losthunter | Repairing the Broken ((group thread))

Caspar, on the other hand, looks suitably impressed by the cleaning spell, tracing a finger along the wall where there had previously been a scorch mark. He'd personally let Hermione handle all the clean-up, but either way, Jim's right. Steps need to be taken to not make more of a mess than necessary.

"Oh, that'll be pretty there," Adia says to Jim. She glances briefly at the damaged artwork, but if Jim is looking for an unbiased judge, she's not likely to be much of one, either. Too sentimental, even for things that don't belong to her.

Her boyfriend, however, would have no trouble tossing the lot of it. But he knows that's not his job here. Instead he looks around for something heavy but not cumbersome that he can move himself.

"I'll sort through what's left here and see what can be saved. Holler if you need me to lift anything heavy. I'm pretty sure there's not a thing in here I can't pick up pretty easily."

Steve grabs a couple of the rags and heads to fill an empty spray bottle with water. A damp cloth and a gentle hand might be able to wipe down some of these but he can already tell from the onset there's some things here beyond his ability to repair.

He settles himself in the middle of Hunter's workspace, hands on his hips while he casts a look around the room to take in what all is here.

Hermione did not mean to accidentally offend Jim. Of course she appreciates his efforts. But the blood stains and the scorch stains only involved bad memories for her... of seeing a dear friend bleeding to death. And she had thought that removing the blood and scorch marks would be a good start to their cleaning project.

"The spare bedroom is already empty. All of my stuff is gone."

There are a few heavy things in Hunter's art room that would have to be moved out of the way. There is a large art desk, and several large storage cabinets along the east wall. There are smaller storage containers that are on wheels, that someone could easily move out of the room.

A quick survey of the damaged art would indicate that a third of it was destroyed by the flames, and there is no way to salvage those artworks. And Hunter did not want to be reminded of the battle, so it would be a good idea to discard those pieces. The others can be lifted safely out of the art studio easily, and stored safely in the spare bedroom until they are ready to move everything back.

It looks like between Jim, Steve, Adia and Caspar, the others have a handle on the art room. So Hermione glances down at Crookshanks. "How about you and I find True North and get started on that proper ward?" Crookshanks meows his agreement.

Jim's not really offended, more just annoyed at himself for not even asking if there was an easier solution. He spent hours scrubbing those walls, you guys. Hours. At least he can't be blamed for thinking like a Muggle when he is one, right?

"Let's start with the desk," Jim says to Adia, eyeing up the unwieldy bit of furniture. It's gonna be a two-person job, well suited for the ordinary humans in the room. "We should be able to shift it without dumping out all the drawers." He hopes, anyway. Art uses a lot more stuff than he'd assumed before he met Hunter.

It'd be harder for him to see the apartment in this state of disarray if he hadn't already gotten used to it over the couple days. The spare bedroom does feel oddly empty without Hermione's things in there, but it'll be full of random bits of furniture and artwork soon enough. Caspar's greater strength in moving things only earns a few moments' longer of a look from Jim, who is quite used to hanging around other species way stronger than himself.

Caspar helps move the heavier items without complaint or visible strain. If he notices Jim's lingering look, he doesn't react to it. He doesn't react much at all, speaking only when it's vital to communicate direction in moving any two-person piece of furniture. Otherwise, there is a distant, neutral expression on his face, as if he is imagining himself elsewhere.

Adia must really like the strong, silent type.

Once the art room is clear, save for the damaged pieces that someone will have to throw in the trash, Adia approaches Steve. "What are you thinking, mural-wise?" she asks. "I know Hunter is fond of that starry night painting..."

The smoke from the flames has damaged some of these pieces beyond repair and Steve is visibly irritated by so much of the art needing to be thrown away, but he'll do so without a word said either way. Jim doesn't need the damage explained to him. Steve doesn't want them to feel any worse than they have to, and he knows what can and can't be repaired.

