Expedition Private Side Adventure Completed The Urk Expedition: Breathing Room

[Arthur Barrett]

Arthur had been fast asleep when the trio of foxes entered. He was off in the corner of the infirmary, seated on the floor, with two open books in his lap -- one, a book of anatomy turned to the respritory system, and the other, a book of poetry. The sound of conversation roused him gently from his slumber, and the book of poetry slid from his lap to the floor with a gentle thud. That's what woke him.

The pine marten sat up with a start, and looked about the infirmary in a worried manner. He hated when things changed without his knowing about it... but then again, he had banished his aide to bed for the night. Had Morgan passed? Judging by the happy wagging of tails, it seemed not. Barrett had treated Kaii, and remembered how... ...different... he had been. And now, there was something odd attached to the drainage tube.

Pushing himself to his feet, he quickly drew near to the trio, a stern look on his face. "Morgan needs rest..." he said, firmly, yet politely. "I haven't authorized visitors this late -- nor have I permitted you to return, Finnian. You were ordered to your bunk." Stern as he was, Arthur hadn't yet asked anyone to leave. In fact, he seemed almost glad for the company.

"...how are you feeling, Morgan? Do you think you could keep down some warm broth?"

 

[Morgan Liu]

Morgan grinned up at the pair of foxes, relief washing over her. It was incredible how something as simple as breathing, taken for granted by most, could turn into agony. "Looks like I owe you two a drink back in Bully," she remarked, moving carefully to shake each of their paws. "'Gates, maybe a whole round a' drinks."

As Mr. Barrett awoke and came over to check on her, Morgan gave him a sheepish grin. "I'd love some broth, Doc. 'Gates, I could eat the tail righ' off a rat - no offense t' Greenie."

 

[SwifttailTheFox]

Swifttail let out a soft chuckle, the tension in his shoulders easing just a little.

“You’re on,” he murmured. “Well get some drinks, once we’re back in Bully.”

He looked over at her again. She was pale, sure, but the color was starting to return. Her breath wasn’t labored anymore. That strange little valve Kaii had built? It was working.

He let himself giggle, just once. Quiet. Relieved.

“Gates, we thought we lost you.”

He settled back beside Finn again, letting the lantern light flicker between them.

 

[Kaii Nashirou]

Kaii sighed and let out a breath he didn't know he held. A returning humour was always a good sign. He wagged his tail slightly.

"Rightly said Swift." He spoke nodding at his colleague. "Drinks will certainly be appreciated. But make sure to live to that moment first." Kaii added with a slight grin and a wink.

Then he looked around and have a small bump to Swifttail and a pat to Finn.

"You two need to rest too. I will be back at my station if you need more of my brainpower." He said and turned to leave the room.

 

[Arthur Barrett]

Barrett was still waking up from his nap, and had yet to piece together exactly why the trio of foxes was in the room. Just before he could put the pieces together, Kaii had abruptly turned tail, and started to leave. Glancing back to Morgan, the pine marten examined the drainage tube in her side, and finally noticed the small valve at the end of the pipe. Barrett wasn't sure what it was, but he could see there was a steady drip of fluid coming from it.

Instantly, Barrett recognized the construction materials as the very same ones that had been embedded in the young white fox's arm. With a surprising speed, Barrett lunged out and outright caught Kaii by the tail. "Ah ah, no you don't. You aren't leaving until someone explains what this contraption is."

 

[Kaii Nashirou]

Kaii’s emotions dropped, leaving him for a moment cold as a slab of steel. Turning around to the doctor his paw already wandered to where he would have his blade, gladly not present as of now due to his occupation. After processing the thesis that his instincts worked correctly, assessing the fact that there was no danger and breaking the possible antithesis that he was about to get shanked, Kaii smiled again. Letting his emotions free again.

