*Will our ship take passengers? I think it would be interesting with a few more characters ;)*

Willow had found a few decent parts in the engine room of the Mori, and they had attached a secure line between the two ships. The Mori was a large ship, so it would put some strain on the engine, but with the refit Willow had given it they should make it to the port all right, without too much hindrance on speed.

((Sure! Kinda like what Mal and the crew did in Serenity by taking oN Simon, River and Book right?))

It wasn't long before they reached the port and Swallow was talking with the port authorities. SHe quickly explained that they had found the ship, almost dead in the air while another ship was just visible in the distance. She said taht the ship was too far away to get an acurate description but taht it had been dark and seemed like it was quite big. They were suspecious but they couldn't exactly challenge her since she'd brought in one of the most wanted ships they'd had the misfortune to hunt in recent years so they gave her the reward money, a little less than it could have been because she hadn't given them Drevin. He was back on the ship and wouldn't be leaving until they got some answers.
In the meantime...they were running a little short on cash and the Sallow was a good ship. A quick conversation with Lucario convinced her that it might be best to take on a few passengers for a bit. They'd pay for their travel and she'd make sure to let them off before they reached their destination. It seemed a simple enough task. She'd need some help getting the word out though to the port...
"Willow!" she called. "Report to my office."

*Yup. also the ship in those steampunk novels I mentioned takes passengers ^^*

Willow, who had been fine-tuning the engine (not that it needed it, she just had little else to do), jumped when she heard the captain's summons. Stripping off her work gloves and pulling her goggles up onto her head, she raced to Swollow's office.
"Yes, captain?"

"Now that we're here we might as well pick up some passengers. They'll pay good money to be transported and I need someone to help put the word out. You seem to be doing alright for now and the engine is running smoothly so you're temporarily relocated to passenger recruiter. Do you think you can handle that?" Swallow asked, raising an eyebrow at her newest crew member. "All you need to do is scout out any potential passengers taht have enough money to pay for a voyage. Be discrete though. We aren't down on paper as a passanger carrying ship so make sure no port authorities are near by. It's not a big issue but some take offense, think we're taking trade away from teh larger ships." she snorted slightly at the thought. Most of the passenger ships that you could hire were ridiculously expensive and far beyond any regular working class citizen could reasonably afford.

*I feel like Willow's being Kaylee... the mechanic who's out getting passengers xD Wait that makes Swollow Mal O.o*

"Yes ma'am!" Willow said. She realised what this meant - shore leave! Sort of. She was still on duty, but at least she got to step on land for a while.
She'd have to look the part though. With her overalls, goggles and covered in engine grease she doubted she'd attract many customers. She thought she had some clean clothes stashed away somewhere. Everything she wore ended up dirty somehow though. Probably because she liked to spend too much of her time around engines and other mechanisms.
The Silver Sparrow was a good-looking ship. Gracefully shaped, clearly built for speed. She should have little trouble finding passengers. Most airships illegally took people onboard for a fee, and what with the opium smuggling going on, the port authorities had bigger things to worry about.

((So it does.....that is a slightly creepy but awesome coincidence!))

"Alright then," Swallow said, gesturing for Willow to go ahead. "Be back here within two hours with any passengers you find. No more than..." she did a quick mental calculation "four or five at the most. The ship is a good size but we can't take on too many. They won't be doing much to help us with teh ship and extra mouths to feed, even paying mouths, never sit well with teh crew for too long before grumbling starts to happen and then things become...uncomfortable for the ones onboard. Good luck."

With that Swallow left Willow to do whatever she was going to do and made her way to one of the lower decks of the ship. They had stored Drevin in one of the rooms near the stairs but if they were going to take on passengers then they were going to need to move him otherwise he might make some noise and raised awkward questions. She thought for a moment before deciding to relocate him to the hold. It was a large room but there was a secret compartment near the back wall. It wasn't large, about two metures by four but it was more than enough to store Drevin and the walls were thick so no noise would be heard. She'd make sure one of the crew came in to feed him every morning and night but hopefully he wouldn't be with them for too long. As soon as they got their information he'd be gone.

