Messily-Scribbled Notes (I)

Messily-Scribbled Notes (I)

... Followed the caravan to Hiisi Island. The people there call themselves the Frostmoon Scions. According to Danil, they are adherents of the Moon Maiden, and they have an... interesting way of viewing things. For example, most of them reject the use of kuuvahki devices, believing that to use them is to abuse their deity's blessings. As such, I did not have to help them repair anything while the caravan was there, and only needed to fix our own machines. To my surprise, a girl of ten or so came to look for me in secret during a break, and asked to be taught some mechanical principles. Perhaps she was concerned that she would be discovered by others, but she did not give me her name until we were leaving. She was somewhat impetuous, but she has both enthusiasm and talent, and learned the basics I taught very quickly. It's just a shame that the Frostmoon Scions will likely not let her fiddle with machines in public. I left her a few technical manuals that I got through trade with other traveling merchants (Danil initially thought that these little books could help me regain my memories). I hope she can buckle down and gain something from those texts. ... ... I stayed a few days more in Nasha Town this time. Come to think of it, this is the first time I've been split off from the rest of the caravan for this long. Danil and Demyan seem to go a good way back, with the latter arranging for my lodgings after only a short chat, right next to his own place to boot. I'll be inconveniencing him until Danil and the others get back from Snezhnograd, but Demyan doesn't seem to mind at all. In fact, he wound up speaking to me about machines quite a bit, starting with the origin of the name "Papa Wrench." It's a bit embarrassing now that I think about it, since he clearly picked that topic just so I'd have things to say. I say, it's no wonder he's in sole charge of The Flagship here in Nasha Town despite his youth. Danil did ask if I wanted to join them in going to Snezhnograd, or perhaps Novokitezhgrad. After all, that's where my technical skills are from, so it's likely that I'll find my identity and past there as well. However, a nebulous unease kept me from going. I do not know what it is I fear. Perhaps it has to do with my lost memories, or with some incident I encountered... Seeing my hesitation, Danil made the call for me. He even took care of everything else, just as he has done for me all this time. Not that there's any point bringing up any of my unfortunate past. I don't remember them. But I will say this, that meeting Danil and the rest of the caravan was in no wise misfortune. If not for them, I would have lost my life long ago, out there on those shallows. They took me in when I had nothing, while I can do so little to repay them... ... ... Nasha Town is home to many children, though I dare not imagine their circumstances. But then again, as with me, what they might need is neither sympathy nor pity. Indeed, just writing these two words almost seems to bring someone's arrogant face to mind. Still, I'm glad that they at least find my stories interesting — though that might be down to the candies I've brought. I learned that trick from Danil, by the by — always bring a few in your pocket "just in case." Amongst the kids, however, there is one who is more interested in the tools I always keep at my hip than any tale about Snegurochka. When I asked if she'd like to carry one in her hand, ah, how her eyes sparkled! Katya, the Speranza's boss, takes great care of these kids for the most part, and she rather gently gave us space so that I could tell this girl, Aino, about the techniques in which I have much skill — the art of communicating with machines. It seems that just as I am lucky to have had Danil and the others take me in, these children have found a fortune that belongs to them. *sigh* Even in a world filled with such terrible tragedies, there are so many kind people... I quickly found that Aino is not only interested but stunningly talented at working with machines. I have taught her how to distinguish the material make of gears, calibrate pressure indicators, and adjust safety valves, and she has proven not only quicker to learn than the rest, but also capable of inferring other knowledge from such lessons. Watching her working away with tools still too unwieldy for her, turning scattered components into intricate devices, I am truly happy for her. She is a diamond in the rough, but even so, she already shines with a radiance all her own. Danil and the others have finally returned to Nasha Town from Snezhnograd. It's time I packed up my things and made ready to travel with them. A right shame it is, that I cannot stay here for longer... ...