Open The Docks A Hire Purpose

[Griblo Jankweed]

((OOC - This thread is a follow up to the thread A Direction Worth Selling mainly for @Emilio and @Griblo Jankweed. However, I'm keeping it open if anybody see's an opportunity to jump in. There's no real plan here other than to have fun!))

It was a dreadfully dreary day in the Vulpine Imperium. Dense fog clung to the eaves of the dockside warehouses, while steady rain turned the roadways into rivers of mud. Cart tracks had filled to the brim, puddles so wide they swallowed the street whole.

Through the gloom trudged two beasts, both drenched to the bone. The first, a wiry ferret named Griblo Jankweed, seemed entirely unbothered by the weather. In fact, his mood was positively sparkling. He had just turned a tidy profit off a compass that had “fallen into his paws” after a young wildcat had indulged too heavily in grog and slumped beside some barrels. Beside him lumbered his new companion: Emilio, a badger who was rather less drunk than when Griblo first found him, but no less unemployed.

Despite orchestrating the scam that lightened Emilio’s purse, Griblo wasn’t without conscience. The badger had no steady income, no work to speak of. That didn’t sit right with the ferret. He knew plenty of beasts, plenty of places where a strong back could earn a meal. And if Emilio was slow, well... at least he was sturdy. Someone, surely, could put him to use.

Griblo sprang over a wide puddle and turned, waiting for the heavy-footed badger to catch up. His grin flashed through the rain.

"Not much fe’rther, mate. Oi t’ink dis is gonna be an easy one."

The pair came to a sagging warehouse with peeling barn-red paint. Griblo rapped smartly on the smaller beast-sized door set within the broad wagon doors.

"Oi, Grimfur! Open up! T’is yer pal Griblo."

A shuffling of paws came from within, followed by the wet, guttural hawk of a spit. The latch lifted, and the door swung inward to reveal a black-furred sable in dirty overalls, half a cigar clamped between his teeth. His fur was slicked with grime, his eyes bleary.

"Skulkin’ aroun’ in th’ murk, are ye’? Tha’s never gud."

Griblo shoved past him without hesitation, stepping into the humid, tar-scented interior. The warehouse was stacked haphazardly with crab pots in varying states of repair, barrels, crates, even a small fishing boat propped up on thick wooden supports.

"T’is a glorious day, Grim. Don’ let some rain get ye’ down! Oi gots a new matey. ‘Is name is Emil, an’ ‘e’s lookin’ fer a job."

He gestured the badger inside, dripping water onto the sawdust-strewn floor.

The sable took a long, slow drag on his cigar and exhaled a choking plume of acrid smoke. His gaze crawled up and down Emilio’s broad frame before he spoke.

"Ye ever been on a fishin’ vessel ’afore?" He narrowed his eyes, then cut a sideways glance to Griblo. "Damn, ‘e looks loike ‘e’d topple o’er on a two-inch wake. Ye pick ’im up off de floor of a tavern, or sommat?"

Griblo scoffed and waved a paw.

"Oi, ‘e an’ oi met in a bisniss deal, mate! Honest!" He turned eagerly to Emilio, steel-blue eyes flashing with expectation. "Sell yerself, mate! Tell ’im how capable ye is!"

 

[Emilio]

Rain flowed off the brim of Emilio's helmet and down to the ground and the sleeves of his gambeson in equal measure, while his boots splished into puddles to great displacement of the water. Wonderful weather for a hangover to creep into his body, certainly. Not too bright, not too hot. The fact that his socks were damp didn't help, but nobeast can have it all. It wasn't his first time going into work with the sour consequences of indulgence visible on his face, it probably wouldn't be the last. Griblo was chipper, Emilio smiled back along the way.

The sight of the warehouse inspired a dull sense of familiarity in the badger. He'd never been to this one, but sure, he'd carted wood and brick to and from others down south. He could only anticipate, then, something similar. Loading crates from visiting ships, perhaps? Something dull, duller than he'd hoped, even, but not objectionable. He could earn his pay like that without complaint. He stretched his limbs and rolled his neck as Griblo knocked on the door for Grimfur! A thoroughly verminous name, but he didn't judge. Much.

