Open Vulpinsula & Surroundings The Docks The Age of Machining

[Cryle]

Cryle had practically guzzled the water. So caught up in the spycraft and machining-learning, she realized she hadn't eaten* or drank anything since early last evening, shortly before making her attempt at getting inside the quarter. The coolness in her throat and stomach felt nauseating at first, but as she stood and breathed, a little pinkness returned.

She was, after all, still fumingly embarrassed. The last time she had let herself babble like that...

She handed the flask back to Kaii and mumbled something vaguely appreciative and respectful, but altogether entirely unintelligible. She wasn't sure her tongue or lips could do words for a while after that deluge. Buffer overflow was reading into garbage syllable data.

She distracted her mind, briefly, with the putting away of lenses and eyepieces, and the slipping of her telescope back to her baldric. Taking up position at the corner of the desk, she drew out her own notebook and pencil from her toolkit, and began scanning the design. For each gear in the schematic, she marked down the size, relative size, number of teeth, followed by all the depths and pitches as Kaii had provided. Then she wrote down a second list on another page, arranging them by size, and tore it out of the notebook to show to Swifttail. She had drawn a thick line dividing the smallest from the largest, and all the information was there, his own miniature schematic to work from.

On the first page, she simply crossed out the gears she would not be working on. Then, resting her pencil atop the opposite page of her notebook once more, the numbers began to flow.

She was vaguely aware of Swifttail's nervousness, and had she been less embarrassed about her outburst, she would have slowed to show him why certain numbers were manipulated so. It had been her own hurdle as a kit, watching someone trying to explain long division. They had shown how, but without the why, it was total nonsense. Why put that number there, why that number, why add or subtract this and that? It was all part of a method - one she had ditched in favor of her own, once she'd understood the concept at a later age. Correct calculations made sense, but for the calculations to be correct, the calculations themselves had to be sensible.

Cryle worked in silence, save for the scritching of pencil on paper, and a quiet grinding of teeth. Her eyes boggled slightly. For all her embarrassment and worries, this was, for now, a happy rat.

* With the exception of her candies. Which she usually tried to forget about, so that they would still be there.

 

[Kaii Nashirou]

While Cryle recovered, Kaii was already at work to fulfil the request for a teacher. If Swift wanted to be shown how to do the math. Kaii would happily oblige. He knew for sure Swift was capable of doing the basic arithmetic. That was a start and frankly speaking everything that would be needed. Taking the piece of paper, he put down an assortment of numbers he just thought of that would be sufficient to make a gear. Then he took the drawing compass, one with a piece of charcoal instead of a spike as well as a simple pen.

"Those values here are defining what we do wish to build and are paramount in doing the rest of calculations. You start with number of teeth and size of what we call the pitch circle. From that you can calculate the module, something that is very important in dealing with gears and it only takes a simple division..." Kaii explained as he also written down the necessary numbers and shown the division process step by step. He of course could do those in his head with no issue, but if Swift wanted to see it all to the detail, Kaii would oblige.

Continuing on, Kaii further explained to Swift how to obtain the other circles needed to the teeth from starting values as well as briefly, yet thoroughly explained how angles work in maths and mentioned what is sine and cosine function. "I do not expect you to remember those and while you can calculate them, most use specialist compasses or do have sheets with the end-value based on an angle. For now, you may ask me, calculating those is repetitive and wastes time and I do happen to remember all of those with sufficient precision."

Amidst explaining how to calculate the last needed values like the height and width of the tooth. Cryle came in with a list of what Kaii assumed were gears she would work on, leaving the rest to Swifttail. He didn't mind her choosing what to work on, though he did decide to interject one thing. "I respect eagerness, but mind the fact I too am here and wish to work on my own project." He knew anyways that this wouldn't be the last and final form of what he intended to build. Many prototypes would come before that point is reached. Kaii knew thus there would be a lot of work for him to do still, but he wished to work, hence why he made his request. She did also did show a method to do divisions. The marble fox didn't mind the help either.

