[Job thread] Venturing to the Patchwork Port

by **Karin** on August 25th, 2015, 9:19 pm

60th Summer, 515AV, the Patchwork Port: Wooden Wonders Workshop

In the lukewarm heat of mid morning, the streets were quiet. A solitary bird flapped overhead, perhaps a dove, and Karin breathed a soft breath as she turned her head to follow it's path. It gave a quiet, lazy coo. The sunlight streamed down upon her, warming the top of her head as she walked, and she could feel the faint heat from the paving stones radiating up. She was wearing simple brown clothes with her blonde hair brushed neat and straight down her back, occasional strands flowing past her face as she walked as briskly as usual.

Framing the streets, the walls of the city blended into obscurity, their monochrome hues absorbing any creativity. The strange things and illusions that Alvadas produced were not terribly unusual to Karin, she was most definitely used to it by now. She looked around as she walked, noticing the pudgy men on every square, boring street corner.

She gave one an idle glare as she went by, begrudging him... it or whatever, the flowery, colourful headdress it wore. They'd been around for a couple of days now, and every time she saw one, she begrudged them and their favourable treatment by the city and it's people. She wasn't really sure why, but well, since when did that stop her?

Her visit this morning was to the Patchwork Port. She'd been putting the visit off for days now, trying to come up with other things to do, other places to go, other reasons and excuses, but now she was sure that she'd done everything else that she could possibly do. Her reason, well... that was simple. She badly needed a job. Money, as it's often said makes the world go round. And Karin didn't have nearly enough for her many plans.

The plans she'd been making, they all needed a fair bit of money. In fact, ideally, the girl wanted to buy a casinor, but of course they were worth hundreds of mizas, mizas which she most certainly didn't have. However, even with all these problems, she didn't really want to go to the Port. The place being both her beacon and her warning. Most of her plans involved the place in one way or another, and she knew that going there would release a swarm of emotions, which meant that her walk there this morning was tinged with a little apprehension. Karin walked on.

The way down to the Port this morning was easy to find, as the city was being helpful for once. With only a few left and right turns along equally boring streets with equally decorated pudgy men (which Karin ignored), the girl soon managed to see the beginnings of the Port, the buildings piled on top of each other, in their various awkward shapes and sizes, bulging and squeezing and standing one on top of each other in their wonky fashion. There was a faint hustle and bustle sound which got louder as she got closer, the screeching of seagulls and hagglers alike and the sound of fish slapping down on decks.

There was the sound of the sea lapping softly against the various boats docked, and then there was the apprehension. Because there was access to everything she wanted in her life. It was all there, boats and fish and the briny, ozone smell of the ocean. But, and this was the worst part, she couldn't get out there, not properly.

For so long, she'd been swimming in and around the waters of Alvadas, so much so that she knew every nook and cranny and every beach and seaweed covered rock. But she'd never been able to go out any further, her arms had always given out on her, or something else needed her attention. She had no means of sailing on the open sea. It was all so frustrating! And thus, the fear. Walking here, after everything she'd discovered recently was like poking at a scab when she didn't want to bleed.

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by **Karin** on August 30th, 2015, 12:05 pm

It was roughly the eleventh bell. Karin was now properly in the Port, and thankfully, the streets were normal, although the people here still dressed in the customary drab colours, echoing Alvadas above. The girl breathed in deeply, catching the scent of tar, fish and other colourful smells. Although she was still a little apprehensive, she couldn't help but smile.

There was something about the place which always calmed her down. Probably it was the proximity to the water. I better start looking for a job. The girl turned away from the jetty where she'd been admiring a small boat being repaired by its rugged owner. All along the sea front, various wares were being sold, haggled, traded and ferried from place to place. The community here was rich with friendship, and the atmosphere was friendly and warm. Karin was known by at least some of the people here, and she waved to a couple of them with a smile.

A few clouds scudded across the sky, and Karin continued her search. She knew what she wanted, she just wasn't sure if there was anyone that would hire her. She scanned the crowded port, looking for people who looked like they needed a hand. Bringing her palm up to shade her eyes from the glare of the water, Karin spotted a variety of interesting things. There's a fishmonger, a cloth merchant, a... clothes repairer? That stall over there...

She craned her neck from her admittedly not very good vantage point, and... They look like boat repairers! The girl was instantly excited. That was what she was looking for. Clearly something had been passed down in some way in her family, because Karin desperately wanted to be working with boats. However, unlike her Ma, she wanted to learn about boat repairs so she could get onto the sea, not off it.

So the sight of two heads bent over a small fishing boat outside of a warped, wooden workshop sounded just right to Karin. She hurried over decking, and onto the narrow, crowded path that ran alongside the waters edge. For some reason, although she knew that there were no illusions down here, she thought that if she didn't hurry, the workshop would disappear, and she would have to start her search again.

by **Karin** on August 30th, 2015, 12:16 pm

The girl hurried and rushed past all the hustling and bustling people of the Patchwork Port, trying desperately not to knock things over as she went past. By the time she reached the pair, she was slightly out of breath, clutching onto her side to subdue a stitch. She'd paused some distance away, next to a fishmonger who was trading to an amusing group of shrewd cooks, all dressed in aprons in need of a good wash. Before she went up to the pair properly, she tried to calm herself down a little. No-one will want to hire you in this mess Karin.

