Create with the heart, build with the mind, and don't hammer your thumb! [Video/Action]

[so_dark_a_road]

[ On the south shore of North Island, Ignis Scientia and Curufin Fëanorion stand in front of a stack of boards. The construction of the North Island pier has commenced. It will be a low, narrow, and simple structure, but solidly built. Shovels, picks, hand-crank drills, and sledgehammers are leaned against the embankment, where it is obvious that some earth-moving is already taking place in order to accommodate the structure as it goes up. The logs that will stand upright to uphold the walkway are already cut and shaped and are ready to be driven into the muck at the bottom of the water. Saws, hammers, pliers, and other tools are stacked neatly in their bins near the lumber, and cans of nails and fasteners. Gleams of sunlight break through the clouds occasionally, although a faint mist lies on the water, and the breeze is slight. It's a great day to work, not too hot and not too cold. ]

Welcome to our humble construction site! We intend to make life easier for anybody who uses a boat. Now you won't have to moor offshore and wade to get to the beach, just tie up at the pier and stroll along the walkway. When we're finished here, we'll move on to the other islands and do the same, so that everybody has a place to dock. We have some highly skilled people lined up to work with us already, but everybody who can dig or wield a hammer is welcome. We'll find you something meaningful to do!

[ They also won't mind if you show up just to cheer them on or serve the food. There are some tables with sandwiches and drinks, but the workers won't object if you bring more. ]

[ OOC: Ignis or Curufin or both will respond, and of course feel free to mingle! ]

[ And the post title is a quote that I mangled, from Criss Jami's Killosophy. ]

Comments

[vocarrah]

[Ianchus looks...tired. His eyes are red-rimmed and hard, and his lips, which are usually habitually smiling, have settled in a pout. Still, he's come ready to work, hair tied up out of the way. He's dressed in a tank top and pants that are comfortable enough. When he sees Curufin, he walks over to him, pulling a tight smile. ]

Well! As promised, I've arrived.

[so_dark_a_road]

[ Curufin notices the difference immediately, of course. ]

Thank you for coming! We definitely need your help. But you look a bit under the weather. Are you all right?

[vocarrah]

[His eyes meet Curufin's, but his voice is plenty nonchalant, if the slightest bit hollow.]

Ah! Fine as ever. You've no need to worry about me collapsing or anything. Where can I help?

[so_dark_a_road]

[ Curufin tries to signal his sympathy to Ianchus, his willingness to listen and to give of his energy. But of course, it is up to Ianchus whether he wants or needs it. ]

[ He smiles. ] I'm sure you won't collapse! We're pretty much done with the digging onshore, but we still have to nail together a platform for those of us who are going to sink the pilings offshore. Then we'll drag it out into the water and place it. You can help with that.

[ And he points to a heap of two-by-fours with hardware and tools nearby. He walks over to a couple of wooden sawhorses, across which he arranges the first of the structural members, and he marks them with a heavy pencil so that it is obvious where the cross-pieces should be set and nailed. He demos one so that Ianchus can get the idea -- although he imagines this is not new to this man, and it won't take long to get the idea. ]

[vocarrah]

[He politely but firmly ignores it. Ianchus has never been one to turn to others. Instead, he follows Curufin, tilting his head as he watches the demonstration.]

It seems simple enough. But as I told you...this is my first time doing this. [he laughs a little, picking up a hammer and idly testing its weight.]

[so_dark_a_road]

[ Curufin knows so many people who are wary of sympathy! Truthfully, he's not much different himself, except for special circumstances. So he can understand. He gives Ianchus a slightly humorous look and proceeds with the demonstration. ]

It is simple. Just aim the hammer at the nail! [ Grin. ] But you've done carpentry work before, as you said elsewhere? This is just a different project.

[vocarrah]

I've nailed hammers into boards, yes. Nailed my finger into the board on occasion. But yes, never something like a pier. Anything I should watch out for? Mistakes that would render our pier undockable?

[so_dark_a_road]

Ouch! A nail through a finger is not a pleasant experience. Luckily, we are not so very far from Guard HQ, where part of the space has been repurposed for a small outpost of the Clinic. If we have any accidents, first aid is available.

As for what you should watch out for -- that's the good thing about having detailed plans. If we follow them to the letter, the structure will be solid. All you have to do is lay the wooden pieces straight and nail them securely. I'll be around, so just keep in touch and ask any questions you have or ask for help if you need it. But I'm going to work with you on this platform we'll need to stand on in order to sink the pilings. So I'll be right here.

[vocarrah]

Very well! Hopefully we'll soon have a functional pier, hmm?

[He hefts the hammer again, and then leans over the boards, setting a nail against it and beginning to pound it in as directed. Despite his comments, he's not bad at it. At least nothing goes through his finger.]

[so_dark_a_road]

I hope for it and expect it! [ Smile ]

[ Curufin notices that, too. Actually, Ianchus is better than not bad, he's good at it! ]

Now that's what I call hitting the nail on the head! [ And even bigger smile. ]

[vocarrah]

[Ianchus chuckles, moving to the next row of nails. He's a little tired and ornery still, but at least hard work and Curufin's chatter helps him take his mind off that. Funny, didn't the same thing happen when he'd lost his sense of taste?]

