duologs | SEMI-OPEN 🔧 different eyes to see the same old things

i ► OFF ► dodo house (magpie suite & around)

[ Declan isn’t a bad roommate by any stretch, but he is kind of messy. No matter the world, he can’t help but tinker, and his room in the Magpie Suite has become a graveyard of parts and pieces. Dismantled bits of small electronics are… well, they’re everywhere. A disassembled desk fan here, a remote that hopefully no one is looking for or needing to use in pieces over there. Bundles of wires and mystery bits of plastic and batteries of all types and sizes intermingled with the rest. Some of that mess has even begun to spill out into the common areas. He wants to understand as much as he can about this place and its technology, and “hands on” is the only way Declan knows how to do anything.

But, he also realizes that perhaps now that he’s living with other people, he should maybe make some kind of effort to contain all of his crap. So, if you’re not one of his suitemates, you can catch him awkwardly trying to make his way up the stairs with a pile of tupperware bins in his arms. He’s got quite a few of all shapes and sizes, and the balancing act he’s doing is a bit precarious.

Whoops, there goes a bin off the top of the pile! ]

Blast!

ii ► OFF ► it must be caturday (quest)

[ Declan “I keep a small clockwork menagerie in my pockets” Steelsong isn’t one to judge somebody for having too many pets, but um. Maybe this is slightly too many pets. Still, it’s plain to see that the cats’ owner is in dire need of help, and even Declan, who is not the best with animals on most days, couldn’t turn him down.

But speaking of that small clockwork menagerie, in the midst of taking stock of all the cats and cataloging (heh) their needs, a wind-up frog has somehow escaped Declan’s pocket and gone hopping off through the house, cats in hot pursuit! (Or, perhaps, purrsuit?)

It’s nice they’re getting their enrichment in, but help?? HIS FROG!! ]

Someone stop that frog!

[ Cue Yakety Sax as a little brass frog, followed by ten cats, followed by Declan, go dashing about from room to room. ]

ON ► not the bees (quest)

[ Well now, he’s found himself with a most unusual ally for this little outing, hasn’t he? Declan doesn’t know too much about Knives, despite having chatted with him a couple of times, but he seems no-nonsense and driven. The driven part is nice, but the no-nonsense part? Well, they’ll have to see.

In the ON world, Declan seems to be much the same – pointy ears, purple eyes, smudged with grease – though his clothes differ quite a bit, and skew more fantasy-steampunk than anything he wears in the OFF world. ]

I’m a bit more in my element here, thankfully.

[ If Knives didn’t want conversation as they’re making their way to where the bees were last sighted, too bad! ]

I’ve the means to trap them if we want to try that route first! Or perhaps we should gather some flowers just to be safe?

ON ► the prince of shoeburg and the frog (quest)

[ He’s not, like, super thrilled to be going to a fancy party. Declan and nobility don’t tend to get along, and he has a special sort of dislike for the type of nobles who think they’re far more important than they actually are.

Well, he can push all that aside for one night, probably. There’s a priceless(?) statue on the line, and any good adventurer won’t turn their nose up at a chance for a bit of coin!

So here he is, in a stupidly fancy outfit, with a little lapel pin to match, not a speck of grease in sight! (He has, however, kept his hat + goggles combo. Maybe it doesn’t go together. He doesn’t care. You can only push a man so far.) At least he’s not doing this alone, though his partner in crime (or anti-crime) for the evening is a bit unorthodox.

As they’re waiting at the door to be admitted, provided invitations in hand, he glances down at Pinocchio. ]

You’re sure you don’t want me to fix your nose for you?

[ This has probably come up a lot. One application of Mending could do it! ]

[Unfortunately for Declan, he's not alone on the staircase. The escaped bin strikes Meridian square in the knees, and though he's unmoved by it, solid as a concrete wall, he looks decidedly nonplussed. With a soft grunt, he picks up the bin and rattles it vigorously. What's in here? Hopefully nothing breakable.]

Mind your fuckin' step.

[ The bin rattles quite loudly. Not because it’s full of anything important, but because there’s another, smaller bin inside. He’s hauling them up so he can fill them with stuff.

