Open The Docks A Hire Purpose

[Griblo Jankweed]

Griblo puffed out his chest and help out his paws eagerly as Emilio offered over the scabbard and pack.

"Aye, mate! Ye can trus’ me!"

The moment the badger’s weapon and gear were in his grip, however, the ferret staggered backward a step, knees buckling under the sheer weight. He tottered dramatically, jaw clenched as though it were dragging him through the floorboards.

"Blazes, what’s dis made of, lead!?" he wheezed, though the twitch of his whiskers betrayed that he was playing it up just a touch. With a grunt, he shuffled to the side room and carefully set the load down, brushing off his paws with a loud exhale, as though the deed were herculean. "Hells teeth, beast like yew coul' pull a whole 'ouse down!"

He shot a last lingering glare back at Kaii and the vixen, sharp and narrow-eyed, before slinking out into the wet with a swish of his tail.

--- 2 Hours Later... ---

The warehouse door shuddered open again without a knock or warning, and in slunk Griblo, soaked through, fur plastered flat, dripping like a drowned rat. Yet his grin was as wide as ever, and his claws clutched a tightly woven basket bound against the rain.

"Vittles bell!" he crowed, water flying as he shook himself out. "Oi got’s ye all o’ de goodies a badger the likes o’ ye needs. Hope i’s enuff, matey!"

He plonked the basket onto a bench, flipping it open to reveal its bounty: several slices of buttered raisin toast, three steaming meat pies, a paper sleeve crammed full of non-fish fishsticks, and a battered canteen. With a spring, he hopped up onto the same bench, leaning in close to Emilio’s ear.

"Even snuck ye some grog from m’ per’snul collec’shin! T’is in d’ canteen!" he whispered with conspiratorial glee, before bouncing back down to the floor, chest puffed.

Casting his gaze across the trio of laboring beasts, his grin widened.

"Roight! So, did ol’ Twin-Tails ever show ’is mug or wut?"

 

[Kaii Nashirou]

Kaii was now in the middle of working on assembling the crane mechanisms again. Sitting on a wooden beam, he dutifully worked with his wrench, attaching the elements at adequate tightness. Focused on work, and not really too concerned with such matters, the unpleasant ferret from before was now an afterthought. That is until they came in, bringing a multitude of foods for their friends. At least, Kaii considered, they were kind to those they did care for. That was something.

To their question however, Kaii pulled out his watch, checked it and then flatly responded. "In about forty-seven seconds. Be patient." He hid the watch again at continued his work as usual. Knowing that at least mister two-tails would be pleased upon seeing him work. And indeed, as if the marble fox could predict the future, an iguana stepped through the doors exactly forty-seven seconds later. They were an iguana, green and visibly chubby (for a reptile). Indeed their tail was splitting into two a short bit after it begun. Both tails seemed independent of one another, giving a rather mesmerising dance that helped the iguana to stabilise their walk.

"Greetings Mister Nah-she-ru. How's me crane doin'?" He asked just before taking a look around and noticing an extra badger and ferret with lots of food at paw. He got somewhat angry, as his crest spiked up. "AY! Who are those beasts? I dun remember gettin' a catering, nor any extra workers fer today!" He spun and stared at the marble fox who was absolutely unimpressed.

Kaii turned to him and got down from the wooden beam, brushing off some stray splinters from his clothes. "For the Ferret, they are bringing food for their friend. The Badger on the other paw sought work. He meticulously did so for the past two hours, hoping he would get an employment here alongside payment."

The Iguana for a moment tried to say something but wasn't able to. They just stood their, maw agape. After a while they pointed at Kaii with an outburst of energy, both of his tails now flicking around in anger, Kaii wasn't in any way bulging however. "Listen Mister. Am spendin' FORTUNE on yer repair of the crane. I dun need any more expenses today and fer sure not workers that are wastin' their time on breaks!"

Kaii shook his head and stared at the reptile, intensly, knowing they were just greedy. But also, just like with negotiations earlier about his own pay, the marble fox was aware that the lizard didn't like one thing more than spending money. Being seen as foolish. And Kaii could again use that.

"Mister Two-Tails. You typically employ few beasts because of your crane. For the past few days as it was broken, before you bothered to seek someone to fix it, your warehouse almost came to a halt. You actively would rather lose money on not having enough paws to run things here rather than employing a beast that did two hours of honest work without a payment from you in an attempt to even get a job? Look around at all the unorganised crates that still need to be done. Observe also as most of your actual employees did not come today due to the weather and unwillingness to work too hard without the mechanical support." Kaii explained so flatly, one could claim his voice was like a razor. "Besides all this, you told me many times that I am responsible for this place. Thus I took it seriously and sought help for running your business." He added and then turned away from the speechless and much much more docile reptile. Kaii once again climbed the wooden beam to continue his work.

And as Two-Tails swallowed the loss of his pride, in order to not act like a fool anymore, he turned to the rest. "Alright. Miss Marble, please tell me how's yer work in the past hours." He then walked closed to the Badger, still somewhat wary but humbled enough to overcome it. "An as fer you. Me apologies. Times are tuff an all that. Yer here fer work yus?"

