RP thread - Travelling to Switzerland (lead up to day-game)

Archive 33AR
#1

Esther climbed the steep steps to the airship as carefully as she could manage- They obviously hadn’t been designed with someone grappling with a crate of bandages and a baby in a sling at the same time in mind.

“This is an airship,” she explained to Harriet. “Like the one we were on when Auntie Sameera and I tried to stab one another to death- You slept through that, though. If I have my way, you’ll not be going anywhere in one of these until you’re much older and a lot of things have changed- We’re staying on our island where it’s safe. Well.” She reached the top of the stairs and frowned as she climbed through the ship’s door. “Safer than most places. Which isn’t saying much, really.” She looked down at the baby, who was staring back up at her. “Stop it, Harriet! You don’t need to look so unimpressed about everything.” She re-adjusted her grasp on the bandages to allow herself access to kiss her daughter on the forehead. “I’m doing my best, all right?” she adds, softly.

“No harm in having a look around though, right darling? We might get the chance to say a last-minute good-bye to Auntie Saskia and Auntie Sameera. We’ll have to be quick, though, the ship’s leaving soon. Let’s just find the infirmary and put these down, and then we’ll go see who’s about.”

#2

Syringes…where are my damn syringes thought Dahlia. She had been up all night and morning preparing a small batch of morphine. Most of her supply had gone to Daniel, the rest remains locked in the infirmary with her key left in Maragret’s possession. She needed a little for this trip… Just in case. A wave of brief dizziness overcame her. " I probably should have slept…" She thought aloud. Was that even in English? She didn’t know anymore. Her use of English fades out the more tired she becomes.

Dahlia usually had been accustomed to leaving on short notice with her previous job, but now that she considered herself a resident of Skye rather than the skies itself, she was thoroughly unprepared after taking most of her stuff off the very airship they’d be taking.

She noticed behind one of her lockboxes the sharp shine of a few of her syringes. “Ó loksins!” She sighed, hastily grabbing them.

She grabbed her books, bag and other stuff she thought she needed but then stopped as she reached the exit of the infirmary. She turned around and stared around the room. It didn’t feel right leaving, and not because she noticed some paperwork somewhat unfinished on her desk. Dahlia had seen the world, and has witnessed first hand the rate in which it is all consumed by fire and blood. She was growing tired of the sight. But she needed to go, she knew the area better than probably anyone else on the trip. Plus they’re taking the mercenary airship, so somebody who knows where everything is should be on board.

Sighing, she turned to leave. The towering stack of items prevented her from seeing an incoming person and it toppled out of her hands. The familiar tired smile beamed at her as she heard her father say “Du borde vara mer försiktig Dahlia”

#3

#74 wandered around the airship, checking things off on her list. It was nice to get away from Hanover, from the tense camp and the Resurrection Station on Raasay. These days she was being dragged all over the place; to Campbell, to make sure that peace was kept and people were getting fed. Then off to fields to do maintence on the shockfields and trip wires. (The man traps, had, mercfully, been taken away.) Then off to the Resurrection Station to check on the new homunculi. Most were doing fine, and were being shipped off to India to training and then postings all over the Chinese front and HEITC territories. #74 almost envied them. She was babysitting a pastry chef, who, for some reason, was accompanying them on this trip. Still, promotion beckoned, and one did not get promoted if one did not follow orders.

#4

Esther looked up when she heard footsteps approaching. Ah. #74. She frowned. She didn’t dislike #74,but something about the homunculus made her feel as though she’d been caught doing something wrong and was about to get told off whenever she encountered her unexpectedly.

She supposed she’d best get used to it- If merging their Aetheric essences to save Hanover camp hadn’t made them less uneasy around one another, then it seemed likely that nothing would.

She offered the homunculus a polite smile. “Ah, hello, #74. I’m just dropping off some medical supplies.” And nosing around where it wasn’t any of her business out of sheer curiosity, but she suspected that #74 would guess that anyway. “If you can point me in the direction of the ship’s infirmary, Harriet and I will be out of your way. Did everything go well with preparations for your trip?”

#5

“Certainly, Ms. North. Second door to the left; I believe it’s Doctor Swanhilde’s quarters.”

#74 was still very cautious around Ms. North. She remembered all too well the rage of the gypsies after Mrs. Blake had been taken. They rose up to defend their own with absolute fury, and she wasn’t going to risk being on the wrong side of that again. And of course Dr. Swanhilde would tell her that they were due to be leaving very soon.

Still. it was nice to know that Ms. North would never, ever ask her to call her by her Christian name.

#6

Ivy stepped out of her quarters as she heard the voices in the hall. Quirking an eyebrow at the awkward sight of Esther and #74 trying to be polite to each other she took pity and butted in.

