[PQ] Ev'ry avenue and place, ev'ry building, ev'ry face

And you understand with every seed you sow you make this cold world beautiful

Well, he supposed it was as good a time as any for a new start.

The last weeks had been difficult, torturous and slow and too fast and everything else too; to still be standing after them felt like quite the accomplishment, Sam felt. After all of it, the thing he wanted to do the most was collapse into bed and never leave, but he'd learnt over the last couple of years that rarely solved anything. His old life was in shambles, the family he'd built up destroyed and gone and his home radically changed from what it had once been...it was time to try and create something new from the rubble.

He'd sold some books and pens he had collected from his house to afford the shop: it was tiny, a building squished in between two others that almost looked too skinny to be real from the front, though at the back it opened out a little more. It was hardly a glamorous showroom, but that didn't matter: it was a space to work in and call his own, and it had a view of the ocean. Stood in the back room with his hands on his hips looking out over the beach, he allowed himself a smile: maybe, somehow, it'd be the start of something good.

He'd have to learn how to draw maps, of course, but that was a small detail.

Sam had already asked Zeph to come help, but he knew he couldn't ask the other man to take on all the work required: the interior of the building still showed signs of the butchers it had once been, rather ugly murals of meat and animals on the walls and suspiciously red dirt gathered in the corners. Having placed a sign on the door explaining that he was new to town and anyone that helped could expect free maps in the future, he hoped it might be enough to gain some more assistance.

--
A PQ for Sam to make a brand new Cartographer's store in Haulani!
Please write your character arriving in this first round, no post order :- )

There are no free spaces left in this PQ.
1. Zephyr
2. Sunjata
3. Nate

SAMUEL

- NATE -

Just how deep do you believe?
Will you bite the hand that feeds?

It has been a few weeks since he’d received his fancy new government title, time that Nate has done absolutely nothing with. There are plans, ideas in the mix, but the only notable things he’s done are beatings and being attacked. It doesn’t exactly make for a stunning track record.

But there was no better way to fix that than by getting out into the community, putting boots to the ground, and helping out with what he could. A snake rests sprawled across the length of his shoulders, half in and half out of his shirt. Perhaps this would be an easier endeavour without such a burden, but Nate was loathe to just leave the attuned at home, alone. It was good for him to get some sun, some fresh air.

Really, this had to be one of the better days Nate had had in weeks. Of course it couldn’t last. Of course, the shop with the Volunteers Wanted sign was a trap. Nate threw the door open, the words on his lips dying as he saw the red headed ascended, and froze in the doorway. He’d put too much emphasis on his entrance, and fucked himself into a situation he didn’t want to be in.

Will you chew until it bleeds?
Can you get up off your knees?

may we dance until it rains, may we drink to hide our shame. we're all pretty when we die

It’s the first time he’s been out since the adventure to the Fingers, at least the first time he’s been to the city where the people that filtered by weren’t Vervain and seeing Ronin. But he knows he’d be too slow, likely too exhausted by the time they’d gotten here to actually be of any use, and he’s lucky and thankful for Nate as he slinks along the Ascended’s shoulders, long black scaled body curled around one shoulder, looped around his neck, curled enough that his head can rest along Nate’s opposite shoulder, shrouded by long dark hair.

He can’t talk to Nate this way, but there is some hidden amusement with the ability of sticking a forked tongue out at Nate’s neck, curling closer and loosening, holding on tightly though he knows Nate won’t drop him. He’s still a relatively large snake, despite his attempts to keep as small and compact as possible.

Nate’s entrance elicits an amused hiss from the cobra, but when he stills and Sunjata’s dark eyes spot Samuel, he slinks a bit further forward, appearing out of Nate’s hair to raise his head and flare his hood, curling tighter around Nate. A forked tongue sticks out, jaw parting slightly with the threat of fangs beneath the scaled edge. He offers a slight squeeze to Nate, a supportive boon in an attempt to try and not start more shit, seeing as they've a wedding to plan and certainly aren't in a space to work things out beforehand.

Though if he's being honest, he wouldn't blame Nate for wanting to throw another punch.

SUNJATA

Well, if this isn't the biggest cluster fuck in waiting you've ever encountered then you don't know what is.

You're already inside when the 'Biter and his face-punching bloodsucker arrive (director of social affairs of some shit; nepotism if ever you've seen it). You've been helping Sam get stuff ready, teasing him lightly about the smell of the building, feeling easy enough about it all, warm and eager to have a job.

All that warmth evaporates away as soon as the door opens, of course.

