Arres stared quizzically down at the little book upon her oak desk, her hazel eyes squinting as though she could see the meaning of the riddles and their black and white state. Sighing she gave up and leaned back, her father had gone crazy in those Labs in Acirema, and now he was no where to be found…The search for her father had been a difficult one, he wanted her to find the source, but she was unclear on what it’s power was, she knew he had called it the Aternus Eternus, which she knew meant “Forever, Eternal,” and that it could be dangerous. Acirema wanted this thing bad enough it had sent the Steele Maiden out in search for it aswell…Which was a big problem for the Captain of the Lady Adamo Skies. The Pawns had been on their tail constantly, and she had to shift course so many times to lose them it wasn’t funny.

Rubbing her temples she cast a glare once more down at the journal, this riddle was rather puzzling to her, and she found it hard to look into when her mind was to worried about their location. Standing she turned and looked out her port window at the small town in which they had docked to hide and replenish supplies and ammo. The soft rock of the haul made her close her eyes as she crossed her arms carefully across her supple chest. Arres watched as the dock hands of Mercile beneath her home city of Breskil worked pulling in nets from the small fishing boats, it appeared they had a good day today as the nets were bountiful with fat Cod. Her eyes caught sight of one of the men who happened to look up at the window, meeting her gaze and smile as he worked the nets free of tangles. Her lips gave a slight twitch as she recognized her dear friend Fareth and gave a soft wave.

Fareth was her informant for all of the Breskil floating towns, infact she had informants in all of the areas, all 7 infact...She had known the man since she was 7 years old, and he had taken care of her numerous times while her father was working hard at his studies in the City of Breskil. The man had once been a High Official, the Mayor of Breskil’s right hand man in fact and then, when her father had gone missing, Breskil had apparently banned Fareth for treason. She had found him on one of her replenishing exploits, and he had been happy to be her informant.

Now, there she was reminiscing and brooding when she should be more concerned about that damned riddle. She bit her lip and finally slapped the journal shut, walking outside into the sharp chilling, icy winds of the Baska docks. Scanning the Sail case she inspected the box to insure that no chilling winds could leak through and nodded in approval. When the Lady Adamo Skies docked, she would deflate the blimp like balloon used to float in the air, and carfully store it away in the Dock Box ( is what she liked to call it). This insured no weather damage to the Sail, and also made it easier to hide, flags were taken down upon docking along with banners, and any insignia the crew wore, colors or otherwise relating them to the Lady Adamo Skies and association were to never be worn within the docking period to ensure that they could deny relations with the Pirate if ever captured. Arres never wanted any of her crew to fall into a hold such as torture or any of the sort for her sake, which is why she took so much precaution for their safety when docking.

Baska seemed to be in full swing as she huddled deeper into her leather and wool lined trench coat, her hands encased in similar material and her captains hat replaced by an ear flapped wool lined top hat, which she thought looked ridiculous, but had accepted it from Fareth as a gift. Her flight goggles sat atop the hats brim and her boots softly went from the dull thud of wood, to the soft scrunch of stone and sand and snow. It was this feature she enjoyed most about the floating ocean towns, the smell of fresh salt air, and their capability to haul up earth from the depths to make crops and grow living things…Where as in the floating Cities…They would make companies to come down and trade with these towns for the same luxury.

Taking in a deep breathe she didn’t stray far from the Lady Adamo Skies, and instead leaned against the dock post keeping her eyes out for the return of her crew from their buying. She couldn’t remember who had gone and who had stayed, that never mattered. Most of the crew had come with her for adventure, or to get away, which was fine, they were loyal, and she worked hard to keep their loyalty, and keep them happy. So if they wished to dock to buy little trinkets from towns they had never visited, then so be it, but they also had their duties to help restock the ship as well….

_________________

Does not the Raven Sing?