“Come to see us off Esther?” She reached out and tiggled Harriet under the chin, eliciting a giggle from the baby.

#7

Esther looked at Harriet then back at Ivy, eyes wide with surprise, and delight. “You made her laugh! She’s never done that before.”

She indicated the crate of bandages. “Just making a delivery. And saying good-bye. And maybe having a look around. There’s about half an hour until take-off, so I thought I’d take advantage of the chance to be shamelessly nosy about the viking airship.” She looked back at #74, tensing slightly as she realised she’d spoken a bit too carelessly. “Would either of you care to come exploring with me?”

#8

“Sorry papa” she yawned, and with her fathers help she had all her stuff piled back on to her hands.

“We leave soon… If you don’t want to come… I understand. You need rest after all, papa” she smiled and kissed her father lightly on his forehead before walking towards the airship. As she got outside she called out “Jag älskar dig pappa, vara säkra!” And climbed her way up the winding steps.

She stepped aboard the very familiar ship as she heard voices. Peering over the stack in her arms, she spotted Esther, Ivy and #74.

“Välkommen ombord damer!” She smiled

“Esther, I didn’t know you were coming?”

#9

“Me?” Esther looked briefly wistful at the idea, but she shook her head. “No, just dropping off some supplies. I wouldn’t mind coming along -the research you’re doing sounds fascinating- but with this one…” she indicated Harriet. “It wouldn’t be particularly practical. Or safe. And she’s a bit young for me to leave her while I go away- Though I’m sure Jasper would love the chance to fill her head with nonsense about boot hats and God knows what else.” She rolled her eyes, but she was smiling. “I was hoping to have a look around before you leave, though, if that’s all right. This thing certainly has a lot more personality than any other airship I’ve ever been on.”

#10

Dahlia smiled “of course that is alright. It really has a unique charm doesn’t it. I’d be happy to show you around. Well… To some of the ship”

Her thoughts briefly turned to the interrogation room that wasn’t cleaned for a while. At least it is only blood, she thought. But still, it could make everyone uneasy.

"I see you have the bandages, come with me. The medical stuff sits in my room"
Dahlia walked below deck, Esther closely following before reaching a metal door that had a scribbled sign saying “Dr. Swanhilde”. The Swanhilde had been scribbled out and replaced with “Frigid”. Dahlia pulled a key from her neck, unlocked the door and held it open for Esther. “This door wasn’t originally metal. Sadly after a run in with some bandits, one took it upon themselves to break my wooden door down. It became a reoccurring problem so we found a solution”

“Welcome to my home” she smiled

#11

“I love it,” she said, looking about. She did. Every other airship she’d been on -commercial passenger ships and the military ship that had initially delivered her to Skye as a refugee over a year ago- had been fairly uniform. Sterile. Officious. Boring. This was… Anything but sterile. Scorch marks on the ceiling. Dents in the walls. Normally, disorder made her unhappy but on this ship the air of casual disarray seemed right.

Esther looked at the amendment to the sign on the door and shot a questioning glance at Dahlia before proceeding into the room.

#12

Dahlia noticed Esther’s glance "Oh, that. Erik found it amusing"
She never had been bothered to take it down, nor would she ever. It had been there for at least a couple of years.

“The bandages can sit by my surgical table” she smiled, following behind Esther as they entered her room.

The smell of flowers and chemicals that was all too familiar wafted around the room. It was a smell Dahlia was accustomed to and rather enjoyed, but she wasn’t sure others did. Luca always complained it smelled “too clean”. Dahlia put down her stack of stuff next to her desk and sighed looking at the now wilting flowers around her room

“Remind me to pick some flowers in Switzerland before we go if we are able to” she commented to Esther while inspecting a dying wildflower she had picked a month ago with her pen.

#13

“I hope you kicked him.”

Esther smiled. “I’d be happy to, but it might be better to ask someone who’s not getting off the ship in fifteen minutes.”

#14

“I hope you kicked him.”

Esther smiled. “I’d be happy to, but it might be better to ask someone who’s not getting off the ship in fifteen minutes.”[/quote]

Dahlia smiled “Of course I kicked him”

“Oh of course, I forgot you weren’t coming! Shame, really. Would have loved to have shown you around my room a little more. But please go ahead and have a look around”

#15

Ivy watched Esther and Dahlia walk off down the corridor, pleased she’d finally made Harriet giggle. It had become something of a project with her. Turning back to #74 she smiled, “So #74, what are your thoughts about this trip. I’ve heard there is some sort of pastry chef coming? What is that all about?”

#16

#74 tried to wrangle her expression into one of suitable deference. She was somewhat annoyed, and rather flustered.

