The night was deep, and the streets were still. Clouds drifted through the roads like phantoms, and the stars glittered when the clouds broke, however briefly.
   The docks that surrounded the large, floating city were quiet. The air ships, that resembled pirate ships from story books, floated creakily. In truth, it was a peacful, and boring night.
   Until the whistling of Patrol Officers echoed down the streets, and the quick pounding of footsteps were heard. Two figures dashed through the shadows, and ducked through side streets, running in the direction of the docks.

   Jane ran as fast as she could, her blood pounding in her ears, and her breath coming in gasps. The road was slippery, and she slid a few times, almost loosing her footing. No heads peeked out of the doorways, and all of the windows closed. Nobody wanted to be caught out when the Patrol was looking for someone.
   Those someones turned out to be Jane, and her brother. Turning to look over her shoulder, she set eyes on her brother, "Hurry!" she whispered harshly, her voice almost lost in the piercing sirens, "We'll hide at the docks." she ran on, taking a sharp corner.

Mordecai Lewin grunted in frustration, then nodded his ascent to follow. He ran behind his sister Jane, glaring at windows and alleys as they passed. He fingered the handle of his father's axe as the sirens came closer.

   Jane ran with her brother behind her, and the docks came into view. She made for any ship, and the one that she came up to was anchored to the ground by way of a thick rope. "C'mon!" she began to climb the rope, and the ship bobbed ever so slightly. Peeking over the rail, she glanced over the deck, before slipping over and landing quietly.
   Turning, she leaned back the way she came to make sure that her brother was right behind her.

Mordecai shimmied up behind her and rolled over the side onto the deck. He jumped to his feet and checked himself, then peered around the deck. Looking for anyone that could give them away. He glanced at Jane, nodding.

   Jane nodded back, and leaned against the railing in a crouched position. She sat as still and silent as a statue, as the sirens and lights moved farther and farther away. Releasing a breath that she realized she'd been holding, Jane slowly stood up and whispered, "Alright, lets-"

  "Can I help you?" interrupted a quiet voice behind them. Standing there was a tall figure, backlit by the light of the city on Sanctaphrax. Long red hair swayed as he flicked back the wide-brimmed hat on his head, and sharp green eyes glared down at them, belieing the gentleness of his voice. A long jacket brushed the back of his legs in the chilly night wind as he stepped forward, its edge blowing back to reveal the hilt of a cutlass, thick and curved. "There are no stowaways aboard my ship, so I suppose you two must be sight-seers. Sorry, tourist hours ended at sundown."

Mordecai turned and regarded the man standing above them, then he stood straight up and faced the man, hiding his frustration at being caught. With the calmest voice he could muster, Mordecai addressed the man. "Good evening sir, we understand that your time for tourists is over. We are what you might call... customers? We would like to purchase passage on your vessel, and-" Mordecai glanced at the docks below seeing the flashing lights sweep the area. "-would like to do it now." Mordecai put on the most confident smile he could and nodded to the strange man.
This message was last edited by the GM at 06:21, Sat 17 July 2010.

   Jane put a hand on the long knife attached to her belt, hidden beneath her long black coat. She eyed the man distrustfully, and stood beside her brother. She waited for the rest of the crew to jump out and murder them, or at least throw them over the side.
   She pressed her lips together and took a deep breath, steadying her shaking legs after her hard run.

   As Mordecai spoke, an even taller man than the one who caught them loomed up out of the darkness. "Is there any trouble here, Captain?" A deep voice boomed, and the giant leaned over to inspect the two intruders, revealing very well muscled neck and shoulders.
   "No, Raff," said the captain, "Just a couple of..." he turned to them and grinned in a way that set goosebumps along the skin, "Customers. I'll warn you, passage on my ship isn't cheap!" he cried as he turned away from them, clapping his hands together and rubbing them vigerously. "Raff, grab them so they can't run away-- I mean, show them to their quarters."
   The huge man stepped forward, his impossible height and bulk almost dizzying. He set a hand the size of garbage can lids on each of their shoulders and started steering them forcefully towards the stairs to the sound of the captains laughter as he entered his cabin.

Mordecai struggled as much as he could in the iron grip of the large man, but it was no use. The man shoved them into a room more like a cell, then slammed the door. Mordecai jumped back to his feet and yanked on the iron bars in the door's window. He turned steaming, and punched the wall as hard as he could. "This is all my fault." He said turning to Jane. "I'm sorry, I should've seen him."

   Jane messaged her shoulder, and sighed, "It's alright, I'm the one who chose to jump in here anyway." she fell back against the wall, and slid down to sit. Jane leaned her head back to rest, "He said that it wasn't cheap... Do you have any money that I don't know about?" she tried to keep calm sounding, knowing that if she let her voice slip, her emotions would as well.
This message was last edited by the player at 23:52, Sun 18 July 2010.

Mordecai sighed. "I have a handful of gold coins I stole from a General store the night before, but I don't think it will do. He will probably throw us over the side, or sell us as slaves to someone." He wearily sat on the floor next to Jane.

   "You are such a ray of sunshine." Jane said sarcasitcally, sitting with her legs crossed. She reached into her pockets, and pulled out a handful of coins. Counting them out, she came to twenty seven. Shaking her head, she put the coins away, "Maybe we could get them to drop us off in some undertown or something..."

   After he dumped the intruders in a locked room, Raff went to the Captains cabin and knocked softly on the door. "Enter," came the call. Raff entered the dark room. In the light from the single window, he saw the Captain sitting on his bed with his head bowed. "Captain, what do you plan to do with those kids?"
   The captain was silent for a moment. "It's obvious they don't have any money. They were running from the Patrol. I think we'll take them with us when we sail tomorrow... we could use a few more hands."
   Raff shifted uncomfortably. "But Captain, the girl--"
   Captain Knight huffed, and pulled his hat off to run a hand through his hair. "Honestly, Raff. She can help Brax cook, okay? He'll be happy to have an assistant. And the kid can be the cabin boy. That position's open since Gunny got snapped up by Alex."
   Finally, Raff nodded. "Aye, Captain."

   Early that morning, before they let the kids out, they set sail.

   Jane woke slowly, and looked up from where she was curled up on the floor. The ship was moving. They were casting off! Jane sat up, and glanced at Mordecai, whom she thought was still asleep. She stood up, stiff after her long night on the floor, and walked to the small barred window that was on the door. Standing on her toes, she peeked out, but didn't see anybody. "Hello?" she called, her voice echoing down the narrow passage way. She frowned, not hearing an answer.
   She turned around to look back at her brother, "You awake?" she asked quietly, rubbing her lower back with her hands.
This message was last edited by the player at 23:44, Sun 18 July 2010.

"Was the whole bloody night." He said, stiffening on the floor. Mordecai got up and shook his head. "Not long before they come in here to keelhaul us, or have the big guy throw us off the side."

   Jane gave him a glare, "Why do you always come up with the worst case scenario?" she asked, leaning against the door and folding her arms. She shook her head, and silently thought about what he said and if he was right. She pulled her coat around herself with a shiver, "I think that they will..." she faultered for a moment, her eyebrows coming together with dark thoughts, "I don't know. But they won't throw us over the edge.

  "Don't be so sure." said a deep voice from the other side of the door as a key jangled in the lock and it was opened. The huge Quartermaster stood there, and gestured to them. "I'm taking you up to the deck, where the Captain will decide what to do with you."

   Jane glanced over her shoulder at her brother, and nodded, "Fine." she beckoned for Mordecai to follow, and stepped out of the room. She gulped, and realized that she hardly came up to the mans shoulder, let alone his elbow.

Mordecai followed with a grim set to his jaw. He wanted to fight the man, but he didn't want Jane to get hurt because of him. He didn't want to know what this 'Captain' wanted with him, he hoped it wouldn't end with either of them getting killed.

   Raff led the two forcefully up onto the deck, where the airship was in full sail. Men and boys were scrambling about, holding odd little cages with fire in them up to the big rock anchored in the middle of the ship. Ropes were strung everywhere, to pull up the weights and winches, to control the sails. The wind was in their favor, and they zipped along at a dizzying speed. The faraway ground whizzed by, creating a feeling of intense motion sickness to anyone not used to such travel.
   Once up on deck, the Quartermaster led them up a short set of stairs to a little balcony overlooking the whole ship. The helm was there, as well as rows and rows of levers all for raising and lowering the weights that controlled their altitude and speed. Controlling the boyancy of the flight rock was key in successfully piloting an airship.
   Standing at the helm was the Captain. His long red hair streamed back away from his face, and he wore a broad grin as his hands periodically flicked out to a lever and yanked, changing the movement of the ship ever so slightly so that the ever changing direction and speed of the wind didn't alter their course too much. He never took his eyes off of the sky before him, even when he reached for a lever. His gaze seemed to follow the wind currents, and he handled the ship with the kind of skill gained only from years of practice, combined with a natural aptitude for flying.
   Raff grunted to let the captain know he was there. Without letting go of the helm, he stepped aside. "Quartermaster, if you would...?" he said. Raff stepped up and took the wheel. The Captain brushed his hair back and pushed up a patterned bandana that had been hanging around his neck, keeping his hair from his face as he turned to face the two would-be stowaways.
   "Sleep well?" he asked pleasantly, bowing slightly as he gestured to the door of his personal cabin, galantly stepping forward to open the door. "In here, please."

