"STEAM LONDON" Game Thread

[MWBailey]

Captain Mondragon and the multinational aid party made it to teh palace and the entrance to the queen's chamber, just as the crew of the Boheme began to realize who was alive, who was dead, and who was near death.

Dreyfuss sat on the floor, holding Elisha's and Ella's heads in his lap, sobbing quietly, muttering angrily about failing to protect something. Captain Mondragon recognized him, but said and did nothing, undertsandng teh man's grief, or thinking that he did. Then, suddenly, Dreyfuss felt teh cold air from outside, adn saw the two lovers breath steaming in the air, and realized

"THEY"RE STILL ALIVE! My god! YOU! bring that stretcher over here, What are you waiting for, me to pull rank? Come on, their lives could hinge on it!" Standing where Jaisen could not see him, Mondragon nodded at the stretcher crew.

"Who's In charge here?" Mondragon finally asked aloud. "We need to get you people out of here, my engineers say this ceiling could go at any minute!"

[E.A. Claringbold]

It was bound to be here- with the queen burned and dead, Irene was able to look around in hopes of finding her devil’s bargained immortality. If she did not have it on her, as it was evident by Irene still living and breathing, then it had to be nearby. She would be damned if the lying b**** had it hawked to some pawnshop who did not know the significance or worth of the daguerreotype.  One might call her selfish, conceited, or even heartless, but the dead had their own and the dying had the other  living tending to them. She had her own business to tend to. Irene looked to Dreyfuss as he sat broken with Elisha and Ella and what she had that passed for a heart went out to Emma who had lost George, but she turned and searched through the debris. She did jump a little when Dreyfuss suddenly yelled that they were still alive. Turning to see, she gave a grim smile and heard that the ceiling was unstable.  One thing was for sure, she was not going to leave without finding what she came for.

[Stella Gaslight]

Emma curled up on the floor she couldn't handle this.  George was gone, her sarcastic indestructible George had died for her.  "The stories make is sound so romantic but really it just hurts." She mumbled as Trip took her in to his arms.  Emma was weary like the entire weight of their adventures was pressing down on her.  She would have to tell his parents he was really gone this time and ir was all her fault.  She cried until all she had left were dry sobs.

Angel was lying on the ground and Cain ran over to her.  "We did so good My sweet Cain." She held him close to her.  "I am so glad you found me. Before you my sky had no sun.  Please take care of them for me and finish our story."  Angel kissed him one last time and closed her eyes.  He could feel her systems shutting down, She was going where he could not follow.  He screamed full of torment and pain.

Emma stood like a sleep walker white sparks giving her a calm glow. She walked over to the lovers.  This was not the blood soaked voice of the queen nor the commanding voice of the creator it was something else entirely a united voice that had not spoken since the dawn of time. the father and mother were divided no more. "Wake child.  You have work yet.  You my youngest must learn how to heal the wounds we left behind."  Angel was lifted up by a strong white glow and started to sing a new song of the forests after a fire and the reclamation of the growing things.  One appeared above them like a raincloud the flowers and vines growing over his body stated to drip rejuvenating fluid like rain.  It fell on Elisha and Ella bring a pink to their cheeks, on Angel who slowly open her eyes and cried with joy, it fell on Emma erasing the scars that the accdent oh so many years ago left on her arm.  All was calm while the song grew on.

[Vancouver Air Privateer]

Elisha had thought he had died right there. He had been back on the grey beach, in the night. The moons were overhead. He thought he had seen Ella there too. That was alright then. It was dark here, but quiet. He looked behind and saw one of those Dj'kor birdmen walking up to him.

"You have done very well." it said. "But you are going back. You live on."

"Hmm." he said. "That's alright." Then he looked ip at the moon. He swore he saw something...a shape flitting down. He realized it was Tobias, still with Cold One wings. The young alchemist landed in front of him. He cradled a petite, pale girl in his arms. She had fallen asleep.

"Hey. It's you. Goggleboy." said Elisha, watching him. "Did you die too?"

"I don't think so..." said Tobias. "In fact...I do believe this is a tangible place. But you look like a ghost. I think it's you that's not really here."

"Probably. I think I'm going back. So...this is a real place? Ah, so this is where the bird people live."

"And many other things." said Tobias. "I fell for a long time through the portal."

"You closed that?"

"I guess so."

