of glass had him shaking his head with an abashed smile. ”Oh, I can’t afford glass windows. If the weather is nice I can leave the shutters open, and if it’s windy or raining hard I can close them. I’ll probably put some netting or something in to keep the animals out, but aside from that…” He shrugged, trying not to let himself feel too embarrassed at how modest his nest was compared to the castles the Queen must have known. ”But we can slant the roof up from the edge of the walls! I like that idea,” he agreed eagerly.

Then it was time to get to work. Samuel struggled to attach the hinges appropriately, and several boards cracked while he tried to create the supports for their undersides. The work took a while, and though it should have been a faster task than planking the walls, it still took him as long as Hotaru and Kel to complete after several false starts and mistakes. In spite of it all he did manage to make it work out, and two hours later the shutters were piled in place, ready to be lifted and attached to the windows.

Hotaru set to work with more efficiency. The floorboards extended out a little ways past the support posts of the walls so they had a place to stand as they worked, but still required a fair bit of balance to stay safely on. She was deft and graceful in managing it though, and her walls of simple wooden planks fitted together, a few feet tall where the windows would go, or all the way up (with the help of a small ladder) in between those windowed openings.

Kel was not so lucky. In spite of his experience, he was halfway through his side of the treehouse when he shifted his weight just the wrong way and slipped from the platform. He drew in a sharp breath, calling on the wind to save him—But of course, it could not, not on this world. A puff of air ruffled his hair, but something else stirred in him in his panic and a nearby vine was yanked into his hand. He was able to steady himself and pull himself back onto the platform, but he was badly shaken and his work suffered for it thereafter. He needed Hotaru’s help to finish his side, but once they were working together things went more smoothly and the walls were soon finished in time for the shutters to be affixed with Samuel’s help.

”If we can finish the roof, I’ll have enough to stay here tonight,” he thanked them both with shy gratitude. ”Maybe, if there’s time, we can even build a few things to make homier… but first, the roof. We’ll need to lay a supporting frame from the wall supports to the center trunk,” he nodded to Hotaru’s earlier idea of affixing them at an upward angle so heat could rise. ”And someone will need to weave palm fronts through the poles to make the roof itself. And then someone to bring them up and secure the frond panels into place? Start at the edge of the roof and work your way so each panel overlaps the one below,” he explained. ”I can do the weaving… or teach whoever wants to learn and do one of the other tasks.”

---

Roof time!

1. Frame the roof, angled up towards the center trunk of the tree
2. Weave palm fronds onto poles, crisneia style
3. Secure the thatching poles to the roof frame, working from the edge of the roof towards the center!

No posting order

While it was obvious something meaningful was going on between Hotaru and Kellan (well, at least more meaningful than Sam's interactions with either of them), he had enough of his own business to ignore it for the most part, just getting on with his work: work that proved to be very difficult, making him rather frustrated in the process. With his temperament as it was at the moment he nearly threw down the tools and walked back home, but social expectations to help Kellan kept him there. When the next tasks were announced, Sam gravitated towards the one that sounded easiest, though whether it was would remain to be seen. "I'd li-like to weave, if that's okay." He thought he understood how it was done so would try to quietly get on with it, hoping this task would be more successful than his last. Samuel He took a step but then felt tired He said, I'll rest a little while But when he tried to walk again He wasn't a child

"Precisely," she agrees, kindly overlooking his flustered state at the word. It's true, after all. Though his continued fluster over her shameless baring of skin only has Hotaru sending him a wink over her shoulder when she catches him. Happy to be appreciated, just as content in showing whatever she likes.

"I could make you smaller glass windows, if you ever decide you'd like them. Or netting, if you go that route." The offer is at least on the table, and they could install them without a problem any time Kellan desires now that the measurements are available. Measurements that she shamelessly memorizes if only to surprise him with at least one someday, lest he try and skirt the offer.

The close call of his fall has her heart leaping in her throat, sure that Sam - for all his Ascended strength and speed - would not be able to catch a man falling from a tall tree. But she doesn't have to find out, because Kellan sways back to his feet before she can reach him, and she places a hand over her beating heart and gives a relieved sigh. "You scared the life out of me. Are you okay?" And only once she has received an answer does she set back to work.

