We built this city on rock and roll

[fleurdesel]

Who: Adele LeBlanc, Derek Bliss, gawkers, assistants, and whoever wants to help or mock
What: Building a beach house (not actually on the beach)
When: June 12th - 15th
Where: The Beach
Summary: A house is built, there's a bonfire at night and food provided for those that helped.
Rating: PG-13 for potential language

[After a brief posting the day before on the journal network mentioning the construction project, it's location, and offering a meal in return for work, Adele assists Derek in moving the supplies they've collected since picking the site and in the initial set up. Knowing little to nothing of construction she follows his lead every step of the way, breaking off only to set up water or a quick meal for them in between shifts of planing wood, cutting trim and hammering nails.

It takes time to get it built, but the end of each work day is met with a small or large bonfire, a hot meal, and cool drink.

And at the end there may very well be a house.]

Comments

All over the place...

[rather_be_surfing]

[Between recent events and current work, Derek is probably more relaxed than he has been since even the last time he'd been in Luceti. He had something to do, something to focus on, and it made being in this prison just that little more tolerable. He stays focused though, and patient, working steadily on setting up the frame work of the house, and patiently explaining to others what needed to be done if they approached him with questions. There were several blueprints set up on a small table nearby as well, held down with rocks and instructions written in as easy to understand language as he could manage. No point in bogging down the project with stuff other folks might not get, anyway.

Working, shirtless, and at ease, he went about the days with an easy smile and a nod to anyone who showed up.]

((OOC; Open to approach by anyone.

I'll beg minimal knowledge of housebuilding after watching my architech uncle, my dad and their brothers build add-ons to my grandparents house in days gone by. So any mess ups in that area are entirely my fault and not that Derek is an idiot. He actually knows what he's doing :) ))

Day 1

[fleurdesel]

[The frame is up. Cut, measured, foundation set and the bones of her home are in place. And she honestly can't believe she's had a hand in it in the slightest. Sometime between trimming this bit of wood and hammering that into place she comes around to Derek's side with a glass of water and a weary smile.]

At least the weather is not so bad.

Day 1

[rather_be_surfing]

[Derek will take the glass and a smile of his own, nodding his thanks as he takes a drink from it. He will give her hand a slight squeeze before letting it go. Granted, they weren't an official 'thing', but unless she made it a point of letting him know she didn't like it, he was all right with the occasional show of subtle affection.]

Yeah. It's kinda nice, actually. Not too hot yet. As long as it doesn't start raining, it should go pretty fast. How's it going on your end?

Day 1

[fleurdesel]

[She smiles at the faint squeeze. It's casual affection, something she can give easily at the moment without any guilt. Whether there is any real emotional intent behind what they have; she can't say. Won't say. Refuses to say. Emotional entanglement hasn't helped her here in the slightest. This friendly sharing of beds now and then? This she can stand.]

I am following your directions to the letter, and since you have been kind enough to show me how it is everything should be done, it's going quickly.

[rather_be_surfing]

[The affection is easy to come by, now that the initial barrier between them is down. To be honest, he's not sure what they have, either. There's an attachment there, one that had been there before the moment on the beach, and he's willing to acknowledge that as friendship and concern and a willingness on his part to be there for her when and if she ever needed him. Anything beyond that, though? Probably best not to assume, or push.

'Friends with benefits' worked fine for right now, even if deep down he's pretty sure he's lying to himself on that. Here in Luceti, it was probably best not to get too deeply tied, anyway.

He nods, smiling a little. He'd been worried, honestly, that he wouldn't have been clear enough, or, worse yet, 'dumbed it down' enough to be insulting. That didn't seem to be the case here, though.]

Definitely looking good from here. You're pretty good with a hammer.

[Yep, back to easy teasing. He'll take another sip of water while he contemplates the job done so far.]

Any day really

[thebellthatbinds]

[Sabriel doesn't have any idea what is required to build a house really, but the more hands there are to help the better, right? Not to mention the hard work would help take her mind off of things. She's a keen worker, listens well to instruction and generally gets the job done minus a few hammered fingers now and then.