"Well, got to thank you for this. Hopefully this place works out for you."

"It's dark...but quiet. I think I'll do fine."

"Be seeing you."

------------------------

Elisha opened his eye. He was looking through his lense at the sky above. Something moved overhead. Airships. He heard people calling. Cheering. Back to England? That was good. It was cold here. And he was tired...

[Nigel Wetherby]

Cain's heart overflowed with joy at the sight of Angel floating upward, life returning to her system.
"Angel!" He cried, not in sadness, but pure unadulterated joy. He'd have hugged her if he had arms! However, he had to settle with giving her a big kiss.

Patrick turned to Jen, the battle was over and the heroes had won. Judging From all those penny dreadfuls he read,this would be an excellent part to do this.
Patrick pressed his lips to Jen, leaning her fopreward and cradling her in his arms to the point in which the soles of her feet didn't even touch the ground.

[Stella Gaslight]

The song came to a close and Emma woke up blinking and unsure how she had gotten in to a standing position.  The loss of George was still an ache in her chest but it was a dull one now something she could live with.  Trip came over and held her and to Emma's utter amazement her right arm wrapped it self around him.  It was weak but she could still move it which was more than the doctors said she should ever be able to do.  "We made it Trip.  We stopped those vile things and saved the world."  Emma said this like she couldn't believe her own words.  "I can write my parents and tell them they can go home.  I can by a lab any where in the whole wide world.  There is nothing we can't do but for now I am cold, dirty and hungry so let's go home."  She smiled, keeping busy was good it would help heal the wound on her heart.

"I told you we were for always." Angel said starting up another round of kisses for Cain.  "We should go find your arms and get you all fixed.  I want you to hug me back."  The scoured the battlefield picking up Cain's wandering limbs.  "When we go home I want a big jar of jam and to finish our book.  I am glad we get a happily ever after." 

[Nigel Wetherby]

"I guess that implement that was in Angel was a beacon for those makers...I wonder though. When I was prodding around Angel, I noticed almost every part of her mechanical anatomy was made to emulate human body parts. Her spine, her sensory receptors, everything! And what unsettled me even more, is the fact that it's almost exactly like Cains! It's as if I had built them from some pre-determined design..."
Patrick's head pulsated, rememering the historyies of the bright ones granted to him by the Deus.
His eyes widened with realization. The makers had once been human, but intergrated DEus computers into themselves.
He was the last maker, it had been decided even before he entered the tomb. When he had been touched with the white fire...

Cain did his best to attach his arm back into its socket. A few muscular chords touched, allowing him some movement, just enough for him to give Angel an impaired one-armed hug.

[MWBailey]

"My Engineers say this ceiling could go at any moment." Dreyfuss heard teh words, and the familiarity of the voice caused little markers to jump up and wave in the back of his skull, but he ignored them, to find Irene and help her to save her immortality.
--------------------------------------------
Mondragon watched as Jaisen simply got up and moved away from him across the...what looked like an old ballroom floor. HE shrugged and realized the man must still be in shock; as he remembered, he always threw himself into a battle body and soul, and ofteb emerged surpris3 dthat either were strill attached.
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Jaisen had seen something that looked like an old daguerrotype image, on the mantle of a long-disused fireplace, the mirror above it cracked and shattered from either the fight, or years of neglect; He just had not had the time to work his way over to it during the fight, being preoccupied with blasting that Quee--he stopped as he picked up the daguerrotype, his mind and brain finally catching up with that part of the past as related to current events, and he remembered...

Gods, did I do that? no, surely not! it must have been my imagin... where's my sword? He looked across teh room, and saw it where it had fallen, still GLOWING RED!? he looked down at himself, then, and saw what had been done to his clothes; he was not naked, by any means, but his clothing looked as if all of it had been burnt, and metal items on his belt and elsewhere looked as if they had become hot to the point of plasticity and dripped downward...

