The Fornacis.

This was supposed to be Alix's new home. She'd rightfully earned her position on board; she was strong enough and determined enough to have fought her way into the crew. Now that she'd done that however, she wasn't sure what would be coming next. It was a feeling that was unusual to her, and it was already starting to make her a little bit antsy. In Ortzi, at least in the parts of it that was recently her 'home', there was always some dickhead coming to take your stuff. Sometimes you had a little time to breathe, but every moment you spent relaxing was one that someone else was scheming on how to get their mitts on what was rightfully yours. Whether it was your property, your territory, your dignity, or your life. It was foolish to wait, and time to herself was a luxury that she hadn't been able to appreciate for a long time.

She'd rightfully earned it, though. Just like she rightfully earned everything else she had. Pretty much everything she'd owned at the moment when she stepped onto the ship was something she'd fought for. Something she had earned through strength. Some things had to be earned in other ways; lies, charisma, thievery...but strength had always been her go-to. It was one thing to try and persuade someone to give your something, but there were conditions that came with that. And whenever you tried to persuade someone to give you something, they always had a certain air of smugness about them. They had what you wanted after all, and you were already starting on the low end of the bargaining ladder.

Alix hated that air of smugness.

That's why she always preferred to just break faces and take what she wanted. That was satisfying. Especially if she got to see the same smugness fold inwards on itself. Getting to pull people off their high horses and show them that they were no better than she was; thoses were the moments that almost made her life in Ortzi worth it. Almost.

But this wasn't Ortzi anymore, and it was unlikely that she'd have the opportunity to beat in the skull of some smug prick in the near future at least. That'd probably be frowned upon, and she wasn't going to risk getting tossed off the boat less than a week into the journey. This was a chance to face far greater threats than the ones that the shithole alleys could offer. A chance to not only prove to the universe that she was a formidable threat, and a chance to become even stronger in the process.

And when she became as strong as she could be, and finally had proven to the universe that she was not to be trifled with...she hadn't thought that far. It really wasn't worth planning for that. Any other time, it was more likely that she'd end up face-down in a ditch somewhere before that would ever become a possibility. But now that she was actually aboard the Fornacis...not just aboard, but had a place on...for the first time in her life, it seemed like there might be a chance.

She didn't know what she'd do. She'd never thought about it. But now she could...and that was exciting.

That was also something that was contributing to the pent-up energy inside her. One of many things. That little chance, the waiting, the people: Alix had grown accustomed to sparse crowds. As previously mentioned; anybody you saw in the back streets of Ortiz had an eye on what you owned. Even if they didn't show it, that just meant they were trickier than the rest. You were safest with your back to the wall and not a single person near you.

On the Fornacis, there were still walls to put your back to, but Alix was finding it hard to break old habits. Jumping at the sound of people walking nearby, straining her ears to listen to every mundane conversation that was happening. It was stressful for now, but hopefully something that she'd get used to. However, it was that stress that had forced Alix out onto the main deck to try and clear her head. Sure, there were still people out there, but it was easier to find a spot to herself, and keeping it was only a matter of glaring at people as they approached her. So far, that was enough to deter the rest of her 'fellow crew'.

She'd already vented most of her anxiety by chucking some useless personal belongings of the side of the ship, just to watch them disappear into the sky below. When she'd run out of things she was willing to throw overboard, she'd contemplated making ice crystals to follow them. There were probably better uses for a Pyxis though; it was a waste of energy to use magic so she could throw snowballs into the open air. Seemed almost disrespectful to an ability that had given her the ability to fight for her things.

Some people might call it cheating, but all was fair in her territory. The other people in Ortzi didn't have Pyxis that they could could on. Apparently they'd stopped getting those for a while, and most of the people in her situation were just your run-of-the-mill Average Joe. She was fortunate enough to have an advantage, and it would have been pretty stupid to not use it when she already had a natural step-up over the competition. That was just another facet of her strength; something she had that other people didn't. In its deepest, most basic terms, that was all strength was. If people messed with her, they got what was coming to them. If they weren't willing to step down when they were outmatched...that wasn't her problem.

Not for long, anyway.

Now...she wouldn't have to worry about that. Not for a while, at least. Hopefully. If territory and watching your back were necessary on board the legendary ship, she was fatally unprepared for it. That thought was only fueling her nervous energy more.

It was definitely going to take some getting used to.

Head Chef. With barely any experience outside of waitressing and dishwashing, her new bosses had placed her in charge of the diets of two hundred people. Why? She had no clue. If they wanted her to pay attention during briefings, they wouldn't hold them during lunch hour. Perhaps her speed-slicing demonstration had been too effective. Or her outfit on the day was just that gorgeous.

Either way, she was tossed to the wind, with nothing but a sack of Vs and the former Chef's stock list to go by. It was a crusty little slip that sagged as she unfolded each page, and horrifically lacking in spices too! Forget whatever voyage the crew took into the Void, she would have deemed them legendary for the mere feat of subsiding on meals with the flavour profile of stale porridge for all those years. That was one perk to this sudden promotion, she supposed. She'd be able to dazzle these fine travellers with some real food, and she'd do it with the help of her adorable new friend, the little one currently lagging behind her with three-quarters of their haul from the market. They wiped down the kitchen together the night before. Once they got all these ingredients onto the ship, they'd get started. Ah, but that was another heap of work to do, wasn't it? What a chore...

Merry tossed her gaze up the ramp to the Fornacis' cargo hold. So many crates! Such an angle. So heavy. Will... fading. Surely there was a shortcut she'd be able to take. The horned Sanyan lifted a box of oranges, raising it at an angle as she placed a bare palm against the side. If she aimed it right, launched it with the right output, she could probably...

As if cannonfire had shred through it, the crate burst to pieces, creating a tragic shower of fruit and debris.

Oh.

"Worth a shot," she shrugged.

Nia's head was obscured by the stack of boxes she was carrying, but she let out a little squeal at the sound of splintering wood and splattering fruit. She peeked around her boxes and let out a not so little squeal.

"Miss Merry! Oh dear. Oh dear," she started setting down her load, "I'll meet you at the kitchen. I'll clean this up. I'll clean it up! Don't worry, it'll be all clean! I'm sure this is fine. I'm sure no one will miss... do we need oranges? Were those important? I hope those oranges weren't important... what about scurvy? Are people going to get scurvy? Oh dear, I hope we have enough oranges," she spoke without stopping to take a breath.

"Wow. Wowow, ease up there, love! We can just make another run when this stuff is loaded."

Her hands were covered in juice, raised in a light attempt at placating the girl as she chuckled. She couldn't help it! Her assistant's reaction was so funny, if not super convenient for Merry.

"Kitchen sounds good buuuuut I think I'll go for a quick shower first. Don't want any of these stains to set. Are you alright with taking care of these for me?"

She gestured to pretty much everything they'd purchased.

"Right. Of course. Sure thing, Miss Merry! I'll have this all ready by the time you're done."

"You're so sweet. Just adorable!"

She didn't bother with a goodbye as she traipsed up the ramp.

Nia grinned. Just adorable! She was glad Miss Merry liked her.

By the time she made it to the kitchen, she was sheened with sweat, panting from the effort of carrying all of the boxes (she couldn't look lazy, so she was sure to take care of it in one trip) and vigorously scrubbing the floor to ensure that there would be no sign of their accident. After all, the cleanliness of the ship was her duty, and she wanted to make sure to live up to the crew's expectations.

After all, a legendary crew deserved a legendary janitor.

Nia wanted to impress Merry, so she was already set on opening their supply crates. Merry was in a fresh new set of clothes when she finally arrived. They looked a bit too delicate for a kitchen.

"Oh, I didn't expect you to be done already. Impressive."

"I aim to please!" Nia said with a grin, wiping the sweat off her brow.

Well yes, that was quite clear.

"Have you done this sort of work before? Kitchen and uh, crate stuff?"

"Not really. I haven't really... this is kind of my first job?"

"R-Really?"

"Yeah! I just hope I'm doing good at it," Nia let out a little sigh, her attention lapsing for a moment before she snapped back to unboxing, "I don't want to let anyone down. I've always wanted to be on the Fornacis."

"You must have really loved those stories."

"Sure did. All that adventure always seemed a lot more exciting than staying on my island. Although I never imagined I'd actually be an Empyrean, let alone here... well, not that I'm an Empyrean. I am just a janitor."

"Could've fooled me! As far as I can count, you've saved me more than any of these legendary heroes have."

Nia blushed. "Really? Well, thanks. I'll keep trying my best."

Merry flashed an 'ok' gesture with a dainty hand. "And I shall do the same."

It was never particularly enjoyable for Kerry to have to leave the safety of maintenance; people bothered you much less when you looked as though you were doing something important. Measurably worse, though, was leaving her work in order to interact with people whose usual job seemed to consist largely of causing her headaches.

Not that she knew enough to set that in stone yet, but her experiences with the Fornacis taught her it was far from an unlikely presumption. She knocked heavily on the door to the kitchens, not awaiting an answer before entering. If she was right, they shouldn't have been too busy right now.

"I have a request," she spoke gruffly, "if one of you can take it."

From the corner where she was clearly not busy, Merry glanced up from her book. "We take requests?"

The Head Chef looked to Nia, who was set on chopping vegetables, prepping for the night's dinner.

Nia nodded and gave her knife a quick wipe, setting it down. She turned to Kerry, grinning. "Right. Requests. We can take requests! I think... Miss...?" she said.

"McDougall. Head mechanic." She spoke shortly, looking to Nia, "I'd like something for my team. Nothing fancy or complicated, just something you can sit 'round a table and share. Once a week, if you've the resources."

“McDougall. Okay. I’m Nia, by the way… uh, not that that matters. I can totally do that! Or, I mean, we can totally do that. Right, Merry?”

The horned girl raised her hand in a dainty 'ok' gesture, not looking up this time.

"I see the work ethic here is already," Kerry frowned, "exceptional."

"Merry's just supervising! I am, like, her assistant after all. I think. She's been doing great!" Nia said, completely believing it.

"Hm."

"Hm," Merry said also, smiling. Must've been a funny chapter.

Kerry shrugged. She didn't buy it, but neither did she exactly care. "Well. So long as it's taken care of. Like I said, nothing fancy, just filling. It's more for the sharing than anything."

"Yep. Alright, I'll, uh, put it on the list," Nia took out an actual physical list she was carrying on her, noting it.

"You're both new crew, aren't you." It wasn't a question: they were obviously too young to be anything else. "I'll at lunchtime, whatever day suits. Give 'em a break 'round half past one usually. And whatever you're doing here," because it seriously wasn't impressive thus far, "take care of your parts of the ship. Keep 'em up to standard."

A one-eyed, steely gaze drifted between the two of them.

"Lot of memories on her. I'd hate for standards to go down too much."

"Oh... I'm sorry Miss McDougall." Nia looked down at the ground.

"Just take care of her." Kerry spoke sternly, but her gaze softened, if slightly. "And a word of advice, kid? Everyone takes some shit now'n then, but try not to be a walkover. Makes your life a lot harder."

"I agree," said Merry.

“Right. Yeah. Sorry,” Nia said again, “I should get back to work. I’ll make sure to have something ready for your crew.”

Nia turned around, picked up her knife, and found an onion to chop. Her eyes watered a little. “That’s a strong one,” she choked out mostly to herself, but loud enough to hear.

The deer girl raised an eyebrow at that, and turned to the mechanic. "We can do you one better, ma'am. We'll bring it down for you. No need for you to interrupt your work just for some snackage."

