Chapter Text
'Catch!'
Jolting suddenly in surprise as Duster popped back out from the doorway of the wood shed, Spruce raised both hands instinctually with brows raised and eyes wide, half expecting to be pummelled with something heavy and cumbersome...only to be met with a small block of soft wood being tossed into his open palms, hardly weighing anything at all.
The Cashbot blinked in confusion, raising the tiny block and pinching it between his thumb and forefinger as he looked over the grain quality that the piece of wood possessed...turned out it was really quite good. Made of pine too, just based on his observation. Which meant it'd be incredibly easy to cut.
A veil of confusion drifted across his features however '...ah though ya said we were wood carvin', ain't this a lil' small for that?' he asked, the Toon chuckling softly as he procured a similar wood block of his own and two carving knives from the tool wrack mounted on the shed's wall before finally moving to sit in the chair beside Spruce's own, which the Suit responded to by pushing the chair he was sat in back a smidge so the two weren't in such close proximity.
'All in good time, Cashbot! You're not gonna be carving furniture right out of the gate! This is to give you a feel for the craft before we get serious with it. First I'll show you how to whittle, then we'll go on to more advanced stuff,' Duster explained, pausing briefly then as he proceeded to offer one of the carving knives to the Suit.
'Ah - here you are, you'll be needing this,' he added absently, Spruce initially staring at the tiny tool dubiously without a word as he eyed the Rabbit with suspicion before finally, slowly, reaching out a hand to take the tool in turn, making a point to not make any kind of physical contact with the Toon's gloved fingers as he snatched the blade away.
Duster noticed this adamant need to avoid him, but he didn't take offence. The Treekiller was a staunch, perhaps more appropriately, stubborn believer in the mission of the company after all, so it was only natural that he'd hold no interest in being friendly even if he had agree to go along with the Toon's deal.
'Okay, so we're going to start by trying to carve a bird out of this block, it's the first shape I ever learned so I figure it's as good a starting point as any, seeing as y'know...it's honestly just a circle,' Duster explained, adjusting his hold on the block and making sure that Spruce was actively watching what he was doing before then moving to carve the first notch into the wood, the carving knife easing its way through the grain smooth as butter as the long strip of wood dropped to the floor and inter-mingled with the grass.
'Have you ever peeled an apple or a potato before?' the Toon asked after a moment, shooting a glance to Spruce after eyeing the wood block carefully.
The Treekiller let out a huff through his nose, almost seeming offended to of been asked such a thing 'Nae. 'course ah ain't, what reason would ah have to?' he returned haughtily, the Rabbit bobbing his head in a slow nod.
'Just checkin', if you had I'd of told you that whittling is more or less like peeling a potato to get the shape you want, but I might have to use a different example...my pops first taught me using a bar of soap since it's soft, but...I didn't think you'd appreciate me treating you like a child,' Duster explained, cocking his head as in turn Spruce could only scowl with a firm nod of his head.
'You'd be right about that!' was all Spruce had to say, observing Duster's actions closely and looking over the wood block in his hands, his internal mechanism powering through a series of calculations to work out the length, width and density of the block along with its weight, figuring out where best to make the first cut and almost making a 'mental map' of the shape he was going to create.
Finally feeling ready to begin, Spruce held the block of pine firm and shaved away at the first peel of grain, planning to start by rounding out the corners and try to replicate a sort of oval shape bit by bit, his eyes every so often drifting from the block, to Duster and his carving method, then back to the block again.
And, all the while as the pair slowly got started on this little project, the forest surrounding them shifted with the wind. Leaves rustled away in the canopy above, sending afternoon sunlight dancing in dappled patterns over the rolling blanket of grass that was the back yard lawn. The smell of fresh grass clippings tickled at the edge of the pair's noses, and accompanying the whistling of the wind came the chirping of birds and the gentle ringing of a wind chime somewhere that neither Spruce nor Duster could see.