Emil ducked down to enter the door after Griblo, sniffing and shaking himself a bit to get the water off now that they finally had a roof above them. There was a comforting industrial stink to the place that put him at ease, though a bit fishier than he was used to. He nods along to Griblo's introduction, staring down to Grimfur with the corners of his mouth curved upwards throughout. The grin grows as the sable scrutinizes him. "Fishin' vessel? Well..." He looked to the boat on stilts. "That'd be a new one. I been in a loggin' camp. Mine, quarry... one've them flooded once, if'at helps. 'Course, I weren't workin' that dae... A river mill, a wind mill, a worker on the Impress' Road, an' I moved cargo down in the Pricklee docks, but I ain't been on no boat, I must admit." No, he weren't no sailor- even worse, a continental- but he was proud of the resume all the same, and rubbed a knuckle against his chest, happy to share his history.

 

[Griblo Jankweed]

Grimfur’s brows lifted slightly as Emilio rattled off his history, cigar tip glowing brighter with a long drag. For a moment he looked almost bemused, but when the badger finished, a rough chuckle worked its way out of his throat.

"Hah! Didn’ think ye had half that much in ye, lad. More’n I was expectin’, that’s fer sure."

He tapped ash onto the damp floorboards and gave a shake of his head, a puff of smoke drifting between them.

"A shame, though. Not th’ season fer good hauls, an’ I’d be mad t’ take on a beast wi’ no sea legs this time o’ year. Truth is, I can’t use ye." His tone wasn’t cruel, just blunt. A touch of regret flickered in his eyes. "But I know a fella a few warehouses down. Crane busted on ‘im a few days ago. He’ll be needin’ muscle ‘til it’s fixed, an’ ye look like ye’ve got plenty t’ spare."

Griblo clapped Emilio on the arm with a grin sharp enough to cut through the cigar smoke.

"Aww, see? Told ye we’d strike somethin’, mate! Not much fer nets n’ fish, but a busted crane? Oi reckon tha’s yer kind o’ luck!"

He gave Grimfur a two-fingered salute and ushered Emilio back toward the door, tail lashing in triumph.

"C’mon, mate. We'll go get ye imployed yet! Not much fe’rther, an’ if’n ‘e don’ hire ye, oi’ll eat me boots."

 

[Emilio]

"Ahhhh. Arrite." Emil sighed, but gave an understanding nod. He offered up a paw for Grimfur to shake and a "Thanks for the tip, mister. An' good fishin'." Sometimes that was just how it went, here or down south. Wasn't a thing for it. He sniffled as the smoke burned his nose.

He'd step away towards the door as he felt the ferret's touch on his arm. "Aye, rite promisin' this crane business. Weh-heh heh." He chuckled at the notion of Griblo eating his boots. This next place seemed to have a more fitting opportunity to collect some Gilders; hopefully he wouldn't throw out his back working to replace a machine. How heavy could this cargo be? Someone had to put it on a cart at some point, probably.

"Uh- a few down? Wha's that, three or so?" He stopped to inquire for exact directions, waving back as he was stopped before the door. "Thanks again." He moved to depart back into the rain.

 

[Griblo Jankweed]

Griblo’s paw snapped out, tugging lightly at Emilio’s sleeve before the badger could wander off in the wrong direction.

"C’mon, mate. Oi’ll lead ye. Didn’ja see ‘im point?"

The ferret pushed the warehouse door shut behind them, the cigar smoke quickly swallowed by the fog. Rain still came down in heavy sheets, pattering off the warped eaves and dripping cold rivulets down their necks as they splashed back onto the muddied track.

Before long, another building loomed out of the mist, this one with its wide wagon doors propped half-open, lantern light spilling in a golden wedge across the rain-slick cobbles. From inside came the creak of timbers and the groan of stressed rope, punctuated by the occasional sharp clang of metal on metal. The smell of tar, hemp, and rust was heavy in the air.

Griblo cupped his paws to his mouth and called into the gloom.

"Oi! Any beast ’ome!?"

