terribly sorry, officer (baelfiery) wrote in valloic, @ 2021-06-08 12:22:00 |
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Entry tags: | !: action/thread/log, ₴ inactive: jake pentacost, ₴ inactive: kady orlaff-diaz, ₴ inactive: neal cassidy |
WHO: Neal Cassidy, Jake Pentecost - then a dramatic rescue by Kady Orloff-Diaz
WHAT: Working on the soon-to-be enchanted castle Bed & Breakfast - and Neal gets stuck in the elevator
WHERE: Rumple's Castle (but again, it's soon to be a B&B)
WHEN: Like, today
WARNINGS: No, they're just dorks
STATUS: Complete
It was no secret that Neal wasn’t the biggest fan of magic - he didn’t think he could be blamed for that, given his dodgy history with it. But on the other hand, he recognized that it could be far better than the mundane on some days - and it definitely had its uses. For example, if one wanted to get a bed and breakfast functional in a relatively short amount of time (not years, necessarily) then it helped to use a bit of the ol’ arcane to facilitate that movement. Regina had been a big help, and she was also now in charge of the menu for the place too - Neal definitely trusted her with that, because one of her many skills involved the art of food. And baking. The menu was all hers to handle - she could use the kitchen in the castle or just bring things over and he’d take care of the rest; he planned to hire enough locals, folks who needed jobs, to help the place run smoothly too since he couldn’t be here everyday. But right now it was close - close to being finished, close to opening day. One of the best things he’d decided to put in was the stained glass elevator, which was a kaleidoscope of hues - emerald, oxblood, sapphire, all those bright shades that resembled candy. The windows (most of them) were stained glass too, and he’d had them cleaned and refreshed so the castle didn’t look like it was Gloom and Doom HQ; a lot of the furniture had been refurbished to help with this as well. Now it was just a matter of testing the elevator to make sure it worked correctly - and fixing any snafus if it didn’t. That was why they were here today. He’d met Jake through Kady, and was thrilled to find someone willing to help who wouldn’t go the magic route - as much as he appreciated its uses for this adventure, it didn’t have to be the solution to everything. He’d probably start twitching if it was. “Okay, test ‘er out?” he said, opening the elevator doors - art deco, stained glass, with iron. It seemed like a good idea to have one, since there were a lot of stairs in this damn castle and not everyone wanted to deal with those. “If I don’t go plummeting to my death, we can call it a win and also test out the stuff Regina made for opening day.” "Got my phone ready to call for help," Jake offered, nodding at the other man. This project had been a trip, and Jake had learned and taught himself quite a bit about furniture restoration and other handy things that he'd never needed to know before. And he liked Neal almost immediately, which wasn't surprising as Kady had introduced him as also having an asshole father and Jake as being a fan of lost causes. But this castle was far from that, and neither was anything he'd worked on within. He wasn't an expert now by any means, but he'd managed well enough. Now they just needed to make sure the elevator worked. "Alright, mate. Go ahead. Though maybe testing this from the bottom might have been a better idea." It wasn't too late, but he guessed they'd go this route anyway. “Go big or go home,” Neal laughed and, well, maybe he liked living a little bit dangerously too - it ran in the family, or something (hence why Henry was interested in working with dragons). The elevator had been tested, somewhat, with nothing in it - but now he thought he’d see what happened when there was the weight of an actual person inside, going up and going down; this was completely for science. The castle had also been wired for electricity and set up with indoor plumbing (there were six bedrooms meant for the B&B experience, each one with its own en suite bathroom - a good chunk of the castle was warded off and Neal liked it that way), so operating the elevator wasn’t like, using a hand pulley or anything. He stepped inside, shutting the vintage-looking scissor gate doors. “Okay, fire one - “ And, pressing the button, the elevator started to move - Then got stuck halfway between the first and second floor. Super. “Hey, uh - you have the tools with you, right?” he called to Jake. Oh. Shit. "Yes, I have the tools!" Jake said, and the drop wouldn't even be that far if things went wrong which was good for Neal but less so for the elevator. And they'd examined all of the parts and the cable before this inaugural ride so Jake was aware of the various things that could have caused the elevator to come to a premature halt. "And I know what to do but…" He paused. "You didn't jump, did you?" Of course the other man hadn't jumped. But that was just a switch to flip. "Maybe we should call Kady? Get her here to make sure it doesn't come crashing down if things go wrong…" Maybe they should have had one of their magic users there already on standby. Hindsight and all. True enough, it wasn’t a death plunge to the ground - the elevator was installed mainly for aesthetics and, you know, to be accommodating. Because not everyone could use the stairs. “No jumping,” Neal confirmed although now that Jake mentioned it, it was tempting to do a little bounce to see what happened - No. He wasn’t going to break this fucking thing. But also maybe calling for magical backup was a good