   Jane quietly entered, folding her arms around her slightly queezy stomach. She walked in far enough to admit her brother, and the captain before stopping and standing with her chin up. She examined the red haired man with a critical eye, finding herself grudging him for the terrible treatment of the night.

Mordecai stepped in and stood to the side so the Captain could pass between them. He took a quick look around the room, examining all the knick knacks the Captain kept and looking for a potential weapon.

   The captain closed the door, locked it, and slipped the key into a pocket inside his jacket. He moved around the Lewins to a small desk in the corner, opposite a cot that folded down from the wall. In the other corner there was a bookcase with books strapped in so they wouldn't fall. Everthing was either nailed down or lashed to something. Captain Knight sat down, took a moment to organize himself, and steepled his fingers. Leaning his elbows on the desk, he studied them over his fingers with green eyes. They weren't dark green, or light green, just green. But they weren't quite all the way green, the two saw now that they were closer. They seemed to have golden highlights around the middle. The affect was almost hypnotizing. Then he blinked and sat back, breaking the spell.
   "Now then," he said, a hand raising to his bandana, adjusting it even though it didn't seem to need adjusting. "Let's get to the point. I know you don't have any real money. You probably stole what you have, if you have any. Why else would the Patrol be chasing you?" He smiled at them, but before they could say anything, he continued. "I suppose you should be thanking me. I saved your miserable lives, after all."

   Jane glares at the Captain for a moment, before directing her gaze to the ground, "Just get to the point." she ways quietly. She closes her eyes for a moment, the ships movement making her dizzy. She takes in a deep shaky breath, and looks back up, a shade paler.

Mordecai stood firmly with his feet planted on the floor, steadying himself against the sways of the ship. He remembered that he had been on one of these before, a long time ago. He glanced at Jane, then looked back at the Captain, not sure what to do.

   The captain leaned back in his creaky chair, clasping his hands behind his head as he smiled. He was ominously silent for a few moments, and seemed to be thinking, his eyes langorously swinging from one to the other. He didn't feel like asking what their names were. He would find out eventually. Finally, one hand came down, pointing at Mordecai. "You," he said, his voice as stabbing as his finger, "Will be our new cabin boy, assigned mostly to Wesley, the bos'n. You," he said, pointing at Jane, "Will be our cook's assistant. His name is Brax. Go find him. You, go find Wesley. Welcome to the Cloudcutter." he said jovially, rising to his feet and striding to the door. He opened it quickly and motioned them out.

   Jane dropped her hands to her sides in astonishment, "What...?" she shook her head, and didn't wait for an answer. She huffed and strode past the Captain with her chin up, refusing to really show how much this news disturbed her. She was a great cook, but...Brax? She looked over her shoulder at her brother once she was through the door, and gave him a look that begged him to just do as he was told.

Mordecai closed his eyes and sighed with resignation after receiving the look he got from his sister. He looked back up at the Captain with eyes narrowed. "Fine, where can I find this... Bos'n, Wesley?"

   The captain looked down at Mordecai with an incredulous expression. "How should I know? I told you to go find him. Go." Again, he gestured through the door, looking impatient.

Mordecai turned and stepped out the door, closing it behind him. He walked out onto the deck and took it all in, the sails in the wind, the sky all around them, it made him rather uneasy. Then he noticed Jane standing next to him. "Lets find whoever is responsible for us and get this over with." He started for the door leading to the lower decks. "a Bos'n." He said incredulously.

   Jane followed her brother, and then moved on to where she believed the kitchen would be. The smell of cooking food drifted to her, and she quietly peered around the corner to take a look at the kitchen. She hoped to get a look at this Brax, before he noticed her.
   The movment of the ship still made her sick, and she was nervous. Not only because of her new job, but because she hadn't seen any other women on board. Men, besides her brother and father, made her nervous. She never knew what kind of person they really were, or what they wanted to do, and you could never be sure in a world like this. Especially in a few dark undertowns.

  On her way, several of the men in the crew stopped their work to stare at her. Many looked younger than her, and none were older than at least forty. They all looked strong, and a few were moderatly handsome, same as a few were no pleasure to look at. Once she descended the steps into the galley/crew's quarters, they resumed work, giving each other pointed looks. What was the Captain thinking? Letting a woman on board. It was the most hair-brained thing he had done yet, in their opinions, which was truely saying something.
   In the small, square kitchen, there was an older looking man standing over a small iron stove. He had long, black hair that was pulled back, and white wings at his temples. The wrinkles on his tanned face told of an even amount of worry, anger, and laughter. His blue eyes had a cold glint in them, as if he was deciding how best to kill you even as he gave you the time of day. Fragrant steam rose all around him, and the hissing of the food made such noise that Jane thought she was safe from detection. But she only watched him for a few moments before he said, "Are you going to come out and greet me, or are you going to goggle me all day?" He stabbed at something in a fry pan with his spatula, making it hiss and jump in the bubbling liquid it was being cooked in.

   As for Mordecai, he couldn't tell which crew member was a bos'n and which was not. He would have to ask someone. There were several men sitting against the railing of the ship near him, rolling up long ropes with grappeling hooks on the ends. One was blonde and merry eyed, and looked not a day over fifteen. His cheeks still had the plump roundess of youth. He looked up at Mordecai and smiled, his blue eyes twinkling. The other two looked older, about twenty or so, although their appearences differed greatly. One was tall, with long, thin legs and dark skin. He worked quickly and with efficency, and his black eyes had a quiet intesity as he gazed down at the ropes which commanded his complete attention. The other had light brown hair and blue eyes, and didn't seem as intent on his work as his friend. Freckles sprinkled across his nose, as well as a bout of acne. But he had that look in his eyes, the michevious sparkle, that made others single him out as a trouble-maker. And they were right. He kept kicking the grappling hook that was attatched to the younger boys rope, jerking some of the rope out of his hands and setting him back a few loops. The boy would always kick back, but mostly he missed.

Mordecai approached the group hesitantly, He thought he should ask the dark man, being most intent on his work might mean he was far more experienced and had spent more time on this ship. But Mordecai decided he had better not distract him lest he attract the wrong attention. "You there boy," Mordecai said with sternness to hide his anxiety, trying to get the young one's attention. He looked fairly honest. "Where can I find the Boatswain?"

   Jane stepped forward and crossed her arms, "I was told to come and find you, Brax. The Captain said that I am going to be your...assistant." she paused, then added, "My names Jane." she swallowed, and waited for his cold eyes to stab her through. She wanted her brother, but she couldn't show weekness now. Not after the looks she had gotten from the men on board.
   She buried her overwhelming lonelyness, and put on a mask of determination.

   Brax wiped his hands off on an already filthy rag, pulled whatever was cooking off the stove, and turned to face Jane, putting his hands on his hips. He scrutinized her for several minutes, then sighed. "So the crazy rumors were true. The Captain took on a girl. Insane," he muttered, turning to a cupboard kept closed by a piece of twine. Unwinding the twine, he reached inside, took out a bottle and shook some of the flaky contents into the still sizzling pan. Replacing the bottle and twine, he said, "So I suppose you and your friend are the reason we took off so suddenly this morning, before we even had the chance to completely re-stock?"

   The blonde boy looked up at Mordecai, still smiling. "Who're you?" he asked bluntly. The freckled one looked up, sheilding his eyes against the morning sun with his hand. The dark one continued on with his work, apparently oblivious to what was going on around him.

Mordecai sighed and closed his eyes. He looked back at the young man with as neutral an expression as he could muster. "Mordecai, what's your name?"

   Jane glared at Brax for a moment, before she turned away and nodded, sighing as she spoke, "Yes, it's my fault." she hugged herself.

   Brax laughed. "Our Captain. Honestly, risking the Patrol for two land-lubber brats. You two better work hard," he said, turning to her with a suddenly serious expression, "To pay off the Captain what you owe him." The aged cook suddenly stuck his hand out toward her. "If the Captain says you're with us, you're with us. Female or no. Welcome to the Cloudcutter, Jane."

