Stumble
"Sometimes it takes getting lost in order to find your way. Never be afraid to feel your way around in the dark and to stumble across something new."
Iris Arlenia could not hear her own thoughts amidst the chaos erupting all around her, even as she looked up at the signage for where she needed to go. The Port of Manhesto was perhaps the worst place to be looking for something or someone, and she was finding out that saying in truth at the very moment. "Dock 16B, dock 16B... there it is!" She sighed her relief as she regained her bearings, proceeding towards her destination.
She knew she was heading in the right direction as the 16th dock was barricaded off, with a security checkpoint screening those who were authorized to pass through. A further hint that she was in the right place was the recognition of not only Port Authority officers, but the shadowy figures of the Talons interspered at the checkpoint - telling her that this was the right place. Making her way to the checkpoint, she pulled out her newly issued ID card, to which the officer and the Talon inspecting it nodded, permitting her free passage towards her destination.
She followed the steady stream of aviators who were also on their way to the vessel that they were assigned to, and recognized a familiar face in the crowd. "Mariel!" she cried out, to which a head popped out of the crowd, and rushed over to her. "Finally, someone who could help me find my way!"
"And to think I wouldn't see you again after Inverdale!" Mariel Carellia exclaimed, pulling Iris into a warm embrace. "Heard you became a doctor now! What brings you here?" A few passing aviators noted the two, but gave them respectful distance and polite nods - unexpected warm reunions were always pleasant, regardless of the location or the occasion.
"Ah - I actually got a new position, serving as a medical officer onboard the Endless Rainbow! I didn't think they would take someone as new as me onboard, but thank the Gods, I'm here and ready!" Iris beamed, with Mariel putting her hands to her mouth in surprise. "Though, that begs the question - what are you doing here, miss pilot?"
Mariel smiled at her title, and proudly puffed her chest out, silver wings reflecting sunlight. "Your girl here's an official drone aviator, and is part of the officer's crew onboard the Rainbow! We're going to be working together, just like back in the Academy!" She turned around, her hand outstretched and showing off the Rainbow in her splendor. "You and I, exploring the far reaches of Vinesia and beyond!"
Iris smiled, before their reunion was interrupted by a Talon, who slided up to both ladies and nodded once, their thick black iron masks concealing their face and the heavy armor black as a crow's plumage. "I apologize for the interruption," the Talon started, "but we need all hands aboard. Please proceed to embark so that First Mate Marune may take a head count, prior to the Master's arrival." The Talon then bowed their head, before moving forth, ushering others to embark the Endless Rainbow.
"Welp - that's our cue. I'll see you around, Iris!" Mariel smiled and hugged Iris once more, before rushing off, joining other aviators as they hauled their baggage and luggage onboard. Taking the hint, Iris grabbed her own belongings, and made her way onto the ship itself, as its engines began to whine and ground crews began pre-takeoff procedures.
"Doctor Iris Arlenia," greeted Tracy Marrows, a senior nurse that Iris would be sharing rooms with. "It is a pleasure to meet you - I hope we will be able to work well together during our time here." The older lady smiled at Iris, who returned its warmth with one of her own. "It is your first time working onboard an airship, no?"
"Indeed," Iris replied, as she tucked her bag in a cupboard, before sitting on the bed and gathering her thoughts. "It is my hope that we'll get along as well!" She then placed a picture of her family on her desk, before standing and pulling off a quick twirl. "You've worked on vessels like this before, Tracy?"
The older lady nodded, even as her hands remained neatly folded in her lap. "Nearly 15 years with the Services as a field medic and a nurse, my dear. I have seen nearly everything, and am considered a veteran in most circles. I know I am not a formal doctor like you are, but I am always open to help mentor as best as I can - that is what I consider myself best at." Tracy smiled as she stood up, before an officer's muster was called over the ship's intercoms. "Let us meet our fellows," Tracy said, beckoning for Iris to follow her.
Entering the officer's mess, Iris looked at the array of other specialists and officers that she would be working alongside. Tracy was afforded a seat, while Mariel waved to Iris, before an imposing dark-skinned figure stood up on one of the tables, his yellow eyes gazing down at the rest of the staff before him. "Greetings, everyone. For those who may have not formally me, I am Captain Jason Marune - first mate of the Endless Rainbow, and second in overall command. Please forgive the Master of the vessel, who is currently running late due to other duties that he must attend to prior to take off."
Murmurs began to run through the assembled crowd, with a few of the senior officers appearing indignant. "What could be more important than perhaps seeing to your first crew? Is our new Master an amateur?"
"Perhaps your new Master was instead seeing to a personal request from Irelia Stillingfleet," a soft but firm voice responded, and Jason immediately stood tall. All of the other officers in the mess followed by example, and the civilians (including Iris) watched as a young man, tanned and with silk black hair, walked into the center of the mess, flanked by two Talons. "I may be young and inexperienced for a Master, but I know where my priorities lay - I have faith that you can operate without my guidance and moral support for a short while, no?" Critical violet eyes scanned the crowd, and almost none of the senior officers could gaze back for long, with the young man asserting silent dominance over the crowd. "If there is anyone here who believes me unfit to assume command of this vessel, please speak up now." Almost unsurprisingly, no-one dared voice their disapproval.