She took the time to properly look at the pair working. It looked like a father and son team at first glance. They both had dark, curly hair, and looked quite intent on what they were doing. The boat they had in dry dock was not terribly damaged, but it did look like it had rotted, either from under-use, or some kind of algae, Karin couldn't tell, although the hull was stained with the telltale green algae, so her opinion leaned towards the latter. The older man looked pensive as he surveyed the helm? Stern? Something like that. He called over to the younger looking man, who smiled and gestured towards the workshop, and the older one rolled his eyes as he walked over to the shop with a smile. They were clearly family, the way they interacted showed that. But Karin, although not shy, was not terribly used to company.

So when the older man left, she took the opportunity to walk over, finding that talking to one person was much preferable than talking to two at the same time. She approached the younger man, who was now focusing on some ink-decorated scraps of paper in front of him. Karin reached the man, and stood next to the rickety desk, wondering whether she should clear her throat, or let the man know she was here in some way.

"Yes? What can I do for you?" The man's voice was light but he sounded distracted, probably by his work. He hadn't even looked up from his papers. Karin studied the man cautiously, wondering exactly what to say. On closer inspection, the man seemed ordinary enough, if a little hassled. His long fingered hands were brushing off stray woodchips absently as she pondered, cursing internally that she hadn't thought of something to say before she'd sauntered up.

"Hello!" Her voice was bright, almost too bright. The man looked up, pausing his writing. "I was wondering, I'm very enthusiastic, and I was wondering, are you looking for a hand with anything? I'm not very trained, but I'm a quick learner." Karin winced. That was ridiculously garbled, girl. Honestly. The man now had an amused smirk on his face, as he leaned back on his stool, listening to what the girl had to say. She breathed in a little, starting again.

"I'm not knowledgeable in the arts of woodcraft. But, like I say, I'm very keen to learn more. And if you need a hand, with sawing or..." Here, she gestured over at the tools laid out, the dry dock with the boat languishing in it, and the neat stack of wood next to the sawing block. "If you need a hand with anything at all, I'd be willing to do it. So, are you looking to hire?" The question came out a little more abruptly than she'd wanted, but she let it hang as she waited for the man's answer.

by **Karin** on August 30th, 2015, 6:30 pm

Hardly any time later, and the man's glimmering eyes glanced into her eyes, smiling a mischievous grin. "Y'know missy, I'm not really the person to ask. That'd be my father". He gestured lazily at the older man who had re-emerged from the workshop. Whilst Karin blushed with the thought of having to repeat all that again, the older man walked over, smiling a welcoming smile. "Hello girl, what can we do for you?" His voice was rich and friendly, and Karin felt relieved already, even though there was still a roiling pit of nerves in her stomach.

Her eyes scanned over the man, taking in his open demeanour, the hair so similar to his son's, and also the distracted look of a person with too much work on their hands. Karin felt a little more at ease, and so she said, "Hello! I was just asking your son if there was a job position available at Wooden Wonders Workshop?" She made sure to smile this time, and offer a professional front. "I'm not fully trained, but I'm an eager worker, and−" She was cut off. "Being an eager worker is definitely the best thing that I could ask for! What's your name again?" "Karin", she mumbled, a little surprised at the enthusiasm. "Karin, as long as you're an efficient and eager worker, you're very welcome. We work on repairs, boat-making, and all kinds of other things. As you can tell, 'ere we've got a real love of woodwork."

The man laughed a little ruefully, but then inclined his head assertively. "So, if you could let me know what kind of skills you 'ave that you think are applicable, then I can 'elp you out with an apprenticeship!" The man looked at her, curiously. But before Karin even opened her mouth, the man started speaking again, "Oh! And my name's Cadog, and that's Fern, and we both run and own the shop 'ere." So, that's what they're called. The girl had been wondering for a while now their names.

"Cadog? Well, I've had a little practise in carving wood, but I've never been taught as such, only by my parents". At this, the girl scowled internally. Petching parents. "I carved a wooden spoon". For a while, Cadog stood listening to what the girl had to say even once she'd finished, and evaluating her thoroughly, not maliciously but with the gaze of a worker who needs to know whether they've got the right person or not. She felt a little self-conscious, standing there in her drab browns, her fingers smooth and un-calloused.

She felt very under-worked, quite unlike the two men that stood in front of her. "Oh come on Da, let her have it. She's clearly keen." Ferny winked at her, and Karin smiled back, a little uneasily, as she wasn't really sure if the man was joking or not. "Sorry chuck, of course you can. What'd you like to work on? I'm thinkin' I'll give you over to Fern here to work with, he's a good teacher. Maybe you'd like to help with the basics to begin with? We've got this 'ere boat in dock, which is pretty damaged, with algae an' all. Some of the hull needs replacing due to the damage, and I've set Fern to get the boards replaced. So, how's about you give him a hand with all that, and we'll work from there!" The man gave the both of them a brief smile as he started ambling over to the workshop door again, and soon he'd gone back inside.

by **Karin** on August 30th, 2015, 9:28 pm

Karin was left with Ferny. The sun was getting lower in the sky, and Karin wondered what it'd be like to work here. From what she'd seen and heard so far, the pair seemed very pleasant. And the work seemed okay. In fact, she was a little excited. She had a job! It'd been as easy as that, which was pretty surprising. But quite lucky really. The girl glanced around her, trying to place herself.

