Rebuilding Castle Town [Event] [Completed]

[Emily]

A cool dawn was breaking over Hyrule Castle Town. Volunteers, a swath of representation from all around Hyrule, had arrived over the previous two days to participate in the city's rebuilding. At the moment, they were gathering in small groups all around the space, talking amongst themselves. Laughter rang out from the groups frequently, reflecting the high spirits that had overtaken everyone involved. There was an electric sense of excitement in the air, anticipation of this first forward step for Hyrule in the past century. Zelda stood with Link and the other Sages near where the great fountain had been, replaced for the moment with various boxes of building supplies. Somewhat separated from the rest of the groups were somewhere between 20 and 30 automatons. This wasn't the first time they had been seen on the ground- Zelda had been gradually integrating them into surface society so that they wouldn't be alone anymore- but they were still an uncommon enough sight that people stared.

Some of the groundwork had already been completed. The crumbling stone ruins of ancient homes and ornamental work had been cleared away, removing the picture of Hyrule Castle Town that had existed for so long and replacing it with neat pathways and demarcated districts. The districts were labelled with Hudson Construction™ signs: the Central Square, East Castle Town, West Castle Town, the Reservoir District, and the Cathedral District.

After a while, the volunteers began coalescing into the Central Square, spurred on by some unseen change. Once they were gathered and relatively quiet, Zelda stepped up onto one of the boxes. She looked around at the people who had gathered, and with a beaming smile began. "Good morning everyone. It is truly heartening to see so many join us today. The ruins of Castle Town have been a symbol of our failure for over 100 years. Even as we, the people of Hyrule, continued to grow and progress, our city lay shattered, wasting away. It means so much to me to see you all here to help us set it right.

"Today, you will sort into groups. Each of us will be focusing on one of the districts, led by some representatives from Hudson Construction. Please don't feel that, once you've chosen a group, you must remain in it until the work is completed. We are all here to work together, and it will become necessary for most of us, I think, to have some variety in the things we're doing. If you have questions or need anything during the coming days, please come to whomever is leading the group you're working with."

She began gesturing to each of the Sages standing before her. "Tulin of Rito Village will be leading the group effort within the Central Square. If you work with him, you will be focusing primarily on shop stalls, inns, stables, and planting trees around where we're currently standing. Chief Riju of Gerudo Town, along with Buliara, will be working in East Castle Town. Their main focus will be on the Watchtower and the eastern gatehouse. If you're with them, you'll also be building homes. King Sidon and Queen Yona of Zora's Domain will be in charge of the Reservoir district. If you choose to work with them, you will be asked to rebuild the reservoir itself, along with the fountain in the centre of the city, and restoring the parks within the Reservoir district.

"Lead Researcher Purah, along with Josha and the rest of the Sheikah team, will be focusing on West Castle Town. There will be many homes to build there, much like in East Castle Town, and Purah has plans for a Research station and Academy within the district. Meanwhile, Link and I will be working on the Cathedral in the northeast. The district around it has some homes, but also many parks, so the work won't be too different from King Sidon's team. Finally, Boss Yunobo and his team will be working on restoring the walls of Castle Town, the bridge leading back toward the Castle, and a smithy.

"I know I have spoken quite a lot just now, and things might seem confusing. If you have any questions, I implore you to please approach any of us. We have a number of automatons that have been transferred from the sky islands so that they might be able to interact with people again, and they'll also be able to answer questions if you have them. But, for now, let's get to work!" With that, Zelda stepped off the box and let out a big breath, as if deflating. One might get the feeling that she wasn't entirely comfortable with crowds.

Details

Welcome to the event! The map above shows the basic outline of what will be focused on. Each team has a zone they're responsible for, and then a major building. You don't have to specify every house that gets built or every tree that gets planted. The idea of the event is for characters to meet while working on something, so engage with the construction to whatever detail level you want. Throughout the event, we'll occasionally have moments where decisions will be made, and that will affect what Castle Town will look like once it's completed!

The specific ideas of each of the teams is listed below:

Team Zelda
Zelda, along with Link and some other Hylians, will be leading the efforts to rebuild Hyrule Cathedral. This will require quite a lot of intricate stonework, most of which can be accomplished by automatons and Hudson professionals, but more help is always good! There are some houses in the Cathedral district as well, and quite a lot of open park land, so trees and flowers will also be planted.

Team Tulin
Tulin will be joined by his parents, Teba and Saki, as well as Harth and some other Rito leaders, to rebuild the Central Square district. Their major building will be the Inn, but most of their work will be on other shop buildings and stalls.

Team Sidon
Sidon and Yona will be leading the efforts to rebuild the Reservoir district. Their main efforts will be split between the Reservoir itself and the Great Fountain in the centre of Central Square. The Reservoir district is historically heavily dominated by parks, which will need to be restored.

Team Riju
Riju and Buliara will be leading the efforts in East Castle Town. Their main focus is the Castle Town Watchtower along the southeastern wall, and they'll need to build a barracks near the eastern gatehouse. Beyond that, East Castle Town is one of the major residential districts, and will require a lot of houses to be built.

Team Yunobo
Yunobo and his cohort of tiny Gorons will be working primarily on the outer walls of Hyrule Castle Town. A lot of the walls are still intact, and it'll be easier to rebuild the parts that are missing and reconnect the entire thing. Though the image above is an unbroken line, note that the walls sometimes connect to the naturally-existing cliffs that rise up around the city. The major building will be a Smithy.

Team Purah
Purah, Josha, and Robbie will be leading the team working on West Castle Town. This is another residential district, requiring a lot of homes to be built, but the Sheikah would love to have some manner of Sheikah Research Station built, along with an Academy.

[close]

[El]

Zelda made for a fine Queen, Gao thought to himself, as he watched her descend from the platform with a visible relief of tension. He smiled warmly at the relatable humanity in her, despite the fact that her accomplishments were the deeds of gods and untouchable ancient myths: it was one thing to face the world and accomplish what she had, but to do so in spite of your own fears and anxieties made it all the more admirable. He was glad that she had such a supportive family of friends around her to ease her burdens even in times like these. It was the least she deserved. Hyrule was lucky to have her.

...To the point where Gao actually started to feel bad about his initial reasons for being here.

The man held no grand sentiments about helping to shape the future, to leave a mark on a world rebuilt or to pay his dues of diligence as a citizen of Hyrule should in times like these. No... No, those hadn't been the driving forces behind his presence here today. His heart wasn't as noble as so many people presumed. Honestly? Honestly, Gao had simply - initially - thought of this as a great opportunity to put his body to the test and improve upon it: a 'Workout Workshop'. Achieving his physical shape was a hardwon feat, but maintaining it was a ceaseless effort of its own. And why stop there? Monster-kin valued strength above almost all else, if he wanted to keep their respect and his life and continue to earn it - especially against the tougher of their kind and in the most lethal of situations - he needed to continue crafting himself into the formidable weapon it needed to be, HAD to be. All that other stuff? About the true reason and end goal of this massive reconstruction project? He'd pegged it down as just a bonus, a great extra to help kick his ass into gear and keep him motivated throughout.