As they gather together for the next instructions she gives Sam a warm smile, noting the tension in his shoulders that she's unsure how to chase away. Sam volunteers for the weaving, and she pouts playfully at him for it as she picks the next. "I can help secure it to the main beam, I'm the lightest and can balance up there." Hopefully that would keep Kellan from falling again. Even if she lacks the kind of magic that would save her in the way his had, it would make her feel less on edge to have to keep an eye on both men.

Hotaru's offer was as generous as her heart, and Kel opened his mouth to decline on habit, shying away from the thought of taking charity. But... she was also a friend. One of the few he could claim on this world, and he could tell that she meant her words. He closed his mouth and swallowed, then nodded with a hesitant smile. "I... I'll take you up on that. If you'll let me pay you back in meat and hides," he added impulsively, not wanting to take advantage of her kindness without showing how much he appreciated it, and offering the only coin a poor hunter had.

She wasn't the only one facing heart problems after his near fall. He was used to scampering around in tall trees, and the occasional slips and accidents that happened high up in their branches, but always before the winds had answered his call and lowered him gently to the ground. The little breeze that followed him about now might have been obedient but it lacked the strength to do anything so meaningful, and he was both frightened and subdued by his near miss as he nodded, dry-mouthed and shaky, at Hotaru's question. He was okay... but it had been a far closer thing than he wanted to think about.

The house was taking shape between the three of them, small but cozy high up in the tree, and sturdy enough to withstand anything the mighty forest giant itself could. Sam's willingness to take on the finger-twisting weaving and Hotaru's quick thinking at using her size to their advantage brought the smile back to the hunter's eyes as he nodded eagerly. "I can show you," he agreed to Samuel 's offer, and went to the pile of cut palm leaves, demonstrating how to take their stems and loop them over the pole and back through a slit near the leaf's base, anchoring them into place and laying them close together to overlap and keep out the rain. Much to his surprise, Sam caught on fast and was soon working away in the shade. The red head's hopes paid off, the task going smoothly and, if anything, at a better than average clip as he made each pole of fronds sturdy and thick.

Kel needed to get the roofing frames in place before Hotaru could affix the poles to them, but his earlier near-fall had left him shaky and unstable. Where once he had scampered fearless and free around the structure, now he moved with hesitance and an overabundance of caution. Several times he slipped, luckily only falling a few feet to the tree house floor, and picking himself back up with raw determination to finish the job. It was... not a particularly good job, the roof frame constructed poorly from his lack of confidence and too-timid hammering. He would be lucky if it lasted more than a season before needing to be reframed.

For now, though, it was (just barely) strong enough to support Hotaru 's weight as the crisneia poles were hoisted up the pulley to her waiting hands, to be fitted over the roof frame. For her, slow and steady did the trick, the job facing no major obstacles but being accomplished with no particular flair, either. Efficient, effective, and, eventually complete. The tree house had a floor and walls and a roof, with windows that could be open for ventilation or shuttered against bad weather.

"I know it's getting late," Kel admitted as the shadows were lengthening in the jungle in the jungle around them, though light lingered high up in the trees where they were. "And if you want to leave now I understand. I'll owe you - in meat, or hides or future favors. The last thing I wanted to get done today was to make it a bit more... well, comfortable, if you feel like staying. I thought maybe a table or two, or some counters anchored to the walls. A couple chairs..." He trailed off sheepishly. "And maybe hanging a curtain or two to divide the space into rooms. It's just me, so it doesn't need to be anything fancy."

---

You can leave now if you want, having accomplished three rounds OR you can stay for the bonus round ;D

1. Hanging curtains to divide the space up
2. Building a table and chairs
3. Building shelves

No post order! Almost done!

Hands experienced at fine bookmaking work came through and deftly weaved in the palm fronds, much to Sam's delight: it seemed the Voice had not taken everything from him. He happily worked until the job was done, humming slightly to himself and finding the task actually quite relaxing, putting effort into making sure it looked neat and sturdy. The time moving on wasn't a problem; if anything it made him more comfortable, less chance of the sun burning his skin from a gap in the leave's shady protection. "I'll h-help you put up the curtains. Then you h..have spaces to put every-everything else into." Sam thought if he was to move into somewhere like this, dividing it up into dedicated spaces would be one of the first steps towards having it feel like a home. Taking whatever material Kellan provided he would go in and begin making the dividers, trying to make sure there was a good even space for each room. Samuel He took a step but then felt tired He said, I'll rest a little while But when he tried to walk again He wasn't a child