STEAM LONDON: Realms of Aether Game Thread

[Duellist]

Leyton took the chance to speak to Dreyfuss when he could.  The Englishman had been quiet and slightly withdrawn of late, but seemingly comfortable in his silence.  He approached Dreyfuss to break it.

"That was a most singular performance.  It is quite antithetical to my kind to show such emotion, we are taught at too young an age how to subsume such visible displays, but I am glad that I could bear witness.  A friend of mine, a career officer in Her Majesty's Armies, once said that it is for the poets and the dreamers that he would fight and die.  I think I begin to understand him now..."

With that, Leyton fell silent once more, thoughts turned back to his own mind where he seemed most at peace.

[Nigel Wetherby]

Sigmund knew this girl must have posessed some sort of magic. If she could get Leyton to feel some sort of emotion outside of stoic collectiveness, her gift must be powerful indeed.
Curios, sigmund turned to Helena.
"Helena, what do you think is your song?"
The question seemed to bear an insurmountable gravity about it. Sigmund wondered if it was the right thing to ask.

[Stella Gaslight]

Helena traced the clasp of her overalls with a finger thinking. "Something with flying, falling and getting right back up again.  Something like a rock on the shore, persistently pounded by waves but enduring.  I doubt it would be as pretty as yours."

Noon bells started to toll all over the city.  "I hate to say this Patrick but we had better get going.  Mahon insisted that our reprieves had to be short and I get the feeling he is right." Emma frowned a little, she was nervous about going in to another world but nothing could be as bad as the last one, right?

[Nigel Wetherby]

"Wait! Before ye go, Lemme give ye a little somethin'." Patrick reached deep into a pencil-worn desk that had once been laquered to a mirror shine. He drew from this desk a thin, white card that seemed to pulsate and move with a life of its own.
"I lifted this off that crazy englishman that wanted Trip hung when we knocked him out a few years back. Tha little bar on it says it only has one trip back and forth left. Me maker-files have identified that it's a temporal displacer, a sort of time travel device."
He placed it in Emma's hands. "Give this ta someone ye trust, should somethin' happen to ye or someone else, use it ta yer full advantage."

[Duellist]

Leyton glanced at the woman's mention of Mahon.  He was certain that he recognised the being's nature, but the sense of urgency was unlike the specimens that he had met before.

"Unless I miss my guess," he opined, "this 'Mahon' creature's kind is not known for thinking in the short term.  If he thinks that our task is urgent, I fear that time is very short indeed."

[Stella Gaslight]

Emma hugged him with a smile. "Thank you Patrick. I hope we never have to use it. Cain, Angel it is time to go."

"But the music." Angel said with a little bit of a pout.

"You can always come back and play with Anna if that is alright with her." Emma couldn't help smiling at her.

Anna nodded and placed a hand on her shoulder.  "I will be here when you get back."

"Let's not keep the horses waiting."  Angel's face lit up a bit, she had forgotten about the horses.

"Bye Anna, We will play again soon."  The girl looked a bit confused by the hug at first but then she returned it.

[Nigel Wetherby]

As they left, sigmund turned to Anna and wondered how her song would continue. He hoped that it would hold many happy refrains and verses. With that thought he left to the sight of Angel, wrapping her wispy arms around a rarther confused looking horse. Cain seemed to be apologizing to the coach for his love's distraction of their only means of conveyance and his livlelyhood. Sigmund could only chuckle as Madame Arachne gently took Angel's hand and lead her reluctantly onto the cart.

[MWBailey]

Dreyfuss turned to Anna, and said, "I hope I didnt scare you, Miss Anna; I guess that my life so far has been a bit violent compared to most others; I feel that I owe you at least one more song. Might I bring my banjo another day, perhaps when we return from this voyage? Perhaps we can make a happier music, then."
---------------------------------------
Esmeralda promised that she would learn the mundane, as well as the arcane, ways of doing things, adn 'Lotta promised to help her to find the right ways to do those things.
"if you need help figuring out how a way to do something of your own to work the iron or whatever material, and no one else knows, go look it up in the Library; or send word to me, I might know a trick or two, Dreyfuss offered.
----------------------------------------
"Patrick, when Robert reaches the level at which he can reforge the sword, please send word, if it's not too much trouble," Dreyfuss asked. He had always intended to rework that hilt and guard, and the quillion-to-tang transition on the blade was too abrupt. But maybe it'd be better to let Robert work all that out for himself, Dreyfuss thought.
----------------------------------------
Thank you, Leyton. I do not usually put that much of myself on display, but Miss anna's Art is most compelling. I hope I have a chance to play and sing with her again, and to hopefully give her a happier memory to remember me by...