“Mr. Barrett, I am very willing to share of course. Should I draw you the sketch with all the details, tolerances and needed math for the ease of comprehension or…” He took a second before remembering that there isn’t that much time nor that it is a place for a debate at the appropriate level. With a heavy sigh he tried again, this time with much less enthusiasm but still kindly answering. “A valve, one working by the premise of pressure differences causing for the force created to close it. There is a single metal disk inside. Breathing in, a zone of negative pressure forms that sucks the disk in, closing the flow and ensuring to a decent degree that no air would come in. Normally however, the fluid would press upon it, moving it away and allowing for the flow. Courtesy of Finn and Mister Swifttail who helped me to construct it and gave me the initial idea.”

He spoke like a practiced teacher, not that he didn’t sneakily go a few times to both listen and present his knowledge at the university. He just couldn’t afford to fully enroll but a practice he got shined through him.

 

[Morgan Liu]

Morgan, for her part, tried to sit up, and swiftly discovered that was a very bad idea, laying back down again instead. "It feels great, Doc," she commented, the pipe gurgling as she spoke. She took a deep breath in, delighting in the feeling of having a lung full of air. "What should I call you two anyway?" she inquired, glancing between the foxes. "Reckon I oughta know who I owe my life to."

 

[Kaii Nashirou]

Kaii turned with a slightly widened irises. Of course he forgot about the introductions. He straightened himself to properly introduce himself with a bow. "Kaii of the house Nashirou. A pleasure to meet you Miss Morgan." He stood up again and smiled. "And you owe your life to the friend beside me for he was the one to come with a plea to lend my mind to him for the sake of your life." He finished, gesturing with his paw at Swifttail.

 

[Arthur Barrett]

Arthur let go of the fox's tail as he came to a halt. It was perhaps a touch offensive a gesture -- but so was coming in, treating his patient, and then walking out as if nothing had happened. Tit for tat, Mr. Nashirou.

The pine marten listened intently to Kaii as he explained his contraption. The mechanism of operation was quite clear from the explanation -- it was so simple, Barrett was frustrated that he hadn't thought of it himself. "Finny, fetch Morgan some broth, would you?" he asked, with an air of... was that frustration?

Barrett folded his arms across his chest, and leaned back on the nearest operating table. In one sense, it wounded his pride a little that he hadn't thought of this himself. But ultimately, Morgan had substantially improved in a short amount of time. "...this is a rather... experimental procedure you've modified," he said gruffly. "Draining the chest like this is a fairly recent development in the last few years, and only something attempted as a last ditch effort. Few know how to do this procedure, and even fewer are willing to attempt it. Are you sure your mechanism will last long enough for somebeast's life to depend on it? Would you stake your own life on it?"

A grave expression was on his face, and the temperature in the room dropped ever so slightly. Barrett had a reputation on the ship for being a particularly difficult beast to get along with for a reason. And yet -- Barrett had justification. "This may be a fun exercise in craftsmanship for you -- yet if this device fails, I will have to acccount for it. The minister will not simply accept me passing the blame onto another beast."

 

[SwifttailTheFox]

Swifttail had just opened his mouth to answer Morgan when Barrett’s paw lashed out, catching Kaii by the tail.

He flinched.

The lecture that followed silenced any thought of speaking. Barrett’s tone didn’t leave much room for interruption. Just weight. Just expectation. But after a moment, Swifttail stepped forward.

“Swifttail, sir,” he said simply, voice quiet but firm. “This was my idea.”

He motioned lightly toward the valve with one paw.

“I asked Kaii if he could help make somethin’. We didn’t think it through all the way, no. We shoulda brought it to you first. That was the plan. But…”

His ears dipped slightly, but he didn’t drop his gaze.

“It started workin’. She was breathin’ easier, and we were just so damn relieved we, well, we acted before we remembered to ask.”

He glanced toward Finn for a moment, then back.

“If there’s blame to be handed out, I’ll take it. But don’t put this all on Kaii. He did what I asked.”

 

[Kaii Nashirou]

An interjection coming from the very fox that brought him into this whole situation was a welcome one. It meant actually at least he wasn’t just used and that was enough for him to know he choose correctly.

