[PRP] What can I do to help? (Ros @ Kurt's Ranch)

[Elros Namasi]

With DYB out of the house and, most likely already firmly entrenched in mischief with Pip elsewhere, silence rained supreme in the neat little house where they'd so recently taken up residence. Smiling a little to herself, Ros finished her own meal at a sedate pace before getting to her feet and seeing to cleaning up after her and her charge.

Humming while she worked, she washed and dried the dishes then stacked them back in their proper places. That done, she moved about the house and straightened up their few furnishings, making the beds and planning out the little touches that made a house a home. Satisfied with her tidying, she went out the door herself, shutting it gently behind her, and strolled down the road to the main house with the vague idea that she'd offer to help with any chores and volunteer to start learning the ropes. They hadn't been there long, but the drive to make herself useful was present all the same.

EvilSilverDragon

 

[EvilSilverDragon]

Buzz of activity centered on one ever moving nymph. Zipping this way or that, the clear beginnings of a new project scattering around her cloud of rock dust. Looking this way then that way, her hands moving in picture frames around as the plan came together. There wasn't much to see at the moment but in her head the whole house took shape.

Plans were always grander, she had to remember Zofie telling her a castle was sweet but didn't fit with the Ranch. Still sounded like a great idea though. Deep breath followed discarding those grandiose plans for a more sedate and boring one story. At the least she could make it look different from the other houses. No one new was expected, but it was worth it to have an option when they came. After all, the last one was almost finished when Ros and DYB came!

Speaking of, blue eyes turned towards the house in question only to land on the angel in question. Speak of the luck!

Zooming full speed towards Ros, Alma veered off before there was a risk of collusion to swing around on the other side. "Good morning!" Quickly after the greeting, her interest in building took hold, "How is the home? Do you like it? Do you need anything changed?" Hands together, excitement building with each new question, her energy barely contained while watching their newest member. Could she build something new? Or get a new helper?

Elros Namasi

Subjecting her to Alma first, for lulz

 

[Elros Namasi]

Ros saw the blur of movement and, realizing she'd been spotted, she stopped walking and held still. She knew Alma would come to her and so she waited, closing her eyes while the dust settled from the other's high-speed flutterings.

Semi-prepared from prior experience and used to DYB who had his fair share of bouts of extreme enthusiasm, she just smiled while the questions flew thick and fast, patiently waiting for a break in the flood.

"Good morning!" she chirped when the opportunity arose. "The house is great. I love it and DYB is settling in just fine. I don't think anything needs to be changed, but I was just thinking to myself this morning that it could use some fussy little touches like throw pillows and decorations." Ros paused there to lift one shoulder in a little half-shrug, showing that it wasn't a dire need; just a thought. "I was actually coming around to see if anyone needed some help with anything around the ranch."

EvilSilverDragon

 

[EvilSilverDragon]

Oh, the house was great. That was good, it meant she did a good job! If that house didn't need anything then her next project was a go! Brick by brick the ideas started to lay in her head how they would on the ground. Whirling as her mind was, Alma wasn't quite that involved that she didn't hear the rest of what her next friend said.

She wanted to help? "I can always use a building assistant!" Jobs were piled on as her plans rearranged. Somewhere in that activity the pillows came to him. Commenting out of order, Alma mentioned, "Zofie and Corazon take her cotton and the alpaca fibers to make all sorts of things. You could get pillows, blankets and everything from them! Best food too." Way better than what she could pull off even on her best days.

Eating at Zofie's felt like a big family meal where the Ranch was talked about and laughter shared along with the dishes. Its a tradition of sorts that even after moving into her own home with her growing family, it wasn't stopped.

Elros Namasi

 

[Elros Namasi]

A building assistant. Ros latched onto the idea and held it while Alma's train of thought went onto a different track. She'd learned fairly quickly that the other pae's mind hopped around about as much as her physical body did.

"Zofie's food is some of the best," she agreed, nodding. "And I'll be sure to ask them about pillows and things when I get the chance. I know DYB is intensely interested in the alpaca; he's quite the good little helper, too," Ros added, thinking that getting him involved in ranch chores might help him settle and feel like he belonged even more than his little friend Pip already did.

"Anyway, you said something about a building assistant," she prompted, bringing the conversation back around. "I'm not particularly good at heavy lifting but I can follow directions and help with planning."