James sat in his cabin, his cabin was much bigger then any of his officers. The lower ranked men, and few woman on board. The man shared a cabin, each cabin had four or six beds in it. All the woman could only sleep in the same cabin with the other woman, the reasons why of that was understand able. Any one who was cought breaking the rule would be left on the lower lands and towns, being striped of rank and left with only a change of clothes and some money. Of course he has had todo that more then once, actually almost 30 times by now. If man or woman, who ever was cought in who's room, didn't get of the ship or wanted to fight about it. He or she was aollowed to have a dual with him self, and out of he 30 men and woman he kicked, ten have died and were sent home in a box.

James walked out of his cabin, walking down the Steel steps to the man deck of the ship. The main deck was mind of fine wood, it could easily be destroyed and he didn't like that idea very much, most the men didn't really care though much. Anyways James had to remember why he was leaving his cabin, he walked down to the next deck. Where the arms master and the men who arm the cannons where, he walked to the arm master cabin, he had been given a small cabin to him self, he kocked on the door.

He waited for the man to come to the door, but his head went else where while he waited. Right now, they were slowly going down to the water, where the Lady Adamo Skies was sent to be docked. He had been casing after that ship and caption for some time now, he didn't remember why the paws needed the caption. But the case was on and he had to follow her to ends of the earth, he didn't think this woul be what would he would being when he was made a caption, he thought he would be fighting for his home city/country. He thought that he would bring down many ships in a blaze of glory and fire! Not case after some girl and her ship, she was ment to be a danger or something, also he was meant to be looking for something. He was just remembered that, but they didn't tell him what he was looking for. Some weapon or a thing along those lines.

_________________

Red Leadson
Weapons Master Red Ledson was busying himself with calculating the number and type of ammunition and weapons that were necessary to be bought as soon as the Steele Maiden landed when he heard a knock on the door. Most men on the ship who were under him in rank called to him through the tubes, the metal vocal tube system that ran through the ship, and most men above him would have entered only after a polite knock. There was only one man Red knew on board that was both gentlemanly enough to knock, but humble enough despite his position to not barge in anyway. Red lifted himself from his cramped desk, nearly hitting the ceiling as he stood, and reached over and opened the door, saluting as he did so.

"Captian." He said before lowering his salute but still standing at attention. "I have just finished the calculations and reports for our small arms. We have need of half a dozen new long rifles, four standard pistols, three cases of bullets and one shoulder strap." He counted them off with quick, military precision, not missing a single item on the list but still able to keep the report under a few seconds. He awaited the next order.

Gabriel

Gab strained against the rope on his back to move the load on the cart behind him and cursed under his breath as he came around the corner. He looked up and cursed not-so-under his breath as he finally saw the Lady, but it was still a good dozen yards away. It was partially his own doing, the heavy load on his back. He was always eager to please the Captain, whom he looked up to with admiration if nothing else, and so had agreed to get the heaviest thing on the list, even with a cart: Drinking water.

Over a dozen water barrels stacked high on a borrowed wagon like contraption that didn't do its job well were almost more then the young man could manage, even for one as strong as he was now. The Lady was just like any normal ship, she didn't exactly pull water out of the air, and the ocean water was always around to taunt you with it's un-drinkable wetness, so water was an essential item to stock up on whenever possible, which made it exactly the job that Gab wanted to do for the Captain, even if it meant more of a workout then he normally would have to deal with. Gab slowly made ground with the creaking wooden thing and just hoped the wheeled thing could last the few more yards it had to make.

"Come on you smarmy, termite ridden pile of rot!" Gab muttered to himself, "You can do it you bastard of a cart."

_________________
Art is the Science of Inspiration on Demand!

Lu sighed just as he took a quick breather from scrub duty. He was tasked by the Captain to scrub the ship's cannons until they sparkled, only because he was caught slacking in the ship's storage hold. Not that he minded cleaning his guns or anything, Lu just figured it would take him forever having to shine all of the ship's cannons. He was just about to sneak off again for a quick break when he heard a familiar thud in the Steel Maiden's wooden deck. Nobody could mistake the sound made by those strides, they were filled with authority, and a certain air of pressure as you hear it drawing closer to you. It was the captain's footsteps.

