Submission (#3144) Approved

Kaia and Koa were on the mend, even if they were still a little weak, but well enough that they could watch Lani while Kau’i and the others went out. Kau’i hated being away from them, but he couldn’t deny it was nice to get out into the sunshine and fresh sweet air of Elenion, walk the cobblestone streets in the dappled light that streamed through the pink foliage of the local trees. Flowers bloomed and Kau’i enjoyed the chance to stretch his legs as he wandered up and down hills on his way out of Elenion. They were running a little short of money, so Kau’i had decided to take a moment to put his skills to use and had picked up a job at a local farming village.

Apparently one of the farmers was having some trouble with some repairs to his property, and Kau’i had always been good at working with his paws. Well, hands today, having been shifted into his Gijinka form, hair tied back and pack slung over his shoulder.

Soon enough he passes through the last of the markets on the outskirts of Elenion, the grays and browns of stone and wood and the pinks of the trees slowly give way to rolling green hills that were dotted with bright bursts of color in the form of small flowers. The cobblestone path he’d followed out of the city gave way to dirt and Kau’i found himself winding his way through the hills. The town isn’t far, and it isn’t long before he spies the starting of farm land, rows and rows of growing vegetables and tilled soil breaking up the vast expanse of green. Wooden fences separate the fields and Kau’i stops for a moment to enjoy the scent of growing things before pressing on and finding himself in a rather bustling village. 

The local market is in full swing, with people exchanging money and wares, the various veggies large and delicious looking and the air filled with the jangle of coin. A small kittom zips past and Kau’i nearly trips over them before he can stop. He takes a look around, before stopping to ask a local vendor where he might find the farmer he was looking for. He’s quickly pointed in the right direction, and off he trots before finding himself in front of a human’s farm. 

Most of the surrounding farms were owned by Sylvan’s although this village was a bit unusual in that it was predominantly run by human and Elnin farmers. This farm was big, clearly built for someone two or three times Kau’i’s size. Kau’i was big for an elnin, not unusually so, but bigger than Koa and Kaia for sure, but he was still dwarfed by the burly farmer to comes out to meet him.

“Howdy!” That farmer greets him cheerfully. “You’s be Kau’i then?”

Kau’i grins up at him and nods. “I heard you were having trouble with your irrigation pipes?”

Back home, Kau’i was in charge of the maintenance for the day to day running of the family inn, keeping everything in tiptop shape and fixing any problems. He loved to build things and work with his hands and tinker. Fixing some piping shouldn’t be too much of an issue, especially with a human on board to provide some extra muscle.

The farmer motions for Kau’i to follow him, and they quickly find themselves standing in front of a small building with pipes running from it that head out towards the fields. The farmer swings open the door and Kau’i is greeted with a large well that is crammed into the little building.

“M’ problem is that the space is a little cramped, and I can’t quite get the angle I need t’fix the leak. I can see it jus’ fine but…”

Kau’i hops forward to takes a closer look. Water is leaking from a mess of pipes that attach to the well, and he frowns. It seems to be coming from a pipe towards the center, and he can see why the farmer might have had trouble reaching it. He slings his pack from his shoulder and pulls out his tools. They were small, elnin sized for elnin sized dwellings and problems, but they should still do the trick.

He clambers over the pipes, compressing his mana to shrink his hair and tail down as far as he can to allow for more room for him to maneuver, and ends up crouching down by the pipe, feet sinking into the muddy ground of the small shed. Kau’i nimbly unwinds some patching tape, he can see the leak on the pipe just fine from here, and stretches out to start winding the tape around the leaky pipe. This tape has never failed him, strong and long lasting, and he trusts that it's gonna hold for a good while.

He explains this to the farmer as he works, checking the tightness of the surrounding joinings and closely inspecting for any more leaks once he’s done.

“You’ll need to replace that pipe for real at some point, but I’m not strong enough, and I don’t have the supplies either. This should hold up for quite a while though. You should be good for now.”

“Thank yeh!” The farmer grins happily, fishing out his coin purse. “None of the local fellas who were small enough to fit felt confident enough t’fix it for me. Yeh’ve really helped me out.”

Kau’i carefully extracts himself from the wet piping and goes to meet the farmer, leaning back to stare up at the large man before taking the coins gratefully and slipping them into his own coin purse. “It’s no problem sir!”

The farmer nods and escorts him back to the entrance to the farm, but not before also handing Kau’i a basket of spring vegetables to bring home. Kau’i quickly takes off back down the road winding through the village and back through the rolling green of the faerindell countryside, eager to get back to his family.