Crow~

I stand at the side of my beautiful boat, staring out over the crystal blue sea. My curly hair waves in the breeze, along with my coat, the bottom of it flailing my coat forwards. It's pulling me, I think. Pulling me out to the sea. Out to my home. Just the sea and the sky. I smile slightly, very slightly. 

Ruth walks up to me. I quickly erase my smile. "Yes, Ruth?" I ask.

"We need some fruit...to..you know, prevent scurvy."

"You do realize there are pills for that?"

"Um..er..yes... But fruits taste so much better!"

I hold back a smile, "Very well. Find the best deal, and get oranges. They work best."

"Get them with what?" she asks me.

"I would think money would do." 

"Er...mine?"

"Yes yours, then you will get the lowest deal possible." I wave my hand in dismissal. Better to look tough at first I suppose. Maybe my mask will fall off eventually. 

Errin~

I quickly double-checked before leaving the inn I was staying in. I had my small steam pistol, some diving equipment, and a book on knots. I knew almost every knot there was, but you could never be too careful. I then checked out and headed to the dock where th the Maelstrom was docked.

"That's sure a beauty," I said to myself, looking at the massive ship. I walked up the bridge onto the deck. The Captain walked over to me.

'You all prepared?"

"Sure am, Cap."

"Excellent, let me show you to your quarters." I followed the captain down to the underside of the ship. She led me down a hall to a small room. It had a bed, a table, a bathroom, and a couple chairs with a closet.

"Quite cozy, thank you very much."

"Of course. Now, I need you on deck to get the get rigging ready. We're making the preparations to embark."

"Aye, aye, captain." 

Ruth~

Well, 2 Yotus and 4 Reskin isn't going to get me a lot of oranges. Fresh fruit works best, but I do have preserved fruit as well as lemonade on the ship... 

Then I see a bargain price. 1 Reskin for two, it says. I give her all my money and walk away with two cratefuls of oranges. "ANY-waaays," I say. It's actually kind of my catchphrase. I don't know why I didn't tell Captain Crow that. Eh, well. I get back on the ship, oranges in the cupboard, get breakfast on the plates and serve. 

I wake up, make my bed, have a bite of bread, collect my supplies, and I'm off. When I get there, the captain is leaning on the railing, waiting. "Mornin'," she says.  I nod.

"Our 'clinic' is over there." I unpack my supplies on the shelf of true small room. Scalpel. Tweezers. Cough syrup. Stomach medicine. Etc.

Then I go to my quarters and unpack my stuff. Family picture. Clothes. My special pillow. I am a bit hungry. I go to the galley. Hopefully the cook got here.

I came just in time. She just about finished some meat dish, and it smelled good. "May I?"

"Help yourself!" It was delicious.

@Katydid: I wrote a piece, and I don't know if you saw it, but it was a reply to a comment on the third page.

Top!!!!!!!!

Sorry I've taken so long with this!

~Jazz~

I've had to sell a couple of my trinkets for food, but other than that, I am well supplied as I board Cap'n Crow's ship, the Maelstrom by the looks of it. She's a fine vessel, a two-masted schooner, looking spiffy with gaily colored flags hanging from the rigging. Several iron machines are worked into the side of the hull; one of them I recognize as an oddly sharp-looking docking clamp, but the rest are unfamiliar. The figurehead is a fierce raven riding a silver-painted swirl of wind and cloud, its beak open and its feathers a glossy jet black to match the hull. Everything looks in good repair, which makes me wonder who Crow's previous crewmen were and why they left.

Crow herself flags me down as I reach the top of the gangplank, lugging my canvas bag of cogs and springs and things. "Ahoy there, Jazz! Welcome aboard! Your quarters are belowdecks. C'mon, why don't I give you a little tour?" We descend a set of steep, ladderlike stairs near the bow of the ship. Crow shows me around: I see the forecastle, the communal sleeping area where a couple fellow sailors are already claiming hammocks; doors to the quarters of the captain, first mate, and second mate, all of which are closed; the galley, from which is already issuing the scent of oranges; the hold, which is dark and damp and suspiciously smelly; and, finally, my main workplace: the second deck. Here are stored the ship's cannons (why does she need quite so many cannons?), the steam boiler, and the gearboxes for the propellers and other machinery, whose purpose I can't fathom, at least at first glance. It will be my job to keep these machines in working order, and to perform repairs and upgrades when necessary.

Crow leaves me to explore my new domain. I don't pay much attention to the docking clamps or engine, since those are fairly standard, though I must say most piers wouldn't allow docking clamps quite that pointy or with that powerful a grip. If Crow - I suppose I should call her Cap'n now, seeing as I've signed on to her ship - isn't using them to keep Maelstrom attached to the dock (she's not), then what are they for? And what's with these two huge metal boxlike things, encrusted with gears, that look like glorified shipping containers? What's inside them? Looking closer, I discover some sort of propulsion mechanism attached to a system of pulleys. I can see the levers that would allow me to operate it. As near as I can guess, it's meant to shoot something out of the side of the ship but still keep it attached, and controllable in some fashion. Yes, whatever this contraption propels has to be controllable. Why else would there be a steering yoke right in the middle of the deck, connected to the two giant boxes on opposite sides of the ship? It's all very confusing. I shall have to ask Crow- I mean the Cap'n- about it sometime.

************

In case you hadn't guessed, the mechanisms Jazz is so curious about are what make the ship fly. The "something" they shoot out are two huge side sails, which act like wings when placed at the right angle with enough wind. We shall see when the ship actually flies whether Jazz is any good at steering or not!