It's a waste and a shame, but Hunter deserves a safe place that doesn't reek of ash and charred memories. He has been able to clean a few pieces and set them aside. He'll ask Hermione to see if she can use her magic to remove any lingering smell of smoke from them later. He's happy to have been able to save those.

"I hadn't thought about it. If we do a star field the walls are going to be awfully dark though. A deep blue or purple will be better than black."

"He is also a fan of roses." Hermione calls out, after finding north. Which is on the balcony, right beside the outdoor rose garden.

"Protego Totalum!!" She starts casting her first spell.

"Salvio Hexia!!" And immediately follows that one with another spell.

It's pretty disheartening to see so much of Hunter's work being trashed. But Jim doesn't ask questions either, trusting Steve to know what can be saved and what can't. His gaze lingers for a moment over a few of the discarded works, some of them almost unrecognizable beneath the damage, and he's just glad that Hunter doesn't have to see this.

With the art room cleared, the space seems a lot bigger, a little uncomfortable in its blankness. It reminds him of his new apartment, before he'd finally begun filling the empty spaces. It'll be nice to have something else to occupy the walls than just solid white.

"Roses are kinda his thing," Jim agrees, after Hermione brings it up. "He's big on fairytale motifs, sometimes landscapes. He can animate artwork temporarily, too," he adds, since he's not sure if Steve knows that or not.

"Oh, that's right." She remembers Hunter showing his magic to her, turning the rose on the back of his phone three-dimensional and metallic. "Something bright but not too busy might be better, then. So he can concentrate on his own art."

She's no artist, but even she feels the crush of all those paintings damaged beyond repair. She hopes whatever little input she has is worthwhile.

Caspar, meanwhile, is not paying attention to the mural discussion at all. Instead, he's wandered over to the balcony so he can watch Hermione work. Silently, of course.

Steve stands in the middle of the room and looks at the blank wall in front of him. Fantasy themes, a starscape, roses...his gaze slides over to Jim and Steve nods once, to himself. He knows what he wants to do.

"Alright you guys, I've got an idea but I might need a few minutes to sketch it out."

He'll grab the first scrap of paper he can find and a pencil and get to work. On one side of the room, the New York City Skyline. On the other, San Francisco's. The Golden gate bridge and the Brooklyn bridge stretching out to meet and merge in between amid twining tendrils of rose bushes with a starry sky stretched out above in the empty space in the middle. Themes of Hunter and of Jim, with things he's pretty sure everyone can contribute to the mural to make it from all of them.

Steve sketches with a fervor while the others clean and gather up things to be thrown away. When he's finished he goes back out into the main room of the apartment and holds the sheet of paper out.

"What do you think? I can handle the detail work, but I think this would be something Hunter would really like."

It is Crookshanks who notices that Caspar has come to watch his witch work her magic. He sits tall, but meows softly at Caspar. Come over here, human.

If Caspar can sense magic, he would get a sense of some strong wards being crafted and placed around the balcony. Hermione is careful in her magic weaving, letting the magic guide her to the best places to anchor the spell.

The anchor to the north is the most important to anchor the other protection spells within the apartment, which will complete the ward.

Hermione pauses for a moment. And smiles over at Caspar. "Would you like to help?

Jim casts a few curious glances in Steve's direction as they work on clearing out the unsalvageable items, but the work occupies enough of his attention that he doesn't dwell on it too much. Nor the fact that this is some of Hunter's life's work that is being thrown away, damaged beyond repair.

At least the portrait of Kendra is already gone.

He wipes traces of soot off his hands, smudging up his shirt, before taking the sketch and looking it over. The skylines of New York and San Francisco have stayed similar enough that he recognizes them at once, even done in relative haste by a practiced hand. The roses, the starry sky... "I like it. It's very... him." Jim passes the sketch to Adia, so she can take a look as well.

