[PQ] Safe As Unstable Houses

koel tryin' to take what's lost and broke and make it right Koel had managed to gather a few individuals to help him in his search for suitable housing. While he’d preferred to have selected a team based on skill and experience, beggars couldn’t be choosers and right now it was an all hands on deck situation. Especially seeing as people had been trickling in, it hadn’t been feasible to wait until he could hand-pick his team. Therefore, as it stood, he’d gotten people together quickly—if not particularly efficiently—and started moving them. His destination was a specific part of the ruins around the dark spire: it looked slightly less damaged than the rest of the ruins, which he took as a promising sign. It was better than nothing. Before they ventured too deeply into the maze of partially destroyed buildings, Koel turned to address his team. "Alright, listen up. I don’t want anyone taking risks. Pick a partner and stick with them. We'll cover more ground that way, but stay within earshot please. If something looks dangerous, it probably is. I’d rather venture farther afield than take a chance on something close by. Understood?” He waited until he got acknowledgements from everyone there and for someone to choose him as their buddy before he began moving again, eyes darting this way and that. There were two shadowy doorways, one on the the left of them and one on the right: the two pairs would each pick one to start checking. 1. Phoebe 2. Moses-Joel 3. Amaya As you can see, there are three free spaces in this PQ - it's on a first come, first serve basis! Please post below to claim your space. Also in your first post please sort out who the partners will be and which

Phoebe had been quick to find the first familiar person she saw and stick with them. That happened to be Koel. Now she was off to help him and others find some hopefully safe housing. Despite being a midwife, and a rather small, unassuming thing, she was a hardy girl. She had grown up a commoner, near quarry fields, surrounded by a world of hard labor. She had definitely partaken in some as well, and had some knowledge she could at least hope would prove useful. That is, if anyone wanted to listen to a young, quiet woman like her. Sometimes that wasn't a given.

The blonde nodded when Koel gave out his orders. "My pa showed me how to tell if a structure is stable or not. I'll make sure to take a good look at any ruins we come across." she said, deciding it was better to pipe up now. They couldn't righly build on an unstable foundation and trust that the structure wouldn't crush them. Any old half standing buildings wouldn't do - they needed to be sturdy to be reliable.

Koel

Amaya found herself following Koel, if only because she remembered his face from her time working in the center. She was still lost and confused, but at least she could do.... something.

She listened to the former Overseer's instructions before looking at the others who had joined him. Moses was here, and had called her princess. She still didn't think she was one, but maybe he knew more of what she was missing more than she did. The other person with them was a blonde woman, but Amaya didn't recognize her. She spoke confidently, however, and so Amaya would trust her words.

She stood close to Moses-Joel, having easily chosen him as her partner.

He needed a distraction. The last journey he'd taken with one of his people resulted in them coming upon a terrifying beast. He'd gotten himself and Mimora out of there in time, but he was shaken still. That thing's features burned itself into his mind, the stuff of nightmares. He would throw himself at anything just to divert his thoughts. That was when this opportunity came up. Seeing that Koel had amassed another group of individuals, their travels would take them to a ruined set of buildings. Granted, Moses wasn't particularly excited about being this close to the spire, but bigger numbers meant more successful endeavors. Considering their numbers were sporadic, unorganized, and not to mention reeling, they needed all the help they could get. Sign him up. Phoebe made her way down to join the Shapechanger long prior, but his trailings were not far behind. He joined up with the small ensemble, giving a respectful nod to the woman and to Koel. While they stood in anticipation, Perfetti couldn't help his gaze from switching back to the woman every now and then. She looked awfully familiar to someone he knew... Moses stood silently and at attention when the Overseer began to speak, a well-rooted respect returning in nostalgic fashion. How he missed his people so much, and being among them again was comforting to the soldier. Despite the fact that he had been away for some time, his return, while confusing, was well received, at least in his mind. He wanted to make sure that he didn't come off any differently than when he was originally among them. If this was a second chance, goodness he was going to take it. It was then that Mr. Ambray indicated to the doors, and that splitting up would be the best course of action. A small sigh left his nose at hearing that. Great, small numbers again. If this place had any consistency they would surely run into something. But being within earshot was definitely something Moses could manage. But who would be his partner? He looked about, doing a double take when he found Amaya shuffling closer to him. "Princess- I mean, uhm..." Oh no. What was her maiden name again? "Amaya. How long have you been standing there?" He'd heard she never spoke much, so he offered her his arm should she wish to grasp it. He looked back up to Koel, slightly concerned that his teammate was going to be another woman. It was a personal belief of his that men were obligated to protect their female counterparts. "I... guess I've found my partner, Mr. Ambray." Moses-Joel Men of Honor are hard to Find.

