diademlogs | Open | Help Wanted Log

Entry tags:

Open | Help Wanted Log

Who: Storm + you | A Community Project
Where: Scrapyard, all around Panorama, or an abandoned temple turned construction zone
When: Last week of October, possibly through November
What: Building and restoration efforts!

Warnings: None for now!

[ A catch-all post for action logs from the Help Wanted post that's gone up on the Forum! Open prompts are under the cut. ]

i. The Scrapyard

[ Whenever Storm in the scrapyard, it seems that it smells of oil and rain-soaked rust. It feels like it sticks to her hair and her clothes, so she'll need to invest in some perfume and shampoo eventually.

The place sometimes feels like a maze full of twisted metal and forgotten parts, but she’s there most mornings, cart in tow, weaving between heaps of rust and half-eaten cars. Pipes, hinges, maybe a pane of glass that hasn’t cracked through — anything that can be reused ends up in her cart. Folks passing through might find her trying to wrestle something that looks like it's twice her weight out from under a pile, muttering to herself about how that filing cabinet hiding behind it might be perfectly serviceable if she could... just... reach it...

Anyone just watching is going to get a look and a wry, half-smile. ]

I don't suppose you have a crowbar handy, do you?

ii. Around Panorama

[ Sometimes she’s seen around the markets, balancing a notebook and a list of supplies she actually can’t afford yet. Nails, paint, rope, brushes, food for the people who show up to help. She haggles and inquires more than she buys, offering a smile or a quick errand. Occasionally she'll be heard answering those who ask what she's up to - the promise of a place that might soon welcome everyone. It’s not exactly a convincing sales pitch, but there’s a kind of quiet conviction to her voice that might make people listen. ]

[ Between stalls, she catches sight of the paper moons pinned up everywhere. When she sees more than one person take one down and tuck it carefully into their coats, she starts to do the same. They make her smile. ]

If you see another moon, could you slip me one?

iii. The Abandoned Temple

[ The temple itself is small - half rubble, half foundation. The place still smells faintly of dust and old incense, scents that steadily filter out of the broken windows the longer she works on the space. A part of the roof looks like it's newly given, likely from last month's mysterious shower, and the floor beneath it is waterlogged with rain damage.

Still, Storm has mostly cleared one of the halls and started with the simplest tasks - sweeping, painting, hammering, pushing and carrying old furniture out the door, slow and steady. Her hands are starting to blister from the hard work of the past couple of days, but she hums softly while she works until someone joins her. ]

Careful where you step - it feels like half of this place is about to give up.

iv. Evenings

[ The days end the way it usually does — the last of the light sliding across the floor, catching on the dust she hasn’t quite swept away. The air smells faintly of paint and rain. Her shoulders are sore and she needs some time before trekking back to the motel, but the stillness and the quiet of the place feel less lonely.

Storm can be seen sitting on the entryway's steps, a mug of something warm and fragrant in her hands, a bottle of something stronger sitting by her feet. She watches the city lights blink above her. Music drifts faintly from somewhere down the street — yet another loop of the Monster Mash, but this time she isn't quite as rankled by it. It's just a reminder that life keeps going. ]

[ Eventually a passing cart has her accepting a little freebie - a small glowing bottle that she impulsively takes. She's feeling lucky, she thinks, and if nothing else, it'll add a bit of light along with the moons she's put up on a few of the windows. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Sumina had seen the post about adapting an abandoned temple into a community center. As someone who't not very 'super' or adventurous or combat-inclined, she truly has felt quite useless in all of her time here thus far, but...

...As an innkeeper, she is very good at cleaning. Very very good.

It's why she decides to visit the aforementioned temple rather than write back (and also because she's not quite grasped how to use her device), shortly finding the person who must have made the post and set all of this into motion and giving her a polite wave. ]

Ah, might you be Miss Storm...? I saw a posting about this temple and thought I might lend a hand...

That's me. [ Ororo's starting to see how introducing herself as Storm might sound a little funny to people. She hasn't been 'Miss Storm' to anyone and it's a little funny to hear it out loud like this! But she'll take it, smiling warmly as this new woman enters the space. ]

I'd appreciate any help you might offer. This is mostly a small and slow effort to start, but I'm hoping that with help, it'll have an easier time getting off the ground.

[ It'll need a lot of help, though! That's very clear. She looks around, hands on her hips, before looking at her new companion. ]

Where would you like to help? There's a lot to do, so you're free to start wherever you're most comfortable.