Declan pivots in place, unable to do much else with his arms stacked with plastic. ]

I’m trying my best, my leporine friend! These containers have a mind of their own!

[ Also, he did a poor job of stacking them before beginning his ascent. ]

[He goes quite still, his claws digging into the plastic, visibly denting it.]

What did you just call me?

[Which term is more offensive: 'friend' or 'leporine'? It's hard to say.]

[ SIR HIS BIN? He immediately looks concerned. ]

Leporine?

[ Declan does not live in a world where "friend" could be considered offensive, okay. ]

[The bin is in so much danger.]

Not a rabbit.

[His claw pierces the plastic.]

And I sure as hell ain't your friend.

[ tsurumaru is indeed a suitemate, however, he is still passing by when declan is struggling with his pile. admittedly, tsuru doesn't care too much about the mess-- as long as it's not affecting him personally he doesn't mind. and the mess hasn't quote reached the point yet where he feels the need to interfere.

so. here he is, watching declan drop shit. ]

Whoopsies.

[ please do more than just say that. ]

[ annnd CATCH! Juniper saves the falling bin with ease. Just another day for a young adventurer of the Alchemighty! She didn't even have to use her axe (which is strapped to her back just in casies)! The City of Townsville is saved, etc.

Of course, she doesn't quite realize who she's helping until she stands up straight again. ]

—Oh! Uncle Dee! What are you doing with all those bins? Here, let me help you!

[ She holds out her arms to receive additional bins! ]

[ Thank you so much for your support in this trying time, Tsurumaru. The bin clatters to the floor and bounces on a corner, sending it skidding over to wherever Tsurumaru is being so very helpful. ]

I’ll say!

[ A beat. Declan blinks expectantly. ]

I don’t suppose I could trouble you to pick that up, or-?

[ This poor bin has barely begun to live and it’s already being turned into a sieve. Declan starts a little at the sound of the plastic being punched through. ]

Ah. Ahaha… Ahem. Apparently I’ve been doubly presumptuous. My apologies.

[ Help. ]

[ He can’t see who saved his poor bin from a terrible fate, on account of all the other bins in his arms, so when Juni pops up into his field of vision, they’re both surprised. ]

Fancy meeting you here! Take a few off the top of the stack, would you?

[ Don't let her membership in the crafters' guild fool you, Hibiki has no idea how to actually make or fix things. Sometimes she can get away with pulling up UTube and making a paltry offering to the Fix It gods to get the job done, but as Declan walks through the door with his bins, he'll find the small blonde having a stand-off with a shoddily-designed stand mixer. A vaguely disgruntled pout on her face, she pulls the plug for about the tenth time, plugs it back in, pulls the lever at the side--

And nothing happens.

Thoroughly frustrated, she exhales deeply before trying the lever again just in case. Like that's going to solve anything. No losing your temper, Hibiki, you've got a reputation to keep. But this is just! So! Frustrating!! Sure, she might have gotten it secondhand, and yeah, she probably should have tested it out before buying it, but who could have seen this coming? That's what she gets for being cheap... ]

Oh, come on, you're not even that old. Stupid piece of... ugh!

[ Hibiki hears someone come in, but she's too busy having a staring contest with this hunk of junk on the countertop. ]

Welcome back.

[ Doesn't stop her from greeting him, even if she sounds incredibly irritated. ]

Of course!

[ She's gonna do exactly that, and once she's successfully got half of the stack, she stands and waits for him to lead the way. ]

What's going on with all of these bins, uncle?

[ Declan has only met his suitemates in a cursory sort of manner, so while he knows Hibiki's name, he hasn't spoken with her an awful lot. He sure has never heard her sound irritated before, though. His vision is blocked by the pile of bins in his arms, so he thinks at first maybe he's done something wrong. With a frown, he sets his pile down on the nearest surface and— oh? OH?

Is this a thing in need of fixing? No, no. Don't get too excited, Declan! ]

Is everything alright?

I'm going to attempt to do some organizing!

[ Key word being "attempt". Up the stairs they go, headed for Magpie. ]

For as long as I can remember, it's only been me and Lucy. No need to contain my mess then, really. But now I have all these roommates and I'm afraid all my stuff is overtaking the common areas — or will be, soon enough.

