Eternal Rains (IC) [M] - Closed

[Tapewolf]

Why is this taking so long?  Cross fretted as he walked through the aircraft.  His own natural curiosity for mechanisms had taken him to the engine rooms.  The junk-monster seemed to be harmless enough at the moment, tinkering with the ship's systems, but that meant it was no longer guarding the yard.

They'll be here soon.  Arcwelder is on board so he won't stop them.  And they have that gods-cursed energy weapon!  If this thing is using hydrogen for lift, we'll go up like a fucking bomb!

[Sunblink]

...Pandora:

The room everyone had entered once they first stepped onto the vessel was a very large, hollow chamber, not really impressive or particularly furnished. It was easy to assume that after completion of her beloved aircraft, Pandora had minimal time to decorate aside from a few rudimentary chambers. Sleek metal composed the structure of the chamber and the various parts built into the walls, as well as the interiors of the hallways branching away from that chamber. Once she entered the airship, Pandora immediately made her way toward another hallway, one she had memorized rather intimately. On the way, she adjusted the gloves encasing her comically large hands with a methodical disinterest, tugging the strap looped around her wrist a little lower.

Up a few ramps and walkways was her destination: another chamber almost resembling the cockpit of an ordinary airplane. Instead of a mundane leather chair was something a bit more grandiloquent: a throne of some sort, large enough to accommodate Pandora's gawky and disproportionate body, and in her signature shade of pink, placed before a giant glass dome-shaped window and a wide system of control panels. Each control panel was encrusted with buttons, levers, and other mechanisms undoubtedly intended for manipulating the airship. Considering Pandora's ostensibly unassuming countenance, it was an unnaturally complicated sort of thing to see. The aging ashtray, still filled with vestigial scraps of charred detritus and nest to a wide variety of cheap-looking cigarettes (and the occasional cigar), resting on a table safely away from anyplace it could cause any damage, surrounded by other articles of garbage added a certain amount of humanity to the otherwise unbelievably mechanized cockpit. At the same time, it was one of the only glaring imperfections in the otherwise, uncharacteristically immaculate chamber.

Pandora strode over to the throne, moved it around with a flamboyant twist of her wrist, and then took her seat, cracking her knuckles outward in a practiced motion. For the majority of the time people were loitering around the airship, she spent that time preparing, rearranging everything that wasn't in place and flipping a few switches in the panels above her. They were easily accessible with her long, gangly arms. Most of those switches slid some of the preparatory engines into place or activated various safety settings on the airship. Through the window, Pandora could get an excellent view of the hangar stretched before her, as well as the nose of the airship, which the cockpit was nestled above.

Another switch activated something in particular. The giant metal doors looming before the airship started to creak open, forced to life by some sort of mixture of magical-mechanical trigger. The gateway slid open soundlessly, albeit with grandiose slowness which Pandora couldn't be arsed to care about. By the time the doors opened, everyone was in the airship, or so she had assumed. Judging by the little radar she had, it could detect all the presences on the ship - the reading couldn't specify the identities of those aforementioned presences, but the number was precisely the amount she had counted before, including her and Axiyne. Amazing, how magic and machinery could be mixed, given the potential. Another fine example was about to demonstrate itself. Grasping the sinuous neck of what appeared to be a large funnel, its opening flared outward, Pandora directed it toward herself.

She spoke into it, and her voice was warped from her exaggeratedly-accented inflection to a pleasantly-accented and attention-grabbing murmur usually chosen for documentaries or announcing. Pandora's enhanced voice was amplified and projected throughout the airship, centered on the rooms the presences had been indirectly detected on the radar.

"Attention. The LZ II Perihelion will begin taking off now. Please, for safety concerns, please find a secure place in whichever room you are in to stay in until the ship is airborne. Thank you."

Pandora heard the shuffling of talons behind her, and then Axiyne appeared to her side, seating himself in a smaller but very cozy-looking chair (a bit like a miniature throne) built beside her own. He leaned back, flexing his wings and fluttering them into a comfortable position against his back. Quickly, with ambidexterity rarely witnessed in a Gryphon, he started to tweak and adjust a few levers and buttons on his side of the control panels, finally slapping a large button hooked to a more conspicuous device among the cockpits. Pandora watched the little meters and gauges indicating the Perihelion's status roar to life, a sudden, anticipative shudder flashing through the foundations of the airship as the engines started to piston into activity. As Pandora observed the parameters, she realized that, much to her surprise, the activity and quality was far beyond her original expectations, or what was demonstrated in the few tests she'd staged. Of course, she had never flown this thing before – everything was mostly speculated, and calculated precisely by measuring the power produced by the engines. According to those assumptions, the level of power previously achieved was enough to lift the Perihelion's massive body into the sky, but with these readings...