He shook his head violently, and suddenly remembered the daguerrotype, which depicted...what? He turned it in his hands, and nearly dropped it in fright. The picture showed something that might have been Irene, if she had fallen into an erupting volcano, and then had been dragged through a cutlery drawer by a team of wild horses. Yikes, he thought, This must be it. He stuck the silver-framed icon into the inside pocket of his now-threadbare coat, and started following the others out, looking for Irene. He glanced back and saw her, and called, "Irene! I THINK I HAVE IT! and she hurried over, and asked him to describe it to her.  He kept the daguerrotype safely in his coat pocket where she could not see it and ruin the spell, and described every horrific detail. Finally, she nodded her head. "that's it," she said.
"Hurry, then, lets get out of here, our rescue party says the ceilings going to fall." Dryefuss said, urgently, and they exited a bit behind the others, just as teh ceiling caved in, chasing them through the short corridor with stinging clouds of dust and small debris, to emerge, Dreyfuss' arm around his cousin's shoulders to shield her, in the dust-clouded doorway. Itwas apparently a surprise to everyone that they had escaped tehcave-in.,  to judge by the cheers that erupted at their entrance...

[Arabella Granger]

A calm feeling settled over Ella, and she closed her eyes.

When she opened them, she saw Dr. Armistead standing before her. She gasped softly before breaking into a grin. "Father?"

He beamed back at her. "Hello, my child."

She jumped up and ran into his embrace. "Oh, Father, I missed you so much! I can't believe you're here! Does--does this mean I'm...?" she trailed off, not wanting to say the dreadful words aloud.

Dr. Armistead shook his head, smiling. "No. No, my dear Eleanor, you are not. It's done. It's over, and you have won. You are alive and well, love. I just...I wanted to see you." He coughed sheepishly.

Ella laughed. "I wanted to see you too."

"You can't remain long, however, even if you may want to stay. Your story will go on, my dear. You have so many things left to do, and now, with the defeat of the Cold Ones, you can do all of them." Ella watched as her adoptive father became suddenly misty-eyed. "I'm very proud of you."

Ella felt a strange sensation then, like an insistent tug. Dr. Armistead sighed. "My time with you is nearly gone. You'll be waking up soon..."

Ella felt tears in her eyes. "But I don't want to leave..."

Her father laughed. "Believe me, you do. You have someone waiting for you at home, Ella. This...Elisha fellow?" He peered expectantly at her, and she blushed. "You're going to be very happy, Ella."

Another tug, stronger than the last. "I love you, my sweet daughter. I'm proud of you. Goodbye."

"Good--goodbye."

-----

Ella opened her eyes and looked around. A loud roaring reached her ears, and she realized that it was cheering. She smiled, sitting up.

"Elisha! Are you all right?"

He nodded. "I think so. Are you?"

"Yes. I'm better than all right." She grinned and threw her arms around him, laughing. "We did it!" A little hesitantly, she leaned up and kissed him on the lips. 

[MWBailey]

JAISEN! Glad to see you're still with us! Hargood Mondragon said, grabbing and shalking Dreyfuss' hand and placing a hand on his shoulder. Dreyfuss stared, mouthed the name "Hargood Mondragon" and then, aloud, said, Hargood? Hargood MONDRAGON!?"

Mondragon smiled and nodded, the tip of his Van Dyke waving like a pony's tail

Hargood, you're a sight for sore eyes! what are you doing here?

Dreyfuss' elation changed, almost comically, as Mondragon outlined teh reasons for his being here, the Republic of Texas Air Fleet reinstating Dreyfuss as a full commodore with the RTAF, in absentia, and attached as Liaison to Her Majesty's Secret Service. "Dependent upon your acceptance of the post, of course."

"Does it Mean I get to stay in England?"
"You can stay anywhere as long as you remember that you are a Flag Officer of our Air Fleet, and on-call either by us or by the government with whom you are our Liaison, to perform special duties (such as the one you have just performed) when they are needed."

Dreyfuss pondered all of what had been said, and sighed. Another bloody, raw deal, and them already here to press their case, he thought. He asked, "can I have the St. Elmo sent over from Galveston?"

"it's already in the process of crossing the atlantic as we speak, I think," said Mondragon.

"I'd take it, Jaisen, before they change their minds and force me to chase you around the globe..."

"Well, OK, I accept," he said, then added in a warning tone, "BUT I get to keep my cousin and ward with me (if she chooses to stay, that is), and a permanently reserved Berth in Austin both for the St. Elmo, and also for the Boheme; I cant imagine her going there, but you never know."

"Done. We actually more or less expected that. we actually have made a resolution to have a berth fro the Boheme and teh St. Elmo both in all Texian-held towns and cities that can afford such a facility. We've also managed to get a berth for you and for my ship, the Lafitte, at, what is it, Tinkers Row? along with the Boheme."
"Good. shall we get back to England now? I'm suddenly feeling home-away-from-home-sick...

