Side Adventure The Quill and The Straightedge

[Kaii Nashirou]

A chuckle Kaii gave to Darragh's joke and following suggestion was earnest. Sadly this fox knew it was impossible to name this thing as per Stoat's suggestion. Even if, truth to be told, it was perfectly fitting. Kaii overall was now much more akin to excited kit, a feeling he very rarely could feel again.

"Ah, but sadly, Wolfram is already used for what some call Tungsten. Don't ask me why it has two names, something about it first being discovered among the lands covered in wolf packs... come to think of it, a lot of rare and new metals come from the far north. Interesting thing really that it yet another new metal coming from there."

Then Kaii took a moment to quickly write down some more notes. Mostly focusing on proper conclusions to his experiments and calculations so far. He did so however cheerfully continuing discussion with his friend. "Speaking of packs. While I cannot promise much, I would be honoured to visit your family if you desire so. I wish I could offer the same... But that would be just you and me by the table." He added with a chuckle, not even his sad reality could now break his good mood as he turned it into a dry joke. "I am glad to have a friend in you Darragh. Oaths mean much more to me than most beasts I know of, if you are certain with your words, I assure you that there won't be any situation I would not bother helping you with should you desire it. Now, back to t-th.."

Kaii excitement and further train of thought was abruptly halted by a sudden need to cough. He failed to cover his mouth at first, but at least he did turn his head to the side, narrowly avoiding spraying Darr with a mix of his spit and blood. The taste of it, as well as the reddish sheen it gave to the nearby wooden planks, grounded him again, reminding that he was long due to come back and rest.

"We can think of a name for it. Maybe something relating to Urk? Urkium? Uranium?" He tried, albeit it was hard to show the excitement he still felt as his mind started to take over in an act of self-preservation. "Excuse me. I may need to go and rest soon. Just two more quick experiments okay? Although, I did tell you I would stop now if you would prefer so. I suppose it is your choice." The marble fox pulled out two magnets, one small glass rod and a piece of woollen cloth from his bag. "I still could use your help with this. Specifically, I need you to rub this rod with that cloth for a few minutes. Do so firmly please. After that, just move the rod itself to the Idol without touching it's surface."

 

[Darragh Harper]

“Oaw… beaten to it,” Darragh moped, thrusting out his lower lip in a melodramatic show of displeasure. “Wolfram fits much better. Urkanium… Hrm. That’s a mouthful. Mayhaps we should name it for the Captain, bein' as it was his expedition. R-Ryalorium? Tzchk! No, that’s even harder to say…”

The scolding voice of Responsibility had quietened to a grumpy muttering, and retired to the back of Darragh’s mind, where it sulked that the stoat had been such a good little fellow before he met this mischievous, magical fox. The wayward patient’s coughing went almost unnoticed, the idea of stopping went casually dismissed. Darragh wanted to see what came next! Tomorrow it would be back to scrubbing decks, hauling lines and gulping down miserable stew, but tonight, they were far from the dull routines of shipboard life. Here, they were exploring the very outer edges of reality itself.

“Well, some day I expect you’ll be married,” Darragh chattered cheerfully, as he did as he was told with enthusiasm. “Then you’ll have lots of little troublemakers to teach all this to. Er, not that I’m sayin’ y’couldn’t be raisin’ perfectly well-behaved kits, o’course.”

To Darragh, getting married and having kits seemed like a natural progression of one’s life. He didn’t question whether Kaii actually wanted anything of the sort - he just assumed that it would happen, based on his own observations. It seemed to happen to everybeast that lived long enough, no matter how rough their personality. Marriages could be short, unhappy, even violent, but to Darragh, they were inevitable.

“How about now?” Darragh asked, slowly waving the rod a cautious distance from the Idol. He wasn’t sure what he was meant to be looking for. He held out the rod as far from his body as he could, and brought it in, closer and closer. “How’s that?”

 

[Kaii Nashirou]

While Kaii got happy to the fact Darragh didn't even try to stop him, even more so at the fact Darr took instantly to helping him, he sulked at the words about marriage. It wasn't the matter of him not wanting one even, he was just pragmatic. Not only he knew that he was poor, not wanting to bring any beast into his own problems. Kaii on top of that was very aware that he himself was a troubled beast, one that could be much for any potential partner.