Finally, Kaii got to once more showing how to draw the involute and thus specify the shape of the gear. After about an hour, Swift had now been subjected to seeing twice, in great detail, how to make a gear, on paper, starting from just the most basic parameters. Despite the fact that most of the math was done before and checked by Kaii for the schematic, including all the values, Swift now knew how it was made. Or at least Kaii had hoped so.

The marble fox finally could leave him to work, though before he started he put his paw on his friend's shoulder. "I believe you, even if you make a mistake or get stuck, you simply will end up learning what to do next time instead." And with that he turned to Cryle that was happily ratting out the way their mind worked with numbers that Kaii saw through, even if it was messy. After all, anyone who saw how Kaii did maths for himself (or tried to read it) typically called him insane.

"Cryle, would you mind telling me more about what you did?" Kaii now asked curiously, wishing to see what progress she had made. He himself finally starting to work himself on the very task he taught the platinum fox. It was known that this Marble fox was a paragon of efficiency, but the way he had done the math indeed was bordering on insanity. There was nothing clean to it like what he had shown to Swift, nor it was sensible like Cryle's was. It was however very fast, even if only truly readable by his own mind.

 

[SwifttailTheFox]

Swifttail leaned forward, eyes narrowing as Kaii’s compass swept another neat curve across the page. He tried to keep up, but when the marble fox started saying words like sine, cosine, and tangent, his thoughts hit a wall.

“Sine, cosine, tangent... what in blazes do those even mean?”

He’d never been taught these concepts in Iskatyut. Back home, shaping metal was more like sculpting clay than reading numbers off a page. You watched the color, felt the give, judged the shape and style by eye. Heat, rhythm, instinct.

Now, all these circles and fractions made his head spin. Still, he followed Kaii’s paw as best he could, tracing invisible arcs on the workbench absentmindedly, hoping touch might teach what numbers couldn’t.

When Cryle slid a paper toward him, he took it with a grateful grin, not quite realizing what it was until his eyes tracked the tidy rows. "Cheers, Cryle. Looks proper tidy." The neat columns and careful measurements suddenly clicked in his mind. She’d made a guide for him. A lifeline.

His gaze lifted to her, pangs of jealousy flickering through his features. She made it all look easy... too easy. Her pencil darted like a dancer, spinning out calculations while he was still trying to remember which circle was which. A little envy stirred in him, but it wasn’t sour; it was the kind that burned into motivation. He wanted to prove he could stand alongside them. Pull his own weight in this new world of numbers and precision.

He swallowed hard, tail flicking before he found his voice.
"Well mate... I... I’ll try m’best. I suppose learnin’ ain’t ever been without work. Just not used to it bein’ so brain focused."

The words came with a nervous laugh, but there was a steadiness in his paws now as he reached for the pencil.

The page blurred a little at first. Equations, numbers... it all looked like a foreign language to him. He hunched closer, tongue peeking between his teeth, and started scratching out figures the best he could. Some patterns made sense, the equations clicking, though others simply refused to stick. A few mistakes crept in. He caught some, missed others.

But he didn’t give up. Before long, the scratch of graphite on parchment subsided. Somewhat shakily, he submitted the work to Kaii for review.

"Righty then... How'd I do, Kaii?"

 

[Cryle]

While Swifttail had his lessons, Cryle listened in with only half a mind, the other focused on the task given to her. With her stack of papers and a spare compass, she put her nose down to the desk and drew, pausing only to let her mind work out a particularly tricky bit. Once in a while, distracted by the lessons, she would lift a paw and draw lines in front of her face, as if there were an invisible abacus floating right there.

She finished her pile, having done the calculations, measurements, and drawings for all the smallest of gears - save for the few largest of her set, which she had earmarked for Kaii as requested. She began again, double-checking her work, simply to pass the time... To distract from how sleepy she was starting to feel, as well as hungry.

Kaii speaking her name made her jump, snapping back to reality in a haze. She placed the compass down on the un-double-checked stack of papers she'd made.

"Um."

If she was the kind of rat who cussed, she might have cussed. Explanations were hard. She tried to blot out the fox's image and imagine that he was one of her siblings. One of the ones she liked, who tolerated listening to her.