Your brown eyes harden just a fraction, your expression falling languid and flat. To most people it will look like simple civility, though perhaps Sam will notice your aggravation beneath it. "See ya made it out," you remark sardonically, raising an eyebrow to Nate. "'S a relief. Got worried when y'all wandered off." Your expression and voice scream of polite innocence. Only your eyes betray you, animosity glinting in their depths.

and in the sea that's painted black
creatures lurk below the deck
but you're my king and i'm your lionheart

And you understand with every seed you sow you make this cold world beautiful

It was pleasant with Zeph, chatting and laughing as he organised the beginnings of his shop; Sam was having fun (though balancing the appropriate level of affection for a rejected crush was still heavy on his mind)...then Nate walked in. Surprised, Sam looked up and stared, broom in his hands going limp against his arm as he tried to work out what the man wanted. Had he come to end whatever beef he had with Zeph? Or had he come to fight it out again with Sam? Worse, Sam noticed the snake around his neck - Sunjata, he was sure. Did he have some kind of government protection for this mission?

He looked over to Zeph, who spoke with a fake veneer of pleasantries to them: he didn't know the context, but Sam had been at the receiving end of enough genuine kindness from Zeph to know when it wasn't real. Unsure of what to do, he tried to give a smile towards them at the end of the words, though he could feel it was awkward on his face.

"Um...di...did you come to help?" He asked. That seemed optimistic, but he hoped saying it out loud might manifest it, instead of whatever hit job they were here to carry out. "We were just about to clean..." Sam gave the floor a couple more experimental mops, hoping they wouldn't be his last.

---
Well...awkward, but there's cleaning to be done!

1. Sam is already mopping the floor.
2. Dusting! Cobwebs, dust and dirt in every corner or shelf!
3. Windows need cleaning. It's a sunny day, so probably not the best job for an Ascended.
4. Someone needs to tackle the blood stains on the floor with a specially hard mopping.

SAMUEL

- NATE -

Just how deep do you believe?
Will you bite the hand that feeds?

Zeph’s hard stare is met by an icy one, Nate working his jaw a moment before he can force a strained grin to his lips, can force put a terse sentence, anger clenching his hands. ”We made it out, yea.” He angles himself down, giving the snake a chance to shift back into man again. ”Still have to thank you for the directions, dont we?” And he’s ready to show the smuggler exactly how grateful he is, when Sam speaks up.

This will not look good, and that’s the only thing that makes Nate pause, that unclenches his fists. He does a quick calculation, then sighs through his nose. ”We’re here to help.” The words come with a bright flash of an incredibly fake grin, and then Nate stepping forward.

”I’ll take care of the stains.” Comes the growl as he grabs a scrub brush and a bucket, staring hard at the rest of the group before he starts working, just to make sure nothing was about to erupt.

---

Nate takes the floor scrubbing

Will you chew until it bleeds?
Can you get up off your knees?

better get to diggin' while my body's getting cold.
i keep tryna fight it so just promise when i go, you'll bury me low

He’s gotta be honest, it sucks seeing Zeph. And it sucks that he’s still healing, still slow and in pain when it comes to moving or doing anything really, when he and Melita had done all the work in expelling that creature. But he swallows down the lingering frustration, not wanting to be in more pain from a fight breaking out right before wedding plans are made and enacted, and so he focuses his attention on his fiancé instead. A light squeeze from his scaled body, before following the slight dip Nate takes so his snakelike body can hit the floor.

As soon as he does, he shifts back into himself, an arm outstretched toward Nate as a tether as his steel gaze lands on Zeph, equally as hard. He wears a tank top of sorts now, his shoulder missing ink in the wide expanse of partially healed burns. He’s prepared to mention just exactly how much of a thank you he’d give Zeph, but he swallows it down instead.

His stone gaze slips to Sam then, a small nod at the mention of helping, glancing around to what needed to be done. When he decides on something, he slips by Nate with a slight squeeze, hoping to take some of the frustration away. “Windows it is.” He rumbles back toward Zeph and Sam, slipping away to grab a tag and a bucket. It’s slow going with the soreness of his shoulder, of it being his dominant side, but he does the best he can at scrubbing away dirt and left behind ash from the volcano eruption, keeping the bucket held high to not need to bend over too much.

---

Jata takes windows!

SUNJATA

Aw, look, they're playing nice. So you do too, more for Sam's sake than out of any actual courtesy, though honestly if they want to let it lie you're willing to call things fair and square. "My pleasure." Hard glares are met with a pleasantly neutral expression, you having clearly accepted the win in this match. You've proven your point and have no reason to rub their noses in it further. The next move - and whether or not there is one - is on them.