Immediately resuming scrub duty, Lu barely managed to avoid additional work when their captain suddenly came into view. He briefly stopped to salute the man and immediately returned to work. It would seem the captain wanted to talk to the ship's Weapons Master. It had only been a year since he was transfered to the Steel Maiden and Lu was still in the process of fitting in, given his demeanor which more often than not, got him in trouble. Right now, the Steel Maiden had been dispatched by Acirema high command to look for the Lady Adamo Skies. Information was cascaded down to the soldiers of the ship in a 'need to know' basis and all that Lu could figure was that they were after a pirate ship.

He heard the Weapons Master's brief report about their current supply shortage which made him think about their ship's cannons. Thinking back to yesterday when he last read the Gunnery Manifest, Lu remembered that they were also short on cannon balls after several skirmishes every now and then.

"Captain, Mr. Leadson sir, we're also running low on cannon balls. We'd best restock those too."

_________________

Arres' hazel eyes seemed to smile as she spotted the young Crew member struggling against the taut rope and the wagon. Slowly she walked past Fareth and made her way to Gabe with a small smile upon her lips.

"It appears that you need some help hun," she tossed her long blonde braid over her shoulder as she shifted her weigh to her right side and rested her hands upon her hips in question. "Mind if I give you a hand?" tilting her head she offered her hand for the the rope and chuckled. She didn't wait too long before she softly moved to the back of the wagon and began to push, the wheels softly turning against the snow and sandy mixture. This was hard, but she had, had harder physical labor before, so this was nothing. Soon Fareth had dropped his duties to assist with pushing and turned to her with a worried frown.

"Arres, I just heard our spotter say that they saw the Steele Maiden headed this way..." Her teeth clenched not just from the effort but from pure frustration.

"Dammit, Fareth, please, can you sound the silent alarm to alert my crew? It would be appreciated..." Her eyes watched as the man stopped, straightened, saluted and jogged off to the small set of seal hide drums they used to keep the boats oarsman in unison. Then the sounds of ceramonial beats filled the heavy, chilled morning air. Turning to look at the back of Gabe's head she frowned.

"Gabe, I do not mean to rush you, but we must roll the barrels up the ramp now, there is no more time to wrestle with this crockety junk heap any longer...This is an order," She stopped and hefted a barrel off, each weighing a good fifty pounds as she plunked it softly to the ground and began to roll it the five yards to the ship and up to the Lady's deck. However, Fareth never said how close the Steele was, but she didn't wish to chance it, and worried deeply about her crew, sending out a small prayer...

_________________

Does not the Raven Sing?

Gabriel

Gab was happy for the help, even if it was from his Captain, and was just as worried with the news. He wasn't sure what kind of ship the Steele Maiden was, but if the Captain was worried, that was enough for him.

"Yes Ma'm!" Gab said as he gave Captain Arres a sharp solute, took a second to be in awe with how strong she was, and then followed her lead. He was a lot stronger then he looked, but considering how weak he DID look, it wasn't saying much. He managed to lift a barrel on his own and get it on the ground only a little less gracefully then Arres herself, before rolling it up the deck as quick as he could. He wasn't about to slack of now, and in no time he had it stowed, tied down, and was already coming out for the next one. He just hoped that everyone else hadn't procrastinated as much as him with their off ship duties and could help as they came by.

_________________
Art is the Science of Inspiration on Demand!

James saluted back at Red, then relaxed a bit. He listened to what he had to say, then nodded. "That's good, I'll give you money to buy all of those the next time we are in a town." He panted the weapons masters shoulder "what else do we need?" He then heard a man to his right, he looked over at the men who was ment to be cleaning every cannon on both sides of the ship. "Cannon balls? Hmm... What else? Anything else we need for the cannons?" He asked, taking his hand from Reds shoulder. James then started to walk, he looked back at them. "Come with me."

_________________

"That is outrageous!" exclaimed Richmond.
"Well tha's whot it costs," replied the warty merchant.
Richmond had set out from the Lady in search of writing implaments. While the ship needed food, water and various other supplies, Richmond had taken it upon himself to procure journals for both his fiscal duties and the Captain's logbook. He concede to the merchant, counting out the coin.
"Whot's a city boy like you doing in the towns, eh?"
"I, good sir, am no city dweller, but a swashbuckling buccaneer." anounced Richmond, somewhat loudly. The merchant raised an eyebrow, but said nothing else.

