am I the caller of your keep

[hotspurred]

Who: Guardsmen & you!
What: A open catch-all for the Guard HQ for the month.
Where: Guard HQ
When: March 10th – April 9th
Warnings: TBA


A month after construction finished, the Guard HQ is in great shape. While it retains an air of newness, it's also starting to look settled into.

A sofa by the entrance, in clear sight of the office off to the right, provides a place for visitors to wait if they wish to speak with a guardsman. The office itself is made up of a variety of scavenged tables and chairs, inconsistent in style but providing every guardsman a space to do paperwork and occupy while manning headquarters. Beyond the office is a small meeting room, as well as a separate lounge for guardsmen to socialise and eat in, filled with a handful of comfortable chairs and a low table. Off to the left side of the building is a large, open training area, for guardsmen to train, spar and offer lessons within, safe from the overbearing heat outside. Beyond that is a storage room. A set of stairs at the back lead up to the roof, which serves as the northern watchtower. Like the standalone watchtowers that cover the other cardinal directions, it provides shelter from the elements as well as windows that allow a clear view, wide enough to be shot or fired from with ranged weapons.

The front door is always unlocked.

Comments

Henry | office hours | OTA

[hotspurred]

[Throughout the month, when he's in the city, Henry can be found at his desk for a handful of hours every day. It's the easiest place for Guardsmen and visitors alike to approach him if they have anything they want to discuss.

Well, mostly.

Not one to sit idly, when he's out of paperwork, he tends to stray to the training area. He's just as approachable there — as long as you don't run into the weapons he swings.]

[requiemshark]

[Though he signed up with the Guard pretty soon after getting dumped in Hadriel, Ephemera hasn't been a vocal member. He completes his assigned patrols, sends newcomers in the right direction, occasionally remembers that he's supposed to do paperwork even if he never turns it in, and in general keeps to himself. His grudges had been more important than making an impression one way or another. And things were chaotic enough in Hadriel that he slid under the radar, more or less.

He's starting to see how things are different, though. And that means changing.

After his shift, he wanders back to the training area. Spots Henry going through motions with that big sword of his.

No time like the present. Ephemera sighs. Takes his helmet off and tucks it under his arm.

He doesn't salute or snap to attention. But he watches for a moment as Henry works and that almost counts as respectful.]

You're pretty good with that thing.

[He exhales.]

Figured we should talk.

[hotspurred]

I ought to be. [Henry remarks, finishing his last cut.] Are you?

[He lowers his sword, and nods at Ephemera.]

You have been with us for some time now, have you not?

[Henry simply assumes that Nick, the more personable of them, has been Ephemera's main point of contact.]

Re: Henry | office hours | OTA

[soldier_blade]

[She found the place by accident, using her time here to try navigating and learn about the realm she's stuck in. Her attempts to contact anyone on the 'outside' had failed, and if she didn't go out and find some way to keep herself busy, she feared losing it completely.

What makes her go in is just how 'familiar' it looks, even from the outside. There was something about it that reminded her of the military.

She checked the door before stepping inside.

[hotspurred]

[At the sound of the door being pushed open, Henry looks up from the paperwork occupying his attention. Not recognising the woman he sees he pushes back his chair and gets to his feet. While he foregoes his plate armour in the heat unless there is a crisis, he still wears a red leather jupon over his mail harbergeon and chausses, and while his shield is left propped up against the side of his desk, he wears his sword belt around his waist, from which hangs his sheathed arming sword.

He walks over to meet her.]

Might I assist you?

[dragonsgrasp]

[A little while after submitting a report on that Null sighting, Kain comes in to talk to Henry. What kind of guardsman would he be if he didn't follow through and see what next steps will happen, after all? Responsibilities like this are good, though, keeping him focused on something. Now, the question is, whether or not they're in danger...]

May I have a word?

[hotspurred]

Certes.

[Henry answers, turning his attention to Kain. Having had Nick direct him to Kain's report, he has a good idea of what this is about, but he allows Kain to speak freely.]