idea - he’d seen Kady throw a bench with her mind when she was practicing, surely she could help make sure that nothing else snapped or gave way when it shouldn’t. Presumably the cab part was just stuck but still. He’d hate for this beauty to get damaged, which would delay the opening of the B&B anyway. “Yeah, let’s call Kady though,” he agreed, wandering to peer through the stained glass. “Tell her I’ll owe her, uh - maybe a cheese steak? Or whatever she wants from the kitchen here. Free food.” Kady was motivated by food, he knew that much. Normally the sort to text, not call, Jake didn't want to waste time texting out a message. So he dialed Kady's number instead, waiting for her to pick up. "Kady!" he exclaimed cheerfully, not hinting at the predicament Neal and himself found themselves in. "It's Jake. Need a favor." A pause. "Oh nothing big. And Neal says there's cheese steak or whatever you want from the kitchen over here at Neal's B&B cause you see we were testing out the new elevator and…" Another pause, if Neal could fully hear Jake's half of the conversation. "Right. Thanks. We'll be here. Neal especially." He grinned, and then called down to Neal. "She's on her way. Said give her ten." “Ten,” Neal repeated. “Cool, cool, cool.” Now he’d just sit and sweat - literally, sweat. Because it was a wee tad toasty in here - in general the castle was kind of drafty though, sometimes it felt like a wind blowing deep within the corridors (though could just be him and his memories associated with the place, however) but in the elevator itself? Enclosed space. Sorta hot. Maybe it was tempting to jump after all? Or, wait no - don’t do that his own Jiminy Cricket told him, that little annoying angel/devil that sat on his shoulder. “I guess this kind of adventure’s better than anything related to evil overlords or dragons razing villages, right?” That was keeping it in perspective. And he trusted Jake to figure shit out - the guy was smart. Good at restoring the furniture here, a big help - good at mechanical stuff too. And Kady might laugh but she had her own skills so they’d get out of this - they wouldn’t just leave him to wither in the elevator. "You know, mate. I could practically hear her rolling her eyes over the phone," Jake said. "She's impressive, that one." He let out a soft laugh and then called out, "How are you doing down there?" Honestly, he could try and get Neal taken care of on his own, but an extra few minutes meant that he would be doing so with a safety plan in practice. And though he hadn't known Neal for that long, he didn't want to risk him harm. That seemed like a reasonable way to handle the situation. He didn't see how it called for judgment but he was sure that both of them were in store for that once Kady arrived. "Might have to get pizzas tonight as a preliminary thank you." There was no doubt in Neal’s mind that Kady would judge the hell out of this situation - but she was coming to assist and, well. It was at least a little funny - so he didn’t blame her for any eye-rolling or chucks at his expense. Might make for an epic story to tell the grandkids, someday, if he ever had any (it would have to be in Vallo because, you know - interacting with grandkids back in his homeworld was not going to be possible). “Pizzas I can do,” he laughed sheepishly, pacing a bit in his current shoebox - funny how an enclosed space seemed even smaller when you were stuck in it. “I’ll spring for garlic knots too. Quick, what are your favorite pizza toppings?” Please don’t say pineapple. They had such a good thing going here, Jake. "Pizza toppings?" Jake asked. "Just about anything. "Pepperoni, ham, peppers, jalapenos, mushrooms, anchovies. Whatever, really, mate. I don't really turn down food. You?" He paced the room for a moment, figuring Kady would figure out where to meet them, or rather him, when she arrived. "I hope you're not claustrophobic mate, are you? Don't worry, I'll sing you a song to take your mind off how you're trapped in there, if you want?" He didn't wait for a response before launching into "Stuck in the Middle with You" by Stealers Wheel, pausing only before the first chorus to encourage Neal to sing along. It seemed appropriate for the situation after all. What...what the fuck was even happening? Neal paused in his pacing, kind of flabbergasted for a second there. Then he just started snickering, though it came out as a puff of air that turned into a snort because holy shit. “Clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right,” he sang along - and he actually had a decent voice. It was kind of growly, just a Papa Bear over here crooning - plus he could play the guitar, as a bonus, only he didn’t actually have one with him now. But if he did - oh yeah, there’d be a full-on concert going on all up in these digs. “And, uh - “ What were his favorite pizza toppings? A question for the ages. He drummed on the walls a bit, in rhythm with the current song, and considered. “Definitely with you about the pepperoni and jalapeños and, well, basically anything. Bonus if they have red pepper flakes and parm cheese in those canisters.” God, he missed New York pizza. Being dead was such a drag sometimes - he’d never have that again. “I’m not claustrophobic though. Not really, anyway. I mostly just want pizza.” Were these fuckers singing? Kady wasn’t too surprised by that, not considering the two men who had gotten themselves into this situation. It seemed like the sort of ridiculous thing they’d do while passing the time and trying to not have the elevator fall. Or attempting not to think about