Steel Magic

Depending on what direction Whitney points the farsight she'll see the town they just came from, the ocean, and people going about their business in the city. When Whitney looks in the direction in Penbrove she will notice that buildings that should obstruct her view only do so for a few seconds before becoming almost invisible to the eye. Another thing Whitney will notice is that Heloise's and Artellen's fade out just a little and she can hear the sounds of what she is looking at. The sound of the ocean waves, a fisherman shouting out orders to his crew, and the conversation of two people standing outside what appears to be a flower shop, and more. Though the sounds seemed a bit muffled. If Whitney plays around with the farsight enough and isn't hesitant about touching the various nobs she will find she can zoom the sight in and out.

While Whitney is occupied with the farsight Artellen and Heloise continue with their conversation.

"We seek an audience with Prince Tray on behalf of Queen Lola. I'm afraid that's all that I can tell you," Artellen said.

"Really? How are you getting to the capital?" Heloise asked.

"We're not quite sure yet..."

"Well, it just so happens that I am heading to the capital tomorrow if you want to ride on my airship. It will be a lot cheaper than riding a public one," Heloise hands Artellen a small piece of paper, "This is the address of my business. Drop by before noon tomorrow if you want to come."

"What do you think?" Heloise directed her question at Whitney.

Whit spends a while fiddling around with the farsight. It was a ton cooler than the telescope she had mistaken it for earlier. She was surprised as she began to see through buildings and hear muffled conversations that were miles away.

Whit handed the farsight back to Heloise, "I've seen something similar to it before but yours is much better!"

Whit thought back to her recently returned memory of Tray's airship. Was it just a coincidence that this memory was returned to her just before they were offered a ride aboard an airship?

She wanted to give Heloise a definite "Yes!" but hesitated. Who wouldn't want to ride in an airship? In a lower voice, Whit asks Artellen, "How about it? How much money do we have left?"

Heloise grinned, pleased with Whitney's response.

"How about it? How much money do we have left?"

"I don't see why not," Artellen took a moment to count the money up in his head, "I think I have only 7 griffs and 2 igles left, plus whatever you have." -Artellen studied the business card Heloise had given to him before saying- "We would love to come with you."

"Great! If you come by earlier to help get ready for take off I'll knock the price down even more. How does 3 griffs sound?"

"That sounds reasonable enough. We have a few things we need to take care of, but we'll see you tomorrow morning."

Heloise waved goodbye as Artellen and Whitney head into the city.



Penbrove looked to be a city of the old and the new mixed together. Some of the buildings looked similar to ones she had seen in Minst, with the exception that they were much taller. Though, steel buildings and skyscrapers were scattered here and there. If Whitney looks up into the sky she will see airships. They look a little different from the airship she met Tray in, but they were similar: they glided through the skies silently and gracefully.

"We don't have a lot of money left, so what do you think we should spend it on?" Artellen said stopping at a street that was lined with shops.

At a corner not too far from where they're standing a girl is holding a basket of cut flowers. More baskets are lined up against the wall. She is asking people passing by if they want to buy a flower.

Whit took a few moments to admire the city of Penbrove. It was weird to see the quaint little buildings next to large steel skyscrapers. The airships were also very cool. A though occurred to her.

"Do the airships work by magic or technology?" she asked Artellen.

"We don't have a lot of money left, so what do you think we should spend it on?" Artellen said stopping at a street that was lined with shops.

"I'm not sure. Will they have food on the airships or will we need to provide that? If we had some blankets, we could sleep outside and that would save us on a place to sleep. I'm not sure what else we'll need."

At a corner not too far from where they're standing a girl is holding a basket of cut flowers. More baskets are lined up against the wall. She is asking people passing by if they want to buy a flower.

Knowing that they really have money to spare, Whit tries to avoid the girl. She always got guilted into buying stuff like that.

"I've never been on an airship, but they might have food. Though we should get something to eat before then. It looks like there's plenty to choose from. Do you have any preferences?"

