7th Bell, 7th Winter, 515 AV, the Patchwork Port
The horizon looked bleak today, grey and overcast all the way out to sea. The cool feeling to the air settled on her skin, refreshing her in the early morning as Karin walked the short distance to the workshop.
Moored boats clinked and clacked softly, as their sails rustled under the gentle breeze that pushed and pulled on the fabric, whilst the tide sucked softly on the underside of the hull. All in all, Karin found it incredibly relaxing.
Soon enough, she found herself at the workshop. To let her in was Ferny, and she nodded good morning to him as she found her way to her makeshift workstation.
Recently she had been working on a couple of doorknobs, for an elderly couple that had come in just a couple of days ago. They'd wanted something simple, so Cadog had given the task to her, and as she regarded them with a critical eye, she realised she was happy with how they had turned out.
Putting them aside to be varnished later, she stood up again. Fern had left the 'shop, and so she popped her head around the door to ask him what she should do next.
The reply she got was, "Could you do some tidying? And then in a bell I'll come in and tell you." With a slight huff, the girl moved back inside, and eyed the broom balefully.
However, she wasn't too bothered by being asked to sweep. With broom in hand, the wood chippings were soon in a neat pile in the middle of the floor, ready to be thrown out.
With a slight hum on her breath, a tune she didn't fully remember, she went about the room, methodically placing all the tools in their correct spaces, and cleaning the work surfaces.
By the time Ferny came back in, the place looked clean again. Not perfect by any stretch, Karin didn't have the patience to get the mop out, but at least clean and tidy. Ferny was obviously happy with it, and nodded his approval, before directing Karin over to the workbench.
"Today, Dad asked me to show you how to varnish. You willing?"
Karin inclined her head in agreement, "Yes." She had been expecting this. All the tasks she'd been given to do had always seen her giving over her piece to Cadog to varnish, but now it seemed she'd get to learn even more.
"Okay, let me fetch what we'll need. Can you grab the sandpaper from over there?" Karin walked over, and did what he said, feeling the rough quality of the paper.
When she returned to the workbench, Ferny had placed a small jar of paint, or paste next to the item that lay on the bench. It was a beautiful piece, a purely decorative carving of a dolphin leaping in flight.
And then the realisation slowly dawned... They were going to let her varnish that? She blinked in surprise, and then found a smile creeping across her face. She could do it.