Preparing for the worst
#1
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OOC Sept. 20

Word Count → 000


An ominous silence had fallen over Casa, foretelling of the coming storm. Alister rushed to gather what boards and bits of dry timber he could find. Fortunate that Hadley had enough to spare, once this passed he would be sure to help replenish the man's supply. His sword and shield lay abandoned in the courthouse, traded in favor for the practicality of hammer and nails. The hybrid was from the inland and had little experience with nature's cruelty. For good measure he'd murmured a quiet prayer just before setting to work that day. It was so quiet, hard to imagine the torrential downpour and jarring winds that would soon set upon them. God help them, but it wasn't God that would see them through. They had to help themselves. There was much to do, and little enough time to do it.


He set a board flat against the window, nailing it firmly in place. He did the same with another and another until the glass was shielded. It wasn't the neatest job, he supposed, but it would serve. There were still many more to go. Alister issued no word of complaint, but continued on with his task, undaunted by the remainder of the work that had yet to be done. Many in his new home had been eager to lend their aid, inspiring the tawny knight, and he'd quickly volunteered himself for the task.


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#2
The main courthouse had been prepared for the horses, with various other things patched up. The rest of the court still needed prepping though, and Hadley headed out to see if there was anyone who would need his help with that. His shop had been pretty much raided through for the wood that was needed. Perhaps he should have been more disappointed about that, but he was willing to give up the various supplies for his pack. He would have felt bad if he'd held it back just so he had supplies for carving.

Spotting Alister working on patching up some windows Hadley stepped over. He grabbed a board to hold it in place while Alister moved to nail it up. This'll go faster if we work together. Hopefully it would catch more of the glass as well. Hadley didn't particularly enjoy walking through places where the glass had shattered and picking it out of his feet afterwards. It wasn't the most painful experience he'd ever had, but the longer he went away from that life the more painful it seemed when it occurred.
#3
Sebastian did not like this. He had not faced any storm of great magnitude before, and he did not wish to start now. He did, however, wish to live through it. This necessitated bolting up his paintings as securely as lupercily possible to ensure no water got through and securely the courthouse as well as he could.

Unfortunately, the lithe Italian had no idea where to start. What should he do? Start piling up furniture in front of the front door? Ludicrous. He had nothing to put in front if the windows, either. It was in times like this that he despised feeling helpless.

Sebastian spied Hadley out of the corner of his eye. Aha. The resident carpenter of Casa di Cavalieri would know what to do. Yet who was that beside him? Big, muscular and handsome. Nowhere near Jazper or even Hadley's height, but still pretty big. Bigger than Sebastian of course, as everyone in Casa with the exception of Dixie was.

The artisan sauntered up beside the two huge men, neatly slotting his slender body between them to grab their attention.

"Evening, handsomes," he greeted them with a businesslike tone. "Either of you fine gentlemen know where one could get a hammer?" Unless they wanted him to slam the nails in with his bare fist, which simply would not do. At this point, even a solid block of wood would suffice. They needed Casa secured right now.
#4
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OOC Figured I'd go ahead and post, people are still welcome to join though! Hop in whenever

Word Count → 000


The tawny knight's ears twitched to the sound of Hadley's approach and he nodded in agreement."I figured you would show up, I can use as many hands as I can get." Hazel eyes glanced over all the windows left to go then at the ever darkening sky. "The faster we get this done the better, I'd rather not be stuck out here when all hell breaks loose." He nailed in the board, waiting as Hadley secured another. The job was faster with the two of them, but not fast enough. The courthouse would need to be finished first, and with only two of them the task was daunting. The hybrid didn't notice the smaller red pelted fellow as he sauntered up and quirked a brow as the petite man worked his way between them. Alister was on the tall side for a luperci, but it seemed he'd come to live in a world of giants, he had to admit it was mildly refreshing to have some height over someone again.

His attempt to catch his attention had worked rather well, although the way he addressed them took the tawny man unawares. Handsome, huh? He hoped he was being sarcastic, he'd never been called handsome by a man before. The accent caught his attention. There seemed to be many Italians present within Casa. "Er...Evening," he stated awkwardly in his British accented voice, pausing just long enough to muss his mane. "...or what's left of it," he added shortly after peering up at the sky again briefly. Best to keep tabs on it, he wanted to be prepared should the heavens suddenly decide to let loose.


