June 2021 - Under Construction

[staymods]

Under Construction

Most weekly shipments contain the bare essentials for survival: food, clothing, scant amounts of medicine, and so forth. The Finnish government provides the Otherworlders with what they need to survive, but it's pretty clear that it is on them to thrive.

This week is a bit different, however. Along with the usual foodstuffs, a couple palettes of lumber are dropped off as well. Plywood, 2-by-4s, you name it. There are also things like nails and basic tools to assist with the building process, though they are all manual tools. It's not a lot- certainly not enough to build something brand new- but it is plenty to aid the ongoing repairs.

When it arrives, Mauri is the one who claims responsibility for it. "I thought this would help you fix up some of the homes," he says, "I even got them to send a couple construction manuals, since you lot seem kind of...eh..."

What he's actually thinking is probably best left unsaid. But it's the thought that counts? It's one less step towards serviceable homes, at least.

Comments

[aono]

[Rin will pick up one of the manuals to look through.

A few seconds later, he glances up at whoever is nearby.]

So uh. How about you read this stuff and I'll do the heavy lifting?

[battling]

What? Can't read?

[As he takes the manual straight from Rin's hands.]

[aono]

I can read just fine! It just, you know, makes sense for the stronger people to do the lifting.

[battling]

Ya think I'm weak?

[Rude.]

[argentlarvae]

... do we need to read these?

[aono]

I dunno? We can try it without, I guess. These things look easier to work with than just trees.

['these things' being plywood.]

[argentlarvae]

... I guess so. The houses around here are made out of this kind of thing.

[aono]

Are the houses where you're from not made of this stuff?

[argentlarvae]

No, we build houses with stone, mostly. If we build with wood we use logs and planks.

[aono]

Stone...huh. I guess that wouldn't burn down so easily, yeah? Must be a pain to work with though.

[argentlarvae]

Well, you only have to build it once, and then your descendants can live there too.

[maidofmistakes]

Okay, let's see how this works. I think that means we have to take this wall out and replace it like this...

[She's already setting up the timbers and looking over one of the house walls.]

I guess it makes sense, that kinda looks like it's going to collapse already. Can you hold this?

[Handing over the plans as she flies up and punches a large hole in said already-weak wall.]

[relictus]

[He will take the plans, though he's maybe judging a little as he watches her do that.]

What did I tell you about using your power in moderation? You could bring the whole house down if you're not careful.

[maidofmistakes]

[She bites her lip and looks to the side.] I'm trying... I'm just gonna take this wall out before it breaks down, and then we can put in the new one. Okay?

[relictus]

[He sighs, but since she's already punched a hole in it and all-]

Very well. But let's try and handle the rest by hand, with tools.

[At least he said let's rather than you?]

[maidofmistakes]

Okay. Sorry... I was being careful, though.

[She sighs and gathers up a big armful of rubble to fly it back down and place it on the ground.]

[relictus]

...

[He'll look over the manual in the meantime. Just because he said not to use powers doesn't mean he's exactly a pro at doing manual labor without magic...]

This doesn't look too difficult, aside from how heavy some of the materials are...

[maidofmistakes]

You think? It reminds me of those old-timey catalogue houses. The kind they still have on farms.

[relictus]

[Old-timey what houses...]

I'm not sure what sort of houses you're used to, but a simple structure is better, especially for us since we're trying to rebuild it with limited resources. Though I admit I did use magic to assist the last time I built a house...

[maidofmistakes]

I'm not really used to anything. I live at my school most of the year, and then go back to my aunt and uncle's during the breaks. [She flies back up to gather more loose rubble and things. Okay, it's a lot, but how can she not use powers.] I mean, they're not really my aunt and uncle, but they're kind of family. And they said to call them that, even if I'm more like a charity case.

[relictus]

[She did mention something about a school for "supers" before, didn't she... and it sounds like she may be an orphan, then. But before he asks about any of that, despite his admonishing he can't deal with just standing here watching her do all the work. With a sigh, he summons his mirror to float beside him.]

Satillquinart Mullcreed.

[There's a briefly reflective glow from his mirror, and what remains of the rubble simply gathers itself together and floats gently down to join the rest in a neat pile.]

What exactly is this school of yours? You said it was for "supers," but that doesn't always mean magic?

[maidofmistakes]

Yeah! Magic, superpowers, and even regular people who want to do good and fight supervillains. Like my best friend, Batgirl. She's really cool. Even without powers, she made a bunch of machines she can use, like a grappling gun and stuff she can throw and a personal assistant machine, and she can fight even without them. Some people say someone like her shouldn't count as a super, but she's probably the reason I'm still there.

[She might be gushing a little here.]

Basically, it's a school that teaches us how to control our powers, develop weapons and stuff, and go out and stop anyone who's hurting people. Since there are supervillains, there have to be superheroes. That kind of thing.

[relictus]

[....Batgirl... okay there's a lot going on in everything she said but. These names. Please.]

...Do all of you have names like that? "Supergirl" and "Batgirl"...