In front of her, she could see the workshop lit up a pale gold from the sun's rays. Nearer to her, the floor was littered with little scraps of wood. A woven basket filled with off-cuts lay to the side, and stacked up against the edge of the boat were some long lengths of wood, already cut up and shaped. Lying on the floor behind Ferny's makeshift desk were some longer, thicker lengths of wood, which seemed to be the raw ingredients of the workshop. Ferny looked at the girl looking around with interest, and pointed out the tool kit, which lay gleaming on the floor next to the desk.

"You'll be needed to get some items from there Karin. We need about five more planks cut for 'Stallion', here." He gestured fondly at the boat, which bobbed up and down desultory. "So, if you head over there an' pick up the saw." Karin walked over to the tool kit, and knelt down in the sawdust, rifling through the selection. The instruments were well used, but looked after, they gleamed gently under her fingers. Underneath a long, thin, pointed instrument lay the saw. She picked it up and gazed at the ragged points, taking care to keep her fingers well away from the sharpness.

"So, 'Rin, may I call you that? That's the wrong saw. But don't worry! If you just go check under there..." He stretched the word 'there' out as Karin reached to search under the pile of wood that he gestured at. A larger saw, with thicker serrations lurked underneath, and Karin grasped it by it's handle. "This one?" He said, "That's the one! Okay, so bring it over here, and I'll just fetch the plank which we need to cut." The man reached over and hefted a plank onto his shoulder, cursing as he got a splinter in his finger. The bench, next to where Karin stood shuffling awkwardly, was covered in bits of paper. Ferny directed Karin to clear it, and he plonked the wood down on the bench.

Karin lifted the saw up in her hand, and placed it down self-consciously on the surface of the wood. She was a little out of her depth. She really only knew the basics, whittling mostly. She didn't want to appear stupid in front of her new employers, but at the same time, she wanted to learn. So, with trepidation, she asked, "Ferny, I haven't really done anything like this before. I don't want to get it wrong." The man laughed at her, to her embarrassment, and told her that, "You won't make a mistake! Just put your elbow into it. Get workin' girl." She looked down with a blush as her hair fell past her cheeks. Yeah, okay then Ferny. "Oh, and before you start? We just need to cut that plank in half, okay? exactly in half- use a bit of twine to measure it or something. I'm going to be over here."

The girl sighed with a little bit of relief as Ferny walked away, and she started to as Ferny said, 'put her elbow in it'. The work was quite simple once she started to get into it. The sawing was jarring a little, as the teeth caught on the grain of the wood, but it soon became easy, and she had soon finished. Ferny walked over and inspected her work. Seeing that she'd done a good job, he handed her a couple of more logs to halve. The girl was getting into it now, using the time to inspect her surroundings, and think a little about her new job.

The wood workshop looked interesting, and Karin looked forward to being able to look inside. However, the boat in the dry dock was a little more interesting. 'Stallion' was a beautiful boat, despite the damage. It's stern was painted with a dancing horse, and the sails that were hanging loosely seemed to be made of quite a fine material. She was quite glad to be able to work on it, even if it was in the simplest way. Time passed in a blur, as she worked on her sawing.

By the time she'd finished, there was a neat stack of planks next to her, and as Ferny had passed her a file, there rough edges had been smoothed. In fact, she was feeling quite fulfilled and indeed, happy. By this time the sun had shifted, with Syna's glorious sunset spilling her rays across the ocean. Ferny had disappeared somewhere, and Karin was a little unsure of what to do, so she started to hesitantly wander across to the workshop, half hoping to be able to have a peep inside.

However, Cadog came out through the door just as she got there, giving her a blast of a sweet, resin-y smell. "Oh! Hey 'Rin. I was just packin' up, would you mind giving me a hand? Ferny wandered off somewhere." He frowned a little at his son, and Karin good-naturedly smiled. The pair, curly brown hair and long blonde hair side-by-side, started to pack up, ferrying all the things from the workspace to the workshop door. Cadog instructed Karin to cover up the boat, which she delighted in, hopping up onto the deck and dragging the thick tarpaulin over the decking.

By the time they'd finished, Leth had started to climb over Alvadas, and Karin was yawning, covering her mouth with her hand as she was unused to this kind of work. I'm surprisingly tired! With a smile, Cadog told her to go home, which the girl agreed with. As she started to walk home, a smile split across her face. She'd been wrong about this trip to the port after all. In fact, everything was looking hopeful. By the time she reached the fuggy warmth of home, she was convinced of her new job.

The bell had only just struck twenty-one, but the girl curled up on her sleeping mat, with the dust of the workshop still dusting her skin. Sleepily she thought, the Suvan is so much closer now... And so as the night fell, Karin dreamt of creaking sails and brine-cracked smiles.

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