   The blonde boy looked at him for a moment, set down his neatly coiled ropes, brushed his hands off on his pants, and stuck one out for a handshake. "I'm Gunny. I'm seventeen. Really! This is Carson," he said, nodding to the freckled one who waved once, "And Beau. Beau. Hey, Beau!" The darkskinned boy looked up, looking breifly annoyed before focusing on Gunny and the new kid he was shaking hands with. Carson stifled a laugh.
   "Oh," Beau said. "Hi. Who're you?"
   "This is, uh, Mordecai, right?" said Gunny, smiling at him again. "We three are the gunner's assistants. We work for Alex. The, uh, gunner."

   Jane smiled a little, and took his hand, "Thanks, Brax. What do you need me to do....?" she glanced around the kitchen, her eyes falling on the piles of dirty dishes, the dirty tables, and the dirty floor. She looked back to Brax and her smile became a little worried.

Mordecai briefly shook Gunny's hand as he was introduced to the gang, he looked them all in the eyes and tried to be friendly. "Thank you Gunny, where can I find the Boatswain?"

   Brax grunted, and turned away from her. "Don't think I'll go easy on you just 'cause your a girl," he said over his shoulder. Turning back to face her, he shoved a grungy apron into her hands, and tossed a sponge on top of it. Instructing her on where to get water and soap, he sent her to the galley to scrub tables. Then, he said, when she was done with that, report back to him and clean the dishes and the counters and pretty much the whole kitchen, which, luckily, was pretty small.

   Gunny gave him a blank look. "The... what?" Carson also looked confused. Beau gazed at Mordecai for a moment before sighing and turning back to his rope.
This message was last edited by the GM at 23:53, Sat 21 Aug 2010.

   Jane put the apron on, and scrubbed the tables until they shined, and cleaned the seats for good measure. Her hands turned pink because of the hot water she was using, and her fingers became wrinkled. The dishes seemed to be piled to the sky, and more filthy than Jane would have imagined.
   She stared at them for a moment in dispair. Then she rolled up her sleeves, and tackled the job with determination. She had to replace her water seven times, because it was becoming muggy and it wasn't cleaning the dishes anymore. In the confined space, she was able to stack dishes in the many cupboards and clear counter space.

Mordecai closed his eyes for a moment before looking back at Gunny. "The Bos'n?"

   Brax worked her until dinner time. (Now please wait until Mordecai catches up to you)

   Gunny's and Carson's look of confusion cleared. "Oh," Carson said. "Why din'cha say so? He's below decks in the cargo hold. Taking inventory. We'll probably have to stop and resupply at one of the undertowns before we pass the Twilight Woods," he said matter-of-factly, "On account of how we set sail without fully restocking. You'll find him down there," he said, pointing at the same stairs Jane had used. After passing the kitchen, Mordecai would find a ladder leading down to the cargo hold.

"Thanks, I'll be on my way then." Mordecai turned and strode to the stairs quickly, stifling his heavy sigh until he was out of earshot. He walked down the halls until he found a large double door hatch, large enough to carry crates through. He opened them and went down into the hold. Once there, he looked around the crates until he found a man with a clipboard watching him with more than a hint of displeasure.

  The man was small, shorter than him, with a thin face. His medium-length dirty blonde hair hung around his face lankly, and his thin mouth twisted as he jabbed his pencil in Mordecai's direction. "Who're you?" he snarled. "One of the brats the Cap'm picked up last night?"

"Mordecai." He said with irritation he couldn't hide. "You're the Bos'n?" Mordecai felt better about being taller than the man, but he could tell that they weren't going to like each other one bit. Man, I've been stuck with a stiff. Maybe Jane got lucky being assigned to the cook.

  The Bos'n didn't respond to his question, but simply looked him critically up and down. "You're a big one," he said, grunting. "You'll be useful around here, once you learn the ropes. Do you know anything about flyin' a stormchaser? Cause if you don't, this next week'll be hell for you," he chuckled darkly.

Mordecai paused for a moment in quick thought while the Boatswain finished talking. Failing to bring up anything from his youth, he shrugged. "Always fly against or away from the wind, or the ship will roll over?"

   The bos'n looked mildly impressed for one millisecond, then he frowned. "Not a problem. We've got a weight system that keeps us in balance. If that's all, then you'd better learn fast. C'mon."
   He set down his clipboard and led Mordecai to the upper deck of the ship where he spent the rest of the day teaching him how to tie knots properly, watch the weights and the sails for any change that could be bad, and to strictly control the temperature of the flight rock with heated lamps. If it got too hot, they would sink. If it got too cold, then they would float too high. "And that's something every good sky-sailor knows," he said, wagging his finger in Mordecai's face. "Never ever fly higher than your longest grappling hook's rope. But our Captain," he smiled, "He's got some mighty long rope."
   The bos'ns name was Wesley, and his teaching style was rough, more of a learn-as-you-go type. He answered all of Mordecai's questions, and was impressed with how quickly he learned and how strong he was. In their hours together, Mordecai didn't meet any more crewmembers, who were all either busy with some work or sitting around talking to each other. They seemed to have a lot to talk about, and they glanced in his direction often.
   When the sun was beginning to go down, a bell rang. It wasn't the bell to announce that an hour had passed, it was different, faster. "Dinnertime," Wes told Mordecai, and motioned for him to follow.

   Brax rang the bell, Jane at his side. She still hadn't finished cleaning, but he had had her stop to help him set out the food for the crew. He also informed her that the Captain would be dining with them tonight, in honor of their two new crew members. Introductions would be made all around. Tonight they would be eating some of the perishable goods. Soft bread, fruit, meat. It was a rare treat for the men to have the Captain eat with them. Usually he ate alone in his cabin, sometimes with Raff or Wesley, but usually alone.
   There were just over twenty members of the Cloudcutters crew. She was large for an stormchaser, which in usual circumstances, could be piloted by a single man. Even the Cloudcutter could be succesfully piloted by less than a handful. But they just kept taking on more and more. Brax sighed. "Our Captain's too big-hearted is what's the problem. Don't tell him I said that. We might run out of room on our old beauty here," he said, rubbing a beam of wood fondly, "Not to mention food. After tonight, it small portions until we reach an undertown."

Mordecai followed Wes to the galley after they finished their work, and when they got there most of the crew was present. The strange Red-haired Captain was no where to be seen, so Mordecai took a seat at the very end of the table opposite the door. He could see most of the room at any moment, and who was coming through the door when they did. He felt pretty uncomfortable until he saw Jane walk out of the kitchen area. He quickly waved her over to his end of the table.

   Jane slipped away from Brax, and took a heavy seat beside her brother. She sighed tiredly, and put her head down with a moan, "If everyday is going to be like this, I won't last long..." she mourned, "My hands are throbbing.

   Brax gave Jane a pat on the back as he walked to his seat, and he and Wes sat down beside Raff, the huge Quartermaster. There was another empty seat on Raffs other side, probably meant for the Captain. The crew were all staring openly at Jane and Mordecai, whispering to each other. There were no hostile looks to be seen, just curiosity. One or two waved when the brother and sister looked their way. One who did was Gunny, the young-looking blonde boy Mordecai had met earlier that day. Another who did was an almost painfully handsome boy three people down on the opposite side of the table from them. He had pleasently tanned skin, dark eyes ringed by beautifully long eyelashes, and chestnut colored wavy hair. He waved at Jane.
   After a few minutes, footsteps were heard on the stairway leading down to the galley. All talk instantly ceased, and Raff, Wesley, and another man with black hair and an eyepatch all stood. Everyone else stayed seated. The red-haired Captain walked into the room, sweeping off a black, wide-brimmed hat as he entered and leaving it on a barrel near the door. He wore a small smile as his eyes travelled over the crew, lingering on the two new additions. As he passed them, every crew member saluted respectfully, murmuring "Cap'm. Cap'm." When he reached his seat, the three standing men saluted at once, and the four of them sat down together.
   "Now," said the Captain, smiling. "Let's enjoy this feast that Brax and his new helper have prepared for us today, because it isn't going to happen again anytime soon." There was a gentle murmur of laughter at that, as the crew looked at each other with rueful faces. "But before we eat," he said, "I have an announcement to make. As you all probably have noticed, we have two new crew members with us tonight." Everybody nodded, and the Captain stood, gesturing to the brother and sister as he did. "Everyone, this is Mordecai and Jane. Mordecai and Jane, say hello to your new family."
   Wide smiles broke out all around as everyone waited for their hellos.

