[Job thread] Exploring the Sea in Search of a Saw

by **Karin** on August 25th, 2015, 9:21 pm

90th of Summer, 515 AV, The Patchwork Port: Wooden Wonders Workshop

Karin winced in horror as the saw flew, with a grace that belied its form, directly into the softly lapping waves of the Suvan Sea.
Oh yes, the day had been eventful. First off, she'd been late for work, something which in itself wasn't too much of a problem, as Alvadas's streets were notoriously tricksome and treacherous to any travellers of its streets.

The second problem was that she'd forgotten to take lunch with her this morning. So, all morning, she'd been working hard, working up an appetite, and come lunchtime- nothing. Grouchy, she'd carried on working with a grumbling stomach, until mid-afternoon, when a horde of overexcited dogs had streamed through the port, carrying destruction in their wake. They'd knocked the bench over, scattering some ever so neatly piled logs and sending that fated saw soaring into the waters, as the owner apologised profusely, running after her destructive, errant pets.

Ionu was having a laugh today, that was for sure. I just cannot believe it. After everything else that's been going on today, now this. I mean, why? Why Ionu, why? The girl shrugged her hands up in despair, and sighed a deep, meaningful sigh which ended in her punching her hand- which, of course being the day it was, really petching hurt.

PETCH! Karin's language and mood were going steadily downhill. However, she tried to clear her head, sitting down on the bench and starting absentmindedly to cup some sawdust in her hand. Okay. The saw went in the water. I have... how many options? I can either go and buy a new one... This thought wasn't particularly appealing, as she was pretty low on cash. And as the accident wasn't her fault, she didn't see a reason why she should buy one out of her own pocket. This saw posed a bit of a dilemma.

She didn't want to buy one, but if she had to, she wasn't entirely sure how expensive these things were. From the way Ferny and Cadog looked after their equipment, she assumed it'd be pretty pricey. Plus, Karin wasn't one to waste things. So, the loss of the saw really bothered her. Okay girl, option number two. Think girl, think. The girl tapped her chin, and then started to place the tools remaining back into their respective places inside the toolkit.

She couldn't really concentrate on a second option though. The messy workplace was really bugging her, much more than she realised. Not that she was that neat, but she didn't want to leave it like it was, it was too much like a personal trophy of how rubbish her day was going.

by **Karin** on September 1st, 2015, 7:47 pm

Karin had got a little way into tidying up when from the workshop Ferny started to waltz over, holding a cup of some steaming broth in his hands. "What's goin' on 'Rin?" The man's annoying, mischievous grin sparked across his face, but it quickly fell when he saw the destruction of their workplace. "Karin, what's going on? Why is this such a mess?"

The man's face was furrowed in a disgruntled frown as he surveyed the area. Karin was equally disgruntled, if not more so. "Look, Ferny, this isn't my fault. There were some dogs, and some other things and well... there's something else. The big saw- it's in there". She gestured at the waters in despair. Ferny looked at her, questioning and disapproving all in one, clearly looking for an explanation. The girl sighed dejectedly. "Well, it goes like this..." By the time she was finished, Ferny was trying to hide a smile, his usual quick spirits already brightening.

"So, what you're sayin' is that- these dogs rushed past, terrified owner being tugged along behind", he snorted a snigger and continued, "And then that yappy dog gave a particularly big leap! An' knocked this 'ere table, which then threw the saw into the water? What a story!" Ferny laughed and started to clear up again, chuckling under his breath. But Karin was really not impressed. "Look here. I've been doin' a really petchin' day today, so this is really not funny. And saw's are not cheap! I mean, honestly, you can't just laugh at everything I say!"

She was indignant, annoyed and petching infuriated at his manner. But the man simply shrugged, as if to say, 'what are you going to do about it?' He started to pack up the things that had been scattered, stacking and neatening the pile of logs and the workbenches. Karin stood there, deep in thought, with a furrowed brow.

All of a sudden, a brainwave struck. "Hey, Fern! I've got an idea, I vaguely remember where it went down, so... I can go down and fetch it! The water's not too cold, and it's quite shallow around here. I'll go find it." Brilliant! This way, I'll save money AND get to go for a swim. The girl almost chuckled. Things were starting to look up. Ferny looked at her disbelievingly. "You", he stated flatly. Karin nodded, as she started to slip her boots off, treading gingerly on the floor of the work area. "Yes, me. I've been swimming in these waters a lot. I can do this, it'll be easy".