It was probably enough to maneuver the Perihelion past any land-bound adversaries. Smirking wickedly, Pandora pushed up a few more levers, and pressed one last button, and the Perihelion started to move.

~Keaton the Black Jackal

[Cogidubnus]

As Eypon brought up the last barrel containing quantities of some dubious, paint-varnish smelling substance, the main hatch began to close behind him with a slight sucking sound. As the zombie set the metal drum down, the entire plane seemed to jerk for just a moment, making the barrels wobble dangerously for a moment, before the ride smoothed out somewhat.

Everyone milling about in the hallways would notice the way the ship was set up was rather straightforward. Each level was made up of three main hallways stacked on top of each other, and each serving a different purpose for the ship. Beneath them was the engine deck, which was accessible by a ladder placed surreptitiously at one end of this hallway, and largely filled with only cargo space and the engines themselves. This deck that they were on seemed almost unfinished, somehow, as though opulence would have been something to be installed later - branching out from this hallway were numerous rooms, and in the middle was another hallway that led to yet another corridor. Witt noticed that the wolf seemed to have disappeared in that direction.

Poking about in the engine room was sounding less and less a good idea to Cross as the various mechanizations roared to life, almost making the incubi wince at the outrageous noise the engines began to make. Around him, mechanical parts began to click and whirr, and strange liquids inside various pipes gurgled for a bit.

Above them all, however, Pandora and Axiyne sat in the control room, the third hallway that was placed above the other two. In front of them was a giant domed window, and was clearly designed so that a brave viewer could walk out onto the flat glass.

* * *

All around the town, the sound of pounding feet and jangling weapons could be heard running towards the junkyard, towards where the green flare had gone off. The entire mustered police force of Holiday, which after the earlier events of the day consisted of almost every police unit on the Island, the mercenaries that belonged to the trading company, and the special SWAT unit all heading in a ground towards that pile of metal and scrap.

Inside the junkyard, webbed feet slapped quickly across muddy ground and then under the hole in the chain-link fence, running desperately towards the open hangar with weapons raised.

[techmaster-glitch]

   Arcwelder had continued tinkering around right up until he noticed Cross standing in the same room. Arcwelder's eye immediately lit up more.
   "No!" He cried, rushing to the mechanical module nearest to Johan, and throwing himself over it. "Mine! My machines! Mineminemineminemine! I found them! They're mine! Not yours! Go away! Gogogogogo! Go! Leave me alone! My new home! Not yours! All mine! My machines! My-"
   Arcwelder was suddenly cut off as Pandora's amplified voice came throuhg the engine room. He instantly stopped raving, slowly getting back to the floor, and craning his head to look directly up at the ceiling.
   "Pan...dor...a?" He said, very slowly. He had recognized her voice.
   Then the engines finally began rumbling, lowly, then gathered in power as they cranked up to starting capacity. Arcwelder watched, utterly and completely entranced by what, to him, was one of the greatest spectacles he had ever experienced. His broken mind had completely lost the fact that Johan even existed in that room.

[Aisha deCabre]

Aisha, being her old unnoticeable self, was never much for chores; or whatever work that was required of everyone else to do...at least people already seemed to get a jump on exploring the rest of the ship.  The demonic panthress certainly didn't waste time on taking that idea as well.  At least perhaps she could find a seat far away from certain foul-mouths.

The interior did leave her slightly impressed, even though it was rather plain in appearance.  The demon, though she had wings and minimal flying experience, did always prefer staying on the ground.  What would it be like once this gargantuan thing made the impossibility a reality and started lifting off the ground?  Elevator, she guessed when it came to thinking about what it would feel like, and hung around behind the group for a while.  Her ears caught a few anomalies of sounds around the walls, though they were rather indiscernible.

Ears pinning back to her skull, Aisha almost felt like falling asleep before deciding to kick herself away from the wall and start exploring the place...as a feline was wont to do.  She craned her head up over the vast ceiling above.  The other floors could have something interesting.  Hell...who knows if they might mind a few things missing.  From the slight grin on her face, one could tell that her instinct for adventure was still quite strong.

Then the voice came, amplified and echoing around for as far as could be heard.  All present and accounted for then, I wager...

The lurch came rather suddenly, alongside the feeling through Aisha's being...like hearing, but more innate.  It could have been the growling of the engines swiftly coming to life, or it could have been the way that she remembered--and hoped--that it could escape whomever was sure to pursue them.

