Closed The Nail that Sticks Out, Gets Hammered (Hwyn)

Karyk stops by the Orphanage with a delivery and job to do.

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A city floating in the center of a lake, Ravok is a place of dark beauty, romance and culture. Behind it all though is the presence of Rhysol, God of Evil and Betrayal. The city is controlled by The Black Sun, a religious organization devoted to Rhysol. [Lore]

The Nail that Sticks Out, Gets Hammered (Hwyn)

Postby Karyk on September 6th, 2017, 9:22 pm

Fall 1st, 517 AV

Karyk wiped the sweat from his brow, grunting as he continued to pound away, deep with the bowels of the Shipyard's newest lady, The Katarina. Mallet in hand, he swung it over and over, striking the plank he'd just fitted into the carved slats along the port side of her exposed ribs. He watched as a thin line of tar leaked out, which Karyk scraped off with the tool for accomplishing such a thing. Eyeballing his lines, happy with a near imperceptible seal, he turned to see Sharay staring up at his work, a mallet in her own hand.

He observed her own slat. She did a fine job getting it in straight, but it still stuck out a couple of hair's widths. "Ya need to 'i' i' 'arder love bug. An' make sure ya smack i' evenly alon' the face, so i' ain' crooked." She nodded and began slamming the mallet loudly against the board which made slow progress. Karyk, watching carefully, pointed to areas she needed to strike next as it still wasn't being fully even. And she complied eagerly. Soon, the thin line of tar began to appear, and that seemed to spur the twelve year old onward.
"Tha's good, scrape the gunk off."

She followed suit, slinging the sludge into the shared bucket. "Tha's the las' of the boards, le's go see if the new shipmen' got 'ere." The walked through the barebones of the sloop, past a few other workers, to the side of the dry dock. They both belted their tools, and then Karyk picked Sharay up and lifted her to the edge. She scrambled up over the side. Karyk stepped up on a beam, and reached up grabbing the top of the 'rib' of the ship. He pressed his other foot flat against the dry dock wall, and heaved himself up, half walking, half pulling himself up, until he kicked a leg up and over the side.

Once there Karyk saw a raft floating through the secured water gate, laden with lumber. Their delivery had arrived. But the man guiding the raft, in a similar fashion to Ravosalas, though a lot more slowly, wore a very sour look on his face. The man pulled up to the side of the private canal, and tied off, "You all best appreciate this. We're so overworked and understaffed now with that blasted new outpost opening up. Some of my guys quit because they thought it would compete with their work, others left to go work there, and I'm left holding the bag like a goddamn fool. You know how hard it is to find anyone around here that knows their way around an axe? With all you city folk that can't tell the difference between a beech and an oak."

Sharay piped in, "Beeches 'ave the tree urchins. Oak nu's 'ave lil' 'elmets on 'em. They's on the groun' all year lon'. 's not 'ard."

The man looked down at her incredulously. "Lucky guess. What's the hardest wood found in the area?"

Sharay hesitated, and shook her head, slouching at her inability to know the answer. Karyk patted her on the head, looked the man in the eye, "'ickory. We used to call i' ironwood back 'ome."

The man's eyes narrowed at Karyk, sizing up his build and musculature. "Got your own axe?" Karyk scoffed, "I go' a whole bunch of 'em. Who uses jus' one?"

The man smiled, "Want a job? Get you out of the city for a while. I can't pay you as much as you make here, but you'll get plenty of fresh air."

Karyk considered the offer. He could afford to make less money, he had enough to buy a piece of land to live on, they could easily get by, and he knew he could be worth more before long. And he'd been dying to get out of the city proper. It was nice and all, but he was so much more comfortable where life was a little less comfortable.

"If ya want, I'll start you off on an easy job. I got another raft out front of here with a delivery of wood to the orphanage. We were going to do some handy work around there for them. If you're willing, I'll have my boy drop you and the wood off there, I really could use his help back on Lakeshore. Stop by the Calico company tomorrow morning, and the job is yours."

Karyk really wanted to say yes. He looked down at Sharay who was wide eyed at the man's words. "Would ya an' ya brothers like to live ou' by the woods? Won' be as fancy as 'ere."

Sharay slugged him in the hip and just beamed up at him. That was more than enough of an answer. "I'll do i'."

