Open Vulpinsula & Surroundings The Docks The Age of Machining

[Kaii Nashirou]

Kaii took Swift's gesture approvingly and he himself rolled the blueprint and looked at the small rat tucked under his arm. His paw moved to grasp her shoulder. Not firmly enough to hurt, but just enough to hold them in place. Then he spoke with typical flat tone. "I am Gentlebeast Kaii of house Nashirou. Cryle, while I am happy to see that my work is appreciated, It is a delicate matter and highly personal one."

Kaii lowered himself enough to meet her eyes with his own. "I can understand desire to learn going past the rules. But, if you wish to stick with us, I ask you to not cause problems. Go overboard and I will not hesitate to turn you to the hamster in charge. This is a project both me and Swifttail care for deeply and while any improvement ideas can be welcomed, I am not going to compromise." The marble fox explained the issue plainly. He saw in a way himself in Cryle, bach when he was the one sneaking into the college halls, libraries or design rooms at workshops he worked at. Combined with Kaii belief in equality and merit, there was no reason he wouldn't let Cryle stay... as long as they would not cause any problems.

With that explained, he let go of her and turned to Swifttail again, albeit standing slightly to the side to also include Cryle in the conversation. "Alright. let us start with the machining. Come with me to the lathe, we can discuss what needs to be done then."

 

[Cryle]

Cryle eyed Swifttail's proffered paw with a slight, yet visible expression of confusion. It did seem to be a rather fair paw, but not as fair as it could have been. It was a paw that had seen much too much work. Her thoughts continued to race, trying to detach from the details of the drawing she'd been looking at, and there was considerable delay before she held out her own, briefly, and then dropped it back to her side once the appropriate gesture had been made, long before they could touch.

She grimaced again, in an attempt at a social smile. Wow! Her first acquaintance of Vulpinsula. She felt like the belle of the ball-bearings.

She managed to squeak out a little, "Hullo." Now that the thrill of getting caught on purpose was wearing off, the realization that she had to now actually spend time being around others was starting to settle in.

A feeling that only intensified as Kaii touched her, causing her to stiffen and flinch at the same time, pulling away from him. Goodness, she had been awfully close, hadn't she? And was he... oh no... he was... Trying to look at her face. Eyes. Eye contact. Augh. Augh. Aaaaaaughhhh... And still touching her shoulder.

A flicker, an attempt, was made to look at his eyes in turn, but the only way to survive this was to focus on the snout. Count the whiskers. A novelty - eighteen on each side.

She nodded in response to his words. She'd parse them later. But now was the time for making it through this. When he released her and they began to move, she realized she hadn't been breathing.

So... the battle chair - which did not yet include any weapons - was personal, and... deep. The cogs churned in her head. And some other cogs were churning off to the side as they passed some other project, but she paid them no attention for once.

"I understand," she said, quietly. And because such information could not be withheld: "You have thirty-six whiskers on your muzzle." And because she was not herself a machine, despite her most forlorn wishes: "Will it include a pouch for warm socks, and if it is intended for all day use, is the seat suitably firm but padded enough to not restrict blood flow? Is it designed for a particular species, or will it be adjustable for all tails and shapes?"

After all, what was the point of technology if the end user experience was misery?

 

[SwifttailTheFox]

Swifttail gave Kaii a small nod, a subtle but visible show of support for his friend’s warning. Whatever oddities this soot-streaked rat carried with her, Swift wasn’t about to undercut Kaii’s authority.

Cryle’s hesitant little “Hullo” tugged a grin out of him all the same. He dipped his head politely, tail flicking in a gentle wag.
"Hullo t’ you as well, Cryle."

Then came the flood of questions: socks, padding, tails, species. Swift blinked, ears twitching, and gave a quiet laugh.
"Goodness! So many questions!" he chuckled, shooting Kaii another sidelong glance that was less complaint than shared amusement.

He shifted his paw from the table where the blueprints had sat, stepping back enough to open some space between them.
"Well, if Mr. Pawminton’s approved, then let’s get t’ work together." His voice was even, but there was no mistaking the note of welcome threaded through it.

When Kaii gestured toward the machines, Swift’s eyes followed and the spark returned in full. His ears pricked high, muzzle parting in boyish awe as he spotted the tool in question.
"Is that the machine what spins them?" he asked, tail twitching with unfeigned eagerness.

 

[Kaii Nashirou]

Kaii shok his head at the myriad of questions from the rat. Cryle was... definitely smart, if lacking socially in a different way than Kaii was. That he could easily tell. He wasn't as afraid of contacts because they were ultimately a natural matter. All beasts, wild and sapient ones did at least some social interactions with each other. He surely was never great at them, but it was years of experience he had gathered, combined with caring and patient education he had got that allowed him to be at the point he was at.

Already on the way to the nearest Lathe, Kaii replied to the both beasts he was going to teach now... while hopefully building the thing that he and Swift wanted to. "Splendid observation Cryle, I also have about four-hundred ninety-two hairs in my chinfur. Though I keep it cut for now so it varies. As for your questions... we are now building it for one specific beast who also has a kit. Blankets will have to do for now due to ease of cleaning them more than permanent padding would be."