[Nigel Wetherby]

Patrick wearily  stumbled towards the exit of the palace. As he opened the loosely fastened double doors, a resounding cheer practically knocked him back through the doorway. Patrick stepped foreward, looking into the eyes of each and every Aether Leaguer. He raised his rapier high into the air and cried the motto of the aether legue that would from then on, reverberate through history.
"KNOWLEDGE ETERNAL!!"
The crowd shouted the motto in return, flinging helmets, goggles, and glasses into the air as they cheered. Guns and swords waved in the air as each and every man, woman, and construct there drank deeply from the golden goblet of sweet victory.
This was not just a victory for the use of science for the good of man.
This was a victory for man.

[E.A. Claringbold]

When Dreyfuss told her that he had found what was hers, she stood dumbfounded for a moment before running over for details. It really had been found. After receiving the information on her cursed picture, she confirmed that it was indeed hers, but before she could take it back, they made a dash for the exit as it was hazardous to linger. After emerging from the  debris into high soaring victory and elation—which was very suppressed on her part—she took the daguerreotype  from Dreyfuss and wrapped it in a discarded black coat that was partially shredded. She stayed by his side and listened to the conversation that went between the two men. As she listened, she could not help but feel surprised at his consideration for her. Even after her betrayal, he still thought the better of her.  Casting a slightly cynical look, she hugged her covered daguerreotype close to her body and walked a bit away.

[Vancouver Air Privateer]

Elisha was surprised as Ella kissed him. He'd always been a quick thinker, but wits were useless in this situation. He embraced her, drawing her close as  they sat on the floor. He didn't want to let go. He gave a sigh of relief.

"Thank God you're alright. Thank God."

This fight was over, he thought. And not just this fight, he pondered. When he was younger, it was the Russians he fought - but they were just an extension of the corruption they had removed. In truth, he'd been fighting for near five years straight. He'd left pieces of himself behind but made the choice to keep going in mad fatalism. He hadn't been scared of dying because he felt he was already halfdead. He realized, that under it all, even among people, he'd been lonely. He'd often thought what would happen when the war ended. He would have had no purpose and would have found more excuses to keept struggling himself to death.

Now he had something. He'd just been a lead cast soldier before. He wasn't hollow anymore. He kissed her again.

[MWBailey]

As Hargood and his crewfolk HEaded for the Lafitte, Dereyfuss excused himselfadn went to Irene.

"Irene? it's kind of an old saying and somewhat hackneyed, but, 'a penny for your thoughts?"

No answer.Oh no, he thought, I've lost her again. "Of course, you don't have to come home with me, if you'd prefer not to; The St. Elmo is not a house, but she IS pretty well-furnished. She's where I had planned to live for the rest of my days, and I'd be honored if you would at least com efor a visit. she'll probably be sort of a mess for a couple of weeks, until I get her all cleaned out and vetted and repainted inside and out, but she's livable, I promise."

Still no answer. "Irene, please just look at me." She looked up, then, and Dreyfuss could see she was in two minds, at least, about the whole thing. He sagged, then, realizing that he had only complicated matters. He turned away, and walked away, following the crew aboard the Boheme, calling after and reminding her that the ship was leaving. she returned to teh ship, then, but still did not answer him. "perhaps she just needs time," Dreyfuss thought.

Perhaps a little time is what we all need...

[E.A. Claringbold]

How he cared enough for her to ask her for her thoughts. What a big heart this man had. She remained silent and kept her musings to herself.  Casting her eyes downward, she refused to look at him this time and kept herself shut merely holding onto that daguerreotype of hers. She was not sure if she wanted to follow Dreyfuss, after all, she abandoned the family and its name, taking up Frost in its place (and yet he still considered her part of the family). Then again, she knew how hard it was to take care of oneself, how lonely it became. Again her mind flipped. She needed no one and with no one else around, she had no need to be thoughtful. When he asked her to look at him, she did so steadily with her mismatched pale emerald and dark amber eyes and then nothing. He turned and left her alone with her turning treacherous thoughts. Perhaps he had given up on her. She thought that if he had given up on her then that would be the best course, but hearing from him again, she knew that he had not. Hearing that the ship was leaving, she considered for a moment not boarding and making her way elsewhere alone, but she realized that such a thing would be foolish so she returned to the ship and continued her silence.