He squinted through the gap in the doors and caught sight of a pale figure bent over a mass of tangled pulleys and chain. The ferret’s grin spread wide.

"’Ey, you! Ye the beast wot Grimfur were talkin’ ’bout? Said yer needin’ a liftin’ beast onnacount of a brok’n crane?"

@Kaii Nashirou

 

[Kaii Nashirou]

When something mechanical of value or importance broke in Bully Harbour, one really had three options to manage that. Contacting the ones who made the thing and asking for their help. Relying on your own or borrowed maintenance crews or hiring an engineer. The first one was not always possible, the second often resulted in more of a band-aid than a real solution and the last one was expensive.

But Kaii, who was in need of more funds, was willing to work for less than most. Being awarded naval engineer, he had legitimacy thanks to which his prices were seen as an opportunity more than a problem. It was giving him money, business contacts and ability to hone skills while also he was learning about others designs. That is why he was now fixing a crane at one of the warehouses in the docklands.

Or rather, he was trying to. It was already a long day during which he went over most elements. In fact he basically dismantled the whole thing, cataloguing in the process each element and where they went for the sake of CC future reference. Aside from at least a dozen or so inefficiencies spotted, Kaii still failed to find a reason why the gears were refusing to turn. More specifically, he knew know it was in the bearings, it was just time-consuming to get there and now slowly dismantle them to seek for flaws.

So he was now sitting in the dim room. Surrounded by basically entire crane in single parts, diligently using his smallest hammer to remove the pin holding the roller. That was when the doors opened. The todd lifted his head expecting mister Two-Tails, his current employer, to come in and complain for the fourth time today that the repair takes too long. Something Kaii was able to effectively shut in by drowning the poor bastard in technical explanations.

Instead however, one wiry ferret and a bulky badger stepped into the room, it took a second for the marble fox to process the words as the specific accent was making it difficult for him to comprehend what the question truly was. Luckily, because of Swifttail, Darragh and Finnian, he was getting much better at this specific task due to necessity.

Looking between the two he shook his head slowly after giving them a respectful nod. "Greetings. If you are talking about mister Two-Tails, then I am not him. My name is Kaii and I was paid to do maintanence and repairs on the crane itself." He then returned to working on hammering the pin out while continuing to speak flatly. "There is a vixen of foreign pulchritude behind those crates." Kaii pointed to the side with the hammer between the hits. "She is currently the only beast doing the carrying as most beasts refuse to come to work in such weather and at such hours. Talk with her for tasks, I will inform Mister Two-Tails you two gentlebeasts showed in so he can pay you and so on. Please do start working even if he is yet to come. That way he will not have a reason to refuse you and he is one greedy beast." He gave polite explanation, suggesting most logical solution to all sides included.

@Marble

 

[Marble]

The last few days had been an interesting and enlightening experience for the young vixen. She had seen brief glimpses of the Empire back home but to actually be here and expereince it as the primary culture was much different and she had been taking her time to learn the laws and the people here. After she had settled here and gotten used to the way things worked she had managed to get herself lodgings for the long tearm and been working odd jobs around the city just generally getting a feel for things.

That was how she had ended up back down at the docks just shifting crates off of cargo ships as they came in. It wasn't exactly the work she was used to but she was young and fit with a lot of upper body strength so the work wasn't too bad. She did have a passing interest in the work of the Engineer but the skills was not something she had, sure she could work wood into arrows quite well but mechanical skill was not something she possessed. All said there wasn't much harm in being curious, as long as she wasn't getting in the profesionals way of course.

Today was a day with thick fog and a nasty cold to it, though thankfully half of her was used to these conditions and the other half didn't really care either way. When she got there she quickly set to work, beginning to organise the piles of boxes into neat stacks on the back of work carts, from where the crews had dumped them to where the oweners would come and collect them. Singing as she did so making the work slightly less repetative and working steadily away. What they weren't expecting was for other beasts to come and join them in their work. Turning to the voice of Kaii and leaning on a box as she watched the too beasts.
"Good morning." She would great with the thick accent of her home. "Task is simple. Take box from where the sailors dumped them. Put box onto cart that matches symbol on box. Keep going till cart is full and midday others will grab the cart." She would point to the symbol scrawled onto the front of the box with a stencil and paint, then point to one of the loading carts that had a sign next to it with the same symbol.
"If you have questions bother me not the busy Adonis. His work is delicate and in depth. Dry yourselfs off quick;y and then come get started, yes?" Smiling at the pair and then going back to her singing and loading