After stopping for a moment, it was infectious enthusiasm of Darragh that got him back into the mood, but he still wanted to explain himself first. "You see Darr, I am a last member of my dynasty, holding unspoken debts, due taxes... I myself well, doubt I would be someone that any beast would prefer sharing a life with. You know well I am not easy in handling." He chuckled dryly at his own equivocal joke. "Maybe some day when my issues, both inherited and obtained are solved, I will seek somebeast to give my care and love to." He finished with a sigh, there was both a smile on his muzzle and sadness in his eyes, a perfect picture of Kaii's mental state, bared to his friend.

To use however the strength he had left, Kaii didn;t spoke further and took the magnets, holding them close by the idol, they were not willing to stick to it at all. However, the closer the rod Darr held was, the more affected the magnets were, finally getting to stick to it when it was put sufficiently close. "Fascinating, so it is not magnetic, it only is paramagnetic..." Kaii ushered to himself, once more captivated by the science he was doing which brought him to the state of kit-like joy again. While taking some notes, the marble fox explained to his stoat friend his revelations. "You see Darr, some metals just work with magnets. You put a bit of magnetite close to it and they will stick together, it takes some serious force to detach them too! But..." He coughed. "...apologies. Ekhm. Some metals only do so when put nearby things with electric charge. I have no idea as of now why or how it works, but it is phenomenal to see it in action. With a bit of preparation and just this glass rod I gave you, you can make whole idol slightly magnetic, just enough to make other magnetic metals attach to it! That is the power of science!" The todd finished with excitement, just before once more coughing up some blood onto the floor.

Unbeknownst to the two beasts, enjoying their time bonding over pushing the boundries of knowledge, an ancient threat awoke on the ship. And as it was a commonplace, it seeked the two troublemakers, vastly displeased that they were not in the their place...

@Arthur Barrett

 

[Arthur Barrett]

Rest usually came easy for Barrett, even after battles. Perhaps it was the number of wounded under his care that kept him awake. Perhaps it was Silvertongue's sharp words to him on Urk. Perhaps it was seeing the Captain -- now just "the Minister" -- so greviously wounded. Perhaps it was all three. At any rate, Arthur had laid in his bunk for hours now, and was starting to get restless. Stiffly, he got to his feet, and carefully pulled his coat on over his aching shoulders. He let out a quiet groan as he stretched, the aches and pains setting him in a foul mood already. Gates, he was ready to be back to shore.

The infirmary rounds were uneventful. Some beasts needed water here and there, that was all. Normally, this would make Barrett happy, but the pessimistic pine marten found it all the more problematic. Nothing was ever this simple. Something was amiss. He simply knew there was a substantial headache waiting for him somewhere. He could almost feel it! Grumbling to himself, he set out on his rounds about the ship.

As Barrett walked about the upper deck, a wretched thought finally struck him. He hadn't seen Kaii in the infirmary. Where was that meddlesome fox? Great seasons, if he was in the crow's nest... The further Barrett searched, the fouler his mood got. Not on the upper decks, nor the lower decks... Gates, he's with the idol, isn't he?

Quietly climbing down the ladder into the hold, Barrett saw the pair's lantern light. There they were, like two little dibbuns that had found a bucket of paint to play in. He let out a quiet groan, and stalked towards them, quiet as a mouse.

"When will you two learn to stop sticking your noses where they don't belong?" he barked, his anger flaring somewhere between a disappointed father and a lecturing mother. "Gates! As acting bosun, I'd have you two beaten if it weren't for the fact I'd have to turn right 'round and patch you back up!"

Barrett wasn't a superstitious beast, but even he was wary of the idol. It was a sinister looking thing in the lantern light, with it's primitive scowl carved into it's face. His anger subsided, and the pine marten shuddered as his fur bristled like a little kit that was scared of ghosts in the dark. It was hard to argue that this thing wasn't cursed, given the sacrifices made to obtain it. "Great seasons..." he muttered to himself, before giving Kaii a nudge in his flank with one foot. "...get your things together. I won't have you two going mad sitting next to this thing in the dark. Madder than you already are, that is."

 

[Kaii Nashirou]

Kaii was in far too good of a mood for now to properly react to the chirurgeon. He did drop the smile, but he still continued to make his notes even when nudged. His tail was still wagging, his eyes were showing nothing but kit-like wonder. Peculiar combination, made even more weird by the stoic, low voice Kaii naturally had when he spoke.