But it was humbling really, stood here amongst all these smiling faces. Countless, colourful faces of every shape and hue, scale and bearing, collected together at this particular moment in time for this one singular goal, the common-man stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Sages made of legends. The air buzzed, tingled, tickling down the raised hairs of his spine in a way that Gao felt was incredibly rare: precious. A once in a lifetime memory.

He felt blessed.

Stupid git. Turns out he wasn't just an extra in the background, but was a helpful - meaningful - hand in all this after all, eh.

"Ngh, this damn dust." The Sheikah grumbled, coughing back a sniffle and rubbing at the damp corners of his eyes with a hand that was too rough. "Shoulda bought some googles too."

"Oh dun ya worry 'bout 'at, goro!"

BAM!!!

Gao hacked out a spare lung and nearly kissed the earth, his bare back screaming at the impact of an enormous palm. His emotional moment wheezed into a breathless laugh. Speaking of humbling, right, that was why he'd chosen Team Yunobo as his first stop on this 'Workout Workshop': didn't take a Goron much to make a mere Sheikah re-evaluate his strength.

"R-right," Gao coughed, heaving himself back up with a wry smile. He slapped the Goron miner back, but he suspected he hurt his palm more than he tickled his rocky hide. Gao squeezed away the wince with a tightened grin, "I'm sure I can grab a pair somewhere if I really need to. To work then, mate! I'm sure we have tons of it to do."

"HAHA! TONNES! I see what you did there!"

Snickering, Gao flung a towel over his shoulder and turned with the rest of the Goron kin and likeminded folk to march towards their respective, allotted stations at the wall perimeter. The dawn had a chill to it, but he was glad he'd opted to leave his shirt and outer fur robes behind: a good sweat would give him all the heat he'd need and sticky clothes were just uncomfortable. He'd even traded in his usual slippers, purchasing instead a heavy duty pair of steel-capped boots for this work-trip, along with a set of thick gloves and sturdy braces to keep his back and various joints supported proper. Ha, a 'scholar', he looked every part the experienced labourer: or even a warrior, now that the countless scars and full warpaint were also on show.

"Bet I can stack more bricks than you can in the next hour," Gao gloated, leaning an elbow upon his Goron buddy's shoulder (he'd met him just 40 minutes ago) to leer at him in mocking jest.

"OI! Is that a challenge?!"

"Eeeeh~? You feel threatened?"

They all guffawed. Gao of course didn't actually AT ALL believe he could perform such a feat - even the tiny lil guys weren't to be underestimated! - but the Gorons were often such a competitive sort it was a great laugh to get them riled up - great motivation to boot.

[Chaosome]

Ahh Central Hyrule. Beautiful, historic. Sprawling fields, verdant forests, rolling ridges. In a word? Peaceful. Now, anyways. Sure, there were still roving bands of Bokoblins or Chuchus here or the occasional Stalblin there when nightfall came. Monsters didn't suddenly all vanish without pomp and circumstance and dangerous places didn't suddenly become safe havens over night, all in all however the region was facing a rather historic bout of peace... But without all of the issues that had been facing the idyllic Hylian region, another word came to mind to describe the land...

"Dulllllll..." came the dulcet grousing of a particularly ruffled Rito. The young bird stood high atop the tower of Lookout Landing, surveying the area with only a slightly disgruntled sigh as he plopped down on the rim of chute, a winged hand coming over his brow as he gazed out. "No Lynels, no Bokoblins, no Moblins... Not even a slightly disgruntled boar!" with an exacerbated warble he threw his hands up and toppled backwards, reeling about a moment and locking his knees to keep his poorly thought through flop from sending him careening down the inside of the tower! "Keh! Hrrrrk! Not today! No Malon pancakes please... HAGH!" with one final flailing flap the Rito pulled himself back upright, leaning over the opposite edge of the tower's tip before finally righting himself.

Clearing his throat he glanced about, to fro, up down. Good. No one saw that as far as he could tell. Dusting himself off, Malon would fold his arms as he settled back in. Staying standing this time. "I really should've picked a better spot for guard duty..." he would mutter to himself, brow furrowed slightly. "I was supposed to do guard duty today right?... I can't help but to feel like I'm forgetting something." honestly he really needed to start keeping notes sometimes. "...but whaaaat..."

Eventually the bird's dutiful gaze cast itself over the ruins of the castle town. A rather curious collection of folk gathering and milling about. "Huh. That's strange. Wonder what the occasion is." Malon rubbed under his beak with a digit as he leaned forward pondering the scene before him for a few moments before his eyes spotted not just the Sages but both Zelda and her swordsman Link at the forefront of it all. "Weird... What could be so important that..." the gears began to turn in his head before finally... CLICK.

"...AH BEANS! THAT WAS TODAY!" Kicking off of the tower, Malon took a deep breath, quickly nosediving to the nearest shadow. Likely startling some of the people still taking care of the Landing while everyone is busy. It's not every day that a bird manages to swan dive into a shadow without so much as a smack or splat, but here we were!

'I knew something was fishy when everyone was gone when I got up!' Malon thought to himself before he breached one shadow, took another deep breath and dove into another. Hop, skipping, and shadow-jumping his way towards the gathering. He knew the general details of the goings on. Rebuilding the city? Helping the people out? How could he not want to be a part of that! If he could help it he'd have a claw in every task!

Eventually Malon managed to sneak his way into a passerby's shadow, using their hurried pace to close the distance to the back of the nearest group, which turned out to be Team Tulin. 'Phew... perfect timing as usual.' The bird settled in casually, as though he had been there the entiiiire time... Though he certainly could feel a couple glances from the most observant of nearby groups as everyone started making their way towards their destinations... Especially some of the Shiekah who knew him well enough to quietly sigh and roll their eyes.

[Sav'saaba]

Yaku

It had been over a century since Hyrule Castle Town had last seen this amount of activity, Yaku mused. After the Guardians had cascaded down the town walls, accompanied by the thunderous tic-taccing of their scrabbling appendages against the stone barrier that was to protect it from harm, the settlement was razed to the ground, swiftly and mercilessly.
Scorched ruins and charred corpses, their limbs and spines grotesquely contorted by the heat of the blazing fires that had entrapped them, had been the sole relics of the once bright and lively town that had only endured in the shaman's mind's eye.

The loss of life on that single day had simply been unprecedented in recorded history.

Now, the place was a literal headache. Such suffering and anguish it had seen, that to Yaku its very soil was imbued with it, its pain and sorrow bearing down on him, even if the foundations of burned down buildings and all other, tangible, debris had now been cleared from it, the slate only superficially clean. But time and life and laughter would heal, and he would be there do his part of ushering lost souls across, because what else was there for him?