"Well... I did the calculations for the small ones... um, here - I took your numbers from your blueprints and converted them to base sixteen so it's easier for me to work with. You only need four tally marks to count up to fifteen, then sixteen starts on the second set of tally marks. It's how I learned on my paws. But even though they're tally marks in my head, they're still numerals on paper. And that way you only need two symbols to count up to two hundred and fifty-five, one for each set of tallies. So it saves paper. And these symbols here - these are the ones I made up for ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, and fifteen, so this number here - "

She tapped the paper, drawing attention to the neatly written 1╛.

" - That's actually twenty-eight in base ten, or in tally marks: eks-eks-eks dash, dash-dash eks-eks. I converted them all back to decimal at the end here, so you can see... Oh, that's, um..."

One of the papers had a little sketch of a rat waving a crossbow that seemed to be shooting lightning. Cryle, still in Explanation Mode, failed to stop herself in time.

"That's Ryleca Starmist, my moon ranger. She's sworn to protect the Sky Princess, she can manipulate time and space by using specific mathematical formulae that bind the fundamentals of the universe, and adjusting the calculations lets her re-bind them, but it's dangerous work since any mistake could make the entire world stop functioning normally... her specialty is miniaturization and gravity control... She has a pet moon-moth that lets her spy on things from..."

Her brain swerved, screeching to a halt, tumbling out and wrapping its thought-arms around her mouth, shutting it. What had this got to do with gears?

She stared blankly at Kaii's chin for an uncomfortable amount of time, until thankfully Swifttail interjected.

 

[Kaii Nashirou]

(OOC: Sorry for the wait. I had a big backlog to catch up with and also needed a bit of time for myself on some days.)

Kaii attentively listened to Cryle extensively explaining het taught process. He had no problem with working with other number bases, even if he had found ten to be optimal due to ease of notation. Cryle diversion from it was a nice challenge for his brain, one that he couldn't say he wasn't welcoming of in any way.

But modern engineering and innovation, even done just for personal prototyping and use, for a reason were taught with norms. Indeed, Cryle did convert the results into the decimal base, but using a non-standard way of writing down calculations? That was fine for personal use. Not for working with others or professional work. It brought more problems than advantages. Kaii couldn't judge nor he wanted to for using different methods of calculation. He himself had tendency to do math in a way that was obscure to say the least. He favoured doing a lot of it in his mind and writing down only the equations and symbols, with all number work being done purely in his head. Even then, he converted each of them to be "optimal" to him, meaning that said equations were really unreadable to most due to the fact he used what he called "Logic" to describe processes he did with symbols instead of writing them down.

Even then, Kaii ultimately, for his final work, did convert everything into the more readable versions that most beasts could comprehend. It also was a great way to double-check himself and assure that there were no flaws in his original process. It was a matter of proper documentation after all. Kaii knew he won't be in this world forever and his work would be pointless if suddenly there was no beast around to read it. That, as well as assuring it was all more accessible to the common beast, were the reasons behind putting in this extra effort.

Before Kaii could voice any of it, Cryle started then talking... about a character from a figment of their mind. It gave Kaii a chuckle, albeit a saddened one. He remembered doing just that a lot with Arima back when the two had still a happy kithood. Indeed, make-believes were truly a staple of their activities and they did often include erasing that line between magic and science, allowing for the latter to work as the former.

That Kaii was long buried within, which meant he could rapidly recover and sombrely nod. "Well... I have no complaints about the results really, they do seem valid. And your work definitely shows you are capable. But I implore you to work on doing more than just operating on your own ways of calculation. It is great for speed and efficiency, I myself do so as well. Yet engineering or science are not done just for ourselves. They are done for generations to come. Standardised mathematical formulae exist because indeed, they can be read by any beast taught it, no matter their personal way of doing calculations. Mind rewriting the calculations themselves using the standardised digits? Base of sixteen is not a problem but using your own symbols causes a lot of struggle and should anyone in the future try to manufacture this project again, without you around it will not be readable."

