2024 Events

There was so much to get done in such a short time that it would have felt practically hopeless for some. Not for the busybody of a housekeeper who worked aboard Medi's ship, Quinn. With their massive amounts of constant energy, the browbird was at full-bore focus in their frenzy; it was a spring-cleaning madhouse. So much so that many of the ship's residents and passengers took the day away to escape the writhing wildfire that was Quinn. The only ones that lingered unaffected were two companions: Magna, the wintry kettlekat, and Chum Bucket, a recent anomaly created by Oogieboogs, who was a resurrected talon ghost fish. They lingered on the outskirts of Quinn's madness, simply taking their time and watching together, resting on a pillow. Their chosen area was clean, perfectly pristine, so much so that the ravenous cleaning browbird didn't even bat an eye at them. Odd as they were, a kettlekat and an undead fish, newfound best friends that chased after one another. Where Magna was, Chum Bucket was sure to follow. With their paws and feet crossed, they lingered, awaiting the arrival of another to this wild scene.

Arabelle was also present on the ship in her quarters, preparing by her own means. Luckily for the new hero, Quinn had cleaned out her quarters before she arrived, rendering it perfectly spotless even now as she resided there. The girl was very tidy and neat, not a collector or dependent on others cleaning up her mess, despite holding a practical princess title. Searching for something that was clearly misplaced, Arabelle decided to venture out, risking bothering Quinn in their hurry. It was just a question, after all. And so she left the "safety" of her room; all knew to steer clear of a cleaning Quinn, and wandered into one of the extra rooms Quinn was now cleaning out. Hands went to tap at the side pillar of the door, peeking her head in to make her presence known. She noticed the pair of companions instantly and offered them both, Magna and Chum Bucket, a soft smile. She understood why they wished to linger; upon witnessing Quinn, it was quite a display.

Stress was heightening, but Quinn remained strong, finding comfort in blasting their favorite dance music through private earbuds. Around their shoulders was an old discarded Butterfly Wing Cloak, one of the few damaged from constant use in battlefields or adventures. They saw it as a good sweat rag to dab at their forehead or to use properly to glide over a large stack of mess. And oh boy, there was a mess! The ship's captain, Medi, was an amazing browbird, gifted in many things. Keeping a clean, tidy workspace or living space that was not his forge was another thing entirely. Stacks and stacks of paperwork and scrolls were scattered around the room, some receipts for food, others pages from spellwork for needed potions, down to printed legends and stories of the galaxies. Each thing had to be sorted into proper stacks to make it easier to put away later. Amidst all the madness in the room were countless articles of clothing, both normal and enchanted. Some of which Quinn believed Medi had forgotten about entirely, like a Flood Hat that was dripping all over the floor.

When Arabelle came rapping upon the doorframe, her introduction went completely unnoticed, even though she stood tall in the threshold. Quinn simply kept sweeping, moving, and stacking things. The housekeeper had not even gotten to proper dusting or washing any of the surfaces. There was still so much to do! Another touch of the Butterfly Wing Cloak to their brow was needed, and just as Quinn went to move a stack of papers, their eyes caught Arabelle standing there with a smile. A look of bewilderment ran over them, exchanging the soft smile in return; hands went to pluck out the earbuds of tribal dance music beating to the heart of Quinn.

"I hope you don't mind my disturbance..." Arabelle was quick to start. "I was curious if you happened to see my Abyss Ink around the ship anywhere? You've been cleaning so much, and since everyone is gone, I thought this would be a good place to start..." Before Quinn invited her further into the room, she drifted forth, finding an empty recliner seat cleared of everything and plopped right down. The pink-toned hero knew better than to just go about 'helping' Quinn move things around or sort, as others might have done. Witnessing the purple-yellow arcane brow, she was certain they had a way of doing things that were better left alone to get the best results. It was not that Quinn was not easy to work with; when it came to cleaning, there was only Quinn on their mission, and the mission alone.

Quinn took a moment, staring at Arabelle with squinted eyes, pretty much frozen in place. They watched her drift to find an empty seat in the room, and upon hearing the squeak noise from the chair itself, the realization came back to them instantly.

"Ahh! The Ink!" An eureka moment that cast their gaze down to Magna and Chum Bucket, who had recoiled into one another, feigning they were in a deep sleep now. "These two are the culprits..." Unabashed, Quinn tossed the pair under the bus, but it was understandable. "Those two had been running about this place like a pair of wild chickenturks with no one around. Thinking they had the lay of the ship, they somehow got into your room and knocked it over onto the floor..." Quinn had a darkness in their eyes for just a moment out of disappointment for the pets. "They should have just stayed playing in the Barn Ship... not in the common quarters, but Medi just lets the door be unlocked for them at all hours..." A firm nod was given, then going about to pick up a stack of papers and place them in an empty box. While labeling it, they continued, "I heard the commotion happen while I was in here. Went to check on you only to find those two covered in ink and all over your floor. Took ages to get out, but I have my ways. Since then, they've been following me about the ship, feeling awful about themselves..." Looking back to Arabelle, Quinn could see the look of disappointment written on her face. "Sorry, Belle. I wish I had different news for you, like Winnie had borrowed it without asking or something..."