Maybe it's just airsickness, dammit.  With a growl, she grabbed the nearest stable thing and braced herself as things moved.

[SpottedKitty]

Fal'taq was just about to reply to Witt when Pandora's announcement echoed through the airship. At least, he thought it was Pandora's voice, although the accent was very different from what he'd heard from her before. The mole snorted and looked around the bare corridor. "Hold on to something, the woman says," he muttered. "Hold on to what? There isn't much furniture on board, I hope at least the engines are more finished than some of these rooms are!"

[Paladin Sheppard]

Paige was a little put off that the spider woman didn't immediately respond. Putting out a few magical feelers Paige sensed that the arachnid mythos actually had a closed mind. 'Well thats rather annoying' she thought with a slight frown.

As Witt left to find Cog, Paige headed up the stairs in the interest of exploration of this strange vessel. She had just reached the upper deck when Pandora's message echoed though the airship. Being in the hallway meant there was nothing to hang onto, and as the Perihelion started to move Paige hurried to the room she could see at the front end.

As she reached what she assumed was the bridge of this strange craft, Paige realized she didn't want to touch anything  and so braced herself in the doorway.

[Tapewolf]

Cross morphed his inner ears as the engines came online, deadening the sound.  Ducking out of sight of the junk-monster as he was distracted, the incubus braced himself for takeoff.  It wasn't hard... the rough, unfinished interior left a lot of gaps in the structure where various fittings would have gone.  And if all else failed, the option remained to use his wing-tentacles to steady himself.

Lets see what this thing can do! he thought eagerly.

[Stygian]

Moments after Paige, the coat-clad spider entered, looking around with her red-black eyes and watching the ongoings inside the cockpit. The junkyard was coming into view through the windows, and for a moment she wondered whether if the craft was adequately insulated and pressurized. She didn't appear to even mind the movements of the vessel though. Even though the ends of her coat were beginning to slant and shift, and the machine lifting and turning was easy enough to feel for everyone, the spider appeared to be standing as steadily as if it had been solid, unmoving ground. She even began walking, after a short pause.
   It was with obvious ease that the spider thus strode up to Pandora. She almost leaned over the were's arm, but when she observed the apparent anxiety on her face and the busy manner with which she was attending to her task, she hesitated. She didn't fully understand how anyone could be so occupied with just one task though, so after a little while she gently tapped the woman's arm with a claw, and then made a few movements as if she were writing something on a drawing pad, then looked at Pandora with a questioning face, all eight eyes watching whether if she had managed to catch her attention.

[Mel Dragonkitty]

When the announcement that she had to hold on for dear life boomed through the air Penny had just stepped into a storeroom looking for the wolf. She grabbed onto the shelving as the ship began to vibrate and dearly hoped that the shelves were securely attached and that the items on them were properly stowed so that she wouldn't be dodging boxes as the airship ascended. This wasn't her prime choice of a secure spot. She certainly wasn't a lucky Penny today.

[e_voyager]

Epyon was more then a little grateful to feel the ship move below him though he had to grab a wall to steady himself for a bit. "at last" he muttered the he was not aware of anyone being there to hear him. taking a moment to secure the barrows in place Epyon decided to  try ti fine the upper layers of the ship until he had a sudden craving. he was getting hungry. not a good think. "better hit the galley" he said starting off " if i can find it that is"

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

Witt moved off through the cross-corridor, reaching the far end - and sighting the galley - just as the take-hold warning went off. Ignoring it, he took two steps towards the galley, rocking slightly with the light movement of the ship... and promptly tripped over the sack Cog (presumably) had left outside the galley, started rolling down the corridor, and, exacerbated by the acceleration of the ship, accelerated down the entire length, arriving at the end with a thump, and, of course, a profanity.

"Gods damned messy bastard of a motherfucking wolf!"

He unrolled, pulled himself to his feet, swore viciously, again, and stumped back up the corridor - holding on to the walls, this time. Turning into the galley, he paused in the doorway, and glanced around, looking for likely places to find the clinking bottles that Cogidubnus had been carrying. Or, of course, Cogidubnus himself, if there wasn't anything better around.

[e_voyager]

it too a little searching to find that place but  following his intestines and his memory of water ship.  when he arrived they he found first that the galley was not empty and second that he was still hungry and seeing the hedgehog there wasn't killing his appetite. "hey er... Witt wasn't it" he asked by way of greeting before he starred going though the cabinets. he needed something to curbing this craving he was getting. Why was he getting hungry so soon?