The shaman had made countless past attempts to bring solace to those who remained, but until very recently, the Guardians had dwelled here in great numbers, making it impossible for him to offer more than prayers to soothe the winking blue flames that stretched out around him vaster than the Faron Sea, lighting up the night.

To him, today was a strange dichotomy of light and darkness. The mirth displayed by the gathered crowd and their optimism for this dawning age of prosperity was something he revelled in, but he was nonetheless acutely aware of the shadows looming on the periphery of his vision. Always, ever and always. He massaged one of his temples.

Two Hylians, one rather stout and the other his polar opposite and both clad in Hudson Construction trappings briskly approached from the opposite direction as they talked among themselves.

"Ericson quit today? Why?"

"Boss has been sending Ericson's team in to repair the Watch Tower in the eastern district, but even he is now refusing to work the place. Kept whining about how it doesn't feel right in there or something. All his workers have left already, with the last two just last week."

One of the workers shrugged under the weight of a hefty beam, dangerously swaying his burden just as the duo passed  the shaman. Yaku took a languid step aside to avoid catching the beam with his skull, his interest being piqued by the conversation.

"Ericson has been bitching about odd happenings for days but since yesterday he swears that he felt someone touch him when he was up there, but he definitely was all alone. Ever since Dobson... well, you know..."

For a few beats, a pregnant silence was shared by the carpenters.

"Anyway, now there is no one left to clear out the remaining rubble, and all the other teams are  unavailable because they are on other projects." The Hudson employee shook his head.

"It's a secret to everybody, even the Queen, but Boss said we can't send anyone outside of the company up there, not until we're certain about the structure's integrity. We can't have a repeat of what happened to poor Dobson."

"Hylia rest his soul," sighed the stout one.

How interesting. Moments passed, with the crowd now beginning to disperse towards their chosen destinations. Very interesting. After some more strategic waiting, Yaku turned on his heel, and broke out in a jog towards the two Hudson workers, jingling all the way.

'Gentlemen," he called out, surprisingly steady, "Excuse me, but I couldn't help but overhear that there is a vacancy within your company." he continued, and ducked, missing being hit by lumber by a hair's breadth. Construction safety as a concept was obviously alien to Hudson Construction co. ltd..

"Who wants to know?" the beam-carrying man asked, his eyebrows raised so high they were practically on his scalp, yet Yaku took no notice of the men's scrutinizing and incredulous gazes.

'Name's Yaku...son."


"Well... Go see Chief Riju in the eastern district, Boss should be checking in with her right about now."

[OOC: I'm not turning this into a tragedy, I promise.]

[AmJanky]

Axel had been too young to go see for himself how the castle grounds and city were still riddled with the Sheikah's corrupted automatons. He only remembered the stories his grandfather had told him, they were stories of shattered hopes and dreams. It hadn't been their fault, their hope for the future had lain in their technology and what a double-sided blade that had been. The castle had loomed there, overtaken by Malice, overtaken by their own hope. Simply as a vile reminder of how they all got betrayed. Not only the Sheikah, but all the peoples of Hyrule. Every tribe had lost their hero, every tribe had lost their hope.

And just as there had been a glimmer in the return of the Hylian Hero, giving a second chance to all the heroes of all the tribes and the defeat of the Malice, it would sadly prove to be shortlived. This time trampled by not the lingering impression, the Malice of the Demon, but the true coming;

The Demon King.

Axel did remember vividly how the earth had ruptured, debris, rocks and whole islands had rained from the sky. The castle lifted to float and tower above the land it had at some point protected. The divine beasts perished, unsalvageable after the upheaval. The story started over and they would have to come together without the aid of big weapons initially designed to keep them safe.
These people standing in front of him leading and overseeing the rebuilding had proven to be more than able to come together. These heroes had defeated the odds and displayed feats of strength, courage and wisdom many people in Hyrule could only aspire to, all without the aid of giants.
These were changing times, wherein perhaps lay a new glimmer to hold onto. And hold on Axel could. However, different from these heroes, he had no choice but to rely on that what had at first betrayed them.

Shook from his lament he noticed he was scratching a particular itch that could literally not be scratched. His fingers ran the white and gold segments of his guardian arm. It had been crafted for him specifically by his grandfather, and sometimes Axel thought the blasted thing had a mind of its own.
Spurred on by the words of his father, he had travelled to Hyrule castle to offer his services as a smith. Assured that he would be invaluable, he didn't feel that way. Or rather, he didn't really want to feel that way. The three simulacrum digits click-clacking as they fidgeted open and closed in turn, "Oh, stop it. I know why I'm here." He scolded his arm under his breath.

His own more selfish reasons to be there would have to wait.

Finding Boss Yunobo didn't prove that hard, as the big Goron loomed in the distance. Axel arrived just as the Goron was done dealing with a particularly burly man. The figure that Axel would think came of Lurelin immediatly showed bravado and set out to work on the walls. Something lingered, though, as Axel watched him walk away.


"Sir Yunobo, I heard you were building a smithy. My name is Axel, I am a smith and I am certain I can help with that."

"AH, welcome aboard, Goro!" Came the hearty reply, a giant hand slammed itself onto Axel's shoulder by way of goron greeting practices. Axel felt rather gratified when the goron looked surprised to hear a thunk and looked at his hand confused.

"Easy there, this thing can break after all." The three pronged grabber that was there clicked as the digits waved, "Glad to be of service."

[Rex Draco]

Sin | Central Hyrule | Arc I
____________________

For many today was to be the start of a grand and fantastical project that would forever change the present and subsequent future of Hyrule for generations to come. Hearing Zelda speak stirred the hearts of proud Hylians and roused the fighting spirit of loyal friends. Everyone seems to have found them selous n niche that suited their individual skills.

But there was still time for those late to the festivities to be disappointed.

There was one such traveler who found himself swept up in the excitement to find the opportunity to turn down their invitation. One moment they were listening to the Hylian royal speak, and the next he found himself at the ever eccentric whims of the local Sheikah. The orange-scaled Zora could only stand there in West Castle Town while the proud and educated mistress Purah went on about the task expected of them.

She may as well have been speaking Zonai for what good it did. She spoke at such length that Sin found himself tuning her out. Sin was average size for a Zora male. He openly wore a dagger on his hip and had his red cloak wrapped around his waist like a folded haori. He was a warrior by the looks of it. He'd only be suitable for moving stone and lifting loads, though the distant glimmer in his gaze showed clear his contempt for the chatter. When would they begin?

"What do you even expect, of this one?" He'd question the unconventional maiden of the scholarly arts.