koel tryin' to take what's lost and broke and make it right First, Koel just took a moment to stare at Amaya and Moses-Joel. "Weren’t you two dead?" He’d already confronted the man about that, but he hadn’t seen the woman until now; her death had been rather public and tragic, and he definitely remembered it happening. Normally, he might’ve been a bit more circumspect about bringing up what might be such a sensitive topic, but he was still so off balance from coming to this world that his mind wasn’t working as well as it otherwise might. Regardless, there wasn’t exactly a good way to tell people that they’d died and come back to life through some unknown means. Either way, he had a group. It wasn’t the group he might’ve wanted—they weren’t exactly the most skilled bunch of people he’d seen—but it was the group he was stuck with. Nodding at them, he saw them sort themselves out. It ended up being a fairly even split, he supposed. While he knew that this was an all hands on deck situation (they couldn’t afford to hold on to the old rules any more), it worked out that there was one man and one woman, one warrior and one civilian, one normal human and one of a different race in each group. While he didn’t know if that would help, it certainly wouldn’t hurt. Phoebe was with him. "Thanks, everyone. Let’s get to work. And stay safe." Since it didn’t really matter which house they took, Koel moved towards the one on the left. Unlike his companion, he didn’t know what made a building unstable. However, this one didn’t seem too badly damaged. As he entered into the only slightly ruined space, he let his eyes adjust to the light. Once he could see clearly, he stepped forward: it didn’t seem to be too dangerous in here. The walls were all standing without holes, and there was even a roof. There was even what looked like a staircase leading to an upper floor; stepping towards that, the eagle put one foot on the lowest step. Apparently, that was the wrong move. Immediately, there was a rumbling sound, and the formally good looking roof caved in, trapping Koel on one side of the building. There was now a pile of rubble between him and Phoebe, and all his escape routes seem to be cut off. "Fuck." There weren’t any spaces small enough for him to escape, even shifted. While he was doing his best not to panic, truth be told, he was a creature of the open skies and this was making him incredibly claustrophobic. Phoebe was perfectly unharmed. However, now she had to figure out how to rescue the trapped man: she could either try and recruit the other two, or she could see if there was some way to shift the rubble enough to provide Koel with an escape route. They would be able to communicate, but Koel couldn’t see anything and Phoebe couldn’t see him to know whether disturbing the rubble would just make the situation worse. Moses-Joel and Amaya would have headed towards the other house. However, unlike the first one, they would find their eyes didn’t adjust to the light. To move on, they’d have to find some way to dispel the darkness. Post order: Phoebe, Amaya, Moses-Joel

Phoebe blinked and looked at their two new companions when Koel asked after their…er…state of life. What a confusing thing to say! Obviously not or they would not have been standing there! Maybe whatever force had brought them to this place had done something to his memories or reasoning. That seemed the only logical explanation to her. But she didn’t know who either of these two people were anyways so she didn’t worry about it much.

Instead she followed Koel into the ruins of a house. By in large it looked pretty good. She walked through the main room with a critical eye. Hm. The rubble on the floor was…concerning at best. The blonde looked up and saw the second floor sagging in the center. That was definitely not good. She looked over to tell Koel and had a moment of panic seeing him about to try to climb the stairs. “Koel, wait!” she said…but a hair too late. The house came crumbling down around her and she lifted her arms to cover her head with a shriek (you try having something collapse around you and not shout). When the dust settled she looked for Koel…who was now buried in rubble.

