The Aeronaut

Swab

The rest of the day passed by in a blur. Piper's superior was an older and rather talkative sailor by the name of Azariah Crabb. Crabb was thin and frail looking when held in comparison to the other members of the crew, with a wisp of snow white hair left on the top of his head hidden only by his mariner's cap, and a peppered, close-shaven beard to match. He walked Piper through a typical day on board, which included the mopping of each and every deck, doing the laundry, tidying the cabins, and assisting the ship's cooks gather ingredients from storage - along with some routine maintenance.

"In the event of a battle, which I have seen quite a few aboard the ol' Lockjawe, mind you, we's also responsible for sweepin' out the cannons an takin' inventory afterwards - plus or minus the odd jobs we might get." He chuckled gleefully - as Piper learned he did often - although she never found anything he said quite funny enough to manage more than a smile, much less find it of any interest.

So, after going through a run of every expected chore and seeing how Piper caught on rather speedily, Azariah set to a steady hum of familiar maritime melodies, and was even bold enough at times to whistle, or even sing a few verses of half forgotten songs in an old and cracking voice. All the while Piper was drowning in a flood of her own thoughts. There was anger, yes, and resentment as well; at Azariah's ceaseless mirth, Captain Tartan's crude manner and stoic decision, Prescott's lack of faith in her ability, the foolishness and absurdity of her previous commanding officer as a soldier, and even at her parents for... she didn't finish the thought.

She calmed herself down after that. That wasn't what happened She told herself. Even if it wasn't fair.

Then the harsher waves of emotion subsided until there was naught more than an ebbing tide of disappointment and self doubt.

Is menial labor all they think I'm really good for? She snorted bitterly, slapping a mop down into a bucket of murky water in the cabin she was scrubbing down, before yanking it out again. The dreams of a fool to join the Skyfleet in a mere three years. Once a soldier, now I'm being led 'round a ship like a primary school field trip.

At the day's end, Azariah cheerfully invited Piper to join at his table for supper along with the other swabbies - which she none-so-cheerfully declined. She stayed only long enough to hear the Captain's reports before snagging some bread and heading to her cabin early. Despite her irritation at the assigned position, Piper was more exhausted than she'd felt in a long time; the many duties as a swab had taken their toll on her muscles over the hours until they had settled into a dull ache, and she gratefully claimed the top left bunk. It was her favorite bunk from her training days, as the ship cabin was incredibly similar to her room at Brackendow Ridge - in the fact that it was incredibly compact and held four people, with just enough storage room for the bare essentials.

Almost as soon as she had thrown herself onto the stiff mattress, Piper could feel herself nodding off, and it seemed no sooner than that than the cabin door was thrust open and a trio of girls made their way into the room whilst noisily shuffling their belongings. A flicker of thought told Piper she was too tired to get up, but her curiosity got the better of her and she forced her legs to swing over the edge of the bunk, sitting up with her eyes closed, and walloping her head into the iron piping above with an audible thunk.

"Ash TAKE it that hurts" She swore, rubbing her forehead and letting her bleary eyes adjust as she caught the noise of a stifled giggle. When she could see clearly, Piper recognized Emeline's strawberry hair and immediately knew the source - but she was not the first person her eyes were drawn to. In between Emeline and another, smaller girl was a hulking figure that Piper could have mistaken for a man even if she were not tired whatsoever. The woman - for she was indeed one - was most certainly over six feet tall, with broad shoulders and muscular arms that stretched her uniform. Her brown hair was not unlike Piper's, except that it was cut much shorter while Piper had just begun to grow it out once more as one of the few Naval luxuries. She had to be at least ten years' Piper's senior, and a match in pure mass for Captain Tartan himself. Lastly, but certainly not her least prominent feature, her face was rounded, scarred, and molded into a permanent looking scowl.

Piper was caught staring, and rewarded with a snarl. "Ya moost've bonked yerself a wee too hard, get to fixin' yer eyes somewhere else. Ye'll get use to the bunking soon enough." Then, turning to the two girls beside her. "Get yerselves unpacked an spare only a moment er two for introductions if it's on yer minds, but then be gettin sleep, call's at 0500."

While this strange woman was most certainly Animaerisian, the accent suggested a region to the far north and was one Piper could definitely not place.

Emeline smiled warmly despite the look of her own exhaustion, and began to unpack her things onto the bunk beneath Piper's.

"A pleasure to formally make your acquaintance, Miss. Raddendale." Said Emeline, holding out her hand in mock formality. Piper's weariness wore off just enough to return the gesture. "The pleasure is all mine, Miss...?"

"Hopperton" She said, and they shook.

"How was training?" Piper inquired much more casually than she felt, to which Emeline beamed.

"Incredible!" She gasped. "It was a little worrisome at first getting a handle of all the gadgets and things, but I'll be learning with a few others, and most of the time I'm top deck so it's great to feel a part of all the action, what about you?"

"Oh, the mopping was a blast, the head was my favorite part." Piper answered, a sarcastic smile playing on the corners of her mouth as she leaned backwards on the loft.

Emeline looked stricken as she realized all that she had said, and embarrassment hit her immediately. She opened her mouth to apologize, but Piper waved it off.

"It is boring and grueling and demeaning - but if that's what it takes to move forward, then that is what I'll do." She shrugged, but even as she spoke those words, she found conviction and comfort in them. The swell of emotions she had felt throughout the day had subsided at last, leaving in their wake an immovable pillar of determination.

"Ya wernt tha first ta start off as a swab, girl." Spoke the barbarish woman from before, who stretched her arms out above her head as her belongings had been. She gave a pencil grin. "It surely is all the terrible things ya said it were, but keep yer eyes open, ya might pick up a thing er two."

Piper couldn't see what the woman meant, but she had made enough sense of things for one day and was just simply grateful for the camaraderie - as foreign as it was, it was far better than listening to Azariah's whistled shanties.

"I'm Piper" Said she, introducing herself, which earned her a boarish laugh.

"I know 'xactly who y'are, along with tha rest a tha crew, Raddendale! Ya put on quite a show with Tartan earlier - yer lucky he wasn't of mind ta throw ya overboard hisself. I'm Olivian Grestley, third Engineer 'board this vessel. While in thess room, yer all my wards."

Emeline, who had spoken to Olivian only for a short time before arriving in the room, reintroduced herself, and after a moment, they all turned to the fourth girl, who had been quietly sitting in Olivian's shadow and unpacking her scant personal items.

Piper had noticed upon the entry of her roommates that this girl was quite tiny compared to all the other sailors she had encountered thus far. Not only in size and height, but Piper was fairly certain the girl must have been her junior by at least four years. She was messy as well from what it seemed; a tangle of untrimmed, long black hair curled down past her shoulders - an odd color for Animaerisians, since after separating from Regganor, browns and reds had become the dominant trait.

Though all six eyes were on her, the girl seemed not to notice. After finishing up her business, she gracefully climbed the metal ladder, crawled under the covers of the top bunk, and closed her eyes. After a moment, the conversation returned to the room with a sign from Olivian.

"I s'pose that makes me bottom. Never fancied climbin' anyhow. Enough chit-chattin', it's time for some shut eye." With that, the lanterns that hung by each bunk were extinguished, and Piper settled in for her first rocky night out at sea.