Willow wasn't familiar with this particular port, but she didn't have to be. They were all more or less the same, and she'd spent a long time waiting to be picked up by an airship. During her time trying to secure a job as a mechanic she'd learnt to tell who a person was and what they were here for by looking. She knew the rich types who wanted passage.
She found a wealthy young couple looking to start a life somewhere. She could tell that they had made their money through less than legitimate means, so they clearly had no qualms about being aboard a pirate ship. She also got a man who was in the opium trade to sign on. She made sure he didn't have any of the stuff with him first, of course. That could only bring trouble. She'd been about to head back, her two hours nearly up, when she saw an adventurer. They were the types who traveled for a living, treasure hunting or offering services in any kind of way to earn money. They lived what a great deal of the ignorant novel-reading population called the Dream. In reality, it was far less glamorous. Aside from the odd success who ended up rich enough to retire in some exotic country in a palace, adventurers tended to be very poor indeed.
This particular adventurer had the dusty look of your typical less than wealthy traveler, but Willow noted that the weapons he had strapped to his belt were valuable and in good condition. On a closer inspection she saw that he wore a few rings, and he looked too happy to be hopelessly poor. When he asked for passage, Willow bit her lip and made an on-the-spot decision. Showing her four charges aboard, she hoped she wouldn't regret it. Quite often when adventurers paid the sum that she was asking, they were running away from something.

Thankfully it wasn't too much effort to move Drevin from his former location to his new 'home' for lack of a better word. He was less than pleasd but since he didn't get a say in the matter it hardly mattered. Swallow made sure that his hands were in front of his body so that he could reach the water she'd placed nearby. The topes had been tied so that he would be able to handle things if he was slow and careful. It was a risky move but she wasn't needlessly cruel and she wouldn't put him through teh humiliation of having to have someone feed him. She made sure that there was nothing he could use to cut through the ropes binding him before shutting the hold and leaving him. No sound came and she was satisfied.

She made her way back up to teh deck, had a quick talk with Lucario and then made her way to teh entrance to teh ship. As the captain it would be her duty to welcome the newcomers on board the ship. She wondered how many illow had managed to get. She'd just have to wait and see. While she waited she hopped onto a rail nearby, perching on it with one leg dangling down while the other was bent so taht her foot rested against the top of the rail with her back leaning against a taller post. It was a relaxed position but she was armed and easily within reach of her weapons.

"This is our captain, Temperence Swollow Lyndinshield," said Willow to the passengers, hoping she'd remembered the name right.
She turned to Swollow. "Ma'am, here are the passengers. Jeremiah and Lilianne Gunther." She gestured to the young couple. "Vincent Joust." The shady opium guy. "And Simon Draper."
If any of them were surprised that the captain of the ship was so young, they hid it well. Maybe they had heard of her. As for Willow, she couldn't wait to get back to the engines. They were easier to work with than people.

"A pleasure to have you aboard," Swallow said, smiling slightly at her new passengers. It wasn't exactly a friendly smile, more of a polite smile with a touch of warning. "As long as you behave and don't disturb my crew when they're on shift we'll get along nicely. We're on a supply run at the moment but there's plenty of room for anything you might need to bring. You can store it either in the hold or your cabin although I'd suggest the cabins personally since it's easier to reach your belongings." She, of course, didn't mention their prisoner. She turned to Willow and nodded her head approvingly. "Nice work," she complimented. She turned back to teh new passengers and gestured that they should follow her up intot he ship. "We'll give you a quick tour before getting you to your cabins. The ship's fast so it shouldn't take more than...five or six days to get where you need to go if I'm not mistaken. Once the tour's over I'll have Lucario, our navigator, plot a course taht takes us to where you need to go. Any questions?"

*don't leave me to control all 4 of em on my own please ^^". I'm thinking of renaming Simon Draper though. Came up with all their names on the spot and his is kinda boring*

Joust spoke. "Will we be dining with you, captain?"
Willow mentally cringed. Now there was an awkward question. It used to be common courtesy for guests on an airship to dine with the captain and officers, but it had become a taboo ever since one of the most respected captains of the west was poisoned by one of his passengers. Such a question was rude to deny, even after such an incident, but to avoid insulting the captain few asked.

((Don't worry I won't. So will we share all of them or do you want two and I'll have two? Hmm...what about that name you mentioned? Alain something?))