 

[Marble]

Watching the ferret stumble under the weight of the badgers gear, trying to stifle a laugh as they would waddle around slightly like a commedy skit before putting it down with a dull thud.
"Well now with that resolved and a little bit warmer. We still have a lot of boxes to do and two tails is a little bit of a uhhh... what is word... like teapot, loud when they boil haha. Just follow my lead friend Emilio"

The work was as she said repettitve and hard. The boxes were fortunatly small enough for one person to carry alone but also large enough that it was rather cumbersome to do. The carts being loaded from the front to the back, Marble thankful for the extra help allowing her to get up onto the carts and load the boxes with the badger passing them over. Whilst this was going she would start to sing again to make the work less tedious, simple working songs and maybe a few shanties she had picked up in her life.

It wasn't until Griblo came back that she realised how long the pair had been working.
"I expect two tails will be here soon." And then he walked through the door and she made a comment about 'mention the beasts name and it shall come' although it was in her native tongue and probably lost on everyone. She would continue to move boxes and gesture for the badger to do the same until two tails came up to them, wondering if she should have warned the badger that their employer was an iguana, knowing how some folk felt of reptiles.

When he came up to her she would hop of and gesture to the carts.
"Still going as well as ever, first three are loaded and should be collected within the next hour, next three aren't getting collected till the afternoon and the harbour master has yet to inform us on any updates to the boats coming in so my best guess is the fog is too thick to unload. Doesn't excuse the others not showing up to deal with this backlog but we make good work without yes? Though workhouse not happy big crate not move but I'd need three badger lords to make that work. Kaii does good work though, is complex and delicate, like sculptor but heavy machinery" She would smile streatching out her body a little.
"This badger good worker, no complaints, strong, good with moving, and quick learner"

 

[Emilio]

Emil smirked as he saw Griblo stumbling about with his things. Sometimes he packed heavy, that was true, but his sword was still just that- a sword, and not a giant bar of steel! That ferret sure knew how to flatter him. He waved him off and blew on his tea, cooling it best he could before taking another big sip and setting the cup down; 'twas time to get to work. His stomach growled again, but he still looked to Miss Marble and nodded, "Aye aye, ready." all the same.

Crate to cart. Simple as, really. Tedious, repetitive, physical, it was work for an honest beast, and smoother once he and the vixen had developed something of a system for getting them neatly packed in the carts. A new job, but just another day of trading time and energy for coin. It was really nothing new except for the specifics of where he was and what exactly he was moving. He didn't mind when Marble started to sing, but with her accent, boy did just about anything she sang about seem exotic. It broke up the monotony, but the badger kept quiet himself except for the occasional "Left!" "Right." "Heavy wun comin' up." and "Phew!" He had to save his breath, after all.

Two hours of monotony had passed, and Emil stretched his weary limbs as he heard the call for food. "Oh, boy!" He hustled over to the delightful smells, gleefully picking through the basket as soon as Griblo set it all out for him. Toast, pasties, fishy sticks... frankly, it was unfair that he didn't have a paw with which to grab one of each at once. In a second, he crammed a half-slice of raisin toast into his maw, and munched through a fish-adjacent stick held in his other paw. He swallowed as he heard the whispering about the canteen... and took it into his freed paw at once. "D'aww... Yer really lookin' out fer my wellbein', Griblo. This oughta fortify me o'er the rest of the dae. Thank y'." He flashed a grin with his almost complete set of teeth, further specked with crumbs from what he'd just been chewing on, and opened up the canteen to have a gulp. Warmth coated his throat as he swallowed... and then came a relieved "Ahhhhh!" as though he'd had a drink of liquid vigor!

A paw went to one of the little pies, the other went for swigs of grog... he kept it up for the better part of a minute before the boss arrived according to the engineer's oddly precise measurement. Huh. He moved to wave, and was immediately met with Splitty-Tail's hostility. Whoops! He flashed the same nervous grin that often crossed his face as the other workers spoke on his behalf...

"Yes'ser, been movin' crates with Miss Marble. Y'can see we got a few full up'n loaded already." The badger responded as the boss addressed him at last, a faint stench of booze on his breath as he set down the canteen. He looked about the carts, wagering that the two of them had done a pretty good job. "Be happy t'keep at it if y'wanted t'hire me." His eyes darted around. Reptiles were an odd folk he'd never gotten used to talking to. "Uhhh- y'want a fishstick?" He offered.

 

[Griblo Jankweed]

Griblo gave Kaii a side-eye the moment the fox pulled out his watch. When told to be patient, he stuck his tongue out at him with all the subtlety of a dock-kitten.

"Patient, he says. Forty-seven seconds? Fox brain’s wound tighter’n a winch cable if'n he t'inks dat'..."

He was still muttering when the warehouse doors burst open and in waddled the green, double-tailed lizard himself. The ferret’s ears perked, and just like that, the tongue-wagging street mongrel melted into what he clearly thought was a picture of professionalism. He straightened, tugged at his soaked coat, and slicked his whiskers back with both paws before stepping forward.

