thisavrou_log | Going Back to an Old Save File Is Always Confusing

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Going Back to an Old Save File Is Always Confusing | OPEN

Who: Darin Altway, the resident of Neo Lion House, and anyone who catches him exploring and rummaging
When: The whole month!
Where: Suites, Labs, Library
What: Darin exploring the new digs, getting tools and resources, and renovating the suits to accommodate everyone from Lion House
Warnings: N/A

I - Library

[So, on the bright side, while everything may have gone to hell, the team seems to have made it through in tact. Well, somewhat in tact. Right now, the time for being sad and forlorn was over. Now was the time to start picking up the pieces, to rebuild, and the best way to do that was to make their new home a little more...well, homey.]

[As soon as Darin heard that there was a library, he practically sprinted there. He'd seen small libraries in the past, of course, but nothing like this. Within minutes, he's seated at a table which he's claimed almost entirely for himself. Spread out in front of him are at least half a dozen books, all of which are about architecture and interior design, but all seemingly collect knowledge from different alien worlds and environments. He's sitting on the edge of the table, his personal holo pad in hand, working on several designs for rooms. Layouts hover in the air around him, and he manipulates each plan as he pores over the books. But, that's not all. On the edge of the table is another huge stack of books. Among them, books on engineering, magic theory, chemistry, a book called "Interpersonal Relationships for Dummies", and...is that...is that a trashy romance novel? "Transcending Space?" How did that get in there?]

[He's completely engrossed in his work, and won't notice if anyone walks up and starts watching right away.]

Hm...that could work. Maybe a buttress there is too much...

II - Labs

[With his plans all worked out, it was time to get the things he needed. Tools, parts, resources in general. Of course, there was enough junk and scrap around that he could just make the things he needed with magic and get some much needed practice in the meantime. But that wasn't nearly as fun. He was a master blacksmith, after all. This might take some time, but in the end, the payoff will be so much more satisfying. So, Darin will be making constant trips back and forth to the labs over the duration of a few weeks. He's not sure which labs are claimed and which aren't and...well, Darin is more the type to ask for forgiveness rather than ask for permission. If he finds a lab with tools and materials that he can use, you better believe he'll be making return trips to 'borrow' what he needs. Sometimes, he even gets sidetracked and starts messing around with the equipment, just to see what it does. This often results in broken...everything, chunks of tables outright missing, and the occasional scorch mark on a wall that is curiously shaped like his own silhouette. Again, he's usually so engrossed by exploring and rummaging, he won't notice the owner of the lab coming in behind him. He probably won't even notice if you try to club him over the head for just taking things without asking.]

III - Suites

[So, this was there new home, huh? What a dump. Fortunately, Shiro has tasked Darin with doing a little remodeling so that they can all share the same living space once again. Unfortunately, Darin takes things to extremes. 'Knocking out a wall' in Shiro-speak translates to 'Darin, you need to help us. This hovel is not fit for our heroic band of paladins. I am tasking you with the mission of turning these suites into something befitting our group. You're the only one I can ask to do this. Be the hero I need.' in Darin-speak.]

[Yeah, there's a whole Shiro-to-Darin Dictionary somewhere. It's full of crap like this.]

[Regardless, Darin took the task to heart, and since his own heart is a gigantic tire fire at the moment, he's literally chomping at the bit to get buried in some distracting work.]

[Knocking out a wall is just the start. Darin's completely taking it upon himself to alter the floor plan of the combined suites so everyone has more space to be themselves. He's at it almost constantly. Half of his team don't seem to comprehend what sleep is, so there's a very real chance the general suite area might be listening to the sound of a makeshift power sander at 4 AM. There's also a very real chance that Darin might straight up punch through the wrong wall into a neighbor's suite. Don't worry, though. He'll fix it! He's just making sure to greet their new neighbors in a way that only Darin knows how.]

[Either way, he's going to be working pretty much non-stop for a week and a half. Possibly more. Someone please make sure he eats. And doesn't lose an arm.]

IV - New Rooms (Closed to Neo Lion House)

[With the renovations complete, everyone has their own space tailored to them, designed specifically by Darin. There's also some leftover space for Keith, Lance, and Coran, should they ever reappear. Darin poured his heart into each of these rooms, and it shows!]

[Shiro's room: Darin really tried hard to accommodate Shiro here. He was concerned for his friend's health and really wanted to give him a space where he could just relax. The room itself is painted in a gradient; darker blues starting from the floor, up to the ceiling which ends in very deep purple and black. There's a bed in the corner to give Shiro a little floor space, a dome light right in the center of the ceiling. Pidge helped him decorate the ceiling with glow in the dark star stickers, and they mapped out a few Earth-specific constellations. The light in the center of the ceiling, however, had two switches on the wall. One switched the light on and off. The other? It activated the mini planetarium projector housed in the light, which paints every surface in specks of light. There's a nice desk on the opposite side of the room, across from the bed and next to that is a closet for his clothes. On the other side of the desk is a sliding panel that houses an armor rack for his paladin armor. Finally, above his bed is a motivational poster specifically picked out by Darin.]