Richmond hurried through the grimey streets with the writing materials underarm. To him it seem that even the townsfolk dressed in a layer of filth. "Surely Captain Bosweld never trudged through such filth when searching for the Emerald Eye," he muttered under his breath. But that was fiction, this was real life. The six months aboard the Lady Adamo Skies had quashed the noble image of pirates he had spent his childhood reading about. Storms were not where grizzled captain cried curses at the gods; it was where men were washed overboard and taken by them. The icy winds whipped the tail of his gaudy red coat, and Richmond wished sorely he had worn something a little warmer. Focussed with fastening the coat tighter around his frame, he collided with one of the locals, scattering his newly bought goods onto the street. "Watch where yer goin'," bellowed the burly man, as Richmond scurried about to gather his bounty before it was trampled. Above the general din of the crowds, he heard a 'Thump Thump' that sounded much like the rowing drums of the Lady. THE ALARM! Richmond knew he had wandered quite a distance from the dock in search of materials. Hastily bundling the various ledgers, inkpots, and folds of paper into his arms, he broke into a clumsy run.

_________________
That is not dead which can eternal lie
And with stranger aeons even death may die

Olive pressed closer, eyes bright, spectacles hanging precariously on the bridge of her nose. The crew may change, they may sail on different waters--and skies--but the one thing that remained unchanged were the books.

What language made no difference. What topic, she didn't care. Olive's love of reading didn't change over the years, and with an eager smile, she gave the vendor a few coins in return for the novels she wanted.

Of course, it wasn't all fiction. There were books about how to fix engines, how to clean wounds--the real practical stuff that she could learn from, that she could refer to in case of emergency. And emergencies were startlingly frequent these days.

Luckily, her captain was smart. Smart enough to prevent most emergencies. And hopefully, Arres thought Olive was smart, too. She must be of some use after all, to be made first mate. How long had it been anyway, since Olive first joined this crew?

Ah yes. Three years. Four months. Sixteen days, and seven hours on the dot. Not like she was counting or anything, no, not at all. Though it had been maybe six months since she became Captain Arres' right hand 'man'.

Oh, if only she knew, Olive thought dryly, slinging the bag of books over her back. Heavier than expected, but no matter. She was strong. Stronger than many of the crewmates--like that new boy. What was his name again?

Before she could even start to ponder, the loud booming of drums filled the air. Olive's posture became straight, every nerve on edge as her head whipped towards the ship. "Oh dear," she mused, saying a soft thank you to the street vendor and took off towards the docks.

No doubt that accursed Steel Maiden had found them again. They were a persistent lot, she'd give him that--annoyingly so.

From a distance, she saw another man running towards the docks. She waited for him to catch up to her and smiled wickedly, lowering her voice and making it gruff, like a man's. "Bonjour, Richmond! There's nothing like a little run. Makes you feel alive!" She refrained from snickering, watching him struggle with his bags. "I can carry some of those, if it'll help."

_________________
"Do you permit it?"

Red Leadson

Red nodded at the mention of cannon balls. Red was the Weapons master for personnel, and it was the Head Gunnery Sargent's duty to see to the cannons and their needs, however it was always good to start getting the numbers in when they could, and as usual, Red would probably be expected to handle all the purchases wether they landed under his responsibility or not. The purchase of supplies was a little more loose as to who did it, and Red's massive size and calm demeanor made him both intimidating enough to force a deal, and calm enough to recognized one. The captain motioned him to follow, and Red dutifully obliged.

"What news do we have of our quarry?" Red asked respectfully of the Captain. The crew in general was eager to find this pirate ship and blast her out of the skies. Red was perhaps more eager then most, and more weary, as a smaller, more maneuverable ship was far more likely to attempt to board, which was Red's line of work. Red doubted that this Lady Adamo Skies didn't have the fire power to attack from a distance.

