Solo The Theadora, Pt. II

[Karin]

4th Summer, 516 AV
The Docks

The following morning still retained the damp feeling from the evening before. Nevertheless, Karin awoke before the birds and walked down towards the dock, holding her hood against the drizzling rain. She was intent on finishing what she had started, a phrase which sounded menacing but wasn’t at all. After all, she wasn’t going down to the dock to beat someone up: she was going to her favourite place because she was building a ship. A ship for a father grieving for his dead daughter. Karin sped up her pace, and gently jogged down the last couple of twists and turns before arriving at her place of work pleasantly warmed from her run. It was quiet about, apart from the seabirds and workmen and tradecarts rumbling over the boards.

The Shipwright’s was equally quiet, with only two others there, Picalum and someone Karin didn’t recognise. She nodded briefly towards her boss before tucking her head down and heading to where she had deposited her tools last night. The boat was partially uncovered, that must have been Picalum, and so she could clearly see that what she’d done yesterday hadn’t been as disastrous as she’d started worrying heading down.

She started to gather her tools, hammer, nails, and planks to fit to the ship. She had managed to fit all of them onto her person, nails in one hand, hammer in the other, boards tucked under her arm, when Picalum came over. ”A word of warning Karin!” The girl stopped walking, and hesitated before resting the boards down on the ground. ”This kind of weather is bad for boat building, causes warping and all those kinds of problems. Take care not to expose much if any of the wood to the elements, and cover everything back up when you’re done.”

She nodded, her worries slowly fading. For a moment, it had seemed like she had done something wrong last evening, and her heart had risen in her chest, worried that she was going to have to apologise or that they would have to start afresh and that she’d caused unavoidable damage. Yet the paranoia sank as fast as it had risen, and she scooped up the boards again. ”I won’t forget, thanks Picalum.” With that, she stationed herself underneath the flap of the tarpaulin covering the ship, and started the day’s work.

Fortunately, she had left the ship in a good condition, and there wasn’t anything too difficult for her to do that morning. She took the nails and the hammer, and placed the board underneath the other. As the lines of the plank were straight, it wasn’t too hard to align them well, but she took care over it anyway, just in case she slipped before putting the nail in and made an error. The wood she was using wasn’t too heavy either, which she was glad about. It seemed light but dense, and only slightly difficult to put nails in. She hammered as hard as she could anyway, because yesterday she had noticed to her displeasure that hammering without conviction was sometimes more hazardous than a confident approach.

Word count: 519

[Karin]

The ship building was going well. Karin had got into the swing of things, the rhythm of the hammer thudding almost musically onto the nail, the wood ringing with vibrations that shuddered down her arms. She almost didn’t realise that the sun had come out from behind the clouds until the back of her neck began to get noticeably warmer and some young Akalak workers began to uncover the rest of the boat. It appeared the others had arrived. Suddenly, Karins’ work station (such as it was) began to fill up with chatting and socialisation, and a hubbub of activity covering the boat as people began to make measurements to begin the construction of the inside.

All the while, Karin was smiling with joy and happiness. Although she was well aware that she personally didn’t make the entirety of the boat, she had just finished installing the last plank to where it should be. The whole thing was now hulled, and she felt a strange sense of pride. For a few chimes, the young woman spent time checking around the perimeter of the ship, inspecting every angle and facet. It all seemed to be ship-shape, but she presumed that some of the more experienced boat builders in the yard would check it later too. It didn’t mean though that she couldn’t check herself.

However, now that the hull was finished, she felt like she was a little at a loose end. She placed her trusty hammer back in its station, before dithering nearby to the planning table where the plans for the ship were spread out. Finally plucking up courage, Karin peeked in closer and shuffled her way in to be looking at the designs. Thankfully they were talking in Common, otherwise Karin wouldn’t have had a clue. As it was, she struggled to pick up the conversation. ”.. So, the customer wanted this placed here, and likes this design of ship. Thankfully we’ve got the right set-up, and apart from a special commission to get sea-worthy glass to protect his painting, I think this plan should be finished in ten days or so.”
“Don’t you think that’s a little slow, Jerren?”
“No, we want to be puttin’ our best in, right?”

