"Uh, you want us to stay...here?"
"It's bigger than I thought it would be..."
In front of them was an old, rundown building with a rectangular sloped roof. Around half of the windows were boarded up, but light could be seen coming from the inside. Elle was pleased by this, because it meant the building had working electricity. The shape of the roof may be an issue, though...
While she was musing about what repairs may need to be done, Yu was standing in place wondering if the headmage seriously thought this was even close to an okay place to dump two broke teenagers. Crowley simply smiled at the two of them.
"Isn't it delightful? Right, scoot inside now. There you go."
The crow man urged the two towards the doors, one more eager than the other. Elle looked around as they approached the building, and noticed a stone bridge to their left that connected to the large castle looming above them. Huh. Well that's convenient.
There must have been some sort of archway above it at some point, because there was a single stone pillar on the lefthand side of the bridge. The one on the right, as well as the arch presumably connecting them, had fallen in the middle of the path, completely blocking the way. She could already tell they were too heavy for her to move, even if Yu helped her. Maybe they could just climb over them...? She'd put a pin in that for later. She glanced at the bridge one more time before heading into the ramshackle dorm.
...
The inside was better than Elle had expected. The furniture was mostly turned over, which meant the actual topside would be dust free if they simply flipped them right side up, and the floorboards were sturdy, if not a little creaky. The large window in the back had somehow managed to remain intact, and the carpets were in decent condition, if not a bit threadbare.
A huge plus was the fact that there was a large stone fireplace. All they needed was firewood, and their chances of freezing in the winter went down significantly. They wouldn't have to worry about burning the whole dorm down either, which was nice.
The wallpaper was peeling, and there were spiderwebs and cobwebs in the corners, but it was nothing she couldn't handle. With a little bit of cleaning, this could probably actually be a pretty nice place to stay.
"This should keep the elements at bay for the time being." Crowley said, already heading for the door. "Now, I should return to my research. Do try to find some way to busy yourselves. But don't let me catch you wandering the campus! Ta!"
And with that, he was gone.
Yu sighed, running a hand through his hair. What an irresponsible and careless headmage. He seriously expected them to live here?
"I don't even see a clean place to sit."
Elle walked over to an overturned armchair, flipping it over with only a bit of struggle.
"Here. It was upside-down, so barely any dust got on the underside."
Yu paused, looking over the piece of furniture blankly.
"Huh. I guess you're right. Are you used to dealing with places like this?"
"Yup! Trust me, this looks a lot worse than it actually is."
"Seriously? I guess I'll trust you to lead me on this one, then. I'm pretty good at cleaning, so you can give me pretty much any task and I'll be able to do it. So, where do we start? Just give me the word, boss."
Elle blinked, somehow not expecting him to offer his help. Not that she thought he was rude, or lazy, she's just...used to doing things herself. Seeing the determined glint in his eyes, though, she couldn't bring herself to turn him down. It would be faster with both of them working, anyway.
"....Well, alright. Step one! Pick up all of the large broken bits, like those planks of wood over there, and put them in a pile. We might need it for other stuff like boarding windows later, so we'll hold onto them for now."
Yu nodded, already moving to pick up the miscellaneous scraps of debris around the room. Elle nodded in approval before picking up scraps of wood and fallen paintings as well.
"After this, we can probably start setting the furniture upright. Though, if we're staying here long term, it may be best to dust first....so that means we need to find a closet with a broom or something. Or we can check if there are towels in the kitchen..."
"I'll check the kitchen, and you can look around upstairs maybe?" Yu offered.
"That could work, but if you go into the kitchen, you need to be careful of mold. There's probably spoiled food in there, so..."
"I can handle that. I can see if there's a fridge while I'm in there and empty it out, in fact."
"...Thank you for your sacrifice."
Yu laughed at the solemn expression on her face, dumping his pile of wood and stuff next to the staircase. He glanced around the room as Elle added her armful to the pile, already seeing a noticeable improvement from when they had first entered. Man. Elle really wasn't kidding. He picked up a tiny rug that was haphazardly thrown over a couch.