 

[Emilio]

Two-tails? Oh, he had to see that. Was it split down the middle? Or did they grow out separate? How did he wear trousers? Emil blinked as the learned, marbled gentle-fox dropped the word pulchritude upon him like a faceful of verbal grapeshot. "Wot?" He mumbled, not loud enough to interrupt. He shot a glance to Griblo at the notion that he should work without securing permission or a promise of pay from the one who would be responsible for actually getting any coin to him...

He kept quiet for the moment and turned to listen to the other marble fox, a foreigner, even more foreign than him, it sounded! And the other laborer about. He raised a paw in a casual salute to her, looking to the symbol on a nearby crate as she explained the system. None too hard, he preferred symbols to trying to read labels, for certain. "Who's Adonis?" He asked right quick, swearing in his head that he'd heard the engineer's name was Kaii.

"Er, one mo'." He held out a paw and placed the other on Griblo's back, tugging him closer as he lowered his head, speaking in a low voice. "I ain't even know these beasts an' they want me to work without no promise 'bout gettin' paid from the boss? I 'unno, buddy. Ain't how we do it down south, least not for strangers."

 

[Griblo Jankweed]

Griblo padded in behind Emilio, shaking the rain from his whiskers and giving the clutter of chains and parts a sour once-over. The marble fox bent over the machine earned only a half-squint.

"Oh, so ye ain’t th’ boss? Then oi don’ care, mate. Fix yer toys, keep yer hammerin’. We’s lookin’ fer work, not bedtime stories."

His gaze drifted toward the vixen stacking crates, her voice carrying between the clatter of boxes. One brow twitched at the odd word she’d tossed out.

"Oi? Adonis? Wot, there’s a third bugger hid back there? Ain’t see ’im. Figures... one beast t’work, one beast t’sing. Fine setup." He snorted, shoulders lifting in a dismissive shrug.

Then came the tug on his back. Griblo leaned in, listening to Emilio’s grumble with an exaggeratedly solemn nod before answering low, sharp as a dagger drawn in a back alley, yet somehow still tinged with genuine sympathy.

"Oi ain’t lettin’ ye get swindled, mate. Ye ain’t liftin’ a paw ’til freaky-tail hires ye proper."

Straightening, he clapped his paws together, voice bright again as he looked between Kaii and Marble.

"Yea’, no kin do. Ye see, I’m dis badjer’s job broker, an’ I say we wait fer Splitty-Tail hisself t’show up. Then we’ll talk work."

 

[Kaii Nashirou]

Kaii's expression did not change at all upon hearing the jabs. The knew for sure now that the ferret was reserved, rude and not educated enough to understand foreign terms by context. Still, as per his ideals, it meant nothing to him. To treat others as equal was paramount, even if he had both position and right to tell that mustelid that he should get out.

Instead Kaii opted for his best asset, logic. Delivered in his staple emotionless, flat baritone. "You would do best to follow that Agrotera words, lest you wish to waste time. Mister Two-Tails is decently predictable so far, with him happening to come and see what is actually happening only once per three hours. Astonishingly on the clock. In other words, you can either spend next two hours working and already get paid for it once he comes, or spend two hours waiting for him to come and only then start earning your lot. Your choice."

With their situation now explained plainly, Kaii could again focus on his tasks. Finally the pin holding the roller from the bearing was pushed out. The marble fox was not too happy with how tight of a fit those were. Clearly somebeast failed at ensuring proper deviations, then jamming those pins by brute force. Adding the sanding to the mental list of tasks, Kaii simply moved on to hammer out another pin, seeing as the roller he just freed was without a flaw.

