A high class airship, decked with exquisite and exotic decor, elaborate rooms and scale, filled with high ranking nobles and their servants…. and yet there they were, room 213, in which a simple commoner who enjoyed sleeping under the stars and an elf who acted like an innocent child as she readied herself for her first flight. While Mazerine ran around the room, they were told to not start unpacking until they were given the okay, just in case the rattling of the take off would disturb what they pulled out, especially if it was fragile. Still, they at least had a pamphlet to look over the ship as they prepared to take off.

The ship itself had a couple stories worth of rooms alongside its own dining room for well-made dinners, a tavern stocked with exotic drinks from all over, ranging from the mead created in the Highlands of Canelux to the unique rice wine called sake that came from the land of Nisshoki in Parvpora. They also had plenty of space for the guests to gamble simple games with each other and other more formal activities and a personal space for those who were impatient and desired to practice their sword-arms or spells, even giving a proper ring for formal duels to occur. On each floor was a separated bath room for those who desired to get cleaned up during the four day, three night travel they were set out to partake in.  Finally, near the bottom front of the ship was a fortified glass dome, allowing those not afraid to look down to see the sea and land below them as they sailed through the air in the safety of the ship, some seeing if they can catch any of the underwater guardians that slept below the rough waves.

A ring soon echoed as the pair looked over the map before a voice echoed in their chamber. "Hello, and welcome to our beautiful Acteon. I am your pilot, Sir Karhold, the Third, and I am glad to have all of you with us for the following few days. We will be departing port in five minutes, so we ask everyone to make sure they are properly situated as we take off and please, enjoy yourselves with us. Thank you," before the room went silent once more.

"You ready for this?" Douken asked, heading over to one of the windows and taking a seat nearby to watch the take off, leaving a seat in front of him open.

"This is so exciting," Mazerine said as she walked to the seat in front of Douken and sat down.  She did not remain seated for long, however, for in her excitement she clamored onto her knees, nearly pressing her face against the window so she could see outside the ship.  After a moment, however, she looked over her shoulder and realized that the position she had put herself into was mostly blocking Douken's view.  "Oops… sorry," she said, and resigned to sitting back down in her seat - though she was craning her neck in an effort to see as much as she could out the window.

After a few moments, the ship began to depart from its docking station - and this scared Mazernie to high heaven.  The movement of the ship rumbled throughout the entire suite they were in, and to Mazerine it felt like they were in the middle of an earthquake.  She let out a squeal and slid out of her chair and onto the floor, bringing her knees up near her chest.  She dipped her head down and tucked it in between her knees, her muffled voice calling out to Douken.  "Is this normal?" she asked, the tone of her voice making it painfully obvious that she did not expect such commotion just from the movement of the ship.

After several minutes when the ship had gained some altitude, Mazerine lifted her head back up and looked around.  Upon seeing that the room was not in shambles as she had halfway expected it to be, she lifted her head back up and hoisted herself back up into her chair.  "You know, they really should warn people about that shaking," she said, trying to be nonchalant but it was clear she was still a bit shaken.

Once the rumbling had ceased, Mazerine made another comment.  "When I stopped at the alchemist I bought some tincture that's supposed to help with air sickness I guess?  Maybe it will help me with my nervousness, too.  I picked up some other medicine.  That alchemist was so kind.  She asked where we were traveling to and I told her the whole big story about us exploring together," she added.  Of course, she had left out some of the finer details.  "She even gave me an extra potion, free of charge," she added, having an afterthought about said potion when she realized she had yet to even see what the potion was.  She would have to check that out at some point - maybe it would come in handy on their trip, she thought.

She got up from her seat in an attempt to go to her luggage where it had been set down and grab the sickness potion, and the ship shifted slightly.  Her legs wobbled beneath her after just a few steps and she toppled into Douken's lap, landing perpendicular to him with one hand on his chest, bracing herself.  She looked up at him through a few strands of hair that had fallen loose from her braid, blushing slightly and giving him an awkward glance as a brief flood of memories of the night before barraged her mind.  "Oh!" she cried out as she fell.  "Sorry…"  She looked up at him apologetically.

"Completely," Douken said, not even looking at Mazerine cowering at the floor in front of him, instead gazing at the massive propeller from his view of the window. "First , the generators need to kick in, which allows the ship to get the lift it needed. Once it has gotten high enough, it works to stabilize before it begins its actual journey." Once the propellers were spinning at full pace, the rumble looked like it was worsening as the world outside shook, falling away from them before the scene smoothed out, though not before letting the port below them to shrink. Still, watching the elf before him try to wash off that panic as if nothing happened made Douken chuckle and smile at her, both knowing her reaction a mere moment beforehand.