"What do I do with this?"
"Shake it out outside! We can find a place for it once the floor is clear and we know where we're putting all the furniture." Elle called. Now that it was just the two of them, her voice was notably louder and more confident. He could hear her from across the room.
Yu nodded, scooping up the rug, and headed for the door.
"I'll be back!"
"With a vengeance?"
Yu snickered.
"Of course!"
Elle watched him disappear down the hall, then surveyed the room. There weren't any large enough pieces to put in the scrap pile anymore, so she directed her attention to the staircase.
"Well, time to see how sturdy this thing is."
Upon first examination, none of the boards were obviously rotting, so that was a good sign. She slowly climbed up the stairs, staying close to the wall, and the steps held up surprisingly well. She nodded in approval as she safely reached the second floor.
There were a couple doors to her left, as well as another flight of stairs that went up to a third floor. She would have to check that out later. For now though, she turned to the right, seeing a short pathway that served as a balcony overseeing the main lounge, and two doors past that. One of them had to be the broom closet, and she was willing to bet it was the narrow door tucked right at the end of the hall by a second, albeit smaller, staircase.
She opened the closet with only a little trouble. It almost felt like someone was holding it closed from the other side. The door opened without problem after a while, so she figured it was simply disuse and old hinges. She didn't hear the mischievous chuckle, nor see the pale figure that disappeared down the hall.
In the closet, there was a broom and a few dust cloths, as well as around five or six buckets, which she happily took. She also found a mop, a duster, and a couple towels, so she picked up those as well. It would probably be important to check if the building had running water...she would ask Yu once he came back in.
Elle carried her armful of supplies back to the lounge, dumping them onto the couch. She picked up the duster, swirling it around wherever she could reach that had a cobweb in it. The dorm was starting to look livable, if she said so herself. Yu came back in just as she was finishing dusting off a rocking chair.
"Wow, this place almost doesn't look completely abandoned anymore."
"Well, it isn't completely abandoned anymore, since we're living here now. I found some dust cloths and towels, so we're set to go, pretty much. All we really need now is a trash can."
"My journey to the kitchen becomes more important by the minute I see."
"Yup! Oh, would you also mind checking for running water while you're in there?"
"Yeah, I can do that." Yu agreed. By now, the lounge looked acceptably...not in complete disrepair. The boy nodded, pleased with the work they put in. He nudged the curled up rug with his foot, rolling it out fully. The tail end hit the ground with a *Thwap*. There. Better.
"Hey, Elle, I think this place is pretty much done for now, at least until we can afford actual cleaning supplies."
"Hmm, yeah. We'd need a ladder to hang up those paintings, and reach those cobwebs....how about I go clean out some rooms for us? It's getting late, and we have to sleep eventually."
"Oh, that would be fantastic. You really wouldn't mind cleaning a room for me too?"
Elle waved her hand dismissively.
"Yu honey, you're braving the kitchen. I can handle a couple dorm rooms."
Feeling the familiar heat rush to his face, Yu nodded quickly, turning towards the doorway leading to the kitchen.
"A-Ah, well, if you're sure! I'll get to work on the kitchen then!"
"Are you alright, Yu?"
"Yup! Peachy!"
"Alright...if you're sure..."
With one last inquisitive glance, Elle shrugged, heading up the stairs once more. Yu really needed to get used to her nicknames. He shook his head, walking into the kitchen.
~~~
New week, new chapter!
I really like developing Yu as a character, it's so fun writing their dialogue. If you couldn't tell, I am completely winging the layout of the ramshackle dorm. I am simply working with what I have and squinting at background art we just gotta roll with it.
Story progress hasn't been the fastest, I know, but I wanted to work on relationship building and stuff for a bit, so ramshackle renovation arc is a bit longer than usual lol. I swear plot will continue after a couple chapters I simply am invested in the dorm repairs.
Hope you have a great Monday!
~Astroleap