The man named Jerren smiled, and started outlining who should do what. Karin was given the task to start working on the ‘foundations’ for the cabin, along with two others. As they started to prepare what they would need, she quickly took a peek at the plans laid out in their finest. The page was full of measurements, a lot more than Karin could work out. Although she wasn’t very well-schooled, she could still make a little sense of it, and drank in as much as she could. The boat it seemed was mainly focussed around the spine of the ship that had already been made by the time Karin had started working on it. Perhaps she would need to purchase or get a plan for a boat from someone. She felt somewhat at a disadvantage, being able to put a boat together but not knowing the dimensions and actual measurements required to make a boat that would actually float.

Word count: 532

[Karin]

"Speech"

Nevertheless, it was with satisfaction that she started working on the cabin. Her two working companions, Hek'a and Laurence, started to gather what they would need, so Karin joined in too. It was mostly the joints of the cabin, the parts that were to be fixed to the hull of the ship. Karin set to work on this as soon as she could, lending her hand to Hek'a as the two of them lifted the relatively lightweight joists up and over the edge of the ship and into the basin created by the curved hull.

Hek'a was one of the shortest Akalak she'd seen. He was brash though, loud and boisterous. Not someone she particularly got on with, but she put it into the back of her mind as she worked in silence, lifting, placing, lifting again. Her arms were aching by the time they had everything they needed where it was supposed to be. So she gently massaged her bare forearms before wiping a hand across her brow and grabbing her tools.

With three of them working on it, they were soon able to get much of the supports and joists in place. Karin observed Laurence, the more approachable of the two, for a while before starting. It was important to get the joists nailed in the right place, apparently, and at the right angle. She picked up a plumb line and tried to gauge the straightness of the beam before setting it in place. After a few adjustments and readjustments the woman finally got the joist in place. Now she took a nail and hammer, and all the while holding the beam in place with her knees, the woman started the hammer the joist in.

The length of nail was important here, that was obvious. Not too long so as to come out the other end and create a problem later on when the boat was in the water. Not too short so that it was a weak connection. She glanced at Laurence, who held up the relevant nail with a crooked smile. She nodded her thanks, and grabbed one of the same length from the toolbox.

There weren't many of the width-wise joists to put in, so soon enough Karin was working on the beginnings of the floorboards. There needed to be cross-sectional support, so smaller beams were laid across the more stout ones. Then on top of that, the floorboards were fixed in place. Karin heaved her hammer into her hand, and began. It was warm work, and she was glad she had worn her sleeveless shirt today. Sweat dripped from her hairline irritatingly, but she blinked it out the way. The floorboards were beginning to take shape though, as well as the vertical planks that were to be the supports for the walls of the small cabin.

Those were short but sturdy. Karin went around the perimeter of the walls, checking for errors or weakness. She couldn't find any, but felt like it was a wise thing to do nonetheless. Also, it was kind of her adopted role as an apprentice. 'Do the rounds' checking things, but mostly just to learn the designs and constructions of things at all stages. It was all well and good looking at a house, for example, but you wouldn't be able to build one straight off simply by looking at it. No, for that, she needed to see every stage of the construction. She was just that type of person.

Word count: 581

[Karin]

"Speech"

Work continued. The day had progressed a long way now, and the sun was well and truly up. She took her meagre lunch of bread and grapes from her pack and took a short break, stretching her legs out in front of her as she sat and watched her workmates. Time passed with a pleasant slowness. The young woman ate with a relaxed mind as she filled her mind with all that was around her and nothing more. The break was short but sweet, a mere ten chimes of rest before she stumbled back to her feet again and let out a little yawn.

Laurence and Hek'a were continuing on the more intricate details of the cabin, but Karin's attention was wanted elsewhere. "Hey, can you help over here? There's the tarrin' needs doing." The tar in question had been kept in preparation over the course of the day, brought from a merchant and kept in a large covered vat. Now that the exterior of the boat was completed, the time for tarring it up was due.