Silence befell the pink browbird with a heavy sigh; she had saved for that abyss ink for so long. Such items were a pretty penny, and being on her own now, Belle had to find her own means of making money. Now she would spend another lot of time working away at repurchasing the Abyss ink. In her moments of sadness, surprise also took hold. Quinn had been so good at cleaning that she had not even noticed that the ink had been spilled at all. Even on the coat and scale of the kettlekat and ghost talon fish, spotless. "I see..." A long pause on her part; Quinn went unfazed, going about putting more things in boxes. "You really are amazing at cleaning. I would figure the ink would stain for eternity or something..."

"Nope, you just have to know how to handle certain things." Quinn's head shot up. "This is not my first spring cleaning madness, I mind you. I've been doing this job for as long as I remember. Though I wish I knew how to do something different..." Looking back at Arabelle, Magna, and Chum Bucket, Quinn bit their lip. "You know, since it's the pets' fault, you could go after Winnie or Oogieboogs for some stargold to replace it... It is only fair..."

Arabelle winced along with Magna and Chum Bucket, who had quit their playing sleep. "I'm not asking money from a teen or a sad little goobull... that would be so awkward.."

Quinn laughed instantly. "Don't let those two fool you. Winnie is the son of Medi; both parties have stargold to spare. Especially with how skilled the boy is at healing, he'd understand and feel indebted to help. And that Oogieboogs.... that kitbull is a prime-time ghost hunter. The kitbull has death magic for celestial sake..." Emphasizing by swinging their hand over to Chum Bucket, the recent magics of their newfound Death magic creation. Using the Butterfly Wing Cloak, Quinn picked up a heavy box and glided past Belle and out the door, placing it on the corner to move later.

"Still... I'll get the stargold on my own... I was hoping to hear Diaval had just stolen it so I could bother for it back." Looking about the room finally, it became clear what this was: a previous storage room of miscellaneous things, a size that matched the rooms of Khadgar and Oogieboogs. Her sadness transformed into another soft smile, glad to see the change in the room, knowing what it would eventually be. As much as she loved Blossom, it was good to know a few other close friends would be arriving on the ship soon. "This is intended to be Peach's room, is it not?" Her gaze drifted back to Quinn.

"Yep, Medi said this room would be designated for her. With a window as nice as that, once it's uncovered, it would be perfect for your kitbull companion. Turns out the others of the ship still do not know who exactly all is coming. Peach sounds like a cute name," Quinn chimed in, going back to grab another box and take it out. "I forget the others listed to be joining us, but that name definitely stood out..."

"Peach is a lovely kitbull..." Arabelle made a motion to nod at Magna and Chum Bucket too when she said that. "You will all adore her, that is for sure. I bet the kitboys on this ship will be head over heels for her too..." Certainty rang in the pink hero's voice, giving a nod to herself then. "It has been ages since we have been apart this long. We are much like Medi and Khadgar, her and I. So it is an odd feeling to be away or not see her... but duty calls."

"She won't be traveling alone... kitbull-wise I hear..?" Quinn questioned, "Hopefully she and the others do not show up any time soon, my pardons. I still have so much to do!" The stressful thought only fueled Quinn further, and the browbird began to speed clean again, removing stuff from the room and tossing unneeded items away. If they had wind magic, Quinn would have just hurled a tornado in the room to remove and sort stuff, but alas, they did not.

Questions began to fall upon Arabelle as she watched Quinn work feverishly. "No," she started slowly, "She won't be coming until the end of the week, I believe. A few more classes she is teaching before the kitbull can leave Thrones with a few of her friends." Puzzled, the topic switched from her beloved friend coming to Quinn's abilities. "Quinn... are you not an Arcane Brow?"

Quinn blinked, walking by with another box in their arms. "Well, yes, I am..."

"Why don't you use arcane magic to help you then?" Arabelle's arms crossed curiously. "You can do more than fireworks, I'm sure..."

Quinn was not sure what Arabelle was getting at. With Arcane, the fireworks were all Quinn knew. This aspect of magic had always been used for fun and had never been taken seriously until it felt like it was too late. Now they were stuck at being a professional housekeeper and nothing else. "What do you mean?" Did Arabelle know something they did not? "I am learning about using it more with Khadgar, but I only feel like its proper use is making explosions..."

The hiro browbird wanted to laugh at first but understood they were serious. This was a rather upsetting matter for the browbird girl; poor Quinn did not know they had so much hidden potential. "I'm going to go look for a book for you to read on Arcane magic. I think I saw it in the library while glossing over for Wood Aspect books. With Arcane, Khadgar should have told you that you can use your magic to help you clean."

Shock befell Quinn. Arcane could help them with their housework? What could explosions of stars do?

The expression was all Arabelle needed. "Arcane means charms and enchantments too. You have the power to cast upon things and make them work to your desire. Well, inanimate things. Like enchanting a broom to sweep the floors, charming the ship floor to keep absolutely spotless." Getting up, Arabelle waved to Magna and Chum Bucket to join her; perhaps the companions could be useful in helping her look for the book while Quinn continued spring cleaning. "There are many useful things... I'll go check now..."

Surprise overcame Quinn upon hearing what Arabelle said. Could they really? Looking about the dirty floor and undusted room, Quinn thought about all the possibilities. They had often dreamed of these tasks being done by the items themselves, but never had they thought of actually enchanting them to do the work themselves. "I can?" In an empty room, Quinn stood, talking to themselves now, excited to read over whatever book Arabelle had to offer. They also felt a bit sheepish not to dive into the library sooner, but just walking in there made them tired. As moments passed, looking about the room, daydreaming, the browbird snapped out of it. Quickly getting back to the task, excited for what was to come next. Perhaps the next room would be cleaning itself!