[Guess what.

He doesn't like apologies, either.]

Tch.

[He starts walking up the stairs ... with the bin and the bin-within-a-bin in tow.]

[ She isn't normally that aloof, but considering the past few weeks (months? time is weird), hopefully he'll forgive her for not being as present. Letting out a huffed sigh, Hibiki focuses her attention on Declan rather than the hunk of junk sitting in front of her. Looking over her shoulder, she offers an apologetic smirk. ]

Yeah just...

[ Tell her not to throw this thing out the window. Please. ]

I'm a little annoyed with myself, that's all. I thought I could get something on the cheap, but I think I got scammed. It's no big deal, don't worry about it.

Edited 2023-05-23 05:27 (UTC)

[ Declan is not the only one who's undergone an outfit change now that they're online. Knives is carrying himself in a much more confident manner when compared to their first two chats, with his back almost perfectly straight and his shoulders squared. More than that, he's wearing a large white cloak, though at the moment the hood is down. The strange pattern of a skintight bodysuit can be glimpse beneath the loose fabric, at the forearms and shins in particular.

Also, he has no shoes on.

Given that Declan had insisted that Knives owed him nothing for the healing rendered to him before, it seems they'll be undergoing this quest as partners, much like when he'd run through that dungeon alongside V and Brickston. It's an odd thing having to work alongside so many humans, but... Declan is half-elf, for whatever that may be worth.

So, fine. This Declan is a bit much, but he's also harmless as far as Knives can tell. Harmless yet useful, like Brickston.

He doesn't actually protest the conversation. They should have a plan of attack. ]

And what means would those be? I would rather not resort to gathering the flowers unless we have little other choice. All the flora here seem to have... effects.

[ He doesn't need to being acting like a cat again, okay. ]

[ ah. he looks down. then back up. there's a too long period of silence. ]

Of course! I wouldn't leave you like this.

[ the silence was definitely him debating on whether or not to leave declan like this, but being nice won today. he will bend down to scoop it up. ]

These are from our place...?

[ She spares a moment to wonder how Declan has managed to amass so many things in the few weeks that they've been here, and then remembers the last time she visited his workshop and residence. The state it had been in without Lucy... ]

Oh, I see! So it's out of consideration for your suitemates! Would you like any help with organizing?

[ She's... surprisingly good at it; while she may not necessarily know what all of the bits and bobs and parts are, she can still at least sort things by appearance... All her time growing up spent assisting in this same sort of attempt at organizing things for Mom 1's apothecary is going to serve her well here! ]

[ What do you want from him bro!!

Declan scoots aside to let Meridian pass, but then he realizes— ]

Ah, wait! My bins!

[ And scurries along after him. ]

Please, may I have them back?

[ He just kind of assumes everyone is still settling in or adjusting to some degree, so he's not about to hold anything against anyone in terms of socialization. ]

If it doesn't work, perhaps I could take a look at it? Fixing things is something of a specialty of mine.

[ Right along with taking them apart but it's fine. ]

[ Some part of him really, really wants to ask if Knives is okay without shoes but... it's not like he's expressed that he's not, so. Better not to bring it up. They have more pertinent things to discuss anyway. Declan just has to tell himself that it's Knives' own fault if he steps on something unpleasant.

In answer to Knives' question, Declan dips a hand into one of the pouches he keeps on his belt, and pulls out, surprise surprise, another of his little clockwork creations. This one is particular is a spider, with long brass legs and beady eyes made of polished blue glass. Legs and all, it's about the size of Declan's palm. He reaches up to set the little brass arachnid on his shoulder. ]

A web, of course! If we can find some trees or something to use as supports, I can make one that spans about twenty feet.

[ A beat. ]

Well, I usually can. I'm not sure what arbitrary limit I'll be stuck with, in truth, but surely it's better than questionable flowers.

SEMI-OPEN 🔧 different eyes to see the same old things

⚙️ OPEN

⚙️ KNIVES

⚙️ PINOCCHIO

i. dodo house

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dododododo

around dodo

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magpie

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