tethered to the dream

Ehno Marino · 05-25-2011, 09:04 PM

[html]
<style type="text/css">
.ehnopath b {font-weight:bold; color:#8c7755; letter-spacing:1px; }
.ooc { font-style:italic; padding:0px; font-family:verdana, sans-serif; font-size:10px;}
.ehnopath p {text-indent:25px;padding:5px 10px;margin:0px;}
.ehnopath {width:375px;border:1px solid #484130;background-image:url(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v26/K ... nopath.png);background-position:bottom center;background-repeat:no-repeat;padding-bottom:158px;background-color:#c8d5e5;text-align:justify;margin:10px;font-family:georgia, serif;font-size:11px;line-height:12px;color:#484130;}
</style>

Would it be alright if we forward dated this maybe two days? :] wc:374

It was overcast and cool that afternoon, a fact the Marino man was thankful for. He was working outside for once, rather than choosing to remain in his workshop in the Manor as he usually did. The carpenter hadn’t worked on any large projects for a number of weeks, but after some recent preparation he was ready to begin again. He’d ventured once again into the concrete jungle just days before in search of a few replacement parts and supplies, mainly in search of a new hammer, for the wooden handle on his main one had split down the middle, leaving it almost unusable. He succeeded in finding a new hammer, a sturdier one with a metal base and rubber grip, as well as a few good hinges stripped from broken doors, which he would need for his little project today.

He planned to busy himself with building and installing a replacement door for one of the stalls in the recently-erected horse stable. A combination of rust and weather-worn wood had left the door warping and barely able to close during the last few weeks. It was a flub brought on by lack of supplies at the end of the project, but now the Italian was determined to fix it. He’d arrived to find that by a stroke of luck, neither of the resident horses was inside. That would make his work much easier.

The Marino had dragged out two of the sawhorses from his workshop, setting them up in front of the stable. A length of plywood leaned against them, later to be used as a table surface. Set alongside that was wood he would craft into the door, the majority of the pieces pre-cut earlier and only in need of refinement and assembly. Ehno surveyed the door and his supplies as he tied his blue tool belt around his waist. Just about everything seemed to be in order. A small wooden compartment set into the bottom length of one of the sawhorses held the larger tools that didn’t fit within his tool belt. He crouched down to get a better look at what was in the compartment, one hand pushing aside tools to double-check that he had everything he needed to begin.

[/html]

Barrett · 05-26-2011, 03:19 AM

[html]

Actually that works out very well for me Big Grin

Thanks for starting ^^

Barrett had only gotten in earlier that morning, returning from an excursion not so unlike Ehno's. He'd made decent progress in Halifax as far as collecting supplies and tending to the greenhouse, but the yard still needed a lot of work. It would have to wait for another day. He'd already been away for the better part of a week since his re-acceptance into the Dreamers' ranks and he didn't want Savina to think that he'd taken off again. Still, he felt pretty accomplished--between the grounds maintenance and a successful run to Inferni--and at first welcomed some time to relax.

A rejuvenating nap at the base of an oak tree carried him into the afternoon hours, but when he awoke he felt restless and suddenly out of place. Under normal circumstances he would embrace the languid demands of the subordinate rank and spend the afternoon moseying around the territory, getting a feel for where things were and seeing if anywhere in particular struck his fancy for a den site. After weeks of bustling about, however, he found it hard to come to a full stop all at once. It felt like he should be doing something.

With no better ideas on where to go, he found himself gravitating towards the manor. It seemed like a popular hangout for most of the pack; while he valued privacy and personal space too much to want to bunk there with everyone else, he figured he could pass through and see if anything was happening. This quickly proved a sound decision.

Barrett watched curiously as an older adult, a male about his mother's age, set up shop. Yet unfamiliar with the true extent of the Marino family, he did not realise this chocolate and crème wolf was Savina's brother, but he did recognise that the other wolf would obviously outrank him. His ears flitted back passively and he offered a few amiable wags of his tail as he drew closer and called out. "Hey, want a hand? Whatchya workin' on?"

338

Ehno Marino · 06-03-2011, 07:12 PM

[html]

wc:328 Sorry for the delay! D:

The Marino found the saw he was looking for amongst the random assortment of tools and set it in the grass alongside the gathered set of wood. He leaned back on his haunches, eyeing all the materials and mentally going through the steps of the project. The main base of the door was already done, now only in need of the framing that would match it to the other doors. Cut them up, apply them with a bit of hammering and gluing, and then it would be all ready for attachment.

