Coffee Shop Construction is a go!

[widows_kiss]

Who: Natasha Romanoff and anyone conned into likely to swing by and help
What: Before it can open, the coffee shop needs a little tlc and a few touch-ups.
When: Friday, May 10. Possibly extending into the weekend.
Where: The future location of A Shot In The Dark coffee shop. (AKA, Building M)
Summary: Natasha calls in a few favors and bribes a few friends and teammates into helping her get the coffee shop ready to open. Anyone able to hammer a few nails, wield a paint brush or broom, or move some furniture is invited. Or come ogle some of the shirtless males she's put to work, that's acceptable too.
Rating: PG. Probably. >.>


Natasha's still not entirely sure why she's doing this. Most mornings, she wakes up with the inevitable realization that she's probably lost her mind. She's not one to put down roots, to make a commitment to anything, because things don't last, situations change and her lifestyle choice of 'don't get attached' is slowly getting buried under a mound of teammates, friends, and persistent pests that somehow end up being debatably endearing.

And, apparently, a coffee shop.

Yup. She's definitely lost her mind. That doesn't seem to stop her from going each day and working on the little shop off the plaza, although she's reached a point that there's not much else she can do on her own. She needs help. A galling realization, but hey, that's what teammates are for, right? So, on a bright and sunny Friday morning, she rounds up what help she can find to pound out the last few renovations needed for the place.



((OOC Note: Most of the work needed is inside the cafe itself, although some work can be done outside as well. The doors will be propped open for people to come and go and they're taking pretty much a blank slate of an interior and turning it into this. So, work your character could possibly be doing is helping construct the coffee bar, painting the walls, hanging light fixtures or the shelving behind the coffee bar. Cleaning up the tables and chairs or the other surfaces inside once the sawdust and nail-pounding clears up. And if someone wants to get creative and make her a sign, she will be eternally grateful.

There will be a constant supply of drinks and snacks as well, for people wanting to take breaks or those wandering by to eyeball the proceedings. Hop in, help out, or just stop by to chat.))

Comments

[selfhelp]

Since it's a school day, Billy won't be there until some time in the afternoon, but he's eager to help out anyway. He's not much good for the heavy-lifting bit, but his magic is definitely useful when it comes to taking on the odd jobs, so if anyone needs something quickly modified, moved, or otherwise changed and doesn't feel like doing it manually, he's your guy. He can be found either doing said odd jobs (assuming there are any), or just tucked in a corner out of the way, drawing up designs for the sign to hang above the door, on the door, inside, wherever Natasha wants it. Assuming she'll want it.

Yeah, he's not sure either, but he's trying his best. Bother him at will.

...Also if there are shirtless guys around he is totally watching. For... anatomy study. Yes.

[widows_kiss]

She takes a break from painting to swing by the corner he's holed up in, crouching down beside him with a curious glance at the papers he's been sketching at for a while now.

"How's it coming?"

[handing]

"They didn't ban you from using the tools again, did they?"

Okay, so Billy hadn't actually been forbidden to use hammers or anything else during the art gallery project. But it almost came to that point, and she's glad to see that he doesn't seem to be nursing any bruises on his fingers this time around.

[250mhzwabl]

In the midday heat, the shade of Billy's arts and crafts corner is a welcome respite, and Jack adjourns there with a sandwich (turkey on rye, no cheese - he's very proud of himself for remembering, okay) and a bottle of water for the artist-in-residence. He sets both down in front of him with a little ta-daah-! noise, leaning in out of his blind spot to do so.

"Behold! Lunch. Provided you . . . don't have allergies or anything, hopefully."

[widows_kiss]

Natasha isn't the sort to sit back and watch, especially when the work being done is for her. Well, for the coffee shop, but that ends up being the same thing, doesn't it?

So she's almost constantly in motion, supervising some of the tasks she can't do herself, answering questions on how things should be, offering an extra set of hands where necessary. Luckily she's very good at delegating as well and she knows what most of the people who show up are capable of and can point them in the right direction.

It comes together surprisingly well in her opinion and she does take a few breaks to just stand back and watch the somewhat-organized chaos going on in her little space. And she makes sure to exchange at least a few words with everyone who shows up to pitch in, making sure to thank them for the help.

[theboywiththebook]

Henry was promised he would get to use a hammer >B|. But, he'd be going around passing out drinks to people or getting lumber or something. When he see's Natasha just off to the side delegating, he's already coming over with a cold drink in hand. He offers it up to her as he says

"Here, is lemonade okay?"

[handing]

At one point Pepper steps back from the wall she's helping paint Natasha's chosen color, needing a bit of a break. She drops off the paintbrush and grabs a bottle of water, then makes her way over to the woman in charge just to exchange a few words.