[Sunblink]

...The Galley:

The galley of the Perihelion was a surprisingly spacious room. While made of a compact and sleek metal like the rest of the ship, it sacrificed breathtaking precision for quaintness. Suitable for a galley, many addendums such as shelves, cabinets, closets, and other storage capacities were built into the walls. Bolts and shackles were used to secure the hatches and doors and keep the contents from spilling out. A counter was built underneath an outcropping of shelves, possibly where food was supposed to be prepared. Two doors were at the other end of the room: one large and metallic, emblazoned with bold print reading "Fridge," with a glass porthole over the wording, while the other was similar to the automatic doors seen throughout the airship. "Drink Storage" was labeled on the door.

---

...Pandora and Axiyne:

Despite her internal glee at how smoothly the procedures were going thus far, Pandora remained uncharacteristically composed throughout the process. Her gaze was cemented on the gauges and meters which estimated the Perihelion's performance, relentless aside from the moments she'd glance up through the window to watch the closely-approaching hangar exit. In her excitement and concentration, it was feasible to imagine her being unaware of Sal's entrance. After all, the spider was just about silent in her entry.

Up until Sal interrupted her task by tapping her arm, Pandora remained quite oblivious. The woodpecker-Were yelped and jumped in her seat, nearly stumbling comically out of her throne as she lost whatever balance she maintained with her gawky, disproportionate body. Fortunately, the presence of her hands against the dashboard, safely away from any buttons which would disrupt the immaculate procedure, kept her from falling over. Beside Pandora, Axiyne's reaction was less exaggerated: all he did was glance up at the spider-woman he was fascinated with earlier.

Despite her shock, Pandora didn't act impolitely. She reached up, adjusting her pilot's cap, and glanced at Sal. "Oh, it's - um -" she didn't know Sal's name. Damn. "- you."

Come to think of it, the gal didn't say much of anything. Must be shy or a mute - that latter she assumed when she remained persistent in her silence by illustrating, with her hand movements, her need for a piece of paper and a writing utensil. "Y'want... oh." Pandora scratched her head from under her hat. "Gotcha. Here."

She reached over and grasped a clipboard, with a stack of papers pinned efficiently to it, resting off to the side with one hand, then retrieved the matching pen. The first sheet of paper on the clipboard seemed to be some overly complicated scales which indicated predictions, estimations, and approximate levels of power necessary to achieve flight; the second one some sketches equivalent to the drawings Leonardo da Vinci made of his inventions, complete with measurements, perhaps a history of possible flying machine designs; and the third a few scribbles of bunnies which appeared quite primitive in comparison to the earlier etchings of flying machines and some tic-tac-toe games Pandora seemed to have lost. The rest of the papers were blank.

"Now, I recommend y'sit tight. This ride is goin' t'get bumpy," Pandora told Sal, and then turned back to the dashboard.

Cracking her knuckles outward again, flexing each calloused and scarred finger, she seized a pair of levers and pushed them forward, until the lights resting over their slots illuminated affirmatively. The Perihelion shuddered around them, then, suddenly, it accelerated with a great burst of speed.

~Keaton the Black Jackal

[Cogidubnus]

"Don't talk about my mother, than-" the wolf paused, looking out from the side of an open refrigerator. He gulped. "I...uh..."

Cog was suddenly distracted by the pile of bags at his feet. He had already emptied one, it being mostly full of the sort of cheap food that Pandora could afford (at least, that she could afford while building something like this) - various colored packages of sunflower seeds, and a few small packets of the sort of meats that were put into the bargain bin a few days before the trash can. He brushed the other bag aside and started pulling bottles out of the other, equally-large bag. Two bottles of some clear liquid went into the fridge with a small sound of metal on glass before the ship lurched, knocking Cog backwards off his feet and bringing the contents of the fridge crashing down on top of him.

* * *

The group of Mer standing in front of the Hangar entrance paused abruptly when they saw the Perihelion idling inside the metal building with a deafening roar, twin rotors at it's sides picking up speed and it's engines beginning the long, slow whine of powerful turbines warming up. It was the screeching of some unreal beast of nightmare, and when the ship suddenly lurched forward, the entire fifty Mer took a step back as one. The engines began to scream as the ship began to roll forward, jerkily at first, and then gaining smoothness. The ship, sleek and silver, and a painting of a gryphon flying in front of the sun on the side, rolled it's way out into the sunlight.
It was the first airship to see light in a hundred years.