   Jane smiles shyly, and lifted a hand in a wave to the smiles all around. Especially the sinfully handsome boy with chestnut hair. She found herself blushing and smiled back to the crew members, her new family, and murmered, "Hi..."

Mordecai almost blushed, he certainly did not like publicity. He looked at the rest of the crew in general and nodded. "Hello." He was about to settle himself on his elbows when he caught sight of the tan crewmember with dark hair. What's more, he caught the looks he was giving Mordecai's sister. Mordecai almost glowered in his seat. Oh great, another sleazy dirtbag trying to sweeten up Jane. He better watch himself carefully, or he is gonna regret it! Mordecai remembered the last guy who tried to take advantage of Jane. He also remembered the man's broken leg.

     The Captain nodded. "Alright. Now we'll introduce ourselves. My name is Jackson Knight, and I am the Captain of this vessel." he swept a short bow, then sat down. Next to him, the bulky man who had toted Jane and Mordecai about the ship like kittens the night before stood. "My name is Raff Cox. I am the Quatermaster on this vessel." Raff had cropped short black hair, and very dark blue eyes, so dark they were almost black. He looked to be in his late thirties, and was a solid seven feet tall. He sat back down with a glower.
     On his other side, the bos'n looked like a midgit as he stood. He didn't come as tall as Raff sitting down. "My name is Wesley Abernathy, and I am the bos'n aboard this vessel. That means I'm in charge of you," he said, jabbing his finger at Mordecai and cutting him through with his sharp blue eyes.
     Wesley sat down, and the man with the eyepatch beside him stood up. "My name is Alex Connor, and I am the gunner on this vessel." This man had longish black hair, and a rugged-looking face. Stubble grew on his cheeks, and his one visible eye was a brownish hazel. He was tall and muscular, and his leather vest creaked as he sat down.
    Beside him was the blonde boy Mordecai had met earlier that day. He stood eagerly. "My name is Gunny. Just Gunny. I'm seventeen, and I'm a gunner's assitant." He sat down, smiling brightly as if he was quite satified with his introduction.
    Beside him was another of the boys Mordecai had seen that day, the disinterested-looking dark boy. He stood slowly, his eyes focusing and unfocusing until they rested on Mordecai and Jane, and then he stared at them in incredible intensity. "My name is Beau Amkite. I am a gunner's assistant." With that, he sat back down.
    And then the third boy Mordecai had already met stood up beside Beau. He was grinning widely. "My name is Carson Jules, and I'm a gunner's assistant." He gave a quick bow to mimick the Captains and sat down.
    Next to him was the handsome boy that had waved to Jane. He stood up and cleared his throat. "My name is Connor Fane. Nice to meet you. I am a deck hand aboard this vessel."
    After good-looking Connor there was a young man with white-blonde hair that looked so wispy it was a surprise it didn't float off his head with every gust of air. He stood, blue eyes looking at them nervously yet happily. "My name is J.J. Roller. I'm a deck hand too."
    The next young man on the bench didn't stand up until J.J. elbowed him. When he did, his knees knocked the table and everyone grabbed their glasses, some cursing and some laughing. He had dark brown hair and gray eyes."Uh, m-my name is Dirk Bradford. I'm a deck hand." he sat down awkwardly and J.J. patted his shoulder.
    Then it moved to the other side of the table, and another crew member stood up. The young man had tried to wave to Jane earlier but had probably been out of her sight. He had a bad case of acne and what seemed like a tick in his neck; every few seconds, whether he was talking or not, he rolled his head back on his shoulders then back around to the front. He had light brown hair and nondescript blue eyes. "Hi. My name is Andrew Cannon. I'm a deck hand on this vessel." He sat down.
    Next to him was Brax. He stood up and wiped his hands on his trousers. His long, dark hair swung in its ponytail and the silver wings of hair at his temples made him look like the oldest man present, which he probably was. "I'm Brax, and I'm the cook. Jane is my assistant 'cause Alex has plenty." The crew laughed at that.
    The last person was another older man, about in his late twenties or early thirties. He had a receding hairline and peircing eyes that were bluish hazel. "My name is Damien Eddy, and I am the doctor aboard this vessel. Come to me if you start getting sore during your first few weeks here." he smiled kindly at Jane and Mordecai.

Mordecai nodded to them all in greeting and appeared to be neutral, not embarrased or angry but certainly not happy. He sat calmly next to Jane, keeping a sharp eye on Connor Fane.

   Jane tried her best to match names and jobs to faces, and she thought about how hard it will be to remember, and frowned. Noticing that a few saw, she quickly began to smile again, "Nice to meet you all." she shrinked back, and clasped her sore hands in her lap.

   The Captain laughed and rubbed his hands together. "Alright, everyone, dig in!" Immediatly a ruckus of voices and laughter erupted as hands reached for food and small fights broke out over particularly yummy looking peices. Several crew members picked up their plates and moved to sit beside Mordecai and Jane. Connor actually got to Jane first, with Dirk and Andrew right behind him. "So you're the cooks assistant." "Wait wait, I was first," "No, hey Jane! Did you help cook this, if you did, it's great!"
  Gunny got to Mordecai first, J.J. and Carson right behind him. "I'm sure you won't be cabin boy for long," said Gunny. "I wasn't!" "Shut up, Gunny, and let the men talk--" "You shut up! I am a man--" "Mordecai! Do you go by anything shorter?"

Mordecai was reaching for his first helping when the boys came over to his end of the table. He smiled and nodded to Gunny and the others as they sat down and was convinced that guys this lively aren't so bad after all. He thought that they could become good friends. Mordecai nodded kindly to Gunny as he mentioned not being a cabin boy for long, and he was grateful for that. He couldn't help but laugh to himself while watching Gunny and Carson argue about mantalk but was somewhat slowed by J.J's question. It got him thinking about his name, and that got him thinking about his past; his father. He didn't think long, he pushed all of those thoughts out of his head quickly. He didn't want to be a downer during a celebration. Mordecai looked at J.J. softly as he sat down, and replied: "I don't go by anything shorter I'm afraid, I like my name as it was given me, and when I think about it... anything short of Mordecai sounds rather strange." Mordecai smiled at J.J., and had a thought. "So why do you call yourself J.J?"

   Jane smiled at Connor, Dirk, and Andrew, and tried to answer all of their questions in order, "Yes, I am the cook assistant, and yes, I helped cook it. And, I hope that it is great." she laughed gently, and quietly ate while all three of the boys kept trying to gain her attention. Mostly, she laughed and listened to them interupt each other.
   She glanced at Mordecai occasionally, and smiled to herself, glad to see that he was smiling again.

  J.J. gave him a blank look that, for a moment, glassed his pale eyes over and brought his brows together as if recalling an uncomfortable memory. Then he blinked, and smiled. "J.J. because... I like it."
  The meal passed with lots of questions plied to the brother and sister, lots of jokes and shoving and laughter. The older crew members talked to each other and watched, and the Captain watched them and laughed to himself occasionally.
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:48, Wed 15 Sept 2010.

Mordecai enjoyed himself getting to know the members of the crew who sat near him, and almost forgot about the Connor fellow entirely. He took a swig from his drink, and regarded Gunny oddly. "So, where will we be headed once we stop to re-supply in the nearest undertown?" Mordecai asked, hoping it was at least a place he had previously heard about; certainly not being keen on going to a country or place he was not familiar with.

   Gunny's smile slowly disappeared, which was odd for him. "Well, uh, we're not sure. The Captain... won't tell anyone. Which is as good as saying that he doesn't know," he whispered confidentially. "Beau thinks we're running from something. And Beau never says anything unless he's thought it over a lot." Gunny giggled half-heartedly.

Mordecai faked a quick chuckle to humor Gunny, but when Gunny looked away all Mordecai could do was stare depressedly into his mug and hope that there wouldn't be trouble ahead. He took a look at Jane off to the side, and the Connor guy; who couldn't seem to get enough of her. Mordecai puffed into his arms as he lay with his elbows on the table. It's not fun to think about more than one thing when you're feeling depressed.

   Jane talked with the boys in a lively manner, quite aware of her brothers discomfort. She caught Gunny's words and frowned, her attention being drawn away from the boys that were all talking at once to try and get her to respond to them. She bit her lip, and fell into thought, her mind settling on the night that they jumped into the ship in the first place.

   When the meal was over, and everyone was sleepy-eyed, groaning, and rubbing their stomachs, the Captain sent them all to bed, then disappeared up the stairs to his quarters. Raff oversaw the hearding of the boys below-decks, and the hanging of a new hammock for Mordecai, while Wesley the bos'n showed Jane to a small cot in the room where they had been kept the first night, now full of crates and barrels.