The boys take the easy jobs, leaving you to dust. Seems like fuckin' Tallyata over there ought to have done it, but whatever, you can manage well enough. Grabbing rags and a dusting stick you set about cleaning the cracks and crevices, whistling with a cheerfulness that utterly belies any knowledge of the awkward tension that permeates the shop.

and in the sea that's painted black
creatures lurk below the deck
but you're my king and i'm your lionheart

And you understand with every seed you sow you make this cold world beautiful

Somehow, even though it was possibly the most awkward and terrifying tension Sam had ever felt in a room, the cleaning did get done. He mostly kept his eyes down at the floor, focused on his mopping and ignored any looks or jibes passing between Zeph, Nate and Sunjata. When every corner of the floor was sparkling (he had so little wanted to restart any conversation Sam had swiped every floorboard at least thrice) he finally looked up, gave them all loose smiles where he didn't quite meet eyes, then spoke again.

"Right, um...so now I want to make it look a little nicer. I was going to arrange all my books out on the shelves and so on...are any of you artistically leaning?" Sam asked, forcing out a pleasant smile, but he was pretty sure the answer was a solid no. "As you can see, someone thought it was a wonderful idea to paint the walls with cuts of meat...I have a few different paints. You could just paint it over with a plain colour, but if anyone wanted to try something creative, I thought that might be...fun?"

Almost absolutely sure that no one here wanted to try paint something fun on his wall, Sam moved along. "Then I was hoping someone could replant the box outside the window, it's full of weeds. I brought some flower bulbs in, so it should be easy." He hoped. Sam had never been much of a gardener himself and hoped the flowers would basically just sort themselves out once they were planted.

----
Sam is arranging books on the shelves.
Tasks:
1. Paint over the wall: your choice if you go with a plain colour, or try give Sam a fun mural. (this is a two person job - there is a lot of wall!)
2. Plant new flowers in the window box outside.

SAMUEL

- NATE -

Just how deep do you believe?
Will you bite the hand that feeds?

If he keeps his head down, if he focuses on only the work, Nate can just about ignore the irritation still making his fingers twitch with the urge to solve the problem, in the short term. It isn't worth the long term hassle. Not right now at least. With the job he does, it almost seems as if Nate has some experience scrubbing deep dark stains out of floors, not a trace of stain left by the time he's finished, water dyed a rusty red when he tips it into the street, holding the door open for Sunjata to amble back in, all their cleaning done.

There's more to do, because it's never quite as simple as just a good cleaning, is it? An arm is thrown around Sunjata's waist easily as he listens to the bookmaker list out the next few tasks, careful of the still healing burns but Nate wants, needs the anchor, the reminder to keep his head, to get through the job in relative peace.

Neither of his thumbs was green, and there was still the pesky problem of the sun, so Nate's choices were limited to painting, or, well... painting. There was no complaint from him though, as he silently grabbed a bucket of paint and a brush, a brow and a second brush offered out towards Sunjata. Art also wasn't a particular skill of his, but he could put down a base coat, could cover the butchers branding over the walls.

Temptation knocks, as it is wont to do to those with a chip in their shoulder and poor willpower, whispering that he could probably get away with doing an intentionally shitty job, with barely covering the walls properly. Nate entertains the idea for a moment, then almost audibly sighs, resisting it, if only for his own reputation. He chooses a pale green, hoping to cancel out the red of the murals already there, and gets to work painting.

---

Nate takes painting and starts working on a green base

Will you chew until it bleeds?
Can you get up off your knees?

better get to diggin' while my body's getting cold.
i keep tryna fight it so just promise when i go, you'll bury me low

The work goes easily enough, and Sunjata finds the windows are easy to clean and rid themselves of ash and dirt. Before long, a fair amount of light filters through, and Sunjata slips a cloth over it in the meantime to ensure that nothing happens to Nate or Sam with an inadvertent sun ray. But then that task is done, cleanup goes easily enough, and Sunjata’s slipping over to Nate, slinging an arm around Nate’s shoulders when Nate’s arm finds its space around his waist.

And Nate decides on painting, so Sunjata follows him over there. The last time he’d painted, he’d painted a mural of Frey in the Hollowed Grounds. Before LongNight. Forever ago. So he flashes an easy grin toward Nate, going to pick up a paint brush and help lay a base coat down.