Swallow's eyes narrowed slightly at the man, Jouse if she remembered correctly but she did not allow her slight irritation to show.
"There are not many officers aboard my ship but if you are content in my company than I shall arrange to dine with you. You shall also be dining with the Willow, the young lady that escourted you here, and my navigator and temporary second in comand, Lucario."
"Temporary?" Lilianne asked curiously, eyebrow lifting slightly.
"My previous second had an accident," Swallow replied pleasantly. "He accidentally tried to stab me in the back."
"Oh..." the woman didn't seem to know how to respond to that and no more words were said about it.
"Now if you'll follow me..." Swallow turned and made her way into her ship, gesturing to the main areas as they passed, pointing out the galley, the small mess room where the crew took their meals, a small shower area (mens and womans separate) and a few other rooms before coming to the bridge. She did not take them in, merely showed them where it was before going in and fetchign Lucario to introduce to their guests.

*Alain Dufont?! No, I can't get him out of my head, and always associate him with the scumbag bandit leader who used Muiri to get closer to her friends and rob them, then abandoning her and ruining her life. He had to die! How about the name Ash? I like that name. Dunno about surname though*

Willow stared wide-eyed at Swollow's back as she led the passengers away. She would be dining with the captain and Lucario?! Recently she'd been so busy with the engines, the girl whose job was to keep the fires going (who had turned out to be a rather useful assistant) had brought her food. She felt warm and happy... and appreciated. She didn't feel that often.
Going back to the engines, she pulled her overalls and goggles back on. Back to work.

((Hmm...Ash...Lamire?))

Finally their new guests were settled in their cabins and were told to expect to be escourteed to dinner by the crew in about two hours or so. That would give them time to get out of the port adn flying properly before they settled down for a meal.
Lucario was back in his normal position in the bridge but he glared at her as she entered.
"Why do I have to do this again?"
"Because at the moment you're the closest thing to a second I have," she replied mildly. "So grow up. Besides you won't be alone. The new crew member, Willow, will also be joining us."
"Why...?" he asked. "She only joined..."
"She's earned her place," Swallow replied firmly.
"I supose..."
"Now shut up and chart a course," she instructed. "We will dine with our guests in aproximately two hours so when it comes time set teh ship to autopilot along the course and we'll try and get through the evening."

Willow considered trying to make herself look more presentable for dinner, but in the end didn't bother. The passengers were here now and they were in the air. Her appearance wasn't exactly likely to make them jump off the ship, so she didn't have to dress to please them. Maybe it would have been polite to look her best for the captain and her acting second in command, but from what she knew of her captain already, she could tell that Swollow cared more about actions than appearances.
So when the time came for dinner, Willow removed her overalls and put her goggles on top of her head, but didn't bother to clean off the engine grease as she made her way up to eat with the elite of the ship.

The dinner was held in a large room near teh bridge. It was made for entertaining important guests or for the captain to give audiences so it was perfect for what they needed. Seven chairs were set around the rectangular table. Swallow, as the captain, would sit at the head of the table with Lucario on her left and Willow on her right. The passengers could sit themselves however they saw fit appart from taht. Swallow looked over the room and was satisfied that the crew had set things up correctly before gesturing for Lucario to enter. He raised an eyebrow at her but she ignored him in favour of heading to her own seat and sitting down. A moment later he joined her, taking his offered place, scowling at her as she kicked the chair out for him. She only raised an eyebrow in return before sitting back and waited for the others to arrive.

The married couple were the first to arrive. They looked at teh table before taking the two seats to the left of Lucario. Now all they needed was Willow and the other two to arrive and the dinner could begin. A crew member was on stand by, a young boy that was little more than an adolescent, and it would be his job to fetch the food and drink for the evening. He hadn't been pleased with his asignment but had accepted under teh glare of his captain.

*I thought we could get along well with Lilianne. Figured that her husband would be kinda dumb and she was the brains behind their wealth ^^*

Willow was running late. One of the men was having trouble with his jammed crossbow, and so she'd stopped to help him out with it. Rushing up to the room by the bridge, she noticed that the six of them were already seated, and hurried over to her own seat at Swallow's side.
"Sorry for being late. Technical issues."
Lilianne raised her glass in forgiving acknowledgement. Her husband seemed more interested in his food.

((Sounds good to me.))