Kerry looked a little regretful, but it wasn't as though she'd trip over herself to apologise. Girl needed a thicker skin to work on a ship, especially with as many eyes on it as this one.

"We've taken care of the important things, so interruptions are manageable. But that's helpful, yes." She nodded. "Just make sure you knock properly. Sometimes the work makes things hazardous."

She grimaced, remembering all the complaints she'd had to field from the doc. Turned to leave, though, pausing at the door with some final words directed at the slacker.

"Worth everyone pitching in on the work, though. I never make my mechanics do something I wouldn't."

"Mmhmmmm~"

Merry was already back to being engrossed in her book.

Kerry didn't notice: the moment she finished speaking, she'd left. Her work there was done. Nothing but the kitchen staff and the sound of chopped vegetables remained. Chopped vegetables and noticable sniffling. Merry released a soft sigh and snapped her paperback shut.

"How are you going over there, dear?"

"Great!" Nia coaked, wiping a tear from her face, "Oh man, these onions though, Merry. Phew!"

"Mm." Oh golly. "Take it easy, if you'd like. Dinner won't be for a while."

Nia sighed, and set down her knife for a moment. "I'm fine. i'm great. I just want to do a good job," she said, before resuming.

Merry pursed her lips. It was as she said, it was going to be a long time in the kitchen with just the two of them. Several hours of... this. With a "hmph" let out under her breath, she rolled up her sleeves and moved to the kitchen bench beside Nia.

"Hey, what do you say I teach you a new recipe today, hm?"

Merry was, quite honestly, the very best chef that Nia had met. And, maybe, the only. Merry's words were quick to reverse Nia's mood, and she gave a half-smile, "Really?" The sniffles had stopped. "Okay, lay it on me."

Another dinner rush done and dusted. At least Merry never had to worry about shelving leftovers with how ravenous the crew's collective appetite was. Didn't have to worry about a lotta things with Nia around. Lovely gal. She'd have to prepare something for her someday, as a token of appreciation. But not right now. Not when she was supervising dish duty.

She whistled an old Solstice tune as her knife moved, idly carving a rose from an unused carrot. Dishes were assigned on a rotating roster, with a fellow from Cargo and a janitor stuck with the chore tonight. Quite unremarkable, except...

Merry's song continued but her eyes were now intently on the woman at the sink.

Stephanie was having a good time washing the dishes. There was something to be said about manual work. It was mindless, easy to do while focusing on other issues. Issues like, well, her entire situation.

So far, there'd been no issues with the plan to get onto the Fornacis. Sure, the Taruva had paid her an unusual amount of attention, but in the end he'd said nothing. Nobody else had spared her a second glance, which was excellent considering she wasn't very used to staying out of the center of attention. Back at the Sun Guard Academy, she'd spent her entire time putting herself in the spotlight. It didn't help that they'd invited her back a few years after graduation to teach a few seminars. Stephanie was quite possibly the worst person in the Luminary Order to take on a stealth mission, save for the famous higher-ups.

Still, nothing had gone wrong in the first couple days on the Fornacis– she'd quickly settled into a routine of cleaning during the off hours of the day and night while occasionally lending the kitchen staff a hand in clean-up.

"I'm just gonna take these to the back," the man announced.

"Right. Excellent work, Bartem, thank you."

With his departure, the whistling resumed, though it seemed to be moving closer to the janitor...

Merry leaned on the bench, studying the janitor's face from the side as she switched to a different tune. The tall woman didn't even notice her, continuing to scrub handily at the plates.

Or at least, that was what it looked like. Internally, Stephanie was starting to feel the heat.

Oh, Skyfather, she's LOOKING AT ME. LOOK AWAY, LOOK AWAY.

Normally, Steph was cool, calm, and collected in the field– the battlefield, at least. Certainly not whatever this sort of mission was. She started sweating slightly, even though the kitchen was kept remarkably cool. She brushed a lock of hair out of her face, trying to disguise the beads of perspiration as simple droplets from the sink.

And that whistling! Say something, anything! Please!

"Pardon me, Miss," said the chef, "but... would you happen to hail from Solstice?"

She breathed a small sigh of relief. "Ah, yes. That is correct. Oh, and my name is Stephanie. You may call me Steph."

wrong wrong WRONG WRONG WRONG! It's "I'm Steph, nice to meet you," not "may call me" like some sort of posh noble! Who do you think you are, some sort of upper class merchant? What's with that high and mighty speech?

Merry's smile widened, and she clapped her hands together. "Ah, I thought I recognised the mannerly accent. What a coincidence!"

"Mmhmm." Steph placed a few bowls on the drying rack. "Do you come from the same area yourself?"

"Indeed I do, right in the heart of the capital. It's lovely to find something familiar when you're so far from home. Your accent, your clothes." Merry tilted her head. "Why, I'd even say your face seems to ring a bell!"

"Really now, surely you must be mistaken. I can't say I've met you before. You must be thinking of someone else."

"Yes, 'met' does seem farfetched, I'm sure I would have recalled you had we spoken. Ah! Would you have spent much time around the Sun Guard Academy?"

"The Su- um, no, not at all! Did you attend the Academy yourself? What's a student of the SGA doing out here?"Steph tried to deflect the line of questioning. It was getting uncomfortably close to the truth.

Suddenly, Merry's eyes were as wide as Steph's. "I. Uh. Explor... cationing?"She doubled back. "Oh look at me, I've gotten carried away. I hope I didn't make you uncomfortable."

"No, not at all. Everyone has their own reasons."

Stephanie moved to place a knife on the counter. As her hand moved, a bit of lingering soap let it slip from her fingers towards the floor. She quickly locked it in place, then caught it before (hopefully) anyone could notice. She'd moved fast enough that the untrained eye would simply think she'd caught it in midair. Probably.

Unfortunately, Merry's eyes were indeed trained– not like she needed any training to see a pyxis in use.

"Wow. Wowow, what was that? You have a pyxis!" she jumped on the spot.

"Ah! Um!" Steph hurriedly set the knife on the counter properly. "Yeah, I suppose there's no use hiding it. I'd been hoping to keep it a secret... oh well."

Good job, Teph. You've already shown your hand. It's not been 5 days yet!

"Oh but why would you hide such a gift? You simply must show me more!"

Steph hesitated, then relented. "How trained are you in magic? Mine is pretty subtle, so it might be difficult to see its effects."

Merry smirked assuredly. "You don't have to worry. I'll catch it."

"...Okay." Steph took a sponge from the sink and threw it at Merry's head. The Sanyan moved accordingly, with reflexes far surpassing those of a regular chef. In an instant, the girl was in a combat stance, an open palm extended to the projectile, but impact never struck. It was suspended mid-flight.

"Ah," Merry relaxed back to her excitable self, "That's fantastic!"

Steph was really sweating now. That stance was definitely that of a SGA student– and one of the good ones, too. If she'd really graduated from the academy, the girl would have definitely seen Steph's portrait in one of the alumni albums. If not that, then she'd definitely heard Sir Yowen bragging about his favorite student of all time.

"Thank you. You have excellent reflexes, by the way, though perhaps a bit too much weight on the–" she cut herself off. "Never mind."

Steph reached out, placed her hand in front of the sponge, and released the locking. The sponge flew into her palm, sending a small splash of soap onto the floor.

"Thank you. That was a great demonstration, althooough I'm not sure how that would help with your janitor work."Merry looked like she was genuinely thinking about it.

"..." Steph paused, not sure what to say. "It's just what I can do."

She finished up the washing and doffed her apron, folding it neatly before placing it in a cabinet. "What's your name?"

"How rude of me! I am Merry Ach--" She covered her hesitation with a giggle. "Merry's the name."

"Good to meet you. How has your time on the Fornacis been so far?"

"Busy." Merry considered it for a second. "Sort of. Not really. It's been a big change, I will have to take some time to get used to it. I hope you've had a better experience than me."

makeajokemakeajoke "Well, the food is excellent."

"Flattery won't get you seconds, Miss Stephanie. You'll have to brawl it out with the others like every other night," she grinned. A thought crossed her mind. "Though I am interested in seeking your friendship. It would be nice to have someone who shares so many qualities, and I am lacking in a party for weekly prayer."

"Well, a prayer companion would be nice. It is awfully lonely sometimes–just you and Ravishaan."

Stephanie checked the clock. 6:58 PM.

"I apologize, but I have to attend to other duties now. It was delightful, having the chance to meet you."

"Yes, yes. Plus, the more stories we trade, the more likely I'll remember where I've seen your face. I'm sure we've crossed paths before! Farewell for now."

I might have just made a big mistake. Stephanie left the kitchen, trying not to let her hands shake with nervousness. She breathed out a sigh of relief. That girl might be more trouble than its worth.

"Well." Merry rested patiently against the bench, waiting for the dry-heaving to subside. "They say that spice tolerance increases the more you eat. Perhaps next time will fare... better."

She gave her assistant's back a tentative pat. It seemed a full cup of bird's eye was a bit much after all, especially for a... Uh.

"From where do you hail again, Miss Nia?"

Nia downed a cup of water to no avail. If anything, it just made it worse. She just didn't get what Merry liked about this stuff; it was like something was attacking your tongue. Between labored breaths she answered, "A little island in Ortzi. You probably wouldn't have heard of it."

"Ah, that explains it."

"Huh." Floorboards creaked as Cain strode in, his clean, pressed, tailored, magnificently sewn attire at odds with the fatigue clinging to his face. It was the sorta suffering he'd have to get through with eventually, but that didn't make reading the files of 200 or so crew members any easier. He blinked slowly at the two ladies present, before squeezing his eyes shut. Yup, they were still there when he opened them. "Evening, ladies," the minstrel said, voice low and smooth, "Did I walk into some sort of secret chef training session?"

Merry ran her eyes up and down the newcomer's attire. A curious smile spread across her face, and she leaned a cheek against her palm. "Hardly a secret, Mister."

If her face wasn't already red from the spice, Nia might've had to worry about blushing. She didn't say anything.

"Cain, Cain Darlite." He narrowed his eyes, sleep-addled brain trying to match the faces of the two women before him. "Ah, Merry and Nia, right? Had the pleasure of enjoying your cooking, but I suppose this is the first time we've met properly?"

"I'd recall that face quite easily, yes. You're not here to join the kitchen staff are you?"

"Alas, if only Doctor Annastasia were so flush with assistants that she'd let me peel potatoes instead," Cain lamented, flipping his midnight-purple hair with the despair of an overworked, underpaid intern. "Thought I'd get something warm to keep me up for the night. What're you two up to though?"

What a shame. "Just getting dear Nia here caught up with my recipes," she said, gesturing, "Though from our progress so far, it seems there's some tweaking to be done. What do you think, my lovely assistant?"

"Spicy," was all that Nia managed.

"So it was training after all." Cain leaned against the counter. "Well, don't let me stop you two...but do allow me to try some of what you're making too."

"Of course!"

A generous plateful of rice and suspiciously red, stir-fried chicken was soon offered to the medic.

"Hope you like it hot," she said, watching eagerly for his reaction.

With the confidence of a madman, Cain took a big spoonful of the chicken-rice dish and jammed it into his mouth. He chewed once.

Silence.

Then...

His eyes bulged. His grip on the spoon tightened. His entire body shook!

Slapping the counter with his free hand, Cain finished chewing, swallowed his food, and grinned shakily. "Wow, damn," he said, face a little flushed. "That definitely woke me up! You made this, Merry? A hell of a kick, for sure!"