"Oh, it's lovely," Adia says, looking over the sketch with a warm smile. She recognizes the New York skyline, and curiously enough, the Golden Gate bridge as well. Those rounds of playing games featuring Carmen Sandiego have really paid off. "I think he'll like it very much, Steve. So long as you make it easy for us to help paint it?" Her smile turns a touch nervous. She has a steady hand and can follow directions, but she doesn't want to mess anything up.

Following the cat's direction without question, he steps closer to the balcony. He has no sense of magic, other than what an average muggle would see, but even he can tell that Hermione is busy. So it's a surprise when she addresses him directly. Even more of a surprise when she asks if he'd like to help.

"I'm a Cylon," he reminds her. "A biological robot." It's about as far from magic as one can get, he thinks. Still, if the choice is between helping out a witch or working on some art project... he shrugs. "Sure. If there's something I can do."

"Well, the first thing we've got to do is fill the walls with the sky. Couple shades of blue, some purples. I'll mix up some colors and let Jim do the sky while I get a darker blue and you can do the water and land underneath, Adia. Since I'll be doing the skylines and bridges in dark colors, there's no worry about you two putting on the first layer."

Steve digs around in his duffel bag and produces a couple of large brushes and a roller for the paints. He gives them both a confident smile.

"After that we'll let the first coat dry, get some other work done or maybe break for a meal. Then You and Jim can put in the stars." He knows Jim knows enough basics to help Adia along and really, putting color on the walls is going to be the most time intensive step.

Hermione smiled at Caspar. "And I am a Muggleborn witch. Magic blesses those who seek it, not those who are born for it."

"And I am a Muggleborn witch who is trying to merge technology with magic, for the next generation of witches and wizards."

"Now, my wards currently will protect against magical attacks. But perhaps you have some exampls of other attacks that might happen, that we should consider."

Time intensive it may be, but Jim for one is glad for the work. Something to do with his hands, something to do to help, that he knows how to do without having to fake his way through it. Putting color on a wall? Easy.

"Sounds good to me," he agrees, claiming one of the rollers for himself.

The dropcloths are easy to find, for someone who has spent as much time here as Jim has, so he sets those up with Adia's help while Steve mixes up the paint. The smell of fresh paint has become familiar to him over the past several months, a reminder of better times, chasing away some of the lingering scents of fire and smoke.

"Hope you're ready to get a little messy," Jim tells Adia, smiling at her. He's never done a whole room before, but if they don't all have at least a little paint on them by the time they're done, he'll be surprised.

Caspar has already convinced himself that he's not meant for magic. But technology? Yeah, he can handle that. With confidence, he steps out onto the balcony proper and takes a good look around.

"This is an obvious point of entry," he notes. "You need glass that won't shatter from brute force. An alarm system would be good, too, But the passcode has to be encrypted, otherwise it's too easy to bypass. Is it possible to put in some sort of forcefield? A modulated one, if possible, otherwise it can be de-activated."

Picking up the other roller, Adia gives Jim a determined nod. It's a moment later that she remembers to smile; this is supposed to be fun, right? She needs to get out of her head the idea that she's going to mess it up somehow. "I don't mind. These clothes have already seen plenty of mess."

"Don't worry so much. Hunter's gonna love it because his friends made it."

Because Jim helped to make it, but Steve's trying to cheer up Adia here, so he glosses over that bit while he's patting her on the shoulder with a warm hand. Hermione and Caspar will soon smell the telltale odor of fresh paint wafting through the apartment while the three of them work the walls. Steve focuses mostly on the ceiling trip work from a stool. He and Jim are the same height, but six feet flat isn't quiiiiite enough to reach the ceiling to work with steady hands.

"I had to ask Miss Siri about the San Francisco skyline. You'll have to let me know if it's alright Jim. I've never been there, so I ended up relying on image searches."

"Excellent point!" Hermione smiles at Caspar. "An alarm system would be good. There are a bunch of electronic pieces that are the remains of Hunter's destroyed TV, stereo, and DVD system. Do you think you could construct something from them?"

"Let me know what you need... I might be able to transform one object into another."

