Noa Bellamy (sharpthings) wrote in remains_rpg, @ 2016-10-03 23:18:00 |
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There was a drafting table just to the right of her kitchen island, and a stack of other art supply odds and ends near the couch. Noa hadn't moved much of anything to the room in the back hall, behind the staircase. Partly because some things were too heavy to move without help, but also because she didn't know who to ask for that help once the lockdown lifted. Usually it would have been Vic or Bishop, maybe Pete. But one wasn't available, and the other two just didn't seem like the right choice, for whatever reason. Even she couldn't put her finger on it. Which left a very unexpected option for her - Pikachu. They were friendly, but Noa couldn't think of the last time she had searched him out for his company or vice versa. It was might have been overdue. So she had called him, and lucky for her he had been able to make time to lend a hand. Noa was seated on the front walk, just outside her door while she waited for him. There was a handgun on the step beside her, just in case there was trouble on the street. The authorities said things were safe, but Noa wasn't going to take any risks. Not with the high count of people already in quarantine. She was mentally organizing her new space when the quiet of the street was interrupted by the sound of an engine. Standing, she tucked the handgun into her belt, and smiled at Pikachu as he rolled up. Slowing his bike to a halt in the driveway, Pikachu cut the engine and pulled off his familiar lightning-bolt-adorned helmet. It surprised him a little to see Noa waiting outside, with the recent shuffler stuff that had happened, but if you couldn't sit on your front step with a weapon right next to you, that’d be a pretty bleak sign that things were shit. Running a hand across his short-cropped hair, Pikachu offered Noa a grin. “Hey, long time since I saw you last. How’s it going?” There had been a period, when the Hellhounds and their families and friends still lived in the Dog Park, where everyone in the camp knew pretty much everyone else’s business. You couldn’t help but run into each other, was the thing. Now that they'd spread out through the Greenbelt District, things were a little different. In fact, Pikachu couldn't remember the last time he'd actually had a chance to talk to Noa. The summer had been all been spent chasing down rogues and settling Mia into their new place and things of that nature. So he was glad to have the opportunity to drop by and help her move a few things. “Could be worse,” Noa responded, her smile brightening that much more. It was easy to be in a good mood around Pikachu, to set most of her other stress aside for a little while. If she really thought about, that’s why she had chosen him over Vic or Bishop, who have been carrying so much on their shoulders lately. Climbing off the bike, Pikachu came over to greet Noa further with a big hug. “I hope none of this stuff is too heavy, because I do alright but I ain’t Vic strong.” “Promise you ain’t going to strain anything. It’s mostly just things I can’t move on my own, sweetheart,” Noa replied after she’d stepped out of the hug and opened the front door for the both of them. “I could of used furniture movers, but there wouldn’t have been any fun in that.” And she wasn’t sure where she would have found any to begin with. She’d felt solitary enough lately, anyway. Closing the door, Noa made sure it was secure before she continued into the main room, where most of the things that needed to be hauled were sitting haphazardly in the space. “How’s Mia been doing?” She must have started school around the same time that GED classes had started for Noa, but for obvious reasons she hadn’t seen Pikachu’s daughter in the education buildings. Pikachu looked around the room, picking out by sight a few things that looked like they were ultimately bound for somewhere else. Nothing too bad, just as Noa had promised. He nodded to himself, confident they wouldn't have to call in any extra help. Not that he would have been embarrassed to do it, it would've just meant a delay. And more feet tromping through Noa’s nice house. “Mia’s been doing good,” he said, answering the question she had posed now that he had the lay of the land. “She was liking school until lately, but she didn't want to go back after the lockdown. You know, I can’t blame her, so I let her stay home for a couple extra days.” He shrugged. “I don't know if that was the right thing to do or not. My ass probably would've been dragged to school.” “It took a lot for me to want to go back when classes started again,” Noa told him. “A few days ain’t going to set her back far. Mia’s a smart cookie.” She had a lot of respect for the single parents that she knew, making decisions not only for themselves but for the wellbeing of their kids too. “I suspect she likes you a lot better for not forcing her either.” Pikachu nodded, at ease with her assessment. Not being a parent Noa didn’t have any first hand knowledge of what disciplinary backlash was like, but she kind of figured if it could be avoided and not do much harm, it might as well be. Moving to the center of her living room, Noa gestured at the items. “So, where should we start? Big things or little?” She’d been hesitant to move anything into the room, in case she’d have to move it again to make space. “Thought we could move most everything in, then fine tune where it should go.” It was a large space, nearly as big as her master bedroom upstairs. Looking around the room, Pikachu considered the question with maybe more deliberation than it deserved. Sure, he'd moved stuff before, but there'd never been much method to it. “I guess big,” he said, finally. It seemed like the practical answer “If we move a lot of little stuff in first, we might have to shift it all around to make room later.” Fuck if he knew, really, but he was willing to take direction. Maybe Noa was worried about using natural light or something. That sounded like the type of thing that mattered for art. “Unless there’s something you want in a specific place?” he asked, giving Noa an inquisitive look. “Like if the storage for your supplies should be close by your workplace, you know?” “Only thing is the