In the mornings when she arrives Sabriel makes sure to bring either a large bottle of iced tea or lemonade and some sandwiches for Adele and whoever else shows up to work. When the work is done for the day she might be found closer to the water, either sitting in the sand of the beach or wading through the shallow depths. Adele had the right idea, making a house out here.]

Lunchtime on the 13th

[all7seas]

"Woman! Sandwich! I'm all full of holes, here, with my innards a-leaking on the sand!"

He wasn't really full of holes. He was just very hungry, is all, from all the hard work.

Lunchtime on the 13th

[thebellthatbinds]

"You look pretty whole to me, Captain."

Hole-y or not Sabriel swings by with a sandwich and a glass of lemonade and offers them both to the pirate. Honestly she hadn't expected to see Jack there but where else would you find a pirate if not by the sea?

Lunchtime on the 13th

[all7seas]

"What sort of sandwich is it, then?" Apparently hungry pirates weren't hungry enough to not be picky. "It doesn't have mayonnaise on it, does it? Mayonnaise is of the devil. Comes right out of Satan's left nostril."

Lunchtime on the 13th

[thebellthatbinds]

"No mayonnaise, just mustard with ham, lettuce and tomato. I guarantee there is nothing in it that would have come from anyone's left nostril."

Doing serious magical stuff, 14th and 15th

[complicatedliar]

[Loki spends a lot of time quietly contemplating his building materials for the few improvements promised to make for Adele. He paces circles around them, prods them into new configurations, all the while looking very intent about the whole thing.

Then, after much thoughtful frowning and poking, he takes a small flute from the air and plays an odd little tune, during which the components arrange themselves appropriately.

Between little projects, he takes a break, pausing to sit on the beach and drink some sort of refreshing beverage.]

Re: Doing serious magical stuff, 14th and 15th

[rather_be_surfing]

[Derek will stop by at some point or another to see what Loki is doing and how he's coming along. He and Adele had discussed the possibility of asking for magical help, but the hunter had left that to her, since his own ties to the magically inclined were not many or strong just yet.

He'll give the man a polite greeting by way of nod as he sits down, nursing his own glass of water.]

Re: Doing serious magical stuff, 14th and 15th

[complicatedliar]

[Loki acknowledges the greeting with the barest movement of his hand; his mind is obviously elsewhere as he continues to pace his circle.

Once he's finished whatever arcane thing he's doing, he pauses to go fetch a glass of water for himself, then sits near Derek with a sigh.]

[rather_be_surfing]

Complicated stuff. [It's a guess, but people didn't get worn out just by staring at the sand.]

Thanks for helping her out.

[complicatedliar]

Working in three dimensions is simple. Once you've gotten up to six, it gets a bit... complex.

[He shrugs, though as always he's pleased to have his contributions recognized.]

I had need of a project.

Every day, every way.

[fleurdesel]

[As with every project in her life, Adele's focus is bent entirely upon whatever task she has been given by Derek. This is his job, his work, something he knows far more than she does and taking his instruction comes easily enough. It feels good for her to work away at wood, be it carving and cutting and planing, scraping the bones of her home into shape and helping layer on the frame bit by bit.

It's satisfying to see it come together.

Now and then she takes timed breaks, serving food or ducking back to the village to fetch a cart of fruit and drink and sandwiches for those that are helping. Sometimes it's just her and Derek, sometimes it's a few more.

She's never sure. Better to have too much.

At the end of each day she sets up the scrapped wood in a bonfire and roasts fish, cools a case of beer and lounges, eyes on the framework of a home slowly coming together.]

Evening of the 14th

[thebellthatbinds]

[They've done a lot of hard work over the last few days. Looking up at the house tonight it looks like it'll take just one more hard push to get everything in place and nailed down before it really becomes a home. It's been good to work hard, to sweat and forget about anything else but as the air starts to cool and with the setting of the sun it's also a good time to catch up on things.

Barefoot as she walks through the sand, Sabriel takes a seat beside Adele and offers her an bottle of beer, a second bottle in her other hand so she could drink with her friend.]

Almost there.

Evening of the 14th

[fleurdesel]

It almost looks like a proper house now.

