When Aurum had first been given the task of renovating the mess hall at Leroy's first official meeting as general, he had felt a thrill of delight and excitement run through him. Despite not usually being the type to organize things that were more socially based – that was more Feza's thing – Aurum still found the prospect of renovating the mess hall that had fallen into such a state of disarray to be something very exciting, and he had already had a wide variety of ideas swirling around in his head the moment he had accepted the task. His sheer excitement had diminished a little bit when he had walked into the mess hall and seen the absolute state of chaos that it was really in, with most of it having gone unused for ages since it wasn't really a main place for events. Still, he pushed through, doing his best to empty out the building of all the crap that was inside so that they could star anew. Once that was done, he had done some of the bigger tasks that were involved with the renovation, the ones that could only really be done by he and a select other few with elementals. The first was the addition of the two wooden doors in the front, along with the two pillars on either side of the door as you went inside. Both were accomplished with the used of earth elementals, with Aurum using his powers to root the large log pillars firmly into the ground. He had then used a combination of both his elementals and good old fashioned knife work to carve one large log pillar with the shape of several wings going upwards, and one with a pattern of many different kinds of plants. One was in reference to his angel hood, and how he hoped that the heavens were watching over Tanglewood, and the other was in reference to how most of Tanglewood loved plants and gardening, with only a few being the exception. Once the front bits had been done, Aurum had moved on to the bar, along with the fireplace that Leroy had suggested.

The bar was all the way against the back wall, right in plain sight when you first walked through the doors. It was also made of wood, and had several low chairs in front of it, along with shelves behind it that would be able to hold booze or whatever else was needed there. The fireplace had been put along the left wall from where you walked in, with the entire process of building it having been done not only with elementals, but also with good old fashioned hard work, and the moving of tons of bricks. All in all, it ended up looking pretty damn nice, and the angel was fairly sure that Leroy would end up being happy with it. However, with those other two things done, the time had come for the stuff that others could actually help with, and Aurum was frankly delighted. Despite having a wonderful time revamping the place, it was also incredibly exhausting, especially with the heavy use of elementals. It had led to several days of Aurum working himself to the point of exhaustion, and then just collapsing into bed to recover his energy for the next day. Roy had begun to get worried, but Aurum had reassured his son that he was having a good time with the renovations, and he had been being honest, even if there was a bit of caveat.

Now, Aurum sat outside the two main large doors of the mess hall, surrounded by various pieces of furniture, bottles of booze, wall decorations and all other kinds of stuff that needed to be put up inside of the hall, not to mention a little bit of paint to perhaps add a splash of color. The thing he was most proud of, however, was the sign that was leaned against the wall nearby. It would eventually be mounted on the front with strong elemental roots, but for now it was just sort of leaning there, a large wooden sign. On the top was the silhouette of a canine, stepping proudly forward. And underneath were the words "THE DEATHLESS HOUND" written quite clearly in nice black paint. Aurum had needed a bit of help with that, since he certainly couldn't write that cleanly, but he thought it looked great, and it would be a wonderful sign for the tavern once everything was up and running. He smiled at it for another moment before turning his head, taking in a deep breath before roaring, "If anybody wants to come and help out with the mess hall renovations, it would be appreciated! All the big stuff's done, but we've got tons of furniture to put inside, and lots of decorations, not to mention prey and food storage... gonna need someone with water elementals who can freeze stuff too!" He had one of the small back rooms of the hall dedicated to food and extra drink storage, and it would be perfect... once someone could cover it in ice and make it cold enough to actually serve as a proper storage. The other back room was being made into a "kitchen" so to speak, but it wss really just where cooked meals were put together, rather than where the food was actually cooked, since Aurum wasn't about to have a fire crackling inside.

It wasn't exactly overwhelming surprising to see that the first other tangler to arrive at the renovations was Feza. Even if this wasn't exactly a party planning activity, it was a place where a party would be happening pretty soon in the form of the winter event, and Aurum was sure that Feza had probably heard about it from someone, if not from Leroy himself at the meeting. The Captain of the Guard felt a faint spike of anxiety as Feza came over, mainly due to the fact that he knew Feza had a tendency to get deeply attached to ideas before throwing them aside and moving onto the next, wuich was hardly something you could do while helping to renovate a building, but he shook his head, firmly telling himself that she could handle this. After all, she had put together a bunch of event's in the past, and moving everything inside was sort of just like putting together many different little events into one. Besides, with him in charge, he was sure he could make it so that she didn't go too absolutely wild. The next to arrive after Feza was Criwley, and Aurum immediately felt that familiar warm feeling that came up inside of him whenever the demon was around these days, the one that he rationalized as happiness at seeing the male who was like a best friend to him. Truthfully, he didn't really expect Crowley to help, despite the other's track record in the past with helping even when he claimed it was bad form for a demon. Aurum had figured that Crowley wouldn't help due to their urrent odd form change, along with the exhaustion that seemed to follow him like a cloud ever since he had taken his snake form.

