[PQ] the one where they build

NOAH

set a fire for tomorrow
set it to your woes

With the greenhouse work started, Noah also knew there would be a greater need for the storage of meats from hunter's gains. In his own home, there was a small room off the backside of his kitchen, that was mostly unfinished. It was cold and dark and only used at this point for the storage of his own meat. There was a small hole in the ground in the furthest corner of the room that acted as the freezer. For all of his processing, Noah had done it in his own kitchen. He did not keep more than enough to feed himself, but as the availability for fresher fruits and vegetables was becoming a reality, Noah knew that there would need to be better long-term storage options and processing places. It was likely that he would need to store food longer for people throughout Snowcloak because their own storage options would be fuller with the bounty of the greenhouse.

Thus, the hunter set out to fortify this small room for a greater purpose. He started by pinning a request to the notice board in the Citadel asking for help. He asked for builders and organizers to come, and to bring their own tools. The hunter had some, but not a lot. He had a pick axe to help chip away at the frozen ground to expand the underground freezer, a sledge hammer to demolish, and a regular hammer with a few boxes of nails. He had ordered lumber from Rusty, who seemed to be in better business than ever before with all of the expansion taking place in Halo. He had the boards that would help make new walls delivered, and they sat outside in the snow just outside the door.

Noah stepped outside, turning to face his house but still moving away from it, to try and gather mental measurements and estimations of what he would need.
---

Y'ALL LOOK! A PQ for Noah's processing room / cold storage. I would like 2 people minimum to help Noah, but 3 would be great! There will be 4 rounds.

1. Elide
2. Deimos
3.

feel defiance burning through my teeth
it's not enough to drag this blade across the day

Elide

When Elide saw the notice posted by Noah, she grew eager to help, to see her long-time friend again after LongNight rather than withdraw like she has for some time already. He'd asked for tools, and Elide could manage that at least. Of the options, she is perhaps more of an organizer, but she isn't afraid to put in some hard work either. She brings her own pickaxe, which would probably be a staple of Halovian tools, and other miscellaneous items that might prove useful. As well, she's brought ink and paper, in case any plans need theorizing.

She's able to find him outside, examining the house as a whole. A heavy, black hood rests over her head, casting a shadow over her face to block out the intrusion of the sunlight. She steps quietly, but snow still crunches softly beneath her boots. Beside Noah, she pauses, looking up at the house rather than directly at him, but she wears a small smile.

"This is a great idea, Noah," she tells him. Even if she, herself, has no need for food, she knows that others do. Something like this will be of great benefit to the locals. "Where would you like for us to start?"

never before had the song of war
been the song of hope ascending

We're lost in the space between
who we are and all that we're trying to be

Busy tending to his own challenges, projects, predilections, and an assortment of things assembled just in his occupation alone, Deimos had missed the notice on the board the first few intervals he’d wandered by. Too occupied and distracted, he only ultimately set his eyes upon the paper pinned there after the fourth or fifth toiling – taking heed of its necessities, ideas, and notions. He could understand Noah’s depths and ruminations for such a thing, and though cold storage was always somewhat available due to the nature of Halo itself, a more clear, processing room and area streamlined far more potential. Taking stock of time he had available, and ignoring the semblances of taking a break, the monolith turned towards the assertions. Best to pay back the hunter for all his beneficences too.

Deimos had his own tools of the trade in his incantations, but still mustered his bag of holding over his shoulder, Belial following behind instead of Zuriel (content, for the moment, in healing another soldier’s battered arm back at the barracks). They hastened with clear, distinct strides, long, sweeping measures until they reached the building, the aforementioned individual standing outside, and to his surprise, Elide.

They’d barely spoken since LongNight’s reach, and though he’d seen her within the Shields’ outsets, there’d been no lengthy conversation to be had. And then it’d been so long that he’d thought it unwise to ask about her experiences, leaving it to drift in silence. “Elide,” he greeted instead with a nod, and then lifting his glance back to Noah. “How can I help?”

DEIMOS

Stop trying to show how to save our souls
It takes dying to know
How to live as ghosts

Hotaru

the horrors you've seen do not define who you are

She is late to the party it seems, but fashionably so as any woman strives to be. Noah's notice had been a surprise when she'd passed it on the way to the Barracks, but she'd committed the time and date to memory all the same. He was a kind hearted man, and Hotaru would currently take any excuse for physical work if it meant quieting the noise in her head and heart.

Deimos is the first she recognizes, if only because he is as familiar to her as her own face even from a distance. It's no surprise she finds him here, and she shoots him a fond exasperated look as she comes up to his side. At least this is not so unequal an exchange as he normally finds himself in. Is she not here as well after all?

