I thought I would sail about a little and see the watery part of the world...

[tar_minyatur]

WHO: Elros and Maglor and you
WHAT: Elros' Sea-Longing is getting worse since he can't put out with the fishing boats in the winter. So he's building a boat, instead. What? This makes perfect sense.
WHEN: Most of the rest of winter
WHERE: a quiet spot in the harbor
NOTES: probably none!
 

He is no Cirdan, but the Shipwright wasn't about to send the Edain off in boats they did not know, so since War of Wrath ended, Elros put aside the soldiers life to work alongside his men in the shipyards of the Falathrim, learning to build their own ships as well how to sail them.

And then he came here.

He has wheedled and charmed the local sailors, worked passage on the fishing boats in good weather enough to be able to claim this small dark corner and provisions enough to start... well. Not a ship. Little better than a raft, in truth. But the Falathrim knew their business, and taught Elros well, who has the blood of mariners in his veins.

Come and find him splitting wood or planning the planks smooth, or perhaps working on the design in the early days. Since he can't afford iron nails, he's using mortise and tenon joints, and slowly over the weeks the little boat begins to take shape. He'll chat to anyone who comes by, and is happy to accept help, or just company. Come late enough in the business and you might smell the tar he's mixing for the caulking. Or maybe you've got some idea where he can buy or work for more materials?

Closed to Maglor 

His foster fathers are idiots, but Elros has considered the tales told, and the things not said, and reached a conclusion - Maglor needs to learn how to build a boat of his own. Since Maglor has taken to watching him as if he is going to vanish, this serves two purposes quite nicely.

"See, the joint needs to be tight, so!"

EDIT: Elros is also afflicted with the Blue Cold - feel free to catch him here with that in place

Comments

[seawanderer]

Yes but see what happened before! Elros sailed and died andandand Maglor cannot handle that here! And so he stays close and watches and frets.

And slowly his fosterling manages to draw him near enough to actually work on making a boat, because only a small handful of people have the ability to manage such a thing. His brothers. His fosterlings. His cousins.

...But especially his Elros.

"To keep it all together and strong," he guesses shyly.

[tar_minyatur]

Of old age which was inevitable, silly.

"Yep! The closer the join, the less caulk you need. So you need to get the wood very smooth, see?"

[seawanderer]

So? Death is death and death for mortals is more permanent!

He hums softly, brow furrowing in concentration as he sands the wood a bit to make it juuuust a little tighter fit. He admits only to himself that its rather soothing to work with wood again.

"Better?"

[tar_minyatur]

So? It means he survives until the inevitable, so clearly Maglor should stop fretting.

"Let me see?" Elros runs careful fingers over the join, feeling for irregularities.

"Feels good! You are doing really well."

[seawanderer]

Never. Maglor frets even over Elrond who's gone off to Valinor, that's part of being a dad!

He sits back on his heels and watches, waiting for the verdict. It matters to him what Elros thinks. And so he smiles at the approval and praise.

"You were taught well. And you are a good teacher."

[tar_minyatur]

So clearly Maglor needs to go join him, and stop worrying!

"Lord Cirdan knows his business! Want to see the design?"

[seawanderer]

...He's promised, hasn't he?!

"Isn't that what we're doing? Following his design?"

[utulien_aure]

Fingon's usefulness on the subject of shipbuilding is rather limited, but he's happy to visit the harbor regularly and see how the project is coming along. Usually he brings sandwiches or something else that is easy to eat.

Just to be encouraging, mind. And because he and Elros can persuade Maglor to eat them in solidarity, or something of that sort.

But knowing little about the craft in question doesn't mean he can't appreciate a project coming along. There is, however, just one little question he has.

"Why didn't you go to Maedhros for nails? He must be getting the materials for his projects somewhere, and he'd probably lend you the use of his forge."

[tar_minyatur]

Elros pauses and then groans.

"I didn't think of that! Damn. Well I've gotten this far without, I suppose there's no point in going back now."

[utulien_aure]

"I suppose there isn't, not when you're doing so well!"

Fingon throws back his head, laughing.

"So how far will you be able to go out, when this skiff of yours is finished?"

[tar_minyatur]

"Don't tell him" Elros begs. "I'll just... pretend I like this style better anyway."

He shrugs a little sheepishly. "No idea. But I doubt I'll be able to get further than the bay - too big a wave will probably swamp it!"

[utulien_aure]

He grins and touches a finger to his lips. "Not a word," he promises, "and I'll make sure he's distracted for good measure."

There are probably some street food vendors they still haven't tried. Admittedly, there's a reason they haven't tried some of them....

"Yes, best to avoid that." He tilts his head in question. "Will that be enough for you?"

[tar_minyatur]

"You are without fail my favourite cousin." He grins back.

"Well, I suppose building it like this is good practice for Maglor, anyway. It's not like I know if he'll have access to nails - but don't tell him I said THAT either."