  One of the Mer, standing in the back and wearing a large, grey pea-coat jacket snarled something that sounded like a mixture of a hack and a drowning badger, and snatched a long-barreled rifle from a mer standing at his side. He raised the gun, and as one, the rest of the Mer raised their weapons as well. One of the Mer fired. Flames shot out from the barrel.
Somewhere on the ship, something went "plink".

If the Mer could have seen into the cockpit, they would have seen Pandora give something like a smirk and a giggle through the large-paned glass dome, somehow saying What, you think I didn't think anybody would shoot at it? as she flipped levers and knobs.
More of the Mer opened fire, gouts of flame rising from each barrel as they shot. The chorus of gunfire was deafening, but the sound of the screaming turbines could be heard still. The ship seemed to suffer nothing more than a scratch on the paint.

It didn't seem quite possible, but the turbines seemed to scream yet louder, and the whirl of the propeller blades became simply a blur, a sort of semi-transparent disc attached to the rotors. As close as the Mer were to the ship, they felt the gust coming off the blades strongly, the wind even knocking a few of them down. Pieces of trash went flying, clearing the runway like the world's larget leaf blower. This seemed to continue for some time, until something seemed to shift about the ship - somehow, through the metal that could repel numerous rounds of fire, something glowed blue through it.
The ship bobbed up, and back down, and then suddenly it wasn't touching the ground anymore.

Even the Mer paused. This hadn't happened in over a century. And despite what they had been told of what such a ship would do to them, they had to pause in admiration for just a moment. It was, very simply, amazing.

The ship gained altitude swiftly, quickly surpassing the height of the hangar itself, and then the tallest buildling upon the Island - until finally, it was truly in the sky. With another strange roar, like the scream of some primeval beast, the propellers shifted, falling forward.
And the ship began to move, flying higher and faster with every moment.

* * *

Around the town, people paused to look up - for the first time, the screaming of an airplane engine could be heard roaring through the skies. Here, among all places, it was impossible to forget what that meant - the Mer would be furious, and somebody was going to be bleeding by the end of the day.
But just for a moment, it was amazing.

* * *

Farther down the street, around two shallow furrows in the ground, a soft, almost background-esque song played softly as the people craned up to look in the sky, and a chitinous hand darted out to grab something off the ground before the music seemed to fade into the distance.

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

Witt glanced at the grey fox, and nodded. "Aye. And your moniker would be...?" As he spoke, he moved in from the doorway, with the intent of glancing into each cabinet as Epyon opened them. At that point, Cogidubnus spoke up from behind the fridge door. Witt gave Cog an even look, and muttered "Well, fucking respond rather than skulking off." He glanced down at the bag, and his eyes lit up.

He reached for one of the bottles Cog was extracting from the bag.

Unfortunately, just as he did so, the ship gave a mighty lurch, and threw him through the door. Fortunately, it wasn't the Fridge door. He landed with a thump and swore. "Cocksucking motherfucking son of a BIT.... "

Sudden silence ruled, as he looked up from his landing spot. Covering the walls, all carefully tied back soas not to shake loose in transit, was bottle after bottle after bottle - rows upon rows of them, containing what, judging by the hand-written labels, could probably be used fairly effectively to clean out the engines, in a pinch. Or to remove adhesive.

Climbing carefully to his feet, and holding on to the scenery, Witt gazed at the rows of bottles with a look very much like awe on his face. "Oh, that's more motherfucking like it! Gods damn! Fucking A! We've just hit the motherlode!"

He reached up, and extracted one - just one - bottle from the rack. Cradling it carefully in one hand, and holding on firmly with the other, he pulled the cork out with his teeth, spat it on the floor, and upended the bottle.

And stood there, braced solidly, while the bottle drained smoothly, evenly, and, above all, completely.

He finally brought the bottle down, licked his lips, belched, and reached over to put it back where it came from. "Ahhhh. Now that was a nice drop. Heavenly..."

And he reached for a second bottle.

[Cogidubnus]

 Rustling softly in the meat and sunflower seeds for a moment, Cog looked bug-eyed at the hedgehog down almost an entire bottle of Pandora's special and very probably illegal brew. He sat up abruptly. Meat and seeds rustled and scattered about him.

"Look, before you burn a hole through your shirt with that stuff, help me get this stuff in the fridge. Pandora'll be pissed if you drink all that anyway."

* * *

The Perihelion continued its flight unhindered - for those sitting in the cockpit, or who were near a window, the ground of the town began to form a small grid, and it was impossible to even make out the waves anymore. The thrumming of the turbines and engines could be heard and felt throughout the entire ship.