"Hey, boss." Pepper grins as she leans against a counter (after checking to make sure there's not something wet covering the surface of it). "How do you think it's going so far?"

[eversohungry]

"Where can I help?"

Vastra has shown up after spotting the construction, dressed in her standard battle-attire (it's the only thing she can work in, she is not endangering her spectacular dresses thank you). She smiles at Natasha, somewhat aware that it's been almost weeks since she's seen the other. Time to come out of her draft-hole, though. Help a friend.

"Do all of these have to go inside?" she asks, gesturing to some of the squishier armchairs, tables, and so on.

[asthehawkflies]

"I'm starting to get the impression you had an ulterior motive to asking us here."

Clint is grinning when he slips over to Natasha's side, shirtless and dusty from helping with the construction. He's seen Natasha watching for perhaps a little longer than is necessary. Not that he can blame her.

And now to interrupt all your hard work....

[widows_kiss]

[Today also happens to be Tony Stark's birthday. Which can't, of course, go un-celebrated. So for the first event in a still-unopened coffee shop, his friends and teammates clear some room, pass the word where they can, and drag out the party supplies to celebrate in style.

Except no exploding watermelons this time, Tony. The floor was just mopped.]

[halfnhalf]

[The first thing Teddy did before getting to work was set down the two cakes he'd been working on just for the occasion. The birthday cake itself is a two layered cake: vanilla on top, chocolate on the bottom, and a raspberry filling with vanilla buttercream frosting. It would look beautiful, except Billy's decided to magically decorate the cake with a raccoon on top and fruit roll-up "leaves" all around it. It's an inside joke that gave Teddy a good chuckle, and so he let it stay.

The second is one for everyone, more to celebrate the coffee shop's construction than anything, though it could also be used for the birthday. A triple chocolate cheesecake made with care, sliced sixteen ways. Have at that, ladies.

As for the party itself, Teddy will mostly stand by Billy and watch the celebration. The cakes count as gifts shush]

[handing]

[There is a firm no tolerance policy in regards to blowing up produce, and Tony's left his suit at home; already this birthday party is promising.

Okay, so Pepper actually isn't worried about those things mostly. In truth she's really happy with how many people have stayed around to celebrate, and with the spirit that's filled the coffee shop all day. It's been hard work, yes, but also fun, and now they'll have a chance to unwind and enjoy the rest of the evening.

For Pepper's part, she'll be helping with decorations since Billy and Teddy are handling the cake. After the festivities actually start, she occasionally ends up by Tony's side to goad him into taking presents from people gracefully, or just to steal a few moments with him. For the most part she's on her own though, mingling with the crowd, saying hi to friendly and familiar faces, and having a good time.]

[alloys]

[ AND HERE IS THE BIRTHDAY BOY, in all his mute, resplendent glory. Tony somehow got conned into manual labor on his birthday, so you sure as hell better be celebrating him.

Tony has a handy-dandy text-to-audio translator on him he whipped together after the draft, and while it may not carry the full weight of his usual snark, it gets the job done. So come wish him a happy birthday, and don't forget your gifts! He's expecting them, naturally. ]

this log is lacking in half naked men. you're welcome

[neversurrender]

Steve arrives on the scene early, carting in some left over supplies from the work he did on the art gallery. Nails, hammers, blocks of wood, and a bunch of miscellaneous stuff can be found in the boxes he brings in. Immediately he begins to work on building the coffee bar. He's never been one for construction, but since coming to Luceti, he's had more practice at it than he expected. He's also not all that bad at it provided he's able to follow the design plans.

When not working on the bar he can be found helping people carry things or hanging light fixtures and shelves, particularly the high ones. As the day goes on and it gets increasingly stuffy in the building, Steve will pull off his t-shirt and stuff it into his back pocket before getting back to work.

/surreptitiously ogles

[widows_kiss]

She'd been hoping someone would wander along who could help her build the coffee bar she'd sketched out plans for and marked out on the floor. She hadn't expected it to be Steve, but she certainly wasn't complaining.

Taking a break from painting the back wall, she grabs two bottles of water and brings one over to him, having noted he'd been working on it steadily for a while now. "Here. You looked like you could use a breather," she interrupts with a crooked smile, holding a bottle out to him.

we all appreciate the sacrifices Steve makes--especially the shirt off his back.

[handing]

Steve's making pretty good progress with the bar; Pepper's caught a glimpse of it from time to time, and the work seems to be steadily coming along. She's in between jobs herself at the moment, so she walks over just to check and see if Steve might need a hand.

"Hey. How's it going so far?"