"Ah yes, Good evening Mr. Barrett. I was sure you would sooner or later come knowing your capacity to seek things that are not going the way you would like to. Either way, you came to witness the very historic discovery of what is possibly the new element and metal! One that me and Darr are yet to name, but one that promises a future you cannot fathom." Kaii announced before coughing up some blood onto the planks.

"I would like to inform you however that to my knowledge, there is nothing you may punish me for safe for maybe leaving infirmary without your permission. There was no order to not be in this hold, nor there wasn't one that said one cannot touch it. I made sure to neither damage nor stain it, so while I understand your position, I will be back to the infirmary bed as soon as I am done documenting." The marble fox added while moving to take the glass rod from Darr and packing it into his bag along the rest of his tools.

"Ah but you should be informed that this idol isn't cursed. Thanks to our rapport, we've established that any reaction to it comes from either superstition or a very specific talent one may have. More research will be concluded in due time, but for now at least, we did learn aplenty about this piece of art. This paramagnetic metal is capable of emitting energy in a heat form. Can you imagine what it does mean? It would mean that this metal, if harnessed, is an energy source far greater than wood or coal! With this, we may soon have ships without sails, engines powered by such resource would allow for basically endless travels at speeds unfathomable to contemporary sailors!" Kaii continued his monologue, clearly excited about the prospects despite his voice, finishing to gather his equipment and collecting his notes.

Then he extended his paw to Darr. "I am glad you could join me on this journey Darr. I will keep my word and hopefully we can indulge ourselves in broadening our horizons again. Thank you friend." The fox spoke but with more genuine tone, not as stoic as when he explained things to the Pine Marten. After a pawshake, Kaii pointed at the idol with his snout. "I think you should touch it too Mr. Barrett. See that there is no harm and that that all keeping you at a distance is your superstitious nature mixed with inflexible mindset."

 

[Darragh Harper]

“Yeeearrggh!” Darragh gave a strangled cry, leaping straight up in an impressive hop of surprise, his tail poofing out. He lost hold of the rod, which tumbled end over end, for a moment weightless, glinting in the light of the lantern. Darragh reached, fumbled, flung himself forward, snatched, then twisted his body as inevitably, he fell.

The stoat landed on the back of his shoulder with a grunt, both arms still outstretched, holding the undamaged glass rod as though it was a legendary sword.

“I got it!” Darragh cried. His momentary elation was snuffed out in an instant though. Barrett was here. Barrett was mad. Barrett was getting a lecture from Kaii. The young deckswab whimpered in despair. He shot back up to his footpaws, and held the rod behind his back, as though hiding the apparatus was in any way necessary or helpful. It was just the instinct of a practiced troublemaker, or more accurately, trouble-magnet. Of course, that was the moment that Kaii went in for a comradely pawshake. Darragh smiled, or rather tried to, his expression more resembling a fearful baring of teeth.

“Ahem! Erm, yes, thank you, Kaii. Um! Doctor Barrett! Sir! If I might explain m’colleague’s uh… hastily worded explanation,” Darragh said, the pace of his words starting to run faster as his mind worked. Kaii had said… many uncomfortable things. The poet was beginning to understand that while the astute marble fox may have been very good at formal logic and intellectual reasoning, the underlying emotional, instinctive components of social interactions were going clean over his brilliant head.

You need to explain to Kaii some time, that beasts don’t just change their minds like turning on their heels because you said something logical! Doesn’t he hear what he’s actually saying?? It goes like this;

Doctor Barrett: I am angry! I am in charge! I will be lenient if you are sorry!
Kaii: I am not sorry. I don’t care that you are angry. I challenge your authority.

“You see, when Kaii said you may not punish him, what this plucky invalid meant was you ought not to punish him. Us. Either of us. Because…we discovered ah… that the energy it emits… um, um… has therapeutic properties?” Darragh said, his excuse almost sounding like he himself was questioning his brain whether this really was the story he wanted to go with.

