Side Adventure Dab Paws, Daft Tasks

"I may know a lot, but no beast knows all." Kaii responded with a shake of his head and the meagre smile creeping onto his muzzle. "But that is why we have friends, together we are closer to having it all." He chuckled before Swift gave the orders while laying the cloth.

While exhausted, Kaii worked now a bit more eagerly, if slower. He heaved himself to get the tar closer. Taking the rope end he earlier grabbed and putting it into the pitch. As soon as Swift was done, Kaii started slowly but surely painting the tar onto the patch. He managed to spread it evenly with a help of the wooden straightedge from his bag of tools.

After working in silence for a good moment, The two foxes we done with preparing the patch. Now came the time to flip it and then sew it. The marble todd again helped himself and his platinum-furred friend to stand up.

Taking a moment to prepare themselves, Kaii considered asking one thing that nagged him somewhat. "Swift, If I may ask, you said you were a blacksmith, why the bow then? Not to tarnish such noble weapon, but coming from a family that had a lot of traditions related to metalworking, making armour and weapons, I find it peculiar simply."

The curiosity in his voice was rather apparent. After all, he was a beast raised with a lot of unique traditions, even if he didn't got to experience most of the first paw, he was rather bent on maintaining them.

He waited for the answer while taking the patch they've prepared, flipping it together with Swift and then patting it down to ensure no air pockets would weaken it.
 
Swifttail chuckled. "Aye mate. We're smarter together."

He braced one paw on the sail as Kaii spread the tar, his eyes following the strokes of the makeshift brush until the cloth glistened evenly. Together they lifted and flipped it, pressing down in unison. The resin squeezed up through the weave, tacky and solid, promising a bond strong enough to hold.

As they smoothed the patch flat, Swifttail mulled over Kaii’s question. His ears tilted back, and for a long moment he said nothing.

“Well… believe it or not, I’d only known peace up till Iskatyut fell…” His voice softened, shaded by memory. There was sadness there, but tempered, like a scar long healed. “We didn’t use weapons much. All the ships that visited were peaceful, wantin’ trade, not war.”

He gave the canvas an extra pat, then glanced at Kaii with a faint, crooked smile. “But we did have huntin’ parties for birds ’n’ fish. S’far more useful t’ have a bow than a sword fer that.”

Without lingering, he reached for the next strip of cloth, laying it across the second trio of tears and measuring it with quick, efficient movements.

“C’mon mate. Let that one firm a bit before we stitch it, and we’ll get this one caught up.”
 
Listening to what Swifttail said made a lot of sense to Kaii. And combined with what he did already know about the platinum fox, made him saddened for his friend and his experiences. "War too broke my life, even if my family was living from it and were rather accustomed to it. Thank you for honest answer and apologies for bringing this up. I did not want to sour your mood."

Moving again to apply more tar, Kaii needed not to be told twice to start working. He was even slower than before, for without his emotionless state his pain and tiredness were crushing him. Yet he did got it to the end, making sure none of his work was shoddy.

As they were now preparing to flip the other patch too, Kaii decided to talk about something else that hopefully would not raise any negative emotions.
"I really hope that the pay for this expedition will at least let me establish a small workshop... What do you plan for the future? Knowing from myself, I assume you also just see being in the Navy as means more than an end goal."

He did sound tired, but his curiousity was insatiable. Not just for scientific matters or world's mysteries anymore. Beasts too were interesting as he was learning now thanks to his friends. Worth knowing more than just superficially.

They did have to heave the patch again and pat it before Swifttail could answer. And moving to do so made Kaii not want to stand up anymore today, still one last task was left.

The dreaded sewing. At least the patches were glued now, and the sew Kaii chose and shown earlier was basically a truss. In his mind, it was the last barrier before he could rest and consider his duty completed.
 
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Swifttail’s ears dipped as Kaii spoke. He pressed the edge of the patch flat, resin tacky under his paw, and shook his head softly.

"War’s like an unwakin’ nightmare," he murmured. "We should be workin’ toward peace, helpin’ each other… not makin’ the problem worse by hammerin’ out more weapons."

He gave the patch one last pat before leaning back on his heels, listening as Kaii laid out his hopes. The thought drew the faintest smile to Swifttail’s tired face.

"Aye mate, this life ain’t for me either," he admitted. "I want t’ find a smith in town, train under ’em, save up fer me own shop, same as you." His tail flicked once as he added with a weary sigh, "I’d been eyein’ a post at the Ministry of Innovation… but after what I’ve seen they’re meddlin’ with? I dunno anymore."

He looked down at their work, frustration clouding his expression. The sewing loomed like another storm on the horizon. With a slow exhale, he fished in his satchel and pulled free two curved needles, glinting faintly in the fog-dim light.

"Well, mate," he said, holding one out to Kaii, "turns out I actually made two of these. Show me how, an’ I’ll take one and you take the other."
 
Kaii flashed a quick smile to his fiend, glad he took initiative to make more than one needle. He took one eagerly and stopped for a moment. Swift expected to be shown what to do and he had only the faintest idea. Still, what he had in plan was hopefully doable. Taking the thread and threading the needle took a moment. When it was done, Kaii run his paw pads across the sail, feeling the direction of the strings that made the cloth. In doing so, he had a moment to respond.

"The plan is simple and since we have to patches, we can do them at the same time. We need to pierce the patch and sail under it at the side, pushing at the angle that would allow for it to peek out to the side, through the sail itself. That is when we can grasp and pull the sharp side, leaving solid, perpendicular connection. Moving the needle lower, we create a diagonal, thus making a zigzag. It should be enough with the adhesive tar and for sure it will keep it in place."

Knowing the explanation was lengthy, Kaii decided to just show what he intended to do as he spoke. Indeed, for someone with no skill in sewing, it took him a few attempts to get the angle right, but once he did, it was really a matter of just having a good grip on the needle.

While continuing to sew further, he didn't doubt Swifttail would follow without much issue. Thus to not let them work in grim silence Kaii continued the previous topic.


"I myself believe Ministry of Innovation deals with far more. There was no way I would know for sure, but the unknown is part of the appeal to me." The marble fox explained softly. "I think you would do great working in engineering still. If things like the idol make you unease and feel evil... which I can assure you, while I know your opinion of it, is not. It is actually possibly a key to the future. Well not the idol itself, the metal it is made of rather." He continued while noticing that with each seam he was getting better, if slower as his paws were reluctant to continue pushing the needle.

"Tangent aside, my point is, you would do great working on improving or innovating. And Innovation is in the name unlike discoveries. They must have a place for you." Kaii finished his rationalisations, realising the problem. He was encouraging his friend to work in a place they were apprehensive towards... but why? He stopped talking for a moment as his expression became fully stoic again, he had to consider his own mind again and it was never too pleasant of an experience.
 
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