That was when Swifttail asked for his evaluation, Kaii, slightly hunched now as he dealt with the heavy burden of his own thoughts suddenly laying hard on him, nodded to Cryle and turned to Swift. He once more proven one thing, that he could deliver no matter what. Kaii was the same and he could appreciate it much. Running over the numbers he found a few mistakes indeed. Nothing too jarring, definitely worth mentioning however. Most importantly to Kaii, he got the technique right. Crunching the numbers was something one could learn with time. It was the method that was most important to know. His drawing was made properly, it was really just a case of those few mistakes.

While Kaii got to explaining them, one would hear and notice as certain plump like an apple hamster was coming towards the group. Kaii stood with his back to the incoming danger, speaking with a modest smile and kindly elaborating on the matter. "For the first time? You did great. The little mistakes you have made need to be corrected, but I am proud of you Swift for you have figured out the most important thing. How to go through the process. What to start with, what matters need to be considered and finally what your calculations can be used for. With time you can get experience with doing such mathematics both faster and with less error, or get an abacus, but the most important thing is that you know the proper technique of calculating this. Now let us go over the mistakes you have made. First one is here, a common one with complex equations. You did the incorrect order of operations and that is wh-"

"Stop." Voice and presence of Mr. Pawminton cut Kaii mid sentence. Something that greatly irred the marble fox who had slowly turned with his emotionless stare. "Don't mind yourself Mister Nashirou. I am here to deal with this little cheat." He pointed at Cryle and continued his explanation. "This is a military base Miss and I was informed that you definitely did not go through the entrance checkpoint. Show me your naval rank. And I wouldn't reccomend running." The hamster was not hostile exactly, more wary than anything. After all, he was responsible for this place... but Kaii quickly gazed around to notice one problem. In the time they were working, the number of garrison soldiers have appeared by most spots that could be considered to enter or exit.

There was now time for consideration. He did say to Cryle that he won't snitch on her should she behave. He meant it and she didn't cause any problems. However... he was bound by the oath to serve the interest of the navy. Kaii decided to for now only do one thing. He put his paw firmly on Cryle's shoulder. Was it to assure and protect her? Or was it to simply ensure she cannot escape. Kaii himself didn't know that yet, he needed to reconsider his values now and answer, which duty of his was more important. Spoken oath of allegience, or unspoken oath of serving the underpriviledged ones.

 

[SwifttailTheFox]

Swifttail listened in silence as Cryle rattled off her numbers, symbols, and... moon rangers. The longer she spoke, the more his brow furrowed. It wasn’t that he didn’t follow. Well, he didn’t... not really... but rather that she made it all sound like a bedtime story and a puzzle at once. Base sixteen? Custom markings? Fictional warriors? He could hardly keep the ideas straight. It was blisterin’ clever, sure, but also so very, very strange. She certainly didn't look or act like any engineer he's seen. How’d she even end up here?

He gave a polite nod when her explanation trailed off, but his tail had gone still. When Kaii spoke, steady and patient as ever, Swift found himself agreeing. Standard numbers, shared ways of writing, that made sense to him. Rules kept the Imperium from falling to bits.

Every other beast in this place looked to have earned their way in. They had passed the tests and the training. As Kaii had stated, they all understood how set equations and standardization worked. Swift might not be a properly trained engineer yet, but he was here under Kaii’s watch. She... wasn’t.

Still, when Kaii turned back to him, his ears tilted back a notch, bashful at the praise. "Aye, fair enough. Still rough, but I’ll keep at it. Thank ye for not being to harsh on me."

He managed a small grin, but it died the instant a new voice thundered across the workshop.

“Stop.”

Every muscle in Swift’s body locked at the sudden shout. Mr. Pawminton’s tone carried the weight of command; it cut through the hum of machinery like a blade. Swift’s fur prickled under his shirt as he turned, seeing the hamster point toward Cryle.

Aye... I knew somethin’ was off.

His paw drifted toward the workbench edge, claws flexing against the grain. If she bolted, he could block her path without thinking. Yet as Pawminton asked Cryle to show him her naval rank, his heart sank a little. The poor rat looked about ready to vanish into her own hat.

When Kaii’s paw came down on her shoulder, Swift’s eyes flicked to him. There was no mistaking the question that hung in the air between them.