[Emily]

Image modified from original by Prema-Ja on Tumblr

Making as little noise as possible, Reverie climbed out of the tent and stretched. It was just after dawn, later than she'd intended to wake up but not so much as to be particularly late. After waking, she'd rummaged through her pack and eaten some of the dried fruit and bread bought from the Rito Village vendors, deciding to grant herself that small luxury. After all, it was a holiday for whatever Hyrule was to become, a day of breaking ground on the new project. As she stood outside, looking at the bits of stone wall that separated the camp from the city- such as it was- she noted how strange it felt to be dressed in something other than full armour. She'd worn that armour every day for years back home, but it wouldn't have been appropriate to wear it during a constructive effort like this one. Instead, she was in a long, heavy cloth tunic of dark blue, tied at the waist, with plain brown leggings and her usual sturdy boots.

By the time she arrived at the work site, there were scattered groups of people already there, though nothing seemed to have started as of yet. Reverie assumed the groups had sorted themselves due to locality, familiarity with others. She couldn't know for sure, but all the people she recognised- Rito from the village- were in a single group. It was strange to see so many Hylians and Sheikah but recognise none of them. Not that she expected to- nobody else from her community had made the journey down here to help- but she'd spent her whole life in such an insular community that strangers were a somewhat alien concept.

Even not knowing the people here, Reverie felt she was able to safely assume which one was Queen Zelda. Though the woman was wearing something commendably well-suited to physical labour, she still stood out from the rest of the crowd. The assumption was proven correct as Zelda stepped onto a box to speak. Though Reverie had no particular reason to be attached to the woman, she had to acknowledge that Zelda was endearing. Well-spoken, somewhat formal, but the things she said were realistic and grounded. Good traits in a leader. And Zelda was improving morale, something that was needed to cut through the undeniable shadow hanging over the ruins. Reverie couldn't know how much of that shadow were the stories she'd heard from her great-grandmother about the city burning, but she was heartened to see the people here lifting the mood.

Though Zelda had explained the different responsibilities each group were to accomplish, it seemed to Reverie that there was very little difference between what any of them were doing. At least, for the moment. She wondered if people were sorting themselves based upon aspiration at this point; she noted in particular that those with the largest builds seemed to be flocking to the Gorons. Interesting how that worked.

She wasn't entirely sure who she should join. She had no particular expertise in stonework or construction- while these people had studied carpentry, she had unfortunately studied the blade. That said, she hoped she could get by on being good at following instructions and being a tireless labourer. If the Gerudo team was going to be working on weapon stores, barracks, and watchtowers, at least Reverie would have some tangible knowledge to offer assistance.

Tulin's team, meanwhile, promised the best chance at working with people she knew, but why come so far to help if she was going to limit herself to her own circle of acquaintances? The Zora's work seemed to be the only definite no for her, as water was incredibly dangerous in Hebra and she'd never learned to swim. Besides, the Zora themselves seemed perfectly-equipped to handle it. Supposedly, she could work with Zelda, someone her great-grandmother had personally worked for before the Calamity, but with very little chance of speaking to the Queen, there seemed to be little point.

Finally realising she was standing around while everyone else was separating, Reverie shrugged. To hell with indecision, that was something she scarcely had time for. She walked to the eastern side of the city and approached the Gerudo. As she was walking, she happened to meet Saki's gaze, and raised a hand in greeting. The Rito smiled and waved back. Well, that was nice, something of a community after all.

Upon reaching 'East Castle Town', though that meant very little at the moment, Reverie met one of the Gerudo. This was her first time meeting the warrior race, and she was momentarily taken aback by the sheer height of the woman. The Gerudo seemed to size Reverie up before nodding, her expression softening. "Fancy that, you have the look of a warrior about you."

"Indeed," Reverie replied, though she was unsure how the Gerudo had determined that. She was here without her armour and sword, the normal tells. But perhaps there was some other way of telling, or maybe not all Hylians were like her people.

The Gerudo nodded again, seeming to approve. "Here to join Chief Riju's team, then?"

"If you'll have me."

"Very good, report to Buliara for your assignment. She's near the wall over there."

[El]

"SPARE SUPPORT BEAMS, COMING THROUGH~!"

A gruff, deep voice bellowed, alarming - and suitably warning - nearby workers as through the swathes of sweaty brows and sparking hammers marched Gao, a stack of thick steel pillars balanced upon his shoulder and-... a trio of tiny Gorons supporting the rear. Amusingly stark height differences aside, this didn't seem practical at all: were the little ones even managing to take any of the weight, holding it up as he was? But despite it all the burly Sheikah wore the brightest grin, cheeks deep with dimples while flushed with the relentless exertion.

"Nearly there, lil' lads!" He assured, holding back a laugh at the sounds of exhaustion he could hear squeaking out from behind him. "Remember my top tips!"

"Back straight-!" One yelped.

"TUMMY TIGHT!" Another squealed.

"Remember to breeeaaa-..eeathe!" The last one gasped. Hylia bless their little pounding hearts, they were working so hard.

Gao nodded with approval, "Good good: but you forgot the most important one of all!"

"I-if we need -
          "-a b-break-
                          "Just saaaay!"

Thankfully however the new and naked skeleton of the Smithy was in sight and creeping closer with every fraught, encumbered step. Even the leading man himself was struggling to keep his breath at this point, shoulder screaming under its biting burden, his tense muscles aching so deep they had long since sunk from discomfort to pain. It was never a good sign when it started to feel sharp.

"AND- THERE- WE- HAVE IT!!! Gently down now, lads!!! Bend the knees - not the back!" One almost started screaming, another bit back the tears, as with a heave and a ho and one last big push of exertion and every last remaining scrap of willpower, they gently set down the stack of support beams. Gao almost wanted to start crying himself to be honest, the relief was that immense, but instead he ruffled a hand across one of the little Goron's safety helmets. "What champs you all are! You'll be giving Chief Yunobo a roll for his rupees before you even know it!"

The trio giggled from their respective collapsed positions on the dirt, and that was enough to make it all worth it. Cute lil' guys. Seeing their proud grins now, Gao was glad he'd caved into their requests to help.

"You must be Axel?" Damp chest still heaving with breath he swore he could almost see, the 'scholar' turned towards his fellow Sheikah. Taking a moment to roll out the tension of his shoulder, he then extended a spare, gloved hand for the shaking.

"I gotta say it's a pleasant surprise finding another Sheikah in this sector! You have an admirable build too." He nodded with approval, casting a brief second glance over the stranger. Given his garb he looked more of the traditional sort - hailed from Kakariko Village itself, perhaps? ...Hmn. He-... wouldn't have heard the Yiga-associate rumours about him right-...? Naaaaah, what a silly thought, Gao wasn't famous! Pft! "The Chief sent me this way to supply the area with extra support beams, but feel free to let me know if you need any more hands around here before I bugger off back: I'd be happy to help out anyway I can."



(OoC: I did a little bit of a small timeskip here to allow room for Gao to make this introduction, but let me know if you want anything changing, AmJanky!)