Kaii however knew the way beasts like Barrett did things. Sticking to the same old script and working by the same rules driven by experience. Nothing wrong with that of course. Especially when it comes to saving lives. The issue with such minded beasts was however inability to adapt. They would sooner let others suffer if that meant preserving pride of their craft. This one was a fine example and one Kaii was wary of.

His body went still and he cleared his throat, his voice deepening by an octave as he started speaking with emotionless stare. “I will take nonetheless the bulk of any prosecution you may think of. My paws were ones to install this contraption and I stand firmly by quality of my craft and stay assured by the quality of Mr.Swifttail’s work on it.”

He looked at the Pine Marten with no shame nor fear of what he was about to say. “But should the solution brought by us be efficient and effective, I will claim whole credit along my friend. If the responsibility is ours, so should be the fanfares. Albeit it sure doesn’t sound like something one should expect for saving lives now don’t you think Mr. Barrett?”

 

[Arthur Barrett]

Arthur's jaw clenched, and he stared Kaii down -- almost as if he expected a fight to break out. Oh, to be young and foolish. Swifttail was permitted to speak, but Barrett wouldn't even look at him.

As Kaii spoke, a dangerous fire sparked in the pine martens eyes. He wasn't stupid enough to escalate the confrontation now -- not with Morgan in such a fragile state... but Barrett wanted to throttle the fox.

The pine marten remained still, silent as he crafted his response. "I take all the risk, you get all the reward. You stand to get a pat on the back, I stand to get a court marshal. Sounds like a fine deal," he seethed.

Barrett couldn't deny the effectiveness of the device, nor could he deny that if they had merely asked, he would have accepted the risk. Swift understood the real problem: no one consulted him. In Barrett's estimation, Kaii was full of himself. Beasts like that were a dangerous wildcard. Their hubris could blind them, and others would pay the price.

The pine marten wanted to throw them out of the infirmary -- but he suddenly flinched as if he'd thought better, and had barely stopped himself from making a foolish mistake.

All he needed... All Morgan needed was a fail safe. His anger subsided.

"Then get your fuzzy tails down to engineering, and build me a second unit in the event this one fails. Both of you," he said quietly. Truly, it was the solution. It would clearly quash any risk of repercussion, and give Morgan the best chance. And that's all anyone could ask for.

 

[Kaii Nashirou]

Kaii didn’t even flinch at the words Pine Marten managed through their clenched teeth. It was now clear to him that the chirurgeon was merely afraid of his position. Not something he approved of considering the circumstances but something that he found reasonable. There was an issue of miscommunication in his mind, Barrett clearly felt Kaii wanted to snatch his work and take the credit. Nothing of sorts, but he wouldn’t now convince him of it. Unfortunately the sarcastic metaphor he used seemingly missed and caused the repercussions. Oh well, those were avoidable should the Pine Marten merely thanked for unwanted but effective assistance.

Thus when he heard the request to make another one he needed a second to process it. Was it a sign of Barett giving in? Even if, it wasn’t done from genuine place. Clearly in Kaii’s eyes, the fear Barett felt for his position or his patient took over his pride and lack of belief in experimental solutions.

Kaii nodded deeply and agreed for a truce. Except he had one condition for it. “Not a problem Mr.Barrett.” He still spoke in emotionless tone. “I will gladly make one to save another life in need. But I may not be there to install it when the time comes to use it so you won’t mind also learning how to seal and install it yourself right?”

 

[Morgan Liu]

Morgan winced as much at the pain of trying to slightly lean up as the confrontation between the beasts around her. "Look, Doc," she addressed Mr. Barrett, "the lads were just trying to help. I don't see anything wrong with that. If you want, I'll sign any release form or waiver you put in front of me to help cover your tail. And Kaii," she addressed the fox, "while you're making another, do you think you could make some kind of cup to catch the run-off from this thing? All this gunk is gonna be awful to get out of my fur later."