Hold her… or help her?

His tail flicked once, slow and uncertain, the weight of loyalty pressing hard against his chest.

 

[Cryle]

Kaii's paw on her shoulder had made her flinch, but it was Swifttail's tail that broke her heart. That was the thing she held onto as the adventure came crumbling down around her. It had always been a mesmerizing little movement in her peripheral vision, but the stillness - and now, that single little flick, like a candle guttering out...

She'd ruined their day, hadn't she? The bond between them, not just teacher and student, but friends, and this project, for their other friend, and every step of the way towards helping was slowed due to her being there.

Her attention turned to the blueprints. She read them again, for the tenth time, possibly, while the rest of her mind raced. It was the only thing she could look at to block out the feel of everyone staring at her.

She still had her travel papers. A quick flash to the hamster, underlining Magh, a story about being sent by the Ministry of Innovation for an inspection of the premises, a classic tactic. More deceit, though. A hole that was hard to crawl out of. Stories always ended before repercussions truly settled in, when the renegade hero and the baffled and flustered but thankful lawbeasts were still riding the wave of victory and not tallying up the many crimes the hero would still have to answer for in their quest for justice. Her time in various jails in her earlier youth had shattered that fantasy long ago.

Scenario number two, play it stupid. Lift up her shirt, proudly proclaim her belly was at least a seven according to the Smelt article she'd read about fur softness. That was a bit beneath her, but the moment of confusion would have helped an escape.

Scenario number three, that one chimney was still unguarded, the height from this building's rooftop to the next was jump-able, she knew the route back out of the quarter across the rooftops... But the buildings next to the fence were not high enough, and with everyone on alert, she'd be lucky to keep her grappling hook, let alone her skin and freedom...

Scenario number four, then. In some way, she'd always known it would come to this. She'd just hoped to have had a little more time with the machines, to have helped make something. Well, she'd learned a fair bit, there was that.

Cryle took her hat off, rummaged in the hidden pocket that had her candied pineapple bag, and popped one into her mouth. To steady her nerves. She had been shaking the entire time, so much that the bow on her tail had almost unraveled itself. It had not yet been a long time, though. Not nearly long enough to finish reading Kaii's blueprints again.

And that time was now up.

"I don't have one," she said, simply, and put her hat back on. No excuses, no explanations. Just regret.

 

[Kaii Nashirou]

"Yet."

Kaii added just as Cryle had finished.

It made Pawminton look at the tall fox, staring with confusion and disbelief. Kaii however had figured out what to do in the wait. He held his paw on her shoulder while explaining.

"Mr. Pawminton. I understand myself that an unauthorised personnel is a danger and absolutely not something we should allow in the Imperial Navy." Kaii started, his voice calm as ever, but determination laced it. Made it appear with the authority Kaii did have in his blood.

"I did observe her work. She is by all accounts brilliant, lacking the professional training, but with skills that an amateur could only dream to have. And with more and more work to come, we need able engineers." Kaii had explained to the hamster who seemingly was regaining composure, though his bloated body was still twitching a bit.

"Thus yes, she should be punished. Punished with impressment. The navy will need beasts like her. Working on ships both new and old. Keeping the devices and machines operational and potentially innovating them. Make her join the navy, I know taking criminals into crews isn't above what many captains do. She will be the one that actually however may bring more than just beastpower." The marble fox had finished and sternly stared at the Hamster in charge. One who in change looked away at the other two beasts, unable to withstand Kaii's stare, wanting to possibly hear them first before giving his verdict.

 

[SwifttailTheFox]

Swifttail stayed quiet and still, paws resting on the edge of the workbench. The air in the workshop felt thick suddenly untiul he realized that he was holding his breath. He didn’t dare move or speak as Kaii made his case, every word deliberate, precise, like fitting a gear into place.

The marble fox was calm as ever, but Swift knew that calm. It wasn’t trust, it was control. Kaii was building a bridge over a pit, plank by plank, and Cryle was standing on the edge of it.

