savetheearth | Entry #A-15: "Accomplishments" [Video]

[Lazarus' number is written on a blackboard with a piece of chalk, opening a connection to the network. Dim light streams in through the high, dusty windows, falling on broken-down desks in a decrepit, once-grand lecture hall. A broom leans in the corner, along with several trash bags; Lazarus himself is wearing crummy clothes and more than a little breathless and sweaty. You would be too, if you'd been working on solo renovations for hours.]

If any of you are familiar with the building that was formerly the Willow Ridge Boarding Academy in Locke City... like back in the 1970's... it's ours now. It was briefly a linen processing facility but it wound up being foreclosed on when the company went bankrupt, so I went ahead and bought it from the bank. Under a different name, of course.

[He takes a second to shrug out of his sweater, draping it across one of the desks.]

The building's big, with a spacious basement. I want to move Project Jump as soon as possible to this new location, since both I and Espresso Yourself are too well-known at this point and I don't think it's safe for it to remain. I can rent a truck but the more discreet the move is, the better. It has to happen very soon. In the meantime... I'm going to continue to work on renovations. Security. Furnishing accommodations... on that note, if anyone has any computer monitors, servers or any other equipment they're willing to sell or donate, I'm more than interested.

[He returns to what he was doing before he opened the connection, which is, apparently, using an axe to break apart unsalvageable desks and bagging up the resulting debris to clear some space.]

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Oh joy. I love moving things up stairs.

[ joke joke joke. he wasn't trying to make anyone feel uncomfortable even though he was quite sure that his words would sound wrong to most people. at least this wasn't going to be twenty flights all up hill with a broken elevator kind of move and he was much stronger then he looked. he still wasn't that much of a fan doing this.

but his heel hit the step and he wiggled the dolly up the stairs, making faces and switching from his native tongue to a rather poor rendition of Mandarin made worse by his accent. all it did was make him sound even more like a thug. ]

[This is nerve-wracking; it's almost worse to be the one not moving the teleporter, because the lack of control has over the situation is really the worst part about it all. His heart's pounding as he braces himself against the other side of the machine; it'll go badly for him if it tips once it's on the incline, but at least it's potentially helpful. Even if his curved back looks like it'd snap under pressure.

Fortunately, it seems like Shou's got it, with or without L's paltry offering of help. Even if he's clearly very frustrated, in Mandarin.]

[ and his Mandarin gets worse, if that was at all possible, as he wrestles the dolly and teleporter up the next stair. but once he got it up and he was able to shift everything back into place, the rest of the transfer was easy. all he had to do was move it over to the van and get it inside, which was easily done using the ramp up to it. ]

Let's not do that again, okay?

[L stands back, catching his breath as Shou finishes the transfer. He's grateful despite the other man's clear displeasure with the task's difficulty, and he does his best to express it.]

I won't ask you to again. That is... I mean once it's in the school, hopefully another move won't be necessary.

Yah, let's hope the mob all grows hearts and decides to give us daisies instead of killing us off.

[ he rests for a moment with his head against the wall and then goes to strap it in place, making sure that it won't rattle itself to pieces during the drive. ]

How do we get it downstairs in that place? Is there an elevator?

[L rolls his eyes bleakly in response to the wry joke. He thinks it's funny as he's allowed to, and he responds in Japanese-accented Mandarin, because he can, apparently.]

What a nice concept. Unlikely, but nice.

[He switches back to English, looking slightly troubled.]

There's a freight elevator that goes exactly where I need it to, but... frankly it scares me. It does this thing where it drops suddenly and It makes a lot of noise. I'm no expert in these matters but... it's old, and rickety, and if the thing broke down it would be days before someone figured out where I was. So I haven't messed around with it much.

How many languages do you know?

[ because he didn't think that L knew Mandarin either but there he was speaking it. at least he didn't have the yakuza flavored version that Shou often displayed when he started talking. ]

So I'm gonna be getting this down by the stairs?

[It definitely sounds studied. The accent is from doing so older, and has a pretty rote quality to it. Many of L's languages do.]

Including English, I speak 7 fluently. Oh...! 8 if you count Hebrew. I guess it's something, if I can't get neat powers back with my pulses.

[He leans against the side of the building, giving it some thought and pinching the bridge of his nose.]

The elevator is truly frightening, but it is probably preferable to the stairs. The building is old and there are a lot of stairs.

Edited 2014-12-10 06:22 (UTC)

Being able to think is better than being able to blow up a city block. We're pretty short on those with brains department at times.

[ everything checked out and shou jumped out of the van, slid the ramp into place, secured it and then swung the doors shut and locked them in place. ]

I think a sudden sharp drop is better than a sudden slow fall down a gazillion stairs with a heavy-assed piece of metal following you.

I don't know about that...

[He's trying to be modest, but he wears it poorly. He's a genius, and he knows it; it's one of the few things he's always been able to rely on.]

I agree. Hopefully it's not as frightening as I'm making it sound, in actuality. I'm biased; I'm pretty uneasy with elevators in general.

[ shou grins at the poorly disguised look on L's face and casually hops into the driver's seat of the van, adjusting the seat and mirrors for his height. ]

We'll see when we get there, and if it's really that bad, mebbe we can figure out a different way to get the machine downstairs.

[He tugs self-consciously at the hairs on the back of his neck, but smiles despite himself, going around to the passenger's side.]

Yeah, I guess we will.

[He buckles in, focusing his eyes forward, already thinking of possible ways to complete the move.]

Cheer up; it's half over with.

[ and with that, shou starts driving off, humming a little as he drives like a normal person instead of the speeding demon he usually acts like. ]

[From L's perspective, Shou's more careful driving is very much appreciated. He's a nervous passenger, to the point where he never learned to drive, himself. Though his foot pushes an imaginary brake even with the most prudent, smooth drivers behind the wheel, his anxiety isn't terribly bad on the ride across town, though he makes frequent rear-view mirror checks to see if they are being followed.

When they arrive, there has been no sign of such activity. As soon as the vehicle pulls to a stop, he's unbuckling his seatbelt and hopping lightly out of the car to begin helping wherever he can.]

I'll help unload... unless you'd prefer to come inside and see the state of the elevator first.

[ it takes Shou a little longer to get out of the truck - he wanted to make sure that all proper brakes were in place because the last thing he needed was the vehicle to try to run him over when he wasn't looking. he stretched and looked at the old school for a moment and then nodded, pulling on some gloves to protect his fingers. he can heal but he doesn't want to bleed all over the place. ]

Let's give the elevator a look first. That way I've got a better idea on how to get the machine on it in case it is okay for the trip.

That's probably the better way to do this. There's an access point from the outside...

[He nods, leading the way around the large, dark building. His repairs, while amateur and not always pretty, have been obsessive and careful and the building is better off for them.

As they approach the access point for the freight elevator, though, his steps slow and he seems slightly nervous.]

It's here. The doors work sometimes and I think the cable's in good enough condition, but the wiring is just bad.

[He pulls aside the grate-like door; the elevator is ancient and resembles a large, rickety cage.]

Entry #A-15: "Accomplishments" [Video]

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