All was surprisingly peaceful, despite how it had all begun between the pair, and with the absence of any distracting sounds or leering eyes overseeing the scene, Spruce over time did find himself 'winding down' metaphorically. What he was doing now didn't quite hold the same thrill that felling a whole tree did, and he knew that by the time he was finished carving this block he was not going to have anything nearly as lucrative to his personal pay as what a whole log could provide...but there was an odd sort of satisfaction that came from the sound of the blade slicing through the grain, and watching the shaving pile at his feet grow bigger and bigger.
It took his mind away from the events in town, and he could feel the pressure on his internal mechanism ease back to a state of calm, the click-clacking of the gears in his chest falling back into a steady rhythm.
And, after some time of whittling away in silence, the calm was temporarily broken when Duster suddenly spoke up, his own wood block close to taking on a more egg-like shape 'What do you think you'll do with your carving once you're done?' he asked casually, his expression laid back as both ears sat in a drooped position, clearly he too had settled into a relaxed state as he worked.
The Treekiller paused a moment, not nearly as far along in his own project as Duster was, and for the briefest moment he felt a pang of annoyance skitter up his back that this Toon was so far ahead, his naturally competitive nature wanting to gain the upper hand and prove that he could finish the task so much more efficiently.
He grit his teeth hard into his favoured log however and held back, reminding himself in the moment that right now he was supposed to be on break, he didn't need to turn this into some sort of contest.
'...Nae clue,' was all he finally returned, a moment of quiet curiosity lingering in the air before Spruce shot back with a question of his own 'why, what are ya plannin' on doin' with yers?'
Duster blinked a moment at that. He'd not been expecting the Cog to ask him a question back, and his ear gave an excitable twitch and he wrinkled his nose thoughtfully, as he stopped in his carving and held the vaguely-egg-shaped-thing up to the sunlight a moment, squinting as though with deep thought.
'Hmmm...well, I'm thinkin' I might paint mine once it's done, just to add a little splash of something extra...my youngest likes collectin' my little projects, so I reckon I'll gift it to her once it's done,'
Spruce ceased his whittling away when he heard that, eyes jolting up to focus in on the Toon with a genuinely surprised expression as he eyed the Rabbit up and down, then looked off towards the house as he turned in his seat, seemingly listening intently before turning back to face Duster once more, the carving briefly forgotten in the moment.
'Wait - - ya have bairns? N' ya invited meh back here?... ain't the lil' ankle-biters gonna tell on ya for bringin' a Suit back here if'n they spot us?' the Treekiller asked, honestly kind of stunned to hear that this Toon was apparently a family man. And, more to the point, that this supposed father would allow a Suit anywhere near his house considering most Kid-Toons tended to be pretty scared of Cogs as a general rule.
Lowering his hand holding the wooden egg back to his lap and turning his head to face Spruce, Duster gave a light smile and shook his head 'ain't got to worry about that, the kiddos are out with their Ma today. Trust me if either of my girls were home? You'd know! The youngest would probably of bombarded you with questions the minute you came through the gate,' he explained, watching as the Cashbot seemed to simulate a sigh of relief as his shoulders relaxed and he went right back to carving away at his somewhat-ovular block.
'...What kinda questions would they ask?' Spruce asked after a moment, genuinely curious about what kinds of profound questions a child possibly could have that he could even begin to answer...or even want to answer, in fact.
'Hm...' Duster hummed softly under his breath, brow furrowing as he raised a hand to scratch behind one of his ears. He seemed to really need to think hard about this one 'Well...I mean, she's of course SEEN plenty of Cogs before, but she's not of age to do any fighting, not that I'd want her to anyway...so I suppose she'd probably ask you very obvious things, y'know?' he finally admitted.
Spruce let out a grunt of amusement and gave an intrigued grin 'Oh yeah? Ya gonna give meh an example?'