She was exaggerating a little bit, but she hoped it'd be okay, and that was good enough for her. She started to roll up her trousers, debating internally whether or not to take them off for better efficiency under the water. "Look Karin, don't be stupid. Look. There's all them boats in the water, there. There's sharp rocks, and only Laviku knows what the tides are doing under there. Hey, Karin. Karin!" But Ferny's complaints were lost to her ears, as the girl had rolled up her sleeves, rolled up her trousers as much as they would go, and had dived, messily but easily into the waters of the port.

by **Karin** on September 3rd, 2015, 10:17 am

Immediately, Karin felt the delicious frisson of shock, the cool sensations of water on her skin. Millions of tiny bubbles and goosebumps sprinkled across her skin through her hair, over her face and nose and legs. The girl hadn't yet opened her eyes, as she always took a little time to adjust to the saline water, but she did notice almost immediately the sensations of the water- the deceptive currents tugging, the small shoal of fish somewhere to her right.

Her dive had taken her quite deep, but she was starting to rise to the surface now as her lungs started to burn. Her head breached the waves with a gasp of air, as her ears popped quietly. "Karin!" Ferny was yelling faintly from the side, so she threw a vague grin of reassurance to the man, and a short, "I'm fine!" She treaded water for a little while, getting her breath back from the dive, and acclimatising to the cool.

Her clothes felt heavy on her, and she cursed internally, realising she should have taken her trousers off after all. For a while, the girl floated there, regulating her breathing. Breath iiiin. Breathe ouuuut. Breathe innn. Breathe ooout. When she felt sure she could continue, she took a steady, deep breath in, and plunged her head down under the waves again.

This time, her eyes were open, and she blinked furiously as the water touched the surface of her eyeball. She held onto her nose with one hand, and pushed forwards with the other, scanning her surroundings, every sense tingling. Her movements were sluggish, but she was only searching, not swimming in earnest. The girl's hair turned ghostly in the dim light filtering down from the surface, as strands of it flicked across her face, feather-light.

Around her, she could see the murky outlines of the port, the wooden supports for the jetties, various bits of debris. She could also sense... no, she couldn't quite sense the saw. In fact, she wasn't even sure if she could sense inanimate objects. But she saw no harm in trying, so she continued scanning. Behind her now, the flock of fish swam with fluttering, flickering movements.

Some seaweed brushed against her foot, and she kicked herself down a little, as the air caught in her lungs was making her float. The water wasn't terribly deep, which was quite beneficial for the girl, as hopefully she'd be able to find the saw easier. To her annoyance, she was starting to run out of breath again, so she headed to the surface.

By the time she'd been under, Ferny had made his way closer to the edge, and she was greeted by an annoyed frown as she surfaced. "Karin, get outta there. I don't mind as you can clearly manage yourself in the water, but you're leavin' me to do all the tidying up girl. And I still don't think it's that safe. If you get killed, what'll I do for another apprentice?" The man laughed darkly, probably hoping to make her feel scared or intimidated, but Karin wasn't phased.

"Ey, don't be afraid Ferny. I'll be okay, look." She did a little flip in the water, beaming as she re-surfaced. "You flipped water in my face!", exclaimed the man, but he was smiling a begrudging smile. "Ferny, it's okay. I promise, I'll find the saw, and then I'll get out and help you, and everything'll be fine." Ferny waved his hand at her, and perched on the side. "Okay, well... get on with you."

Karin smiled in relief, and dunked her head down under the refreshing waves. This time she had a plan. There's no use in randomly searching. So instead what I'll do is pick an anchor point, and then search the area around there until I find it. She smirked to herself at her plan. Dang, that's a good idea Karin. She looked around, full of pride, for a good place to start her search.

Feeling, rather than seeing the posts to her left, the girl span around in the water, kicking her feet until she was able to wrap her hand around the post and pull herself down. Being careful of the rocks in this underwater grotto, she poked about with her foot. In fact, all she could see were a few scattered fish bones, carefully picked clean by some sea creature. A small, mottled crab scuttled out from under a rock, and she withdrew her foot carefully. Okay, so... not there. She withdrew to the surface again, and drew in a deep, satisfying breath.