 

[Marble]

She would pause again look back and forth between the three immediatly having doubts about the two folk that were coming to help her and their hesitation, with a lack of trust for the empoloyer.
"Well Adonis means fancy man." Gesturing to Kaii "Behold a man who does be fancy." Chuckling in good humour at the tease towards her companion. She would move foward towards the two with a soft and balanced step, coming to directly adress them both
"Agrotera is the huntress. Which would in this be refering to myself. I hail from the river Thermodon, devout of Artemis, warden of the roads, and most recently traveler to distant lands. You may call me Marble, the name most up here use, it is easier, yes? As for our employer I have been working here for the last few days and had no issue with fair coin. He is an honest man, if you two can not trust that then that is fair, at least keep the fire going. The fog bites to the bone."
She would give a slight flourish before looking over the piles, looking at the carts and then choosing the appropriate pile to ensure that each cart had rougly the same amount of cargo. It would do no good to only pile up one of the carts and leave another empty, causing delays and issues further down the line, frustraiting their customers. Eventually, once the newcommers had made a decision, she would again begin to hum filling up the gap between the monotomy of moving boxes from place to place.

 

[Emilio]

"Nice t'meet ya, Miss Marble Aggro-thera." Emilio sniffled, looking between the two already working. "Surry if my bud said somethin' rude." He looked at the little screws and pins and whatnot that the todd had been messing with. "I'm sure yer, uhh... wooorrrrrk... is right delicate. No toys at all, 't'ain't. But I's from outta town, an' he's helpin' me settle in 'round here for a bit so's I can find a few Gilders."

He turned to Griblo, but spoke openly, not lowering to a conspiratorial murmur this time. "Two hours's a long time ta work if we ain't know we're even gettin' payed. Why don' we run out for a drink right quick? Find a nice place with an icehouse... somethin' real cold an' fortifyin' before a dae've work. Or maybe somethin' herbal... put some pep'in my step, yessir, an' some fish'in oil, perhaps, an' some nice potate-as with garlic, that'd do it..." Flecks of drool appeared on the badger's tongue as his maw hung open, his weighty stomach growling just faintly as he fantasized about sitting through his hangover with a hearty plate in front of him instead of moving crates.

 

[Griblo Jankweed]

Griblo had begun to pace. With an idle reach he plucked one of the neatly stacked gears from Kaii’s careful piles, turning it over in the light as though it were some bauble lifted off a market stall. He held it up, squinting through the hole like it were a monocle, then rolled it between his claws with the same scrutiny he’d give a cheap bracelet. Whatever merit the thing had as machinery, he didn’t look impressed.

"Oi! Firs’ off, I ain’t needin’ employment, see? I gots a gig comin’ up tha’ll see me off on de ’igh seas." He flicked the gear once, lip curling. "Secon’, me matey’s ’ungry, an’ Ol’ Spit-tail’s ’bout ta miss out on a gud laborer if he keeps us waitin’."

He spat the nickname in relish, taking far too much joy in his own perceived humor. Emilio’s stomach betrayed him with a low, rumbling growl at the same moment, and Griblo barked a laugh, snapping his teeth shut to punctuate it.

 

[Kaii Nashirou]

Nodding approvingly Kaii turned to look at Marble giving her a kind, if tiny smile at her words. As per usual, Kaii was glad to have someone more socially adept around. She was giving them even more reasons to trust both him and her... But it didn't work. Somehow the two remained adamant at wasting their time and potentially spending even more money.

Yet, The marble fox stopped working when ferret picked up the gear. He put down his tools and reached to his bag nearby, gently pulling out the pole of his glaive. It was giving delicate clicks as he expanded it and the subtle pins popped inside, locking it well. He the stood up, holding what appeared to be a long steel quarterstaff in his paw, the bag masking the blade of his glaive for now. His tone and expression were as flat as before, though his stare was much more intense now.

"That gear is worth days of work here. If you do not plan on working here, I would recommend putting it down and not playing with it Mister. If you do not seek employment, no need to get yourself fined for damaging someone's property." He stated the facts, albeit as always with Kaii, they were meant to send a message. He didn't wish to get those two beasts lost, but he knew that if they were unwilling to trust in his word nor logic, there was not much he could do. For sure he would not leave his post to find Mr. Two-Tails. Not when hundreds upon hundreds of gilders worth of mechanical equipment lied upon the floor.