[e_voyager]

Epyon was wretched forward and had he not been holding the cabinet door op pen he'd ave likely been knocked to the back of the galley wit the hedgehog and wolf. as it was he found himself bombarded with the contents of the cabinet which included lots of jars of spices and some bags of grains. Some whats disgruntles he started to pick them when he saw Witt downing something that was probably bad for his health and the wolf standing among  a large amount of packaged meat and seeds. sunflower seeds. it figured. ignoring the  mess that was partly his fault he walked over  nodded a short curt nod the the wold and  rummages the the meat picking out something that looked tasty. he could have cooked it but he didn't feel liked it. he open the pack and nearly began to eat it right then and there but stopped himself. first hes' clean up this mess then the find some place more private to  feed his hunger. away for the eyes of his allies.

[SpottedKitty]

As Fal'taq felt the floor begin to vibrate, he suddenly realised he was almost exactly between doors in the empty corridor; the nearest was several yards away. He just had time to reach it and cling to the door frame, when the floor under his feet lurched and bucked. From somewhere behind him there was a loud crash, followed by even louder swearing, probably Witt.

[Aisha deCabre]

As her claws dug into the back of a seat, Aisha waited until the ship had nearly halted in its ascent and was going a little more smoothly.  Smooth, that is, except for the humming engines that made themselves present in waves beneath her bare feet and even across the very air.  But at least she was glad that no airsickness had developed after all.

With a sigh, the demon stood up and looked around.  Most of the others had departed for their own explorations...pretty much all of them, as she saw none in the chamber with her.  Her hearing was compromised with the airship sounds, but she could almost swear that there was the sound of an impact of some sort.  Her ears pinned, and she decided to keep them there until she was used to the atmosphere.

For now, there was the curiosity on where the others were gathered; those who seemed competent enough to Aisha from the beginning.  Perhaps the cockpit.  With a hum, she started up the levels of stairs and past cabins and rooms, until finally she reached about the epitome passed a good-sized window from which to pause and stare out of.

Outside, the land looked like a small moving map.  The panther could pick out distinguishable land and water forms, things constructed with a person's hands, and any life forms themselves were nearly gone from sight.  Her head tilted...what a sight the ship must have made, making birds faint at the very appearance of this alien thing in their midst.

"So now what..." she muttered...with the thickness of her accent coming in quite apparent when she wasn't bothered to speak clearly, it even felt to her like she was saying something else, while the concepts still formed in her mind.  It was too easy like that to get lost in her mind when bored.  Her claw traced the pattern on one of her bracers.  "Don't think I really trust this monster, but for once it's nice to imagine being right out of reach."

[Tapewolf]

Cross, who had developed a habit of taking sabbaticals in other planes when the burden of his rule became a chore, was likely the only person aboard who had ever flown in an aircraft before, but even he had never flown in a combat situation.
Judging from the turbulence they were under attack from the Mer and their allies.  This was to be expected, of course - the very concept of an aircraft was an affront to their monopoly.  He offered up a prayer to the gods that whatever enchantments and armour Pandora had fitted the craft with would hold - adding under his breath that the energy weapon would not be recharged before they had left the island altogether.

As the ship's motion seemed to settle down and become less erratic, Cross removed himself from his impromptu bracing and turned his mind back to the problem of Cogidubnus.   He would have to be tackled soon before Cross lost his temper and did something regrettably permanent to him.  Gods willing, we can come to some sort of gentleman's agreement, he thought.  If not... Well.  I would not like to be in his position.
Keaton obviously needed him alive - but whether she needed his mind to work as well was another matter entirely.

He made his way to the cockpit.  As he did so, another nasty thought occurred to him.

"Pandora," he asked.  "The Mer have no doubt sent our description to every major continent.  Do we have a plan for dealing with this when we arrive - wherever it is we're actually going?"

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

Witt stopped, with the bottle halfway towards being opened, and raised an eyebrow at the grey wolf.

"All of it? Fuck it, mate, I couldn't drink all this in less than six fucking hours!" He waved the hand holding the bottle at the walls of the room. "There's got to be three or four hundred bloody bottles here, at least. Not to mention the gods-damned barrels." He shoved the bottle into a pocket somewhere, stumped out, grumbling to himself, to where Cog was half-buried under the pile of packets, packages, bottles, and plates, and started rapidly sorting it all back into the fridge, both hands whirling like dervishes, the clinking of jars on the shelves peppered with complaints, profanities, and obscenities - pausing only to watch Epyon grab something and look around like a caffeine freak on a starvation diet. The door to the drinks room slid shut behind him, unnoticed.