He shrugs practically. "It'll have to be. Once the weather improves, I'll ask if the fishing boats will take me out again. That's one nice thing about sailors and the sea. The sea doesn't care who you are, or where you're from, it'll drown you or not as it pleases. All any good captain cares about is if you know your way aboard a boat, and that, I can do, since I can't ask Osse to play quietly here!"

[laurenande]

It has taken some time for her to make her way to the docks. This is a bit of a surprise given how many times she has crossed into lowtown in recent days, and how close she has come to the water. Today her detour is an accident, one caused by an errant cart and something that catches her eye along the water, but it leads her from the stairs of Kirkwall and toward the docks themselves.

She finds Elros easily, working at a fever pace, building any number of things that all seem to exist in finely shaped pieces and unfinished jointwork. She wanders through, examining them, before she greets him.

"Do you intend to create a fleet? Or am I so blind to the building of ships that I cannot see how this becomes one?"

She looks harried, with her hair bound back and dressed in mannish clothing that fits her barely. She is half drenched in sweat and still breathing hard from exertion, though she is recovering gradually. Overall she has the look of a woman who has just run several leagues and, frankly, she might've.

[tar_minyatur]

"Cousin!" He looks up, eyes unnaturally bright and cheeks flushed, but his smile is as bright as ever.

"You've caught me at a bad junction, I think." He blinks and looks around, and runs fingers through his hair distractedly.

"It occurred to me that there might be a better way to work on the joints, so I've been experimenting. I've overdone it a bit, I think! Still, I was thinking of building you one too, so I'm sure I'll put them to use..."

He takes a closer look at her.

"You look exhausted! Come sit down and have a drink."

[laurenande]

His work is fascinating and strange, something that holds her attention well enough, and she nods as he invites her to sit and drink. She is perpetually thirsty these days, it seems, and takes to the seat he has offered like a lifeline. Her legs stretch before her and the burn of them is momentarily distracting.

"You are building me a boat? You know I do not sail? Not with any skill," Galadriel asks and sounds perplexed. She has taken boats, shallow and wide down the rivers of Lorien but Elros would not know that. The ocean is not unfamiliar to her but she has never had great skill navigating it.

"When last I crossed a stretch of sea it was on foot."

[tar_minyatur]

"Really?" He blinks at her. "It's not that hard, really. So long as you don't go out in a storm, or anything! I can show you how, if you like! But see, I thought it'd be unfair if I didn't build you one too! I've got enough wood, now. Probably! I can always get more if I need."

He wrinkles his nose.

"The Ice, right. But seriously, you're telling me you lived on an island and didn't even learn to sail? ... I mean I dunno how big Aman is... "

He is decidedly more talkative than normal.

[laurenande]

"It is very large," she assures him but his enthusiasm is endearing and engaging. The idea of learning how to sail is one that appeals to her now far more than it probably should. She regards the scattered pieces with no small amount of interest.

"I should like to learn, I think," she says and settles her hands on her legs. Her fingers drum across them of their own accord, twitching with the growing unease of stillness. "But it will not be today.

"Do you require help in the building of them?"

She was no master woodworker nor shipbuilder, but she could take direction if the need arose.

[tar_minyatur]

He beams, clearly very pleased to be asked.

"I would be honored to teach you!"

He considers the mess around himself and grins sheepishly.

"Probably could use a hand." He agrees. "Have you done woodworking before? The basics, I'm sure, are the same!"

Ages late

[justice_is_blond]

There's rumor that most, if not all, of the Rifters are suffering odd symptoms, hyperactivity and distractability, to say the least. That's coupled with a rumor of another one of the rifters trying to build a ship and it has Anders coming out to check up on the guy with a healer brother.

"How's it going?" he calls out as he catches sight of Elros.

Late is an illusion

[tar_minyatur]

Elros' eyes are fever bright, cheeks flushed, and there is evidence around him of various bits of boat begun and the set aside and forgotten.

He also looks like he hasn't slept in days.

"Why, Healer Anders!" He spins and waves, putting down what he's doing and bounding over. "I...well it's going...mostly well? Possibly?" He eyes the mess sheepishly.

[justice_is_blond]

Maker. That confirms another, then. He shakes his head, contemplating the sight, before giving Elros a smile back.

"I can't hazard a guess; I've never attempted to make a boat though once I considered it." He pauses for a moment. "How are you feeling?" He should probably not outright say that Elros doesn't look well. Most don't appreciate that.

[tar_minyatur]

"I've done it before although this is my first time without supervision!"

He laughs wryly.

"Like a fire's been lit in my blood, as if I was a grandson of Feanor in truth and not merely a distant relative!"

[justice_is_blond]

"Most people consider their blood burning a bad thing," he jokes as he looks at the mess of boat parts.

"Would you mind if I used creation magic to see how far the fever's gotten in you?" There's no telling someone in this state to sit down, not yet, at least.

[tar_minyatur]

"In one branch of the family, it was a little bit too literally so." Elros says dryly.

"And I have no wish to make them worry more - please go ahead."

He can't quit sit still - but he manages to stand still for Anders.