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Post by Jewel on Sept 18, 2020 10:22:35 GMT -6
This most recent job seemed a little different from the rest. Jewel was becoming accustomed to dragging Rosie around to do this, that and the other - all kinds of weird and wonderful tasks that gave him plenty of good experience, though not necessarily good pay. Rocking up at the board that day, though... he smiled as he took one of the flyers, running his gaze over its pretty, embossed surface. A comet. That sounded glorious, a golden opportunity to observe something beautiful. Did he need to pay...? No. It would appear he was the one who would receive payment if he would lend his services to the operation. Could he look after a bunch of geeks while they did their sciency shit? With his eyes closed, he was sure! Rosie would... do something. Mr. Cheeps was taking a lot of her attention, clutched in her beak, but that could be worked on. [1]
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Post by Jewel on Sept 18, 2020 12:41:15 GMT -6
"Hey!" He offered the girl a friendly smile when he managed to get close enough - the crowds thronged around them, chattering and mingling. "I like your bow. Cute." "Ah, thank you!" The scientist touched the side of her face, bashful, and then regained her focus. "Are you wanting to help us out tonight?" "Sure am," Jewel nodded. Rosie stepped forwards, hooking her head over his shoulder; Mr. Cheeps dangled precariously from her beak. "This is Rosie. Just tell us where you need us and we'll hold it down. Promise." Turned out there were several sectors that needed attention. He hummed as he scanned down the list, looking for something that would work best for him. Setting up telescopes? Easy enough. Guarding borders? Not with this fluffy chicken and her insistence on being friends with everyone. He was more than capable of setting up tents and tables and the like... and doing coffee runs, if necessary. [2]
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Post by Jewel on Sept 18, 2020 13:00:41 GMT -6
"Yeah, I can do some of this practical stuff, if you want," Jewel said. This appeared to attract the attention of another scientist nearby, who looked him up and down. "What? See something you like?" "Yes! No! I- I mean..." The guy looked ashamed of himself. That was satisfying, at least, especially since he knew what was going to come out of the dude's mouth next. "You're a little..." "Small? I hadn't noticed," The fae shot back. "Ain't the size of the boat, but the motion in the ocean, buddy. Bet you know all about that." The scientist sloped off, and Rosie chirped, mournful to lose a potential friend. Glasses girl laughed, a nervous giggle. "Um... I'm sorry about that. We'd be grateful for any help, Mr...?" She trailed off. "Jewel. Just Jewel is good. Want me to head up there now?" "That would be most helpful, thank you very much." [3]
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Post by Jewel on Sept 18, 2020 13:12:17 GMT -6
The hill would be a welcome walk. Jewel had been feeling cramped, lately - he relished a chance to take in the air and enjoy the sights, particularly since he was going to get some payment out of it in the long run. Rosie plodded along behind him, still holding on to the drooping Mr. Cheeps. That poor plush didn't get a moment's rest with her around. "Oh, here we are," He said when they spotted a tent already erected at the summit. There didn't appear to be many people around yet, which was all the better for getting things set up, and picking up the best jobs first. "Let's go meet these geeks, then." As long as there weren't any more rude geeks, they'd be fine. If there were more glasses-and-bow geeks, he'd be elated. He was still thinking about that cutie. Rosie flicked her fluffy tail into the back of his legs. [4]
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Post by Jewel on Sept 18, 2020 13:16:47 GMT -6
Man, he needed to work out a little more! Jewel puffed when they finally crested the hill, and leaned forwards, hands braced on his thighs. The sooner he could get back to a studio and dance, the better. What was the gym situation like in the city? That hadn't been the first thing on his mind-- "Oh, hey!" Another sweetheart in a white coat was calling to him, and waving enthusiastically. Someone who was happy to see him! What a blessed change. "You here to help?" "You know it," He replied with a grin. "Where do you want me, honey?" Not in any more fun or compromising position, sadly. Instead, he'd be putting up another tent, to get the ball rolling on internal setup. Rosie cocked her head as he grappled with the kit, and, figuring that this was not something she could do anything about, bedded down off to the side, resting Mr. Cheeps next to her. [5]