[Pidge's room: Pidge's room might have been one of the easiest to design, but the trickiest to execute. Pidge's bed is the top part of a set of bunk beds, but no bottom bunk. Instead, her desk is fit into the space where the bed should go, and a thick curtain is hung from the edge of the top bunk to give her workspace some privacy. He decided to forego lights because, let's face it, the only source of light needed in that room is the glow from her monitors. Which is why every wall and even part of the ceiling, has monitors physically embedded into the walls so that Pidge can have plenty of floor space to work with. The residual heat from all of the tech Darin physically housed inside the walls actually keeps the room super warm and comfortable without much need for actual heating. Pidge also has sliding panel in the corner of her room that houses an armor rack for her paladin armor, but also a second sliding panel that can be used to store snacks for those long stints where she can't be bothered to come to the kitchen and eat.]

[Hunk's room: Darin really wanted to consider Hunk's needs when designing this room. He was a big guy so he wanted to give the guy more space. But as an engineer, he also knew he'd needs space to work. Hunk's room is pretty much completely transformable. The bed itself, frame and all, are on a massive hinge attached to the back wall. When he needs the space, all he has to do it lift the bed up and fold it straight up into the wall, where it locks into place. The wall to the right of it has a work bench that folds out of the wall, and above it are panels that spin in place. One side is plain, while the other has all kinds of tools. There are drawers and cabinets build right into the walls that house spare parts and various screws, nuts, bolts, cables, anything you might need, and they're all meticulously labeled for the sake of organization. On the opposite wall is Hunk's armor rack and closet, similarly set into the wall, as well as a book case with cook books and engineering texts Darin found while exploring the labs.]

[Fareeha's room: Fareeha's room was dedicated more towards storing and protecting her armor and weapons. First and foremost, the room itself is on a timed lock. Once inside, she has a rather cozy bed tucked towards the back in the left hand corner. She has a desk, and a modest book case and a dresser as well, and to the right of the dresser is a closet for her casual clothes. The real magic comes when a button on a small remote control is hit. That's when a number of panels all flip over, fitted with racks for Fareeha's armor components. The panels themselves are all locked and can only be opened via the remote control or by manually unlocking them with a key that Darin will leave in Fareeha's care. After all, if they lose power, it's important that she can get to her armor. There's also a cabinet for tools to clean and maintain the armor itself, and desk flips to convert into a workbench if necessary.]

[Allura's room: This room Darin was possibly the most careful with. It also took him the longest, so Allura might have been temporarily been displaced, but it all worked out in the end, right? For starters, since her bed was such a big deal to her back in Lion House, he really wanted to make sure this one was up to her standards. He tracked down the fluffiest, softest mattress he could find and built a frame specifically to house it. He sought out as many fluffy pillows he could find, and when he couldn't find some that weren't up to snuff, he flat out stitched some himself. He built a canopy that fit right into the frame itself so that the corners looked almost like stalagmites rising up to create the canopy. The posts all had intricate ridges running around them which continued directly into the walls of the suite itself. The ridges form pathways around the room and, in fact, continue all along the upper walls of the entire suite, complete with little doors. At this point, it becomes apparent that the ridges are pathways for Allura's mice to run about her room and throughout the entire suite itself. Allura's closet is the biggest of everyone's, giving her enough room to actually walk into it. She had a desk and a dresser, and the mice also have little dens worked into the walls so that they have their own space as well. On her door is her name plate, framed with wood in the shape of a lion with mice riding on its back. The plate is the only thing Darin made with his magic and it was made of salvaged wood from her old door of Lion House.]

[Alfor's room: This room might have given Darin the most trouble. He had absolutely no idea what a king liked, let alone what Alfor liked! He racked his brain before finally settling on something as regal as he could make it. Alfor's bed might be the nicest, second only to Allura's, with similar framing and a canopy that he built himself. As opposed to an armor rack embedded in the wall, like the rest of the paladins, Darin worked Alfor's gear into the decor itself. The armor rack was set out, open in the corner of the room, so his armor could be prominently displayed, and his weapon was hung proudly on the wall above what appeared to be a mantle. Below that was an alcove that, once a switch was flipped, simulated a fireplace. It gave off no heat, but it simulated a roaring fire that, in Darin's opinion, was rather relaxing to watch. Darin also built Alfor's desk himself, and worked hard to make it something worthy of royalty. It was made of dense wood that Darin had managed to salvage, and sanded and stained to a deep, almost mahogany looking finish. On the desk were a series of books that Darin had found about history and various treatises on alien worlds, and an old, blank journal that Alfor could use to write whatever he wanted. He figured, in the event they had to separate again, maybe Alfor could leave Allura something in that.]