Because a child with a jack hammer is always a good idea if he were allowed one

[theboywiththebook]

[So, Henry's heard about this making of a coffee shop and he's all willing to help out. He thought he'd get to use a hammer and nails and stuff. But, the grown ups are lame and won't let him B(.

In any case, all he's doing is carting what little he can in a wheel barrow. He's just moving tools about or small blocks of lumber.

When he's not doing that he's carrying around a cooler full of drinks. Maybe you got a nice cold lemonade...or maybe a bottle of tomato juice. Give the kid a break, he can't read labels right now. But, there's no alcohol in it. We need to stay sober guys.]

[touchofrogue]

Rogue didn't like mornings, but that was irrelevant when Logan was around. A pot of coffee and a "Danger Room" session, and it was 9 o'clock. She usually had just enough time to eat something and make her way down to the stables, check in on Penny, and then head back to the Item Shop for her regular shift of 10-3.

Today, however, she would only be there for part of the time. She passed this little project on the way down and decided to take a closer look. After rebuilding the mansion several times and helping with the art gallery, she was a dab hand at this sort of thing. But she hadn't really seen a lot of these people since the draft and all that had come out during it, and she wasn't certain of her reception.

That didn't keep her from stopping by.

[handing]

Pepper was one of those people she hadn't seen, but who'd heard about what happened on the draft--and what had been revealed. She knew Tony had gone to see her after, too. But now, as they ended up side by side, it was hard to figure out just what to say that wouldn't be unwelcome or intrusive.

There probably wasn't anything about the topic of Loki that met those qualifications. So Pepper decided on something different; safer.

"Hey. How's your wing doing?"

[eversohungry]

Who says only the shirtless men can do the lifting?

Never one to be relegated to a broom or a mop, Vastra sets herself to weight-lifting in the form of moving furniture about the room. Yes, by herself. Apparently the lizard woman can heft quite a bit on her own. ...it's just the maneuvering that's a bit of a problem. The couches don't go as neatly through doors as tables do, for instance. (She might be getting a little close to knocking someone in the head with a furniture leg...)

In between carrying the furniture around and hauling building materials over for the coffee bar, Vastra keeps throwing furtive, curious glances at the host of coffee-related machinery. Having never seen anything like it before, she wonders what the purpose could be and why there had to be so much of it...

But really, she's a Silurian, technically lightyears ahead of humans in terms of technology. Asking about simple coffee devices would be--well, awkward. Awkward was a good word for it.

[worldsaway]

Thor knows the feeling, Vastra. He's thousands of years old and capable of a great many things, but he honestly haas absolutely no idea what he's doing beyond moving furniture. The prospect of a coffee shop is exciting, though he's hardly been in one before, it just seems as if it may be a faux pas to stop in the middle of working and ask what the function of all these machines could possibly be!

He catches sight of her throwing a glance as he does so himself, from then on he makes it his mission to work himself toward her. At least there's someone else here who isn't quite aware of what they're doing! When he gets the chance, he's going to step toward her with an extra cup of water so that he can extend it toward her.

"You've done a most impressive job thus far." He offers her a friendly smile.

[worldsaway]

[Thor doesn't know a lot about coffee shops or how they function, despite having been on a brief vacation to New York. He does know that lattes are delicious inventions and that he's fond of them, but he has no idea how they're made, nor how the machinery functions.

As such, a lot of Thor's helping involves either the heavy lifting or the high reaching. Who needs ladders? Not this guy. His hair has been pulled back messily and he's comfortably dressed in Midgardian attire. He hasn't quite reached the shirtless point of exhaustion, but he has no issue with stopping to snack and drink countless times through the day.

Overall, he's actually quite happy to be helping! He's cheerful as ever and enjoying the atmosphere of it all, which is probably clear in his loud and enthusiastic comments and occasional manly back pats of encouragement.]

[halfnhalf]

[Oh wow, Thor is helping. Thor. At least, that had been the main reason Teddy looked over, though his gaze lingers for a moment before he gets back to work. It's anatomy study, okay? And maybe Teddy can appreciate a guy looking good with messy hair. Especially a god.

It doesn't take long for him to look back at him though, not really to ogle this time, but more to smile and call out to him.]

Oh, hey! [God, that sounds so informal. But what else does he say? Sup Thor my man?] You look like you're enjoying yourself!

[bionically]

[Having worked up a mean sweat and an appetite to match after tackling several challenge room simulations at the dome, Spencer showered up, had a bite at Seventh Heaven, and is now taking in the sights and sounds of the village at leisure. On his stroll he comes across the cafe in the works, pausing to regard the scene.]

Looking good, Miss Romanoff. [He offers with a stiff little nod and the barest hint of a smile quirking his lips. It's still hard not to feel like an ass in light of the most recent shift, but he's working on recovering his good humour and positivity. Baby steps.]