His mental walk through the step-by-step process was quite easily pulled off track by the sound of footsteps and a call from behind him. Ehno turned from his crouched position to find an unfamiliar face to go with the unfamiliar voice. The Marino figured him for a newcomer, a fact defended by the very faint scent of the pack accompanying him. With Ehno’s recent trend for lengthy excursions and this stranger apparently being quite new to the pack itself, he wasn’t surprised to discover that he didn’t know him. He was a younger wolf, pale yellow eyes standing out from his fur’s mixture of dark hues. He approached with an offer of help and a friendly demeanor that immediately received the approval of the older Dreamer.

“Can’t say no to an offer of help, now can I?” he said, a friendly grin lighting up his features. He stood up, one hand absently patting the sawhorse beside him. “I’m Ehno, Lignarius—er, carpenter—of the pack.” Accented words were punctuated with a nod. “I’m just trying to fix up one of the doors on the stable here.” He gestured to the sad and crooked looking door. “It shouldn’t be too hard, but it would definitely go faster with two sets of hands.” Ehno was certainly glad for the offer of help; despite his usual tendency to work alone, the sociable Dreamer would appreciate the company and the assistance.

[/html]

Barrett · 06-06-2011, 03:55 AM

[html]

No worries, and sorry for mine! x_x

Barrett was a generalist, unsuitable for most jobs that required specialisation. He knew how to set bones, brace sprains, cauterise wounds, and apply bandages, but the intricacies of surgery and medicine eluded him. He could pluck out some half-decent tunes on an acoustic guitar, but he wouldn't know where to begin if he had to teach someone else to do the same. And while he had some affinity for spirituality and Zen, he lacked the zeal of a shaman or monk. He was too disorganised to make a suitable manciple, too introverted to be a bard or jester (his humour was more situational, not something to be conjured up on demand), and too immature to keep watch over the whelps.

But failing all else, Barrett was good with his hands. Whether he was working with wood, metal, or masonry—even glass, supposing he had access to the proper equipment—he demonstrated an intuitive physical understanding and a kind of mechanical creativity that made his work both strong and unique. He was then quite interested to learn that Crimson Dreams recognised carpentry as a trade. It occurred to him he knew very little about the rank structure of the lakeside pack; even his entry level rank was different this time around. "Huh, I didn't know we had a carpenter," he remarked, intrigue and inquiry obvious in his tone.

The mocha yearling looked to the slumped door the other wolf indicated and nodded to show his understanding (even though he wasn't entirely sure what a "stable" was for—at present he assumed storage). Projects like these could be awkward to implement; trying to single-handedly balance and attach a heavy door was no simple task, and even the sawing and sanding done to make sure everything fit nice and snug could become tiresome after awhile. Plus hey, company could make anything go faster, and it seemed like this amicable male agreed.

"Well hey, I'd be glad to help out. I'm Barrett, by the way—or Barry, whichever. Just lemme know what you want me to do." A pause. That accent had been familiar. "Say, you wouldn't happen to be related to Savina, would you?" Nothing wrong with getting to know each other while they worked, right?

369

Ehno Marino · 06-07-2011, 10:04 PM

[html]

Nah, you're fine! wc: 517

Ehno’s own interest in the wood-working craft had all but been an accident. Being an adventurous soul who often found himself working tasks of manual labor, settling down to the quiet life of a pack member had been a bit of a challenge to him at first. Wanderlust had been a constant companion of the Marino during his first few months within the ranks of both Twilight Vale and the subsequently formed Crimson Dreams, bringing him out beyond pack boundaries on a continuous basis. He soon discovered that this wasn’t the ideal behavior of someone within a pack’s ranks. Time was spent trying to find something to occupy his mind and keep him firmly rooted to the pack, though he hadn't had much luck at first.

And then, with what the Marino considered to be the work of the benevolent face of Fate, he found himself idly chipping away at a piece of wood with his old pocket knife one rainy day. He found the activity to be strangely comforting, and he took a bit of time from the following days to continue his work on the impromptu sculpture. From there, his love of wood-working took off, starting with small, artistic projects and eventually developing his skills to work on larger and more practical tasks, such as the construction of the stable. With all this under his belt, he felt almost surprised that his new acquaintance didn’t know of the carpentry position, though it shouldn’t have—he had years of experience in dealing with the varying ranking systems within the pack, while this newcomer could have had only a couple of weeks at most.

“Si, healers, teachers, artists, and I, the lone carpenter. You name it, we probably have a rank for it. Though I have to say, carpentry is by far the best one,” he said with a short laugh. “Ehno,” he introduced in turn. “Good to meet you, Barry.” Another friendly nod, and the Marino turned over to the gathered planks of wood. He paused, amber eyes returning to the yearling at his next question. The words caused Ehno to grin, and he began moving some of the gathered planks of wood out of the way as he answered. “Si, Savina is my sister. What gave it away, hmm? I take it you’ve met her, then. She the one to welcome you to our humble pack?”