Deciding now he had no choice but to double down, the stoat sidled over to the Idol and, crucially, did not so much hesitate to pat the black stone wolf’s snout fondly. “As y’can no doubt tell Doctor, bein’ in the presence of the Idol has remarkably improved Kaii’s delicate condition already. He’s been smilin’, waggin’ his tail, showin' signs of recoverin' his spirits and um, from the sound of it, those broken ribs sure aren’t slowing down his mouth, are they? Eheh… heh…”

If Kaii were any good at reading subtle signals, he might have caught the sharp look Darragh momentarily sent his way. The stoat’s whiskers drooped. Kaii was not good at reading subtle signals at all. They were doomed. Perhaps in future, he ought to teach Kaii some kind of secret code for situations like this.

Three quick blinks for Shut Up. Two blinks and a wink for Cause a Distraction. That kind of thing. If the two of us end up in the brig tonight, there’ll be plenty of time to work it out.

“So, so um… that’s why you should touch the Idol too, Doctor. Always good to have a second or even third opinion in science, don’t y’know? Heh… w-when he said ‘superstitious’, he meant reasonably cautious of course…”

The stoat looked and felt small, vulnerable, and easily shredded to pieces. When he’d been younger he had been frightened of dark shapes lurking in corners at night. Now one of them was looming over him with his big pine marten teeth and his sharp pine marten claws and his wicked pine marten surgical credentials. A very, very, very quiet meep may have escaped Darragh’s lips.

 

[Arthur Barrett]

Arthur's maw gaped open at the fox's insolence. He simply couldn't believe the absolute wall of speech that came out of his muzzle -- from assigning motives to him, to lecturing him about what he was permitted to do with his job. Gates, there were reports in the Smelt about drunken beasts lecturing the Fogeys about the law! Didn't Kaii read those? Didn't he know how they always turned out?

Darragh helpfully interjected. Barrett admittedly had a fondness for both beasts, he just... didn't show it often. And now certainly wasn't the time. Barrett plunked the lantern down on the floor to free his paws, and folded his arms across his chest. The grim marten looked even more foreboding in the light -- almost as if he were telling a scary story at a campfire. The young stoat at least had the proper reaction. Kaii, however...

Bending down, Barrett caught both beasts by their ears, his thumb pressing firmly into the bit of skin, and pulled upwards none too gently! "You loquacious little whelps!" he growled, drawing them away from the idol without care for their personal effects. "Gates, and I thought Morgan didn't know when to shut her yap! Mayhap I'll sit you down infront of Cap'n Stowett and see how he -- "

But then, the marten imagined Kaii sitting there, afflicting the captain with his... logic. Great seasons, the fox just wanted punishment, didn't he? Bowling his arms forwards, the marten sought to tug both beasts off balance and send them tumbling towards the ladder. To help any beast that was still on his feet, Barrett added a swift boot to the posterior.

Before either fox or stoat could even roll over, the marten was looming over them both, finger leveled at their face. The lantern was a few feet away now, and Barrett's backlit shadow fumed -- while off in the distance, the grim face of the wolf looked on. "If either of you speak a single word out of turn, I'll throw y'both in the brig!" But the pine marten didn't pause, not wanting to give the beasts to challenge him further.

"Now you two leave well enough alone. Especially you!" he growled, turning to Kaii. "Fer all that knowledge sittin' in yer noggin', y'don't have a whit of sense aboutcha." Advancing on the pair, Barrett shepherded them back towards the ladder out of the hold. "You've got a crew of exhausted, weary, miserable beasts up there. Their friends are dead!" he growled, adding a firm kick with his footpaw for emphasis.

"They're hungry! They're cold!" two more kicks.

"They didn't see any of this coming, and they don't understand why! And dumb, scared, hungry, frightened beasts start lookin' for anything to explain why! And they start gettin' superstitious, and acting irrationally! Reason! Don't! Work! On! Scared! Beasts!" he barked as quietly as he could, with more kicks for emphasis. The kicks were hardly enough to bruise -- more nudges. The pine marten simply didn't have it in him to actually hurt the beasts much. (Especially for Darragh, who was already quite fearful.)

"This idol is the reason, and if you linger 'round it enough with yer odd quirks -- YOU become the reason! And when the reason won't go away, ye wake up with a knife in yer back from some dumb frightened beast! So fer all tense and purposes, consider me the dumbest, scardest beast of 'em all!"