[AmJanky]

Axel had gone to work producing the many nails, rivets and other accouterments needed to fasten and reinforce the walls and wooden structures. He was helped in this venture by the present Goron and some of the Zonai forge constructs. It wasn't a hard task to figure out why Queen Zelda had invited these constructs to the surface.
These were rather graceful looking beings, every line they uttered interspersed with a beepedeeboop. Their shapes were far more endearing than the ones that had also been seen around the surface, attacking when adventurers ventured too close. Those had been a bit of a nuisance, but these near sentient creatures were amazing. Maybe even more amazing than what Axel had seen made by his own people.

It bore some thinking about, but before he could the gent he had seen before with Yunobo strode in with materials, cheer leading a rowdy bunch of young Goron.

"You must be Axel? I gotta say it's a pleasant surprise finding another Sheikah in this sector! You have an admirable build too."

"Sure am – and ... I guess?"  He couldn't help but want to shield himself from the scrutinizing gaze when it pointed out the 'admirable build'. For him it came with the job, it wasn't something he thought about at all. Still trying his best to wipe some of the soot from his hand and brow, making himself a little more presentable. Another Sheikah, though? Only then did he look a little closer at the man introducing himself, the red eyes  a dead give away to Sheikahn blood.

"Sir, I had you pegged as hailing from Lurelin and was about to say pleased as a pickled pike to meet you." One thing he had picked up from listening to Tauro, back in Kakariko village when it was overrun with researchers, was the head researcher's 'foreign' slang. He looked at the outstretched left hand,
"I do believe you will still want to shake the right hand." In both senses of the word. Undeniably Gao stood taller, broader and without a doubt stronger – but the left hand, a claw at best, was not made for shaking, even for high-fives it was two digits short. "I am reigning left handed arm wrestling champion, after all – sadly not true, but would be if there was such a championship." If there was he would probably be booted for cheating and using unfair advantages.

[El]

"Oh shit-SORRY!!" Gao spluttered, feeling his face heat from more than just healthy exertion. He fumbled his way through the handshake: clumsily putting out the right hand only to alternate between far too strong a grip and one so limp it was barely present, and by the time he finally made his way back to the first variation and was beginning to find his balance of mind again - and along with it the socially-correct, polite pressure - Axel had withdrawn his palm...

...Ngh. At least the man himself didn't look that bothered, especially considering the joke he responded with.

"Sorry again." The scholar repeated, grimacing through a grin. "My right arm had been taking the bulk of the workload so I must've on reflex just-... well..." He scratched at his flushed cheek and cleared his throat, brushing aside the rest of whatever that sentence was going to be along with the awkward lump that had blocked it. ".......Anyway, it's good to see such tech being put to use on folks like ourselves." He redirected with an approving nod, "-Rather than holed up in specialist labs or for very specific purposes so oft' out of sight, that is."

Gao cast a glance then over at a duo of Zonai forge constructs who were tinkering nearby. There was an odd set to his lips as he observed them for a moment, but eventually he turned his attention away and smoothed the lines into a lopsided smile. "I've never wrestled that sort of thing before, but I know better than to underestimate: don't knock it 'til you try it." He chuckled.

"'Pleased as a pickled pike' though, eh?" Gao echoed. The corners of his eyes crinkled with nostalgic affection, "Been a while since I heard that one - you were right on the rupees, mate! I am Lurelin born and bred: on my Dad's side to be precise. Old Ma still holds the 'fort' there actually."

........

...

A ghost briefly passed across his eyes, but it was tough to stay submerged in memories when the air thundered with pounding iron and clattering brick.

"Not sure I can help with-... whatever these things are," Gao added last but not least, finally closing up his ricocheting ramble to look across the collection of various - albeit substantial - knickknacks Axel had already piled up. Yeah, that looked like construction stuff. Bolts and nails and...were they called rivets? ...How the heck was one of these things that much more different than the other, enough so to warrant so many different forms? "...Without being more of a hassle than it'd probably be worth anyway." He laughed. "But if you have any more rudimentary hard labour you want taking care of so you can concentrate on the skilled stuff just gimme a holler, bud!"

[Emily]

Event Post

The work was progressing quickly. As the morning passed over the ever-more-present Hyrule Castle Town, the various streams and bodies of water around the space let off steam that then dissipated into the atmosphere, making it a clear, if somewhat humid, day. Occasionally, when the sound level permitted, the sounds of crickets and distant birds could still be heard through the construction. The workers were allowed to take breaks as they liked- they were here voluntarily, after all, so taking time off would be literally no loss- and some could be seen walking around the orchards outside of town, gathering apples and water.

A runner from the Hudson Construction Company made the rounds to each of the team representatives and murmured something to them in a low voice. The team representatives, all of them, nodded in solemn understanding and themselves approached each of the Sages leading their various teams. The Sages, unlike the Hudson representatives, reacted in different ways, some quite happy at the news, others stoic. Despite their differences, they seemed to come to the same conclusion about what to do with this information, and gathered their teams. It was almost lunch-time anyway, as good a time as any to force a break on those who hadn't already taken one.

"Attention everyone," Riju said to her team, "It seems Hudson purchased more supplies than we actually require."  In the Central Square, Tulin was in the middle of relaying the same information. "It's up to us to decide how to build the city, so" "we get to choose between more buildings and more nature spaces, goro!" Yunobo punched a fist into his other palm for emphasis, though he wasn't entirely sure what he was emphasising.

"It seems like a pretty obvious choice to me, but I assume the Queen will want us to take a vote. Though I suppooooooose the Research Station would be designed differently if there weren't as much light pollution. Okay, actually, I guess this could be important after all."

After the workers gave their input to their various team leaders, the information was relayed back to Zelda and Hudson to work out while everyone else was provided with a lovely spread of lunch options provided by the stores of Lookout Landing and whatever else was brought by the volunteer cooks. A variety of Hyrulean dishes and drinks were available, everything from Lurelin-style grilled fish over rice to Goron rock steaks. Chowders, curries, veggie dishes, even desserts were in abundance, with more on the way once the evening rolled around. For the next hour or so, at least until Zelda and Hudson were able to sort through all the votes, everyone could mix and get to know one another a bit better.

OOC: This does not require you to abandon previous interactions. Feel free to take a post or so to wrap things up if you want, and then go get some food. The poll at the top of the page will run for the rest of this week, ending later on Saturday, March 16th. At that point, I will start the next poll. In the meantime, give me ideas on what you'd like to call the city's primary (that is to say, advertised in the main post) Inn!

[Luca]

"I! Am Moon- Fruit!" said Moonfruit, of all people, before taking off at an 88 degree angle from Lookout Landing. He no longer remembered why he was there, but he did successfully confirm that the moon was still fine, and that's always nice to know. A couple more flaps up into the air and he had reached a height which easily allowed him to see that apparently the entire population of greater Hyrule was currently located in the graveyard of former carpentry and masonry projects.