It's about time there's a cafe around here. It's a little much sometimes, going to a restaurant just for a cup of Joe.

[widows_kiss]

[She'd missed his involvement in the most recent Shift - she'd had her hands full enough trying to sort out the madness that had befallen her friends and teammates. So at the sound of her name, she turns and greets the man with a crooked smile, inclining her head in acknowledgement and greeting.]

Hello, Captain. And thank you. It's getting there. And yes, I agree. I'm still not so certain I should be the one running it, but it's not like there's much else demanding my attention here at the moment. [Outside of Bucky anyway, but that's besides the point.] I admit, it's one of the comforts of home I've missed.

[abjurer]

[He's always searching for new things to keep him occupied and hey, this seems like a worthy venture. And Natasha seems like a pretty nice person. He doesn't mind helping out for a bit. Maybe not with the heavy lifting, but he can clean up at least, and move things around.

When he arrives though, there's a definite few moments when he can just stare. And clutch his jacket tightly around himself because wow, does he suddenly feel inadequate.]

[widows_kiss]

[She spots him shortly after he arrives, as she's coming out of the back kitchen. She hadn't anticipated him, but there's a few people here she hadn't expected and she's rolling with it. Surprised, but pleased. She changes direction, coming towards him with a smile. While she notes his strange reaction, she doesn't bring it up right away, although she wonders what's got him looking like that.]

Hello, Max. Come to see what all the fuss is about?

[jamesbarnes]

Just because there are super-powered aliens, soldiers, and everything in between hanging around doesn't mean that Bucky will shy away from the heavy lifting - or stripping down when he inevitably gets too warm. There's only one girl around whose attention he's really interested in, and he's pretty sure he's made some kind of impression on her by now.

Once that's done with, he'll spend some time flirting with said girl and then swing by to see if Steve needs a hand with the bar before moving right on to painting. He's happy to chat while he works, so feel free to run into him anywhere.

He might not say it out loud, but it's actually nice to put all of his energy into something straight-forward for once and not have to worry about the fallout.

[widows_kiss]

Yes, he can safely say he's made an impression by now. And continues to make one. When he wanders over in her direction, sweaty and shirtless, she lets a smile curve across her lips as she takes in the sight of him with an appreciative gaze, being not at all subtle about it.

Clearly they needed to have construction work in Luceti more often, if this was the result.

She leans back against the table she'd just moved inside and waits for him with a knowing smirk.

[z_jay]

Construction wasn't an unusual sound to be hearing when there was some renovation going on in Abel, but the distant sound of work going on had drawn his attention. He had no particular destination in mind and no real schedule to keep, so he meandered over slowly, squinting at the structure that a few more people were mingling around. Definitely the sounds of labor within, but he smelled food and that was always something he was keen on paying attention to.

So, trying to stay out of the way, he peered in to have a better look, grinning a little at the industriousness going on within. It meant hope and plans and a future that was possibly bright instead of simply making do with what was around. To him, it was something to be really glad for. Finally spotting a face he recognized he wondered if the lady who'd given him some warm coffee just after his arrival back from the Malnosso would remember him.

"What's ... this gonna be?"

[widows_kiss]

She'd gotten immersed in preparing to hang the shelves on the back wall, because most of the people here had been pointed in useful directions, but there were more in and out than she could keep track of. She was visible if people needed to find her or ask a question. With her back turned, she'd missed Eugene's arrival and she turned with a surprised look before subtly relaxing and giving him a faint smile.

"Providing we survive the day? I hope we come out the other side of it with a coffee shop. Hello, Eugene. How's things?"

[250mhzwabl]

[The credit for finding the construction site had gone to Max and Eugene. Jack was somewhat later to follow, not having fantastic faith in his walls-and-floors-type construction skills. The extent of his ability to erect structures sort of started and stopped at temporary shelters that made clever use of plastic sheeting and rope, or carrying things on the orders of those in Abel who actually had some experience in such things. However, he felt he'd be remiss in not showing up at all, and besides. One more person who knew how to wire a light switch never hurt.

So he shows up around midmorning, dressed in clothing he doesn't particularly care about, towing along a cooler full of drinks and what he's gathered are universally necessary sandwich ingredients. He'll be putting together a few while he watches, or otherwise roaming the site on missions of food- and beverage-providing mercy.]

[widows_kiss]

[She doesn't spot him right away, but she does note someone's been around to pass out fresh drinks and food on occasion. She's grateful for that, because more people showed up than she was anticipating - quite a few more, actually - and she honestly wasn't sure she had enough for everyone.

She doesn't catch who's responsible until she catches him by the cooler and she wanders over to lean on the new counter beside him.]

Ahh, so this is where it's come from. My hero.