A grin widened and Merry's chest puffed out with a graceful pride. "Exciting, isn't it? Straight from the heart of Solstice!"

"Solstice...you're from the capital, Merry?" Cain let out a whistle, before trying out another bite. Damn, it really was a kick in the teeth, but he wasn't going to let that stop him. Leaving food uneaten was sacrilege for an innkeeper's child. "Mighty food you've been raised up with. What 'bout you, Nia?"

Merry glanced at the girl, who was still downing her third full pitcher of water. "Dear old Ortzi, she says. Wayyy out in the provinces."

"Truly, the start of a legend. From one far corner of the world to the other," the minstrel replied, gesticulating broadly. "Though I gotta ask, are you two sticking around for the whole trip? Or are you just here for temp work 'til the border towns?"

"...Undecided." Merry tilted her head in thought. "I'll likely be around for another six months at least."

"Six months of this, hm?" Cain nodded. "I'm sure that's good news for everyone except whoever's gotta stock up on spices and seasoning whenever we land."

"Ah, but that would be us too. Our work goes on and on and on."

"Careful 'bout the overworking then, Merry. Would suck if you ruined your skin with fatigue and dehydration." He shot a lopsided grin. "After all, I'd be the one who'd have to work extra then."

"Oh my. Would the sight of my healthy face not be enough reward for that extra effort?"

"As a medical professional, I'd honestly prefer if you were always healthy and happy. The best medicine, after all, is a set of good habits." He paused, as if contemplating something."And the best habit, of course, would be to join me for morning calisthenics on the deck, everyday except for Halutyet. How's that sound to you, Nia?"

Nia was happy to let Merry do the talking for her, between the spice and other things. But she set her pitcher down for a moment, heat still clinging to her face, “Cal—i—sthe—nics?” she sounded out, “Sure. Yeah, calisthenics! I can do that.”

Cleaning, cooking, that order for Miss McDougall, and now she had to do calisthenics. Whatever that meant.

"Sounds fun." If it was a programme intended for a general audience then Merry supposed it would serve as a decent cooldown for her usual routine, between prayer and other matters. Her timetable would need from rearranging. Or she could just skimp out on sword practice.

She winced. The mere suggestion of that last idea sent a wave of guilt through her stomach.

"I'll... have to see if my schedule allows for it." Essentially, a polite 'no'. "Nia, I know you'll love it. You're already so strong, I'm sure you'll reap benefits a-plenty."

Nia blushed, just a little.

"I'm sure morning prep's a busy time," Cain said. "If you have time though, drop by! We'll be glad to have you. It'll be good to have you along as well, Nia."

Well, not that there was any 'we' to this, when it was currently just himself.

"Suppose I shouldn't hold up your training any longer though, lest we both stay up much later than the doctor recommends."

Nia finally finished draining her last pitcher, and was starting to feel a bit better. "Right. I'll see you at calisthenics!" she said, giving Cain an enthusiastic two thumbs up.

"Mhmm," was Cain's own response, as he shovelled down the rest of his food. A singular kick in the teeth turned into a dozen, but he still finished it. Circling around the counter, he stepped up to the sink, washed his dishes, set it on the rack to dry, and said, "Welp, that's all from me now. Good night, and don't stay up too late, Merry, Nia."

He waved, and strode off back whence he came.

Nia waited until Cain was gone. She turned to Merry, giving her a pointed glance, "What are calisthenics?"

Alix was still on the main deck of The Fornacis, still idly tossing things over the side even as the cool winds of dusk fell over the ship. Not that the brisk air was any issue to her; one of the benefits of her Pyxis. It was odd to describe: she could feel the cold, and definitely feel the drastic differences in temperature when it came to hot vs. cold, but it just didn't phase her the way it did other people. She understood that it was uncomfortable, or even dangerous at certain points, but to her it just...wasn't.

Alix tore another page out of the last book she had on her, dropping it back to the ground and folding another paper glider out of her scrap. It had been a decently sizeable book at one point, but Alix had made her way through about the half the pages and was showing no signs of slowing. It was keeping her distracted, at least.

It was almost destiny to meet here.

The deck of the Fornacis was the place Rhain felt most at home. The wind in her hair, the landscape rushing by her. She had grown up in a saddle, grown up with a feeling of speed beyond what her human legs could manage on their own. Speed, she’d always enjoyed it, and there was no better place to indulge it than where she was now.

Magic aside, of course.

However, she had not come up here to relax, or feel the wind. No, she had heard of the woman presently littering some kind of literature. Heard some interesting things about this ‘Alix’ that had won a place on their legendary crew through strength. Through magic.

At first Rhain had been worried. Another mage on board? Rhain was strong of course, she knew that, but something else she knew was that she was an awful mage. One of the worst. Until now she had been avoiding a meeting with Alix, but at the week went on slowly she started to hear more. And the more she heard about this new crew member, the more unlikely it seemed that she was one of those mages. The kind that could replace Rhain.

And so, creeping closer, the shape changing wizard began to grow more excited. They were practically siblings already, elemental mages who were probably pretty terrible at the mage thing. Or like a master and apprentice. Master Rhain had a nice ring to it.

Not able to contain herself any longer, the mage stopped her creeping and lunged forward for the final distance, sliding into place beside her glider-making companion. She imagined she looked incredibly cool at that moment, and didn’t hesitate to break the ice;

“Hi, I’m Rhain. I hear you can do magic?””

It was only through the culmination of a hundred thought processes flying through her head at once that Alix didn't actually take the swing she'd whirled around for. She was still ready, scowling at the newcomer as she held up both her fists in preparation for some sort of brawl, and she took a step backwards to put some distance between them. This wasn't an attack, or at least it was a stupid one if this person were going to waste the element of surprise like that, but Alix still wanted enough space to be ready.

"I can do plenty of things." Alix responded gruffly, still holding her fists at the ready and glaring daggers in the woman's direction. "Like knock your goddamn teeth in if you jump me like that. The hell do you want?"

If Rhain was phased by this reaction, she didn’t show it, and those who knew her knew that she would have shown it. So this newcomer was Mean Kerry 2.0, with a bit more violence maybe. Good to know, but something that she could handle. Whether handling Alix was good or bad for the young woman was anybody’s guess at this point.

Still, Rhain could at least try to placate her first.

“I want to know if you can do magic, can’t always trust rumors you know.”

The mage had her hands open and stretched in front of her, in a Relax, I mean no harm posture. Quickly, she added;

“I’d love to be able to see it! I think you learned yours like I learned mine. I mean…”

A pointed look towards the half-destroyed book.

“… Unless you’re the scholarly kind.”

Alix's tension relaxed slightly, but she still kept her fists slight raised, making it obvious that she wasn't letting her guard down completely. Her eyes darted across the new person's face as she gave her a very suspicious glare, as if she was waiting for some kind of tell. If her intentions were anything more than asking questions, Alix wanted to make sure she knew what they were. She still couldn't be completely sure of which crew members were schemers, and she didn't even know who this chick was.

"Depends on what you call 'magic'. I can do things other people can't, yeah." Alix said.

"But you first. How do you think I learned my magic, if it's the same as yours?"

She definitely wasn't going to be the first to answer questions for free.

There was something hurtful about not being trusted, and it showed on Rhain's face, but she tried to brush it aside. The mage was incapable of being anything but honest, including with her emotions. Always had been, and as she grew older it became increasingly likely that she always would be. Still, this wasn't the time for that.

Quickly the mage scrambled to her feet and tried to imitate the demeanor of the scholars she had met in Gokhan. Hands folded behind her back, tone even and measured. It worked to the extent that she had known the stuffy book-mage types for years, but it was utterly ridiculous coming from her current form.

"Well..." She began, trying to organize her thoughts.

"If it's like mine- and I suspect it is- you lived your life normally at first, whatever normally was."

Rhain knew by now of course that normal for her had been exceptionally strange for most people in the skies. A simple existence, full of riding, hunting, and celebrations with her tribe. She had grown up happy, if woefully unprepared for the future that had awaited her.

"Then you had a chance to meet your God- or whatever you consider your island's Taruva to be. They take notice of you, and grant you a... Partner, one who helps you realize something that always was. Your aura."

The facade was fading quickly as the mage continued on, growing more excited as memories of her own experiences came flooding in.

"And You realize that this aura has been trying to tell/ you something, but you never had a way to hear it before! And once you can listen and understand and help it to do what it wants- then that's magic!"

A breath, Rhain knew that she was getting too excited, especially for the kind of person that was in front of her now. Still, she hadn't had many chances over the years to talk to somebody like her, at least somebody she thought was like her.

"That's my magic, anyway. Most mages I've met use their aura as a tool, something to be bent or molded. Mine... Feels more like a partner."

Throughout Rhain's speech, Alix's demeanor softened a bit. Her fists went from clenched and still ready for fight to curled up under her arms as she slowly brought them up to cross in front of her. She relaxed her stance from alertness to leaning slightly against the railing; enough to half-sit comfortably. Her gaze went from anger, to a stern curiosity, to something close to interest, though there was still a spark of irritation beneath it.

When Rhain finished, Alix gave it a moment, meeting her eyes to realize it was probably her turn to talk about her adventures. When she spoke, she spoke like she was stating facts; plainly, and without the emotion that Rhain had allowed to slip into her speech.

"Alright, fine then. You've pretty much got it spot on." She shrugged slightly from her leaning position. "It was a normal life at first. Got to meet the Taruva; but he was more of a legend than a full-blown God to me. 'God' is too much of an elevation. They're still just living creatures like you or I. Just...bigger."

That wasn't entirely accurate. Her first view of her Taruva had filled her with so much emotion that she had believed for a moment that she was standing in the presence of Gods. Like she was being accepted by them. She had personally been given a gift by the most powerful creature she'd ever witnessed.

But her feelings had soured over time. They were just creatures or gave out gifts and protected big chunks of floating rock. There was nothing more to them than that.

"But my power has never been anything more than a tool." A slight hint of bitterness crept into her voice as she remembered how those feelings had slipped from her. "There to help me. To elevate me above my position."

A lot of things came from elevation. Power. Reputation. Elevation just made it easier to live, in all the small ways that you could only realize when you had it.

"So yeah. Maybe we do have some similarities. But my aura is meant to be commanded...it doesn't 'talk' to me."

Rhain shrugged in response, not in disagreement so much as ignorance.

“Maybe that’s how things are for you. I know the things my aura can do though, and they’re far beyond anything I’m capable of without it. Can it really be commanding, when the difference between us is so great?”

That would be an excellent question to ask a “real” mage, someone who spent their life pouring over theory. For Rhain though, what was was, and what felt correct may as well be.

“So… Can I see it then?”

The excitement was back immediately, with eyes that were begging Alix to show her what she could do.

Alix let the question hang in the air for a moment as she debated. This chick was just some idyllic crew member who was curious about her power. Probably not some mastermind looking to exploit a weakness; she wouldn't have talked about her own power's origination if she were. That opened her up to too much emotional manipulation.

Plus, it might get the word spread around a little more than she could do on her own.

"Fine. But you'd better be prepared to show yours off." Alix turned as she spoke, tearing a full page out of the book she'd been maiming and holding it up for Rhain to see.

She let the chill pulse through her, her fingers and nose darkening to a unwell black as she did.

Thick plates of ice began to build from her arm downwards, nearly resembling a sleeve of armor as it hinted towards the the flow of magic. When it finally reached to her blackened hands it continued to build, blooming from where she held the page and creeping across the creases of the paper. In moments, where frost had started, it crystallized into ice, and the page itself was frozen solid in seconds.