He glanced her way, the rat’s soot-smudged fur and trembling paws a sharp contrast to the precision and order of the workshop. She looked so small against the looming figures of the garrison beasts now blocking the exits. His claws flexed against the wood, but he held still. Let it play out, he told himself. Kaii knows what he’s doin’.

And yet… that itch of curiosity wouldn’t settle. Nor would the unease. She’d appeared out of nowhere, knew nothing of ways of a proper workshop, and hadn't arrived by normal measures nor had a naval rank. Now there were soldiers closing in, and even Kaii’s voice carried the edge of doubt beneath its calm veneer.

He drew a slow breath, then before he could fully realize it, was breaking the silence just enough for his voice to reach her.

"Cryle..."

Her name came soft but steady.

"Why are ye here, truly?"

No accusation in it. Just the question that hung between all of them, the one that could yet turn the tide one way or another.

He didn’t look to Pawminton or Kaii. His eyes stayed on the rat, waiting and hoping for an answer that would make sense of this. Something honest. Something that could save her.

 

[Cryle]

Cryle had thrust her paws into her pockets as Kaii talked in her defense. Her blue-ish silver hue of her fur was fading again, ripening into a pink as he flattered her skills for the hamster. She stood a little straighter at the mention of criminal, ears folding forwards a little prouder. Her reputation had preceded her!

Oh, also the whole breaking into a military zone thing, she supposed...

One eye rolled over to glance at Swifttail, considering the fox's question, before quickly averting her gaze to the floor again.

"You would have the truth of it," she said quietly. How much to say? To only share the bits that answered the question would only raise more questions. The danger was in sharing too much, again. But there was surely no other way to be clear without explaining it all...?

"I am Cryle Rascallo," she began, partly for Mr. Pawminton's benefit - and his stupid stubby little tail - "of the Magh Rascallos. Born and raised in the harbor. As you know, there are mysteries afoot on that island. I aim to solve them. My family is... not well. I am wildly aware that I am not normal. I am one of the lucky ones. Of all my siblings, I have my faculties and control of most of my senses."

She pushed her glasses up her snout, but didn't stop staring at the floor.

"A few years ago, an older sister of mine ventured into the heart of the island. She had just started working at the docks, transporting goods from the island to Vulpinsula. Goods manufactured by the Ministry of Innovation. I suspect she saw something that piqued her interest and lured her beyond reason. Everybeast knows you don't go inland on Magh. Nobeast who does ever, ever returns. It took every bit of strength I had not to follow her the day she left, and every day since.

"Instead, I came here, to track down the destination of those goods. I purchased a map of the Harbor before my voyage and marked this building as a potential source of information. I did not know it was full of machines until early this morning. I arrived mere two days ago by boat - "

From her pocket, she drew out her travel papers, folded neatly, without so much as a crinkle, and held it out to whomever was interested in verifying.

"It took me a while to ascertain the best way to enter here as early as possible. While it has always been my intention to join the Naval forces, or attend a school of some manner, to make me a wanted candidate for a Ministry of Innovation position, I am afraid that I was quite impatient to learn as much as I could immediately. While hanging from my rope and observing from that window there - " She pointed up at the window in question, still without raising her gaze from the floor. "I saw these two had more interesting designs than what was otherwise being worked on. My excitement to get a closer look got the better of me, and I undertook the risk of adventure to climb down one of the kiln chimneys and pose as a worker here to do so.

"Mr. Nashirou, Mr. Fairpaws, I apologize for the deception, but not the intent. To answer the question as truthfully as I am able, I am here now... to help your friend Piper. To hopefully make a copy of the device to also help my sister, Kylrie. Beyond that, in the general sense, I am here in Bully Harbor to find a way to rescue my older sister, Iskra, and perhaps find answers to why we are all the way we are in Magh. It is not just my family. Beasts there are born sickly, some with deformities, some with unseen ailments.

"In summary, I am here to learn."

She tilted her hat forward, even shutting her eyes, so as not to have to see anyone's faces if she looked up again. Her throat felt squeezed, her stomach twisted, and her tailbow had completely unraveled and had fallen to the floor from the non-stop quivering.

Why had they let her talk so much? Or was this a dream and she had aleady fainted from nerves...?