[Stella Gaslight]

"I will look forward to that Mr. Dreyfus."  Anna said as the light framed the seen transforming her in to a delicate silhouette, fusing girl and piano in to one marvelous creature.

Angel talked the whole ride back to the lab about that they should buy a horse but Cain stopped her cold by asking where the horse would sleep.  She was now contemplating where she could make a bedroom for a horse.  Cain knew that she was plotting something but everyone else riding with them was grateful for the silence.

They made it back just as the final check on the alterations was completed.  Both ships were ready to go as soon as their crews were.

[MWBailey]

Dreyfuss stepped down corm teh hansom and lent his hand to Madame Arachne and  Miss Nadya, adn then went with the others through the close  adn into the Dock. A TEchnician apparoached Emma, and reported that both ships were restocked and ready, adn then handed Dreyfuss a scented envelope, pink vellum with silver handwriting, "This Came for you while you were out, sir."

"Thanks, Carnaby," Dreyfuss said, and inhaled teh perfume," ah. yes, it's from Mariana. He opened it and unfolded the letter, and read the contents, his expression only changing a little; it was almost unnoticeable, but it was almost as if his complection turned half a shade darker for just a moment. He scrubbed his fist under his nose, cleared his throat twice, and  said, "Well. Best be getting to teh ships. Aether us when you are ready, Miss emma, I'll send to Capn Ishmael to start and idle the reciprocators," he took out the watch and did as he said. His voice, almost unnoticeably, had risen just a fraction higher than normal.

Squeezing out the message to Captain Ishmael, Deyfuss strode down the dock toward te St. Elmo. He decided then and there to relocate his quarters to the Cabin just outside the Steering Room, on the Port side; that way, he would be close by to handle any problems that might occur.

He gathered up his few belongings (most of teh cabins and staterooms were permanently furnished, even if only with a built in table or desk adn a single chair, to be hung from a hook when not in use, just in case of turbulence or wild maneuvering; the only exceptions were the multiple-occupant bunk rooms, which had three built-in desks along the walls. He would take whatever furniture was in that forward cabin and make do.

He thumbed the switch on the newly-installed "sqawk-box," and said,  "Captain Ishmael?"
"Ishmael here, Sir. message received and we are Idling."
"Good, good... Cap'n, Is anyone currently using the forward-most forecastle cabin on  the port side, just outside th esteering room?"
"No, commodore; I'm on the starboard side, We'll be neighbors.
"All right, then. Let me get the rest of my things, and I will be right there."
Dreyfuss retrieved his Banjo from the officer's mess, and the coilguns and extra powder, shot, cartridges, and waddings an dpatches, and put them all in the possibles bag; Then, he left, just as Madame Arachne came in through the embarkation/debarkation port, a bemused-looking Miss Nadya in tow,

Madame, you and Miss Nadya have the pick of My former Stateroom, there, the corner Stateroom on the port side, over that way, and this one small cabin here behind me,"he said, indicating the cabin across the Em De corridor from what was his cabin, next to the Women's Head. "To clarify, here's a floorplan, or map, of the inside of the boat portion of the ship; the rooms with your names question marks are the rooms I felt to be least likely to put you in harms way. 