Alix turned it around, demonstrating its solid nature, before slamming it down into the railing, shattering it into pieces and sending them scattering across the deck.

Rhain watched the display with glee. So she was the same, an elemental mage at that. Rhain had not met too many capable with frost magic during her time in Gokhan, but she had certainly heard of them. It was another of the less common elements, like her own. There were enough mages that could throw around cones of fire, but ice? Lightning for that matter? Time like a certain other mage that Rhain knew? Much rarer.

When Alix finished, Rhain gave her a round of applause.

“Wow! Yeah that’s pretty nifty, I bet you’re as strong as I was at your age!”

The thoroughly youthful shape-changer was grinning ear to ear. She had only just begun to manifest lightning for real when she joined the Fornacis all those years ago. Not the true stuff like she could do later, but the ability to shock things by touching them. This woman’s power seemed similar, at least on the surface. It was downright nostalgic.

“I know joining this crew really accelerated my growth. I… Think I wanted something like power then, and I think if you stick around you might be able to get it too.”

Alix smirked slightly at the applause. Validation was nice, after all, and she wouldn't turn it down if it were being given away for free. However, she wasn't going to get distracted by her own hubris long enough to stray from the important things. There were a couple of points of contention that made her perk her eyebrow up curiously, but she needed her original answers before she started asking any more questions. Plus, she wanted to know how dangerous this chick was before she started poking around.

"Alright then. What can you do? If being part of the crew accelerated your growth so much...it should be pretty impressive, right?"

Nodding in reply, Rhain snatched the thoroughly abused book and tore out a page of her own, speaking as she did so:

“Right. I don’t really have anything I could safely demonstrate this on unless you want to volunteer…”

The mage had warned the watch ahead of time that things might get loud while she was outside. It wouldn’t have been necessary four years ago, but the new crew wouldn’t be used to the noise yet.

“So, fifteen years ago I could give a person a nasty shock, enough to easily give someone a very bad day. Books though? They don’t really play very nice with electricity, couldn’t even tell that I was trying to shock it. Now…”

The feather in Rhain’s hair disappeared and what could only be her aura swirled around her. A thousand streaks of light continuously shooting away from her form before being bent backwards and returning. In an instant they twisted themselves around her arm and disappeared just short of reaching the book.

The book itself was incinerated, quickly crumbling from her hand outward, until the whole form was scattered into the wind.

“That’s pretty boring though, just the same thing I could do then but better. Getting stronger is about finding new thing to do too- cover your ears!”

With that she released her hold on the page she tore out, and let it clear the side of the ship before her aura appeared again, but instead of pulling back into her it shot away.

And then brief crashed from the sky into the piece of paper, followed by the immediate blinding and deafening arrival of a bolt of lightning out of the clear blue sky.

And then the feather was back in the ecstatic mage’s hair. Magic always thrilled her, no matter how often she used it. Despite not covering her own ears she seemed perfectly fine, and indeed she was. In general, her own magic had never phased her, either due to her aura or another reason. Perhaps one day she’s get it researched, but that was about as low of a priority as anything she’d ever needed to do.

“Anyway…”

As she was prone to do, Rhain had suddenly changed tones and moods. Now apologetic.

“Afraid I can’t show you the really impressive stuff, but I hope that was good enough.”

Alix was admittedly a little bit irritated at the destruction of her book; she'd have to find something else to keep her mind occupied when this lady quit bothering her, but that emotion was buried deeply beneath intrigue. The whole disintegration trick was pretty cool. Definitely marked her as a person to keep an eye on at least, despite the low threat her personality seemed to portray. That same intrigue carried on her look as she watched the piece of paper flutter off into the breeze.

She shot a sideways glance at Rhain, just in time to see the sparkling lights shoot off. On the back of her neck, she could every single hair stick straight up in warning. It was a fortunate bit of gut-instinct that she clapped her hands to her ears just in time to watch as the magical bolt came streaking down.

Alix felt the reverberation of the thunderous concussion in her ribcage, and the entire world went white in an instant. Even reflexively closing her eyes still didn't allow the after-image of the horizon to fade immediately; it took a few moments for her to blink her vision back, and when it came back she found herself looking in astonishment at the young girl in front of her.

Alright. A pecking order had been established. This one would have to be kept in mind in the future.

"The hell!?" Alix found herself spouting. "How young were you when you hopped on this ship that you can pull that kind of stunt off?" Hell, this girl looked younger than she was, and she was packing some pretty impressive powers for her age. Sure, there were always rumors of natural-born mages who were just better by virtue of blood, but if a giant lightning bolt wasn't the 'impressive stuff'...

...then maybe the Fornacis would be able to bring all of those ambitions to bear.

Rhain glowed with pride at the outburst from Alix and let herself be caught up in it for a moment. She was damn good, and though darker thoughts tried to creep in about what exactly she had done with her magic and what it would need to be used for in the future, she pushed them back with unusual success. Now it was time to seal the deal on an ambition she didn't even know she had.

"Appearances can be deceiving you know. It's gotten harder to keep track of my age over the years, but I'm sure the other crew can confirm that I'm 40, kid."

An impish grin, almost taunting, but one that was quickly replaced by efforts to appear sagely again. Rhain folded her hands behind her back and leaned forward, looking up at Alix with the most serious expression she could muster.

"It took me a little over two years from being unable to fry that book, to pulling lightning from the sky. Two years of working hard, alone, and struggling every step of the way to get stronger."

Her voice was even and measured, even as she delivered the next part of her little speech.

"I am a stupid, talentless mage who has had to learn magic in her own way and- probably- has clawed my way into being of the strongest magic users in the skies."

A final, deliberate pause for dramatic effect.

"So, how much quicker would I have learned, and how much stronger would I have gotten, if I had somebody to teach me the way?"

There was absolutely zero chance this chick was forty years old. Alix couldn't wrap her head around a reason for her to be lying about something like that, but it was obvious she was. Any idiot could see that much at least. Maybe she was testing the waters to see how gullible she was. It would certainly make the angle it sounded like she was going for easier.

Something in Alix's chest tightened and turned cold at the last sentence spoken by the lightning-mage. She could already tell where this was going, and the attempt was quickly turning her attitude back towards irritation. She crossed her arms again, narrowing her eyes towards Rhain and giving a skeptical glare that looked like it could bore holes in a person.

She'd heard plenty of pitches like this before. People looking to join forces or combine powers or some bullshit. All it ever boiled down to was one person looking to take advantage of another. Just people using each other for personal gain.

"And?" Alix said curtly. She was on guard right now; if this chick was going to be pulling these stunts this early in the ride, Alix wasn't going to put up with it for a minute.

"And...?"

Rhain repeated, blankly. Was this kid really not understanding, or did she want Rhain to sell it harder? Surely it couldn't be the former, which meant...

"What, you paid or something too? Legendary mage of the legendary Fornacis offers to take you on as an apprentice and you don't jump on it? Sheesh."

Rhain shook her head in disappointment, although towards which of them it was directed was unclear.

"How the mighty have fallen, I guess. What else do you need? Vacation days?"

"Keep your vacation days." Alix spat. "I don't do 'apprentice'. You're not going to make me your little errand girl who does all your chores for you just because you're offering some unlimited magic bullshit."

Alix straightened her posture, dropping her arms back down to her sides and clenching her fists in anticipation.

"I built my powers up by myself, and I can keep doing it by myself. I don't need a master."

Incredulous. It was a rare state of being for Rhain, an emotion that she had displayed only a handful of times in her life, but as the woman in front of her continued on the mage couldn’t help but raise her eyebrows in disbelief.

“You… Don’t want to do chores? Are you sure you want to get stronger if you draw the line that early?”

Rhain suddenly felt old. Much older than she looked, much much older than she acted. When she had wanted to get stronger, to learn her craft, she apprenticed herself for years. Sure, most of the real progress had been made while a part of the Fornacis, but that training had been invaluable along the way. Kids these days.

Done with the conversation, and annoyed at her own failure as much as Alix, Rhain shook her head and turned to leave, throwing back with the clear intention to offend:

“All right, kid. Do things your way, I’ll try to bail you out when you get in over your head.”

"Don't waste your magic." Alix snapped. She stood firmly in her spot, watching Rhain intently as she made motions to walk away.

“Then make sure saving you isn’t a waste.”

Rhain hated letting this chick get under her skin, but the feeling was already fading as she started walking. The wind helped, the feeling of moving helped. She had never been one to hold onto anger, and under these conditions it was nearly impossible. She had technically accomplished what she came here to do after all, check out the freshie’s magic and see what it was all about. Maybe that goal had shifted a tiny bit over the course of the encounter, but it was still a victory.

With a sigh, she tried to let the tension fall out of her and threw up her hand in a backwards wave goodbye, not looking to see if Alix was even paying attention. It was time to find something else to do.

Of all things, this ship truly was tiring. The new crew had somehow - somehow - managed to make up for Xander's absence in terms of the pure emotional exhaustion they could inflict upon Kerry. Not that she wasn't used to her role being expanded to that of on-board babysitter.

She shook her head, looking out at the night sky. If nothing else, the familiar noises of the ship were; such things were comforting now and again. Familiarity, even if it struck an all-too-different chord with her. The ship was steady enough, at least: her skills had not left her.

Kerry didn't smile, even now. She did at least relax somewhat as she reached to her hip, unscrewing a flask and taking a swig from it. One of her vices; she'd always had a weakness for whisky. As good a measure as any to ward off the cold, though a small part of her noted the oddness of it. Seemed she hadn't quite gotten used to drinking alone.

"We have a bar, you know. "

The voice from behind was both foreign and familiar. With every new form came a new voice, but always that same faded accent, one that would sound harsh if it ever was mixed with venom. From Rhain though? No. Perhaps harsh words at times, but never with ill intent. The mage was more akin to fairy, impish, inconvenient, infuriating, but innocent. A being that could feel more like a force of nature at times, but was a person. A person who used to consider herself friends with Kerry.

Years ago.

Normally she would have approached the engineer with some kind of trickery. A way to try and break the ice that encased the bitter woman. It seemed to be the only way to get a little of the old Kerry back. The angry part of old Kerry, but Rhain would take what she could get. Still, even Rhain, the most ignorant mage in the sky could read a room at times. There wouldn't be any pranks this meeting.

"And the bar's populated," Kerry turned to look at him with a sigh. Always did insist on trying, huh? Even now. "At least it was the last I checked."

She looked at him. Rhain. Always the same, in a way, no matter how many flashsteps he took. There was something oddly constant about the mage, though Kerry couldn't be sure how she felt about that. Never had been.

"Is there something you're after, or is this just conversation?"

"After? I didn't realize I need to state my business every time we meet."

Genuine hurt, that's what the reply had sounded like. Rhain had always been one to wear her heart on her sleeve, it was the culture she had grown up in. It would be fleeting though. At the very least those who knew Rhain knew that she was genuine, give or take a small deception here or there for personal entertainment.

It only took a moment for her to shake her head in an attempt to brush off the slight pain. She didn't like being offended.

"Populated might be good, you know. Plus the drinks are probably better, if that's what you're after."

"Didn't you?" Kerry raised her eyebrow, "I'm fairly sure I used to ask your business every second time I dealt with you. Not that I'd get much of an answer, but..."

