[PQ] by tooth or by claw

A heart-shaped tree standing in between human nature, and the nature we see

Koa doesn't love the Needle, but then again, who does? The damn thing is a testament to a darker time, to Eyes and Spyglasses and Fixers and War and Death.

But it's also a Stormbreak institution, and deserves to be tended to. And the Dragoons, without a war to fight, need some way to be productive. So Koa has taken it upon himself to lead an effort in restoration, planning to turn cells into offices and make the needle less a tribute to pain and warfare, and more a towering pinnacle of justice and protection and the might of the Dragoons.

Or whatever.

Squinting through the sunlight that bounces off its glass walls, Koa surveys the Needle as he waits for others to come. His jaw is set stubbornly, his hands on his hips. He's hired contractors, but it'll be good to have some more soldiers to help direct the renovations. Especially with the Barracks having vanished into the ether the uptick in recruitment, it'll be good, he thinks to have a more official place for the Dragoons to call home.

---

PQ to set up the Needle as Dragoon HQ!
1.
2.
3.
4.

Koa

Tradition had always been a part of Stormbreak, had always been a part of the dragoons. Until the world dissolved and the sky became their home. Since then, Anna hadn't been one to as loudly display her desire for tradition to be as strong as it had once been. Instead, she focused inward on the dragoons. Anju had done well to take up some mantle of leadership, and she had heard that Koa was following in those footsteps. Anna had dedicated herself to making sure they were all in tip-top shape, and spent most of her time doing one on one training session with those that remained, and those that joined. When word reached her about how the younger dragoon wanted to reshape and rebuild the Needle, Anna was intrigued. Ready to be whatever the dragoons needed her to be, Anna gathered a few other soldiers and headed towards the meeting place. With Samael curled around her shoulders and neck as a scaled scarf, the elder lifted her chin some as she settled in at Koa's side. "So what's your plan?" Anna asked, her hands coming to rest on her hips and her sharp eyes glancing sideways at the younger soldier.

Anju

I see red
My blood is boiling and it shows

Anju equally dislikes the Needle, but she has yet to let a call go unheeded when her Dragoons are forward-thinking enough to enact changes they truly want to see in their city and ranks. Today may be her day off from patrol, but Anju never truly knows when to stop working, so she arrives sharply on time - at odds with her hair in a bun and work clothes instead of her normal Dragoon attire.

Her stony face warms slightly when she is in the presence of her fellows, in particular Anna who she has not seen in some time. At her side, Riya (far too large to be a scarf, though jealousy pangs in the bond) croons at Samael in greeting. The past two years have been unendingly busy, and she is burdened by many regrets born from her inability to be everywhere at once. Nodding towards the other woman, she holds her sparsely-social tongue in favor of focusing on Koa's efforts this evening. "I am at your command," she murmurs, a tiny tilt of humor to her lips as she regards him, always finding it amusing when the tables turn no matter how informally.

When all you are is a weapon
You shoot them all down until you end up alone

Octavius

When Octavius shows up to the restoration of the Needle, he is looking forward to it. He always disliked the public fashion in which punishment was doled out here, and he was secretly glad that it was in disuse as of late. However, when he heard about the plan by the Dragoons to restore it, he was pleasantly surprised that it was going to be shifted to different uses, offices and such.

What he didn't know about was the fact that Koa was leading the restoration project. Their training session had been a bit tense, to say the least, so it was with some discomfort that he joined the group of Dragoons looking to Koa for guidance. He bowed shallowly to his Captain before nodding toward Koa.

"Shall we get started, then?" he said, looking toward Koa expectantly.

i could stop dreaming and start believing in forever and ever and ever again

A heart-shaped tree standing in between human nature, and the nature we see

A swell of pride fills the boy as both Anna and Anju arrive. He'd been worried, at first, that this might be overstepping, or that the senior Dragoons would take issue with his plan, but the tacit blessing of these two women will go a long way towards gaining him credibility. Koa straightens at their approaches, affecting his best soldierly-stance. "Captain. Ma'am." He'd launch into his explanation, but then Octavius arrives.

Joy.

"Belefort," Koa greets the other man tersely, all of his willpower set toward keeping his posture and expression professionally mild. Today is not the day to let the older boy under his skin: today he wants to shine, to prove himself a worthy successor to the legacy of his Ma.

Turning smartly back to Anju and Anna, Koa begins to explain his plan. "Since the end of the war, the Needle has stood neglected, a symbol of past conflict and all we lost. I thought we might reclaim it, make it represent something different - the justice and protection of the Dragoons for all of Caido and its people." He's rehearsed the speech, and it shows in the way his wavering voice grows stronger as he goes on.