Moonfruit adjusted heading to investigate. Curiously, it didn't seem to be much of a graveyard anymore. In fact, it looked like all these people were working in some form or another on actually making something new. How odd. Moonfruit glided along to the middle of the square and observed a sky automaton standing idle and, perhaps needing conversation. Moonfruit was fond of sky automatons. They were like birds in that they were in the air, although not like birds in any other way -- which was very sad.

*flap* *flap* *flap* *flap* - He touched down next to the construct and proceeded to do the thing that he does. "H E L L O! I! Am Moon- Fruit!" he said and spread his wings wide, kicking up small rocks, wood splinters, and a thinly distributed cloud of dust.

"Greetings, do you require assistance? *beepedeeboop*" said a charming and mobile jade statue.

Moonfruit's eyes grew larger. Not only was it responding, but it was also not trying to kill him. This was a fortunate turn of events that left Moonfruit with a number of questions, such as

"WHO ARE YOU!?" he posed casually.

"I am a steward construct. Queen Zelda requested assistance from me and my associates, *beepedeeboop*" it replied. "Do you require assistance? *beepedeeboop*"

"BUT WHO ARE YOU!?" Moonfruit repeated.

"I am a steward construct. *beepedeeboop*"

"WHAT IS YOUR NAME!?"

"Steward construct. *beepedeeboop*" it reiterated.

"WOW! Nice to meet you Stewart, how the hell are you? You know, I thought that I could take off at an 87 degree angle today but as it happens I was able to take off at an 88 degree angle, so it's really good that my feet are perfect protractors otherwise I might not have ever known. Anyway, I was walking around in the sky today, and I was feeling really glad that the moon was still around because we're good friends, even though it's not the True Moon. But that's fine because that means I'm also probably not the True Moonfruit but I was thinking WOW! It's so cool that things are getting built here," Moonfruit paused to stop staring at the Zonai construct for the first time since landing, and actually determine what was happening.

"And it looks like Queen Zelda is getting people to rebuild this place that has been destroyed for ever since before I was born and that's really dandy." He stopped abruptly and stared off into the horizon for some time, unclear if he was lost in thought or had suffered a break in some way.

"I am from the sky. Where were you from in the sky? Perhaps I know it. *beepedeeboop*" the construct responded, as if programmed to attempt to bridge awkward pauses.

"Exactly. And I was just thinking WOW I never thought I'd live to see the day that the government did something. You know it's been a hundred twenty years since the government last did stuff, and apparently before that the thing they wanted to do was either die or go into cryogenic stasis. I always thought I would grow up to be the government since it had been ninety years without a government and we had been waiting for them to stop being dead or stop being in cryogenic stasis and that seemed kinda unlikely at the time, but no actually they came out of cryo and now we're doing things again! That's really great," Moonfruit proceeded to nod for some time.

"Do you wish to become the government? *beepedeeboop*" the construct responded as it swivelled its head around as if to look for something. Moonfruit's head rotated to match the swivel, but continued to nod.

"Oh no thank you, we already have one," said Moonfruit before apparently being lost in thought again, looking out at the horizon. "Hey, do you know where I can find some bread?"

*beepedeeboop* - The construct's frontal chest compartment opened up to reveal a tray that slid out into its hands. "I was once tasked to store bread for my master who disappeared before I returned, it would bring me happiness if you were to eat it. *beepedeeboop*"

"How long ago was that?" asked Moonfruit

"Ten thousand years, *beepedeeboop*" it responded.

"It's held up really well," said Moonfruit looking at a plainly empty tray.

[Chaosome]

Malon was not particularly one for intensive labour, nor was he really keen on the idea of potentially having to take a swim. Guard duty was already boring enough without having to build something dedicated to it! And he couldn't shake the feeling that if he had slipped onto Purah's team he'd have no end of work as the other Shiekah tried to keep him busy. Too busy if you asked him! Bird's gotta roost sometimes after all!

Which is why he counted himself rather fortunate to have stumbl...snuck gracefully into Tulin's team. Doubly so to tell the truth. He never had the chance to meet the Sage in person, only ever having seen him in passing or the brief times he passed through Kakariko. But that was more than enough for Malon to become a little enamored. Okay more than a little enamored, a crush one might go so far as to say. But who could truly blame him? His voice! His confidence! That smile! Ah!... But a combination of his dedication to the task at wing aaaand the fact he sincerely doubted anything could ever come of his twitterpation, Malon had to do his best to still his beating heart and get to work in earnest!

It was a little... awkward being around so many Rito given that he lived his entire life in Kakariko. It was a little distracting, seeing how they worked, talked, even just something as basic as walking or flying, it was all so...different. Flying had been a struggle for him to learn, to say the least. The villagers did their best to support his efforts but kites that carry you around aren't quite the same as wings after all. He did manage to learn after many trials, errors, bruises, and a sprained wing or two, but he could fly just fine now! What he hadn't realized as just how different even his gait was from a regular Rito.

Now, while some might feel self conscious about this disconnect from one's people, more than anything it piqued Malon's interest. It was like a challenge! He often felt that way whenever he was around new people. Shadow, duplicate, replicate. He was likely a bit of a strange sight, moving between the various tasks, silently but happily lending a wing, keeping eerily exact time and step with whoever he was assisting. He got a handful of curious or confused glances, primarily for how the befuddling bird was dressed, but a couple of keen eyed observers likely cottoned to the copycat... Copycucco... Before the small but perplexed crowd could approach Malon, a the lovely tone of Tulin's voice rang out:

"Attention everyone!"

Which resulted in the feathered Shiekah zipping over so swiftly that naught but a Malon shaped cloud was left in his wake. The bird skidding to a swift stop in front of the makeshift podium of empty slats and boxes that had been set up so Tulin could look out over the crowd as he spoke

"It turns out that Mr. Hudson bought way more supplies than we actually need!" he began as the rest of his team's crew drew closer. "It's up to us to decide how to build the city, so the Princess wants us to vote on if we all want more buildings or if want the city to be close to nature!" Tulin raised one wing and then the other to emphasize the choices as he spoke before giving a little nod and a bright smile. "Now I know that's a really big deal, so if you feel like you can't make an important decision like that on an empty stomach, there's a lot of food that the people at Lookout Landing and other volunteers provided! So go eat, relax, hang out and you can come back and tell us your vote then! We'll make sure that every vote gets counted." with that, Tulin nodded and hopped down from the podium, leaving the workers to mill about, cast their vote, or otherwise scurry off for lunch.