She shook her head, frowning. "Populated is good sometimes. But I don't feel like being on guard; with the new folks, I would be." And for all his flaws, she could at least relax around Rhain. Emotionally, if not practically - her toolkits certainly needed monitoring. "Thinking, you know?"

Rhain sighed and shook her head, taking a place next to the mechanic. At least six inches shorter in her current form.

"No, that's not what you used to do at all. You used to..."

It was hard to find the words. 'Be an entirely different person'? Something Rhain was used to in a way, but she knew trying to steer the conversation that way would be pointless. Probably worse than pointless.

"... I guess you used to think, at least. More than I ever did. So what are you thinking about that needs guarded from the freshies?"

Blunt as ever. A new skin would never change that.

Kerry smiled a little bitterly, looking back out into the sky. Honestly, it wouldn't have surprised her if Rhain already knew exactly what it was, considering, but at least this gave her some kind of control.

She took another swig from her flask, relishing the burn in her throat.

"Laurie left me. Told me not to bother coming back if I listened to the dream." And here she was.

A sigh of relief.

Rhain couldn't help it. Sympathy, regret, and sadness for Kerry were all there under the surface waiting to be let out, but first was an overwhelming sense of relief. Laurie was alive then. It was hurtful that she hadn't come back, had left the crew in the same way she had left Kerry, but at least she was alive. It was something that had been gnawing at Rhain since Kerry's return, but the mage knew better than to ask. Things had been different since the incident years ago, and the couple staying together was never something she took for granted.

Still, relief wasn't what Kerry would need right now. Rhain tried to fight it down while quietly offering;

"Sorry."

And she was. The mage knew that it wasn't enough though. When did 'sorry' and sympathy ever actually do much in these situations? So instead the mage grabbed Kerry's hand and began pulling. She was bad with words, bad with thinking, but good with action. Action seemed like something better now.

"I've never been good with these kinds of things- but come on. You need a good drink and I have some good drinks in a place that isn't a bar."

"If you say so," Kerry nodded, allowing herself to walk alongside Rhain, "I suppose it's better than standing out here, at the very least."

There were worse people to be dragged off by. Not that she'd ever admit it; he was obnoxious enough as it was. Still, Kerry at least tried to be honest with folks. "Thank you. I suppose."



Rhain was wealthy. Not only had she commanded a fairly high price at her initial hiring, but a decade of sharing in the spoils of the Fanocis's exploits had made her wealthy. Those who knew her, knew her past and the circumstances she grew up in, knew that she was not a person with expensive tastes. If anything, she was embarrassingly easy to please when it came to comfort and food. Her room, however, did not reflect this at all. Impressive in size, particularly for one on an airship, the room practically screamed "Look at how much money I have". Comfortable silk chairs arranged in front of a smokeless magical fireplace. A small bar to one side of room, with expensive liqour from every port the Fornacis ever docked at. A that detailed the entire sky laid out across the floor. Antiques lined the walls, and the furniture was all trimmed with intricate lacework and etchings. All of it expensive, none of it matched. It was a poor person's idea of what a wealthy person's room might look like.

And those that knew her knew that she bought all of it because she thought her guests would enjoy it.

It was clear though that guests were something Rhain had few of. Xander was gone, Branka had gotten married, others had died or changed into different people. What used to be a lively room had become covered in dust, made thicker by four years of absence. It's clear Rhain had tried to tidy up since coming back, but motivation was hard. She sought out others to be with, they rarely sought out her.

Tonight was different though. Two wine glasses were out and filled with Blackwater a whiskey in the Ortzi style but made by the distellers of Port Afonbryn in Gokhan. Rhain didn't know or care enough about drinking etiquette to care about the faux-pas of mixing wine glasses and whiskey. Nor did she expect to survive the night if she actually finished hers off. The mage was a notorious lightweight, to extremes rarely seen before. That was back when she was a well-built man, let alone with the comparably tiny body she currently inhabited.

"Sorry if it's bad, I've never tasted it myself, I usually just pour this stuff off the side of the ship."

As she spoke, Rhain set the glasses and the remainder of the bottle on a small table in front of them, before sinking into one of the chairs that was far too comfortable for her.

"You think I'd notice?" Kerry looked at him with a shrug, though she accepted it anyway. "Nice of you, though. I don't suppose the kindness extends to letting me work in peace?"

It was clumsy, certainly. Small talk was just easier, in these circumstances. Easier than talking about Laurie, no matter how much drink she had in her. Still, she looked at the mage, her working eye as focused as ever. It wasn't as though she were foolish, or as though she didn't notice the dust. Perhaps returning to the Fornacis was difficult for all of them, in its own way, even if some could be more than grating in how they dealt with it. Nonetheless, the mechanic at least caught herself, looking suitably ashamed.

"I don't mean to be cruel, it's just the way of things right now. Unsurprisingly, maybe."

Hurt again, but quickly healed by the apology. Rhain was used to being criticized in the moment when she deserved it, but it was harder when she hadn't done anything immediately wrong to warrant it. Still, an apology from Kerry was something to treasure, so she tried to let the matter go. A small part of her was, however, disappointed that Kerry wouldn't be able to tell her how good the whiskey was, Rhain loved being praised for a job well done.

A job well done. When was the last time Rhain had managed that?

"Yeah. I think we all..."

Rhain's habit of letting her thoughts trail off was in full bloom tonight. It was hard for her to keep things in line on a good day, let alone now.

"I think a lot of us have come back worse than we left."

"I hate to agree, but that seems right enough. I wasn't expecting to be in charge of anything," Kerry sighed, "though it helps to be busy. It was easier when we didn't have anything to live up to; the whole 'legend' thing just makes me feel washed-up."

She took a sip of the whisky, nodding a little. It was good, at least by Kerry's standards. And so long as the conversation kept moving, she could think about things that were... manageable.

"How are you doing?"

When was the last time someone had asked Rhain how she was doing? Pain was the answer, but she didn't want to talk about that. Still, she didn't want to lie, and she was an awful liar at that, so instead she looked for a way to answer the question in a way that she wouldn't have to.

To buy time, she snatched her glass off the small table in front of her and took a sip.

Immediate regret.

Rhain hated alcohol, at least alcohol that hadn't been made unrecognizable through being diluted out of existence. Still, she forced herself to power through it and tried to pretend she was enjoying the sensation. At the very least it bought her the time she needed.

"Being back has been nice, I never had any friends outside of the Fornacis. Being a legend is..."

More than the Fornacis itself, Rhain had heard her personally being spoken of. Hearing it had made her skin crawl.

"I actually kinda hate it.

Kerry looked at Rhain, raising her eyebrow but deciding not to comment on the drinking. Not her place, she figured. Being overanalysed was a pain.

"Used to hang onto the story, myself. Didn't really realise I was doin' it."

Her free hand reached up to her face as she frowned, the scarring twisting her expression. Always did, though she'd grown used to the numbness over the years - usually it seemed to bother others far more than it did her.

"I suppose it was nice," she shrugged, "thinkin' I was something, once. Easy to get caught up in that."

Rhain nodded, frowning.

"This ship's all I have, but you've always been one of the brightest and most talented. You could have gone on to something else instead of coming back. If you don't like the legend bit or being in charge."

Rhain sunk deeper into her chair. Those who knew her knew those words had a double edge to them. Kerry was smart, Rhain was stupid. Kerry had talent, Rhain had none. There was always a mix of admiration and jealousy that the mage held for other members of the crew. At one point she had pride in her magic, but she was getting old, and a lot of what she had done was looked back on in regret, not admiration. Normally these thoughts had somewhat of a release valve, but she had been utterly alone and bottled up with them the last four years. Alcohol would have to be the valve now.

Another drink.

"I want to be here to protect my friends, but... "

It wasn't even the effect of the alcohol yet that bring tears to her eyes. Rhain had never been good at holding them back, never knew that men were expected to until she was already an adult and leaving her island for the first time. That expectation had become ingrained in her to some degree though, and she tried to stop as she took another, longer drink.

"... Killing people is my talent, Kerry! So much blood! It's gettingharderandharder-"

Rhain's words began running together and she tried to empty her glass in an effort to stop herself.

To predictable results.

Chocked sobs quickly turned to choking and sobbing as the whiskey burned the mage's windpipe, and the rest of the glass was spilled on the floor, forgotten. To her credit, she tried to hold up a hand to her companion in an effort to say It's okay, I've got this, really., but it was a feeble showing.

Kerry looked concerned; she hadn't realised, she supposed, the burden Rhain ended up carrying. Wasn't sure how to help with this, either, but she stood up to walk over. Slowly, but that was the way of things - she had no choice but to be careful while she moved, to double-check where she was putting her feet.

"Maybe." She couldn't really argue properly, and doubted she had the words to make Rhain believe her regardless. "But you've saved all of us, too. And you keep making the effort to live, not just survive; act or not, it's admirable. To try and do good, holding that burden."

And at least some of it was an act, if this were anything to go by, but Kerry couldn't even guess how much.

"I'm just too much of a coward to leave this ship behind," she shook her head, hand idly brushing over the scarring of her face, "and that's why I've nothin' else to my name. Now, take a minute, and put down the drink: I'll fetch you some water."

While Kerry spoke Rhain tried to regain her composure, at least as far as not choking to death went. The woman's words truthfully meant little to her. The mage had chosen to rejoin the Fornacis already having weighed what she would need to do and live with, but they did help in the sense that it showed Kerry cared, and that's really all she needed at the moment.

"No water."

Her voice was hoarse, but slowly she was catching her breath. Eventually Rhain's hand turned into a single finger telling the engineer to wait, and then finally that finger pointed downwards towards the fallen glass.

"Refill it if you want to help."

"You'll regret it in the morning."

It was blunt, as Kerry turned back to refill the glass. Self-destructive? Perhaps. But she didn't have it in her to fix those urges for Rhain, any more than she had grounds to lecture him on handling his problems.

And so she didn't try. Filled his glass back up, sat back down with her own.

"We got married, you know. After we left. I still remember," her breath hitched a little, but she was never one to lose control, "remember asking her. Didn't even have a ring or nothing; perfect sunset, like no one else existed in the world, and the words just felt right. Like the kind of love from stories, where nothin' and no-one can get in your way."

A pause, the shakiness of her voice more pronounced before it was covered up by practiced, intentional, roughness.

"It was on me, letting her down. Not caring enough about the things worth caring for."

Rhain had enough regrets that this would add little weight to the pile. Still, as she tried to recover from her brush with death, she couldn't help but be glad that the topic had shifted. She had never been good at talking about herself- at least in a controlled level headed way. Kerry was much better at it, but even she seemed to be struggling tonight. The topic was one that hit hard, although it had to be for her to open up at all about it.

"Not caring or not showing?"

The mage was beginning to mellow as the alcohol went to work on her system. It's how drinking usually went for her, starting as the life of the party and quickly mellowing and growing quieter until she slipped into a coma.

"Don't suppose it matters so much now. Of course I cared-- care. But I never showed it, never was there for her. Never realised how I was making her hurt. Stuck in my own head like always."

Kerry looked into her glass, seeming to lose herself momentarily, speaking past Rhain as much as to him.

"Which means it doesn't matter how much I care. Because I didn't care enough not to let her down. She'll find someone to make her happy."

"You've changed."

The alcohol in Rhain's glass was slowly disappearing. One sip at a time, but sips that were becoming more frequent. Her thoughts were slowing down, which in a way strengthened them. Made it much easier for her to think clearly, for the moment anyway.

"I mean, you know that. Since your eye you've been different. You... Do tend to drive people away from you, we used to be closer once I think."