Well now that Willow has arrived we can begin," Swallow said, facing all her guests down the table. It was a good position she was in with her two officers (well sort of officers) nearest her and the passengers furthest away. She was the best protected in the room and she could look at them all easily in case anyone tried to slip something into anyone else's food. She signaled that the boy, Marco, could go and get the food. He nodded his head quickly before rushing out of the room and returning within moments with plates and bowls filled to the brim with food. It was more than Swallow would normally approve of but as this was the first night and these were paying passengers she had allowed a little extra effort to be put into the meal. It was nothing special but there was plenty of it. The dishes were placed in the centre of the table and the guests were instructed to help themselves to whatever took their fancy.

"So where is it we'll be letting you off/?" Swallow asked, glancing first at the couple and then at the two lone travelers. "How long do you plan on staying with us?"
"Oh, not too long," Joust replied, not really looking at her as he all but grabbed some food from teh centre of the table and piled it onto his plate.

"We are on our way to Seoul," said Lilianne, while Jeremiah was stuffing his mouth with food. A shallow-looking man, Willow mused. His wife seemed to have enough wit for the both of them though. "Your... officer mentioned that it was on your way."
"What exactly is this ship's destination?" asked Lamire, the adventurer curiously.

"We are making a supply run to Asia," Swallow replied, taking a small bite of her own food. "We can drop you off at any port of your choosing along the way. It's just the basics so we won't be going too far so if you're wanting to go any further I'd suggest getting off at one of the larger ports we pass and chartering another ship to take you the rest of the way."
"No need," Lamire smiled easily. "I'm quite content here. It's a beautifully made ship."
"That she is," Swallow replied, glancing at Willow. "And we have a fine crew to maintain her."

Willow glanced over at the adventurer. She noticed that he hadn't said where he was going. Maybe he didn't know - he was a traveler after all. But he'd seemed very interested in where they were going. He looked up and met her eyes. Those were eyes that saw much and revealed little. Definitely mysterious. It was probably nothing though.
"A toast to you, captain," said Joust, raising his glass. "A fine ship indeed, and fine food as well!"
"I agree," said Lilianne smoothly, raising her own.

"Thank you," Swallow replied, a smile touching the corners of her mouth. The meal continued and soon she was signaling to Marco to bring out the desert course. He nodded immediately, cleared the table and returned with plates piled high with fruits, jellys, trifles and tarts. Lilianne's husband's eyes were glued to the table and his wife clearly was not amused, correcting him discretely before he could embarrass himself or her. Swallow pretended not to notice but Joust was not so discrete, sending knowing glances at Lilianne before turning back to his own plate. With the desert came sweet wine and Swallow made sure to keep it at a discrete distance from Jeremiah, just in case.

Lilianne turned out to be a very interesting person. She regaled them all with some fascinating tales of her travels. She never actually said what she did for a living, and Willow thought it best not to ask. From the stories she told, and the sort of people she knew, the young Mrs Gunther wasn't exactly what some would call "on the straight and narrow".
Ash Lamire, who had left his wine mostly untouched, also had some interesting input to the conversation. He still did not mention his current goal though.
When the meal was over, Willow shook hands with Lilianne and nodded politely to the three men, and her captain before excusing herself. She had an uneasy feeling - something wasn't right. She just didn't know what.

Swallow said good night to their guests before having them escourted back to their quarters aboard ship. Lucario said a quick goodbye before heading back to the bridge to do a few final checks before he himself turned in. She debated posting a guard in the corridor of their guests, just to be on the safe side before dismissing the thought. The quarters that they had been given were positioned so taht they would have to pass by all the sailors to get to anything major so there was a good chance of someone waking up if anyone decided to go for a midnight wonder. She slipped from the room and made her way back to her own quarters, passing through her office without locking the door. It was a different matter with her inner room though. She made sure to lock the door before turning in for the night and even then she didn't sleep for a while, just stared through teh window as the sky darkened to black and the stars began to twinkle down at her.

((Are you thinking that Lamire is going to pull something on the ship? Is taht why Willow is nervous?))

*i was thinking that he's after the treasure from the cloudrunner, and he knew Drevin had the map. Then at the port when the Mori was handed over he guessed that the Silver Sparrow has it. Meh, I just have a soft spot for treasure hunting Steampunk adventurers*

The following morning, Willow rose early, finding that her loyal assistant was already up and tending to the fires. She was a mute girl - Willow wasn't sure if it was due to physical or psychological reasons - but she was hard working and knew how to listen. Maybe it was just her imagination, but the child seemed rather attached to the new mechanic. Remembering her predecessor, Willow had to wonder if the girl had been properly appreciated before.