Karyk walked over to the side of the ship, looking down at his work crew below, seeing his foreman there, hammering away at a slat fitting into the keel, "Oi, boss. I qui'. I'll ge' mah gear an' my pay now. Bes' of luck on The Katarina, she a beaut." And with that, Karyk and Sharay gathered their tools and emptied his locker, and made their way out front with Matthias, from the Calico company, his new employer. A raft awaited them, weighed down from a wide variety of boards. The raft driver was some boy barely old enough to have chin hair, covered in acne. A ravosala was across the way, and Karyk let loose a shrill whistle, "Oi, o'er 'ere."

The ravosalaman drove over, and Karyk helped load up all the extra gear that he wouldn't need for the orphanage. "Love bug, ge' on 'ome, 'elp your brothers ge' ready and packed. We leave a' firs' ligh' tomorrow." Karyk told the ravosalaman to take her to Tarsin's and paid the man. Then he boarded the raft, nodding at the pimpled boy.

It didn't take long before the raft pulled up at the front of the platform, before the main entrance of the orphanage. Karyk grabbed a load of boards, grunted as he balanced them on his shoulder, then stepped off the raft to the dock there, walking up the steps to the yard in front of the entrance. He sat the boards down, and made several trips until all of his gear was unloaded, unaware of the various children's eyes spying on him from the windows and from behind bushes, and from around corners.

Karyk picked up his tool kit, then walked up the steps to the large door. He grabbed the heavy metal knocker, and slammed it down several times, and waited for someone to answer. He stepped back, examining the building. It looked a bit old, but was a very large building, and quite sturdy. He wondered if that meant a lot of work to be done.
Follow your heart, and the plot will follow.
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The Nail that Sticks Out, Gets Hammered (Hwyn)

Postby Hwyn on September 11th, 2017, 11:22 pm

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The company of the little ones. One of the few things he decidedly felt comfortable with. They didn't ask difficult questions and just seemed happy to have someone to play with. They liked listening to his violin and he was always happy to oblige them with a song when they asked. Such was this particular evening.

Five little ones were with him this even, all around six or seven arcs of age. Playing for them a jaunty tune that reminded him of the music he'd learned from the sailors on his way from Syliras to Mura. They music had a certain jaunty sound to it that made one want to tap there feet and move about, and while he could get away with simply bobbing to the rhythm as he played the little ones moved about in a disjointed exuberance that kicked the sawdust of the timbers about and brought smiles to all there faces. He didn't know if he could call there circling and kicking about dancing but it was at the very least merry.

Left and right the bow went across the strings as his fingers danced to elicit notes to tickle the ears of those listening. Smiling in spite of himself he allowed the infectious joy of the children to eclipse his normally solemn mood. Kids were simply a weakness of his, there innocence and ease at which they live each day carefree giving him the desire to further improve their days.

So he'd taken to playing for them when he had to time to make them happy and through them himself vicariously happy. He didn't know if he could ever find his own happiness but that which he borrowed was good enough he thought.

Spinning as they danced around him the midday afternoon session of free time was being spent happily bringing sound to the entire second floor of the orphanage. The tell tale sounds of little feet dancing about easily heard a floor below.

Singing the song he'd learned before he tried to vocalize it but raising his voice still felt unnatural so he was hardly able to make his quiet voice match that of his violin but he sang on anyways simply happy to be able to do so.

Leaving behind, Zeltiva
Leaving behind my tribe
Leaving behind, Zeltiva
On the waves I must ride

I met him in the tavern, Sailor all his life
Met him in the tavern, 'scaped from my old wife

Leaving behind, Zeltiva
Leaving behind my tribe
Leaving behind, Zeltiva
On the waves I must ride

This time tomorrow reckon where I'll be
Hadn't-a been for Zulrav, Blew me cross half the sea (well now, boy)

Leaving behind, Zeltiva
Leaving behind my tribe
Leaving behind, Zeltiva
On the waves I must ride

Leaving behind, Zeltiva
Leaving behind my tribe
Leaving behind, Zeltiva
On the waves I must ride


This time tomorrow reckon where I'll be
Wherever my lord Laviku, tells me I should be.

Leaving behind, Zeltiva
Leaving behind my tribe
Leaving behind, Zeltiva
On the waves I must ride


Leaving behind, Zeltiva
Leaving behind my tribe
Leaving behind, Zeltiva
On the waves I must ride
On the waves I must ride
On the waves I must ride
On the waves I must ride

Drawing in a deep breath he finally stopped playing and sighed a content sigh.

“ok little ones, let me catch my breath..”

“awww Hwyyynnn one moreee” they chimed back in response but he shook his head ruefully. He'd play for them again later but singing felt unnatural for him still.


Credit to Shimoje, the bestest buddy
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