   Jane did not want to lay down until Wesley had gone. She felt like she was about to fall over and just sleep where she landed. Once the door closed behind him, she dropped onto the cot and quickly fell asleep.

Mordecai finished off the last knot on his bunk and turned in. Lying in his bunk, Mordecai could only fathom what deep crap he was getting himself into.

   Captain Jackson Knight sat alone in his darkened cabin, leaning back in his chair with his legs crossed, resting his chin on his hand, staring out the smoky glass of his small window. The moonlight dimly lit the small room and put a dark light in his eyes. After a few moments of silence and stillness, there was a soft knock at the door. The Captain sighed, sitting up in his chair. "Enter," he called.
   Raff entered and closed the door behind him, standing with his arms clasped behind him just inside the doorway. "Captain. The new ones are settled in. We'll reach the undertown in eleven days."
   The Captain nodded, and sat forward, resting his elbows on the desk and entertwining his fingers. "They have it. I felt it the moment they came on board." Sighing, he reached into his collar, pulling out a thin chain of some dark metal. On it hung a brass key. Pulling the necklace over his head, he leaned down to the locked cabinet in his desk, and unlocked it, pulling a small, round box out. It's four legs were slender and curved, with clawed feet, each clutching a tiny, clear crystal. The metal was very tarnished, very dark. No light reflected on it from the window. There were strange indentations and symbols inlaid around the sides. A small, intricatly carved wind-up key protruded from the back, between two hinges along a seam. It opened; there was no clasp holding it shut. But no one could open it.
   The Captain held it up to the light, turning it every which way and letting the crystals in the feet sparkle. He didn't touch the wind-up key, no matter how badly he wanted to. "They have the key. I know it."
   Raff looked uncomfortable. "They're so young. How could they have it?"
   "They stole it, of course. I don't think they know what they've got, but the Patrol does. They were after those kids in force, not just the normal few units for a robbery. If I hadn't have high-tailed it out of there, they would have found it, and probably the music box as well." He sighed and sat back, rubbing his eyes. "This is too big for me, Raff. I left Sanctaphrax because I didn't want this sort of responsibilty. I wish I could just drop it on somebody...."
   Raff sighed, and took a few steps forward. "I know you won't do that, Captain. You didn't even take the key from those two. Why?"
   "I don't know, Raff. I'll ask them about it once they're settled. After we restock at undertown. Right after."

   Mordecai and Jane could hardly distinguish between one day and the next. The work was hard and long, the sleep was short and fitfull. The days went by quickly, and soon the crew was getting ready to land in undertown. The deck was busy with activity, but Jane only heard the thundering of barefeet against the boards above. She was washing dishes, with suds up to her elbows that were making her skin itch. Brax was chopping vegetables on the counter to her right, ignoring the noise above, and muttering about getting his food supply restocked.
   Jane sighed quietly, and set about scrubbing burned stew off of the bottom of a large pot. Her thoughts turned to the night that she and her brother jumped onto the boat. The thin silver chain around her neck was hidden by the apron that Brax and dropped onto her that morning. The small pendant that hung on the chain was the whole reason she and Mordecai were in this mess. They had taken it, and the Patrol had chaced them for the longest time. They couldn't understand why this little piece of junk was so important.
   It was just a small pendant in the shape of a flower. It was faded, and looked like it would get a few coins, and nobody would miss it. They had taken it from the velvet pillow it had been resting on, and the alarm went off. Then they ran.

Mordecai worked hard for the Boatswain for the next eleven days, moving plenty of crates, and cleaning plenty of floors. Mordecai had been piecing together the events that transpired that night they got on this boat. He didn't understand why there where so many guards chasing him that night, nor why this strange Captain should take them aboard when he already had more than a full crew. Mordecai remembered that necklace Jane stole from the office in that old warehouse building they broke into. Mordecai would much rather steal gold, cash, money, or food. Basically what he needed; and once in a while something nice. But Jane had to go stealing that rusty old necklace, that just happened to set off and alarm, and set what seemed to be half the guards in the city after them. Mordecai had been trying to find out what was so important about some rusty old necklace; that probably wouldn't fetch five coins. As for the Captain, he figured that he must be a Philanthropist or something.
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:55, Tue 05 Oct 2010.

    That day, the smoke from the undertown became visible in the distance. By noon, they could see the tallest steeples, stacks and buildings of the small, thriving town; they smelled the acrid chemical odor of civilization. Soon, the crew was scrambling around preparing to dock, carefully dropping weights and using heat lamps to warm the flight-rock to get them to the appropriate altitude. The bos'n showed Mordecai all the steps of going into air-dock; then pointed out a few things he could help with, like holding a lamp to the boyant rock the ship was built around. The Captain himself was piloting, his hands flicking out to barely twick the levers surrounding him, guiding the helm with a sure, steady hand. The Cloudcutter eased close enough to the dock, one of the tallest structures in the town, so that Connor and Andrew could throw ropes to the people on the dock so their ship could be tied down. Once they were secure, Carson and Gunny lowered the gangplank.
    The undertown sprawled before them, grime and black tarnish covering every surface. Most of the buildings were made from brick and copper, plentiful materials, and scarcely was there wood used in the construction, only in the tallest buildings. Wood is a naturally boyant substance, and kept the impossibly tall buildings from falling over or collapsing under their own weight. A tall wall of iron-clad granite surrounded the town to protect against the roaming creatures of the Deep and Twilight Woods, which sometimes wandered onto the flat, wet plains where the undertowns were scattered, until it reached the Edge, were there was the rock gardens of Sanctaphrax, and the great academic city itself on the biggest flight rock ever grown.
    The deck shuddered as it tried to strain free of its moorings, even as they lowered all the weights and warmed the flight rock so that it was hot to the touch. J.J., Connor and Andrew all worked to set up space-consuming racks to hold the heat lamps to the rock so that the majority of the crew could leave the ship, leaving a few behind to keep watch.
    Brax had a list. He and Jane and several of the stronger crew members, including Mordecai, were going to go out and buy supplies as soon as Wesley had sold the cargo and they were done unloading. No doubt the undertown was thrilled to see them; it was not trading season, and the merchants would be running low on wares. The cold weather made flying dangerous, and storms all the more likely. But that was perfect for the Cloudcutter, modified storm chaser as it was. Lightning was the main item they had for sale stored in the hold.

Mordecai couldn't believe his ears when he heard Wesley mention selling lightning. Mordecai was mostly educated, but his years of schooling were not all finished before his father died. He could only guess why solidified lightning from the sky was such a valuable commodity. It certainly was heavy stuff beyond all doubt, moving those crates seemed much harder than it should have been even if the box had been filled to the brim with something less dense. He helped move everything that was to be sold up to the deck and prepared to leave with Jane to fill Brax's order.

   Jane stood with Brax's list clutched to her chest. She was waiting on the deck with her eyes on the busy port of the undertown. She was nervous, and that always made her jumpy. Mordecai was standing and waiting beside her. She felt short next to him, like always.
   She sighed and closed her eyes, listening to the hustle and bustle of the ship and the undertown without her eyes. The sounds overwhelmed her other senses, and drowned out even the sound her own breathing.

  The other crew members waiting with them were Connor, Beau, and Carson. Brax was haggling with Wesley for the amount of money needed to re-supply the ships food stores. He finally showed up with a large bag full of coins, and while the last of the cargo was being unloaded, they all crowded into the basket that would lower them into the undertown proper. As they descended, Jane caught a glimpse of the Captain, watching them from the higher decks, his red hair vivid against the gray sky. But it was only for an insant before they sank out of sight of the ship.
  The rest of that day was spent wandering the various market squares in the undertown, watching Brax haggle and look for the best prices. Some of the coins in the pouch went into renting a small handcart that the boys took turns pulling. It slowly loaded up with sacks and baskets stuffed with food, and the boys not pulling the cart carried the more delicate foods; eggs, fresh fruit, ect.
  Brax tried to teach Jane about haggling as the day wore on. Jane's job was to cross off things on the list and read it aloud to Brax. "You should always try to get them to think they got the better deal. Never settle for the first price they ask for, it's always more than what it's worth...."

Mordecai was helping pull the handcart through town while Brax went on about haggling to Jane, he listened to trace parts of the conversation, but was far more interested in this town unlike the place he grew up in. He knew a bit about haggling, he often did it to get stolen goods off of his hands for food or coin. The cart just got heavier and heavier as he pulled his way along, looking back at Brax and Jane to make sure everything was ok. As an experienced thief, he knew exactly what to expect and when to expect it. At one point, Mordecai noticed one fellow in the crowd that seemed to keep shoeing up near the cart, and he was particularly interested in it. Brax and Jane didn't seem to notice, and the others were too busy carrying the more fragile wares. When the fellow began sizing up Mordecai, Mordecai pointed to the axe on his belt and gave the man a look that would freeze a lake. The man left in a hurry, apparently having better things to do. Mordecai was a little uneasy being in such an unfamiliar place, and kept watch for more pickpockets as he went pulling the cart.