Nearby there are several street vendors, selling all kinds of food: meat on sticks, dumplings, and food that Whitney has never seen before. Also, there are several sit-down restaurants, some more expensive looking than others.

Whit looked around and did her best to stick with what was cheap and things that they could take with them. She bought several of the dumplings to get them through the rest of today and then some things they could carry with them on the ship like jerky, crackers and a water bottle. She really hoped that the money they were going to pay to board the airship also included meals.

"Well we should probably find a place to sleep for the night. We don't want to oversleep and miss our flight." she told Artellen.

To speed things up Whitney and Artellen find a place to stay for the night. Their remaining money combined is 6 griffs and 5 igles. They are now standing outside Heloise's shop. The sign above the door says "Kurona Hana" in black calligraphic lettering. If Whitney or Artellen examine the business card they will find it's written in the same style as the sign.

The door to the shop opens, "You made it! Come on in!"

Heloise motions Whitney and Artellen inside. The shelves in the shop are filled with all kinds of odds and ends. Behind the counter of the shop glass walls look out to a courtyard where an airship sits.



http://th09.deviantart.net/fs15/PRE/f/2007/097/0/b/fusionPUNK_airship_FinalClay_by_kheng.jpg

Whit follows Heloise into the shop and glances briefly at the different items until she saw the airship. She didn't know quite what she had expected but she was surprised and a little nervous.

How exactly is that thing going to get off the ground? Whit had grown a little more accustomed to the way that magic worked. It did things that she couldn't explain but because it was magic it made sense. She found herself more wary of this man-made device. It didn't look as safe as the planes they had back home. She kept her thoughts to herself though.

"We still have a lot of cargo left to load, but if you'll help it'll go a lot faster."

"Of course," Artellen follows Heloise through a glass door behind the counter out to the courtyard.

If Whitney looks closer she will see that there isn't actually a door. The glass seems to turn to liquid and open a space just big enough for them to pass through and resumes its shape once they are clear of it.

The sun is still low in the sky, but it provides enough light. The airship sits in the middle of the courtyard which is big enough to accommodated another airship the same size. Crates of various sizes that are labeled "Kurona Hana" are stacked all around the courtyard. There are a few people working on moving the crates into the airship.

"Just follow everyone else and put the crates in the cargo bay. I need to do some routine checks before takeoff."

Instead of taking the ramp at the back of the ship where people were taking the crates, Heloise went to the front of the ship. She punched a code into a keypad and a door opened revealing the inside of what seemed to be an elevator. Heloise waves as the doors close. If Whitney looks up she will now see Heloise through the windows of the deck or cockpit, whichever Whitney thinks of.

If Whitney looks closer she will see that there isn't actually a door. The glass seems to turn to liquid and open a space just big enough for them to pass through and resumes its shape once they are clear of it.

Intrigued by the door, Whitney tries to touch the strange material just to see what would happen.

Assuming nothing too crazy happens, Whitney will help load boxes into the cargo area (assuming she can lift them). She examines the airship more closely as she does so.

Her fingers come in contact with the glass-like material, then it parts and allows her to pass through.

The jet is as long as a jumbo jet (the kind you would take for international flights) but has more width and height to it, suggesting more levels. Through the windows closest to the ground she can see people moving about on the airship.

Whitney can lift a majority of the boxes, though there are some that are too heavy. On her first attempt to lift one of those that are too heavy a tall, muscular man with black hair takes it from her.

"Allow me," his voice was a deep baritone.

Whitney may notice a tattoo on his forearm.

Whit played with the cool door for a few moments before going to help with the boxes.

She was impressed with the sheer size of the airship. The plane she'd taken to the Philippines had been huge but somehow this thing was even bigger. How on earth do things that heavy ever get airborne? she thought to herself.

Whit allows the man to take the heavy box. She wasn't one to kid herself. She'd never had much arm strength and it was better to let someone help than to try and do it herself.

"Thanks," she told him glancing briefly at the tattoo on his arm. She didn't stare but she grew up in Utah there weren't comparatively a lot of tattoos so she tended to notice them when she saw them.

She moved to pick up a box that she could actually lift.