When they got to the lathe, Kaii was about to start explaining how to operate it but Swifttail already got to asking questions. Kaii nodded with a small smile. "Indeed! This one is powered by two beasts who power those wheels." He pointed at the two wheels on both sides of the lathe. "And thanks to the gearbox inside, your work is translated to quite a lot of torque. Enough to mill most metals and even some milder steel." Kaii then went up to mount a small brass rod into the spindle, finding by numbers correct tool and getting it into the post, before bringing the tailstock closer.

"If you two could give them wheels a spin, that would allow me to show you how it works and tell you some more about how to operate it." He asked before putting on gloves to keep his fur from getting stuck in the moving elements. All in all, Kaii knew the risks of operating machinery.

 

[Cryle]

Cryle bristled a little. It wasn't that many questions. Just the ones she had thought they might like to hear first. Her fur flattened a little, after more brain power went through the social processing center and realized they were not being mean, as such. Always so defensive - well, she'd had to be...

She rubbed her ears back against her hat, trying to dismiss the information of the marble fox's chinfur. It was not pertinent, it did not deserve space in her mind. And then realized she'd got soot all over her ears. And all over her arms. And paws. And coat. And, oh dear, even her tail... The thrill of adventure was wearing off. Now she felt itchy.

The feeling remained in the back of her mind as she gaped at the lathe, her expression nearly mirroring Swifttail's. Even her sooty tail perked right up, the tip curling to pat the top back of her hat to tilt it up and give her a better view. Blueprints were one thing. They were floaty, disassembled concepts, instructions. Spying on the constructed mechanism through a smudged window was another thing, like watching a majestic ocean gull. Actually being up close and near it in person was like getting to chew on that majestic gull and savor its tenderness as it splits between your teeth...

She wiped the little bead of drool from her mouth with her sleeve. And now her whiskers were sooty.

She took up post by the left wheel, nodding to Swifttail as she began to apply force to the wheel with the levers of her own arms.

As she spun the wheel, trying to keep her movements in sync with the platinum-furred todd, she couldn't resist letting a few more thoughts bubble out, putting aside the fact that most of her questions had gone unanswered. Lack of specificity regarding what "kit" was, the most logical assumption to make was that it was not a tool kit, and was one of the biological ones that tended to soil things.

"Is the kit inside her? Why must the padding be permanent, what if it was covered in leather with little strips of wood pinned to the underside that would slide in and lock in place in the seat, but be easily removed for cleaning? Would there be room for crossbows mounted between the chair and wheel - no, never mind..."

She needed a real, proper look at the diagrams before asking the more technical questions.

 

[SwifttailTheFox]

Swifttail’s paws settled on the wheel opposite Cryle’s, and he let out a soft breath as they began to turn together. The lathe came alive beneath their paws, smooth and steady. He marveled at how little effort it took, yet how tight the tolerances felt. There was no rattle, no slack, and no wasted motion. Power from two beasts, precise enough to shape brass as neat as a knife through butter. The wonder put a grin on his muzzle.

Swift’s grin then only widened as the brass rod began to spin under the tool. His tail gave a restless flick. "Gates, Kaii, this is incredible… feels almost like it’s runnin’ on its own!"

Cryle’s words tugged his ears askew, and he chuckled gently without losing rhythm.
"Nah, not inside her... Piper’s little one’s already born. But Piper herself… her legs won’t carry her no more." His voice softened as the wheel spun. "This chair’s t’ help her move again. Give her some freedom back."

When Cryle went on suggesting wooden struts and leather to act as Piper's seat, Swift glanced sidelong at her, then let his gaze flick toward Kaii where he leaned over the machine. The marble fox’s eyes stayed on the work.

"Aye, that might be an option to explore, definitely. We've only just made a prototype when we were still out at sea, so we had limited resources then..."

 

[Kaii Nashirou]

Kaii operated the Lathe with precision, moving the knife precisely thanks to adjusting screws. With that, the brass was machined into sets of small circles to be used for gears later. He in the meanwhile continued explaining precisely how to operate this machine. He slowly showed how each lever changes the way the knife moves. How the whole power transmission happened. He was going to have the two know everything.

But they did talk too between themselves. Kaii decided to interject and elaborate on what the two were talking about. "It isn't a bad idea. But wood? It can easily chip or wear down. Better to put a metal rail, on the bottom of the leather or cotton seat put a smaller metal bar that would slide in and add a safety pin with a small spring that would secure it. That way, it won't be able to fall with bigger forces. In fact... After we are done here, I can calculate that and put a quick blueprint together."

When Kaii was done with forming the thin circles of varied sizes for gears, he stepped away and gestured at the two.

"Well, one of you can now try. I will power it and keep an eye on you. Don't fret asking but also... please, do wear gloves. Losing fur or breaking paws to this isn't worth those few moments you have to spare." He warned, but it was good-intended warning. Kaii saw (and had) his share of accidents. While he wasn't too keen of bureaucracy, he did care for safety while at work.