Now, Malon was starting to feel a wee bit peckish round about this time, he knew himself well enough though that it wouldn't sway his vote as he stepped his way over, passing the information off to Harth before making his way off to more food-filled pastures for the time being!

~~~

It wasn't hard to find where the food was set up, all one had to do was follow their nose! By the time Malon finally arrived his stomach was growling up a storm and yet he didn't even know where to begin! Stews, steaks, soups, desserts! They were really going all out for this. He always heard that an army marches on its stomach, but the same was likely true for builders as well. It was certainly motivating him! For now he'd pile a plate with some grilled fish which he'd give a nice helping of Goron spice to, a few scoops of veggies, a couple of bread rolls and meaty rice balls. After grabbing a tall flagon of punch he would find himself a place to settle in and enjoy his meal in preparation for some inevitable mingling.

[Rex Draco]

Sin | Central Hyrule | Arc I
____________________

Sin ended up on this side of the collective by pure chance. He had happened along when a crowd gathered to listen to the princess speak. For the majority of the speech, Sin couldn't get over the feeling he held that, deep down, the royal was up to something. They couldn't be trusted as far as they could be thrown, and Sin was confident in his ability to chuck a Hylian for miles out! His pitching arm aside, the meandering mackerel found himself loitering during the speech and ended up following a pack of the dispersing throng of townsfolk and tradesmen towards their targeted tasks.

That's how he ended up in West Castle Town under the wiles of Lead Researcher Purah and her selected survey of Sheikah. When she finally seemed to run out of steam, the sharp-tongued team leader lorded over her role and began to pass out roles. She had a clear goal in mind and was willing to abscond the usual rigamarole for the sake of progress.

Lift that rock.

Remove that lumber.

Tear loose rigging!

"We hear you." Would be Sin's response before doing the task. "What now?" When he was done.

Delighted in having a yes-man that didn't disappear days on end with research unfinished, or her Purah Pad outdated, the high- heeled mistress passed on her orders with implied privilege. It wasn't until several minutes in that the Lead Researcher was given, what she felt, way an ultimatum. Either provide pasture or grow gargantuan! They would need to decide on what was most imperative to construct within the walls...

A weary sigh left Purah as she learned of the crossroad. "It seems like a pretty obvious choice to me, but I assume the Queen will want us to take a vote. Though I suppooooooose the Research Station would be designed differently if there weren't as much light pollution. Okay, actually, I guess this could be important after all."

Amidst her mild murmuring sin tread by with a shoulder packed with logs.

"Stop, stop." Purah pressed. "Let's take a small break until a decision is reached. I can do many things, but not think on an empty stomach."

Upon the woman's statement Sin would realize he was hungry. It had been at least a day since he's last eaten something. With refreshments provided the hefty halibut would haul himself towards food!

[Sav'saaba]

Yaku

Evidently, Hudson Construction was not in the habit of  employing incompetent slackers. The unfinished Watch Tower was well worthy of praise in its current state, although it was no exact copy of the one that was destroyed in the Calamity, that landmark structure that had jutted out from the town's eastern skyline and gleamed in the sunlight with its bright banners fluttering in the breeze, but it was only a given that architectural sensibilities changed over time, especially since those who had built the original tower had long since been gone from this world.

Already this new one was reaching towards the heavens, with several storeys having been completed by Hudson Co.'s best and brightest. So it really was a bit of a head scratcher then, that it was none other than Yaku who had been promoted to the position of foreman,which of course was not at all due to a complete lack of enthusiasm from his colleagues, nor the pressing time schedule, and Yaku found himself standing on the landing leading to the topmost, but uncompleted level. At least he looked the part of skilled carpenter, he snickered, all dressed up in the company uniform of loose-fitting pants and vest over a bared chest, with a twisted hachimaki tied around his head and a belt around his waist, one that was amply equipped with the tools of the carpenter's trade.

President Hudson must have been truly desperate.

Yaku flippantly paged through the hefty tome issued by corporate, not exactly having much need or interest in its contents of building regulations and technical explanations, despite orders to study the book thoroughly –but on the go.

Whatever. 

A phosphorescent blue, coal dust-like trail on the banister had drawn his attention. Someone, or something, was here, alright. Then the worst part of this endeavor was over with, that gap breached between suspicion and confirmation with an equal amount of trepidation about finding something, or finding nothing at all.

The spectral marks did not stop at the banister's end, instead presenting all around the landing like someone had tracked in luminous, strangely pretty dirt, and there on the heavy, arched door that the shaman supposed would lead to the lookout for this level, the tracks turned into big smears. The door was heavy, difficult to push open, like it did not fit properly in its hinges as it gnashed its resistance across the floor, which was puzzling for a building as brand-new as this.

At first blush, the room beyond was normal enough, despite it visibly being under construction, with parts of its walls, floor, and ceiling still missing, and debris like nails, bricks and discarded planks in a haphazard pattern.
But when one took a closer look, part of the floor was damaged, as if something very heavy had dropped there, with significant momentum and force behind it.  The friendly powder blue of the early morning sky was visible through the beams of the unfinished ceiling above.

Venturing to take a look down the abyss that opened up before him, he approached the end of the unfinished floor, almost stepping on an abandoned saw that was caked in spectral residue, as he took note of stacked rows of what Yaku supposed were building materials covered by a tarp that was emblazoned with the logo of Hudson Construction, and peeked over the edge.

That was one deep, very deep drop.

There was a man in the room with him, lambent and shimmering, and turned with his back towards him and whose presence Yaku only now acknowledged, having felt out the entity's demeanor and its reaction to the, well, living. It had shown no malevolence, or much of any kind of activity -yet. He decided to take the plunge.

"Hello! You must be Dobson. My name is Yakuson, I'm the new hire here to relieve you," he  lilted, before bursting out into singing the company's anthem to break the proverbial ice- he hadn't been pestered by the poxy earworm for nothing, and with no living soul in earshot? Come on, he didn't possess that kind of self-control.


♫♪♪"Quick and quality, blink and we're done! That's why everyone chooses Hudson Constructiooon!"♫♪♪


The little jig that was to be performed with the song could stand to have some more practice, Yaku had to admit, but it seemed to have gone over all shades of terrible with his audience. He sucked that bad, really?

"Yeah, yeah, that's me, I'm Dobson, and cut that shit out." Dobson groused, a frown forming deep creases in his forehead as he turned around from his pouring over a spread of parchment in front of him, "About goddessdamned time they send someone up to help. My entire team just up and left, but good riddance to them, because they all have been running around like headless cuccos. Buncha lazy asses, been ignoring me for days." he complained with the exasperation of a parent moaning about their child's disobedience, 'I'm not clocking out for the day yet, someone cocked up an angle calculation in the blueprints, and this here needs shoring and bracing until we've fixed that, because this is an accident just waiting to happen,' the spirit rambled, gesturing at a part of the sloped wall.
"Corporate would have my head if it did."

Yaku would have to break to Dobson that, going by his ghost, there really wasn't much left of his head to be had, unfortunately.