Gates, Barrett sounded like he'd lost it. Perhaps it was a result of his mingled exhaustion and exasperation, perhaps it was simply because being a bosun wasn't quite in his skillset. Perhaps because his own mind was beginning to succumb to superstition, and the terrible power of the idol had meddled with reason. Actually striking a beast was quite outside of his character though -- and his kicks did seem to get more harsh as they neared the ladder.

"Now, up the ladder with ye. Get out of my sight!"

 

[Kaii Nashirou]

While Darr spoke Kaii carefully did listen and pondered what on earth was he talking about. The conclusions he stated were plain wrong, he seemed off and sounded meek. But he had no moment to interject or process it before the chirurgeon grasped his ear.

The pain was what once more tipped the scales of Kaii's inner war, turning his emotions and excitement into dust.

Ignoring the pain, with newfound clarity, Kaii listened to the enraged Pine Marten while considering the words of the poet. Trying to find what went wrong here to provoke such reactions. His logic and words were sound, he might have spoken too much but that would not result in Darr lying and Barrett now lecturing him about the obvious. State of the crew, the fact they were afraid or annoyed. It all was factual except for the conclusion he gave. Reason! Don't! Work! On! Scared! Beasts! That was not something Kaii would agree nor disagree with. Reason was how you could avoid being scared. If you were afraid, you should seek reason to resolve it. That was how he operated and found no rational explanation to think otherwise.

The following words were more important however, that Kaii could not deny. Agitated beasts sought often scapegoats for their troubles. He knew that for he ended up one quite often. Not that it bothered him much. But it clearly bothered Barrett, especially with the last words of his.

That is when his mind relapsed back to Darr. Realising that he was trying to quell the anger of the Marten by selling lies. An idea that it was all a failure at communication occurred. It was impossible for the marble fox, especially in this hyperrational state, to figure out where was the problem exactly, but he would not leave it at that.

"Mr. Barrett." He finally spoke while being ushered to the ladder. "If it was my words, spare Darr from the punishment. I will gladly take his even if that is the case." He started, slowly building up the image of what was the real problem here.

"I do not find you dumb nor scaredy, quite the opposite. You are worried, I can see that. For what? Is it for us?" Kaii looked into their eyes. "If so, I know well that beasts tend to seek scapegoats. I happened to be one more than once. If you are afraid for me, while I am flattered, I want you to know I've accepted it before even coming to this hold. Darragh has plausible deniability that would help him to avoid that fate."

He took a breath. "Just like you became a surgeon, knowing the difficulties coming from triage or failing to save a patient. I am a scholar who is aware that knowledge is often seen with little trust. I believe you yourself know that many beasts curse the doctors who have failed to save their loved ones. Does it discourage you from trying further?" Kaii explained further, showing that they were not too different in their acts, for they wanted nothing more than to reach an understanding.

"I will not object to your punishment. Either way I won't be back here for I've seen all I could with tools I have. That you can be assured of." He spoke before turning to Darr for a moment. "You have my apologies for making you lie. That was not my intent."

And after a moment he simply added, audibly enough to be heard, but more to himself than the other two beasts. "At least I don't have to wither the storm alone for once."

 

[Darragh Harper]

The pull on his ear was a familiar sting to Darragh. Being dragged by the ear and strapped with a leather belt had been a favourite method of punishment for mother and father both. None of this ‘wait until your father gets home’ dilly-dallying (and far more often, it was Mum that was coming home late drunk with bloody knuckles), punishments were dealt with swiftly, though snide remarks and extra assignment of drudgery over the next few days might persist if the offence was truly diabolical.

Just because it was familiar though, didn’t mean Darragh was unaffected. Barrett’s words became a stream of angry noise that throbbed in his ears, the half-hearted kicks making things so much the worse for the stoat as he anticipated the blows would get harder - and they did. He quivered, his eyes searching for anything to look at, his emotional state settling on being angry with himself for being so weak as to be bothered by this. He had not been flogged in the Navy as of yet, and he knew even a comparatively mild slip-up in front of the wrong officer made it almost certain one day he would be. He would shame everybeast then, probably break down blubbing in front of the captain and all.

For a moment, the dark little hold with its odd black gargoyle and Kaii’s mysterious set of tools arranged before it had become a kind of magical other world to Darragh. He had been transported away from the cares of this grim voyage, away from the Hide and all her bleeding, away from the rulebook and the lash. He’d been important in that other world, standing alongside Kaii as an equal - some kind of magician, some kind of scientist, doing brilliant experiments with the glass rod that he still gripped firmly in his paw. It had been like a wonderful dream.