"I've hired contractors to start converting the cells, but it would be good for them to have some direction in styling and delegation of space." He gestures to where a small army of workers have begun swarming, blueprints splayed around. "Frank's team is working on offices at the east end. Lessa's on storage to the west. Nua's putting barracks at the northern end, and the southern cells... Grond says we'll keep those as cells, but make them a little more. Um. Humane?" He cringes a little while saying this, face cracking into an almost apologetic smile.

---

Round one! Pick the team you want to give design tips to. Feel free to powerplay your contractor and their group ;D

The options are:

East: Frank's making offices
West: Lessa's doing storage
North: Nua's designing barracks
South: Grond's renovating the prison cells

No order!

Koa

Octavius

Octavius notes Koa's reaction to his arrival, but takes care not to react in turn. He doesn't want to embarrass himself in front of his officer, of course. Not that Koa seems to mind. Surprisingly to Octavius, Koa begins to explain his plan and organization of tasks with professionalism and confidence. He listens intently, then mulls over the choices. The Dragoon barracks back at the city gates' tower had once been used as emergency housing for military during the war, so they were pretty uncomfortable and clearly not meant to last.

To be quite honest, Octavius is missing the comforts of the Belefort estate and yearns to make this place more like home in that way. However, the mention of renovating the prison cells also piques his interest. He wants to know what the cells in the Needle had been like before, though he is nervous to find out. Perhaps this is naive of him, but he feels the need to ensure the new ones would be, at the very least, moderately comfortable for the people who were to stay there. An image of the elderly man facing Sergeant Henriks flashes in his mind, and he wills it away to focus on the task at hand.

"I will work with Grond to renovate the prison cells," he says, raising a hand and stepping forward. He scans the crowd of workers, and Grond nods to Octavius, stepping up to join him. He is an older man with whitish hair and a mustache, tall and round, expression serious and no nonsense. Hopefully, he would be amenable to Octavius' ideas.

i could stop dreaming and start believing in forever and ever and ever again

Anju

I see red
My blood is boiling and it shows

Anju returns Koa's greeting with a tiny smile and an incline of her brow, waiting to see who else would join them. She is admittedly pleased to see Octavius once more, Anju returns his shallow bow with the customary dip of her chin in return, expression placid. Nobody need know of that day in the Temple beyond them two, but she is glad to see him present and dedicated to extracurricular causes in the same way as Koa. Though, interesting enough, there seems to be tension between the similarly-aged soldiers. Rising a slight brow, Anju makes no comment and instead focuses on Koa's speech. She can spot a rehearsal easily, but it means he had picked the words with intention. The sentiment is one she empathizes with which is frankly enough for her.

"You have made admirable headway, Koa." Off-duty as she is, she refrains from utilizing his surname as was conventional. "I will assist Nua," she claims easily, content to supply her experience with the original Nest and barracks to the woman. Departing without further word, Anju tracks her down easily enough; Nua is a familiar face as a contractor given the militaristic nature of Stormbreak, so they have worked together in the past. "May I see your blueprints? There is a flow issue in the Dragoon barracks that we did not notice until we lived it that I would like to avoid." The woman happily retrieves them, and the two of them bow over the table to examine the plans, Anju's fingers splaying over the paper and making quiet commentary and suggestions.

- - -

Anju works with Nua!

When all you are is a weapon
You shoot them all down until you end up alone

The greetings were warm enough that it eased some of the tension that Anna (typically) carried in her shoulders. She gave a controlled but friendly enough smile as everyone gathered and listened for Koa’s instructions. The elder dragoon couldn’t say she wasn’t impressed by the way the younger man had thought through his plan and all that he was going to update. Nodding with interest, then, Anna made sure to drink in everything she could as Samael slid from her shoulders to join Riya. ”I can help with the offices.” Anna finally pitched after Anju and Octavius claimed their spots. Uninterested in storage, to be perfectly honest, Anna would take her critical mind to the offices. Mentally calling Samael to her, Anna headed off with Lessa. Dusting off a table for them to lay out some paper for plans. Anna calculated over what they already had in mind, and spent several minutes explaining why it would be better to switch up some ideas they had and keep the captain’s office in the center, rather than on the end. Anna works with Lessa!

A heart-shaped tree standing in between human nature, and the nature we see

Of course Octavius chooses the cells. "Remember, they're supposed to be more humane," he mutters darkly, shooting his rival a pointed look. Leave it to the rich to install torture racks instead of beds, or some other nonsense. And maybe his mistrust isn't misplaced, because there's something in the Belefort's posturing and attitude that seems to bother Grond as much as it did Koa. Or maybe it was the natural one. "Belefort, was it?" His expression is not dissimilar to that of a storm cloud, were one to descend from the heavens and grow a moustache. "My Da was falsely imprisoned for bein a sympathizer. He didn't do nothin' wrong, 'cept suggest we let magic folks back in," he growls, spitting at Octavius' feet. "One'a yer people gave the lashings. I remember." The large man seems more prepared to deck Octavius than work with him, and some of his underlings are gathering around as well, looking eager for a fight. Not an auspicious start.