"I am sure things will be alright," he assured her. "These hulls are made to make sure its customers are safe. After all, imagine how many important heads could be inside a vessel like this?" Still, he was sure that the alchemist was a kind heart… In fact, it could have been possible the two saw the same woman at different parts of the day. The only real question that was left was the mystery bonus bottle she was given, as it seemed not even Mazerine had looked at it. Hopefully, she was not a jerk to give her an unmarked bottle. Make it really hard to tell if it was a poison or a cure.

Watching her get up, Douken started, "Uh, Maz–" though that was all he could get out as the ship gave one final rumble, catching her off guard and mid-step, throwing the poor elf into Douken's lap. Douken's face turned a bit red as well, his mind flashing back to her that night as well before she slipped to the floor. "It's alright," he told her, offering a hand up as a bell rang through the cabins, along with the captain's voice.

"We are now in the safety range. You are now free to roam around as we leave the city limits."

Douken, letting a small chuckle, stood up before setting Mazerine back to her feet before looking out the window. "You may want to take a look now, because in a few moments, a sight like this will become impossible," he told her, the view of Adeluna in full was coming into view while vanishing at the same time as the ship grew higher and further away.

Mazerine moved back to the window, feeling a bit more stable on her feet now that the rumbling had stopped on the ship.  She looked out, eyes widening at the sights around her, watching the city disappear slowly below them.  "This is so amazing," she said breathlessly, taking in the sights.  She stood there, enraptured by the view until the clouds shielded the city completely.  At that point, she turned and gave Douken a quick grin before walking over to her bag as she had been planning on earlier.

She fished the small crate of potions and tinctures she had purchased from the apothecary and sat down on the floor, her legs spread out and the crate in front of her.  "So, I got a few things," she explained again as she set out the different containers.  "This one is a salve for sore muscles, and this one is for headaches and migraines," she said.  "And this is the one she gave me for air sickness."  She pulled out another container, looking at the writing on the paper label around it.  "And this one is for removing the risk of conception during copulation,"  she said, reading the label word for word.  She let out a little gasp and her face turned red as she realized what exactly it was that she had just read.  She cleared her throat slightly. "I think maybe she gave me something by mistake," she said, her voice quiet and awkward as she shoved all the containers back into the crate and stored it back away, getting up off the floor.

"I want to go look at the ship," she said, after walking back towards Douken.  "Come with me?" she asked, trying to give him a smile without looking too awkward considering what she had just read off the bottle from the apothecary.  When he obliged, the pair walked out into the hall and throughout the ship.  The first room they came to was the glass dome, where they could view the sky and the surroundings.  Mazerine paused in the doorway.  "Maybe we should look at a different part," she said, sounding a bit hesitant as she looked at the portion of the floor that was made of heavy glass.  

Douken could not prevent the spurt of laughter escape his lips when she read the last bottle so boldly, yet his cheeks glowed from the embarrassment as well. It was only a question of what she spoke with the chemist about to even make the other think about offering such an item as a gift. At the very least, though, they had some protection next time things happened? No, no, no! Douken thought to himself, shaking his head hard as if to throw away that idea. That was an accident. Nothing else. We did not come here for that… Luckily, it seemed she had her own debate to distract her from his, internally sighing as Mazerine aimed to tour the vessel together. After all, a map was nothing in terms of actually seeing what the ship was like.

And their first stop was a pretty big one: the Viewing Dome. It seemed all halls connected to here through stairs lowering down to a base floor, where tables rested near the edge of the panel for those who wanted to get a close enough view, though nothing stopping those more adventurous from stepping over the connections and onto the thick glass. A sight Mazerine did not want much of as she offered to see the next area right away. "Aw, c'mon now. This is one of the main reasons why people pick this airship. You saying you don't want a closer look at the mountain ranges?" She turned her eyes away from him as he headed down the stairs. "Fine. Guess I will just head down there myself, experiencing the glory of the Acteon's most defined feature all by myself. Me, a simple man, about to take a step that a noble woman dares not." It seemed that was point where Mazerine fumed enough to give chase, going after him as he headed down to one of the lower tables, where he waited for her… and got smacked for. To him, though, it was worth it as they were mere inches away from the thick glass.