It wasn’t that Barrett had turned it into a nightmare. It was that Barrett had woken him up. The pine marten was right to be angry. Right to be afraid for their sakes. Right to still be living in reality, where Darragh was still just an uneducated, unimportant little deckswab that knew nothing about science.

Not even Darragh could wish himself back into his dreams once he’d woken. Rather, he would pore over the memory of it, solidifying each moment, write it down as best he could by dim, flickering lantern light as he swung in his hammock later on. After Urk, it was moments like those he’d shared with Kaii in the hold that he had to keep close to his heart, and treasure forever.

Darragh was broken out of his mental whirlpool of self-doubt and condemnation when Kaii spoke back again. There was to be no massaging of the truth by the poet this time - for one thing, he had the sense that Kaii was in some way faintly offended by Darragh twisting- by Darragh lying, which is what it really was.

Barrett had warned them that should either of them speak out of turn again, they would both be thrown (perhaps literally) into the brig. You didn’t need to be Kaii to predict logically what would happen now. Ah, well. It wasn’t as though Darragh would have been content to go back to his hammock while Kaii was languishing with broken ribs below, anyway. He was as stubborn as Kaii when it came to sticking by those he considered part of his growing found family.

Darragh stepped in front of Kaii, shielding him though the marble fox could have easily rested his chin between the stoat’s ears. He turned his head, as though anticipating a blow to his face, but his arms remained at his sides. After all, defending yourself from corporal punishment was itself a further transgression of the strict discipline of the ship.

“Sir. I beg leniency on behalf of my crewmate. His ribs are not yet healed, and a night in the brig will cause him pain beyond that ordinarily used for discipline. Sir.” Darragh’s voice was low, hoarse, and utterly defeated. It was ironic, really. He had just been mentally lecturing Kaii on reasoning with Barrett. Now here he was doing the same thing. He wondered if it was always like this for the marble fox - knowing nobody would listen to what you were saying, but seeing no choice but to say it anyway.

 

[Arthur Barrett]

Barrett's anger threatened to turn into rage, his eyes flashing dangerously at the crumpled fox as he opened his muzzle to speak. For a moment, the marten saw red.

You insolent fox. You should be flogged. And Darr should be thrown in the brig with you -- so he learns there are consequences to associating with impudent fools.

But Arthur flinched. He was too exhausted -- both physically, and mentally -- to punish Kaii further. Atop the exhaustion sat the crushing weight of Silvertongue's words. He was a bitter, miserable beast, wasn't he?

Give him an inch, and he'll take a mile. He won't learn unless he suffers. He'll keep sticking his nose where it doesn't belong, and one day he'll end up dead. His blood will be on your paws.

Kaii was still speaking, but Arthur wasn't listening. He couldn't even look at the beast, as it would be looking in the face of his own failure as a leader.

What does it matter? They'll still hate you, anyways. It's a lose, lose scenario. Might as well pick the path you lose the least.

And now the stoat was up, pleading for Kaii. The marten turned his back on the pair, and braced himself against a bulkhead.

Your word will mean nothing. Just empty threats. Throw them in the brig. You must. It's your duty.

But another voice rose in Barrett's mind. It doesn't matter. Nothing you do will change anything. The marten swallowed hard, and gave up his fight. Kaii had broken him.

Salvaging the remainder of what discipline he could, Arthur leered over his shoulder at Darragh. He knew the stoat, at least, had some sense. "Get your friend out of my sight."

 

[Kaii Nashirou]

Kaii had some words to add, it did seem like the doctor really went either insane or depressed and he needed to know why. Arthur Barrett was an interesting beast to him. And for a very simple reason, Kaii did see a lot of things he did observe with himself surprisingly. Albeit it was from the time just after Seylene have died. The fox back then held a lot of frozen grief, purposefully, just to keep on going.

In fact he still did just that, except now he had real, caring friends that he could interact with while not having to fully hide. Just like he did now with Darragh, allowing him to see into both his psyche and to even have a bit of a heart-to-heart with the stoat. In fact, after the newfound goal after he recovered his parents cache, as well as getting to meet a lot of new folk who were now closer to him then anyone safe for his family, Kaii was allowing for said grief to come out a bit more often, while still allowing his mind to weaponise it when needed.