[Vancouver Air Privateer]

The flight to London seemed almost instantaneous. Of course, Elisha was half asleep for most of it. Though they had been saved, Ella and he had taken a rather nasty beating. He spent the trip close to her, resting together as the airship moved through the air. Soon he was alright enough to walk around. But he still spent most of his time with Ella, alone. They were both private people in their own way, having built up walls for the outside world. So they talked. Talked about things, silly things, important things, things that scared them and things that were beautiful. Elisha had never had anyone to say this to before.

-------------

And now here they all stood. In uniforms and elegant dresses in the very Royal Palace itself. Elisha looked around. Not everyone else was quite comfortable in these uniforms, but they kept their dignity up, of course. Elisha looked forward. That was really the Queen. He thought she'd be taller. He saw quite a few familiar faces in the crowd. Patrick was at the head, the Queen beckoning him. Looks like he might become a real general now. The crowd began to cheer before anything had happened. He looked around again. Such a particular occaison. He didn't know what to think. He wondered what the others were thinking...

[MWBailey]

What A fine, brave sight, thought Dreyfuss, as he surveyed the scene before him. They were in one of teh cavernous reception halls of the old structure, and it could scarce contain the crowd that had turned out to see the Crew of teh Boheme. Captain Hudson in his trenchcoat and Dress Blacks and Peaked cap, sporting a hanger that woul dhave fit right in on Blackbeard's flagship; Elisha in a gloriously-polished back-and-breast with a black raven embossed and inlaid into the steel in the front. Miss Ella with an absolutely stunning dress, much like a shell jacket married to a beautiful, flowing skirt-and-bustle. Miss Emma in her utilibustle , covered by the most elegant gown he had seen yet. and Irene... a vision oin Gray and gold, it was very like a uniform ; she wore her sword with it, after all.
He, himself, in the old Marauder Uniform, now the uniform of teh Republic of Texas Air Fleet, a Full Commodore's insignia on the lapels and epaulettes, right down to teh bullion fringe at the ends, and the thick, golden braidson the sleeves, And teh high collar. Teh Air Captain's flight goggles strapped to his peaked cap, enough scrambled eggs on the bill to choke a horse...And the new saber at his hip; a curved one, the blade wide and thick enough to go sword-to-sword with any other sword in existence.  Patrick in his top hat and tails, goggles atop the hatband, rapier at his side, and Cain an One both in special Marines  uniforms, And oh! Angel, so radiant in her white gown, with crimson accents! Rowland in a black tux, and Abe in a tuxedo as well, both sporting curved cavalry-pattern swords.

One by one, they were called forward, to be knighted and bemedalled, and shown to the crowd, and cheered by the crowd. He had to admit it was a good, short ceremony, and he was very flattered, but he feltthat he needed to leave now, and go back to the ship...his ship, at last. Perhaps being a commodore wasn't so bad, after all...

[Stella Gaslight]

Emma was making lists of things to do it was fast becoming a pastime for her. The Aether League still did not have an effective head yet and the bickering on where to make the official International Aether League headquarters had not stopped since the idea was brought up. If they did not come up with something soon she was going to pick and the rest of them be dammed.   Emma wished Anton was back from his honeymoon and could take over things he was much better at the dealing with people part of things.  Everyone expected her to have the answers, she was from The Boheme, a living legend and quite frankly out of all the crew they found her to be the most approachable. All she wanted to do was take a brake and work on establishing a lab that she could share with Trip.   She nearly sighed in exasperation but then realised that would not reflect well on her in front of the queen.  Smiling serenely she kneeled a woman and rose a titled lady.  There was still so much to do but today the would relax and remember the man that made her continued life possible.  Somewhere up there she was sure George was making jokes about The Monkey being in a monkey suit.  Emma looked back at Trip eyes full of love.  She may have lost something special but she was tough she could bounce back and rise to even grater heights. 


Angel looked at the Queen with wide eyes and wondered which faerie tale princess she started out as, Cain was very smart maybe he would know.  Angel waved at Shai who was in the audience with Madame, she was going to come over after the party.  Mama had even made a special swing just for her and Cain.  She had so many tomorrows now and there were so many wonderful things to fill them with,  Together with Cain any ending was happily ever after.