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Post by Jewel on Sept 18, 2020 19:10:38 GMT -6
"Oh, I suppose I have to do all the labour, then?" Jewel said. Rosie laid her chin on the ground and blinked at him, unstirred. "Of course. You get comfortable. I'll get it done while you have a nap." The chiryma had no problem with that. She had no interest in watching as he wrestled with the tarp, stamped all over it to lay it out, and almost got lost in the tent itself. To make things even better, another volunteer wandered over to pet her back; she chirped and rustled her wings, delighted to have some positive attention. A new friend, at last! The fae had gotten to the poles. His familiarity with such structures had him believing that it would be simple to pop them together... but it took him a fair amount of fiddling and cursing to get them in the right order. Damn things. Pinching his fingers, too. [6]
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Post by Jewel on Sept 19, 2020 11:51:55 GMT -6
Next step was fitting each pole under their respective flaps. Sounded easy enough! Jewel's brow furrowed as he focused - things were going faster than he'd anticipated, considering his experience with tents was limited. In fact, he was darn proud of himself! All he had to do was lift it up and let it stand on its own-- Except it didn't. The structure clattered back to earth, and he stared at it, dumbfounded. "What did I do wrong?!" Incredulous, he turned to his chiryma, who squawked at him. "Yes, I followed the instructions! My own internal instructions, because I know what I'm doing!" Obviously not. The white coat sweetheart giggled nearby (that was a win for him, at least), and he huffed as he collected up parts to begin again. Okay, maybe he did need to check if there was a booklet for him to read, even if admitting defeat stung. [7]
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Post by Jewel on Sept 19, 2020 12:26:02 GMT -6
"Hey, sweet!" Jewel called over to the cutie, who looked like she was jotting something down on her clipboard. When she looked up, he smiled, and did his best not to look dumb and clueless. "You got an instruction manual for these things? I, uh... got a bit lost." "Sure! It should be over there," She replied, gesturing to a table strewn with piles of paperwork and fliers, as well as the occasional flask of tea. Great. The fae stared at the mountains of documents, and then looked back at Rosie. She was starting to drift off with Mr. Cheeps tucked under her wing - nothing was going to bother her. Man, he wished he had something a little more sentient with him... or at least with opposable thumbs. The most miserable part of sifting through paper was having to actually pay attention to what he was doing. The price to pay for... well, payment. [8]
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Post by Jewel on Sept 19, 2020 12:31:02 GMT -6
There was all kinds of jargon splashed out on those pages. Times, dates, coordinates - Jewel's head was spinning just glossing over them quickly. How did those geeks keep their thoughts in order with all of this swimming around? He appreciated the dedication it took to be an academic, but was still glad he wasn't that way inclined. Maybe it would help if he sorted them as he went. Then again, how was he going to know how to sort them? If he did it wrong, he'd probably get whined at, and he didn't want to deal with that. So, he settled with keeping them as close to their original format as he could. "Where is this thing..." It would have a picture of a tent on the front, right? How else was he supposed to tell it apart from the rest? "Got any refreshments going, guys? I'd kill for a coffee." [9]
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Post by Jewel on Sept 19, 2020 12:40:53 GMT -6
In their infinite foresight and wisdom, the geek patrol had set up a station for refreshments. Jewel paid them a quick visit - there was an ample cafetiere, and the coffee was decent quality, too. Even better than that was the platters of cookies. He was not ashamed to help himself to a few chocolate chip for the road, and a fruit and nut for his overgrown bird. "Hey, Rosie," He approached her with the offering held out in front of him. She lifted her head, regarded him for a moment, and then gobbled it out of his hand. "Yeah, I thought so." Back to the hunt for that confounded paper, then. The hour was moving on, but the fae could still feel the heat of the sun; he pulled his hair up into a little ponytail to get the air on the back of his neck. At least the weather was nice and clear for the viewing. [10]
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Post by Jewel on Sept 19, 2020 13:45:29 GMT -6