“KoelAre you alright?” she called, carefully making her way through the debris to get to him. “I will get you out just hang on!” she said, in her calm, self-assured manner that she used when laboring women started to panic. Panicking never helped…even when it felt unavoidable. She navigated the debris carefully, looking for places where she could safely pull the fallen floorboards and stones away from her friend.

Amaya

Again Amaya was reminded of the anomaly she seemed to be here. Many people were confused and lost, and Amaya was just as much. It certainly didn't help her feelings on the matter, and she said nothing in response.

Instead she gently placed her hand in the crook of Moses-Joel's arm when he offered it, but she didn't look up at him. He called her princess again, even if it was a slip of the tongue, it just wasn't her thing. At least, she didn't remember it being her thing. He sounded a bit uncertain when he said he had her as his partner, and she began to wonder if he'd wished to have someone else. She'd let him, of course, if he did, but for now she was clinging to the one thing that was familiar in this new land.

They went to the second building to look around, only they couldn't. It was pitch dark, and Amaya couldn't see a thing. She clung a bit more closely to her partner, and silently hoped he'd know what to do. She didn't have her magic like she used to, and one couldn't simply "blow" the darkness away. Maybe MJ had some flint and steel or some other means of making a torch to light their path.

Isla this won't hurt a bit A roof collapsing made a rather distinct sound, Isla thought. The medic had been heading from the infirmary looking to see if she could find any supplies from... well, anywhere else when she realised that some of the Northaveners seemed to be attempting to make something of the housing situation. Only... it didn't look like it was going too well. Whilst she couldn't see or help Amaya, unfortunately, she did notice Phoebe calling out to someone and trying to find a way through the collapsed building. "Hello?" she called, heading towards the midwife and smiling lightly. "What happened? Is everyone alright?

koel tryin' to take what's lost and broke and make it right Koel was very much trying not to panic, but the more time that passed, the harder it was to avoid it. While he’d objectively known that he disliked enclosed spaces—and really, why anyone would was beyond him—he’d subconsciously avoided them so he hadn’t known exactly what an effect they would have on him. So when first Phoebe, and then Isla called out, though he didn’t recognize the second woman’s voice, he immediately responded, a slightly crazed tone in his voice. ”Roof caved in. I’m stuck. Please. Please get me out.” In fact, he was practically hyperventilating. Gone was the cool collected former Overseer: in his place, a scared and vulnerable man remained, trapped in both his mind and by the debris. There wouldn’t be much help from Koel’s end. The women would see that there wasn’t any way to get under the rubble without risking the floor caving in. It was already weakened from the collapse, and the whole structure was making some ominous noises. Therefore, Phoebe and Isla had a choice. On the one hand, they could try to rig up some way to get to the top of the pile of rocks and start clearing it from there; that was the safest course, though it would take longer. On the other hand, they could try to create a hole in the pile that Koel could squeeze through as an eagle, though he was quite large and that carried the risk of bringing the whole thing down on him and trapping him even worse. Though he was miraculously uninjured, if more rocks started falling, he wouldn’t remain that way for long. They’d have to decide, and quick, since this whole structure was growing more unsteady by the moment. No post order! If either character decides to clear rubble from the middle of the pile, post a whole number between 1-10.

Isla this won't hurt a bit I choose number 10! Koel didn't recognise Isla's voice but the same couldn't be said for her - the Overseer had been one of the most active members of Northaven's society, and she knew his call instantly. She glanced to Phoebe and quickly approached the rubble where the eagle's voice was coming from, frowning at the panic she heard in it. "We will," she called back to him. "Just take deep breaths, okay? Focus on our voices, I'm going to try to make a hole for you to get through." Because while it might have been the more dangerous option, Isla was confident she could fix any physical injuries that Koel might sustain from falling debris. The crazed note in his tone spoke of wounds that might not be so easily healed if they didn't move quickly. So she began to try and create a breach in the rubble to get him out. "Tell me when you see light, okay? My name is Isla, by the way. I'm a medic from Northaven. What were you all doing out here?"