"See, was that so hard?" he chuckled. "Just a few more steps, and we can be sitting right above the Ruins we just explored. Now, c'mon." Stretching his arm out without thinking, he took a hold of her hand and pulled her over the welds and bolts that separated them from the wooded flooring to the thick glass, blue pulses resonating from where their feet stood. "They also added extra strength protective magic on these panels to make sure we could do this as safely as possible. Trust me, it will take a LOT of force for us to fall now."

Mazerine had no choice but to follow Douken down, though she did land a pretty solid smack on his arm when she reached him.  "Sometimes you're not very nice, you know that?" she said to him, pouting a bit before glancing out at the glass around them.  It made her rather nervous, her heart beginning to beat heavily in her chest.  She was caught slightly off guard as he grabbed her hand, but she gripped his tightly as he led her out over the thick glass, glancing down at the blue echoes that resonated with each step the pair took.

Instinctively, she moved close to Douken, gripping his hand tightly and wrapping her other arm around his arm as though she were using him as a support system - which was most certainly the case.  She made the mistake of looking down, letting out a small sound and clinging tighter to him, any awkwardness she would have felt due to the previous evening being gone.  Instead, she felt safer clinging to him, as though he were some sort of safety net for her.

His words were rather reassuring to her, as he described the magic that had been cast over the floor, and she began to feel herself relax every so slightly, though she did not remove herself from right next to him.  She finally managed to look down, and through the breaks in the clouds, she could see the beginning of what was quite possibly the ruins that they had traversed only days before.  She had to admit to herself, it was rather beautiful.  

"It's… really pretty… once I can get over the fact that I could break through this glass at any moment and plummet to my death," she said, glancing up at him.  It was clear that she was not going to let go of him until they were far clear from the glass dome, if even then.  The ship made her a bit nervous, but she was sure that after a day or two that the nervousness and fear would subside.  "It's… breathtaking," she said quietly after a moment, inadvertently tilting her head to rest it against Douken's shoulder as she looked around.  For a brief moment, she forgot about all of the awkwardness the previous day had brought.  

After a few more minutes, she spoke up, not letting go of him yet.  "I think we should go see the big tavern they told us about," she said, her voice becoming slightly excited.  "I mean, we don't have to drink at all… I just want to see it," she said, shyly, hoping that Douken didn't think she was suggesting it because she wanted to have a repeat of the previous night - not that she would have been completely opposed to the idea, but she was not willing to admit that to herself, let alone to him - not yet anyway.  "What do you think?" she asked, wanting to get his opinion.

While it was amusing see Mazerine cling so closely to his, it did make his heart beat a bit more rapidly. The way she wrapped herself around him, bosom wrapped around his arm if it wasn't for her top… No! Stop thinking about that! he had to remind himself, trying to break himself away from that night. However, that did not stop him from thinking how cute she looked as she held onto him as a support so she wouldn't fall… or how cute she looked in general…

Her words caused him to snap back to reality with a quick, "Huh?" before registering her words. "Oh, yeah, sure. Besides, I think it may be too early before we got a bit crazy with the drinks, don't you think?" he chuckled before guiding the two off of the glass done while thinking back on the map. "Let's see… I think most of the non-living areas reside on the first floor, so we stick to where we are, we should be fine." Still, as they walked down the halls, Mazerine still clung to his arm as they walked through the hall before finally reaching the door, letting go either not to leave an impression, or so they could fit through the door.

Inside felt a bit… odd… to Douken. After all, it was a tavern docked with many bottles and barrels, but there was hardly any noise that echoed on the walls like the party-driven commoners who came for a good time. NO, it was filled with a bit more peaceful chatter as the guests here worse a bit more formal outfits. Nothing too extravagant to draw attention, but enough to show how well off they here, some even using it to bolster their family crests as they carefully enjoyed their drinks of ale, wines, and tea with the occasional spirit here and there. The room was also quite spacious as well with few tables in the middle where guests played multiple types of gambling games, obvious ones to tell were poker, hold 'em, and black jack, while others sat at the bar enjoying simple conversation with either each other or one of the two bartenders working behind the counter. It was strange not hearing the rambunctious yell of a wild man in the middle of the talk and coin that filled the air. Still, something floated in his mind.

"If I was a betting man," Douken said, standing next to Mazerine, "I would say this place was more for dances and fancy get-togethers rather than drinking and gambling."