Sorry it took so long. I hope everyone likes their new digs.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[This is going nowhere fast. She still disagrees -- but the fact that he thinks it's enough is part of the problem. Both in what it says about how he regards himself, and because it means he's going to dig his heels in and protest it. There's no real way to have him consider otherwise.]

Then what should I do, then? Because every time it comes up, it makes me feel... bad. Like I should do something to treat you better.

[Take care of him?]

Princess, you've done more than enough. You've given me a home, a job, a purpose. Anything more than that is just...icing on the cake.

I don't need anything more so...anything you do should be something you want for me instead of just asking me what I want. I'll never have an answer for that.

But what if this is what I want?

I realize it might seem hypocritical of me to say it, but -- other than the occasional treat, there's not much I want for myself to be happy. Seeing others getting what they want, and knowing they're living good lives? That is what truly makes me content.

Hrm.

Well...how about this?

If you could give me one thing, right now? What would it be?

You mean besides the haircut?

[She thinks about it. The conditions are fairly limited, but...]

Given that display earlier, I think the first thing you need is a back scratcher that can stand up to even your strength. There must be something that will work. Maybe the type of material used for spaceships and robotics?

Huh...that would actually be really great! I'd love that!

But, if that grade of material isn't available for that kind of purpose... there's another thing you could consider.

There's a number of different things you could try scrubbing it with to reduce how much it itches at all. Salt solutions to clean it, oils or lotions to soften it...

[There's just one problem with that.]

I...wouldn't be able to reach.

And I have no idea about any of that stuff.

... that... is a problem. The first one, I mean! But the second one, I could teach you. I've learned quite a bit about these things.

I've had to, really. Not everything we had on Altea can be found elsewhere. And vice versa!

I should just find someone to wash my back every now and then.

That'll solve all my problems.

[He's joking.]

[Should she... get into it again...]

You should just be grateful that your skin isn't supernaturally tough, along with all your other strengths. Or else you'd need to find someone to rub steel wool on it.

Edited 2017-10-27 04:41 (UTC)

That actually sounds really good, if I were being honest.

It'd really take the roughness away. Have you ever felt my hands? It's like holding hands with a barnacle.

Are you sure? Because that sounds like a great way to cause a lot of painful bleeding, very quickly.

... ... ...

You know, I don't think I ever have.

[He holds out his surprisingly large hands to her. He's not joking either, his palms are calloused all over. They almost feel like rocks. The skin above his hands is leathery and tanned from years of working over hot iron and steel. His skin isn't cracked though, and despite the number of burns he mustn't have endured at the anvil, his hands don't show a single scar. A clear testament to his otherworldly healing ability. But even so, his fingers are long and clearly dexterous, perfect for detailed crafting and artisan work. His nails are chipped and there are cuticles pulled back just a little too far. His hands clearly showcase the hard life he's led.]

Not my most charming feature, I'll admit.

No, but... they do tell a story.

[She's looking them over. Admiring them is certainly the wrong word, but she's -- examining them with interest. It's a sad story in its own way, and yet...]

I imagine there's something, somewhere, which could soften all this. Not as soft as my hands, but... softer, until they were at least close to leather.

But I almost feel like that would be doing you a disservice. Wouldn't it?

Yeah. I am kind of proud of them in a way.

[He notices how she's not touching them. He can't blame her. His hands were ugly things. Sure, he was proud of them, of all the things he could do with them, but he also understands his station; his place. He was a tradesman. She was a princess. Their hands should never touch.]

[He let's then hang, once more at his sides.]

Your hands must be nice.

I'd like to think so. I haven't done nearly so much with them -- well, unless you count operating the ship's systems.

[She mimes it, the way she would hold her hands up to control everything. But without the actual console appearing, it might look a little strange.]

There's not really any way to hurt yourself doing that, short of crashing the ship.

You must be a pretty accomplished pilot then. I'd like to see you fly someday.

Considering I've piloted a castle-sized battleship for over half my life? You might say something like that.

[She's bragging a little. She's earned it!]

It feels as though it's been far too long since I've had the opportunity to pilot a proper ship, however.

So...what you're telling me iiiiis...

If we were to find a ship, you and I could technically go on an adventure?

Without telling Shiro?

Of course. Why not?

Although I recommend that we do actually find a ship. Not to knock your skill -- I'm certain you could make a fine ship yourself, but I'm not sure if this station is properly equipped to test.

And you really shouldn't test your ship by throwing it out into space and hoping it works.

Nah, even I don't think I'm at that level yet.

And how are you not more excited about this?! Just you and me on a space adventure! No one to look over our shoulders or babysit us!

Hey, I am excited! Space is familiar territory for me, but...

I think adventuring with you is exciting enough to make up for it.

I think the best part will be sneaking out on our own with no supervision for a change.

What do you mean? We don't normally have supervision on our adventures, do we?

[Allura? You realize he probably means space adventures, right?]

... unless... you're saying we're sneaking off without the mice this time?

[Nevermind.]

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