[She sat back on the sad, staring up at the filled in frame. A proper house, a proper home. One that was small to suit her needs. With space enough for drills or meditation or even some medical work. Every board and nail of it though, is hers. Not of this place, not of a shift or some twist of magic, not of the Malnosso's work- but hers.

She finds it far more pleasing for that fact and cracks the top off her beer to salute Sabriel.]

We have done well.

Evening of the 14th

[thebellthatbinds]

It was a good idea to do this out here, I bet it's going to be wonderful when you've moved in.

[Sabriel lifts her bottle in a returned salute and takes a sip. It took a little while to get used to the taste but some beers weren't all that different from some strong teas, all body and bitterness but refreshing all the same.]

I'd be happy to help you with any of that too if you'd like.

Evening of the 14th

[fleurdesel]

...I'll need the help. I don't know when it happened but I seem to have accumulated quite a bit by the way of personal effects.

[Complacency. She thinks the word and hears it in Lupin's voice, and despite the argument, despite the confusion, despite everything she misses him fiercely and swallows it down with a swig of beer. Better for him to be home. A an like him does not do well in a cage such as this. He's happier with work, with jobs, with a crew.

Just as Ben is happier with the fate left to him.

Just as Remy is happier with all the world to take advantage of.

Somehow putting this place together, putting down roots feels half like a betrayal and half like healing. She's not certain just yet which is more prevalent.]

I think I'll try my hand at a garden.

13th - 15th

[250mhzwabl]

[Jack doesn't quite want to be out of the house. Not yet. After the last several days he just wants to curl up behind blessedly-reworked wards with his once-again-small wings and his cricket bat and the people he cares for, and he wants to forget the world outside exists.

Foolishly, with that aim in mind, he continues reading his journal. And when he sees Adele putting out the call for help, he can't convince himself that he'd be right to ignore it. Adele's sworn into a profession where she helps others, whenever she is asked, however she can. She's helped him, at the end of a very trying time for everyone.

It takes him a day to put together his things. But by the morning of the second day he's at the site with a basic set of tools for doing electrical work, and finding that there is a generator on-hand to supply power for the little house. He spends the remaining days poring over schematics, running wiring and double-checking just about everything he installs. Once he has a working outlet, there's music as well, his stereo plugged in and iPod shuffling merrily through his more high-energy playlists.]

13th - 15th

[rather_be_surfing]

[Once Derek realizes there's someone here with electrician tools, he'll make his way over, giving the man a nod, and giving him an inquiring look.]

I wasn't expecting much to be done about the electrical. Sorry about that. The plans make sense, though?

[250mhzwabl]

Oh, they're fantastic. Pretty much what we work with back home, honestly.

[It's not quite the understatement one might anticipate, given the thoroughly English accent lilting through the words. But then again, one probably does not get the impression of restraint or propriety from the guy with beat-up trainers and a pierced ear, who's been bobbing his head to himself as he reads plans and listens to The Chemical Brothers on his iPod. The tinny treble beat emerges into the open air as he looks up at the newcomer and tugs one earbud free, leaving it to dangle down the front of his shirt. After that he pulls off one of his gloves (the one piece of equipment he'd been hounded incessantly about having before leaving the house), offering his hand.]

Jack Holden. I . . . don't believe we've been introduced?

[There's a faint note of question with the greeting, because while he's pretty sure they haven't met, the man looks bizarrely familiar.]

[rather_be_surfing]

[He's...seen that look before. A long time ago, when he was fifteen or so years younger, still in California, and still seen by enough people that the wrong connection could be made. The English (London?) accent only helped to confirm that this man may come to the wrong conclusion as well, depending on what version of Earth he came from.

Fortunately, Derek was at least getting a chance to introduce himself before that could happen. He'll take the hand offered and give it a firm grip and shake.]

Derek Bliss. I'm a friend of Adele's. Nice to meet you.

[250mhzwabl]

Likewise. Well, on it being nice to meet you.

[He gives a flash of a cheeky grin, then glances back down at the plans, just for a moment.]

I may well have been downgraded from 'friend' status into 'barely-tolerated former patient' since the time I spoke French at her. Hard to say.