"Yeah, too early," she replied offhandedly as the pair walked off of the dome, finally disconnecting herself from him as the got to the doorway.  She hadn't realized how tightly she had been holding on to him - it had seemed instinctual to her, yet at the same time, it was comforting to her in a way.  When they finally stepped through the doors into the tavern - or at least what the ship referred to as a tavern, Mazerine could not help but smile.  It was as though she had stepped into her life in Endapano when she had still been living as a noble.  

The patrons were dressed in fine attire - nothing overly fancy, but certainly more well dressed than she and Douken were.  At the current moment, that did not really matter to her - it didn't seem to draw anyone's attention to them, as everyone in the lounge was more engrossed in their own conversation and games than they were in new people entering.  "You'd be right," she said as Douken commented on what he thought the area was most likely used for as a regular occurrence.  "But this is also how some nobles spend their leisure time.  They're incredibly rich already, and they don't have work to do, so what else are they going to do?" she said, shrugging.  "Most nobles don't want to go out and explore things like I do," she added.  "Come on!" she said suddenly, grabbing Douken's hand and pulling him towards the main counter area of the lounge.

When the two found an empty area, they sat on the comfortable stools - much more cushioned than those that would be found in the average tavern.  A well-dressed woman walked over to them to take their order.  "Hm," said Mazerine, as it dawned on her that this would be much more of a selection than she had been offered as of late.  "Do you do full tea service?" she asked the woman, who nodded respectfully in response.  Mazerine grinned at her.  "We'll take a full rose hip tea service, then, if you don't mind," she asked. 

"Right away, miss.  Please, find a comfortable table and I will bring it out to you." The woman bowed her head at each of them before bustling off to gather the things necessary for what Mazerine ordered.  

Most of the smaller tables were taken up, but when the pair got up from the bar area Mazerine found one.  It was a small sofa, enough room for two people to sit comfortably as long as they did not mind being somewhat close to one another.  A table stretched in front of it.  "This will work," said Mazerine, and she sat down on one side, allowing plenty of room for Douken to join her.  Within a few minutes, the woman they had ordered from came out with a silver tray.  On the tray was an intricate porcelain kettle with steam rising from it, as well as two matching cups on saucers.  There was a pure silver decanter on the tray as well, along with a container of sugar cubes and a few other accouterments that
could be added to the tea.  There was also a small plate of assorted sandwiches and fruits. 

Mazerine leaned forward and took one of the cup and saucer sets and set it in front of Douken, doing the same for herself.  She proceeded to pour the piping liquid from the kettle into each of their cups, which was light pink in color.  "It's tea brewed from rose hips," she explained as she poured it. "It was a favorite of mine back in court," she continued.  "This," she said, picking up the silver decanter and pouring a small amount into each of their cups of whatever deep crimson substance was within.  "This is wine from Endapano.  You don't put it in to drink as a beverage when you want to get drunk," she added.  "It just accentuates the flavor of the tea.  We even give this to the children," she said, glancing at Douken and smiling at him as she set the decanter down.  She grabbed a lump of sugar and dropped it into her own cup, looking down as the warm liquid quickly dissolved the sugar.  "I like mine a little sweeter," she admitted, before taking a small sip.  

She closed her eyes and smiled as she swallowed. "Tastes like home," she said, softly - for a brief moment showing that she actually missed her homeland.  She looked over at Douken as she took another sip.  "I haven't had this since I left court," she added, her smile fading.  "But, it's just as good as I remember it."  She grew quiet for a brief moment.  "Do you ever miss your home?" she asked him, looking up at him over the steaming cup in front of her. 

Douken sat next to Mazerine in the small love sofa, big enough to give enough space for maybe their hands, though their knees able to touch when they both sat turned inwards to face the table as the small platter was placed in front of them. A simple way to starve off hunger before the dinner hour, at the very least. Still, it gave the pair a small amount of time until their waitress returned with their platter, carefully resting him on the table before giving them time alone. This led Mazerine to serve them their drinks, as if allowing them to go as simple or crazy as they wish.