Still, even if he didn't think Crowley was going to help, Aurum could still feel himself glowing under the praise of both the snake and Feza. He had put an enormous amount of work into trying to make the place look nice, and to hear people saying that it really did, along with being very impressed? It felt amazing, and Aurum imagined that this was what Feza felt like whenever her little poorly planned events went well. Giving a firm nod of his head to the both of them, Aurum's wings twitched behind him, a smile sitting happily on his muzzle, "I'm glad that you both think it looks good... I was trying my hardest to incorporate some unique elements, along with the fireplace that Leroy suggested, and stuff that made it seem distinctly... like Tanglewood, you know?" Leroy hadn't specifically asked him to renovate the entire thing into a big Tanglewood themed tavern like he was doing, but Aurum hardly minded the work behind it. Sure, occasionally he was sore and exhausted from what he had done for the day, but he was also very proud of how the place came together, and what it was beginning to shape into. Plus, a tavern just sort of seemed to make sense. Plenty of Tanglewood liked a good drink once in a while, and it would make the perfect gathering place for social events and just hanging out together... even if there was the occasional person like Feza that either didn't know what alcohol was, or didn't drink. They could still come around and eat, as well as play games.

As he was off daydreaming in his head about what the place would look like, two very big things happened. One, Feza began to go off about all of the various ways that she could help out. And two, Criwley had shifted into a maned wolf. Having never seen the other's canine form before, Aurum found himself blinking in surprise for a moment before he nodded, rumbling once he found his voice again, "Alright, then you can help me drag the tables in, since we'll need a lot of them." He gestured to the various large wooden tables around before turning his attention to Feza, watching the snow leopard ramble for a couple of minutes before she finally seemed to calm, grinning brightly up at him. The Captain took a couple of moments to process the flood of information before he slowly nodded, flicking his tail towards the inside of the building, "If you've got a way to make ice, then you can help me make the back storage room really cold, so I can put prey and drinks in it for when we run out... and you can help paint too, although we're not gonna paint all of it. Just a few spots on the walls that are old, and worn." He then thought about her ramp idea, before shaking his head, "The ramp idea is... interesting. But I don't want anybody to slip and hurt themselves. We should be able to get stuff in without it. You head to the back room while Crowley and I bring one of the tables inside, okay?" He figured he could bring one of the tables inside, put it in place, and then head to the backroom to show her where he wanted the ice. He wanted it practically everywhere, save for the floor, obviously.

Bittersweet was catching a glimpse of the newly renovated mess hall.

For one, it was a total erasure of Ophelia's legacy. Dearest Ophelia, who had constructed the oaken canteen all on her lonesome, only for it to be scarcely utilized by the people of Tanglewood. Dearest Ophelia, grandiose, yet selfless, who put all others above herself. Dearest Ophelia, once the apple of Leroy's eye - receding from daily life before vanishing entirely, only days after the both of them professed their profound love for one another. Oh, how the feline's disappearance razed his character to the ground. He was forced to drop the 'tough guy' facade and actually cry a little. Cry for dearest Ophelia, whom he would never see again, never embrace again, never share a kiss with again. The hound longed for the smell of her cooking, which hung around the wooden hall as if it were the building's natural aroma. He missed it especially after he made the switch to canned rations in the snowy weeks following her loss - food from a tin can could never taste as good as flame-roasted quail. Well into the new year, the canine frequented the mess hall just to get a taste of the atmosphere, which carried the flavour of past dishes. Though not anymore. The timber framework was totally remodeled. The pair of long, narrow tables, along with the assorted vases and flowerpots, were discarded. Ophelia wasn't the best at interior design, but was very skilled in regards to organization, which allowed the mess hall to retain a simplistic, warm vibe. Aurum completely changed that, and in place of a mere chophouse, the lion had instated a glorious tavern. And the last remnant of Ophelia's heritage was gone

On the other hand, the General looked on in pride at the inn. It was the first of his accomplishments as leader, as well as a display of Aurum's strength and sheer will, which reassured him in his choice of acting second in command. In the very short amount of time that he had, the Captain single-handedly redesigned an entire building with what seemed to be little knowledge on artful conception. And, shit, he redesigned it GOOD. If the oversized feline were to continue in impressing Leroy, then perhaps the acting portion of his title would soon be forfeit. Yeah, Leroy was impressed by the tavern, regardless of it not quite fitting the vintage theme. Hell, who wouldn't drop their jaw in awe while observing it? Its grand entrance, immaculate furniture, and inspired paint job, all stimulating to the naked eye. And the name. The Deathless Hound. His Captain's choice was flattering, for sure. He couldn't help feel a tad bewildered, for the name made the cur appear somewhat pretentious. However, the title was damn cool title, and in addition to the breathtaking shape of the sign, it reeked of unadulterated badassery.