[maidofmistakes]

Of course! They're our super names. It's kind of a thing, people don't really use their real names except with, like, family members. Though one time, Zatanna -- oh, she's a magician who uses real magic -- she showed us an alternate timeline where we had secret identities and went to a normal school. That was kind of cool, even if it looked way stressful to keep up with.

[relictus]

[Just throw alternate timelines in there while you're at it, that's fine-]

...I see. So they're more like... titles, for peacekeepers in your world?

[That's how he's choosing to interpret the whole superheroes and supervillains thing, at least.]

Though I'm not sure why you wouldn't just use your own names.

[maidofmistakes]

I think it's because... if you're doing this, you're becoming more than just a person. You're a symbol people can look to when things go wrong. That's just what I think, anyway.

Uh... once this is all clear, we just measure it all out and start putting the wood up, right? Or do we need to do more to prepare?

[relictus]

...

[His expression darkens for a moment, but he glosses over it to answer her question instead.]

We'll likely need to cut the wood to the proper size after taking measurements. After that we can begin rebuilding. [There's probably a hand saw with whatever tools they have on hand. If they don't just end up cheating and using powers or magic, at least.]

[maidofmistakes]

Sure! Let me get them all out.

[She starts loading the lumber out of the pile and sorting it into smaller ones.]

Okay, there should be this many for this length, and then...

[relictus]

[He'll get together what tools they need and also take another look at the manual for planning purposes, hmm...]

Once you're ready, help me measure these.

[With her help he'll work on getting the lumber properly measured out and mark where to cut.]

...This school of yours. You said your friend goes there even without powers... so humans and "supers" go there together?

[maidofmistakes]

I guess it depends on your definition of a super. Whether it's just someone with powers, whether or not they're human -- we've met people who thought that. But Principal Waller set out with the idea that people who just use things like technology or tricks any human can do can still be considered supers. They're fighting with the rest of us, after all.

[She helps with the measuring and starts sawing at one carefully. Extremely carefully, if he's watching closely enough, like she's afraid she'll break either the wood or the saw.]

That makes the most sense to me. After all, someone like me? I pretty much have to fight supervillains. It's the kind of responsibility that comes with having the powers I do, right? And it's what everyone expected of me as soon as I landed on Earth. But a regular human who doesn't have powers at all, deciding to do it anyway because it's the right thing to do, that's kind of amazing to me.

[relictus]

[It's difficult to swallow the sort of world she's describing...]

Humans with powers? I can't see that ending well.

[With this being the second time she's implied she's from a different world than the one she came from, between that and her "powers" it doesn't seem like a reach to assume that whatever she is, she's not a human. He's also keeping a watchful eye what with how strong she's proven to be, but it looks like she's being careful, so that's good.]

You say you fight supervillains, but what exactly is that?

[maidofmistakes]

Well, people like us, except they're not working for the good of other people. Like, say someone who uses their powers to commit crimes or someone who's trying to destroy the city or take over the galaxy or something.

[relictus]

[It's not like that's an unfamiliar concept per se (except maybe the galaxy part), but tacking on labels like that seems very black and white...]

...What about people with powers who are neither? Not heroes or villains. Is there a term for that?

[maidofmistakes]

Maybe just supers, like everybody else? Not superheroes or supervillains. Or I guess they could just be called whatever they specifically are. Like what kind of alien they are or what magic they use or whatever other powers they have. Your home's like that, right?

[relictus]

...It's not quite so varied. There are humans, and there are witches and wizards. There's no schools like the one you speak of... it's rare that humans and wizards attend the same school as it is, unless the wizards are pretending to be human. As for heroes... I wouldn't use that word, but I suppose some humans look to us chosen wizards like that for fending off the Great Calamity every year. Though there are plenty who would simply take us for granted, or would be happy to find a way to replace us.

[maidofmistakes]

Wait, so wizards are a different species from human? I always thought a wizard could be anybody, as long as they had the talent and studied it or... actually, I'm not sure how you become a wizard. I guess I should've asked. There has to be one out there somewhere.

[relictus]

I don't know about where you're from, but you don't become a wizard. You're either born a human or a wizard, regardless of your parentage. Though humans outnumber wizards these days...

[maidofmistakes]

So you're not technically different species, but you don't consider yourselves the same, because you're either born a wizard or you're not. I always thought a wizard was more like a job, but then again, I know basically nothing about magic.

[relictus]

We may appear the same, but there are significant differences between us. We live much longer so we are destined to outlive any human family, and we turn to stone when we die... and of course, humans often view as us something frightening to be hated, controlled, or cut down. That's how humans are.

[He doesn't make any attempt to hide his bitterness.]

[maidofmistakes]

[She frowns and shrinks into herself a little, focusing on cutting the wood.]

I'm not gonna say there aren't any people out there like that. They definitely exist. But only some of them are human, and a lot of humans are nice. ...Sorry. I guess that explains a lot.

[relictus]

...

[He seems to soften just a little.]

I suppose there are some half-decent humans out there... I wouldn't know anything about them on other worlds, either.

[maidofmistakes]

It is hard to get used to. New places and all this other-world stuff, I mean. So I get if it takes a while.