She grabbed a bucket, and a large, thickly-bristled brush. It was messy work, and the smell was intense. Rich, dark, and oily, and so tangy. Karin wrinkled her nose, but after a time the smell grew on her. The thick tar was sticky, clinging to the bristles and the woman's fingers. It almost seemed a shame to cover the boat in it, but although the boards were well-crafted and nailed together, this was another way of making sure it was absolutely watertight.

In much the same way as varnishing, waterproofing wasn't as easy as it might seem. It was especially so with the tar. As she painted, the black material seemed to get stuck and downright ignored the corners. She glared with frustration at a corner she'd been painting for the past few moments that was completely free of tar. That wouldn't do. After several attempts and reattempts, she started to get a basic knack for getting into the little nooks and crannies.

The rest of the day passed well. Karin spent a good while on waterproofing, until the light of Syna started to fall. The amount of people working on the ship was quite high, but it was tricky work doing the cabin and as such it was still only half-finished and would take a few more days to get to a more completed state.

She sighed, and looked up at the neat line of pitch halfway up the side of the boat. Above, the light wood glowed with warmth under the sunset. There were less workers now, and so she climbed up over the edge of the boat, her hands grabbing the edges as she pulled herself up and over, landing as carefully as she could on the newly placed decking. Despite the slowly lowering sun, there was still enough time left in the day for her to get stuff done, so she lowered herself to the floor and got to work on sanding down the rough splinters of the deck.

Word count: 510

[Karin]

"Speech"

The sun was almost set now, just a lingering, wavering sliver of Syna's light on the horizon that filled the sky with warm light and brushed the underside of clouds with deep crimsons and peach. It was much changed from earlier in the day, Karin thought, as she shuffled to sand in a different location. She was glad it wasn't raining as it had been. Now that she knew rain wasn't good for the unvarnished wood, she would make sure to remember that. She was just glad she hadn't left the ship without it's tarpaulin cover.

Most people had left now, but she continued working as she thought over her working day. Home was a distant thought, ignored and pushed down. Besides, home was wherever she was. That was here. She smiled, placing her hand down on the soft, warm wood beneath her. Then she pushed herself up, and walked over to the cabin. It was comprised of two walls, with the other components of the wall lying nearby. The plans for the cabin were pinned down on the planning board, so she went to have a look at them and see if there was anything else she could do before she had to go.

She quickly scanned the measurements and instructions. Each time she read over them, she was learning it more and more. She was still a little confused by some things, but others were more straightforward than she had initially realised. Because it was a drawing, she could see what the shapes were supposed to be. Then seeing how long or short they were, or how thick they were, that related to the little numbers running along the side. And she measured those with the measuring sticks or measuring ropes. Angles were made with the knotted rope. Given time to work it out, Karin could easily figure out how things were done.

She figured she would give a hand in putting up another bit of wall segment. It was simple, the support beams were already in place so all Karin had to do was nail the boards in place. The others were slightly layered over the top of each other, so Karin angled the board until it was properly in place and then started hammering the nails in.

I'm getting better at this, she thought. It was a good thought to have. So often, she felt like she was swimming through mud when it came to shipbuilding. There had been times when she had wanted to throw her hammer, nails, and measuring stick into the Suvan with frustration. But now... well, now she felt like she was getting somewhere. Nowhere near the skill level of the other workers here, but getting there.

The sun had slipped below the horizon, and the others had gone for the night as the light levels started to fade. She sighed, and stood up. Work was over, but her room was far from appealing. There was much of the night still left to do something in. She started to cover the boat with it's tarpaulin, dragging the heavy material over the boat. It would be ready soon, and she was looking forward to seeing it in the water. She was proud of it and what she had put into it. She hopped off the side of the boat and landed gracelessly on the floor.

Casting a final glance back to the Theadora, she started her walk down to the beach. There was just enough time for an evening swim.

Word count: 587

[Grim Ravenwood]

Your Grades

Skills:
Shipbuilding: 3
Observation: 3
Carpentry: 2
Planning: 1

Lores:
Rain: Unfavorable weather for shipbuilding
Rain: Causes unvarnished wood to warp
Self: The joy of boat building
Tar: Dark, oily and sticky
Tar: Difficult to manage
Theadora: Participated in building

Comments:
Don't forget to delete your request in this thread. Enjoy your grades!

~Grim