'Oh...I mean, I dunno...do Cogs have fun when they fly around on those propellers of theirs...Does oil taste any good...Do Cogs tell each other jokes only they like...stuff like that,'
The Treekiller rose a brow thoughtfully as Duster listed out a few guesses as to what his daughter might ask, and honestly? He was kind of surprised. What he was moreso expecting were the kids of questions he'd heard grown up Toons ask in the past, things like why Cogs couldn't take a joke, or how come they took over Toon shops when they could just build their own...probably one of the most asked queries however had to be 'Why can't you Cogs go back to Cog Nation and leave us all alone?' which...naturally, Spruce had always made a point not to answer, whenever they arose.
The main reason being that he honestly didn't have much of an answer. Not one that Toons would like, anyway.
'That so...' he replied at last, cutting away the last rough corner of his block to reveal a less-smooth ovular shape which he turned over in his hands slowly, looking for imperfections '...Ah guess Ah'd answer those if she asked...they're simple enough,' he muttered, looking across to Duster who in turn sported a pleasant smile as he gave a laugh.
'I think she'd be happy to hear that!' the Rabbit returned, going quiet a moment as a thought floated up from the back of his mind and caught his attention, a question tumbling out of his mouth from out of the blue.
'Got any young'ns of your own, City Slicker?'
Now THAT was a question that Spruce had not been expecting at all!
It was a question that only his parents had ever asked before. Whether or not he'd ever give them any Grand-kids one day, and back then he'd waved the question off by insisting that he focus on his career and build up a stable income first, and THEN he MIGHT think about the idea of settling down...that, however, was quite some time ago now.
Jolting in genuine surprise as he nearly dropped both his wood carving and blade into the grass, the Treekiller gave himself a moment to gather his senses and calm down his rapidly spinning sprockets and gears before finally responding with a blunt 'Nae. I don't,' and leaving it at that, the pair exchanging glances as the Toon seemed to pick up on Spruce's discomfort and decided to swiftly change the topic.
'Your project is coming along nicely! You've done great with getting a concise shape!...Would you like me to show you how to carve in the finer details?'
Letting a moment of awkward silence settle in between them for a moment or two, the Cashbot took a glance at the carving he'd produced, then pulled back the sleeve of his jacket to reveal a wrist watch so as to check how much time he had left in which to work on his little project...seemed as though he still had some time left before he'd need to start making his way back.
'...Aye, fine. Show meh what t'do,' he finally grumbled, finding that for as much as he did want to keep up an air of distrust and antagonism towards Duster for the sake of his stubborn pride, well...
Spruce couldn't really deny that, overall...? It had been a fairly enjoyable break. And he found himself no longer as stressed out and angry as he had been before. He still felt guilty about failing to keep those employees safe, but he wasn't quite so willing to beat himself up over it.
And, well...hadn't that been his core reason for coming out to the woods in the first place? To try to take his mind off of what had happened back in town?
Duster smiled, when Spruce agreed to let him show him how to carve much finer details. And, when the Rabbit scooted his chair closer to the manager so that he could show the Treekiller how he carved his little figure so as to let him copy along, Spruce didn't push himself away, nor did he demand that the Toon keep his distance. He merely watched, and listened as Duster explained his process before the pair got right back into the swing of things, the Cashbot waiting after each detail was added so that Duster could assess if he was doing it right.
It wasn't an easy task for Spruce admittedly. To Duster carving small features like the beak and the eyes came naturally due to having smaller, more nimble hands. Spruce by comparison had much larger digits, meant for carrying heavy objects and hefting logs around with ease! So each time he'd make an attempt to slice away at an individual feather for the wings, or cut some shallow lines to indicate a tail, the manager's grip wobbled back and forth as he actively concentrated on keeping his carving as careful as was possible for him, biting down on the log between his teeth so hard you'd think that if he had flesh-and-blood gums they'd likely turn white from the pressure!
But, despite all odds? Spruce managed to do it. His wooden bird was a little bit wonky and the eyes were lop-sided just a fraction despite how thorough he'd thought his calculations had been earlier...but it was his, and he'd completed it himself.
'Well look at that! You did a great job for your first try out,' Duster spoke up, watching as the Treekiller looked over his handiwork and seemed to self-assess how well he'd done.