EvilSilverDragon

 

[EvilSilverDragon]

Some of the best helpers where the little ones. Connected now with the story of how the first little light of her life appeared, Alma began the story. " Amazing little helpers! We were trading with a neighboring village that had a water wheel thrown off its axle! My little Pip and her sister helped tossing rocks so I could build!" Clapping her hands together the memory continued, "with a lot of help we fixed it all and Pip came home with me, she is an expert helper!" What a project that was! Whew there was still work to continue when she got a chance to return. Chal, Pel and the other two wonderful visitors.

The leaders allowed them to do their work and they did great work! "I have no doubt Pip will have DYB running the ranch in no time! While having a blast!" Looking around she had to add, "its hard not to!" Building had to be the most amazing thing anyone could do, creating something from pieces of other things. Creating a family, a village, a ranch or a house. Together all of those things appeared as if with magic even when there was none.

Oh building assistant? ! Clapping her hands together tightly Alma burst forward hovering mere inches from Ros very literally buzzing. "Oh yes! I'd love to have you join me!! This will be so much more fun!" Taking off she made a quick zoom around the potential next house. "First part is deciding what size and set up of the next home. Ms. Zofie asked for one that would match the other houses, should have a turret.." Words trailed off, sure the turret didn't match anything else in the more functional area but there was always a start.

Considering for several moments, Alma added back, "We can design it together with the floor plan then if you bring me rocks I can made it grow!" Her own form of planting and growing crops.

Elros Namasi

 

[Elros Namasi]

Ros stood politely off to the side and waited quietly while Alma got into her stride. The rainbow angel watched the other adult zoom around like one of the kids bursting with infectious enthusiasm. She could really see where Pip's boisterous personality came from.

She supplied the occasional 'mmm' and 'yeah' while Alma chattered and then, seizing on an opportunity to get a word in, Ros asked, "Well, should we mark out a space with some cornerstones? We can idea of how big it'll be and then the walls can grow up around what we've set out?"

While she didn't think she made much of a builder, she had started to get a bit of a picture as Alma talked and found herself considering the proposed site, planning out walkways and room arrangement within the imagined borders.

EvilSilverDragon

 

[EvilSilverDragon]

Several different ideas flew through her head from castles to fifteen floors up mega structure with an alpaca on top. There were several moments that she stayed still looking very far up considering just how much rock and stone she'd need to make that structure a reality.

Lucky for Zofie, Ros spoke and pulled Alma out of the planning phase of Alpaca Towers. She blinked for several moments trying to find where her train went because the thought railway was missing it.

Corner stones..corner stones... Oh right corner stones! Hitting her left palm with the meaty side of her right fist the nymph cheered, "Great idea! There is enough room we could put two more in this area before we'd have to extend out, still great view of the water and the ranch!" Alpaca Tower forgotten for now, mercifully, Alma took off behind her own home without a word.

Between the sound of her busy wings and the short time span, there wasn't long to wonder what she was doing before enthusiasm incarnate popped back out with four flat rocks. They had some use for some project or another but what that was she hadn't the foggiest. "Okay, chief building assistant, lets go!" As still as she'd ever been unless thoroughly exhausted, Alma stood in one spot and held the stones out indicating Ros should grab them. Not all mind, but they were a tad heavy to hold out two for a long while.

Elros Namasi

 

[Elros Namasi]

Untroubled by Alma's literal and figurative flightiness, nor the general inability to get a word in edgewise, Ros simply watched and waited. Considering that the other pae traveled to the beat of her own very fast drum, Roslyn didn't have long to wait before she was facing the fluttery teal female again.

Startling just the slightest bit, she didn't hesitate to reach out for the offered rocks and settled them in her arms. They were only a little heavy, but slightly unwieldy and so she poked her tongue out of the side of her mouth in concentration while she adjusted her hold.

"Okay, building master," she chirped back when she was ready to start. "Where do you want to place the first cornerstone?"

EvilSilverDragon

 

[EvilSilverDragon]

Where to start, where to start? Oh that was easy! "Decide where the front door is and the house builds itself!" This was magic, this was where things were created before a single stone landed and her other talents took over.

Turning her back to the not-a-path-path, she looked for several seconds before back peddling several more feet, "The house tells you where it wants to be, just gotta listen and don't fight the land. Land doesn't fight fair." Last bit was grumbled a little, the grousing barely ruffling a feather before old grudges vanished again.

There was almost a logical curve to the homes, maybe designed maybe accident. The room enough for one more house without encroaching on the herd made some of it easier if a little less organic then her style usually called for. Her little head bounced left to right as the mental architects spun out plans. Three more steps back and she was done enough. "Here!" Her declaration came at the end of an active train of thought and settled like a definitive.

Now what to have Ros do? Ah, thats it! "Find the center of the house and pace it out to the left, I'll take the right!" Ooo, this would be much quicker!