 

[Arthur Barrett]

Barrett took a deep breath and let it out slowly. The resentment felt towards Kaii was fading, but it would take a while longer to finish settling his nerves. Finn had already picked up on the pine marten's mood, and was skittishly giving him a wide berth.

Kaii's request to provide instruction was reasonable, and Arthur gave a nod. "I'd expect nothing less. But hear this. I don't ask much: if you come meddling in my affairs again, and don't bother to give me notice -- I'll have you thrown in the brig. Do we have an understanding?"

Barrett glanced down at Morgan, seemingly ignoring her remarks. But a light smirk crossed his muzzle. He'd name the crud catching cup after Kaii.

 

[FinnianBrightfur]

Finn knew when to keep his distance from Barrett. Even when bringing over the broth, he came around the far side of the room, so as to avoid spending any extra time on the bilge pumps.

The foxkit pretended to ignore the other adults squabbling, and sat down next to Morgan. At first, he offered the bowl to her, before remembering that she couldn't even sit up. "Oh! Hold on, I can feed you!" he said in a lowered tone, spooning out the broth, and bringing it to Morgan's lips.

 

[Kaii Nashirou]

Kaii for his part decided to just nod affirmatively to the chirurgeon. "You will have your notice." Adding any words was pointless considering his state. He just turned to Morgan and her request. Putting his paw on his chin he closed his eyes to thing while speaking. "I suppose it is a matter of just making the outlet pipe longer, then you can just put a bucket underneath it. But I can also try to make it so one could attach a cup or a waterskin for the discharge. I will see what I can do Morgan." He offered her a small smile before opening his eyes.

Kaii then patted Finn who just came to sit by Morgan's side. "Thank you Finn." He just said before turning on his paws and leaving to do his bidding. Gesturing at Swifttail with an invitation to join him.

 

[Morgan Liu]

Morgan delicately craned her neck to make a valiant attempt at more easily consuming the soup. "Thanks Finn," she told him weakly. "'Gates, I'm parched. Probably all that sea water I drank, huh?" She tried to manage a weak grin, her exhaustion showing clearly now that she was no longer fighting just to breathe.

 

[SwifttailTheFox]

Swifttail had taken a few steps back the moment Barrett’s voice started rising.. His ears lowered slightly, tail curling inward as the tension rebounded around the room. He’d seen Kaii get defensive before, but this was something else, and he didn’t want to be next on the receiving end.

His eyes flicked briefly to Finnian, offering the kit a cringed, apologetic look as if to say, “Well... that escalated.”

When things finally started to settle, and Kaii turned to him with the offer to step out, Swifttail shook his head softly.

“I think I’ll pass, friend,” he said, voice low and tired. “Now that I know Morgan can breathe again, I figure I ought to grab a bit of shut eye, ‘fore Captain Talinn gets it in his head to send us ashore first thing in the mornin’.”

He gave a small, tired wag of his tail before turning to make his way toward the bunks, slipping out with a quiet yawn and a paw rubbed across his face.

Time to rest. At least for a little while.

 

[FinnianBrightfur]

Finn shot a glance back at Swift, and flashed a nervous grin. It's gonna be fine, everything's gonna be juuuuust fine! Or at least, that's what his look implied. Things seemed to be settling down though, and whatever tension Finn was carrying in his shoulders seemed to relax.

The foxkit turned to watch Kaii and Swift off as they left, before quickly looking back to make sure he wasn't spilling broth on Morgan. Barrett wouldn't have been pleased about that. Fortunately, the pine marten had knelt down to inspect the device, and was making sure it was still draining properly, and missed Finn's precarious soup balancing act.

"Yeah, you had us all worried, that's for sure! I uh... hope you didn't mind me borrowing your jacket..." he said. Given how large the jacket was, Finn had only draped it over his shoulders.

"...does it hurt much?" he asked, looking over at the contraption hanging from a hole in Morgan's side.