(JOB) Port of Call

Arthur sipped at the bottle of beer he had taken from the nearby pub. His first job with his new guild was helping out the locals with a little bit of construction. That wouldn't be too hard, he figured, given his general brutish nature alongside general resilience to fatigue. From what he was told by his superiors, there'd be another new recruit joining him. This, in general, would be a perfect opportunity to both prove his worth to the guild alongside hopefully making a new friend. Thoughts raced across his mind, maybe they could even form a team? But that would come later with time, the same mind reasoned. The strong presence of the noon sunlight comforted him as it danced across his skin, providing him comfort with his bond to the sun god. It was a rather pretty scene, Arthur thought, as he approached the construction site. Fluffy white clouds hung in a painterly sky. Nothing better than tropical weather, Arthur thought as he walked down the cobbled road. Though, shorts would definitely have been more useful than pants in this sun, especially when he'd be sweating up a storm with whatever manual labor the construction site needed help with.

Nearing the location, Arthur slipped past the roped off area and approached one of the men wearing safety equipment. A genuine smile spread over the paladin's face. "Hey, I'm one of the mages assigned to help with your construction? I don't know where the other is, but they should be here shortly I assume." The gruff man gave him a look as he almost squinted in the bright light. Not an easy task for most people, working under the harsh light of the sun. The construction worker was wearing the standard uniform of his trade. Jean pants, shortsleeve shirt, toolbelt, and a helmet too of course. Grime and dirt was plastered over the man's form, Arthur hoped he wouldn't get himself too dirty. It wasn't a concern though, considering the guild had plenty of resources available for his personal hygiene. After his job, Arthur knew exactly what he was doing, and what he was going to do was take a nice relaxing bath in the guild's bathhouse. He had gotten a sneak peek of it earlier, the place had a nice hot spring bath alongside all the accoutrements needed to enjoy its hot water.

The worker spat something out onto the ground, Arthur didn't look.

" 'Name's Clyde, I'm your boss for the day. Two of my no-good lackeys called in, so we're making do with a few pansy mages. Although, your are rather muscular for a mage. Maybe you won't be as annoying as I'd thought."

Arthur couldn't help but smile at the man. He didn't bristle out of annoyance because it was quite the common stereotype, and from how the man worded his message, he probably actually meant it as a compliment towards Arthur's physical form. Though, he worried for how his partner would fare when they eventually showed up.

WC: 503 TWC: 503

Arthur watched with amusement as the pale man rounded the corner onto the construction site. He was definitely the type of person to stick out like a sore thumb, but it was not as if he had any room to talk. With alabaster skin and equally pale hair, he definitely was some type of albino. It was an interesting look, one that complemented the way his face was set upon his shoulders. An interesting man, that's for sure. Albeit a bit slender, Arthur was sure the man would be able to handle the job's physical nature. He had learned a long time ago that appearances were deceiving when it came to a mage's actual strength. The uniform looked good on the man, Arthur noted as he watched him interact with the foreman. The white of his skin complemented the accents and styling of the outfit, the man looked almost regal. Arthur stopped himself, he was definitely checking the guy out. Not the time for that.

Once they locked eyes, the albino man motioned him forward. Obligating the request, Arthur approached with a genuine smile plastered over his face. "Arthur Harrington, charmed to meet you." This would be fun, or interesting at the very least. Noting what the pale man had said, Arthur reciprocated the laugh and took his hand in his own. Offering a firmly squeezed handshake, he noted just how pale and smooth the man's skin really was. Not the time, Arthur, he told himself as he removed his hand from the greeting. With how wide Arthur was smiling, the brilliant sun definitely glinted from his pearly whites, and there was definitely the probability that he was doing that on purpose. Gathering his knightly charms together, Arthur took a deep breath before speaking.

"Obvious in what, how well you pull off that outfit? It looks great on you by the way. I'm really new to the guild, still trying to figure out my place in the group to be honest. I still don't know everybody, what they do, etc. Hopefully our job today will go good. By the way, the foreman wanted us to start lifting the wooden plans up into the supports to our left." Arthur looked over his shoulder to point at the large pile of wooden beams, easily over 50lbs each. Arthur knew what he was getting into though, he knew he'd probably break at least several sweats over the duration of this assignment. It would be a good workout for his body too, because the study of magic and mental training only ever really got him so far.

Taking the initiative himself, Arthur walked towards one of the posts and gripped his hands under the beam. The smell of fresh-cut and processed wood filled his nose. It was one of his favorite smells, to be honest, he liked the way lumber always smelled fresh in a way. Spreading his arm span and widening his shoulders, Arthur braced his knees as he put all of his strength into lifting the wooden beam. Not the type of person to really understand engineering or construction in the slightest, he was just willing to do as asked and put the thing where it belonged. The men in the field watched what they were doing at that. Arthur paused. Had he done something wrong? Shaking his head, his biceps rippled as he guided the beam up over his chest and into the slotted supports.

WC: 574 TWC: 1588