He lifted the two square portions of the door he’d prepared a few days earlier by assembling the slim planks into one unit and moved them aside from the unused planks. “Ah, here we are,” he began, briefly switching the subject of their conversation in order to provide a bit of an explanation of what he planned on doing. “I’ve finished up the main parts of the door here. One for the top, one for the bottom, to open up separately. Next is to prepare the frame for it, like on the other doors there, for support.” He nodded toward one of the properly installed doors for illustration, hoping that his explanation was clear enough for the younger wolf.

[/html]

Barrett · 06-09-2011, 11:48 PM

[html]

Barrett, too, would welcome an excuse to be productive around the pack, especially if said excuse involved something in which he already excelled and found pleasure. He didn't think Savina expected much from him—she hadn't even been upset that he straight up vanished a year ago—but having been raised with the insistence that he pull his own weight, it only seemed natural to carry on now. Barry didn't suppose the sable woman was under any real obligation to put him up, either; a job like this would serve as a fine token of his gratitude.

“Of course,” he chuckled in time with the Marino's joke, agreeing to be agreeable—but also because he genuinely believed it. Obviously medics and teachers were important, but frankly, he was glad he wasn't the one who had to deal with those duties. Nevertheless, he made a quick mental note off all the positions Ehno listed, along with a few more he could imagine: there were probably guards and babysitters, scouts and diplomats. These things were crucial to the function of all packs.

“Yeah; mom and grandpa were friends of hers,” he replied, simply smiling when asked what the tell had been. Barrett assumed it was rhetorical and didn't require a response; their matching accents drew a connection as clear as any line pencilled onto a slab of wood. Still, he hadn't been sure if Ehno and Savina were cousins, siblings, or anything else, and now he logged away “siblings” as the correct answer.

His attention quickly shifted back to the task at hand and he listened as the Patrician detailed the project's progress to date and current goals. Since the concept of a stable was lost on him, the need for a bisected door was, too—but he said nothing and merely nodded. Barrett was a fairly intelligent wolf, but he was simple in conversation and tried not to ask too many questions (especially regarding others' motives or anything that fell outside the realm of necessity).

Perhaps the reason would become clear later, but for now it was more important that he understood the nature of the work to be done. “Guess I oughtta get the old door down 'n pry off the old frame so we can install the new one?” he wondered, peering back to his elder for confirmation. He figured this way they could multitask and he'd be out of the way while Ehno worked at the saw horses, but if the other man needed help with something at the table, he'd stay and do that instead.

427

Ehno Marino · 06-22-2011, 06:06 PM

[html]

wc:327 Wonky and delayed, sorries.

The dark-furred wolf stated that Savina had been friends with his mother and grandfather, and the Italian blinked in surprise. "Oh, is that so?" It shouldn't have really been that unexpected; the ebony-hued Marino was just as outgoing as her brother, and putting that together with the duties of leading a pack, she was frequently familiarizing herself with new faces. He assumed Barry to be a local then, considering the presence of the different generations of his family.

The Marino was pleased to hear the other suggest that he could get started on removing the old portions of the door. "Yes, that would be great. I can start sawing down the new frames in the meantime." He hefted up one of the long planks, leaning it up against his good shoulder as he gave a nod to Barrett. "And thank you for the help. It is much appreciated." He settled the plank across the two sawhorses before kneeling down to rummage through the bottom compartment on one of them. He pulled out a spare claw-headed hammer and stood, offering it to the younger wolf. "Here you are. If you need anything else, feel free to look through there, or ask me."

Then Ehno set about lifting the bisected pieces of the door and lining them up against the plank that would become the frame, comparing them to the penciled in measurements on the plank to double-check that they were correct. "So, how long have you been here?" he asked over his shoulder, tone conversational. It couldn't have been too long, considering that the ever-sociable Dreamer hadn't bumped into him before, and they way Barry's scent had yet to really take on the tell-tale scent of the Crimson Dreams lands. Confident that his earlier measurements were accurate, he set down the pieces of the door, reached into the wooden compartment for his trusty saw, and set about removing the uneven, excess portion on the first of the planks.

[/html]

Barrett · 06-23-2011, 08:39 PM

[html]

No worries ^^

“Yeah, Anselm and Maserati,” he tried, just in case the names meant anything to the Marino. He supposed the former might ring a bell—like Savina, Anselm had served as an ambassador. Gabriel couldn't be arsed to deal with politicking; the saddled hybrid had certainly been Inferni's Law, its Commander in Chief, but it was Barrett's copper grandfather that had served as the eyes and ears of the clan, and many times its face. Alternatively, his mother had never held any position of importance (or even joined a pack) in Nova Scotia, so he doubted anyone remembered her. Not that any of it mattered now.