Anju has some rough luck, too, though not so bad as her student. Nua nods along with the suggestions, but when it comes time for them to try and repair the space they'll realize the walls were more damaged by the city's ascent than anyone realized. The northern cells have collapsed entirely, and as the team begins to dig through the debris they'll quickly realize they aren't responsible for all the moving stones. A juvenile rock slider has chosen this spot as its nest, and it's not happy to be disturbed.

Anna is lucky - the western cells are largely structurally intact, though must of the furnishings (such as they are) have been raided. This actually works in the team's advantage: very little will need to be done in terms of construction, and with Anna's guidance Lessa and her team seem more than comfortable moving forward with the small repairs and larger renovations.

Koa, left with the easiest job being a good organized lad, has very few issues. Frank, being friends with the Dragoon's father, has already been briefed on the plan, and there is little the young man has to do except offer a couple of suggestions regarding arms and armory design.

---

Round 1 done!
- Octavius has made NO PROGRESS, and has in fact managed to instigate what may turn into a full-fledged brawl?! Uh oh, watcha gonna do?
- Anju has encountered a juvenile rock slider!
- Anna and Koa have sucessfully instructed their teams on renovations, and can now choose to help the others, orrrrr just sit back and watch.

No post order!

Koa

Octavius

It seems that Grond has made many assumptions about Octavius before even bothering to get his name. At his unfriendliness and downright disrespect, Octavius is first taken aback and insulted. He opens his mouth to reply indignantly, defending his name and honor, because it isn't as if he agrees with the way Dragoons used to treat prisoners. Before the words leave his mouth, however, he notices the rest of the crew gathering behind Grond, looking just as bitter and expecting of a fight. More than anything, he notices the pain and suffering beneath the anger of the crew, and he decides then that there is no need to give in to his base urges, especially with a superior officer around. He takes a deep breath through his nose before he speaks.

"I'm extremely sorry for what happened to your father, Grond. He didn't deserve it, truly. And I would like you all to know that the reason I chose to work on the prison cells was to ensure they are comfortable and humane for those unfortunate enough to stay there in the future." He raises his voice to address Grond and all his subordinates behind him, meeting their eyes in an effort to show them his humanity. "I never liked the lashings, and if I ever were to become an officer of rank in the Dragoons, I would see them ended. No one deserves such a cruel punishment."

Even the thought of lashings brings up a sourness in his stomach, a revulsion. His oldest brother used to take him to the public floggings as a child, but Octavius never enjoyed them. He had seen people nearly killed by it, and always thought it a gruesome and inhumane way to treat another person. If death was necessary, a quick, clean, merciful one was best, in Octavius' opinion.

"I understand if you do not wish to work with me for whatever reason. But know that I would like to improve the standard of living in the cells however much we can. Things like proper beds and furniture, privacy, access to a lavatory and medical care. Even books and pens and paper, perhaps. We may not be able to create a lavish place, but we can ensure that people's basic needs are met." He doesn't want to say all this so openly, but he feels forced now that the possibility of serious conflict is imminent. Octavius gives a handsome smile before saying, at last,

"And call me Octavius, please."

---

Octavius tries his best to make peace with the workers! He doesn't want to fight!

i could stop dreaming and start believing in forever and ever and ever again

Anju

I see red
My blood is boiling and it shows

Removed as she is from the rest of the party, Anju is unaware of the difficulties that begin to unfurl amongst them. Likely for the best given her diplomacy does not often include eloquence and tact. Instead, she heads down to where the barracks will be placed with Nua and can only quietly despair over the state of the walls. Not one to be daunted however, the Captain begins to help coordinate the removal of debris first - and that's when she unearths the rock slider.

Uncharitably, she immediately blames Koa. First a cockatrice, now a rock slider? Anju is never signing on for a mission with Koa again.

Without Riya present she has to reevaluate - arm ushering Nua back urgently as she draws her sword; luckily that is hardly ever off her person. "I need hands!" she barks at large, hoping to call over the various workers. "We need noise - and lots of it. Try and scare it off instead of enticing it to attack." So saying she uses her sword to bang against the metal struts nearby, the metallic ring loud and obnoxious - and certainly disorienting to a large wingless serpent. "Get away from that gap over there!" she shouts towards the workers toiling away at what had once been a window, hoping it will be a perfect exit for the rock slider.