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

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Trade rooms, share them, switch them, whichever you choose, but please be sure to tell me when you've made your choices, so that I can enter them on the Master Map, which will be posted in the Enlisted Mess, which will probably become the standard Mess and Meeting room for everyone, officers, enlisted crew, passengers, Scientific Personnel, whatever. For now, find a room, and a bed to strap your selves into, just in case Miss Emma's modifications didnt smooth the ride as much as we hope and pray they did. I'm not joking, Ladies, it was a hellish ride the first time. Luckily, Airship travel is not usually like that. It mightget hairy from time to time, as the Elmo is one of the more maneuverable airships I've ever mastered, and she has the full set of Dogfighting controls that are standard in all modern War Zeppelins.

Miss Nadya, you are, and count as an officer, approximately a Junior Grade Leiutenant, and yourself Madame Arachne... The ship's doctor or surgeon is usually at least a commander or a captain; I'd say, with your years of experience, probably a captain.

Sick bay will have one of these ship's address boxes in it, Madame. Simply flick the switch here, to teh side, like so. then speak in a normal-to-loud voice for whomever you wish to speak to. I'll deliver or send along a book of codes and signals when I can locate it. Please, Madame, I know yo are used to keeping things neat, but I ask anyway, please be so with the bottled medicines and supplies; this being a hunter-type ship, it tends to do just that, and it can sometimes make sudden turns and receive sudden knocks that will throw any unsecured items to the floor. Now, if you will excuse me, I must take my things to forecastle and move into my "new" cabin.

[Duellist]

Leyton waited a moment, one eyebrow seeming to have crept above its twin, as though seeing if Dreyfuss would continue or perhaps start singing again.

"Commodore; in lieu of any definite purpose, should I assume that you would be best served by my waiting quietly in the Officer's Mess of the St Elmo?"

Knowing how peevish those words might sound, Leyton was careful to keep his tone friendly and self-deprecating more than strictly respectful.  He had not yet found a role on the ship beyond keeping new-found guests from dying and felt somewhat awkward as he waited for his fate to become clear.  And this was ignoring the strange and most-likely mistranslated prophecy that brought him here...

[Nigel Wetherby]

Madame Arachne made sure of the preparedness of the Saint Elmo. Despite her flirtatious nature, she was terribly efficient with running something as intricate as the airship. One would expect that from the owner of a Bordello. The bionic woman seemed to posess the uncanny ability to know where everyone was at any time.
"Very well then, is everything ship-shape then lads?"

Sigmund ran his last checks on the guns of the Boheme, calibrating the targeting sights and prepulsion manifolds with military precision. He found himself humming his song absentmindedly as he worked. The song seemed to fine-tune his concentration to a razor's edge.

Cain was doing his best to stave off Angel's seemingly inevitable aquisition of a horse. Until that is, salvation came in the form of a lazy, black commodore cat.
"If you get a horse, that would probably really upset sweets! Poor sweets, having to compete with a giant horse!"
He thanked the feline in his mind, whi seemed oblivious to the conversation, hapilly batting at an unseen mote of air.

[MWBailey]

"Why, no, Mr. Leighton. you may proceed to your stateroom, and strap yourself into the bed there. I mean no disrespect or jibe, its just that i would prefer that you keep yourself safe and as comfortable as possible, just in case we come through to another ambush, or have to maneuver tightly again." Dreyfuss Handed Leyton a copy of the ship's map, adn showed leyton that he was assigned the stateroom next to the officer's Mess.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

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"Teh Enlisted Persoonel's Mess will likely become the MEss for all, in order to have a common meeting and relaxing place for everyone on board."

"I am giving Madame Arachne and Miss Nadya a choice of several rooms, so that they may figure out where they would be most secure in relation to the other members of the crew." Most others have either made their choices or had them made for them. Being esentially an officer, Mr Leyton, you may of course choose a different cabin or stateroom, as long as that choice does not conflict with anyone else's.

[Stella Gaslight]

"Well I wouldn't want to make Sweets sad."  Angel petted her and the tentacles on her back rose up to get more loving.  "Good kitty, maybe sometime I will find a little horse and you can be friends."  

Emma was at the controls, this time she had rigged a kind of swing seat to keep her upright during travel between worlds. "Everyone brace yourselves because here we go."  She hit the big blue button and the pressure came back but it was muted this time.  The ball lightning was back, some of them burst with loud pops and bright flashes of light.  Emma was blinking the after image of a burst from her eyes when she saw the new world stretched out before them.