the thing falling. “Am I interrupting?” she asked, even as she started moving her hands to utilize her telekenisis to hold the elevator up so the work could continue to be done. “I can always come back later if the two of you need some more alone time to perfect your melodies.” She wasn’t getting involved in the pizza discussion. Jake should have already known her preferred toppings considering how often they’d had pizza together by then. If he didn’t, she was going to hex him. Or just eat all of his oreos. It was probably going to be the latter. Jake did know Kady's preferred toppings, as that particular pizza order was saved in the app for easy repeat ordering. They could order more pizzas when this elevator situation was situated. "What, you're not going to sing with us?" he asked, noting she had already seemed to realize what they needed. "Okay, I'm going to the control room, where I'm gonna work out why the cable's stuck. I'll leave keeping Neal from plunging to certain death to you. Or you know, from getting a bit banged up in there." And with that he headed off, tool box in hand. “Hey Kady,” Neal waved at her, though it was probably pointless because she couldn’t see it. But surely his relief and jovial greeting spoke volumes unto their own. “Promise I’ll order pizza once I’m out of here. Thanks for the help, by the way.” She was giving them the judgment eye,wasn’t she? Yeah, she definitely was. Again - not that Neal blamed her. He didn’t continue with the melodic vocal stylings he had been blessed with, but more like just started humming under his breath. “So your magic’s coming along pretty awesomely, huh?” Considering she was holding up an elevator shaft composed of glass and iron with her mind. Very badass. She most certainly was giving them the judgement eye, while also rolling them for extra measure. They were both idiots. How did she keep surrounding herself with idiots? Loveable, ridiculous idiots. It was maddening. But whatever. They weren’t half bad and there was free pizza in her immediate future. “Seems to be back to normal now.” Which was good because having it fizz out on her without warning had been a headache and a half. She really didn’t want to deal with that again and hopefully Vallo would play nice. It could fuck with the others who’d somehow shown up with their magic intact even though they were from the same point in time. “So what did you do to get yourself into this mess?” Funny story, that. Neal tried to think of how to explain it. “I thought it’d be a matter of just running a couple more tests on the elevator - all systems go, you know? It was fine before when we were just running it up and down with no actual people in it. But then some Murphy’s Law stuff happened and things went wrong...” he trailed off. And now, well, here they were - or here he was. Stuck in between floors and admiring the view of the inside of the elevator that had been built so lovingly, just for the would-be castle Bed & Breakfast. He was really excited for opening day but definitely preferred to have all the snafus taken care of and all the kinks ironed out. Neal would just keep his fingers crossed that nothing else too terrible would crop up. “Jake’s got it though, we’ve made a good team so far,” he assured. It was actually fun, working on this project with other little projects attached - gave Neal a purpose, a goal to reach. And the payoff would be worth it. Jake had been running through his mental checklist, going over all the possibilities one by one and then investigating before he found the issue. "Okay!" he shouted to both of them. "Gonna get this going!" Carefully making adjustments, he waited until the lift started descending on its own again. And then he made sure that it came to a stop as expected, before making his way to the first floor elevator doors to meet up with Neal and Kady. "Got good news and bad news. Good news is, I know the problem and it's temporarily fixed. Bad news is I'm gonna need to look at a couple things before we try that again. So! Pizza?" He turned to Kady, "And uh, you free to stick around a bit after to help us test it out again… safely?" She stood by her assessment of them being idiots. Nothing ever went simply when fixing up enchanted castles. There was always going to be one issue or another. They were lucky no one had broken a neck. But whatever, everyone had survived and there was pizza. “Add cheesesticks to the pizza order and I’ll stick around.” Kady paused, trying to figure out what else she wanted. “And extra pizza sauce for dipping.” Getting pizza delivered to the enchanted castle (which - Neal’s time in this place had been limited; he definitely didn’t grow up here and he never thought he’d be around fixing it up to be something else) was also going to be a fun feat, but he’d make it work. Or maybe he could just waypoint out and pick it up, then bring it back all hot and fresh. “Cheesesticks,” he agreed, once he exited the elevator (it was on the correct floor, finally) and began scrolling through his phone. Reception was decent - Jake had been able to call Kady, so he was sure he could put in an order for pizza. “Extra dipping sauce. You drive a hard bargain but I think I can handle that.” There. Order placed. Not for the first time, he was glad for the waypoints - and that there was one right by the castle. “Give me twenty minutes and I’ll be back with it. Thanks, you guys - feel free to come back around when the place is open and I’ll hook you up.” Hey, it was the least he could do. And besides, for his friends? Neal would do just about anything anyway. |