Ferny stood there, expectantly. "Just one more thing. If you find the saw, then all's fine. But, if after I've finished tidying and gettin' everything sorted, and you're still not done, then you're outta there, and down to the market to buy a new saw, okay? Got it?" The girl nodded breathlessly, and looked up at the man. "Okay Ferny." She would definitely find this saw before he'd finished. The race was on!

by **Karin** on September 3rd, 2015, 11:40 am

Her third time down under water was more fruitful. The girl had decided to swim over to where the currents seemed to be pulling debris away from the harbour, and search around that area. She'd roughly calculated that the saw could have come down in the area, and then been caught by the current a little, spinning it somewhere else.

The sea was a murky green-grey, with little bubbles rushing past her eyes as she pushed further down. She could take endless delight in the way she moved in the ocean. The way the water spun and shimmered around her, even in this murk. As she reached the sea bed, she marvelled at all the life that lived there. Little bits of coral and seaweed, and all the little fish! However, she tried not to get distracted by the scenery, as she really didn't want to let Ferny beat her.

There was a lot more to discover this little distance further from the port, so Karin pushed down so that she was parallel with the coral, her stomach occasionally scratching uncomfortably against the prickly spines as she tried to regulate herself. Okay. What have we got here? The girl poked around the mini ecosystem, marvelling but keeping focussed on the task at hand.

Almost before she'd run out of breath, she spotted something. There! A glint! It's the saw! She was punching her fist in the air internally, running round in circles crowing her victory to Ferny. Because what had been the simplest way to turn a bad situation to a slightly better one had now turned into a race, one which Karin found herself wanting to win.

So, she placed where she thought the saw would be in her mind's eye, and re-surfaced, drawing in deep breaths and quickly glancing over to the workshop to see where Ferny was. The man was no-where to be seen, but fortunately, the workshop still seemed as messy as when she'd left it. Okay, I've still got time yet. Hastily, she pushed herself back down underwater, feeling her ears pop as she swam a little too fast down to the bottom.

She was in luck, she'd managed to find herself in exactly the same place she was last time. She looked closer, and... Yes! There it was, that most irritating of saws, wedged in between two lumps of rock. Okay! Karin was excited and her heart beat fast in her chest as she swam closer, navigating the waters with speed and ease. If she'd been paying closer attention, she'd realise that she was using up her air faster than she'd be able to get the saw out. But for the time being, the girl just wanted to get closer to the saw, free it from the rock's clutches, and return to the surface, crowing with victory.

by **Karin** on September 3rd, 2015, 12:10 pm

She was now right next to the saw. Surrounding it were the two rocks which were acting as temporary guards. The rocks were barnacle-encrusted, and the sand around the rocks was fine and dusty as she kicked it up with her movements. She could sense that there was some kind of big fish lurking somewhere in the background, but it was no worry to her. I'll just be up and out. Of course, she was far too optimistic.

Karin grabbed hold of the saw handle, tugging as sharply as she could to free it. But, it was stuck. Her mind raced- having Ferny laugh at her for the rest of her time there, having to put her tail between her legs and buy a new one, being made to saw for the rest of her stay... But she refused to let these kinds of thoughts get in the way of her goal. I'm sure it'll get free if I apply at bit of pressure. What is it that I've seen people do to get boats back into the water?

She cycled through everything she could think of, wasting precious seconds, until, Yes! That's it! If I can lever the rocks apart, then the saw will fall out, and it'll be okay. The girl was starting to run out of breath, and her lungs felt like they were burning, but she searched around to find a branch or another rock, anything in which to prise open the rocks. Nothin'! Suddenly she was frustrated again. Her breath was short, her temper was short... She pushed to the surface, and as her head breached the water, she sucked up deep lungfuls of air.

Ferny looked over as he heard the splash, and grinned, waving a mallet in the air. The workshop was suddenly looking far more tidy than it should. Petch it! And him. The girl dived back down into the water, desperately this time. She reached the sea bed, her hand grasping onto the sand, scrabbling around to find something to prise open the rocks. C'mon, c'mon! Finally, her fingers closed blindly against something hard. Hooray! A rock!