_________________
Art is the Science of Inspiration on Demand!

Arres helped secure the last barrel as she then rushed to the Dock Box and unlatching the hinge so quickly, her movements were from that of repetitive memory. Her fingers nimbly flinging the tarp free of the top and pulling the silver lever as she heard the steam gears below begining to grind back to ife, fighting the bitter cold of Braska. Looking up she searched the street for her other two crew members and soon found them running. The drums from the look out dock thrummed true with every step they took toward the Lady. Lips curling in relief she watched as the balloon sail began to rise as it filled with heat and steam; Hazel eyes then turned towards the skies, searching...It wasn't long before she saw the glint of metal in the distance. Another wave of relief washed over her as she had plenty of time to get the sail up. She ran to the rail and hollered to Richmond and Oliver.

"Hi ho crew! Pick up those boots! I Shant leave you here!" Then she was back to the sails applying more steam as the ramp shifted at the lighter weight of the Lady Adamo Skies.

_________________

Does not the Raven Sing?

"One hundred-fifty cannon balls should keep us in the black for a while."

Eager to get his blackened hands away from the cannons, Lu's eyes almost lit up when their captain called for them to follow. Tossing the rags he was using into a bucket, he silently followed behind the Weapons Master and the Captain. Figuring that he was quite dirty, Lu tried a futile attempt to remove the stains of gunpowder from his hands, only to end up soiling his pants in the process. His attention shifted back to the two men before him when he heard Red's inquiry.

Our quarry eh? He thought to himself. Earlier when he was still busy shining the last of the starboard side cannons, he had heard their lookout screaming something about a ship in sights. Naturally, Lu paid it no mind since there's very few ships that could trouble the Steel Maiden so much. But with all the ruckus going on around the deck, could it be that they have once again found the Lady Adamo Skies? If so, that would explain the reason why Captain James seems so agitated. Thinking back to their previous encounters with the said ship, Lu easily recognized the Lady Adamo Skies as a worthy opponent, one not to be taken lightly.

As he followed the two around the ship, Lu noticed that the activity has gotten livelier on deck. Just with a quick glance, he already knew that their ship is being prepped for combat. Should it really be their quarry out there, then this day had just taken a turn for the worse. If nothing else, Lu was not expecting to have to fight a formidable opponent with a handycap. Though not one to lecture anybody on a military ship, the captain especially, on sea warfare, Lu couldn't help but voice out his opinion.

"We have close to thirty cannon balls right now, if we're going to engage in combat, a prolonged fight is not to our advantage."

_________________

Richmond continued his clumsy jog, stuffing the newly purchased goods into bags from which they had fallen. Ahead he spotted the Lady's First-mate. He fell in step with Richmond, easily keeping pace despite his slight limp. His greeting was responded to with a courteous, "D'Beque." During the six months he had been aboard the Lady he had come to admire the Tonkinese man for his sharp wit.

Eyeing the heafty bag he bore, Richmond replied between his ragged breathing, "I am... most... undoubtably... capable of... bearing my burden." Richmond was phisically inferior to most of the crew, who had grown up in the floating towns. Richmond's wealthy upbringing on the sky cities had left him somewhat less 'burly' than the rest.

Rounding a corner, the pair came into view of the Lady Adamo Skies. Richmond shouldered a slipping bag strap and commenced the final dash at the beckonning of the Captain. The fine sheep-skin boots made for poor running attire and the flat wooden deck was a welcomed change from the jagged stone streets. After catching his breath he said, "Miss Basium, I heard the alarm. Has the Steele Maiden located us once more?"

_________________
That is not dead which can eternal lie
And with stranger aeons even death may die

James looked at Red as they climb the steps to the main deck, the men running around getting things ready for a battle. "Don't worry about our quarry, just worry about what we need and how well trained the men are." He leaned onto a railing and smiled a bit, they were close to the Lady Adamo Skies. And this time he would either blow them out of the water or take them!