Phoebe didn't like this option. Not one bit. "We really should try and clear it off from the top..." she said, a bit nervously. She didn't want Koel to get hurt, and knew it would be more stable going from the top, but she also didn't want an arguement. Those she actively avoided. And this woman seemed like she would be quick to get in a fight with her. Bold people were like that and Phoebe was a far cry from bold.

"We were trying to see how safe the structures were. He tried going up the stairs and he stepped on them before I could tell him to stop. The foundation is not stable." She informed Isla. She didn't like this course but would follow along and help if she didn't heed her first warning.

koel tryin' to take what's lost and broke and make it right The debris blocking Koel off shivered a few times, and even groaned ominously more than once, but remarkably enough didn't completely topple or even drop something on either the man or the two women. However, even though they managed to clear a small hole in the center of the pile, it certainly wasn't large enough for Koel to fit through, even as a bird. His shift was quite a large one and wouldn't lend itself well to any escapes. Thankfully, a small sliver of sunlight and a draft of fresh air made their way into his stoney prison. The words had been muffled by the rocks, so he didn't really catch what either woman had said. While he taste of freedom was enough to temporarily steady his nerves (and he took the advice to breath deeply) it wouldn't last long; he was still barely able to stop himself from panicking and only the knowledge that it would make this much worse was stopping him. Unfortunately logic would only last so long. "I'm okay." His voice still had that frantic tone to it: despite his best efforts, this was literally his nightmare, being buried alive. If he actually got out of this, he was going to thank whatever power he could for his good luck. The two women had started on the center, but there was nothing saying they had to continue that course of action. Indeed, now that he wasn't in immediate danger, either mentally or physically—though they couldn't really know that for sure—they could adjust their strategy. If they looked closely, they could probably see his outline and if they listened they could hear his ragged breathing. Since it was still too dark for him to see much of anything, and he couldn't get a good look at the rubble, he still wasn't going to be of much help. OOC Note: No post order. Isla and Phoebe can continue to dig out the center, they can try to stabilize the rock pile, or they can start clearing from the top down. If they proceed with either of the first two options please post with a number between 1-10.

It was a relief that the pile didn’t fall and crush Koel as she had worried it might. The panic was still evident in his voice but now there was airflow and a hint of light in his little hole. It was something, a glimmer of hope that he could cling to while they attempted to free him from a safer route. This would of course require her to muster up the courage to tell Isla what to do. It wasn’t that she wasn’t used to barking orders, she did so in her own way when she was helping a woman during labor, but she wasn’t used to doing so outside her little midwifery world. People, even the headstrong ones, were much more willing to a gentle instruction when overcome with anxiety and pain. Isla was in no way in that state. She took a steadying breath, reminding herself that it was for the best for them to start a new course. Isla, we need to work from the top down. This pile of rubble isn’t stable and one false pull will end up with a crushed Overseer. she whispered to Isla so Koel wouldn’t hear. They didn’t need him panicking more than he was after all. Her tone had shifted slightly, still gentle and calm, but with a firmness to it. She wasn’t going to back down from this, and proved so by starting to carefully scale the pile to reach the rocks at the very top. Just hang tight, Koel, you’ll be out soon! she said louder so he would hopefully hear. Reassuring those who were fearful was second nature for the young midwife. Isla Koel Phoebe In a gentle way, you can shake the world

Isla this won't hurt a bit Now that they had made a breach in the rubble and they could hear Koel more clearly, Isla was keen to keep going. She was about to, in fact, when the woman at her side spoke up. Worrying her lower lip between her teeth, Isla considered it before letting out a deep breath and sighing, nodding to Phoebe. "Alright," she murmured, before raising her voice enough for Koel to hear. "We think we found a better way to get you out," she told him, before following after the midwife so they could scale the rubble and begin to dig down and get the trapped Overseer to safety. "I bet you're glad this happened before anyone moved in," she remarked. She supposed that's why they had been investigating the Domiciles, after all.