"Griblo Jankweed," he announced crisply, puffing out his chest and holding out a paw to shake."Oi am dis great beast’s job broker."

When the lizard made no move to shake his paw, he instead coyly threw the paw toward Emilio like a show-beast unveiling a prize.

"Now, Mister Split-Tail, wot ye got ’ere ain’t just a pair o’ paws fer th’ day. Nah, this one’s built fer th’ long haul! Strong as yer crane, an' smarter too! Hell, wit' 'im, ye can let it take a lunch break an' this fella w'll keep th’ work movin’. 'E's loyal, steady, never a growl outta place. Ain’t intimidatin’ till ’e needs t’be, an’ gentle round th’ kits! Ye could line ’im up fer storytime an’ still trust ’im t’haul a cart after."

He finished with a toothy grin and re-extended his paw to cinch the deal.

"Smart investment, if ye ask me. What d'ya say?"

 

[Kaii Nashirou]

Kaii himself got back to work, climbing onto the wooden beam again, he had nothing more to add nor to intervene with for now. Being the model of efficiency, he knew he could contribute to the conversation enough while himself continuing to reconstruct the mechanisms of the crane. Setting down into the nook, lying his back on the wooden support, once more, from his side, one could hear a few grunts and sounds of wood and metal friction.

Two-Tails on the other paw... was very much in the heat of it all. Three beasts talked to him in rapid succession just after he withstood psychic damage from Kaii's cold logic. As such, to him, following it all, was difficult and it could be noticed by how both of his tails suddenly stilled in very much separate directions. After a moment of this shock, he stared at the other beasts one by one. First at Marble, then at Griblo, finally at Emilio. He twitched a bit, staring with his lidless eyes at the badger before finally, loosening up and sighing. An internal battle, endured. He turned to the red vixen for the first part of his talk.

"Alright... Miss Marble. Thank ye for yer words and honest work. Ye are doing some serious work here and I shudda reward you well. 'Tis rare to find a worker who cares this much to go beyond 'er responsibilities. Ya will be gettin' a pay of me foreman fer today. The bastard of a rat didn't bother showin' so I ain't gonna show 'im his money." The Iguana first did the easy part, rubbing their stomach scales with their paw. Creating weird water-like movement of it due to the layer of a fat beneath it. Two-Tails was greedy, but not stupid. He still would not have to pay a lot of beasts for today, while he could ensure the one that came got more motivations. It was truly a simple PR stunt.

Then however, he had to tackle the bigger issue. Literally. The badger and his sidekick that seemed all too... eager to get his friend into the work. He took the fishstick of non-fish kind that was offered and basically are it whole. in one go, showing in a process his very wide and definitely dangerous maw.

"'Right. Mister... Badger. Am hearing ye've worked all honest an' well. Truth is, I may be needin' some non-lazy workers 'round here. Just I need an explataion first..." He now slowly turned towards the ferret. "What's with yer friend here? Mister Jankweed, rarely I getta see somebeast tryin' this hard to get 'er friend into a work they don't even do. Is 'ere something that is not being said on purpouse?" He finished with his tails twitching again as he leaned towards the ferret.

Yet before anybeast could respond, Kaii spoke from this spot, without even looking at the group below, as if he was a part of the conversation this whole time, in his typical flat tone. "Mister Jankweed is unamiable, but they do show impressive level of care for their friend. I wouldn't read too much into it. Their personal relationship is after all a private matter."

As if struck by a lightning, Two-Tails froze and after a moment, with a little twitch, looked towards where Kaii was still working on fixing the gear to the position it was meant to be at. Then, with a little hiss, he spoke to noone in particular. "Gates' I don't have time fer this."

Turning to the two other males on the floor, he half-spoke, half-muttered. "Pay's two gilders per hour. If yer fine with it. Ya can come over to me office. Both of ye. I'll have a question in private."

 

[Marble]

She enjoyed working with the badger, he was quick to learn and had enough endurance to keep up with the work, plus the extra strength was a bonus with the heavier cargo. Without the crane though there was a lot of backlog with the heavy crates that were far too large for a team of beasts to move without incident, large pieces of machinery and heavy materials sat to the side waiting for the engineers work to be done.

When Griblo arrived with the food she was, at first, a little cautious given their first interaction but couldn't help but chuckle at Emilio's interactions with him. She was also starting to feel a little hungry herself with the site of the veritable banquet that had been brought for the badger. Kaii then predicts the Salamanders arrival down to the second and to the surprise of the doubtful ferret.
She would let two tails speak and be very formal to him, after all he was paying her. The extra pay was very much appreciated considering she wasn't a full worker, and it was a lot of coin.
"Well thank you very much Mr Two-tails, I do very much appreciate the generosity" Perhaps kissing the boot a little but this sort of free work was what was able to fund her adventure into this strange land. Then making herself scarce of the ongoing conversation and discussion between the three men, considering that the issue of the badgers employ didn't have anything to do with her and taking the opportunity to warm up a fresh pot of tea and eating the food that she had packed for the day