[ She's wholly unfazed by calling someone Miss Storm. When you run an inn for ye olde fantasy adventurers, you meet a lot of people with very outlandish names...

But Sumina nods emphatically, already looking around for a cleaning implement to start helping with straight away. A broom? A broom is perfect. Gotta be one of her favorite household objects. ]

Well, I'd love to accompany you here and help with tidying up! In fact, I'm very proficient with cleaning, so if there are other sorts of tasks you'd rather see to with your time, I would be happy to fill in the gaps!

[ The enthusiasm is a bit of a surprise! Ororo takes a moment to blink, but the smile comes easily. ]

Well... I've found a lot of crates and boxes we can use to take all the things we don't need out back to recycling. If you could help me there, we could probably clear the rest of this hall and maybe the kitchen by end of day?

[ Maybe? It's a lot of sorting through things. Most of it will probably be disposed, really, but the cleared space will be nice to have. ]

[ Somehow, Storm manages to zero in on a task that Sumina enjoys even more than cleaning: organizing things. That earns another hearty nod from the half-elf. ]

Now that sounds like a fine idea. It would give you a better idea of how much space there is to work with for amenities moving forward, too, if we can clear the space as best we can.

Yes, exactly. [ Ororo is so glad she doesn't have to spell it out for her! It's really nice to be working with someone who gets it. ]

I've also set a space aside for anything that looks like it still works. I doubt there's much we can still work with - but if you, I don't know, find a table or counter that doesn't look like it's about to collapse - perhaps we can keep one in the kitchen.

[ Unlikely, of course, as a lot of the furniture is either waterlogged or simply in disrepair - but. Maybe she'll find something! ]

I just want to get the kitchen running first, at least. That way, if anyone else can come and help, I'd want to be able to feed them something. As thanks, you know?

[ In case Sumina wanted to know what she could look forward to. ]

[ Storm presents the idea of getting free food as a reward for helping out, here, which Sumina certainly understands! She wouldn't mind a free meal, not at all. But also: ]

A warm meal certainly is a fine reward for any kind of work. I would love to assist with that, too - cooking together could be a nice break from cleanup.

[ She also loves to cook... But realizing she's sort of just wedging herself into every possible task, here, she does at last offer an explanation for her boundless enthusiasm. ]

...I was an innkeeper at home. So tasks like these... I'm very good at them.

Oh. I see, that's very helpful. [ Ororo leans forward, curiosity overcoming her thoughts of all the things they have to do to clear out the space. ]

Running an inn is probably different from... restoring an old building like this. But you probably know better than I do, what a community center might need. I hope you won't mind if I consult you for your thoughts.

What is the inn like? The one you have at home.

[ The thought of her being useful for something like this is honestly so invigorating... When it comes to solving crimes or taking out cosmic anomalies in the fringes or even driving long distances, she's utterly useless. But this, she can do, even if it is different from restoring an old building. ]

Different, yes, but I imagine there's some overlap... like cleaning as we are now, and organizing - and eventually, providing assistance and perhaps meals to visitors. If my thoughts would help in any way, then I'm only too glad to offer them.

[ As they chat, Sumina idly starts perusing through the various piles of stuff left about, keeping her eye out mostly for things that might have some use in the kitchen, seeing as Ororo had wanted to prioritize getting it running. And as for her question: ]

It's... a magical place. I don't mean that in a sort of romantic way, but it's... quite literally magical. But we primarily serve adventurers who need respite from their journeys and dungeoneering and the like. Folks coming in after a grueling encounter with a monster in the woods or making their way home from a week spent in caverns, and so on. As you can imagine, it's quite... chaotic and lively.

And what about you, Ms. Storm? What was your life like before arriving here?

[ Crowbars are aplenty around the scrapyard. Not all of them in the best of shape, but point is, it would be easy enough to find one.

At the moment, though, given who has crossed her path, she doesn't need it. Erik, currently wearing a stained boiler suit, stops a safe distance behind Storm, and with a motion of his hand, lifts the debris currently trapping the filing cabinet in place. ]

Will you still be needing that crowbar?

[ He can still get her one, but he can also just make things easier for her. ]

[ Ah. Perhaps she should have sought Erik out first thing when she was making her plans to come up here for this, but it just hasn't crossed her mind. She still looks surprised at the sudden help, but manages a little smile of gratitude for it. ]

I mean... probably, yes. There are probably other useful things trapped under some junk out here. [ So a crowbar would be very handy! She obviously needs to store a decent one of her own in her van.