He indicated the pile of timber scattered about off to the side, "should be some in that pile there, I made sure to pick up a few spares." He addressed the pair of them, "Seal it up as best as you can, it doesn't have to look pretty as long as its covered, that should be good enough, we need to keep moving if we want to finish in time." Alister had never led anyone before, and felt a bit odd as he gave out instructions, but there were much more serious things to be worried about and he did so as best as he could. His new pack was counting on him, and he was eager to prove his worth. At least here he had a chance away from the war and soldiers who'd hated him simply for being alive. No one here seemed to care that he hadn't any parents, or the fact that he was of mixed heritage, the man beside him was much the same, in fact.


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#5
He grinned at the words, tail swaying. Of course he would be there helping. Hadley wouldn't be anywhere else. He couldn't help hunt very well, but he could certainly make sure things were ready to be fixed up when the storm hit. It would catch the worst of it thankfully and let them keep away from the broken glass. Many of the windows had been broken in the past, as was wont to happen when there was years of decay in a place without inhabitants, but some had still survived, and he didn't want to lose those ones. He didn't know how to replace broken glass.

Feeling someone brush against him Hadley glanced down. A wide grin covered his features at seeing Sebastian there. Sebastian. It was good to see him. He always enjoyed seeing him. Hadley stepped back and walked over to where he'd placed some tools, picking out a hammer that was around the right weight for the smaller male. Hopefully Sebastian wouldn't decide to swing it, as Hadley knew how strong he was. He didn't want to get hit by that. It would be quite painful. Nodding his head at Alister's words he grabbed a hammer for himself, and began to throw up more boards.
#6
Aha. Poor dear evidently wasn't quite used to being called handsome. By other men, at least. Sebastian made a note to correct that at some point. Teasing shy ones and straight ones (preferably a combination of both) was always an amusing pastime for all involved. Mostly him, of course. The flirtatious one. The Italian grinned deliberately up at the lower-ranked hybrid, one eyelid flashing in the barest suggestion of a wink before he took the hammer Hadley offered him.

"Grazie, Hadley," he said warmly. "It's lovely to see you both. Shall we get to it?" Sebastian picked up a long plank and held it up lengthways against a window, covering the most area possible. "Do try and cover as much glass with one board as you can, gents," he called over his shoulder as he pressed the wooden plank against the target with his shoulder, grabbing a few nails.

That was the most wisdom he could offer before he smashed a nail into the wood with surprising force, sinking it to the head with three powerful blows, the first of which barely avoided crushing his slender fingers. He managed to nail in the sides then, and the top with some difficulty. He wasn't built to handle the heights that Hadley and what's-his-name could reach.

"What's your name?" he asked, tossing his head back over his shoulder for a moment. It would be nice to know in case he had to call for help.
#7
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OOC

Word Count → 000


Alister caught the lithe male's wink, and quickly looked away, clearing his throat. He continued his task with a bit more focus from then on, disconcerted by the petite man's flirtatious behavior. He was beginning to make the hybrid a tad uncomfortable, and Alister began to move away from Hadley and...Sebastian, was it? "Right then, I'll uh...be just over here." He gestured vaguely towards the side. Promptly he gathered some boards from the haphazard pile and continued on to one of the windows a bit further down. He stuck a few nails between his teeth to free his other hand as he nailed them in place. He did so quickly, making sure the boards were secure, and that he didn't linger for too long, before moving on to the next. He returned to the pair every once in a while to collect more boards from the pile, and look over their work, as well as his own to gauge their pace.

The winds had already arrived, though now they were only short gusts, not enough to be any danger to anyone. It did nothing but stir his pelt, and the threadbare cloak about his back and shoulders. Sebastian soon called his attention, asking him his name. "Alister Callow." He replied finally chancing a glance at the smaller fellow, "it's Sebastian, right?" he added, to confirm what Hadley had spoken earlier. His brows furrowed just slightly as he mused, "a lot of Italians here, huh? I knew a couple...er...not, personally, just saw them around." Of course he never talked to them.


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#8
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OOC goes here for all your OOC needs

Hadley nodded, smiling at the gratitude Sebastian passed his way. He didn't challenge the smaller male's authority in any way, even though Hadley had managed to pass him in rank. Nodding he moved over to secure another board and nail it down. Alister's discomfort reminded Hadley of exactly how odd his relationship with his former master was. Clearing his throat he looked away, deciding that his attention was better spent focused on windows instead of doing things just for Sebastian's attention.