[E.A. Claringbold]

She had not picked the outfit herself. When she heard that there was going to be a ceremony, she kept to herself that she was going to miss it and head off on her own, but the girls were curious as to what she had to wear seeing as they had their outfits ready. At the last moment, they rushed to a shop and had something tailored for her in a jiffy. She was not too sure about it, but they assured her that it looked very fine.
Irene had worn an ornate half mask to cover up her burn. Being back in a civilized society and for the queen, she thought it would be a good idea to cover up her burn so as not to disgust anyone. As she kneeled, she thought to herself and knew that she did not deserve to be here and half wished that she had left while she still had the chance. When she rose and was shown to the crowd, she kept her mask of a face, but eventually broke into what would have been “normal” behavior at the time, just to put everything/one at ease.

[Nigel Wetherby]

"For inventiveness, placing yourself in risk to assist your friends, and courage in the face of certain death, I hereby dub thee you Sir Patrick O'Landry, the brave."
Patrick attempted to keep a look of stoic honor as he was presented with the medal which indeed told of such bravery, and a blade was placed on either shoulder. But within his mind, he was bursting with pride for himself and his friends.
"You and your companions would have been worthy of the round table, of this I am sure." The Queen said with a smile as she beckoned for Cain to approach her.
"For bravery, valor, and unmistakable humanity, I dub thee Sir Cain, the strong."
Cain could not help but grin, remembering the claims Brian had made of his weakness and how wrong he was.

[Arabella Granger]

The Queen of England smiled serenely as Ella approached, her heart pounding wildly and her mind going into turmoil about what was about to occur. If the battle didn't make this whole ordeal real for me, this certainly will...oh, I'd almost rather face the Cold Ones again than go through with this! What if I mess up? What if I make a fool of myself? There's no one to tell me what to do here...oh no, here we go...

Ella knelt to the ground, smiling slightly. She resisted the urge to flinch as a sword was gently laid on each shoulder. It's all right, no need to panic here...was I always so jumpy?

"For your courage, perseverance, and willingness to not give up hope, I hereby dub the Lady Eleanor Townsend-Armistead, the valiant."

And then it was over. Ella curtsied deeply to the queen, accepted her medal, and went to stand over by Elisha and the others. "That may have been the scariest thing I've ever had to do..." she whispered to Elisha.

[MWBailey]

As they were escorted to their carriages for the ride back to Tinker's Row, Madame Arachne's for some, the Boheme for others, The St. Elmo for himself, Dreyfuss, and cousin Irene, and Abe and Rosie, who were to stay over for a few days and nights until Abe could get a good, comfortable passage back to America, Dreyfuss was handed a folded missal from a Whitehall address by a man who identified himself as T-something Thaler, saying he was a representative of "Her Majesty's Government," ansd then just as abrubtly, disappearing into the crowd. Dreyfuss pocketed the letter, thinking no more about the matter.

That night, after Jaisen had regaled them with a few tunes on a new banjo, (popularized and sold in England under the auspices of a Mr. Sweeney, who was also considered a virtuoso on the instrument, they having become quite the rage among the performing public and their audiences) they had all finally gone to bed in their various staterooms.

Rosie crawled away, into the bowels of the boat portion of the airship, and laid a clutch of eggs right under the clinker-box of the boiler furnace, which Dreyfuss and his scant few crewmembers were destined, she felt, to always keep lit and pressured up, just in case. Which made the hold under the clinker box an excellent place for a clutch of eggs. By the Mother, she would see the old Hunter-man protected, if she had to birth a new generation of her kind to live on board. There were many kinds of Queens in the world, and one had chosen to keep Dreyfuss and his people safe...

[Vancouver Air Privateer]

Elisha nervously tugged at his collar.

"I entirely agree with you." he said, watching the Queen knight Trip. Rather an interesting choice, all that lighting bolt decoration...though the Queen seemed amused.

He looked around.

"Hmm. I expect there'll be the obligatory socialness afterwards." He said uncomfortably.

"Let's go back to the rooms and change. Maybe we can sneak out." he whispered.

They walked back to the staterooms. Elisha asked a porter where they were booked. He was amused to see that they had been told they were staying in the same room. Angel had probably innocently done that to help them. He looked around. A quiet, dignified hallway in a Royal Palace. He didn't need to check if the porter was a cold one, or if there was a wyrm about to come through the ceiling. It was almost unreal in it's seeming serenity.