"Gods damned bird food. Fucking crap." He placed it in the fridge anyway. "Can't see why the stupid cock would bother eating it, when she's got fucking teeth. Oh, and sliced meat. Sure, get the thin bastards, where the cocksuckers run the bloody stump through a fine-tooth fucking comb and give you the skin off the fucking end." Without breaking the pattern, the bottles of clear, somewhat viscous liquid ended up in his pockets, while everything else went into the fridge. IN a sing-song voice, he went on. "Packets and bottles and jars, oh my!" Dropping back into his normal tone, and glancing at the labels on the various items as he went on. "Fan-fucking-tastic. More crap. Junk. Bloody waste of fucking space. Who ordered this crap? Ah, and yet more bloody birdseed. Where are the fucking eggs, for fuck's sake? More meat, some cruddy fucking joke of a cheese. And one wolf."

Finishing, he flicked the door to the fridge shut, dropped the catch over it to stop it opening again in-flight, scooped up the remaining broken bits, threw them into the bin, grabbed Cogidubnus by the shirt front, hefted him from the ground, and set him back on his feet.

After which, he leaned against the opposite bench, extracted one of the bottles of clear liquid, opened it, and downed half. And then lowered it, gazed across the galley at the grey wolf, and belched. "Sorry, did you want some?" He offered the bottle, the fumes clearly visible from the neck - not to mention the label on the side, which seemed to suggest that this liquid would be useful for sterilizing medical tools, and probably shouldn't be treated carelessly, or opened near naked flames...

[Stygian]

As Pandora finally gave her the means to communicate with the rest of the crew, the spider's face was tinged with a brief expression of relief. She took the clipboard and pencil, and then hesitated a moment, wondering whether if she should 'say' something to the woman. Since they were already in motion though, and since there was little to be said or done, she decided that it would be better to speak to someone who seemed to be sitting with the information. And thus, there was just one person to consult, it seemed. Even though Cross seemed to act as if he knew everything... She was not sure where Keaton had run off to, but it was not that huge a ship. It wouldn't take too long to search. And if she were correct, she had seen her just before she left that damnable hedgehog, near the galley...

[Boog]

Tyrannus had finally made his way to an empty storage room when the airship gave a sharp lurch, bowling him from his footing with a thud, a crash of rusted machinery falling on and around him soon following. grumbling slightly and shoving zombiebots off of him the mythos got to his feet... Only to be sent flat on his face in the hallway when the airship put on a burst of speed later. Ty rubbed his snout and said things that One Did Not Say in Polite Company. All of this, and it was only now occuring to him that he was stuck in this situation and had left his usual armor and weaponry at home. Perhaps there was some manner of armory on board that Pandora wouldn't mind his investigating...
Finally braced for the current velocity, Ty got back to exploring the airship.

[Mel Dragonkitty]

When the rattling and shaking had settled down to a vibration and Penny thought that it was as safe as it was going to get she jumped over the one box that had worked it's way loose and followed the sound of cursing to what appeared to be the galley. Cog seemed a bit worse for wear, the undead was holding something bloody, and the hedgehog seemed to be consuming the airship's fuel supply. Feeling unable to deal with either of the first two she commented on the last. "You'd better leave some of that for the engines. Who knows when or if we'll be able to refuel."

[e_voyager]

Epyon could almost sense fear in penny. it wasn't great just the kind of fear one might put out where they are  facing a situation they would rather avoid. and avoid she did looking past him ant talked to the hedge hod.. he shrugs and shoves the packaged meat into a pocket a much as would fit know it should hold and resumed restock the spices and grains that had hit him when the ship shifted.  he wondered what had bother her for a moment as she was one of the few beings on the ship and not some one he'd want to alienate. but then he was probably just feeling a little wistful for company. how long had it been since he'd tried to tale to anyone in an actual conversation? not renting a place or buying something but and actual conversation? he couldn't remember. his last talk was probably when he was trying to wheedle information about the fountain that restored life to the dying and recently dead. it was a legend but then he was dead with little left to lose in searching out legends.

His task completed he considered grabbing another packages of mat or maybe cooking the one he had. he didn't want it cooked he wanted to tear into it and revel as he swallowed down mouthful after bloody mother full even as the though revolted him it appealed to him. but then being around these three while eating would be a problem. he dare not try to control himself long enough to cook. ah well. he stepped carefully past penny his body giving off the scent of a wounded but still living fur and still warm to the touch. how much was illusion and how much was due to his near constant using of healing magic to try to cling to life even in undeath was unknown. Epyon wasn't even aware of his scent most of the time so long as his flesh was not torn and he didn't smell of death.