The tattoo is on the man's forearm, so she doesn't get a good look at it. But she can tell that it is black with lots of swirls.

After about a half hour the cargo is all loaded. Some of the crew enter the ship through the back of the ship before the ramp is hauled in and the doors closed. The rest of the crew proceed to a lift located in the middle of the ship. When the doors open, Heloise walks out. While the rest of the crew files into the lift Heloise waves Whitney and Artellen over.

"Thanks so much for helping out. We're about ready to take off now."

Artellen counts out the amount they had agreed on and hands it to her, "We would be glad to help out with anything else."

"No need. Just enjoy the flight. And feel free to explore the ship if you would like."

As soon as Whitney, Artellen, and the rest of the crew members are on the lift Heloise pushes a button to close the doors. There are other buttons next to it: Open, Engine Level, Staff Level, General Passengers Level, Priority Passengers Level, Lounge Level, Pilot Level. Heloise pushes Engine Level, Priority Passengers Level, and Pilot Level.

"I built this airship for a major company based in the capital. They liked my design, so I agreed to build them one. If they how it turned out then my business will be contracted to build and design airships for them. You guys get to be the first ones to ride on it as passengers."

The lift stopped at Engine Level and all but Heloise, Whitney, and Artellen got off. When the doors closed again Artellen said, "I've never seen anything like it in my life."

"You should see the cruise airships that the company I'm trying to get a contract with flies. Now those are impressive."

"You guys get to be the first ones to ride on it as passengers."

I'm not quite sure I like being a test subject...hopefully they tested it a lot before the passenger stage...

"You should see the cruise airships that the company I'm trying to get a contract with flies. Now those are impressive."

"How are those airships different than yours? This is my first time ever seeing one up close let alone riding in one." Whit said to Helloise.

"They're massive, some big enough they could fit an entire city on board. Then there is also the fact that they run entirely on magic. You can't find airships like that anymore and I'm amazed that they're still being run."

The lift pinged and the doors opened to a room that was roughly the size of a ballroom. There were seats not unlike first-class passenger airplane seats; roomy and made for comfort. In the middle of the room there was a bar where passengers could enjoy a light meal if they wanted.

"This is your stop, unless you want to come up and see The flight deck," Heloise said.

"I think I'll get off here," Artellen stepped of the lift, "Thank you for your hospitality thus far."

Artellen waits to see what Whitney will do.

Whit tried to imagine an airship big enough to hold an entire city. Her mind couldn't quite comprehend it. It also sounded like these ships were older. She wondered if magical advances were anything like technological advances. It seemed logical that if they could make something, big enough to hold a city, fly then they should still be able to today right? But then Heloise had said they were getting harder to find. Hmm... she thought.

The lift pinged and the doors opened to a room that was roughly the size of a ballroom. There were seats not unlike first-class passenger airplane seats; roomy and made for comfort. In the middle of the room there was a bar where passengers could enjoy a light meal if they wanted.

"This is your stop, unless you want to come up and see The flight deck," Heloise said.

The ballroom was intriguing but it seemed likely that most of their journey would be spent there and she would have time to explore it later. This might, however, be her only chance to see the flight deck.

"I think I'd like to go with Heloise, if that's alright," she told Artellen.

"Alright, I am going to rest for a bit. I'll be here if you need me."

Artellan stepped off the lift and nodded good-bye as the doors were closing. The elevator pinged once it reached the last stopped. The doors opened to the flight deck; glass covered all sides of the room which gave a 360 degree view of the outside surroundings and there were several stations throughout the room with one in the middle. Each had computer screens, except they were nothing like Whitney had seen before except in movies. These screens had the appearance of holographic protections that you would only see in science fiction films. The people at the stations each seemed to be doing their own task and reporting to others important information.

Heloise stepped off the lift and walked to the station in the middle.

"Oy! Jovan! Are we ready to take off?"

"Just about," Jovan happened to glance at Whitney and he gave her a puzzled expression.

Whit let out a soft gasp of surprise. She was surprised. Her experiences in this crazy place so far had seemed much more underdeveloped than her own world. This machine, however, was something else.