Rhain threw a halfhearted smile the other woman's way, as if to say she wasn't trying to offend her.

"I mean, we're both older now, both different. I'm not saying change back to who you were, but... Maybe try to change into someone else? I don't know, I mind things I've done but not who I am. I think that I would try to change if didn't like myself though. It's happened once, so why not again?"

The advice sounded stupid to her own ears, but it was all Rhain had to give. If nothing else it was the honest truth, like everything else that came out of her mouth.

"Probably." Kerry looked at Rhain. Closer? Yeah, seemed about right. She'd been closer with most people, really. Brighter. Happier. "But I've never really thought about... me. I like things, subjects, stuff that I can evaluate properly. I haven't changed, really."

Had she? Hard to tell. At the core of it all, anyway.

"Well. Have and haven't. But I've always just... reacted to things. Outside of myself. I was happy," Kerry shrugged, "because I was naive, and even with everything we've dealt with, I never thought it'd happen to me. All it is, is... well, the circumstances changed. After that, getting stuck on things has been easy. Imagining what I could've been, what I used to be, anything but thinkin' about the now."

Honestly, Kerry didn't want to look much deeper. Such things were unpredictable, not worth the bother they'd be.

"I don't dislike myself. I just... wish I'd done better. That's not the same thing, I think."

"What was stopping you from doing better if not yourself?"

It sounded like a legitimate question, not a point of attack. It was clear that the mage was slipping away much more quickly than the engineer, to the surprise of neither of them.

"Uncertainty. I suppose there's a safety in staying where I am. Which is still me, Disliking my failures in that regard doesn't mean disliking myself."

"I don't think it's safe staying where you are."

Rhain had been sinking deeper into her chair, and now the small mage was barely visible over the armrest. Her glass was not nearly empty, but she seemed to have forgotten it.

"I could help you drag her back here. I don't know what I'll do to Seriz when I get my hands on him but he'll be back here too."

"I don't think you should," Kerry smiled a little, wistful as she looked over to Rhain, "but I appreciate it. I love her, and... that's why I owe her that, you know? To let her be happy, even if I'm not. Where I'm at might not be good, but it's consistent."

The mage raised her hand and dismissively waved off Kerry's words.

"I'll fix it... Maybe tomorrow though.

"Sure," Kerry looked at him with a slight shake of the head, amused as she walked over and gently took the glass to set on the table. Wouldn't do to go ruining the floors with a spill, after all, and Rhain was barely conscious. Seemed the right call.

Another sigh, this one heavier, weighed down by everything running through her head.

"Sure you will."

It has been four years.

She had missed the rumbling of the Fornacis. After eight years of service aboard this ship, this had sort of become a white noise she had grown accustomed to. Annastasia could remember the first nights spent at the mansion when she returned home, how she was unable to sleep because it was so silent without the rumbling of the machinery powering the ship in flight. There was a strange sense of comfort, hearing it once more.

Still, it had only been two years since left. Die-hard habits were quickly returning to her, like second nature. A profession she felt like she never truly abandoned, only left aside temporarily in search of an alternative.

She had allowed herself to feel a moment of nostalgia, but there were tasks needed to be done now. Inside the medical bay, she'd start by taking the inventory of what they had on hand.

The Fornacis, the only airship powered by a taruva, the only airship to make it through Ysir's Void and back. In a way, Cain was literally walking through history, and the young medic couldn't help but hum to himself. His fingers slid against one side of the wall, feeling the wooden grain, and he occasionally tapped his feet against the floorboards, feeling the spring of the wood and the 'dun' or 'don' of filled and hollow spaces alike. Turning down the corridor to the medical bay, Cain knocked twice against the door, waited just enough time for someone to shout a quick 'don't come in, I'm changing' out, before pushing it open.

Ah, the sweet aroma of herbs and solutions. It was as calming as the apothecary he used to visit a couple years back, hm?

Beaming a smile at the familiar face before him, the man said, "Morning Annastasia! You didn't spend all night in here, right?"

Anna's gaze slowly left the reagents stocked in a shelf, turning to her medical comrade. She gave the man a polite bow and a modest smile. "Good morning, Cain. No, I haven't. Well, not entirely anyway."

The doctor lady noted a number on her notepad while she still remembered it, and placed it on the nearest table. "How are you today?"

"Quite chipper, really. Good weather out right now, and we're only a week from Lucidia now too!" He placed the woven basket hanging from his hand onto an unoccupied chair. There was bread there, and cheese too. Not the finest of affairs, but the kitchen hadn't quite been running yet, so Cain had taken some liberties. "Got you some breakfast, if you haven't eaten yet. What's our plan today?"

"Oh, you have my thanks. That is very thoughtful of you." She however waited for Cain to unravel the meal. Manners and all. She was still had the mannerisms of nobility ingrained from her childhood. "I was just about starting on making an inventory of our medical supplies. Lucida is a great place to stock on some fine ingredients. I figured it would be a great headstart to know what we need to get from there."

"Inventory then? Alright, I can do that, though if you don't mind, I'll probably be asking you a lot about, y'know, what it is I'm counting." Cain looked around, wondering where to start, before realizing that Annastasia hadn't actually eaten yet. "Oh, uh, don't mind me. Go on ahead. I already ate."

Did she eat breakfast after all? There was a half-quizzical smile on Cain's face as he watched her.

"Alright then, thank you. Do not worry, I will be happy to comply to any of your qustions." Annastasia grabbed the pad she had been holding earlier and handed it to Cain with a smile. Inscribed on a sheet of parchment was a neat alphabetically-ordered list. Ingredients for remedies, supplies for applying treatments, tools and anything either mundane or specific that might be needed in the medbay.

"Have you been working with plenty of ingredients before, despite being gifted with healing magicks?"

Cain took it with a nod, before wheeling over to the many cabinets present within the room. He took his time, having to recount a couple of times as he went through the dozens of dried herbs and powders. "I certainly have," he replied. "Veteran empyreans such as I have almost assuredly dabbled with medication from all sorts of places, all corners of Yuncay...though I suppose my education differs from someone with a diploma from a proper academy of medical knowledge."

While Cain was getting started on checking the various supplies in the room, Anna took him up on his offer and unraveled the basket of food on the chair. Ah, there was no ustensils to cut the bread and the cheese...

She reached for a satchel secured to her side, providing a knife. It was no surgeon's tool, rather a bladed weapon meant to be thrown. "Oh? Are you from Yuncay?"

She carefully cut herself a slice of bread, then a slice of cheese to put on her bread. It wasn't much, but it certainly was better than nothing for the morning.

"Local celebrity there, really. The crew and I did some real wild shit back then...though I suppose it's not really anything nearly as immortal as the Fornacis." Cain laughed, before frowning. He had forgotten what his count was again. "You...Anna, you're from Yuncay too, right? Private island princess?"

"Ah yes, I have heard of your crew. If memory serves right. I think my family hired you for a important job before. Something about retrieving precious stolen cargo from pirates. I am sorry about being this imprecise. Spending so much time abroad makes it difficult to get clear news from home."

She nodded solemnly. "I am not sure 'princess' would be a proper term to describe me, for my bloodline is of no royalty, but I believe you must know of my family then."

Cain blinked, surprised. "Oh, uh, really? I mean, of course, I remember that like it was yesterday! The vespers of the cloud we burst through to ambush those villains, our captain standing at the prow with twin swords alit!" Yup, now he remembered it. He ticked off a couple more items from the inventory, glad that they counted powders by the jars rather than by the weight. "But I sorta know you more because, y'know. Annastasia Fairchild? The aristocrat surgeon who got three degrees from Gokhan's finest academies at age 18? The one who could perform surgeries in the middle of the storm, who singlehandedly elevated the field of herbal medicines and then went on to go to explore the field of engineering?"

The midnight-haired man tipped his hat, half in a sign of respect and half in jest. "You were pretty popular too, y'know? Everyone can fight, but few could mend so well as you while looking as beautiful too."

Anna chuckled lightly in amusement. "Come now, I believe the rumors might be exaggerating my position. Gokhan is plenty of intellectual prodigies. I am just a doctor who had been part of this crew for some years is all." She was talented, that much she had been told before by many of her peers, but such renown just for herself would mostly be due to her parents bragging all about their prodigious child being part of the legendary Fornacis at high-class galas and such.

"What brought you to the Fornacis, Cain? You were doing quite well with Yuncay's finest, no?"

"Well, y'know...sordid love affairs turned terrible." Cain exaggerated a wince. "If it weren't for my buddy Hanswer, I'd probably be coming out of that affair much uglier than I am now."

"I am sorry to hear that." Anna however rose her barely eaten piece of bread and cheese, with a modest cheerful smile. "Here is to a new beginning though. With the legendary Fornacis crew, no less."

Cain shrugged, looking off to the side. "It's no big deal in the end. And yeah, beginnings!" He raised the object that had been in his hand as well, a jar of some strange liquid that was clearly marked as massively poisonous when applied at incorrect dosages.

"I would not drink that, if I were you." Anna joked with a slight chuckle after she finished the chunk of bread she had just taken.

"Really? I thought the skulls on the label indicated how tasty they were," the minstrel-medic replied, setting it back down. "Oh yeah, half the crew's old-timers, right? Are there any conditions I should know about? In case something acts up and you're not there to handle it, Annastasia.."

"Hmm..." Annastasia paused, looking focused for a few seconds as she tapped a finger on her chin. Her deep blue eyes grew brighter as sapphires, however short-lived as she brought herself back to attention quickly after remembering all the faces that joined the Fornacis. "Actually, returning members barely make a fifth of our current crew. "

She walked to a metal cabinet and waved over to it. The piece of furniture was just about reaching to her chest in height, with three sliding drawers. Pulling at one these, it revealed several files, on which were inscribed names. "I have been interviewing most of the crew members, old and new, and gathered whatever information about their health for the past two weeks. What they told me, it is all in this cabinet. Of course, I am expecting some to have hidden some important issues surely because they fear it might have impacted they acceptance into the Fornacis. We will see about those if unexpected problems arise."

She closed the drawer. "You can find most of everyone's health profile within these folders, as well as some personal notes for suggested medicine and treatments for those with recurring health problems. Feel free to consult them whenever the need arise."

Anna rose a finger, pensive. "Right off the top of my head, I can tell you Reyansh has the peculiar side-effect of completely changing bodies whenever he uses his teleportation ability, which I believe he named 'Flash Step'. Derevi lost the use of an arm and is constantly fatigued due to never recovering fully from Ymir's Curse. Kerry lost an eye in what I assume was a misuse of fire, she never really told me the cause but the burnt scars suggest so. There is Jakil who has stomach issues whenever he ends up eating something remotely spicy, and then Eliza whose eyes cause her to feel a burning sensation if her sunglasses are removed during day time."

"Got it. Guess I better find some time in the future to bunker down and get to reading, huh?" Cain grinned, before passing the inventory list back to Annastasia. "Take a look at this; anything we're missing in particular for pick-up at Lucidia?"

"That would be plenty useful, yes." Anna nodded in agreement, adjusting her glasses as she took the pad and scanned the list quickly. "Hmm... I had anticipated we would be running low on Vetilim and missing Aborea Fumis. They both are rare plants found mostly in Lucidia. Did you know Aborea Fumis' leaves can be turned into a potent numbing paste when applied to a wound, but they must be freshly picked to rettain their potency?"