Elros Namasi

 

[Elros Namasi]

Making use of her multi-tasking skills, Roslyn closed her eyes for a moment to rearrange her focus. She set part of her mind on maintaining her hold on the flat cornerstones and the rest on listening to Alma's instructions. The house tells you where it wants to be ... Find the center of the house and pace it out to the left ... Okay, that seemed straightforward enough, even if 'listening to the house' seemed a bit odd.

Stepping out hesitantly at first, she gained confidence as she moved until she hit a spot that just felt...right. "Here?" Ros said out loud, raising her pitch at the last moment to make it into a question as she turned around to look at Alma. Maybe she could be a builder, but she was still just an assistant right now so it was probably a good idea to check with the building master.

EvilSilverDragon

Whew, that took entirely too long <.<;;

 

[EvilSilverDragon]

With each step rooms were planned, walls put up and floors decided. Eight Floors up would make a very neat statement piece. There was the question of if it could stand under its own weight.

Only one way to find out!

'here?'

Turning around, she looked to where Ros was, her eyes drawing a line between there and where she was standing. Shifting her focus left then back to right, she stepped forward two an a half paces before putting down the stone she was carrying. With her hands in the dirt, she took off like a shot right toward Ros. Near moments separated a potentially painful collusion.

With surprising control for the speeds she was going, Alma got to the end and turned around to look at her line. Tilting her head again two times with a deep frown, she took back off to retrace her path, Once there she shifted the stone closer to Ros' direction but exactly half a step. Once happy, she turned around and gave the thumbs us, "Perfect! Had to adjust mine!" Ros had a good eye, sure she would have made the house twice as big, but that is exactly why Ros' eye was better then her imagination.

Alma zipped off to get her last stone calling to Ros, "Just one more stone then the real fun begins!"

Elros Namasi

Typical home building never on schedule or budget *teasingly shakes her head*

 

[Elros Namasi]

Roslyn's eyes widened with alarm at the blur moving toward her at what appeared to be mach speed and she braced herself for impact, shutting her eyes tight. When the expected collision didn't come, the rainbow angel bravely peeked one eye open, watching Alma consider before the nymph turned right around and zoomed back to her stone, the sudden burst of wind from her wings rustling Ros' hair.

Had she done it right? She wasn't sure, watching Alma walk the stone forward half a step and then futz a little with its positioning. A wide smile split her face when she got the thumbs up. Whew, she had been worried she was way off. Marking the place with one of her flat stones, Ros carefully paced from it to the left like she had been told to before and set her second stone. Trotting back to where she had started, she waited for the 'real fun to begin'.

EvilSilverDragon

Under construction for the rest of forever~

 

[EvilSilverDragon]

Once again, Alma vanished in a whirl of dust. The path to get the tool she needed took her around the backsides of the houses to a secret resting stop then hooking around to come up from behind Ros to her left.

"Room planning!" Her cheer announcement came out the same as someone might announce a party or child on the way.

Usually she did this in her head or on paper, but there was a tool for when someone helped her. Holding out the ground to natural waist tall stick with a rounded base from use, the nymph offered it to her willing assistant builder. "While I make the bricks you get to plan the rooms! Draw them out, pace them, put things where they should be to get a feel for the space!" to make a point, she went to the 'front door' and walked in four paces before turning on he heal and using her foot to 'draw' the start of the door way and walked in dramatically.

Holding out her arms she confidently said, "I am in your kitchen, or bathroom, or aquarium."Brightly grinning as she described potential 'uses' for the 'room' to help give Ros ideas, "or library, ooo, or the ball room!!" That would be fun, a real formal ball room for everyone to dance.

Of course!

Elros Namas

Let Alma free reign and there will be renos until the cows come home. Which is a real feat since there are no cows on the island as far as I know

 

[Elros Namasi]

Ah, ok. The heavy-lifting was a bit outside her experience, but this part she could do for sure. Listening to Alma's explanation with half an ear while she was already starting to get a feel for the layout, Roslyn had to reach up with her hands and physically suppress a giggle when the teal female got to the part about ballrooms. They certainly hadn't laid out their cornerstones in a big enough area to cover that.

Taking the official floor plan drawing stick from Alma with a small nod of understanding, Ros started to sketch. Maybe a little entrance hall here. The kitchen could go right there. Ooh, and a little living room/den over here. Then another little hallway and a master bedroom. Tongue poked out of one corner of her mouth, the rainbow angel dutifully drew out the dividing walls then started to add small flourishes like seating and work surfaces.

EvilSilverDragon

Certainly impressive xD