And at first, Spruce had nothing to say. On the one hand, the business-side of him wanted to be disappointed, as he spotted every little crude imperfection. The wonky eyes, the up-turned beak, the lines for the feathers being too wobbly...had this of been a product to be sold on the market? The Treekiller knew that this item wouldn't of even been put on sale or given a price, rather it would of been labelled as defective and thrown in the trash.
His multiple minutes of labour would of been branded as a waste of time that he could of spent being infinitely more productive, and wasted time was tantamount to treason in the business world.
Yet...even so, with the imperfections and the fact it wouldn't make any sort of cash...Spruce couldn't bring himself to hate it. And there was a nagging feeling at his core that what he'd been doing had been time well spent. He might of even felt just a bit...
Happy.
'...What would you like to do next? You're welcome to stay a little longer and paint it like I plan on doing with mine,' the Toon added, the Cashbot knocked out of his deep thinking as he looked to Duster musingly, seeming to genuinely consider the offer, only to then pause and check his watch once more just to see if he'd even have the time in which to do that.
...Alas, time had crept up on the manager, as he found he only had maybe 15 minutes remaining before he'd need to continue his street work, and he still needed to make his way out of the woods and towards the lumber mill before all that!
Finally coming to a decision, having given it some much needed thought, the Treekiller cleared his throat and with a single motion flicked the bird carving he'd just made through the air, where it landed into the surprised hands of the confused rabbit sat beside him, and he moved to get up from his seat with a long, exaggerated groan as he stretched out his back, eliciting an uncomfortable series of creaking, popping sounds along the length of his reinforced spine.
'Sorreh pipsqueak. Gotta go, work calls,' he returned, turning then to pick up his axe from where it had been sat leaning against the wood shed all this time and hefted it quite easily over his shoulder, before turning his gaze back to the still confused Toon and pointing to the carving absently.
'Y'said yer kid collects yers, right? She can have mine,' he added, Duster blinking a moment as he gave Spruce's words time to filter in. That was an awfully friendly gesture for a Cog to make, and it felt sort of alien, but...not unwelcome.
'Oh! Well that's...that's a real kind gesture! Except uh...what should I tell her? D'you want her to know a Cog wanted her to have this?'
Spruce froze a moment at that and grimaced. Duster made a good point, they'd probably both be in trouble if the kid couldn't keep a secret.
'...Just say a Toon from the town was passin' through, a new resident or somethin',' the Cashbot finally muttered, moving to turn away and start striding across the lawn back towards the house's front gate as Duster hopped up out of his seat and ran along after the Treekiller, meaning to be polite and bid him goodbye.
'Well you know the way here now! So - - next time you come by these woods on your break, stop by for another lesson!'
'Yeah, yeah ah will. We made a deal, didn't we? Ah won't cut down yer trees, n' you'll provide me with these lessons, ah got it,'
Finally approaching the gate and lifting the latch, Spruce stepped back out onto the forest path and looked down the length of the trail of abandoned Toon estates. If he made a point to travel quickly? Odds were he'd get back to the mill on time.
'Thank ya for hearin' me out on my offer in the end, I'll need to figure out what kind of carving to teach you next - - shoot!' Duster then exclaimed, scratching at his greying scalp as he gave a perplexed frown, embarrassed that he'd not realised sooner 'Here we've been sat talkin' for an age and I don't even know your name proper!'
Spruce looked back to the Toon and rose a brow slowly, weighing his options. They may of enacted a sort of truce for the last hour now, but he still didn't feel the time was right for a first-name basis '...Jus' Mr.Campbell, that'll do,' he responded, and, before Duster had time to make a remark, Spruce had already turned away and began the long walk down the beaten path and away from the estate, not looking back as, thankfully, Duster didn't call after him, his line of sight firmly planted on the trees ahead of him and the billowing smog clouds of the Lumberyard way off on the horizon.
He really needed to get back on time, if not? He'd be in real trouble! He had no time for mild pleasantries any longer.