[closerift]

[ It's in the training area that she finds him, approaching with her bow slung across her back. ]

Is this a back time? [ Cecily asks lightly, inclining her head in a sort of silent greeting. ] ... I was wondering if I could speak with you about getting involved in the Guard.

[ It's about time, anyway. ]

[hotspurred]

[Henry has a high level of skill in numerous weapon arts, but his truest mastery is in the sword and shield. As such, it's the discipline he puts the most time into practising. He finishes running through his current play before turning towards Cecily, lowering his sword.]

It merely grows dull sitting behind a desk.

[Which is to say it's not a bad time. He smoothly sheathes his weapon, then half-smiles.]

So let us speak. We would be honoured to count you among our number.

text to all guardsmen; beginning of the month

[hotspurred]

Do not forget to inform myself or Nick if you intend to leave the city. For any length of time.

[note, closer to when the report was submitted]

[synthedick]

[There's a handwritten note on a folder sitting on Henry's desk for the next time he swings by:]

Take a look at Kain's latest report and these transcripts when you get a second.

action;

[hotspurred]

[Henry does so, and it's worrying enough that rather than write a note back, he finds Nick the next time that Nick is scheduled to be in. He doesn't even offer a greeting before getting straight to business, direct as ever.]

That Null is most concerning. 'Twould be folly to assume it merely strayed there, alone. We must speak to that Zelda and to Law. And we must send some guardsmen to scout the surrounding area.

text -- backdated to the beginning of the month

[so_dark_a_road]

Maedhros, Fingon, Celebrimbor and myself will be traveling in the countryside for at least a week. Not longer than two. Need to get the lights back on, so we we are going on an orb-collecting mission.

[hotspurred]

All right.

There is one more thing, Curufin, since you speak on behalf of your kinsmen. They have not set foot in this place. Nick and I scarcely hear a peep from them. Your own commitment to the Guard is above question, which is why I offer you this warning.

Should I hear naught from your kinsmen at our next call to arms, whensoever that is, I shall see fit to question their willingness in person. It is not my desire to offend your kin. Nor indeed to chase them away. But I must know that I may count on every last one of my guardsmen, and all guardsmen must be able to rely upon each other. That cannot happen if a group within the Guard keep only to themselves. So tell me true: maintain they a desire to serve?

Ignis | OTA

[claritatis]

[Between one disaster and the next, the down-time can feel like it draws on. Of course, there's always something, and now with the borders of the city unlimited by cavern walls and Hope's powers so weak there are plenty of creatures to hold back. Ignis finds he manages to fill his time well with that, but he still finds his way to the HQ often enough.

There's a little paperwork to be done, though he finds more interest in reading the reports left by the other staff and can occasionally be found occupying a desk and doing just that. In the lounge, he still sometimes brings in food for the Guard and their associates. It's become a habit now, and he makes sure to set up early to make sure no one misses out. He may just be sat drinking coffee, though he doesn't look as if he thinks much of the taste of it.

At the training area, he often prefers to observe over actively sparring or teaching, but he can certainly be prodded into one or the other with little effort. If he's engaged, Ignis is a highly skilled fighter with a talent in both daggers and polearms, and he is also a bit (read: a lot) of a showoff.

When the HQ itself gets busy, he heads up to the watchtower to both keep a wary eye out on the horizon and to get some space to breathe. Here, he's sure to bring some water along, and should you happen to join him he'll offer it over. Sometimes, he's watching the city edge intently, following a movement along it, and as he's approached he will point it out and murmur 'do you see that?']

you asked for more of this?

[odinbolt]

( While Serah's certainly familiarised herself with the actual location of the combined guard HQ and clinic, she's not yet stepped foot inside either building yet. But today is the day that all gets fixed. The study building is in good shape and there's only so much exploring of a city anyone can do before they go stir crazy.

So.