She glances up at the floating debris, waiting until he sets it down before she continues. ]

But thank you for this. I should have come looking for you a little sooner.

[ He doesn't wait long to move the debris aside, his hand going behind his back a moment after. Using his abilities has come with a strange side effect lately, and while it hasn't come with any lasting consequences, he's been keeping it to himself and only a few people closer to him, until he (hopefully) knows more about what he's dealing with. ]

I can find you one, then. We're not short on those sorts of tools.

[ If there's nothing suitable he can shift some piece of metal into that shape. Something strong enough for what she needs it. ]

Should you? [ He seems almost surprised to hear her say it. They're hardly allies, after all. He'd be surprised if she'd reached out of her own volition. ] Charles has told me about your project. An admirable effort. That's why you're here, I presume?

[ There was probably a couple tools lying around, but she felt some sort of way about just... taking one to use herself. She wasn't a thief! It probably helps to get to know more people who frequented this place, and not just Scott, because she couldn't keep relying on him for a matter as small as needing a specific tool.

But she reaches in for the cabinet now that it's free. It doesn't take as long to get it out, and tug it closer to the handcart she's pulled around with her. The goal is to load it on while she looks around for more things. ]

... I think I should have, yes. The Professor... Charles, rather. [ She's trying to use his name now. It's a hard habit to pick up. ] Everything he says reminds me that we could use a little community. That means a physical space, yes, but it also means knowing we can reach out to each other.

[ She probably wouldn't get into much trouble if what she's grabbing is small and relatively common. It's not necessarily theft, she'd just have to be careful that there's no one from the Yom Crook spotting her, in case they're in the mood to start shit. ]

Nevertheless, you still have a complicated history with me. Just because Charles would like for us all to stand on the same side, it doesn't make it that easy.

[ And as much as the X-Men might respect their Professor, Erik can easily understand why none of them would reach out to him for something he could obviously help with. ]

You've been... more pleasant with me. [ Than Scott or Logan, he means. He smiles faintly when he remembers something. ] Scott threatened to blast me when he found out who I was.

[ She can't help it; the way Erik describes Scott makes a wry smile twist her lips and she has to look away to hide most of it. ]

Yeah, well, it's easy for him to say - and do. I think whatever I'd do to you would affect a much larger radius, and I'd hate to inconvenience so many people.

[ She's joking, mostly, sorta-kinda. Her powers have always been extremely dramatic: less precision than Scott's lasers and less suited to one on one stabbing than what Logan always threatens people with. ]

The Magneto we knew... One time, he imprisoned us by bending bars of metal around our legs and throats. [ She mimes where she remembers the metal wrapping around her neck. ]

I could survive metal conducting any lightning I summoned — I doubt anyone else would. But maybe you would survive it too.

[ Yes, it was quite the moment. Erik can't even fault Scott for that reaction, especially when he'd first met Erik under a different identity. It hadn't been his intention to trick Scott, but he can see why he'd feel that's what Erik was trying to do.

He's yet to see her abilities in action, but yes, he can imagine that they could be rather dramatic. There would definitely be an interaction between their mutations that could potentially cause even greater destruction. Not that Scott's powers matched with his own couldn't, mind. He's recently learned that his magnetic shields could deflect Scott's blasts, a discovery that caused quite a bit of destruction in their surrounding area. ]

I would rather not find out. [ But probably, yes. ] Sorry about that.

[ Much as he wasn't the one doing it that time, he's fought against other mutants as well. People who were once his allies. ]

It was another man. [ It gets easier to parse the more time passes and the more time she gets to spend with these... younger versions of those men. Charles seemed to want to know her - she could do the same for Magneto, couldn't she? ]

I think, maybe we could try to find out? If we had some sort of safe, controlled space for testing. [ A Danger Room. She means the Danger Room. ]

It's good to know what our limits are, I think. How far they go, so we know not to overextend ourselves?

[ That may be true, but sometimes it's not as easy to make the distinction. Erik isn't free of blame either, even at his own point in time. And not everyone is as forgiving as Charles. ]

From what I understand, that's one of the things Charles is aiming for. Or at least, a setting where we can train together. [ Not so sure about the 'controlled' part, though. ] The best we had at the mansion was an underground bunker, but even that didn't last long against a particularly destructive mutation. We could try to build something here, but resources can be limited.