“Orders,” she said. “Apparently she’s attached to Lord Kain’s personal staff, although I’ve never met her or heard of her. I never knew Lord Kain even bothered about those sorts of things.” She paused, and figured, if anyone, she could probably express this to…Lft. Bogdanov. People would always be their honorifics inside her head. “I’m never told anything. Not that she was coming, not who she was, only that I would be guarding her. I would have been coming anyway, so I suppose it made it sense.”

She gazed down at her list, her first hardening.

“It’s really the last thing we need, dragging a jumped-up kitchen maid around.” She sniffed. “I’d like to think The Company thought more of me than just guarding, but I suppose I haven’t actually put myself for promotion yet. As for the trip, well, it will be nice to get away from Skye for a while. It’ll be good for #99 to see a bit more of the world.”

#17

[quote=“RobotPie”]#74 tried to wrangle her expression into one of suitable deference. She was somewhat annoyed, and rather flustered.

“Orders,” she said. “Apparently she’s attached to Lord Kain’s personal staff, although I’ve never met her or heard of her. I never knew Lord Kain even bothered about those sorts of things.” She paused, and figured, if anyone, she could probably express this to…Lft. Bogdanov. People would always be their honorifics inside her head. “I’m never told anything. Not that she was coming, not who she was, only that I would be guarding her. I would have been coming anyway, so I suppose it made it sense.”

She gazed down at her list, her first hardening.

“It’s really the last thing we need, dragging a jumped-up kitchen maid around.” She sniffed. “I’d like to think The Company thought more of me than just guarding, but I suppose I haven’t actually put myself for promotion yet. As for the trip, well, it will be nice to get away from Skye for a while. It’ll be good for #99 to see a bit more of the world.”[/quote]

Ivy’s eyebrow hiked further at this. She’d never heard #74 so obviously put out. “What is this woman’s name? I’m surprised that the Company hasn’t got you on more important things. Baby sitting a pastry chef seems a bit odd. Who knows maybe this library has a hidden vault of pastry recipes that just must be saved from the demon hordes. Not to worry though, if you have other things to do, I’ll give her a dagger put her in a corner and tell her to stay put.” Ivy smiled at #74, trying to lighten her mood.

“Now what else is on that list? I’m all set and could do with something to do. I find I don’t like sitting around much any more. Too much time to get stuck in my head.”

#18

Five minutes later, Esther drew in deep breaths, calming herself.

With Dahlia needing to attend to last-minute preparations, she’d decided to take her up on her offer of looking around the ship, hoping to see Ivy and Sameera on her way out. A room with an immensely heavy door off the corridor had caught her attention- Why would there be a room that was so much more fortified than everything else on the ship already was?

She wasn’t to find out, at least, not then. The heavy door swung shut behind her on its own weight, and any attempts to open it proved useless. She’d found herself trapped in total, cramped darkness.

She comforted herself with the knowledge that the ship wasn’t due to take off for another twenty minutes. Plenty of time for someone to wander past and let her out, she told herself.

Harriet was somehow unperturbed by the ordeal. “If ever there were a time your screaming were appropriate, this would be it,” Esther told her daughter, then pounded on the door once more.

#19

After leaving Esther to look around, she returned above deck. Seeing 74 and Ivy talking, she decided to inform them of the large elephant (or musk oxen in her country) in the room.

“Sorry to bother you two, but I uh… should probably mention something…”

Their faces were a mixture of confusion and worry

“Well, you see. By looking around at the ship, you can tell it has had it’s fair share of er…fights” she was trying to find the right words.
"Look, I’m just going to say it. Our ship is very well known to air pirates, bandits and general criminals"
Their faces looked a little stunned she continued
"They aren’t overly fond of the amount of their kind we’ve killed. To be fair, it is usually self defence. I guess the stealing part is what they dislike the most…"
Her thoughts trailed briefly to the loot room, which is hard to explain

“But, not to worry” she smiled "below deck in my room, Luca’s room and our weapon storage room there are crates of projectiles that sort them out before they can even board us. In the somewhat likely event of an attack, remain calm and do what I say"
She smiled at their stunned faces. Maybe now was not a good time to smile.

Dahlia never truly let on this side of her. The side of a woman whose been kidnapped by bandits and killed her way out of it. In her defence, they were going to kill her first. The side of her that has dropped in to battlezones and dragged wounded men twice her size out single handedly. She doesn’t look it, but she can be tougher than she looks when she wants to be.

“It’ll be fine” she smiled, stepping over an obvious scorch mark on the deck to conceal it

“We have thinned the numbers out, and they barely venture anywhere north now. This ship kind of scares them now it seems”

She stood there smiling as she watched 74 internally freak out about potential paperwork and Ivy almost smile at the thought of the camps little Doctor issuing battle orders.