   It was late that night before they all got back to the ship. The moon overhead seemed dimmed by the acrid smoke produced by the city, but it was still light enough to illuminate the tired looking crew members hauling the purchased goods on board.
   As they worked, Mordecai overheard Gunny and Carson talking softly as they held heat lamps to the flight rock. "What do you mean by that?" Carson asked.
  "I mean, that the Captain left this morning and hasn't come back yet," the blonde boy repeated. "No one knows where he is. Not even Brax."
  "That's not all that strange... he goes off on his own all the time."
  "Not for this long, though..."
  Their conversation petered away as they moved to the other side of the flight rock.
This message was last edited by the GM at 00:37, Thu 21 Oct 2010.

Mordecai felt oddly worried about the captain. He didn't really understand why, he barely knew the man and was kind've being forced to live on the ship. Though when he thought about it, he probably wouldn't find better life in a town. When he finnished his work, Mordecai took the liberty of standing out on the deck after the sun had gone down to get some cool, fresh air.

   Jane finished putting all of the supplies away late, and quietly slipped up deck to throw some trash off the side. Once the bucket was empty and she had caught her breath, she noticed Mordecai standing alone. Silently, she walked over to stand beside him, "Hey, you okay?" she asked quietly, peering up at his face in concern.

Mordecai looked down at Jane with an almost serene but tired expression. "Yes, I'm fine. Just wanted to relax and think in the cool night air." He looked up at the moon for a moment, then regarded Jane with a somewhat quizzical look. "Do you have any idea where the Captain went?"

   Jane shrugged and shook her head, "I haven't seen him since this morning." she switched the empty bucket to her left hand, and fiddled with the necklace around her neck with the right, "Maybe he's playing a late card game or something." she stood in silence for a few minutes, debating on whether she should tell Mordecai about whats bothering her. After sighing, she looks up at him, "Want to know something weird? I haven't been able to take this necklace off. I've tried, but it will not come off no matter what I do."

Mordecai stared back at Jane, eyes as big as moons in surprise. "You can't take it off!? That old necklace you stole?" He couldn't believe his ears. What the heck is going on? Why has all this weird stuff been happening!?

   Jane nods, "Yes. It used to be able to go over my head, like when I first put it on. But now, it...shrunk." she says, confused and slightly annoyed at the same time. She pulled the small pendant out from under her shirt to examine, and it looked as plain and old as ever. She sighed, tucking the necklace back down in her shirt, "Well, we'd better get some shut eye.

   Just then, they both heard a scrambling sound over the side of the ship. A moment later, the Captain clambered over the rail of the ship, something held between his teeth. His long red hair was disheveled and he was breathing hard, his breath whistling around whatever was in his mouth. Before they could get a good look at it, he spat it out and tucked it into a breast pocket. He didn't appear to notice them, and he rubbed at his wrists absently as he gazed up at the smog-faded moon.

Mordecai beheld the Captain in surprise. "Captain Jackson!? Are you alright?" He moved to help the Captain timidly, not sure whether the Captain needed it or not.

   Jane silently followed her brother, her eyebrows drawn together in concern and curiosity. What had he hand in his hand? Why was he so late?

   The Captain turned to look at them in surprise, his body going stiff for a moment before relaxing a little. His alarmed expression quickly melted into a freindly smile. "Ah, Jane, Mordecai. Yes, I'm quite all right, thank you. Just a little tired. We should all get to bed now," he said, shooing them off. "We sail at dawn, kiddies. Mordecai, would you tell Raff, wherever he is, to meet me in my office please?"

   Jane was silent as Mordecai said he would do what the Captain asked, and then they both went below. Jane was too tired to really think about the Captain's odd behavior, and she went right to her tiny stoarge room bed, and fell into a deep sleep.

Mordecai quickly stalked the lower decks, keeping an eye out for Raff. He finally found him in the kitchen just talking to Brax. Brax himself seemed rather pleased with the fresh amount of food they had recieved, but Brax didn't seem so at ease. Both of their attentions were drawn when Mordecai stepped into the room. Brax and Raff looked at Mordecai as if he were covered in dirt, obviously wondering why he wasn't in the hammock but also what he was doing there. Mordecai mustered his confidence and faced Raff. "The Captain has returned, and would like to see you in his office straight-away."
       Mordecai felt reliefed as Raff's countenance seemed to take on the same feeling. Raff nodded to Brax, and started for the door quickly; Mordecai quickly moving out of his way. In moments, Mordecai was left alone with Brax in the kitchen and feeling rather awkward. Mordecai nodded to Brax as well and left promptly. He made his way to the crew's deck and quietly treaded over to his own bunk, past a whole group of snoring sailors. When Mordecai finally plopped down onto his bunk, he was so tired that he was asleep right after he kicked his boots off.
This message was last edited by the player at 05:33, Sun 07 Nov 2010.

     Raff hurried to the Captains cabin, knocking twice softly before entering without waiting for an answer. The Captain was leaning over something at his desk, the light of a single candle reflecting off the magnifying glass in his hand. He was studying something intensly, but he looked up as Raff entered, and took a few steps forward, hands clasped respectfully behind him.

     "Captain Jackson, with all due respect," he began, his bulk filling up the small space, "If you ever run off like that without telling me again, I will personally kick your ass."

     Such a threat from such a man would have cowed anyone else. Captain Jackson blinked once, and smiled, his eyes weary but twinkling with mirth. "Sorry for worrying you," he laughed. "I won't do it again."

     Raff seemed to deflate in relief. "Actually I was afraid you would do something drastic just because I spoke to you that way."

     The Captain laughed again. "No, I deserved it. I had no idea it would take so long. Or be quite so dangerous. Turns out the people that had this knew what it was worth." He turned around to face the desk again as Raff took another step forward, the light throwing deep shadows on his chisled face.

     "Dangerous, Captain?" he asked, his voice tense.

     "Yes, dangerous," he sighed. "The Patrol knew it was here. They were trying to buy or blackmail it off the Guild. So, the Patrol will know it is gone. But they won't know who stole it," he said with a smile in his voice, picking up the small item on the desk and tossing it in the air, catching it again with his eyes shining in victory. "This will get that cursed necklace off that poor girl's neck, and then I will finally be able to open the music box." Slumping into his chair, he ran a finger over the keyhole of the locked drawer on his desk. "Finally."

    Raff looked uncomfortable, but the Captain was in a strange mood because of his success. His curiosity overcame his wariness, and he decided to chance a question. "Captain. You're the only one who's ever heard the melody from the music box. What is it like?"

    Captain Jackson sighed, slipping off his headband so his long hair fell over his eyes. He scratched absently behind his ear, laying the small, heavy iron trinket on his desk with an audible clunk. At first glance it looked like an old, pitted, shapeless hunk of metal that would easily fit in the palm of your hand. But upon further inspection, the lumps and curves took on new meaning. It was in the shape of a human heart, if you had ever seen one and knew what to look for. Incredibly thin veins of metal ran all across the dark surface, worn away in some places and pitted with age in others. But the shape was terrifyingly recognizable. Captain Jackson covered it with his headband before he spoke.

     "It's... very, very sad. The notes are light, and tinkling, like any other music box. But the feeling of the song... it would make the most cold-hearted murderer in this world cry." Leaning forward in his chair, he rested his elbows on the desk and clasped his fingers together, the yellow candlelight shining through his red hair, making it look like dark, hellish flame. "I think you'de better go now, Raff. We sail at dawn," he said, fingering the key around his neck. The tone of his voice left no room for arguments.

    Raff bowed his head and quietly left, once again mystified by the charismatic Captain of the Cloudcutter, a man he would die for, a man he would never understand.

    That night, when the soft light from the Captain's window had sputtered out, a terribly melancholy melody played, for the ears of one man, and one man alone.
This message was last edited by the GM at 04:45, Mon 08 Nov 2010.

   Brax woke Jane early, to prepare breakfast for the men. They cooked some of the parishables, eggs, bacon, potatoes. The smell of coffee and food brought the men down to the galley in a rush of yells and the pulling on of trousers. They ate, and every time one of them complemented the cooking, Jane blushed and quietly thanked them. Soon, the whistle called them all back on deck, leaving Jane with a giant mess of plates, forks and pans.
   Jane rolled up her sleeves, tucked the necklace under her shirt and got to work.