Hadley's movements were sure. This was work that he was used to, and he was covering the windows at a brisk pace. He did feel jealous at Sebastian's attention towards Alister, as illogical as it was. Sebastian slept with plenty of men, and Hadley knew it. It wasn't like he'd done anything to hide it. Besides, they had more important things to think about than Sebastian's latest crush. Poor Alister looked like he was sweltering with embarrassment at the situation, but Hadley couldn't really think of a way to fix it up. Finished the windows on that section he headed over to a nearby shop to continue.

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#9
Sebastian snickered under his breath at Alister's discomfort. Yes, he was terribly mean for making him uncomfortable, but the Italian didn't think it was all that serious. What was life without a few jokes? And this one happened to be quite amusing. The Italian didn't have as much strength in his arms as the stranger or Hadley, but he had very sharp eyesight and finely tuned reflexes. He hardly had to worry about missing the nail or hitting his fingers, letting him put more power behind his blows. This let him at least attempt keep up with the much larger men.

"Alisterrr Callow," he mused, rolling the R deep in his throat. No, he couldn't remember hearing that name before. Pity. "Yes, I'm Sebastian. Pleasurrrable to meet you, Alister." Sebastian flashed him a quick grin as he sauntered towards the pile of nails, his tail brushing completely accidentally against Alister's rear end as he leaned down to pick up a handful.

Turning back, he nodded wisely as he began to knock more nails into a new piece of timber. "Yes, I noticed that too. Not many true Italians, I fear, but plenty who speak the language." Another quick, sharp grin. "It was a pleasant surprise, actually."

Of course, Sebastian spared no thought for any jealousy Hadley might feel. He had long since ceased believing Hadley cared about his many and varied affairs and infatuations. "Oh, and that's Hadley. In case you didn't know." Sebastian jerked his head in Hadley's direction, offering the beefy ex-slave a warm smile.
#10
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OOC

Word Count → 000


The shepherd/wolf wasn't used to all the attention he was receiving from the smaller male, and his responses were awkward at best. He quirked a brow as the man pronounced his name rather curiously, emphasizing his foreign accent. But then again, perhaps Alister sounded a bit foreign himself, though in reality he'd never been to England, most of his pack were former Englishmen, and their way of speech was what he grew to think of as the norm, and he spoke just as if he were from across the sea as well. He was also never without his pants, more clothing than most Luperci here seemed to be accustomed to. "Er...thanks. You, uh...too, I think." He was skeptical as to whether he should return the sentiment at all, he didn't want the red pelted fellow to get any ideas. But he was anything but rude, sarcastic, yes...Cynical, yes, but often compassionate, sometimes too much so for his own good. He even now couldn't bring himself to hate Sidra, thieving little minx she was. Or Aro, he couldn't say he blamed the man for being angry. Although the incident was entirely not his fault. Ugh, why was he even thinking about this? His muzzle set in a frown he continued his work, a russet hued ear twitching to Sebastian's accented voice.


A stirring around his hindquarters caught him entirely off-guard and just as he was about to drive a nail into the board he missed his target and instead the hammer's blunted head smashed into his thumb. "Oh, Blast it! he exclaimed in surprise, shaking the wounded hand. He hissed as the digit throbbed, turning to see Sebastian bent unassumingly over the pile of boards. His eyes narrowed in the slightest, but he didn't say a word, it was embarrassing enough as it was, he didn't want to draw attention to it.


"Hmm..."He stated shortly just so the man didn't think he was ignoring him, though his voice was a bit darker, still nursing his crushed thumb. No bones were broken, but the pain was annoying enough. He'd had worse, though, and with a glance up at the sky resumed his work, a little more careful this time around. When Sebastian indicated Hadley, he gave a bit of a nod. "We're acquainted. I know Isa as well, and Amatha. They sort of convinced me to join Casa." He gave the carpenter an appreciative grin. "I'm a solider, a knight, by trade...Not quite so useful outside of a pack." The Callow man said with a crooked grin. The man had been training since he was barely able to shift. And it showed. It wasn't exactly what you could call an easy life, especially not for a half-breed amongst dog-hating wolves. He was fortunate enough that Rowan had found Eirick instead of someone else. His fate may have been much darker.