The guard HQ it is, then. Not that she's sure what she wants from them. Maybe more information? Another way to help in this city? She's never considered herself a fighter, but she's learned to defend herself. Maybe that can be useful, like it was while traversing the timeline back home.

She steels herself with a breath, and knocks before entering. )

... Is anyone here?

( ... Wait, she recognises that head of hair sat at a desk. )

Ignis?

<3

[claritatis]

[It would be a difficult thing to not recognise that particular hairstyle, and Ignis knows the voice that addresses him instantly.]

Serah.

[He finishes the sentence he's reading before he looks up and smiles slightly, getting to his feet. The young woman looks deceptively delicate in this building, but he's quite sure she's anything but.

As she can see, he's here, though the building is quite quiet at the moment. Ignis tends to prefer it that way.]

Do you need something?

[nascere]

[ Noctis knows of the HQ, has entertained the idea of volunteering at it. The thought comes more and more often, as he adjusts to living in here and getting used to the fact that he's probably not going to go back so soon.

A fact which brings its fair share of issues and problems, but his friends are here, Ignis isn't blind, Luna and Ravus are still alive, and Noctis finds himself... wanting to stay, if only to have these moments with them all. So he does, and he spots Ignis at the watchtower, and instead of doing the one thing most normal people will do, his lazy-ass self decides to warp up to join him (climbing is for suckers, y'all). ]

Hey. [ Like this happens every day. ] Nice view.

[claritatis]

[Ignis glances 'round sharply at the noise that precedes Noctis' appearance. One can never be too careful, but any tension immediately fades with the appearance of his friend and he shakes his head at himself.

Getting too jumpy, Ignis.]

It is. [He replies with a small smile, nudging his glasses up with the tips of his fingers.] If it wasn't so damnably hot, I think I could almost enjoy it.

[Almost. Without the constant concerns that Hadriel brings along with it. At the moment, though, the heat feels like the worst of it.]

Nick Valentine [open]

[synthedick]

[Nick has been dealing with a lot in the last month, but he still makes time for work -- or rather he makes time because he needs it. Patrols give his processor time to sort things out; paperwork helps him something to focus on other than the fact that his daughter might have permanently locked herself away in her own head. Sometimes he's at his desk, sometimes he's just cleaning out the coffee machine, but he's at the headquarters a lot more than he used to be these days.

And more often than not, it looks like he has a lot on his mind, his brow heavy beneath the brim of his worn fedora, that mechanical brain of his whrring away, barely audible when the building is completely still. One day, he'll sit down and really get to thinking on his relatively new position in the Guard, but in most situations, he still finds himself deferring to Henry. The man exudes charisma and leadership; Nick is just an old bot wanting to solve problems who knows that, in a lot of cases, there's no way to reasonably do that.

At the moment, he's just trying to solve the issue of the fingers on his bare, metal hand locking up again. Without the synthetic skin that covers most of him, the parts get worn down, occasionally clogged with dirt, grime, and cat hair (thanks, Tripod). It's no mystery where all the dust and sand got in, given his recent treks beyond the city borders. He'd ask his normal mechanic to take a look, but she's currently lost her mind in as literal a sense as one can get, and he hates to bother Oscar too much. He's had to take care of it before, but it's tough to unscrew and clean a bunch of tiny parts with only one set of fingers.

His desk is currently covered with an array of screws, nuts, washers, and bolts, as well as some rusty metal rods, wiring, and what is definitely his right hand.]

[requiemshark]

[Nick Valentine had thrown Ephemera for a loop the first time they'd crossed paths. Of course he knew about androids, had seen a few in his time, but they'd never looked like Nick. Always encased in armor, auto-generated voices, bad humor radiating from every port.

But, of course, every world is different.

Ephemera pulls his helmet off, approaching Valentine's desk.]

Got a minute?

[He's never had a meaningful conversation with Valentine before, only received his patrol instructions. That had been on purpose. Ephemera hadn't been interested in making waves or friends, only in getting by unnoticed. He hadn't taken his helmet off at all, in the beginning. Kept his armor on and kept himself a blank slate. Useful, but not known to anyone.