He then turned and looked at Lu, he smiled a bit. "Only thirty? We better make every shot count then, I'm sure your the best at aiming the cannons. So you'll be telling everyone when to aim, when we run out. Then we run out, but my plane is to box them in the harbor and take them. But we will need the cannons ready never the less." James smiled, he had a long black jack on, it was almost touching the deck. It was very good ay keep the cold out, and the heat in. But of course he had put his rank and pins onto the jacket so everyone knew who he was, but that really wasn't needed. He still did it though, along with his jacket he wore boots, black pants and a best and white shirt under the jacket. His brown hair was in the way of his brown eyes.

"Anyway, you two get ready. We will need you two." He said, then walked off to the brige.

_________________

Gabriel
Gab was relieved when he managed to get the last of the barrels tied down in the hold just as the rest of the crew started to arrive and the balloon sail began to rise. Like any ship, the Lady needed a crew that was on time, in order and working like a well oiled machine, and Gab was a cog in that machine that needed to get going. He quickly ran to his bunk, grabbed his weapons pack (it was far to useful to go without, even when not fighting), and rushed up to the deck. He didn't even waist a moment to say hello to Richmond and First Mate Oliver before throwing himself up onto the rigging as the balloon expanded. This was his favorite part of the ship, the rigging. Many a man was intimidated by the odd angles and the altitude above the deck, but Gab thrived off the challenge of it. In no-time he was up in his rigging, checking for snags and unraveling rope to be tied down. He looked in the distance and saw through the clouds only a hint of a glimmer of steel. That was far too much of the Steele Maiden to see for his liking though.

"Ma'm" Gab called to the captain, "the rest of the crew better get here quick. They're not even close to being in range and I think we'd like to keep it that way!"

Red Leadson

Red nodded at the commanders sound advice. Even with ships that could fly in three dimensions it was possible to box another ship in if you outclassed them by far in size, and the Steele Maiden had size in spades. Red both liked and disliked this plan for the same reason. He was in charge of boarding and the kind of weapons needed for it. He gave a quick solute to the captain and turned to his duties.

"Jackson! Horner! Willson!" he barked, calling the three officers under him. Each of them scuttled in front of Red and stood at attention as Red immediately gave orders.

"We will be coming in on the enemy soon, and our captain has commanded a clean boarding capture of their captain. This means we need all available hands armed and ready. Jackson, you'll be in charge of the firearms, Horner the ammo, and Wilson the swords and boarding hooks. I want those dolled out and hour ago, understood?" Red spoke with absolute authority of purpose and waisted not a word. The three men nodded in recognition and Red smiled.

"Good, now go. Show the rest of the crew why I'm the Lead Coyote!" He barked and the three of them rushed off as Red began his rounds, making sure those with personal weapons among the commanding officers had each weapons needs met, and that those that already had their rifles at hand were accounted for. It was his job, his command, and he wasn't about to let a single detail be missed. His hands twitched at the anticipation of a fight, the weight of his twin revolvers at each hip a heavy reminder at what they were all preparing for.

_________________
Art is the Science of Inspiration on Demand!

He knew it. That cursed fast ship is in the Steel Maiden's sights and the order was given, they were on attack. The plan sounded simple, close the distance, cut off their escape and box them in. Lu's facial expression darkened after hearing the plan. He knew it was definitely not going to be easy and boxing them in meant boarding the enemy ship. Well, what choice have they in the matter? The Steel Maiden is short on cannon balls so blowing them out of the waters or the skies is not going to happen.

Scuffling around the deck, Lu barked orders to his gunnery crew to prepare the freshly polished cannons. There were a total of thirty cannons on each side of the ship, with that in mind, Lu had the gunnery crew move every remaining cannon ball to the port side, one on each cannon.

"Listen up! Our cannons only have one shot! We have to make it count! We can't afford to go gung-ho with the cannons so aim well and make sure each shot fired hits its mark! We have to stop their movement! There's no room for error men! It's either them, or us!"

Taking up his post on the port side deck, Lu extended his spyglass and scanned the perimeter. His eyes turned fierce after putting the spyglass away. The signature balloon sail of the Lady was rising fast...

"They know..." he mumbled, then yelled at the top of his lungs. "They know we're coming!"

_________________

Her jaw was set as she watched Gab's climb before turning to Oliver and Richmond, her hazel eyes hard with concern and authority, but not so much controlling, but merely giving an order she knew they would carry out.