"If you wish not to take the task, leave then please. I would rather continue my work than having to keep an eye on you two." Kaii added, not with venom but once more, just simply stating the facts.

 

[Marble]

She took a moment away from the boxes as a shrill whistle started to sound from the side room, quickly moving to take the kettle off the boil and then pour it into a pot. Looking between the badger and ferret as the tea stewed, tapping her glaws gently on the table
"Alright then, if you aren't here for work Gribio then you can leave. Emilio I have a proposition" She would move back over to the two and being closer should she need to take the item out of the Ferrets paw before he damaged the work and set Kaii back several hours of work.

"There are a lot of crates here and without extra hands we are going to be behind. I do not really want to do this alone so perhaps a proposition. I pay you for the first two hours until two tail shows up. If he doesn't pay then it is my buisness with him and you can leave with my coin. If he does piung then you give it back. That is fair to me and I get extra hands" Pouring a cup of tea for three of them, leaning and drinking hers leaning against a wall with her other arm subtily resting on her dagger that she really hoped not to use if the Ferret was going to be a problem for the pair that were here to work hard
"Do we have a deal?"
@Griblo Jankweed
@Kaii Nashirou
@Emilio

 

[Emilio]

"Whoa," Emilio maneuvered his arm in front of Griblo as he saw the steel pole come out, shielding the smaller ferret with his body; phony compass or not, he supposed it'd be best if it was him getting a whallop instead, he had a helmet on. "Maybe we put it back, aye?" He muttered and looked down to his companion, a hint of worry accompanying the attempt at deescalation.

He sniffed at the air as he heard the sound of the kettle; Emil weren't no tea drinker, usually, but he wouldn't scorn a hot drink in the rain. He relaxed as the lady-fox outlined a compromise- guaranteed pay until the boss could arrive! The badger nodded along, thoroughly pleased with the proposition. "Y'mean it? That sounds right fine, miss, I'm plenty happy with 'at. I say 'tis a deal. What're we drinkin'?"

 

[Griblo Jankweed]

Emilio’s arm slid in front of him, the badger’s bulk a living shield between Griblo and the marble fox’s pole. The ferret blinked, caught off guard for half a heartbeat by the gesture.

"Oi wasn’t breakin’ it, just lookin’. Don’ get yer tail inna knot!" he jeered, but after a beat he set the gear carefully back onto the pile, brushing his paws together as though unimpressed by the piece all along.

His eyes then cut to the vixen with the steaming kettle, lip curling back into a sneer.

"An’ ye can’t tell me wot ta do! I’ll leave when ’e is contented! Till Spit-tail shows ’is mug, I’m stayin’ t’make sure me matey seals th’ deal!" He jabbed a claw at Emilio, staking his claim on the badger’s behalf.

But when he looked up at the broad-shouldered beast beside him, his tone softened, eyes glowing with something rare in the sly ferret’s gaze.

"Yer sure ye’ good, mate? I kin’ get ye summin’ ta eat while ye git t’work!"

 

[Kaii Nashirou]

Kaii was appreciative of the Vixen's offer. It was good-hearted and he could himself see how beneficial it was. It also seemed to work, at least on the badger that was seeking work. Seeing as the obnoxious ferret left the gear alone, Kaii could fold the pole and put it back into the bag. He was glad it didn't have to come to the fight, especially as he did spot Miothiyle holding her paw on a dagger.

At ease now, he sat down again and continued his work as if nothing had happened. Before picking up his little hammer, he did however speak to the group, still flatly, but much less so intensely. "Thank you Miothiyle for finding amicable solution. I will ensure with Mister Two-Tails that you will get paid back for those two hours what you are now giving up. On top of what you are meant to be paid normally of course."

Kaii went on to do his meticulous work. It was more of the same, little hits of the hammer that were precisely, if slowly removing the pin holding the bearing. That is when he realised he was rather parched. Tea was something he was okay with and smelling it, Kaii felt decided to ask for some politely. "May I ask one of you to pour me a cup please?"