"i don't know about you three but i'm off to see if i can find a place to call my room. at least for the duration of this crazy flight."
With that he was gone disappearing down the corridor.

[Cogidubnus]

Even to the far-eyed Islanders, the Perihelion was becoming a simply a distant dot in the evening sky, the outline of the strangely-shaped airship beginning to become lost in the depths of the setting sun, and the darkness that was beginning to fall. Dusk always fell early on an Island that stormed eternally, and hours later not even the moon would be visible. The Perihelion, however, in a bid to stay away from the Mer's long reach, climbed yet higher over the clouds, into the cold air above even the black clouds.

* * *

Cog slipped out from under the hedgehog's grasp fairly quickly, somewhat bewildered by the speed at which Witt moved the various grocery items into the fridge. Cog absently wondered if they had enough to feed as many people as this, and quickly set about not worrying about it. Three small tubes in his pocket called out to him, very softly, and yet oh so loudly...
The one who'd managed the 40 gallon drums by himself scampered off somewhere, past the fisher who seemed to be looking for something to eat, and muttered something incomprehensible to Witt. In some ways, he couldn't care less if the damn spiny thing drank himself pickled. There was enough rotgut there to preserve a body, and possibly strip it of the flesh. Maybe he'd actually get it all down.

He passed Penny and stumbled out into a hallway, where he slipped into the well-documented step of the down-and-out wastrel trying to avoid detection - rather silly, considering his circumstances. Nevertheless, being so surreptitious as to attract attention, he slink into the median hallway between the two main corridors and opened the first door he came to. The whirr of machinery and the smell of heavy oils greeted his entry.
Maintenance access. Cog slipped behind some thrumming contraption, and carefully pulled a single glass syringe from his pocket. It was filled with a sickly orange fluid, one that Cog recognized instantly.

Pandora's specials... he thought, pulling the plastic safety tube off the needle.

* * *

Epyon quickly found himself going the opposite way of Cog, and at the end of the corridor was faced with three doors. The ones to the right and the left seemed to have yet been painted, instead just plain metal with a brass knob, while the middle one had a nice pastel and a small brass plaque adorning it. All the rooms seemed to be quiet at the time.

* * *

Tyrannus quickly found that the ship was not as incredibly large as he might have thought. Standing at the corner of the main hallway, and passing a viewing window about every fifteen feet, he found himself standing at a T-shaped intersection - he could turn right, or go straight, it appeared. In front of him, about another fifty feet down the hall, a ladder seemed to climb up into the third level of the ship, and voices could be heard gradually echoing down it. To his right, the faint sound of cursing echoed down the corridors.

[e_voyager]

Epyon hovered uncertainty for a few moments before optioned for the room on the right.. the middle one was pastels painted and while that was nice it was probably claimed by the ship's builder. the room on the let would probably be reserved for her four legged assistant the griffin what was his names again Axel? Axis? ah well he'd ask if it came up. the room on the right however would likely be free and it it wasn't they it would still probably be empty long enough for him to eat and quites this cursed hunger. opened the room he steeps inside  switching on the lights before he reached for the meant packets hidden in his  jacket.

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

Witt raised an eyebrow at the fisher, then glanced down at the bottle. He then looked over his shoulder at the door, re-read the label on it, considered how much was in there, then looked back up at the sleek mustelid, with a mildly incredulous look on his face.

"Ah.. you fucking sure? I mean, I like a drink as much as the next bastard, but..." At which point Cog exited the room. "Ok, well, maybe not him, then." He grinned. "But, even so... unless we're stuck up here for weeks, there's no bloody way I can drink all that shite." He waved one arm at the door while speaking - fortunately, not the one with the bottle in it - and winced, a little, then swapped hands, took another absent-minded swig, and ran his right hand over his left ribs, looking for the cracked one.

"Oh, sorry, almost forgot." He offered the bottle to Penny. "M'names Witt. Didya want some?"

The bottle fumed, gently, into the space between them.

[Mel Dragonkitty]

Penny waved the bottle away, "I'm Penny, and not now thanks. Maybe later." Later when her mind caught up and realized how much trouble they were all in now. Maybe then she'd be scared enough to consume paint remover. She noticed that Witt didn't have full range of movement in one arm. She debated with herself for a second then offered, "You seem to be hurt. I've learned a simple healing spell. It isn't much but it makes life a bit easier until you get to a real healer. I'm willing to try it on you if you're willing to be a bit of a test subject. I've never used it on anyone but myself."