Turns out the manual was hidden beneath a data log. Jewel lifted it up - damn, it was heavy! - and beamed in delight when he saw the sketch of a tent emblazoned on the paper beneath. Awesome! He flipped through to the instructions page and was rather stingy with his time spent studying it before returning to the tent. "Alright, so this goes here..." He must've learned something, because some minutes later, something resembling a tent was forming under his hands. Rosie chirped her interest, nosing Mr. Cheeps in the fae's direction. "I'll come check on him in a second, bird. Hold onto your feathers." Rosie had taken to the plushie to a degree that he hadn't anticipated. There were no others of her kind at his kennel, and her maternal instincts were going unfulfilled... thus, Mr. Cheeps had filled some kind of void. Now, she refused to go anywhere without him. [11]
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Post by Jewel on Sept 19, 2020 14:01:22 GMT -6
The delight on Jewel's face when the tent finally stood on its own was unmissable. At last, salvation! The only thing left to do was to stake it to the ground, and they'd be all set. He took up the mallet with glee, and walked over to the first peg, ready to drive it into the earth. The ground was sturdy but not unyielding under his hits - the pegs were buried firmly. "Look at that, Rosie! I'm a pro!" Forgetting about his first failed attempt, he gestured to the erected tent. Rosie was getting to her feet at the time and shaking her feathers. "D'you think we could live in one of these? Your fluffy butt is perfect for warmth." That wasn't the goal, though. White-coat sweetie was giving him a thumbs-up and calling him over; more work, or just an excuse to chat to him? He didn't mind either way. [12]
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Post by Jewel on Sept 19, 2020 14:17:00 GMT -6
"Thank you so much for that!" The scientist held out her clipboard to Jewel with a smile. "Would you mind writing your name down here? We want to make sure we get everyone who helped noted down." "Sure, honey," He replied. With a few short penstrokes, his details were noted, and the form was handed back to her. "There you go." "Is... is that your real name?" Rather than sounding skeptical, she sounded intrigued. Jewel laughed. "That would be telling, wouldn't it?" The sun was long on its way to setting, and the sky was streaked with orange, stretching out to the horizon. It would soon be time. The fae was surprised by his own excitement; he appreciated beauty, and enjoyed a spectacular display, but his feelings were unprecedented. The geeks were rubbing off on him, he was sure. Did anything else need to get done before the show began? [13]
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Post by Jewel on Sept 19, 2020 14:35:04 GMT -6
More people were flocking up the hill, now. Some were obviously involved with the association, and some looked like geeks, but others looked like regular people to him. It would make sense that the display at the quest board had drummed up interest in simple observation from the general public. As long as they weren't harassing the scientists, there wouldn't be a problem. "Could you do a quick perimeter check for us? Just make sure nothing looks out of the ordinary, you know," The scientist asked, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear while she spoke. "We have about forty minutes before the comet is due to pass overhead." "Yeah, can do. I'll take the chicken," Jewel said. Rosie clutched Mr. Cheeps in her beak as they began their walk around the camp. It was not huge, so a check wouldn't take that long, but the fae intended to draw it out. [14]
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Post by Jewel on Sept 28, 2020 8:55:37 GMT -6
The hustle and bustle was easily avoided, on the perimeter. The geeks were mostly contained within the circle, busying themselves with preparing whatever - any stragglers coming up now were either members of the public being curious, or people looking to do mischief. Jewel wasn't exactly prepared to deal with hooligans, but he was happy to have a challenge. A lot of the jobs he'd gone for from the quest board had been slow at best and tedious at worst. Rosie squawked, muffled by the plush, until he reached a hand out to pat her neck. "What's the matter with you, hm?" He asked. "You haven't helped at all, and now you want to make demands? Can it, feathers." She didn't care for that manner of speech. Indignant, she butted her head against his shoulder - with his little stature, it was enough to stagger him sideways. Being a fae had its troubles. [15]
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