[Stella Gaslight]

Emma felt oddly homeless The Boheme was leaving for Dublin soon the captian had someone special he had to go catch up with.  He offered to take Emma but she knew this was something he should do alone.  Emma gave him the most advanced self steering mechanism in existence and weapons that would make most gunship's green with envy, he could go anywhere and be completely safe.    She wondered if she would be able to sleep without the whine of the engine in her ears and it would be very odd to wake up in the same place as she went to bed.  Emma had the whole world spread before her, money, knowledge and respect and yet she longed for the room she shared with Jen and the under equipped but cozy lab.  She thought about sneaking away from the ball the Queen was holing in there honor but her parents would be disappointed and they had come so far to see her.  Emma sighed and prepared for a rather antsy night of dinner and dancing.

Their room was airy and spacious and had a balcony that would make it easy for them to come and go as they pleased.  The space beneath the bed was spotless and had pillows and blankets.  Cain wondered if the porters had taken note of how they slept when they came to gather the luggage.  Angel was spinning around watching her skirt, Cain smiled some things never changed.  Angel was very happy about the dancing.  "Do you think they will let me sing if I ask?  Which faerie tail is the queen from?  I though I would know because I made sure to look at the book before we left but none of the pictures look like her."

[MWBailey]

Later, at the Queen's ball held in honor of the crew of the Boheme, after all of teh political and society niceties had been observed, Dreyfuss went out on the terrace all by himself, using the ancient excuse of wanting a smoke. He did light the cheroot, a wiry thing that smelled actually better than any he'd tried before, but did not puff it more than once; he did not actually smoke. He came out here to think a bit, and that is what he did, turning over various thoughts. When he had left with the Boheme so many months ago, he had been about at the last knot of his rope before the rather greasy several at the end; he really had not completely expected to come home alive.

He realized, then, that he missed the frenetic, near-suicidal pace of life-and-battle that pervaded that kind if an existence. Thank God he accepted that Liaison job, and the reinstatment with the Republic's military, he thought. More than enough intrigue and slightly-bloody-dagger-ness to last a whole lifetime, or perhaps more. He took out the letter that the Thaler gentleman had handed to him at the curb and read it for the first time, in the light coming from a window to his left.

To Commodore Sir Jaisen Santiago Dreyfuss, Esq.

March the 7th, in the Year of Our Lord 1889

Dear Sir,
In light oif the acceptance of your Reinstatement with the Government and Military of the Republic of Texas, and in recognition of the bonds of friendship, goodwill,and aid borne between our two countries, as well as your acceptance of the position of Liaison with Her Majetsy's Secret Service in matters Political, Unrestful, and Potentially Untoward in the Occult and/or Spiritual senses, I bid you welcome.

It is our fervent hope that this missal finds you in good health in both mind and body, and we likewise extend our hopes for the best of the aforementioned health in future; unfortunately for our mutual comfort, it has come to our attention that a certain "Peer" of the realm has suffered the kidnapping of their eldest son and heir, apparently by three of your former colleagues within the now-defunct organization formerly known as the Bayou Marauders' Mercenary Company, who have now taken up the flag and penalties of Piracy. Captain Murillo Dwight Tzeda has emerged as the leader of this Triumvirate of Evil.

For further Information and Instructions on how best to approach this crisis, Please stop by my office in Whitehall tomorrow morning at eight of the clock. Until then, anything you do in service of queen and country in regards to the receipt and discreet guard of this document shall be deemed acceptable, even to the point and beyond of committing breaches of the peace and pursuing unto death the miscreants responsible for spying upon your occasion to read these contents.

It is advisable that The extraordinarily deathless Miss Frost accompany you on this venture...

HE folded the letter and put it in his inside greatcoat pocket, as he sensed a presence, very close, paying almost unwaveruing attention toward him. he glanced up and found huimself face-to-face with a simian countenance, which suddenly sprang away with shocking speed and  a strange cry into the shrubbery, and into the night, to escape and choose its moment. Strange, Dreyfuss thought, replacing the Webley in its shoulder holster, prior to leaping the railing and pursuing the simian miscreant, I could have sworn that was Captain Tzedas' pet Orang...

FINIS of dreyfuss'