While his elf partner took some sugar in with her drink, Douken cupped up his cup, stating, "I prefer mine a bit more bitter," before taking a sip… though not much before adding in, "and iced," with a bit of a chuckle. Still, it seemed the taste of the tea put her into a bit of memory lane, as she reminisced quietly about her time back home, only telling him a small statement before asking him about his him. "There are times where I do miss the small community. Sometimes, it gets too noisy, but nothing anyone can't really han–"

"Well, well, well," a voice cut him off, a man stepping forward boldly during their conversation. "Who would have thought you, of all people, would be able to afford a ticket on such an elaborate vessel  such as this. Either you managed to get quite the job, or you have dug yourself down to the level of 'servant' for the madam next to you. NO matter, for it is not my business what you folk do with your lives." While Douken's face looked like he rolled with the words the man before him stated, his eyes shined a major distaste for the man. One he did not care for as his smug demeanor was swept away to a more charming one as he turned to Mazerine. "If you wish to spend time with better company than a simple commoner during these travels, I offer to you my company. Room 324. Knock, and I will be sure to answer." With a quick bow, he left the two alone, heading back to one of the hard tables.

"Then again, any lifestyle is better without dealing with a man such as him…" he muttered before taking more of a gulp of the hot drink than a simple sip. Concerned and confused, he heard her ask who the man was. "Duke Tridere Karma, Third in the Karma household and sees himself as quite the business executive. Working with him, he will make you you remember that." Turning his gaze away the the tables, he rather place his focus at Mazerine. "I had a deal with him once. He told me to seek out a large iron mine as they were running low on stock. I find a good-sized one and report back, and he cuts me off, stating it did not meet his requirements, and paid me only a quarter of the bill he promised. Few days later, you hear him glorifying a grand find of ore, placing them into a major surplus thanks to Lady Luck being on his side. He probably only remembers me because he was the last job I had before I ran into you during that storm."

Mazerine couldn’t help but chuckle at Douken as he mentioned that he prefered iced tea to hot. “I was raised as a noble, as you know, so hot tea and tea services were sort of a rite of passage for us,” she said, sipping on her own tea once again. She grew quiet as Douken began to answer her question, and nearly spilled her tea on herself as she jumped slightly when they were rudely interrupted by a man stepping up to them and addressing Douken.

She was rather taken aback at the comments that the man made towards Douken, and even let out a bit of an indignant gasp when he referred to Douken as a servant to her. She set her cup of tea down as he addressed her, and had just opened her mouth in an attempt to tell him to shove off (in the most polite manner as possible), but he bowed quickly and left them.

Looking back to Douken, Mazerine shook her head slightly as he explained who that man had been. “He seems like an asshole,” she said quietly after he had finished his explanation, using more harsh language than she usually did. “I’ve half a mind to take this tea kettle and crack him over the head with it,” she said, her disdainful gaze locking onto the back of the man’s head. “However, I don’t want to find out what happens to those who commit acts of misconduct when you’re flying through the air, and I’m guessing that you wouldn’t care to find out either,” she said, frowning. She grew quiet and picked her teacup back up, sipping on it with a contemplative expression on her face.

She suddenly spoke up to Douken, turning to face him a bit more, her knee brushing up against his. “I have an idea,” she said, grinning broadly at him. “Maybe I should pay him a visit… he was kind enough to give me his room number after all,” she said, smirking when Douken gave her a look of confusion. “Better yet, we both can!” She chuckled. “Imagine the look on his face when he goes back into his room and we’ve charmed all of his furniture to the ceiling,” she said, giggling quietly. “I’m sure between the two of us we could get the lock undone,” she added. “What do you think?” Douken looked as though he were thinking for a moment before replying to her that revenge sounded nice, and before long the pair had finished up their tea. Mazerine took a pass by the bar to make sure the man was still going to be there for a while - he had a full mug of ale in front him, so chances were in their favor.

They left the lounge and made their way to the third deck of the ship, where the man’s room would be located. Luckily, it was mid afternoon so most of the ship’s inhabitants were taking part in leisurely activities rather than hanging out in their rooms, so the hallway was deserted. A few moments later they had found the room- room 324. They gave each other a quick glance and Mazerine knelt down near the keyhole, whispering something. However, before she could finish her incantation, they heard footsteps beginning to echo down the corridor. “Oh no,” Mazerine said under her breath, glancing around the hallway for an out. If they were to be questioned as to what they were doing, they wouldn’t be able to present a key to prove they were supposed to be in that part of the ship.

There was a small utility closet across the hall from the pair, to which they quickly darted over and opened the door. The two slipped inside and shut the door, the closet offering hardly enough room for both of them to be inside. They were facing each other and were so close that their bodies were against one another, and Mazerine glanced at the door, listening for the footsteps. She couldn’t hear them at the current moment, and turned to look up at Douken, smiling and giggling quietly at the situation they had gotten themselves into.