As she turns her heterochromatic gaze to the other individual standing in the group - a stranger to Hotaru, who marks down their face in her memory alongside the name Deimos supplies - she sends a smile Noah's way and begins to tie up her hair in preparation for the work to come. "Looks like we've got a decent amount of hands," she remarks optimistically, hands coming to rest on her hips in anticipation of directions.

NOAH

set a fire for tomorrow
set it to your woes

While Noah spent his waking days serving and helping the Halovians, Noah had little expectation (or hope) that others would help him. It had been his experience in life, and he had come to accept it. When his friends -- a  few people he could truly call such a thing, again -- gathered around him, his heart seemed to burst within him. He smiled brightly and broadly at each of them, wrinkles formed in the corners of his eyes. "Thank you all for coming!" Noah earnestly started, taking a step back to face each of them.

"I want to expand this room." He gestured to the small, afterthought of an addition to his home. "I want to be able to have deep cold storage for more than just what I need, which is its current size. I also want to take out this wall," He pointed then to the south-facing wall, with no window, which thankfully meant no glass to clean up, "and expand the room about six or seven more feet." His mind was already working with which person could do which task as he went on. "Then, I will need help cleaning and organizing inside in a way that makes it as efficient as it is functional for hanging and processing."

Noah started moving inside and thrust his head for his friends to follow him. "I also have this old work bench that will need to be taken apart so we can install the new processing table." He slapped his hand down on the rickety old bench that he himself had never used. "So who's up for those tasks?"

--
ROUND ONE:
2 chars to demo the south wall
1 char to move what is in the deep freeze to one side so it can be expanded
1 char to take apart the old work bench
Hotaru Deimos Elide

feel defiance burning through my teeth
it's not enough to drag this blade across the day

We're lost in the space between
who we are and all that we're trying to be

He arched a brow and folded his arms across his chest the moment Hotaru appeared – a very impish smile curling in the corners of his mouth, expecting a rebuttal of some kind. About working too hard. About not relaxing. About being here instead of tending to himself. But Halo would always be bigger than all of them combined; and it took these sorts of efforts to ensure it maintained its stronghold and semblances. When there was no argument to be had, his attentions swiveled back to Noah.

Deimos’ gaze followed the gestures, and machinations coiled after the proportions necessary to aid the cause of the storage. And of course, his ears perked up at the notions of demolition.

Perfect.

“I can help take out the wall.” There was no Cheshire grin to follow; but it could probably be felt throughout the Attuned natures and connections. With great satisfaction, the vehemence curling and contorting through him, he nodded to whomever opted to conduct the same destruction with him, and maneuvered towards the aforementioned wall. He instinctively reached towards his Earth incantations, intending to push against the logs likely contained within – to angle them forwards, and out, attempting for the enclosure to simply fall and perish.

--

Deimos tries to help take out the wall with his Mastered Earth magic!

DEIMOS

Stop trying to show how to save our souls
It takes dying to know
How to live as ghosts

Hotaru

the horrors you've seen do not define who you are

Hotaru wrinkles her nose playfully at Deimos’ impish expression, and is further amused by how neither need an Attuned bond or any other sort of magic to read each other as plainly as written word. But she won’t dissuade Noah from seeking out help by playfully scolding the mountainous man publicly. Oh, but she surely still save each word for a future date.

Noah at least had a comprehensive idea of what he is aiming to achieve, and his golden nature has an endeared smile curling on her vixen lips. Completely unsurprised by Deimos’ immediate inclination towards destruction, Hotaru considers the remaining two choices before moving deeper into the building. “I can do the rearranging and organizing.” Shooting a wink Noah’s way, she sheds her outer layer and hangs it on the wall, already rolling up her sleeves and getting to work moving the existing items in the deep freeze. Organizing them visually and by written notes so that they are in a more helpful order in the new freezer.

- - -

Hotaru picks moving what’s in the old deep freeze!

Elide

Elide tilts her head to look at Deimos as he arrives, also taking note of the peryton at his heel. Her dark gaze softens, as much as hers can anyway. She nods at his greeting, smile kept, as someone else follows closely behind and receives a spark of a reaction from the normally stoic general. Surprise flashes over Elide's face for a moment.

She thinks she would remember meeting this person. "Hello," she raises her brows at her curiously, "I don't believe we've met? I'm Elide."

Greetings and names out of the way, Elide gives Noah her full attention as he explains where and what they'll start. She follows him inside, taking an interest in the bench that he slaps. The others can pick and choose their tasks first, and Elide finds that she is perfectly happy to take what's left.

Wordlessly, she sets to work with diligent concentration. Various tools are pulled from her bag and before long, she's settled in. As she goes, she attempts to preserve the wood and other materials as much as possible in the process of taking the bench apart.