With the three men hard at work the task quickly picked up pace, each of them moving swiftly on to the next window as soon as the previous was finished. The pile was beginning to dwindle, but the windows on their side of the courthouse were all boarded up. He strode over to the brown carpenter. "Any idea where we could find more wood? I've still not quite got a handle on this place yet so I only grabbed what I could find."


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#11
Hadley lifted his head as Sebastian mentioned him, wondering if he was needed. The warm brown eyes focused on the red wolf, watching as he continued working before realizing that he wasn't actually being asked for. The calm male returned to his work without a sound. It was probably just Sebastian talking about who he was or something. Hadley's rhythm returned without question, pounding in the nails and securing the boards as rapidly as he could. The sudden cry did draw his attention. Alister? Are you okay? He hoped that Alister hadn't managed to break any bones with the hammer. Such things did happen.

Alister shook it off quickly enough to continue, and Hadley lowered his head. It was good he wasn't needed to patch anything up before the storm. Hadley was worried that there would be plenty of injuries before the storm ended. The request did bring his attention back, Hadley frowning a little. He hadn't wanted to, but there were bigger things going on. I have some wood stored in the house in case I started any projects at home. Hadley jogged lightly over to the house, glad that it was so close to the fort. He returned with an armful of wood, making the trip a couple more times before he thought they had enough.
#12
Sebastian winced as Alister whacked his thumb with the hammer. Ouch. The Italian delicately stepped around him and continued his work, totally unaware that it had been his distraction that had made the bigger male injure himself. For someone normally so alert and observant, the Italian was very good at ignoring evidence that did not suit him or his views.

Soldier and knight, hmm? "Ah, good. You'll get on well with Jazper, I think. I believe he considers us all knights in our own ways." A sharp, quick grin lit his muzzle for a few moments. "He's quite the knight himself." Big, powerful, good with a broadsword, honourable, noble, rescuing damsels in distress, saving horses, riding his fellow men- or was that the other way around? Whichever, both were just as true.

Ah, and Hadley had wood. Yes he did. Shaking his head to clear it of distractions, Sebastian offered the ex-slave a grateful smile as he got to work, hammering in another sheet of solid wood. It was physically demanding, repetitive, boring work, but it needed to be done.
#13
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OOC

Word Count → 000


He was shaking his hand to ease the throbbing when Hadley turned to ask after him. "Yeah, brilliant..." He murmured in reply, wincing at the pain. It still hurt, but he was able to get back to work quickly enough. He'd be keeping an eye on the Italian from here on out, that was for sure. Some men liked that kind of thing, but...Alister wasn't one of them. His comments about their Sole had him perking up his ears. His russet dipped tail swayed a bit behind him. He was in good company, at least. "Ah, I'm in good company then." He didn't understand the expression that crossed the fox pelted male's face, but then again he didn't really want to ask and he only furrowed his brows.

Hadley seemed reluctant to relinquish the timber he'd kept aside for his projects, but they needed it. "I'll help you replenish your stock...when this is all over." He assured him, though there was question in his voice. He couldn't be certain that they would all survive, although, the more they did to prepare significantly increased their chances. He didn't want to think about it really, but nothing was certain, after all.

"Alright, that should about do it for this side. Sebastian, if you could work on that side. I'll take this one." He looked to the carpenter, "Hadley, secure the shops and houses. If you need help, just ask for it." He was straight to business and the winds were picking up, they needed to hurry. Leading still felt odd, and his orders were more requests than anything else, he was uncertain of himself, but strangely it didn't seem to sound in his voice which was unfaltering. He moved around the corner, gathering an armload of boards, nails sticking out from his muzzle.


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#14
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OOC goes here for all your OOC needs

The large hybrid managed to smile at Alister's reassurance of helping him replenish the stock. We'll be needing plenty to repair the damages after the storm. He was feeling surprisingly calm about this ordeal. Perhaps it was because he couldn't comprehend just how bad it truly was. Either way he was feeling rather calm, and it hadn't occurred to him that they wouldn't be fine after the storm passed, or that anyone might die.


He nodded his head, accepting the orders Alister gave as if it was the most natural thing in the world. It was unlikely to stop being so for him. Hadley could take control, but he was much more comfortable being told what to do. It was a lifestyle he'd grown comfortable with. Taking as much as he could he began to head down the streets, working swiftly to board up as much as he could, the wind slowly chilling his body.

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