Mordecai finished eating and cleaned his place. He set the dishes down with the rest, ready to be washed. He gave Jane a nod and a "Good luck." before he went to the deck to begin a day's work of Cabin Boy-ing. He did get to spend a minute in the shrouds as the ship took off before he was given a job, and did quite enjoy the thrill of flying through the sky; even though he was being worked hard at the same time.

A few more days were spent in relative calm aboard the Cloudcutter, as the Captain waited for the right conditions to use his trinket.

Jane and Brax were becoming accostomed to working together, and talked and laughed while they worked.

Mordecai and the other boys of the ship were developing strong bonds as they worked and slept side by side. The wirey bos'n began to appreciate Mordecai's talents and strength, and his ability to cool things down between the other boys with a few quiet words.

The brother and sister were quickly accepted and well-liked by the rest of the crew. Often during their break time or during a lull of the wind during which there wasn't much cause to be up on deck, the crew members would come down to the galley and talk and laugh with Brax and Jane. Connor in particular liked to sit and talk with Jane rather than work, and was often cuffed over the ear by Wesley or Alex for slacking off. Jane discovered that Andrew, behind his twitching, rather unattractive exterior, had a sharp and witty mind despite his stutter, and liked to tell stories. Gunny, the young, curly-haired blonde, was a breath of fresh air among the crew and was treasured by every one of them dispite their teasing manner around him. Always happy, his constant smile was contageous.

Carson, the michevious one, was usually by Gunny's side and was like a big brother to him. His happy-go-lucky, life-is-a-joke attitude contrasted greatly with Mordecai's view of things, but they got on alright.

J.J, the tallest and lankiest member of the younger crew members, had a childish way about him that was endearing yet odd because of his size.

Dirk was always confused, usually wandering about the ship with a wide-eyed look of being utterly lost. The others let him be most of the time, and sometimes Wesley would assign him to a simple task. But Mordecai usually saw him sitting in some corner of the ship, knotting a piece of rope and watching the others with his eyebrows drawn. He smiled whenever he saw Jane or Beau, and seemed to almost come down to earth when around either of them. The others treated him especially gently, and Jane heard a quick rumor from Carson that he had been in an accident, that he wasn't always like this, but that's all he, or anyone else, would say.

Beau rarely came down from above decks to join the group in the galley, and when he did, he just watched and never spoke. Sometimes his eyes would un-focus but still carry his look of utter intensity. Whenever the others tried to draw him into the conversation, he would think a moment before speaking, then answer shortly and with the same amount of intense concentration with which he did everything. But the others often went to him for advice, because of his uncanny ability to focus completely on one thing and see it from every approach.

Often, the quiet and amiable Doc Damien would join them. He had a hearty laugh and told grousome stories that the boys ate up about the other places he had served as a doctor.

Alex and Wesley sometimes sat in as well. The Master Gunner told fantastic stories about his adventures before joining the crew of the Cloudcutter, and some stories about adventures had while being on the airship. These always really interested Mordecai and Jane, because sometimes the other boys would chirp in to say something or explain something because they had been there. It seemed that life on the Cloudcutter was rarely dull.

Wesley always had something sharp and sarcastic to say for every one of Alex's stories. For while they threw sparks off each other, arguing constantly, the bos'n and the Master Gunner were actually old friends, back from when they first started following Captain Jackson, years ago.

And sometimes, Quartermaster Raff would join them, when he wasn't steering the ship. Usually when he would first sit down, the conversation would quiet and the others would look nervously in his direction, until they became used to his presence. Sometimes he would talk, but he rarely told stories. He seemed to just enjoy listening, but the others would always speak carefully lest he find something to report to the Captain.

Captain Jackson never joined them. He remained sequestered in his office with his official logs and maps and wind charts, navigating their way. He poured through old books of weather documents, trying to predict where or when the next storm would be. He read Raffs reports on the condition of the ship, Wesley's reports on the condition of the crew and cargo, and Alex's reports on enemy movements in the area that he picked up on whenever they made port. Occasionally he would make a personal inspection.

He also researched ancient curses, hoping to find something about the one on himself and the music box, and now Jane as well. He knew from his study that in order to remove the necklace from Jane without killing her, he needed to wait for a full moon. In three days, the moon would be full. He waited anxiously, watching the sky, instructing Raff to keep the crew on their toes and keep their eyes open for Patrol vessels.

Sometimes he joined them for the evening meal, and it was always a big to do. But usually he ate alone, or with Raff or one of the other senior crew members.
Because of this tightened discipline on keeping watch, the crew had deduced that something had happened in the undertown, but they didn't know what. Going off of something that Andrew overheard while Raff was talking to Wesley, they discovered it had something to do with Jane. Concerned, they waited til dark to run it by Mordecai, since Brax or someone was always with Jane and they couldn't get her alone to ask her, and it was against the all-powerful unspoken rule that they stay away from her room at night.

Gunny, who was in the hammock just above Mordecai's, leaned over the edge to whisper to him what they had heard, that Jane was in some kind of trouble. The members of the crew who hadn't known this earlier reacted in pretty much the same way Mordecai did; with concern and chagrin and the immediate desire to speak to his sister. Beau advised Mordecai to wait until his watch was over that night to ask Jane what she knew, since he was the only one who could go to her room.

Mordecai watched the night with silence for a long while. Worry and anxiety seemed to fill his mind though Jane's advent could be just gossip. When he finished his watch there was nothing to report but some dark clouds far to the east. He walked down to Jane's cabin and knocked quietly, listening at the door to see if he could hear any sound. He did hear some ruffling noises inside after a few moments, so she must still be alive at least. He stood back from the door and waited until it was opened.

   Jane cracked the door open to see who it was, and she smiled when she saw that it was her brother, "Mordecai, come on in." she opened the door fully and held it open for him.

"Thanks," He said as he walked in. He waited until Jane had shut the door all the way before he began speaking."Jane, is there something wrong? Is everything alright?" He asked quickly and quietly, to be sure no one could hear through crack or door.
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:21, Sat 27 Nov 2010.

   Jane knit her eyebrows in confusion and nodded, "Yes, I'm fine. What's the problem?" she folded her arms and waited for him to speak, worried by the intensity in his voice.
This message was last edited by the player at 22:27, Sat 27 Nov 2010.

Mordecai continued: "I don't know, I had heard you were in some sort of trouble. I don't know what kind, but the senior crew seemed worried, and I have been too. Is that necklace still stuck to you?" He was a little relieved to see she did not seem to think there was a problem at the moment, but he was still a little anxious about the strange necklace.

   Jane nodded and pulled it out from under her shirt to show, "I can't undo the clasp, and its too short to pull off over my head." she paused, then looked up at him with a slightly worried, but excited expression, "But, I feel more...more!" she shook her head, "I don't know how to explain it. I have more energy, and my mind feels clearer."

Mordecai was a little puzzled by this, he believed in a totally normal world. Normal people, normal houses, normal flying boats, but magic? Mordecai found it hard to believe. "Wait, you feel more... accuity? I don't think that necklace could be clearing your head anymore than the wind in your face on this ship." Mordecai never believed any of the strange stories he'd heard as a kid about magic and monsters, but after seeing this he might just start. "Have you talked to anyone else about this? Because it is the Senior crew in particular seem to be concerned while the crew itself takes whatever your predicament may be as mere gossip. Do you think we should talk to the captain?"

   "I haven't talked to anyone else about it. Not even Brax." she frowns and leans her back against the wall, "But I don't want to take it to the Captain. He may do something drastic, or he wouldn't understand." she fiddled with the pendant around her neck and sighed, rubbing her temple to try and dispell a sudden headache.

Mordecai frowned, searching. "You haven't told anyone? I didn't even know if there was a problem yet the whole crew is talking about it, the Senior crew in particular. How could they know there is a problem if you haven't told them? Things are becoming more and more insane around us." Mordecai thought deep, if she had told no one, and he didn't know about it, there was indeed something afoul. Who could know? Wesley was always busy with Mordecai, Brax with Jane, though she had not told him. All the other senior crewmembers were always busy, they couldn't be plotting something or know anything about this by themselves. Heck, the Captain is always gone so he couldn't possibly...

The Captain.

From the first night they met, Mordecai knew there was something...different about this man, what exactly he didn't know. But it has to have something to do with Jane. Mordecai looked Jane in the eyes, a look that held fear, and determination. "Jane, go to sleep. I have something I need to do tonight." Without another word, Mordecai turned and walked out the door; closing it behind him.