“Sounds like a plan,” he piped, accepting the tool with another passive swing of his tail. “Thanks,” he added, twirling it loosely in his hand before moseying on over to the offending door. “And think nothing of it.. might have to talk to Savina about makin' this my full time job!” he mused, peering back to the older adult. Because really, what else would he do? Maybe this assignment could serve as his interview; maybe next he could initiate some other project and direct the repairs himself!

It was easy for his thoughts to get carried away, but for once his goal wasn't so unrealistic. For now he eyed the door and began to work through a plan of attack. He would loosen the hinges one by one. He wouldn't tear them away outright; instead, he'd be careful to slacken their hold such that they weren't prone to catastrophic failure (i.e., so the door wouldn't suddenly crash down on his foot). Once they were sufficiently loose, he could grapple with the door and jiggle it the rest of the way off. After that, his work would be easier—the individual pieces of the frame weren't heavy enough to be a concern.

The boy began to execute these necessary actions, all while keeping an ear out for anything the agouti male might say. “Oh, like a couple days ago,” he laughed. He really hadn't been here long at all. “How 'bout you?” He suspected it was much longer; he wouldn't be opposed to hearing more about Crimson Dreams' history, either. It occurred to him he strangely knew more of Inferni's than his own pack's.

380

Ehno Marino · 06-24-2011, 05:51 PM

[html]

wc:396

The names were unfamiliar to the Italian man, and though he considered them for a moment, he wound up shaking his head. "Hmm. Can't say I know them myself." Though he didn't realize it, he had had only one run-in with a member of the de le Poer family in the past. Ryan had been a pleasant enough girl when he had met her many months ago, another friend of his sister's. But he knew too little of their family to connect the names together.

The dark wolf's eager words brought a smile to the older male's lips. "I think you should," he encouraged. It pleased him to learn that there were others that shared his love for the wood-working hobby, especially within his own pack. "You know, if you're interested, my workshop's found inside the Manor. You're more than welcome to come by and tinker with things, if you'd like." If Barry was truly interested in taking up jobs as a carpenter, he may find it interesting to swing by there. Ehno was more than willing to share his space. It would please him to know that the workshop's space was seeing more use than the occasional tasks the Marino put it to use for.

He cut through the top portion of the lengthy plank with easy, familiar motions of the saw, nodding in satisfaction as the freed portion fell away. Another few quick cuts had him removing a bit of the top portion into an angle, so that it would fit easily into place with the top portion of the frame when installed. The younger male confirmed Ehno's conclusions that he had only recently arrived. As he lined up his saw to begin cutting away the excess material along it's length, he considered the question Barrett had returned to him. "A few years now, I guess." Had it really been that long? "I had arrived from Italia only a short time before we created Crimson Dreams. Makes me feel a little old," he admitted with a laugh. Yes, the old saying about how swiftly time flew was true, at least in Ehno's case. He hardly realized just how long it had been since Ehno had stumbled upon Nova Scotia's shores and joined his sister in Twilight Vale, then set about helping her and Naniko reestablish the pack under the Crimson Dreams banner.

[/html]

Barrett · 06-29-2011, 12:00 AM

[html]

This experience was shaping up to be a rather gratifying one, and—although he couldn't have known it yet—it would prove integral to his finding a place in the pack. Barrett would come to find he had frightfully little in common with most of the established Dreamers, so connections like these were important. It went a little further than simply having the same taste in work, too. He rather liked Ehno; the Marino man reminded him strongly of Gale: gregarious and generous with a calm, fatherly air. “Alright, cool! Thanks,” he replied with a wave of his tail. All of his tools were back at the garage and it would be tedious trying to collect and maintain two sets. Sharing the workshop would also be a great excuse to stop by the manor once in awhile.

He hummed quietly to himself as he loosened the final hinge, and, with a few grunts of exertion, he managed to wrestle the door free at last. He propped it up against the side of the structure, supposing the wood might be useful scrap for smaller projects—or at bare minimum, fodder for a bonfire. The chocolate wolf stretched and cracked his back before reaching for the hammer again: now it was time for the fun part. (It was debatable whether Barrett actually enjoyed construction or demolition more.) First, he paused to consider the elder's words.

It was kind of strange to him—he knew everything had to start somewhere at sometime, but Crimson Dreams had been established well before his birth, even his conception. For all he knew, it was a permanent fixture in Nova Scotia. But Ehno had been here when the pack was founded? It was a mind-boggling realisation; he was in awe anyone could stay in the same place for so long, as much as anything. Though... that hadn't always been true, had it? “Why did you guys leave Italy?” he wondered. Of all the immigrants and travellers he'd met, they all had a different story, ranging from adventure to escaping prosecution.

340

Login




Remember me Lost Password?