The rock in question was tapered on one end, and flat on the other, not quite the perfect shape, but it'd do. Karin unfortunately needed two hands to lift it, so she removed her hand from her nose, blowing air out through her nose so that the water didn't spill back into her mouth and choke her. She hastily kicked her legs and pushed herself and the stone forwards until she managed to place it between the two rocks. The placing was a little wonky, but Karin needed a free hand, so she covered over her nose again. That was a lot of breath wasted girl. Fortunately, she had the stone in place, so she manoeuvred herself into place too, swimming clunkily behind the makeshift lever until she could place her palm flat on the surface of the rock.

Applying all of the pressure she could, she dug her feet into the sea bed, and heaved. Unfortunately, her actions had hardly any affect. She tried again, exerting as much force as she could. Again, no affect. Maybe it's something to do with the way I've got it positioned? She quickly tried to move the stone, but it didn't budge. Okay. This is going well. I think not. Out of desperation, she tried again, wiggling up and down with frustration. There was a muffled crack, and Karin looked on in horror as the stone she'd so valiantly sought out cracked in two. Nooo! The girl was horrified. This was her only chance, and now look!

The girl grimaced and scrabbled around under the water, kicking up sand and shells as she tried to lift the broken rock up again. But it wouldn't work. Karin kicked herself to the surface desultorily. She was now very warm, the waters around her were refreshing but she in herself was scorching from the physical exercise she'd been doing. Her ears were filled with water, and her clothes were soggy.

All in all, the girl was miserable. She broke through the surface of the water, and looked over at Ferny, ready to give in. But to her surprise, the man was still working, looking worried as far as Karin could see. Hmm. She bobbed up and down in the water, her arms and legs a little tired as she recuperated. One last try I think. The girl readied herself, and plunged underwater.

by **Karin** on September 3rd, 2015, 12:13 pm

The sea glimmered and sparkled as a shot of sunlight hit the surface, and suddenly the water was alight. Karin looked around with delight, and swam down to the saw. It didn't matter if she didn't get it out, she thought. She could always concede defeat. She'd tried at least, Ferny couldn't fault her on that. The girl's movements were sluggish, and she was getting a little tired. But she reached the rocks, and gently grasped her hand around the handle of the saw again.

She tried wiggling it from side to side, she tried surprising it a jerking it out as fast as she could, but it wouldn't budge. Finally, she swam round to the other side of the rocks. She grabbed hold of a flat pebble, and placed it against the pointed end of the saw, and applied her foot to the pebble. She pushed, kicking her free foot out as she held onto the rock with her free hand. All in all, she looked a sight, like a hermit crab trying to crawl into a shell. Her hair bunched around her, and what muscles she had in her legs bulged.

But- result! The saw catapulted out of the rocks, nestling itself innocently into the sand, as if it had never been a problem. The girl was ecstatic! Yes! Thank you thank you thank you! She didn't know who she was thanking, the god Laviku probably, but she was just so thankful. She swam round the rock, the adrenaline giving her energy as she sinuously reached down to pick up the saw by the handle. She shot to the surface, kicking her legs furiously, sending a school of fish darting nervously in the opposite direction.

"FERNY!" She yelled as loud as she could, and the man looked over. "Oh, you made me jump Rin. Didya..." But then man had seen the saw in her hand, and the triumphant grin on her face. "Okay girl. You win. But now you have to finish tidying." He smirked, and gestured at the workbenches. Karin sighed. The day was almost over, and although it had started pretty badly, she had to admit that she'd actually had a nice afternoon in her most favourite of places.

Word Count :

Note :

by **Sayana** on October 17th, 2015, 2:26 pm

Don't forget to edit/delete your grade request. If there's anything I may have missed, please PM me and I'll be happy to look into it.

Karin

Skills

Endurance: 5
Organization: 2
Planning: 3
Observation: 5
Socialization: 3
Storytelling: 1
Swimming: 5
Investigation: 3
Tactics: 3
Bodybuilding: 2

Lores

Swimming: Simple diving
Swimming: Treading water
Search tactics: Using an achor point
Swimming: Recovering a fallen object in shallow water
Using a lever to lift something

Comments: What a fun thread. I enjoyed how much effort Karin put into retrieving the saw (and just how awful you made her day even before the thread started). You might want to double check whether it would count as a job thread. In my opinion it seemed more like a seasonal experience thread but Fable might be more flexible when it comes to job threads.

Your Grader,

Sayana

Boxcode design: Firenze