That being said, the doctor in front of him, clearly failed at just that. The symptoms were the same, Kaii know them well, lashing out internally thus turning abrasive. It could be that the pine marten just hated this marble fox, but he wasn't stupid. He could've at least listened to the now more compassionate (if still rational) reasoning. Instead they simply wished to run away from the problem. That was what he did too for a long time.

Now, Kaii couldn't say he was exactly over his own issues. He was after all, even now, subjected to the strong effect of his mind culling emotions as a defence mechanism. It was both a boon and a curse, but Kaii used it to the best of his abilities and was fighting it whenever he had no wish or need to adopt it.

But as he was going to speak about that, Darragh was instructed to take Kaii away. Something he did so and the todd couldn't resist him really now. Kaii didn't find undoing their recent make-up favourable, nor he wanted it. So with both sides of him agreeing to not resist their friend, he just allowed himself to be taken out of the hold.

After they got to the infirmary beds yet just before Kaii was put into one, he curtsied. "Thank you again for today. I was honoured to have you with me on this journey. Goodnight friend, I hope I will get to see you tomorrow." He said before falling into the bed. Wishing to be in the cot or pile instead but for now, any rest was good.

He dreamt that night. A rarity when he was firmly under mind's command. He dreamt of the future powered by the metal he was the first to properly catalogue. Of going on adventures to libraries with Darr and ending in more trouble due to their shared wish to uncover the mysteries of the world.

And he dreamt of the chirurgeon. Specifically, he saw him happy for once, enjoying act of sharing knowledge between the two. A dream that Kaii wished to make into reality as much as the previous two.

 

[Arthur Barrett]

Epilogue​

Alone in the hold, Arthur held his breath. At any moment, he expected Kaii to return with another intrusion, and he just couldn't bear it. But after several minutes, their footsteps long gone, Arthur let his breath out slowly.

You bitter, miserable cur!

Kaii's lantern sputtered and flickered, and suddenly went out. As if he expected someone to be there, Arthur spun around, and was met by the terrible cold stare of the statue.

The fur on the back of Arthur's nape stood on end, and a creeping sensation spread down the back of his arms.

This... ...this was foolishness. Arthur swallowed and licked his lips nervously, his breath catching in his throat. Just... just had to cover it up. Shut the crate. Take the lanterns back up.

But Arthur couldn't move.

Miserable cur!

Arthur swallowed nervously, Silvie's words echoing through his mind. He couldn't stop thinking of them -- the very tone he used, the hard tundra, the stunned silence of the infirmary.

But it was just... Just in his mind.

Arthur leaned down to pick his lantern up, and drew closer to the idol. As he reached out to touch the crate, an image of Darragh flashed through his mind. Panic and fear was written on the boy's face, and he flinched at every kick.

CUR! CUR! MIS-ER-A-BLE CUR! CU-CUR-UR!

The pine marten cried out in shock and stumbled backwards, dropping the lantern on the floor. He'd... he'd heard it that time, echoing about the hold. Panting in fear, Barrett fumbled for his lantern, and snatched it upright before it could spill and burn down the Hide.

He'd heard about sleep deprived beasts going mad in the dark, hearing auditory hallucinations and such -- but he'd never believed it until now. His heart pounded in his chest as he stared up at the idol, underlit like a kit telling campfire stories.

Anger surged within him. Struggling to his feet, Arthur seized the tarp that Darr had covered the idol with, it's warning still emblazoned across the fabric. With a sweep of his arm, he threw the blanket over the idol.

Mis-ra-ble CUR will DIE A-LONE!!

With a swift kick, Arthur slammed the crate holding it shut. With a tremendous bang, the pine marten was left in a deafening silence.

His entire pelt was blown now, a cold sweat under his fur. Too afraid to move, he sat there frozen, watching the crate as if the idol would crawl out of it.

Clinging desperately to his sanity, Arthur tried to slow his breathing. He ran a shaking paw down his arms, smoothing out his fur. This... this wasn't real. The idol wasn't cursed. It was just the stress of battle. He... he just needed sleep.

Retreating away from the crate, Arthur crept towards the ladder -- but when he reached it, he found he was too afraid to turn his back on the crate. Clenching his teeth, he willed himself to turn around, and raced up the ladder like a spooked kit.