"I know you can boil it in tea and drink it to increase your tolerance for spicy foods." Cain pulled over a stool, sitting down with his hands planted on the edge of the seat. "What's Vetilim though? Well-travelled as I am, herb-picking sessions wasn't an experience I've so often indulged in."

The doctor reached out for a glass jar stored in a shelf. Inside were what appeared to be dried white thin roots. "Vetilim is quite priceless for explorers such as ourselves. If you grind its roots to a fine dust and mix it into a poultice, it can appease your insides. Food poisonning, sickness, those types of ailments."

"Oh, like chicken noodle soup?"

"I cannot attest to this method. I was never served nor did I serve this meal as a remedy before, but I heard of it being used for as such. So yes, I suppose so, maybe only more potent I imagine."

She paused, setting the inventory list on the desk. Chicken soup, huh? Interesting. "Do you know a lot of remedies, be them traditionnal herbology or folk cures?"

"Well, y'know...honey tea for sore throats, spruce leaves to prevent teeth rot, steak and cake for depression," Cain trailed off, before flashing a bright smile. "Sound like a cook, don't I? Mom swears by it though."

Anna listened, cupping a hand to her chin, looking interested. "I imagine people find comfort in food, yes." she smiled back. "And there is nothing quite like Yuncay-fashionned meals, don't you think?"

"Only when the budget allows for it, at least. Ask chefs from all over the sky to season you some fish, and the Yuncay one will charge you a price equal to everyone else combined."

She slowly nodded in agreement. "It has been so long since the last time I have had Yuncay cuisine. I would go for a High Gardens' Delight now that we are talking about it."

"Making me feel sorry for you now, y'know? With only bread 'n cheese for breakfast."

"Oh no, please do not. I appreciate the sentiment, and it is healthier than having nothing until noon. I must admit, not eating in the morning is a bad habit I have developped over the last years." or eating anything healthy at all. Quick snacks were mostly what kept her going, with all the work she was trying to achieve for the past four years.

"That's the life of a health pro, ain't it?" Cain said. "Too concerned with other people to care for themselves."

"Maybe? Scholars are so engrossed in their researchs, proper meals are often overlooked. A trend understandably less common in the younger folk of Gokhan, I observed."

"Well, good thing I'm your assistant then. Pretty sure I've got at least one lullaby that can get you to bed before the hours become unholy."

"I... don't think you will have to go through such lengths." She scratched her head, visibly unsure. "Though if this crew is anything like the old one, be prepared to stay up at night tend to the results of many... mishaps."

"Mishaps of the embarrassingly sexual kind, or?"

"Yes and no." Anna coughed up the response as she remembered something along those lines. "Accidents of all sorts. Carelessness, inebriated decisions, I'm sure you can imagine."

"Even the legendary Fornacis mucks up, huh? Mornings are usually dead then?"

"Let us say the Fornacis' success is largely due to the efforts of the whole crew working together and especially of its leadership. It surely would not have been what it was without Xander and Branka. It is mostly our job to make sure one's ailment will not affect the others. like a faulty cog needing repairs to keep the machine functionnal."

"Ah but do not worry much about it. It sounds worse than it actually is. It is mostly quiet here. The incidents are occasionnal at best in frequency. Accidents and mishaps tend to go down as everyone get more familiar with their job and their new surroundings."

"Carelessness and familiarity, the twinned banes of a veteran," Cain responded, with a dramatic flipping of his hair. "By the by, been meaning to ask, but who's the captain now anyhow?"

Annastasia looked pensive for a few seconds. "Some of the old crew are strongly loyal to Branka, even though she is still unconscious. Delphini is not going to accept having a new captain either while she is still alive. Right now, I believe the old crew are collectively making decisions, but Delphini is the ship itself and knows a lot of what needs to be done."

The minstrel-medic nodded along, more or less satisfied with the response.

"Welp, the work of us healers doesn't really change no matter who's captain, eh?"

"The nature of our work does not indeed. Although the frequency of said work entirely depends on the captain's decision-making skills and/or attitude." She sighed, remembering some eventful scenes. Definitely saw the results of some strange decisions taken, or lack thereof.

"Well here's to hoping that Izma-style leadership is what keeps the reckless ones from becoming suicidally so, mm? Sure it'll be a good chunk easier without Lucky tossing her leg around."

"I am optimistic. Everything will be alright."

Silence was however met at the mention of Lucky. It had been a good while since the last time she heard from her. And she still hasn't returned...

"So you know of Lucky. Have you heard or seen her in recent years?"

"Not since the Ysir's Void thing." Cain stopped, blinking, before continue hurriedly. "Or, like, ever, really. Just the stories, y'know? The stories."

"I see." Annastasia replied with a tone that faintly betrayed the slight disappointment of having no new leads on Lucky's whereabouts. She sat silently by her desk and took a few more bites of the breakfast Cain brought in the medbay, lost in thoughts.

Cain let out a sigh himself, before slapping himself on the cheeks. Right, time to read up all those reports!

---

It had been several minutes. Nuungat hoped that the doctor couldn't see xir shadow underneath the door, idling as xe worked towards knocking. Xe had wondered why walking here had been so easy; that part had been almost relaxing. Familiar. Part of xir hoped that this wouldn't be familiar to Annastasia, but of course it would be. If anyone here would remember Nuun, it would be her. Though, she did have a lot of patients, so maybe...? Sighing, xe brought xir fist down on the door.

The sound coming from outside the office roused Annastasia's attention. She allowed her focus to waver, placing a bookmark, more from habit than necessity, between the pages of the engineering book she was studying before closing it and setting it on her desk. She hadn't realize her door was closed. Must've been her last visitor. A new recruit, she recalled. The old crew of the Fornacis had grown used to her door always being opened, except when she was in the middle of an appointment with a member of the crew.

"Please come in. The door is unlocked." she softly called out, rising from her seat to reach for the white overcoat hanging not too far from the check-up table.

Maybe half a minute later, Nuungat entered the room. "Hello... are you doing well?" xe asked a bit quietly, closing the door behind xir.

Anna recognized the figure entering the office quite well. After all, she doesn't think anyone was ever as diligent as showing up at their check-ups as xe did. "Hello Nuungat. Yes, I am, thank you for asking. Are you as well? How have you been? "

"Yes, I've been doing alright. It's been a while, huh?" xe forced a small laugh, trying to be nonchalant. Xe'd had a lot of practice doing that, but this time, xe wasn't sure how well it worked.

"Indeed, it has been. It is good seeing you back on the crew." She smiled faintly. "Is there something I can do for you today?"

"You as well. I'm here for my checkup... you- you're doing those, right? Or am I mistaken?"

"I certainly do. I have returned to being on my old medical duties for the crew." Anna nodded positively. "You can also see with Cain if I am unavailable, if you need immediate healing or feel generally more comfortable checking in with him."

Nuun nodded absently in response, eyes passing over the shelves of bottles and books. "You've reestablished yourself pretty well, it looks like," xe said, taking a step toward the wall in order to better read some of the labels.

"We still have a few missing reagents for more complex remedies, but I believe our basic needs are covered for the moment, yes." Anna brought a quaint wooden stool near the much larger medical slab. "Will you still serve as our navigator?"

Xe nodded, coming to stand next to the slab. "Mhm."

Anna rose a hand, inviting Nuungat to sit on the slab as per her usual procedure. "Can you tell me if there is anything you have noticed changing in the past years. Severe injuries, disease, anything?"

Xe sat. "No... nothing since- nothing of note in the past few years."

"Very good. Have you been keeping yourself in shape?"

"Yes. Even better than before, I think."

"Keeping yourself physically active during that time period?"

"Yes, plenty. Practicing my dueling." Nuun gave another laugh.

"Alright. Now if I may check on your vitals. Be still, breathe in and out."

Anna closed her eyes, bringing a gentle hand to Nuungat's neck. The tip of her fingers softly pressing against the jugular. With her magically-enhanced focus brought to her sense of touch, she could feel the blood pulsating against her fingertips. The ease at which it flowed through the veins and traveled within the body.

One... two... three...

Her hand trailed down to xir chest, stopping at the heart. There, she rested her palm and pressed lightly against the skin. She could feel the heart as if it was beating within her hand. A healthy rhythm, if not slightly faster than the average, but nothing she wasn't used to.

She removed her hand from xir chest, looking pleased. "You are just as healthy inside as you have always been. Even better, as you suggested."

Nuun raised xir shoulders slightly. "I'm glad to have that confirmation. I, ah, what do you mean, 'inside'? Is there- did you find something else?"

"Your heart is beating slightly slower than a healthy individual's, and your blood is flowing through your body with no obstruction whatsoever. It is a good thing, I assure you."

The doctor retrieved a pair of gloves from a nearby drawer, putting them on "Now if you may open your mouth, please?"

Xe ran a tongue over xir teeth quickly before opening. Hopefully there were no lingering pieces of food there; Nuun didn't want to make Anna's job any more unpleasant than it needed to be.

Anna adjusted her glasses, her blue eyes glowing faintly as she channelled her focus to her sight. It certainly didn't make her see in darker areas, but it at least helped her discern things out of the ordinary.

Of course she found very few traces of food stuck at various places in the mouth, but that's something she always was expecting. It's not like she was expecting everyone aboard to be carrying toothpicks or practice strict dental hygiene. Still, none of it mattered. Her focus was entirely on finding bucal anomalies. Uvula. tonsils, palate, tongue, gingivae, teeth, lips. Fascinating.

"Everything seems in order. You're taking good care of yourself."

"Oh, that's good to know. Is that- would that be all, then?"

"Nearly done. There is one last examination I would like you to partake in." Annastasia said as she made her way to the painting of a colorful garden. She flipped the painting, its back end revealing a random assortment of letters, from which the letters keep getting smaller as the rows scrolled down.

"Can you read me what is written on this board?"

"Ah, okay, it's... F, B, C, P, T, E, O, B, Z, F, E, D... O, F, C, L, T, B, F... E? P, O, L, F, D, Z. And, these next ones are a bit difficult...."

"A perfectly fine result. Thank you."

Anna noted the results of her examinations and compared them with the four years-old file she had kept. She stopped at the last entry on the old entry, frowning slightly. Right...

Her gaze returned to Nuungat, serious. "Has there been any progress on your right side? Did it get better over time?"

"Y- uh... mm...." Xe knew xe wasn't a good liar. "It's... yeah, it's gotten better...."

"Are you sure?" Anna insisted, her words suspecting another truth. "It is important I know of any changes to your health, especially concerning the effects of Ysir's curse."

"It... well," Nuun bit xir lip, eyes shifting toward the shelved bottles. Xe wished xe could read them from here, though xe knew that wouldn't do any good. "It has gotten better, but... not by that much...."

"Oh?" Anna rose an eyebrow, curiosity piqued. "Could you elaborate on those improvements?"

"It's probably mostly in the regard that I've grown used to it.... It- I've found ways to get around it, and it's not as debilitating as before. I feel stronger, but maybe that's just because the fatigue.... I'm not entirely sure what the case is."

"Hmm... becoming used to and finding ways around it. You have been learning to rely on your left side in your everyday life for the past years, correct? Would you say this upset in your affected area would have caused you to train more than usually?"

Nuungat silently nodded.

"Alright then. It is only natural for you to adapt, however we cannot have your right side become atrophied, whether by a lack of activity or because of Ymir's curse becoming more potent on inactive limbs. There is still so much uncertainties to this ailment."