Buildings seemed to stretch up and up forever and instead of streets between them their was a forest that wound between them.  This world didn't seem hostile at all instead it it was calm. The buildings were full of big bright windows and balconies and Emma had to admit they looked like comfortable places to live.  She caught a look at one of the occupants of the building and was very surprised.

"Cain look kitty people."  and she was right the buildings seemed to be inhabited by people with cat heads and strange paw hybrid hands.  They looked at the ships with the same gentle curiosity that the crew was expressing.  They even waved back at Angel.

[MWBailey]

Dreyfuss happened to glance out of a window just after the jump, and just before he reported to the bridge, and saw the incredible buildings all around them. He walked over and flicked the switch on the squawk box and said "captain, run in all guns except the two forward, two 'midships, and one rear."
"Aye Sir. All run in or out as instructed, commodore."
"Very well, Captain.I will be there momentarily. Dreyfuss Out." He punched the 'Ship Address' Button, and said. All Hands, Normal stance. I repeat, all hands normal stance. You may exit your beds."
He exited his cabin, opened the door  to the steering room , walked in, closed the door, and strode over to the helm.
"Afternoon, Captain."
"Sir."
Dreyfuss Switched on the Aetheric Proximatized Scanner , and looked at the buildings according to the manner in which the ambient aether, and that carried along and generated by the ship interacted and moved in , around, and through the buildings and ships. He saw nothing untoward, unless it were the odd way that the buildings appeared, in the sphere of the display, to arc and spark whenever one of their ships came within about 70 feet or less of them. He aethered Emma about the odd effect, invisible to the naked eye.

"They seem to be reacting in the same way as two oppositely-charged  bodies might do," he said.

Dreyfuss changed the view to a much-larger one, whre teh St. Elmo was a small fish-shape in the midst of an impossibly-straight-trunked kelp forest. Thus, he was the first to see teh ornithopters coming in from above an dbehind them. At first, he thought they were birds, but then he noticed that figures were standing or sitting inside of them. "Miss Emma, Dreyfuss here, we seem to have an incoming flight of what seem to be wing-beat ornithopters descending on us from behind. They do not appear to be armed, and their descent does not appear to be precipitous, but I advise caution nonetheless.

[Stella Gaslight]

"I don't think they mean any harm, perhaps we should try and speak with them."  Emma said watching the crafts bob and weave through the buildings.

[MWBailey]

Dreyfuss turned on and adjusted teh valve board that allowed the ship's military-standard aetherphone to scan, send, and receive on all frequencies, adjusting the knobs and switch pattersn s for each main channel, until he found what sounded like intership chatter; EH picked up th e handset, flicked back to their mission frequency and said, "Miss Emma, Dreyfuss here, check frequency..."

He counted back through the dials and switches and tallied up the alphanumeric setting, and said "one eff zero niner fife six zee em dee twenty-one (1F0956ZMD21)"He listened for a few minutes, then said, "if you listen hard,you can hear teh same noises of the forest through and behind their transmissions; blamed if I can understand a word of it... it seems to be spread across a spectrum range of about ten subfrequencies...wait, maybe Angel knows the lingo, it does sound familiar to me, but somethings not sounding right..."

[Nigel Wetherby]

Madame Arachne couldnt help but leap back at the sight of a street full of people with furry faces and pointed ears. She had been to meetings of folk like this who wore animal hides and pretended to be all manner of beast, but these...creatures seemed fully legitamate! It was quite a shock!

Sweets mewled urgently, pawing the glass of a porthole as Angel cradled her in her arms. Cain wondered how these people might react to perhaps one of their Genetic progenitors.

Sigmund was far too busy admiring the colors to notice the locals. Every bright pastel seemed to leap out at him. It was as if he had come to a land within an oil painting!

[MWBailey]

The Bridge Squawk box buzzed urgently, and Dreyfuss saved the Captain the trouble of deling with both it and the thickening traffic around the two airships as they seemed to move closer to a central area.