"Oh, that already happened. And it cost you your life, not just your head," Yaku replied, in typical unburdened manner, dropping the bomb. Sugarcoating things would not be helpful here, as he had learned from past encounters of the sort. Those who had been suddenly ripped away never seemed to be aware of their ceasing-to-be, much less remember the actual event itself. He had once wondered about how that worked, but only briefly, conceding there was no way to ever really know.  That unawareness was all for the better, but that also made these ghosts the most prone to linger on, bound like prisoners to their perceived loose ends.

"Wh- what?" the phantom asked.

"No one else got hurt, if that makes you feel better."

This was a critical moment, and Yaku braced for Dobson's reaction. Volatile as a flash fire, some of the ghosts that were blissfully oblivious to their demise could suddenly turn violent, as the realization of their life having been cut short sank in -all their dreams, aspirations and hopes snuffed out, lost like a grain of sand amidst endless desert. Dobson seemed to have been the dutiful but gentle sort despite his crass words, so instead of flying off the handle, the poor man turned what remained of his visage away, his shoulders slumping with defeat. 

Yaku let himself sink cross-legged down to the floor, and propped his jaw up on a hand, to wait for what would happen next.

Time dripped in slow strands, like honey off the comb. Eventually, the shade of the man spoke again.

"Oh... So, that's why..."

"Why you haven't been able to pick up a saw of late?" Yaku interjected, enumerating events to help drive home the harsh truth for the deceased carpenter, "Why your men didn't seem to follow orders? Why even tough Ericson ran out on you, mewling like a newborn kitten?"

Yaku hummed in affirmation.

"I'm sorry this happened to you. Death is only fair in that it comes for everyone, eventually, but not so much in other ways. Still, you can not stay here."

"I... but I must. You see, this structural issue, I'm the master builder on this project. It's a hazard!"

"Well, I say you're in  a bit of a bind then, aren't you? Hard to do carpentry without tools," the shaman pointed out, teasingly waving the hammer from the toolbelt in a hand. "Or not being able to manipulate much of anything at all." 

Walking them through the thought process was the best way to calm a lost and befuddled spirit like this, and pry looser their fetters to existence.

"Come here, let me help you. Put your hands onto mine,"  Yaku coaxed as he unceremoniously dropped the hammer with a thud and reached out to the ghostly figure, holding his palms up.

Moments passed, and Yaku was nothing if not patient, but Dobson did comply, hesitantly, perhaps unsure if he even was capable of such in this state.

'Good man.' he praised his see-through charge, the symbols grafted into his skin coming alive with an otherworldly blue glow, much like that radiating off the phantom. Dobson's partially caved-in skull started to mend, the socket and the eye it had contained setting back into its original place, as his broken spine realigned into its proper S-curve again.

"There, that's better. Oh, who knew you were handsome! That must have been some impact." Yaku remarked, his gaze fixed on the apparition before him, a well-muscled foreman in the prime of his life, with an open face and a light stubble that put emphasis on the man's jawline, the twisted hachimaki holding back a thick auburn mane.

"Who, who are you? How did you do that?" the poor sod asked, pawing with wispy fingers at his unmarred but just as wispy face, only now realizing it had been a mangled mess.

"Ah, busted." the shaman grinned, "My name is Yaku, without the -son, but I had to lie to be allowed up here by your President. And I know nothing of carpentry, I'm afraid. But I do know a lot about helping people like yourself," he shrugged, a disarming and somewhat apologetic smile accompanying the confession.

"Now that we're fully acquainted, make a pact with me," he proposed,  "I will let you use my body to correct the building plans, and do what you must to ensure the structural safety so others can finish the tower without risk."

Channeling was not something Yaku was keen to resort to, since allowing a spirit to use his body as a vessel and resolve their issues in the world of the living was risky, with myriad drawbacks. For one, it would put a serious strain on the shaman in differing ways, as his own soul and body would have to synchronize again, but that was the least of what could go awry.

"But when that is done, you will let go." he pressed, making clear his demands for the covenant he was about to forge.

"Go... But, what do I do, where do I go?"

"Don't fret about that now. How does that sound, do we have a deal?"

Dobson nodded.

"Splendid! Just a moment, then."

Yaku was still cross-legged on the floor, and he produced a vial that had been concealed in his work slacks; a  pernicious concoction of mostly blue nightshade, with two parts ground muddlebud and one part essence of silent shroom that would allow him to yield his flesh and bones to Dobson's spirit more readily, for its noxious elements upset that perfect equilibrium between life and death that the God of the Horned Statue had claimed him with for its own.

Down the hatch!

The viscous substance went down extremely bitter and he winced --he had again forgotten to add some courser bee honey to mask the taste.

The incantation came to him as natural as breathing had, once, and soon he drifted off, all colours and cares glazing to grey, the emptied vial rolled from between his slack fingers, and spun on the floor until its momentum had gone.

══════════════════

When Yaku opened his eyes, the frigid waters of the River of the Dead eddied around his form, reminding him of what it was like to feel cold, the chilled air he sucked into his lungs so sharp, as if he was inhaling tiny shards of glass. The River reflected many things; but right now, it was as calm and steady as it would be and ever had been, so he let himself become submerged, down, down, deeper into the water's embrace as it filled up his nostrils, penetrated his mouth and throat, creeping like tendrils down into his lungs. It smarted not; it never did when the waters sequestered him, currents carrying him off.

The shackles that bound him would yank him away from this peace, eventually.

══════════════════

With a rattling gasp, that vestigial reflex, his eyes were wide open and seeming to pulse -impossible- as he stared up at the ceiling and the part of sky it did not conceal. Caught blearily between vision and reality, not sure yet what any sound was in the room, a stinging disappointment and the urge to flee refused to let him go. It faded only slowly after he thrashed up into a hunched position, clutching at his crown. It left him numb, even more than usual, and seeming to fit wrong inside his skin.

"Are you okay, mister?"

"Will be." he answered thickly and hoarsely, his voice alien to his own ears as he tried to focus on keeping his body and soul as one. This too, shall pass.

"I did it, the weak points have been buttressed and I left instructions on the prints. But, my family..."  Dobson ventured once Yaku had come to his senses more, and had made to him a praising remark about the changes the carpenter had accomplished, the faults in the construction smoothed over by a master builder's ingenuity.  Yaku didn't know he had it in him to lug those heavy beams around.

"You will meet them again. Time delivers us all equally to the same end."

So it did, for most. Something in that given fact had reassured the spirit though, for his form began to break up into a million shimmering luminous specks, and the shaman began to sing, softly, as Dobson was fading from this world, and into the next.

You must go
where I can not
There is nothing
in this life but mist
And we will only be alive
for a short time

══════════════════

The bright light of the well-advanced day assaulted his senses as he staggered out the entrance to the Watch Tower, like he had upended one too many Noble Pursuits over his gullet.
In his hand he held clutched like a dead man the building plans, scribbled over in fat red ink, pointing out the crucial changes that needed to be made according to master builder Dobson. He wordlessly crumpled the plans into the hands of some 'son or other that was standing around, before noticing a planter off the side somewhere that was inviting him sweetly to dry-heave above. 

Being drunk on the job was surely an excellent reason for Yakuson to go into early retirement.