Annastasia scribbled notes on the new file entry. "I am prescribing you at least half-a-hour of physical exercises to your right side. Weight-lifting only, with both your arm and leg in alternate. Start at half what you can with your left side at first, then we will monitor if you can go for more afterwards.Due to the fatigue issue, I suggest you do those exercises after your regular training routine."

After making sure Nuungat was fine with the proposed course of action, Anna terminated the medical checkup and bade goodbye to the ship's navigator. After adding a few more notes, she stored the file into the cabinet and sighed, satisfied.

Well, it didn't take long for her to bounce back to this routine.

"Alright." Kerry finally sat back, Pyxis disappearing as she seemingly satisfied herself that they'd fixed every last little issue with the cooling system - it had started playing up in the morning, and the woman was nothing if not diligent in her job. As good a ship as the Fornacis was, there were a lot of things needed to make her run right, and stay that way.

"You're done, Tally. Take five. We don't need to be working overtime anymore," she shrugged, "most of this's just for efficiency's sake. The old girl's good to keep running, so no point working yourself to the bone."

Tally nodded and downed the rest of the water in her canteen. Working herself to the bone was more or less her normal, but she wasn't going to decline a good break.

"So that's the worst of it, then?" She asked. "How tough were they on her back in the day?"

"Pretty damn tough," there was some hint of pride in Kerry's voice, though as with everything else it seemed dulled, "I was on her from the start: if you liked getting yer hands dirty, it was paradise. But we've had a history of crazy bastards captaining us, so she's been through the wars. Most've the stories 'bout it are true, but she's a tough old airship. Much's anything else, it's just that all those years shut down took a toll."

"Sounds like a lot of fun, then." Tally was trying not to seem too interested, but she had that doe-eyed expression.

Kerry grinned, "no need to act aloof, kid. Hell, I was starry-eyed as anyone when I got my job, and it wasn't nothing famous then. Airship job, though, and for an Ortzi kid that was crazy enough. But don't worry too hard; 'f I know this crew, they'll be givin' us more than enough work in the next while. Enjoy it til the novelty wears off."

"S'pose I will, then." Tally said, not bothering to try to hide her smile anymore. "So you're from Ortzi? I'm mostly happy to be away from Mehrnez, myself."

"Aye," Kerry shrugged, "not that it matters. Ortzi's Ortzi. Here's here. Spendin' my time thinking 'bout where I'm from don't seem like a productive use of it. No-one makes sushi 'round here, but other'n that, isn't a thing worth discussing."

"Fair enough." Tally nodded. She could understand the sentiment.

"What made you wanna come here, anyhow? I know we were hirin' and all," Kerry shrugged, "but you could make a livin' on plenty ships without half the trouble the Fornacis gets into."

There was something wistful to her expression as she smirked, the good side of her face turned towards Tally.

"I know why the old folks're 'round. Newbies, I ain't so sure on."

"'Dunno." Tally shifted, a frown was forming. Of course she knew, it just felt tough to explain.

"Didn't exactly come from much. Ten years ago, felt like makin' a living was all I could hope for. Now that I'm there, it feels like an awful way to live, 'specially with no family to go back to anymore."

She paused for a moment.

"S'pose that's a little grim." Tally admitted. "Guess what I'm saying is that I could use a little trouble. Somethin' to look back on."

Kerry looked at her, gaze piercing. Didn't say what she wanted to say, go letting out the frustration that that sentiment brought up. But there was a noticeable downturn in her expression.

"Suppose that makes sense," she shrugged, "but there's better things to do than chase a story."

And looking back was more destructive than it seemed.

"Ain't my place to go analysing your motives anyhow, I suppose. Long's you don't get your head stuck in stories and forget about doin' your job."

Tally nodded slowly, feeling the change in tone, trying to shove her more defensive feelings out of the way. She got the feeling that this was something backed up by experience, but she wasn't one to pry.

"Mmhm." Tally said finally. "Can see your point."

A good time to change the subject.

"So you said you know why all the old folks are here? Things didn't exactly end the greatest last time, least from what I heard."

"Don't matter so much, really. At the end of the day, you'll find out if it's important; for now, that's just a question that'd get distracting. We're far from having the whole crew back," Kerry absentmindedly picked up a screw, turning it between her fingers, "and those of us here got our own reasons. Let's say there was a shared feeling of sorts. Some listened, some didn't, and we gotta work with what we have."

"Fair enough." Tally nodded again. As long as it didn't become too much of an issue. But it hadn't, yet. She tilted her head to the side, stretching out the tension.

Kerry shrugged it off. Let the silence hang for a little while before standing back up as her Pyxis appeared over her bad eye and giving a slight nod to Tally. Figured she'd go and tinker with something, and didn't really say anything to acknowledge the conversation's end.

They'd be working together long enough - getting any deeper than that kind of talk... it could wait, in Kerry's opinion. She'd made the effort, but the break was done, and machines were easier to deal with anyway.

• Your characters will have been free to move around the island during the ~7 hours. Delphini will have suggested that the crew find accommodations in case his adjustments needed excessive fine tuning.
• For old crew members, it has been 7 years since the Fornacis last came to Lucidia. Branka never brought the ship there herself. This type of event has never happened, even for the oldest members.
• The mountain is a minimum of a 3 day journey assuming no detours and no obstacles on the most direct route. Vehicles are highly inefficient for moving through the nature-heavy island.
• As you might expect, the most direct route has a lot more opposition than the roundabout ones.
• The mountain is at the center of the island. The town is at the southern edge.
• Monsters will never enter the town, but are bountiful around the island. You are free to write combat with them without my direct input, but ping PapiTan if you would like to experiment with a heftier monster. In fact, if any players want to GM skirmishes with monsters for their fellow players, I am 100% okay with that as well!

More meta stuff:

• The GM has no control over how your characters want to approach this trial. Explore the island in search of less dangerous routes, try and barrel through the most direct route--you guys do you.
• Characters do not have to reach the chamber on the same day.
• This is a bit experimental for me too, since I’m trying to get an idea of how to move things for very different groups doing very different things, so please bear with me as I muddle through this! ;w;7
• I will move the timeline forward 1 day every major mod prod update.
• Current projected mod prod/update day is June 20, 2020.

"Leave the engine room, Kerry. It'll be fine. You should get out more."

This was not a good day. In fact, it was a bad one. And Kerry had very little intention of sticking with most of their crew, given the circumstances.

See, though she was used to more traditional mechanics at the moment, she wasn't short on less, well, strictly safe creations. Normally, she wouldn't use that expertise, because they were supposed to have people to handle all that so she didn't have to. It didn't look much like they were keeping teamwork in mind, and without depth perception she doubted she could keep up with the brute-force segments of the crew.

For now, preparation was the word of the day. So she sat there, working on a small device; a few, already completed, sat on the table in front of her. Improvised explosives. A little basic, certainly, but enough to give a monster a bad time or effectively clear a path. Mountains weren't the safest place to set off explosives, but her Pyxis meant she could identify weaknesses well enough not to set off a landslide. Or set one off on purpose.

If Ilaria didn't want her destroying the scenery, she shouldn't have made it necessary. "And... done."

"Blockheads, the lot of them!"

Merry overheard them earlier, the ice mage and the Phuvatan mechanic. 'No member unaccounted for', wasn't it? Look at them, going off on their own daring adventures with nary a thought for people like her who had the real jobs, the biggest of which was figuring out how to transport a ship's worth of rations to the top of a mountain. So what if she'd already talked the cargo crew into hauling it up for her? Leadership was a tough burden to bear! Hardly fitting for a delicate maiden such as herself. Did any of them stop to think that maybe she wanted to beat up some monsters and have fun too>

Scoffing under her breath, Merry hefted a full sack of rice onto her shoulder.

Alas, her duty was to the stomachs of the crew. She doubted she'd receive the full sum of her paycheck if she went off frolicking on her own, even if she was confident she could beat Frosty up the mountain. Which she was. But confidence had a habit of bringing attention. And attention brought responsibilities. Which would mean a kiss farewell to her carefree skyship life.

"Still, I bet the view alone would have been worth it," she sighed. Perhaps the imaginary view was a little too enticing. As she daydreamed, her hip caught the corner of a table, sending something rolling off the edge.

"Oop."

With a flash of her Pyxis, Merry's hand snapped to position directly below the plummeting device, catching it neatly.

"Heh, close one."

"You're damned lucky I took safety measures." Kerry snapped. "And careful while you put it down."

She'd taken the time to tie her hair back, keep it out of the way, blind eye now clear to see as she looked up with clear irritation. The cook. Wonderful.

"I'd prefer it if no-one gets blown up."

"Blown up? This little guy?"

She brought the capsule closer for examination, though something on the mechanic's face seemed to catch her attention the moment after.

"It's a bomb. So yes."

Ah. Merry returned it to its siblings, carefully like the lady asked.

"Will you be leading the march with these, Miss..." Eh, what was it again. "M'Dougie?"

"McDougall, and yes, if needs be. It'd be better to know where the bulk of the crew is if anything destructive's necessary."

She looked at Merry with a sigh. "I'd prefer to reserve 'em for terrain clearance or the worst of the creatures. You lot can handle the smaller ones, and I'd recommend someone lead with me. Depth perception'll be important, 'n all that."

"Oh, what fortune!" Someone to foist the micro-management onto. "You see, I was in the midst of gathering the crew myself. Needed quite a number of hands to get all the newly purchased rations to the ship so I've enlisted a sizable portion of the crew to assist me with the cargo. Very sizable, honestly. Ah, but I'm afraid that's where my co-ordination efforts will have to end. It would be much better for a seasoned empyrean like you to take the reins, perhaps seek out a co-leader amongst the more legendary crew, don't you think?"

"You ever do anythin' for yourself?" Kerry spoke wryly, but stood up. "I can handle some of it, but unless I'm mistaken - which I'm not - you're also meant to be keeping charge of some of the ship's operations. Kitchen or engineering: heading a section means you take responsibility in times like this."

There was a slightly sadistic note to the crooked smile she shot Merry. One that indicated she knew exactly what she was doing here.

"So I'll decide the route, and keep us on track. You can babysit the group you so smartly brought together, and make sure none of our cargo gets wrecked on the way."

Eh?

"Eh?" Merry blinked. W-Wait, what just happened here? "Oh. Oh no no, Miss McDougall, that is so... uh, flattering but I must tell you, you are placing far too much faith in me. An overestimation, truly!"

Kerry began to gather up the explosives, before standing and shouldering her pack. She could make more later if they were truly needed. Grin only widening, she clapped a hand on Merry's shoulder.

"No time like the present. I'm sure the crew'll appreciate your efforts once I tell 'em."

"There's nothing to tell!" Her tone became pleading. "Come on, Miss. A first-timer like me? I mean, an operation of that scope would be such a..."

Ah, her excuses weren't scoring this time. Merry's face began to turn red.

"...a chore!"

"Sometimes we've all gotta get our hands dirty. Think of it like a... learning experience. Character-building."

With that, and a slightly pointed look, Kerry released her shoulder and began to walk away.

"Make sure your prep's all done. We've got a whole lotta work ahead."

"This is a big mistake, you know! Gargantuan!"

Merry attempted to jog after the senior but the rice sack on her shoulder had other plans, practically halving her pace.

"Character-building," she muttered, and yelled after Kerry, "You sound like my mother!"

And her sister. And her father. And the vast majority of her academy instructors, for that matter.

Kerry paused, looking back at her struggle to catch up, and chuckled, mostly ignoring the comment. After a moment, she turned to walk away, calling back over her shoulder.

"Glad to have you on board, kid!"