Crookshanks sneezes a little, once the smell of fresh paint comes onto the balcony. He decides to find a safe spot in the rose bushes, to watch his witch work.

Regardless of whether that was meant to lift Adia's spirits, Jim doesn't doubt that it's true anyway. Hunter is such an open guy, especially when it comes to appreciating art. After all, he likes Jim's pathetic attempts at painting, just because he tried. The end result isn't really the point. Although the better they can make it, the better Jim will feel about it, of course.

There's something relaxing about painting, especially when there's no pressure to make it look complicated or good, just rolling wide swathes of paint across the surface of the wall to lay down the base coat. Steve's comments give him pause, though not entirely for the reasons he might have expected. The San Francisco skyline has... changed, somewhat recently.

Jim pushes that particular bit of guilt aside. Dwelling on it's not gonna solve anything, and besides, rebuilding is well underway. Probably not exactly how it was before, but... at least the Vengeance is gone now. "Depends on what era we're going for," he answers after a moment. "What you sketched looks right for early twenty-first century, but there are some buildings we'd have to add if we want it to be my time. I could get some updated pictures if that'd help."

Steve's words do cheer her up, or at least take the edge off her nervousness. Her first few strokes of paint are slow and methodical, but over time she becomes more comfortable, rolling color onto the bottom of the wall and not freaking out when a drop splatters here or there.

"I can probably jerry rig an alarm system, but I can tell you already that a home entertainment system isn't going to have enough of the right parts. I'll sort through it and let you know what's missing." Although security wasn't his speciality, there was a base knowledge of electronics that almost all Cylons shared. He heads to the spare room where the pile of electronics is waiting for him, his nose twitching a little at the scent of fresh paint. "Looking good," he tells Adia, when he passes her.

"Thanks, we're just doing the base coat," she replies, rolling out another swath.

"Wasn't talking about the paint," Caspar quips before disappearing into the spare room. Adia blushes and giggles very quietly to herself before resuming her work.

"I figured as much. My phone's from early 21st century Earth, so that's probably all she's got access to. If you can get me an updated picture, I'll adjust the skyline accordingly."

Steve's unaware of any potential missteps here, taking Jim's silence for a thoughtful one. He's busy smiling down at Adia from his step stool and working on the trim. He's very nearly about to agree with Caspar's assessment, glad the Cylon is complimenting Adia's work before he follows it up and Steve's mouth snaps shut again.

He waits until Caspar's left before he dares to try again.

"The uh. The work's coming along real well too. You two are doing great."

Hermione heads to the balcony doors, admiring the work that the others have done so far, while she waits for Caspar. Crookshanks sneezes again.

Hermione chuckles at him. "Would you like to go home for a bit, until the paint smell is gone?"

Crookshanks meows at her. She nods. "Yes. I know. You want to help. You are such a good Kneazle."

Despite his momentary lapse, Jim can't help but smile a little as Caspar puts that adorable blush on Adia's face. He may not know much about this boyfriend of hers, but anyone who takes a good opportunity to flirt can't be all bad, and it's clearly endeared him to Adia. He keeps his own commentary on the matter to himself, though, not wanting to ruin the moment. Someone around here ought to be happy, after all.

"I can do that," he says to Steve instead, in regards to the skyline. The comment about Steve's phone puzzles him a bit, though - why would this Siri person only have access to that? Maybe she's not from the Nexus? "It's mostly HQ, and a couple extra skyscrapers."

There's still a trace of a blush on Adia's face when she looks up at Steve. "Thanks," she says, in regards to his compliment, smiling warmly. At least he won't have to worry about any further interruptions from Caspar, not so long as he's working with the broken electronics in the spare room.

Yes, someone is indeed very happy, even as she keeps a critical eye on her painting, adjusting the strokes of her roller brush as necessary. She'll let Steve and Jim hammer out the details of the San Fransisco skyline. "It's a beautiful city. I'd like to visit it some day -- and New York, too. I've only been to Prague."

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