- - -

To try and avoid injuries, Anju calls for help from the NPC workers and sets about using her sword and surroundings to make plentiful noise to scare the rock slider away and out the gap in the side where a window is being constructed.

When all you are is a weapon
You shoot them all down until you end up alone

The work seemed to be easy enough. Working shoulder to shoulder with someone who had already mostly complete ideas that only needed Anna's gentle input went quickly. Lessa took notes based on what Anna had to say, and then finally the elder dragoon shook hands with the contractor and offered her a smile. Done deal. Lessa commanded her workers on how to proceed, and Anna brushed her hands off on each other as if to brush the task itself off. Turning away, Anna moved with the intention of finding Koa and looking for more direction. Instead, she found Anju directing several workers to create noise. Anna's brow lifted as she made her way in. Seeing the rock slider, the woman lifted a hand and swung it forward. It was small, and young. Samael followed his bondmate's command and launched from her shoulder. The serpentine dragon seemed to swim in the air. Strengthened lightning erupted from his jaws and then he dove -- ready to kill and devour. Anna sends Samael to attack the rock slider (and he wants to eat it). Sorry for the wait!!

No better version of me I could pretend to be tonight

Rough rolls all around, fam.

Except Koa. He's got those big numbers coming out.

Which is fortunate, because Octavius does not. While his speech is eloquent and impassioned, and I am certainly moved by it, the crowd of workers seems indifferent at best. In fact a low chant has begun, with a handful of the discontents cheering in a synchronized "Grond, Grond, Grond!" as their leader continues to stand square before Octavius, a scowl on his weathered face. "I'll call ya whatever the fuck I like, boy," the older man all but snarls. He seems ready to spit again, thoroughly unmoved and clearly full of generational trauma that is manifesting as misplaced rage against the poor young Belefort.

Luckily it's at this moment that Koa steps in. As much as he wants to see Octavius' smug face dented in, he wants to see this whole endeavor succeed much more. So he plasters on his friendliest grin and saunters toward the crowd, laying a broad hand firmly on the older boy's shoulder and raising another to Grond. "Hey, Uncle- no need for this, yeah? Octavius' people might have been shitheads, but he's not so bad. Give him a chance." His grip tightens in a silent warning to not fuck this up while Grond wavers and the crowd mutters, tension thrumming between them all---

And then Grond relents, subtly, but enough to make the others back down. He glares from Koa to Octavius, clearly skeptical but willing to let it go for now. "Pretty words from a pretty boy," the foreman growls to Octavius. "We'll see if you have the stones to back 'em up."

Well. All's well that ends well, right? As the prison crew turns to return to work, Koa lets out a sigh of relief. Turning to Octavius, he offers his fiercest, smugest, most shit-eating grin. "You owe me, Belefort," the young man crows - and oh, you can bet he will remember this.

Meanwhile, rock sliders. Anju's plan is a good one: slightly dazed by the sudden light and disturbance, the creature seems rather willing to haul its angry ass away from here. But then Samael launches off Anna's shoulder, sending lightning arcing through the small space, and the serpent goes from perturbed to fearful and enraged. With startling speed it uncoils and rises, snapping formidable fangs at the attacking dragon - and landing a solid bite on him. Samael may be long, but even a young rock slider is the size of a man, and this one boasts an impressive length of nearly ten feet. It seems to have decided that if it must go, it will bring poor Samael with it. Time to free a dragon, girls!

---

An eventful round 2 complete!
-- Octavius does not calm the workers, but luckily Koa steps in to help, and together they prevent a riot. Phew!
-- Anju succeeds at scaring the rock slider, but Samael's attack disturbs it enough to put up a fight. Unfortunately he misses and the rock slider now has him in its jaws and is trying to run away with this potential snack! Oh no!

Lasses, what are you going to do about this beastie?
Lads, go help your elders!

No posting order.

Koa

Samael became a storm. A raging tempest writhing within the rock slider's jaws. The dragon had electrocuted prey larger and older than this with his deep magic, and his determination showed nothing different. Teeth and claws followed the pursuit of his electricity, tearing at the flesh that surrounded him. He roared indignantly, and electrocuted again. Anna's face was stoney and inhumane as she watched Samael struggle in the jaws of the rock slider. She needed to keep herself composed. While she had seen her bondmate defeat and devour prey larger than this rock slider, and she looked coldly at the fight, inwardly her emotions were a hurricane of worry and fear and doubt. She winced at the pain over their bond, breaking her Stoney facade, and then growled. ”Keep pushing it back, distract it.” She leaned down to pick up a rock and launched it at the rock slider. —- Samael electrocutes twice and starts to claw and bite. Anna throws a rock at the slider.