[PQ+] We rise, we fall, we rise again

Tal was oblivious to Noah's kindly thoughts, but the courier flashed his friend the occasional grin when he paused to wipe the sweat off his forehead or walked past to get more wood. It was like he'd told Hotaru when she'd first informed him that she was leaving: they might choose to live somewhere else for a time, but nothing could change that they were Halovian through and through, no matter what anyone else said or thought.

No less than Noah had still been Halovian, even when living in the Grounds.

The courier might have had plenty of experience with lumber, but he was completely baffled by these tropical thatch roofs. He scratched his head as he watched some locals work to secure the overlapping palm leaves into place, then shrugged and headed over to the pile of windows to help fit them into the frames left for them. Installing the storm shutters was definitely more his speed, and he worked with quick efficiency in spite of the increasing number of yawns that forced him to pause as the sky to the east began to lighten.

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Tal helps install windows and storm shutters!

Despite the sweat that rolled down his forehead and neck, and the long hours of work up until this point, Noah did not slow down. He kept working with the same determination and grit as he had started with. Even as he transferred from something he knew — framing — to something he didn’t — thatching roofs — he kept working. He took the time to learn how to lay the thatching down and secure it from those that knew better than him, and with his new skill he pressed on. Once one roof was done, Noah lifted his eyes and then teleported to another roof, lending his newly forming skills as the crews he joined saw fit.

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Noah helps with thatching roofs!

Regional Score bonus: +3 in all shrine visits, drops, PQ+s, KQs, etc. (You must post this at the bottom of any post where a +3 should be included)

the forsaken

Hadama also helped with thatching the roofs, his height coming in handy for such a task. One eye was kept towards the east, but so long as the night still held he moved among the human Torchers and lifted up the bundles of palm leaves or held them in place while others, more knowledgeable in such matters, secured them so that they would weather rain and storm without trapping the heat of the day.

As the stars faded from the sky, the Torchers would find dawn breaking over a rebuilt series of shops, restaurants, gambling dens, and bars. The Docks once again looked like the bustling first glimpse of Torchline most visitors were used to seeing, whether they came about skyship or ocean vessel. In a few hours time there would be deals being cut and trades being brokered on every street corner and shadowed doorway. For now, the sounds of industry faded to a few final taps from hammers as the last touches were applied.

"Thank you," the King rumbled warmly from one of the starlit canals that criss-crossed the island as the remaining helpers gathered at the edge of the wharves. "It could not have been done without all of us. Those who live here," he said with a bow to his Queen. "And Torchline's friends." A nod of his head to Noah and Tal, who had worked as hard as any - and harder than most.

"Rest. You have earned it. And tomorrow night we will hold a party to celebrate what we have accomplished," he decreed, his solemn words only slightly at odds with the bright twinkle in his tired eyes.

~Fin!~