[ Personally, he would prefer not to add more to his debt either. ]

Searching through new diffusion zones as they come up might yield better results.

Diffusion zones come and go though, don't they? Somewhere constant might be nice, even if it would need reinforcement, or regular repairs and maintenance.

[ She pauses and replays what he'd mentioned in her head for a few moments. ]

You and Charles trained together, in an underground bunker? [ Maybe it was a precursor to what they had now. She looks at Erik with open, curious eyes. She's never had the details of what the mansion used to be like before she arrived. ]

I meant more for the resources themselves, not as a training location. I know Scott was helping Charles looking for a place, but I've offered my assistance with building the place as well.

[ He imagines his abilities would come in handy with that. Besides, Charles is intent on putting him to work, so. ]

Well, my training specifically wasn't in the bunker so much. That was a place more suited for others in our group. Havok, for the most part. His abilities were more unpredictable and generally unsafe at the time we met him.

[ They'll find or build a place suitable for their needs eventually, she thinks. Somehow she feels that it'll become a necessity rather than an idle want, or memory, and - well, it paid to be sharp. A training facility will help keep them sharp.

She's more interested in this side of Magneto she hasn't thought of before. Of these other mutants who had lived in the mansion, worked alongside Erik and the Charles. ]

Unsafe, like unpredictably destructive? [ She hums thoughtfully. ] We did not have a bunker, exactly, but... I suspect what used to be the bunker was converted. The Professor in our time had a vast, underground system of rooms and facilities under the mansion. He calls one facility the Danger Room, built to withstand any sort of explosive power. It's where we train, and where we plan to keep the children if we're ever come under attack.

[ He has no doubt they'll manage to build a place that's suited for them. Charles is driven and dedicated, and Erik knows he's not stopping until he achieves what he wants here. Even more so when he's surrounded by so many people eager to build this with him. ]

Yes. He could shoot energy blasts from his body. Not unlike Scott's optic blasts in terms of intensity. [ Erik knows now that there's a reason for it, but since he's not sure whether Scott wants others to know he has an older brother, he doesn't mention that. ] That's akin to what you're thinking we could have here, then?

[ Charles isn't ultimately the most helpful when it comes to manual labor, but he's determined to at least do his best in the effort. He's far better at getting the word out to people, and sometimes finding objects that they could find usable, but he's been doing that for the tent school since Nadine first brought it up.

He can't sweep, it would take too long in his chair, but hammering is the one thing that he can do reasonably well. He's helped buy the paint, but he can't reach too far out to be useful as a painter. He has the cans though, and pushes a cart he's bought some time ago that helps him store things as he goes places. It makes things slower with his chair, but the purpose is to carry things.

The paint cans are set to the side, and he's hammering what Ororo told him to. The waterlogged floor doesn't make it easy on the chair, but it still works. He's determined to at least do something useful as a part of this project. ]

So what is your vision for this space?

[ Ororo has no idea how to feel about Charles and manual labor. On the one hand, it's the Professor, she couldn't possibly ask him to do any manual labor?? On the other hand, that was probably offensive, wasn't it? She couldn't imply that he wasn't capable either. He's perfectly capable. But... having him working alongside her like this is certainly very new.

But that's another way this Charles is different. He's not here to give her orders - and he proves it by asking her what her vision is. As if all this wasn't inspired by his talk at a meeting between all the mutants a few months ago in the first place. ]

My vision?

[ She glances back at him just as she's dragged a step ladder over to where she can start repainting a wall that looks perfectly fine. She'd had help stripping it of some old, obscene graffiti - it was ready to look new, now. ]

Well... when I think of a community space - it ought to feel safe, shouldn't it? Welcoming. It does not have to be a mansion, but it should at least feel clean and warm. Inviting.

[ She pauses for a moment as she takes one of the cans of paint Charles had brought, taking the lid off carefully. ]

It definitely needs a kitchen with a pantry.

[ Ororo showed interest in making this project hers, and so Charles delegated it to her without question. Now the details are up to her, and he is here to help, not to take over. That is somewhat different from him, but he is not truly the leader yet that he became later. He's still more the man who felt a part of the team rather than the head of it.

His vision is for them to build the superhuman community. Her vision is of this community space. She's helped him with his dreams in the future; he should help her with hers here.]