Dreyfuss here, go ahead.
"Commodore?!" The Marine leiutenant seemed to be still somewhat in awe of Dreyfuss, who found the reaction amusing. Teh Leiutenant forged ahead, "Sir, request Permission to Exercise the men; I propose Running and Calesthenics around teh gun deck until 1400 hours--" Nadya's voice cut in, "Commodore Dreyfuss, could I run and do exercises with them? I need to stay in shape; oh, and I've chosen Forecastle Cabin #3."

Dreyfuss put down the handset and laughed, shook his head, and then swore, "By Jupiter's Red Spot, she's a pistol." HE could just hear her sultry voice (not yet as sultry as Madame Arachne's, but coming youthfully close) echoing all over the Engineering deck, causing every male within eaershot to either faint or cheer enthusiastically, and he wondered if she realized that she had put herself on the same deck with himself and Captain Ishmael; considering her earlier advances, she probably had.  she had chosen . Captain Ishmael grinned. Dreyfuss picked up the handset again, flicked the receiver on, and said, "All right, Leiutenent, go ahead and run 'em, but not too hard, we might have need of you and yours in a bit. And Miss Zarate, please don't run 'em ragged." he clicked off , and heard Nadya reply "Aye Commodore, Zarate out," laughter sparkling behind every word.

[Stella Gaslight]

Helena was amazed, this truely felt like an entirely alien world. Below them the green was lush and they could smell the fresh warm air rising up from it.  It was like odd strips of paradise in the middle of the biggest city she had ever seen.  

Emma listened to the noise over the transmitter carefully. As she listened a strange scratchiness formed in her throat, she recognized it as the same feeling she got when she spoke to the wyrms.  "I think I may be able to speak to them." Emma flipped on the outside speaker horns and a yowling rose out of deep within her chest.  She asked them why they were gathering around the ships and they replied.  "Dreyfuss they are taking us to a safe landing spot.  They need our help one of their buildings has gone mad and they can't get their people out."

[Nigel Wetherby]

"A mad building? That's a bit unorthodox..." Cain thought aloud, contemplating the idea of a gigantic structure clothed in a straightjacket. The idea made him chuckle. Sigmund picked up to the image and snickered very lightly under his breath.
"Perhaps this Is a world with Kitty Cain." The construct pondered, stroking his chin.

[Stella Gaslight]

"I think the buildings care for the occupants and communicate with the other buildings.  They keep using a word that sort of translates like our word bee hive but I think I am losing something in the conversion.  They say the building has two minds now, it is fighting itself.  The other mind has been babbling about flying and they think we must know something that can help from showing up in the sky like this."  Emma was frustrated she was only scratching the surface of what the words meant.  The translation was nothing compared to the ones George use to do for her.  They were led to an odd open courtyard in the middle of a building and told to land.

[Nigel Wetherby]

Sigmund looked up at the seemingly intellegent structure. After meeting sentient constructs, the idea of a supposedly inan imate thing having thoughts and emotions was not entirely unfounded.
"Maybe I can help. I can sense thought, and I have experience dealing with collective mindsets. I should be able to provide us with some sort of solution once I assess the situation."
"He has a point." Cain stated "But there is a fine line between having experience with a hive-mind and being controlled by one."
"Don't doubt me. I managed to muscle through the queen's influence long enough to get here didn't I?"

[Stella Gaslight]

Inside the building was lush green parkland and several small air docks. The air was sweet with the perfume of spring flowers.  Angel ran down the gangplank Sweets still in her arms.  "I like it here Cain."  Curious cat people made a small group near the ships and looked at their guests. They were dressed in light spring clothes with subtle alterations for their anatomy. Emma met a sleek looking black female cat person and they talked for some time   "Try it Sigmund but be careful.  They say interfacing with it in this state is dangerous"   Angel had wandered off and was playing hopscotch with some of the children, some things were universal.

[T.Taylor the Third]

Trip talked emma before she left the ship "emma" he said his eyes watering and his eyes slightly puffy "did i ever tell you i was allergic to cats? i think sweets is an exeption, being part cold one...so  i am going to go lock myself in my room withmy eheater and poor water over the heating parts so i can have a nice opening sona. ok?"