---

Elide tries to take the bench apart without damaging it!

never before had the song of war
been the song of hope ascending

NOAH

set a fire for tomorrow
set it to your woes

Noah was more than pleased as everyone set to work. This small group of people -- two new that had recently moved into his soul, and one old that had recently returned -- were the ones he could call his friends. There were still shadows and memories of those past, and while these bodies did not take the place of the ones he lost but rather added to them, they still warmed his heart just the same.

Elide, of everyone, was the most successful in her task. The work bench was old and rickety from disuse. The ascended is adept with her tools, and works like she has done this particular task a few times on her own. Legs come apart from tops, but crossbeams splinter and shatter in her hands. While it does not come apart without some damage, the majority of the wood is salvageable enough to keep the Olson home warm, and cook this crew something delicious later on. Noah observed for a moment, smiling as Elide worked on taking apart the bench. "After you finish there, we can gather up any of the wood from the table and the wall deconstruction that will be good for fires over there." He vaguely gestures towards the door that led into the rest of his home, a pile of small pieces of broken boards already stacked there.

The sound of creaking catches the hunter's attention, and he turns towards where Deimos worked. In Halo, everything is tough. Homes are built to withstand the most ferocious of weather, of bone-chilling cold, of stray ursur. The general's strength is challenged by the mere structure of Olson walls. The beams which held the wall groaned under the pressure of Deimos' magic, but there was no satisfying crack or fall of wood to snow.

Grabbing one of the sledgehammers he had gathered, Noah then moved over towards where Deimos was trying to take down the wall. He let a lopsided grin meet the general, and he mused, "Halovians are cold. Even the homes." He laughed some, but then set himself to swing the sledge towards the wall. It cracked against it, the vibrations ringing up the hunter's arms, but he did manage to leave a hole in the wall with a crack running down.

The lightning queen moves towards the freezer, and there Hotaru is not left without challenge. Hotaru's task proves the most difficult. The deep freeze has done its jo so well for so long that some items are frozen to the sides of the underground storage. Ice, that seemingly wasn't there upon first glance, holds onto what it wants to without reserve. Like a jealous mother holding to her son, there are some items Hotaru tries to take and rearrange that just won't budge. What is she to do next?

--

The dice were not in all of our favor, this time. For the next round, continue as follows:
Elide - clean up from demo of walls and work bench
Deimos and Noah - continue demo
Hotaru - continue to organize and then expand the deep freeze

feel defiance burning through my teeth
it's not enough to drag this blade across the day

We're lost in the space between
who we are and all that we're trying to be

The Sword furrowed his brows as the wall creaked, but nothing came from it. No toppling. No fumbling. No destruction. He snorted at the insinuation that his magic hadn’t been enough, and might’ve gone on standing and staring at it, waiting for the wood to fall under his piercing, puncturing glare, had Noah not arrived.

The barest bones of amusement poked through at the excuse, and he eventually laughed too – following on the hunter’s insinuations, and grabbing hold of another sledgehammer. Deimos was used to the formation of his swords, to bows, to staffs; but he twirled it a few times in the length of his hand, understood, enjoyed the imposition, the damage, it could easily convey.

Then he angled towards the wall once more, watching Noah assault and siege, and aimed to do the same – lifting the hammer over his head, and with might, brawn, and strength, ensued a volley and barrage into the wood.

--

Deimos uses a sledgehammer to try and help destroy the wall.

DEIMOS

Stop trying to show how to save our souls
It takes dying to know
How to live as ghosts

Hotaru

the horrors you've seen do not define who you are

The stranger catches her eye long before she speaks, but Hotaru blinks and is admittedly taken aback by the forthright introduction; not that it takes her long to recover, smiling her trademark vixen come-hither brand of greeting that always seems to bloom regardless of whether she intends it flirtatiously or not. At least it's a clear indicator to most people what her personality is like. "I don't think we've had the pleasure, no. I'm Hotaru." And though their work isn't exactly conducive to conversation, she gives a cheery little wag of her fingertips as they go their opposite ways, committing the woman's name to memory in the meantime.

Of course she gets the relative short end of the stick, but determination is something she has in spades. Though what remains is stubbornly frozen, Hotaru isn't above climbing further in with her petite frame and continuing to yank at it. She contemplates using her lightning to help melt the ice that helps it cling to the edges, but she's wary of setting off any kind of cooking or even radiating temperature into the meat itself. As such, she'll continue trying with muscle alone for now before she considers alternatives. Though she's not above using one of her daggers to help chip away at the ice in order to move things.

- - -

Hotaru uses a dagger to chip away at the ice, and continues trying to muscle things out of the way for now.