He approaches, smiling lightly at those hard at work, before coming to a stop a fat ten or so metres away from the site. Those present chored away at moving furniture inside the building, as it seemed. Leroy's thoughts lay in a separate location. While they pushed and dragged, perhaps he could be put to use in regards to what was already within the building's interior. "Aurum," he speaks clearly, making sure his bellow did not with conflict with Miller's words, "what can I do about food storage?"

The next to arrive at his little decorating get together was Kaz, and Aurum found himself offering the other male a smile when he arrived. Sure, the cheetah had made a bit of a rough first impression, but it hadn't necessarily been a bad one, and Aurum didn't doubt that the other could be a big help. He knew that the tavern stuck out somewhat against the 50's aesthetic that Tanglewood had going for it, but the Captain didn't honestly feel as if that was necessarily a bad thing. It just meant that the building stood out more against the backdrop of everything else, and could be a welcome escape if you just needed a place that could remind you of old fantasy stories. Kaz mentioned as much, and Aurum found himself smiling sheepishly as he nodded, a chuckle leaving him. As he pushed a couple of crates into place, the lion rumbled softly to the cheetah, gesturing off towards his own house, "Yeah, I suppose it is. But that sort of makes sense. I designed it after the old taverns and watering holes I always read about in the stories I loved so much as a cub. I think it makes the place feel a little more warm, and welcoming. Plus it attracts attention, which is good for new people who wanna meet others at a social hub." That was his explanation for it, at the very least. Aurum had, after all, grown up in a pride that had a hierarchy and a whole sort of medieval theme, with his parents being considered King and Queen, so high fantasy and medieval vibes were par for the course, at least for him. The male found himself lifting his head again from his work when Kaz mentioned something about taxidermy, and Aurum blinked in confusion for a moment, not only at the comment, but also at the fact that he had been addressed as sir. He supposed he was technically acting second in command, but it still felt so... formal, and odd. Shrugging it off, Aurum spoke softly as he looked over the alligator skull, "Ah... I'm not, personally, but I figured that something like that would fit in somewhat with making the place feel more like Tanglewood. I suppose I could swe why it might make other alligators uncomfortable... although I haven't met a sentient alligator in my entire time here." He knew that there had been one at one point, evidently by the name of Reedy, but Aurum had no experience with that particular gator, and knew only of the savage ones that enjoyed attacking people occasionally.

The next to arrive was Leroy, someone of particular interest to Aurum at the moment. After all, the canine was the entire reason he had done this in the first place, or at least had decided to act on his ideas. Aurum was mostly unaware of the history that the mess hall had before his involvement, considering Ophelia had been way before his time. If he had known the old version of the place was of such importance to the new general, he probably would've tried to keep at least some small piece of it in the redesign. Still, that was in the past now, and the Captain found himself eying Leroy curiously, wondering what the other would think. Thankfully for him, Leroy came trotting up with what seemed to be an impressed smile on his mug, and Aurum couldn't help but feel the warm glow of pride spread through him at that fact. Leroy's first assignment to him as the new General had gone well, and Aurum would've been lying if he said that he wasn't absolutely delighted at that fact. Still, the hound wasted no time in asking how he could help out with the food storage, and Aurum was ripped from his prideful daydreaming, something he didn't truly mind. After all, he could always feel pleased with himself later, whenever he took in the tavern after this. Clearing his throat, the angel gestured a wing inside before speaking, "How can you help...? Well, aside from Feza's chilling powers, I've also got a few bags of ice inside there kind of just sitting around waiting to be put in food storage. There's shelves in the back room, so if you could toss the bags onto them and put some of the prey stockpile up with them, that would be great. That would be able to start our storage supply, and make it so that everything stays cold, even without ice elementals." The bags of ice had been no small feat, since they required a lot of scouring around in order to scrounge together several big bags that could chill food, but they would last for a whole now, particularly in these cool but mild winter months.