"Oliver, I need you to assist with the cannon inspections, make sure Harvey and Gunner have gotten plenty of ammunition for this just in case the Steele Maiden comes within range..." Her eyes turned to the swashbuckler and she sighed, "Richmond I hope for all you are worth that you have your blade with you, if they board us, or atempt to do so, cut the lines. I will take care of the wheel." And with that Basium lifted the ramp as she heard the small crew below in the haul clanking about to push the cannons forward and making sure all was running with the engines.

It wasn't but a mere minute later that the Lady Adamo Skies was lifting up into the air the steam warming up and causing a soft whistle as the engines prepared to release the air build up, which was what gave them their speed. Gunner a rather large man, his skin dark and sunkissed, lean strong hefty muscles taut as he hefted a cannon ball into each cannon readying to fire. His blue eyes looked down at the receding ocean as he called up on deck to the scrawny assassin Harvey, his white blonde hair tied in a ponytail that hung past his shoulders, his much smaller frame making it clear he was the polar opposite of his brother Gunner. His blue eyes looking down at his older sibling and chuckled, he had never spoken before, but the young Harvey had one hellova personality when it all boiled down to the silent 24 year old. "Harvey, report to Basium that the cannons are at the ready..." Giving a curt nod Harvey darted past Oliver, his pale smooth skin a flash as his thick padded assassins cowl and cloak billowed behind him.

_________________

Does not the Raven Sing?

As James entered the bridge, a few officers stood straight up and looked at him. He smiled at them "good day boys, I hope your ready. You may have to fight for your very lives today, and it would be awful to lose such good men like your selves." The men smiled and nodded before turning back to what they were doing. His revolvers hang at his said along with a cutlas, he patted them. He then saw what he was looking for, the Lady Adamo Skies.

He pointed to it as it started to climb into the air, he grabbed a tube. It was one of meany that went through out the ship, the one he grabbed was to the engine room. "Alright boys, time to get those engines pumping!" He called down, a quick and short. "Yes sir." Came back at him

In the engine room, mean started to shove coal into the burners to power the steam engines, there large steel arms slowly started to pump faster and faster. The ship slowly started to rise out of the water, a hiss could be heard in the engine room and bottom parts of the ship. James smiled as they slowly climbed with Lady Adamo Skies, of course he knew they would have to get close. But with little to no cannon balls, it would be hard. (Sorry if double post :p)

_________________

Olive nodded curtly, giving Richmond and Arres one more glance before running off to check the cannons. She sidestepped out of Harvey's way, watching him leave with interest. He'd never spoken before. Not to her, and as far as she could remember, not to anyone. It made a person curious as to the reason why.

Pulling herself out of her thoughts, she checked the cannons, making sure that the cannonballs were near by--that gunpowder was stocked, that everything was clean and hadn't been tampered with... Things of that sort. When it seemed everything was in order, Olive straightened up and grunted as the ship shook and started to rise. Finally! They were going to fly again.

Her hand flew to the sword at her hip, head whipping towards the horizon. She could see a speck in the distance--the Pawn's ship--and laughed bitingly. "They won't catch up to us. Not for an hour or so--and if we leave now, they might not get to us at all," she mused, finally finding an appropriate time to drop off the books in a small corner of the ship, out of the way until the danger had passed. She'd retrieve it later.

_________________
"Do you permit it?"

Richmond stood onboard the deck of the Lady, his brown eyes fixated on the distant skies, his hands shaking nervously. The far-off glimmer of metal had grown to a decerible speck against the blue, as the Steele Maiden drew inexorably closer. He had stashed his purchase in his cabin retrieving the ornate rapier and its companion swordbreaker, which now hung at his waist. During his adolecence his mother had hired a swordsmen to keep her son occupied, indulging in his pirate fantasies, and teaching him dueling practices.

But if they boarded...

If they boarded Richmond would have to fight, and possibly kill. The thought made him queasy. He gripped the railing as the Lady continued her skyward climb.

_________________
That is not dead which can eternal lie
And with stranger aeons even death may die