That has to change. He has to change.]

gimme more dadbot

[dedikated]

( It's safe to say that even before this move, Kate was a relatively familiar face around the Guard headquarters. Between several friends in the organisation, her habit of dropping off first aid kits, and the seeming inability to sit still for more than a handful of minutes at a time, she often found her way there. Since the move, she's become an even more common face. Probably because it takes all of a few steps to get there, but there's a restlessness to it all. Like she can't quite find what she's meant to be doing, or there's not enough to be done.

Right now, however, her steps are purposeful, tracking into the office and finding Nick at a desk covered in... parts and a hand. Well, then. Unfortunately the clinic doesn't carry a First Aid for Robots kit. )

You guys need any first aid kits?

( So why not just ask the question she came here to ask. )

[solase]

[Alucard Emery walks into the room as if he owns the place. Its the way that he walks into every room, truth be told, so there's no reason to take it personally. It helps him feel better about the fact that he has no idea where he is, he's never been in this building before, and he has no idea who this man is or what exactly is going on all over his desk. You can't really blame him for not knowing a thing about technology, though. He is from a different world, where magic is as natural as breathing, and where it's the year 1819 besides and so technically this would have overwhelmed him anyway besides that.

He's left Esa at home. It's probably for the best, it would hardly make a good impression to stride into an office looking for a job with a pet. It's rather difficult to take anyone seriously with a fluffy white cat about their ankles or worse, dangling about their shoulders.

He takes another glance at the detritus on the other man's desk, hopes he's not interrupting anything important, before speaking up to say:] Good day, sir. If I might spare a moment of your time...?

20th or so!

[lifetothefullest]

[So, honestly, Lance had found the holotape--he only knows to call it that because it says so on the front of it--several days ago, but he'd been so distracted by other things that he hadn't returned it to its owner. It had, fortunately, been easy enough to figure out who it belonged to, once he'd realized how the event works; only so many people in Hadriel have metal hands, after all.

But it works out for the best that he hadn't returned it yet, because he can combine the trip with speaking to Nick about the other big issue in Hadriel at the moment: the rogue, damaged Null. So Lance shows up at the new Guardpost for the first time, tentatively and hesitantly wandering inside and looking around for Nick while trying to avoid everyone else.

He spots him at his desk, wanders over, and is about to say hello when he sees the fact that Nick's hand appears to be... Off. And on the table. And surely that's probably normal and fine, considering the aforementioned metal hand thing, but it's still kind of disturbing; it takes a moment before he shakes off the surprise and looks away from the hand and up at Nick instead.]

Um, hello, Nick. I think I found something of yours.

After Flu Season is over

[so_dark_a_road]

[ Curufin has had a lot to deal with as well, in the last month. The second orb-collecting expedition went well, but on their return, all the Elves fell sick with that mysterious illness. Curufin was less affected than some of the others, and so he spent a lot of time talking them down from their hallucinations -- while trying to ignore his own. He did the same for others he cared about. And he never stopped doing Guard patrols, sick or not. There were monsters ranging all over the city and whoever was able to do so had to keep killing them. He did supply runs for the Clinic and took other sick people there if they seemed unable to care for themselves. He kept his distance from well people in case the illness was contagious. However, he didn't really think it was. Elves DON'T GET SICK, and so this had to be a god-created sickness rather than a natural one.

But the Elves all recovered and went back to their lives and their duties.

Today, Curufin comes into the new Guard HQ to check in as usual after his shift is over. He likes the way this place turned out, and he smiles a bit. Every time he walks in, he feels a little proud of the craftsmen and craftswomen who built it, including himself. He writes a report and checks the network for anything pertinent to the Guards, drinks a cup of coffee, and then he heads over to Nick's desk. He sees the litter of hardware immediately. ]

Nick, would you like some help with that?