And what of you? Have you done this much?

[so_dark_a_road]

[ Curufin is glad to hear that chuckle. He had used his humor to try to give Ianchus a little lift of the spirit, as he had during the gods' event in which Ianchus had clearly lost something but was vague as to what it was. ]

Oh yes! In my world, my people basically invented civilization itself. In fact, we had to do it twice, because we emigrated to a second continent. My specialty was metallurgy and metalwork, but I was interested in everything, so I became a carpenter and a stonemason, and tried my hand at anything that might be useful to my people in our new land. Including goat-herding. [ And it makes him smile to remember that last. ]

I built boats, too. And a mighty lighthouse. And I worked on the building of the great harbor run by my cousins the Teleri clan.

What about you, Ianchus? Where does your woodworking experience come from?

[vocarrah]

[Ianchus stops to listen, brows raised. That's an impressive pedigree, if it's not all tall tales--but he's met enough strange people in Hadriel, that he can suspend his disbelief.]

All that and goat-herding, ah? We're quite fortunate to have you.

[It's a joke, yes, but not a jab, spoken through a small grin.]


Myself...I traveled with some seafaring men, explorers. Occasionally they had to fix the ship in port. [a shrug.] I was the patron, but I liked making myself useful. It certainly helped relations.

[so_dark_a_road]

[ Curufin and his kin would certainly qualify as strange people! XD ]

Yes, a goat-herder will unquestionably be needed on the boats! [ Laughing with Ianchus. ]

That is admirable, that you rolled up your sleeves and did some of the same work as the sailors did. That must have been a great adventure, as well! What made you decide to go seafaring?

[vocarrah]

Boredom, primarily. [Ianchus times his talking between the blow of his hammer, alternating between work and talk.]

And investment. Exploration had the potential to be quite lucrative in my world. So, thrills and money! [He waves the hammer over his head dramatically]

It's where I learned to swordfight, as well. [Well, swordfight properly. Fencing for sport in Carrah was, as he'd expected, an entire waste of time.]

[so_dark_a_road]

[ A good way to pace oneself! -- alternating between words and hammering. Curufin approves! ]

We were mostly on the barter system, in my world. But I can understand the appeal of money, and of finding ways to make more of it. That's what the word investment means, right?

And of course if you spent time with sailors, you learned to fight with a sword! Say, would you like to spar with me, sometime? I'm always on the lookout for new practice partners.

[vocarrah]

Exactly. I spend some money, take a calculated risk, and hope it pays off.

[And by being there with the group he risks his life, but that's more interesting anyways.

At the proposition of a match, he stops, glancing back at Curufin, suddenly grinning.]

Ah! That would be delightful. What, perchance, do you use?

[so_dark_a_road]

And thus the voyages? Were they trading voyages? [ Which may also be euphemism for piracy! -- at least it was in Curufn's world.

Risking one's life is always more interesting! ]

I've used a variety of swords in my time. Mostly a longsword or a claymore. I really like the curved swords, though. My brother Maglor and I now each own a katana. And yourself, Ianchus? What do you prefer?

[vocarrah]

Ah, curved!

[Alright, he's getting distracted now. He supposes he can afford it for himself, shifting to look at Curufin, resting his hammer on his knee.]

The one I use--ah, I didn't bring it here--it's called a shamshir. It's curved as well. It's not traditional for my country--ours was like this. [He uses the butt of the hammer to draw an approximation of a sword with a wide, straight, blade. To help, he also adds an approximation of his own sword, currently resting by his bed.] We had rapiers too, of course, but... Ah, what's a katana?

[so_dark_a_road]

[ They can both afford a moment of distraction. Moments of rest and conversation in between bouts of ferocious activity is Curufin's style whenever he is working on a project that doesn't have to be done yesterday. So he's certainly not going to object to Ianchus resting his hammer for a moment! ]

A shamshir, eh? [ Always, always curious about swords. His eyes follow the sweep of the hammer in order to visualize the straight swords of Ianchus' country as well as the shamshir. ]

A katana is a curved, single-edged blade with a long grip for two-handed wielding. It takes some special skills to forge, since it's effectiveness depends on the speed of a blow and the razor-sharpness of the blade, not on the power of the user's arm. It has to be a blade that will not break, so its back has a certain degree of flexibility whilst its cutting edge must be the hardest steel that can be made.

[vocarrah]

I see! [Ianchus, too, tries to imagine it, a light smile playing across his lips.]

I'd certainly love to see a duel between the two--so why not. Challenge accepted.

[Certainly it would be more interesting than the contrived fencing tournaments in his country. Fencing wasn't even a native Cephean sport. He gives Curufin a little nod, and then returns to the previous question.]

But why we sailed, ah...primarily exploration. We had many islands and landmasses that hadn't been thoroughly explored yet--it was a lucrative, if dangerous profession.

[so_dark_a_road]

Very well! We'll arrange for a practice. [ He's looking forward to it! ]

Exploration is definitely dangerous. Though certainly exciting. And did you map your world completely? What sorts of resources did you discover? Were there new peoples to trade with? New goods to transport?

[ And if it was "primarily" exploration, then what was it secondarily? ]