Elide

Elide has always been self-sufficient, being a bit of recluse, and so taking things apart or putting them together isn't such an unfamiliar task for her. She works with nimble, skilled hands and diligence, but it doesn't undo damage that's already been done. As she takes the bench apart, she finds that a lot of the wood comes apart with it.

She did notice Noah's observation, so when he addresses her, she lifts her gaze to him and nods. "Of course," she agrees.

She gathers the wood from the bench first, and then carefully goes to retrieve the remains of the wall that Deimos and Noah have been taking down. Taking care not to come too near to their swinging tools and the subsequent flying debris, she tries to stack the wood into a neat pile where Noah had pointed out.

Whether or not she's totally successful in that, once she's gathered enough of the larger pieces up, she finds a push broom leaning on the wall and uses it to sweep up the stuff that's too small for her to pick up.

---

Elide tries to carefully collect the wood from the floor and put it into a neat pile. Then she'll take a pushbroom to the dust and stuff that's left.

never before had the song of war
been the song of hope ascending

NOAH

set a fire for tomorrow
set it to your woes

Elide finished with her tasks with skills that showed her attention to detail and her natural, Halovian spirit of perseverance. Each pile that she stacked was neat enough, and there was plenty that could be used for firewood in the future. Deimos and Noah, however, toiled on slowly, which made Elide's task only longer.

The men seemed off their game, today. Perhaps the spirits of Noah's ancestors were holding the walls up. Frustration caused Noah's teeth to grind together as he and Deimos worked to demolish the walls. It took a long time, comparative to the time it took Elide to disassemble the table and for Hotaru to finish up adjusting the contents of the deep freeze. Noah grumbled and swung, his sledgehammer cracking wood and ice with every third strike. Deimos swings were much less productive, his own sledge only making headway on their goal every fifth strike. Despite the time it took them, eventually the men were able to demolish the wall completely. Noah wiped sweat from his brow, and shouldered off his outermost layer. "Damn, I didn't realize my grandfather's grandfather had been such a good builder." He emphasized it with a laugh, the relief of completing demolition enough to keep him in good spirits about it all. "Let's prove ourselves even better than him." He gave Deimos and Elide a wide, toothy grin before gesturing towards the lumber they could now see from the hole in the building. "We have this for framing in new walls," he gestured to one pile, "and this is a table that Glas made. It just needs assembly. He wrote some instructions for it." He gestured to the other, smaller pile.

The girl with lightning at her fingertips was successful in what she did. As they all worked above ground, Hotaru pressed on beneath them. Her dagger's were sharp and strong, and her strategy wise. Each item she chose to move did so, and as she worked she expanded the deep freeze to better accommodate more of Noah's, and other hunters', bounties. After he showed Deimos and Elide the next task, Noah moved towards where Hotaru was. "How's it going down there?" He crouched at the entry, balancing himself with his hands on the top rung of the ladder so that his head could pop down enough to see her. "We've got a few more things to do up here, if you're ready down here." Which, as Noah's eyes adjusted to the dark enough, he thought she was.

--
The dice made it harder to accomplish what we needed, but we're moving on! Now we will need:
1 char to assemble new table from Glas
2 chars to begin framing in new walls
1 char to organize the butchery supplies

feel defiance burning through my teeth
it's not enough to drag this blade across the day

We're lost in the space between
who we are and all that we're trying to be

Truth be told, Deimos couldn’t remember failing this much at something he enjoyed doing. Destruction. Demolition. Might. Menace. Stoked in his blood from the very god damned beginning. And now he was being shown up by a wall.

He’d long since stripped down any outer layers, now down to a simple shirt as muscles interplayed and frustrations loomed, seared right down into a firm sneer. There might’ve been a laugh ensued somewhere after Noah’s, but the vexation, the vehemence, was an enveloping schism, contorting and wrapping around his brain as he dug in, as he unleashed, as he swung, waiting, listening for cracks, and rushing forward to do it all again.

And eventually, as he wiped sweat off his brow and away from his neck, it came apart. He cast one glance at the open, empty space, and gave it over to someone who might’ve known what they were doing, placing the sledgehammer back where he’d found it. Taking a few moments to breathe, to stretch out the undulations of brawn, his eyes glanced over at the other options. “I will avoid the walls for now and try the table,” he announced – eyeing it warily, and only because he hadn’t been very successful in the latest bouts.

And it’d be a shame if he had to underestimate a table. So he went towards the area of assembly, perusing through Glas’s instructions, and strived to begin.

--

Deimos tries to assemble the table!

DEIMOS

Stop trying to show how to save our souls
It takes dying to know
How to live as ghosts