   Jane's mouth was open to protest, but he was gone before she could utter a single syllable. Huffing, pulled the door open and quickly went after him, "Mordecai!"

Mordecai stopped and quickly glared back at Jane. "Shh! Quiet~! We can't be heard right now." Mordecai did not want Jane coming along, it could ruin everything. But he had to let her or she would not leave him alone. "Okay, okay, you know how the Captain is always out at night till late, or awake 'till all hours? Right? Okay, now who is always with him once he is? Raff, that's who. If anyone is plotting something, it's got to be those two. They have got to be doing it late at night when the rest of us are asleep in our beds. I intend to find out what it is they are talking about, perhaps what they could be planning. If you are going to come along, you have got to stay quiet, and lay low." Mordecai stared Jane hard in the eyes to be sure she understood what he meant to do, girls always seem to understand things the wrong way.

   Jane folded her arms, insulted that he would wonder if she had understood his meaning, "Of course." she was tempted to remind him off all the times they had slunk together, but she kept her peace. She motioned for him to go ahead in silence.

  When the two reached the door of the Captains cabin, they did indeed hear voices on the other side. Pressing their ears to the wood, they strained to listen.

 "...dangerous until the full moon," they heard the Captain saying in an explanatory tone. "If we do it at the wrong time or in the wrong way it could kill her."
  "Alright, alright, Captain." That was Raff. "We wouldn't want anything to happen to the little missy." They heard the big Quartermaster sigh and shift in his chair. "The crew is quite fond of her."
  "I know."
  "More than you know. They see her as a little sister, in some cases, more. Mordecai is a hard worker and is already well liked with the boys. If anything were to happen to either of them, or any of the crew..."
  "I know, Raff. I know. My first priority is to protect my crew. Always. But my second..."
  They heard a chair creak as Raff leaned forward. "After you're free, then what, Captain? Will things go back to the way they were before?"
  There was a long moment of silence before the Captain sighed. "I don't know. I don't think so. This has changed me too much, I think. I'll stay with the Cloudcutter, if that's what you mean. I won't go running back to Sanctaphrax with my tail between my legs."
  Raff chuckled. "No, I never meant it that way."

   Jane looked at Mordecai, her face pale. She realized that she was holding her breath, and she quielty let it out. She clenched her hands into fists, mouthing, What are they talking about?

Mordecai turned his head from the door, eyes filled with uncertainty. "I don't know, but I will wager that it has something to do with that necklace." Mordecai pressed his ear back to the door, just in time to hear shuffling sounds inside.

    "Captain?" Raff asked. "Captain?!" Real concern was in his voice. There were some scuffling and banging noises, and a loud grunt.
    "I'm fine, just... I'm fine," the Captain's voice was shaky. "It's just..." There was a heavy pause, and then quick footsteps to the door. Before Mordecai and Jane could even flinch, the door was thrown open and the Captain stood there, his long hair falling around his face in a red halo, Raff standing behind him. "Ah, so you are here," he said, looking bemused. "But the question is, for how long?"
    Raff grabbed them both and hauled them to their feet, his face red. He held them firmly in front of the Captain's door, while Captain Knight folded his arms. "Well, are you going to answer my question?"

   Jane's knees buckled under Raff's heavy hand and she grunted, "Long enough to hear that I could die." the necklace beneath her shirt felt heavy, and she looked up at Captain Jackson with a smoldering look in her eyes, "And I think that you are the one who needs to talk."

Mordecai struggled against Raff's grip in vain, the man was just too strong. Mordecai knew it was pointless to resist, but he couldn't help himself. "I know that you are up to something, and if you are going to harm my sister, I'll...I'll!-I'll tear your arms off!" Mordecai gasped as Raff let go of his collar and grabbed his neck, tightly.

     Captain Knight sighed, putting his hands on his hips. He was not as frivilously dressed as he usually was when he appeared among the crew; no colorful jacket or scarves with lacy trimmings, just a button-up white shirt, with the cuffs unbuttoned and rolled up loosly to his elbows. He wore a relativly plain pair of dress pants, black pin-striped, and brown leather loafers.
     Raff wore his usual long, dark coat, with a slick, shiny covering to keep off the rain. He half-strangled Mordecai with a touch of satisfaction; he didn't like some of the looks the boy shot him. But Mordecai could still breathe.
     The Captain regarded the brother and sister for a few moments, then sighed again. "Let's take this out on deck. I've been in my office too long; I need some fresh air." He walked past them, and Raff compelled them to follow, barely walking on their tip-toes.
     Once they were out on deck, Raff loosened his grip, moving his hands to rest heavily on their shoulders as the Captain turned to face them, the horizon behind him taking on lighter tones then the rest of the sky, preparing for dawn. A sprinkling of bright stars still shone in the deeper blue, and the moon hovered close to the opposite horizon. The ship cruised at a moderate speed over baby-blue clouds, the dark landscape featurless below. The crewman on watch, J.J., watched them from the helm with great interest. He was up there to make sure no gust of wind blew them off course, keeping an eye on the compass and the instruments. But now he was watching the odd little gathering below him.
    "Firstly, Jane," the Captain began, "I have absolutely no intention to harm you. Quite the opposite, in fact. If I understand correctly, which I'm sure I do, the night you joined our intrepid crew, you stole an item that was seemingly worthless, yes? Yet it's given you a great deal of trouble since then, I should think. You can't take it off." Gesturing to Jane's neck, he smiled kindly.

   Jane hesitated, before nodding, "Yes, thats right." Raff's heavy hand bent her shoulder down, and she looked up at the Captain, "I'm assuming that you know what it is? And how to take it off?"

Mordecai stood on his toes, hardly believing what he was hearing. Finding it slightly easier to breathe, and still all too aware of Raff's hand on his shoulder.

    The Captain reached out and gently tugged the necklace from Jane's shirt, holding the pendant in his hand. In the shape of a flower with long, flowing petals, it was surprisingly heavy, and made of the same dark, pitted metal the heart trinket was. Tiny lines spread from the knot at the center of the flower, flowing in hundreds of tiny grooves out to the egdes of the petals. Like the heart, at first glance it wasn't much, but once you looked closer, you saw it was an intricatly carved thing of beauty.
    "Jane," the Captain said gently, raising his gaze to meet hers, "I want you to listen and try to stay calm. You too, Mordecai. This necklace is part of a curse, one that has followed me for years. It is a key to breaking it. There are four, and this is the third. Tomorrow night when there is a full moon, I will be able to take it off, and the curse will be that much closer to being broken." Sighing, he let go of the neckace and straightened up. "It was more than just coincedence that led you two to my vessel that night. I think the curse is guiding us somehow, bringing all the peices together for a chance at ending it." He shook his head. "But I'm running out of time."

   Jane inhaled shakily, alarmed that what she was wearing was cursed. She tried to still her beating heart, and tried to shrug her way out from under Raff's steal grip, "A curse? Figures that I would be the one to pick it up." she pauses, hesitating before speaking, "You're certain that it will come off tomorrow?"

   The Captain nodded. "Tomorrow night at midnight, during the full moon. Yes, that is when it is safest to take it off. If it was forcably removed, it would take your life as the energy it needs to make a transformation. If we do it at the right time and with the right circumstances, it will take enegry from me instead, but since I won't be wearing the necklace, I won't die." He gave an odd, lop-sided smile at that, his expression bitter. "The curse won't allow me to, anyway." Then he laughed. "You're so tiny, it'll probably only tickle."
   Jane and Mordecai felt Raff's grip tighten on their shoulders, but he said nothing.

   Jane flinched under Raff's grip, and felt worry creep up her spine. She laughed nervously, and it quickly died, "Big night tonight then." she cleared her throat, eager to get her shaking hands busy with work, "I think I'd better go get breakfast ready..." she reached up and tried to take Raff's hand from her shoulder.

Mordecai sat in Raff's grip, embarrassed and ashamed. He had been used to not trusting anyone after his father died, but he shall have to trust again. He felt a little awkward about his earlier accusation, and hoped he didn't have to swap the deck fifty times the next morning. Shifting under Raff's hand, Mordecai felt a sheepish grin of relief spread across his face despite his attempts to stifle it. "Well...um...Sorry Captain, just thought you were trying to kill my sister." The look that Captain Jackson gave Mordecai killed every hope of his talking his way out of swabbing the deck later. Mordecai nodded and shrugged out from under Raff's grip. "Pardon me Cap'n, Good night Cap'n." Mordecai shuffled away quickly with his head down, trying his best to stifle his outrage at being so horribly wrong and for being so humiliated. Without a glance or word to Jane, he made his way to the lower decks and right to his bunk.

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