She eyed the glass windows, trying to imagine how incredible the view must be when the craft was airborne. Her eyes fell next upon the computer stations. She had a strong impulse to go and try to touch one of the holograms - they were so detailed - but she suppressed the urge.

Heloise stepped off the lift and walked to the station in the middle.

Whit followed her off the lift but wasn't quite sure where to situate herself. She stayed off to the side and tried to stay out of the way.

"Oy! Jovan! Are we ready to take off?"

"Just about," Jovan happened to glance at Whitney and he gave her a puzzled expression.

Whit met Jovan's eyes for a moment and then busied herself by looking around some more.

Heloise jumped in, "This is Whitney, Jovan, she and her friend were looking to go to the capital so I offered them a ride."

Jovan approached Whitney, took her by the hand and bowed, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Whitney."

If Whitney is observant she will notice the beginning of a tattoo on the underside of his wrist when the cuff of his sleeve shifts a little.

He let go of her hand, "I hope you enjoy your stay. I worked closely with Heloise as she designed this ship."

"Jovan, everything is ready for take off," a woman sitting at a nearby console reported.

"Excuse me," he said to Whitney and went to stand by Heloise.

He shouted out orders to each person sitting at a console. Heloise began tapping the hologram in front of her. The ship began rising into the sky and if there was any noise from the engine Whitney couldn't hear it. If she looked out the window down at the city, it would appear to grow smaller and smaller as they rose straight into the air. The clouds seemed to descend upon them, then the ship broke through the clouds.



A big smile spread across Heloise's face, "I can't believe we finally did it. I mean, we built this."

"You did a great job Heloise. There is no doubt they will sign you on as a designer. Enjoy your first flight as captain of this ship," Jovan gave Whitney a sideways glance then walked off towards the lift.



He pushed the button to summon it and didn't hesitate to step in once the doors had opened. The doors closed and he was gone.

Whit allowed Jovan to take her hand but felt awkward when he bowed.

"Nice to meet you too." she replied glimpsing the tatoo as she spoke. It seemed to spark a memory within her but she couldn't quite place it. (In other words, I think I remember seeing another tatoo but I can't remember the circumstances involved and so Whit doesn't get to remember either.)

He shouted out orders to each person sitting at a console. Heloise began tapping the hologram in front of her. The ship began rising into the sky and if there was any noise from the engine Whitney couldn't hear it. If she looked out the window down at the city, it would appear to grow smaller and smaller as they rose straight into the air. The clouds seemed to descend upon them, then the ship broke through the clouds.

Whit felt her heart flutter and drop into her stomach as the ship lifted off of the ground. She regretted her decision to stand near the window as it gave her a very clear view of the growing distance between the ship and the ground. She tried to busy herself by watching the people at their stations until the ship had cleared the cloud line and she could no longer see the ground. The clouds gave her a sense of false security and somehow it didn't seem like they were as high as they really were.

Whit was so preoccupied with these thoughts that she almost missed Jovan's exit entirely, catching only a glimpse of him before the lift doors closed.

((Ba ba BA. Who is Joven?? another suitor for Whit???!!)

((Perhaps..but you'll have to wait and see!)) -Alyssa

"Isn't it wonderful, Whitney?" Heloise tapped a few things on her panel before walking over to Whitney.

"I'm going to have to stay up here for most of the flight, but what do you say about you, Artellen, and I having dinner together? In the meantime you can take a look around the ship or whatever you like."

Whit smiled at Heloise and nodded, "Dinner would be great! I think I will take that look around now though."

Whit headed back to the lift and hit a button at random. She was ready for some exploring.

Whitney hits the button that reads Lounge. The doors open to a room filled with comfy looking chairs and couches all arranged around small coffee tables. There are also some facing the glass walls that look out into the seemingly endless blanket of clouds. Bars are dotted throughout the room where passengers could order drinks. At the opposite end of the room from Whitney are a set of double doors. One of them is ajar, but Whitney can't tell where it leads.