Waiting for it to dry, however, Sunjata picks a few other colors, some brighter and some dark, moving to apply it to a mostly dried wall, before his hand ‘slips’ and a streak of blue sliding right down Nate’s cheek. Of course, Sunjata can’t quite pretend to be surprised, a snicker slipping from him as he winks toward Nate. “Oops.” He hums, a small shrug slipping from him before he works on the wall again.

---

PAINTING PLS

SUNJATA

Well then. You really don't want to be here, in the most awkward and uncomfortable and tense room you've ever stepped foot in, the air practically sizzling for a fight, but... well, you like Red. And you hate seeing how uncomfortable he is, even if you think that he really oughta grow a backbone and tell the fuckers off. It's his ex and the guy he left him for, right? Who punched him? Yet here he is, nice as pie. It makes your blood boil.

But you'll be nice. For now, for him, you will be perfectly civil.

For now.

They take painting, and though you're somewhat nervous about leaving them alone to their devices (and a far better artist than gardener) you begrudgingly accept your task, setting about extracting weeds from the overgrown planter. You've taken it to the open front door so you can keep a careful eye on the goings-on inside, ready to spring up at a moment's notice should the idiots decide to pull some shit, or should Red look too ill at ease.

and in the sea that's painted black
creatures lurk below the deck
but you're my king and i'm your lionheart

And you understand with every seed you sow you make this cold world beautiful

Seeing that Nate and Sunjata were the ones going to paint his wall Sam inwardly groaned; without Zephyr to tame them, he was almost certain he was going to end up with some kind of disparaging or terrible mural. As he arranged his books he glanced over often, waiting to see 'SAM SUX' in bright pink across the wall, but thankfully that didn't happen. No, Sunjata and Nate actually seemed to do a good job, even if looking over to see Sunjata 'accidentally' painting Nate's face made him want to throw up in his mouth a little.

Zeph's work was outside so Sam couldn't see much of the progress, but when he finally stepped out to take a look (relieved to get away from Sunjata and Nate, who were his current enemies as well as disgustingly smoochy with each other), he was pleased to see the soil free of weeds. "Good work. ..It was probably smart of you to get out of there." He said quietly, glancing towards the door and making a face.

Still, he had to go back in eventually to deliver the last tasks: he brought Zeph with him. "Thank you, the wall looks good." Sam said to Sunjata and Nate. "Do you think..Sunjata, you already have some other colours out: do you think you could actually paint something on it? Um, though, you don't have to. And please, nothing too distracting." Given that they had resisted the temptation the first time, Sam trusted them to not ruin his store.

There wasn't anything else to be done in the store itself, only paper to be fetched from a seller down the street. Watching Nate and Sunjata for a long moment, Sam decided he could trust them (The Arbiter and Director of Social Affairs couldn't be seen vandalising, right?) and touched Zeph's wrist, pointing out the door. "Could you come and help me get the supplies I need? It's just up the street." Hopefully, Zeph might appreciate the out.

---
Last round of tasks!
1. Nate and Sunjata, finish your masterpiece!
2. Zeph, go help Sam grab paper from a couple doors up!

SAMUEL

- NATE -

Just how deep do you believe?
Will you bite the hand that feeds?

There's a slight sense of relief that comes with Sunjata following him, the attuned picking out other colours of paint. It at least lends the illusion that between them, they know what they're doing. And with the peace apparently stable enough to not boil over in violence, Nate can relax a little, can enjoy the simple work of painting with his fiance at his side. Even getting some kind of leg up over Sam is forgotten in lieu of the laugh that leaves him as a splash of paint colours his cheek. "Oops, huh?" He snorts, his own brush rising in retaliation to smear green along the other mans jaw.

It's hard to believe that Sam felt secure enough to leave them alone in the shop, but it's something else Nate isn't going to complain about. And the only thing he does is reach out to grab Sunjata, pressing a kiss against him, and making sure to press their cheeks together to spread the attuned's favourite colour on him.

Sam pops his head back in long enough to tell them to keep doing what they were (thanks boss) and to fix them with a hard, distrustful look before slipping away again. All Nate offered in response was a thumbs up, his focus on the wall they were working on, and the man beside him.

He let Sunjata take the lead with the design, following after him and adding detail, filling in shapes. And getting messy. By the time Sam returned, the wall would be done, and the pair of them would be covered in incriminating handprints. He didn't know if the same could be said for Sunjata, but Nate didn't even have the decency to look anything but smugly satisfied, waiting to see if there was anything else to be done, or if they were free to head out again.

Will you chew until it bleeds?
Can you get up off your knees?