drafting table,” Noa replied. “Here, let me show the space though.” She was walking blind too, since she’d never put her own art studio together. Rendition had been easy, since she’d been in enough tattoo shops to know what worked best, but her own place to create was something entirely new. Waiting for only a fraction of a second, she led Pikachu down the hallway to the studio room. It had two large windows on one side, but was otherwise empty of any character. “The table will need natural light, and there should probably be some space for the easels too. But the supplies can go along that far wall,” she told him as she pointed at each area. “This is nice,” Pikachu said admiringly, as he looked around the room. He was trying to picture in his head the layout that Noa had described, and it seemed like it would all fit together. “These windows are gonna make the whole place good and bright during the day.” If there’d been any way to get hands on some fixtures, he could have upgraded the lighting for her too, but it was hard to say where something like that could even be found, these days. Anyway, that wasn’t anything they had to worry about at the moment, when the room wasn’t even set up. With one final glance around, he nodded. “I don’t think any of the stuff you asked for should be a problem. And if we get it all in here and you decide you want to rearrange, I’m up for it.” He shot Noa a grin. “Ready to get started? I’m thinking drafting table first.” Smiling in response, Noa nodded. “That’s what I thought we should start with too.” It wasn’t overly large by any means, but would probably take more work than the rest of the items, so it was better to get out of the way while they still had most of their energy. Granted she thought that she’d probably tire out a lot sooner than he would. Once they’d moved back to the living room, she leaned an elbow on the top of the drafting table and asked, “You want to be the one walking blind?” She wasn’t going to mind if he said no. “I won’t let you run into any walls, promise.” But she hadn’t been able to restrain a little smirk, so who knew if Pikachu would take it as truth or teasing. “Wouldn’t be the first time I ran into a wall, if you did.” Pikachu’s tone was mild, laced with amusement. He was practically famous for the minor injuries he always seemed to come away with. Not that he was a klutz, exactly. Noa’s furniture was in safe hands. He wouldn’t take any impulsive risks while they were moving her things around. Positioning himself on the opposite side of the drafting table, he found two good holds for his hands and gave Noa a nod as he waited for her to move into position as well. “On the count of three, then you steer us into the other room.” Keeping a close eye on Noa, just in case she needed to put the table down for any reason, he slowly relayed the count, then lifted. Thankfully the piece wasn’t too heavy, just bulky and hard to maneuver. They moved the table (with no injuries), and a few other things after that until Noa’s studio looked less like an empty room and more like a space that she could create art within. She was a little sweaty. Sweatier than she expected to get actually, but she felt accomplished and she knew she wouldn’t have been able to do any of it without help. “You know how to anchor shelves to a wall?” she asked, eyebrows raised with the question. “Last thing I want is that coming down on me, and no one finding me for a day or two.” Noa smirked with the joke, but it was something she thought about every so often. Without living on top of each other anymore, there weren’t as many people in her space as there used to be. A horrified look crossed Pikachu’s face, and he shook his head with vigor. The effect was slightly comical, but there was real concern behind it. “Okay, no. We can’t have that happening. You're going to have the most secure shelves in the damn city now, or else I'll be texting you everyday to make sure the things are staying up.” Noa laughed, she couldn’t help it. She’d forgotten lately just how deep of a protective streak ran through the Hellhounds. The look on Pikachu’s face didn’t help the seriousness any either. He looked around the room a second time, making a point to note the position of the outlets, since that would probably be his best way of finding a stud. “You got a drill?” he asked. “I can run home for mine if you don't.” “I’ve got one.” It was packed in with Jonny’s mechanic tools, but she knew where to find it. “Hold on a minute and I’ll bring it in.” She held a finger up in the typical ‘one minute’ gesture before she ducked out of her studio and into the smaller hall closet she’d been using for storage. She dug through a few boxes and came up triumphant with the small drill that had belonged to her husband. With the case in hand, she returned and set it on the floor next to Pikachu. “Go ahead, honey, do your manly shelf installing thing.” The corners of her mouth were quirked up in deep amusement, still entertained by the reaction her joke had created. “If you need me for anything just say.” “Will do,” Pikachu promised, before kneeling to take the drill out of the case. Securing the shelves wouldn't take long. Not once he'd found the studs, anyway. After that it was mostly straightforward -- position this bracket, drill this screw. And once it was complete, he stepped back to give the whole thing a sharp look. Not to mention a test to make sure the shelves stayed up and didn't come tumbling down at the first sign of weight. Calling Noa back over to see, Pikachu said, “You could scale these fuckers and they wouldn't come down, I think.” He put both hands flat on a shelf, pressing down lightly. “Yep, pretty solid. So load ‘em up as much as you like.” Her face lit up at the sight of the finished shelving. She knew it was silly, they were just shelves. But it felt huge to her. Noa wrapped her arms around Pikachu in a quick hug and kissed his cheek before she stepped back to really admire his handiwork again. “They look real good, sweetheart. Thanks.” None of her supplies were heavy, but she’d accumulated a lot of them. “Suspect I know who to call when I need house projects finished,” she added with a joking wink, content to look at the shelves a minute more before she started to move items onto them. |