It was never about the mansion itself, although obviously we're both missing our home with it intact.

[ He smiles wryly at that. Charles has adjusted to living in a terrible motel room, but it doesn't mean that he enjoys it compared to his cushy living before.]

Perhaps if there is a kitchen and pantry, we should think of a dining room or tables where people can sit at together if they have food.

[ She does miss the mansion. Her smile turns nostalgic and a little bittersweet; there isn't a day that goes by that she isn't thinking about what she's left behind back home. The students, the team, even the graves that she'd started visiting once a week, just to talk to them.

Charles is actually capable of responding to her here, though, and that's very different. She's grateful. ]

Yes, I was just looking around for decently priced dining sets the other day. I think I'll have to settle for something a little mismatched if I want something affordable, though.

[ But it is as Charles has said, it's not like that's important. It's about having a space to come together. ]

A few people have been in touch, actually. Someone came by and said you'd sent him my way. Daryl?

[ The mansion has been his home since he was a child, and being without it has been as unbearable a loss as many other things. Perhaps someday he'll see it again, and be more appreciative now that he's been without it. He does have a dream of someday not having to live in a motel in this city, but that is a fantasy for another day.]

We could figure out a way around that. Perhaps painting them all similar colors, so the mismatched seems more quirky than odd. I don't think anyone's going to complain. You and I might be the only ones who care.

[ Charles laughs about that. He also is a bit detailed about these things, so everything in his home more or less matches, but most people around here barely notice the details. He wants her to know it's fine for it to be imperfect, because the big picture necessity of the idea is so much more important.

He smiles and nods at the mention of Daryl.]

He's a good man. He helped me on unsafe terrain in my wheelchair and seemed very eager to be helpful to anyone. I think it helps distract him from the situation.

[ Everyone comes in with varying degrees of being lost in a strange land. How they react to that depends on the person. Charles is someone who looks for natural helpers. Daryl fit that bill to a T.]

[ After having his talk with Charles about helping out with the community center the Professor’s trying to build, as well as the general community of superpowered individuals, it’s no surprise that Steve shows up to lend a hand in tidying up the actual venue. In between patrols and his shifts at work, he feels this is a good investment of his time and energy.

When he does show up, he’s wearing a form-fitting shirt and a pair of worn-out jeans, having taken off his jacket when he dismounted his bike. He knows this is going to be a labor-intensive job, and he’s no stranger to it. Most of his jobs right now involve hauling cargo from point A to point B.

Immediately jumping into work, Steve enters the building and into where Ororo is. He smiles politely at her words. ] Thanks for the warning, ma’am, but I’ll be fine.

[ Crouching down, Steve lifts a particularly heavy yet old furniture with relative ease, intent on moving it somewhere else. He turns to Ororo and nods towards it. ]

I assume everything here has to be taken outside?

Edited 2025-11-24 22:57 (UTC)

[ Ororo can't help herself, it really isn't polite, but the man who comes into the center is... grabs her attention pretty quickly. Keeps it, too, if the way her eyes keep flicking to him. That's a rather tight shirt to wear for the season...

She shakes her head to clear it. It's a pointless thought to entertain, especially when he's asked a productive question. ]

Ah. Yes, that's right - it's mostly junk. [ She says so with a slight sigh. ] I went through it a couple of times just to be sure we weren't throwing out something useful - but sadly we've got no use for moth-eaten curtains, or a space heater broken into that many parts.

[ She pauses, setting down the scraper she'd been using to strip a wall of paint. The wall's pretty clear now. ]

But let me help you with that - or at least show you where they can go outside.

[ Steve's adamant not to let her help him with it. Not because he doesn't trust her or anything of the sort, but because he likes manual labor jobs. If he's able to somehow ease the burden of moving stuff from others, he won't mind. That's what his strength is for, after all. To help people. ]

I've got it, ma'am. [ He gives her a friendly smile. ] I'd appreciate it if you can show me where these can go.

[ He'll let her lead the way, keen on doing a good job on this. If this is going to be the foundation of the community center they're trying to build, Steve would like to help in any way he can.

Lifting the heavy furniture with one hand, he extends the other to her for a cordial introduction. ] I'm Steve, by the way.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Open | Help Wanted Log

iii

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

i

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

sorry I'm late!!!! the temple

all good thank you for waiting too!

no subject

no subject

thank you for your patience!

iii.

no subject

no subject