"Then it is settled. For those who are unfamiliar with me, I am Jacob Silas Mitfield, and I am the Master of the Endless Rainbow. Many of you will already know me as the Third Prince of Mithambe - but here, my royal status does not matter, aside from the Talons who have been generously given as a mobile unit attached to this vessel." He looked to all, and nodded to the officers that met his softened gaze. "I have been informed by my first mate that you were all hand-picked by him for your competence and for your ability: see to it that his - and by extension my own - faith is not misplaced in you." Jacob smiled to all, and began to make his way to the stairwell. "Officers - see that your personnel are assembled on the prow, and ready for inspection. Dismissed."
As officers began to move and become animated, Mariel elbowed Iris in the side, and threw her a wink. Iris remained stock-still for a moment, before Tracy's gentle hand began to guide her towards the prow, where she would see the rest of the crew that she would care for. Even as she moved on her own, the corner of her eyes tracked the movements of the Master that seemingly hypnotized her with his gaze alone.
"Did I see someone developing a crush?" Mariel teased, as Iris buried her head in her hands, hiding her blush from her needling friend as they were leaning on the starboard railings of one of the Rainbow's gangways. "Don't lie - I know how to see with my peripherals, and I swear I saw you drooling~"
"Please, stop..." Iris groaned, even while the Rainbow below them slowly ascended into the sky, with thousands of people below them cheering its first official launch. Even as the air tustled her silver locks, it could not fight back the embarassed blush emerging on her face. "I swear, I was just admiring- I mean observing the ship's Master..."
The slip of the tongue was just what Mariel needed, as she howled in laughter. "Oh my Goddess, Iris - you've got it bad!" Two aviators politely looked the other way as they passed by, while Mariel was on her knees, clutching onto the railing while choking on heartful laughter. "You've got stupidly high standards, too! I swear, I was worried you weren't interested in guys at all - turns out they have to be cute princes to catch your eye!"
"... I'm going on a walk, until you finally get off of your tangent of teasing me!" Iris stuck her tongue out at Mariel while she peeled off of the railing, waving a hasty goodbye to Mariel while the other lady remained on the ground in peals of laughter, unable to catch her breath.
As she walked towards the stern of the vessel, Iris muttered under her breath. She did not have a crush - she was just looking at their new Master, and how he seemed just as old as her and Mariel. What feats did he accomplish to have earned command at such a young age? Did his own country or family do something to him to make him as composed and as aloof as he appears? Is he secretly a terrible human underneath the mask of his coolness, or is he hurting more than anyone else?
Lost in her own thoughts, she rounded a corner, and did not realize what happened until a hand caught her and saved her from falling right onto her back. Her mind took a moment to process what just happened: she rounded the corner, and someone was walking in the opposite direction, resulting in her bumping into them and subsequently falling back, until the person caught her. "Why thank you, and I'm sorr-" Her eyes looked up to the hand that held hers, and then to the person whom the hand belonged to.
"It is not your fault," Jacob started, even as he pulled Iris to her feet, before letting go. "I was being careless, being lost in my own thoughts, and not paying attention to my surroundings. You are not hurt, no?" His violet eyes carefully looked over Iris, ensuring that nothing on her was misplaced or otherwise damaged, and that she was not injured. To his satisfaction, the ethereal flow around her showed that she was not injured - just flustered, most likely from embarassment from accidentally walking into your own superior.
"I... n-no, Master Jacob." Iris dusted herself off, and looked away from his gaze, feeling the blush crawling back up her face. If she could bury herself in a hole (despite how impossible it would currently be, given that they were now a hundred meters in the sky), she would probably proceed to do so, just to escape what was surely an embarassing social demise. "I am alright, but thank you for your concern. You need not concern yourself with someone like me."
"Nonsense," Jacob replied, cutting her off from further self-disparagement. "I do believe, as a prince and as a person, it is important to know the people you will be working with. There may be over a hundred people onboard this vessel, but I will get the chance to know everyone individually." He adjusted his tie and leaned against the wall, giving Iris a small but warm smile. "I may appear aloof and cold, but it is only a face - I do try to actively get involved with others, despite almost being too busy to do so. Speaking of which, where are my manners? What is your name, miss?"
"Doctor Iris Arlenia, medical wing," Iris responded, almost automatically. Given the number of people she already encountered asking about her role onboard the Endless Rainbow, her conditioned response was instantaneous. "I hope I never have to see you," she replied, until she put a hand to her mouth in horror, realizing just how that could have been interpreted. "I'm sorry, I mean-"
"You mean to say that you hope to never have me as a patient, I hope," Jacob answered, before stifling back a guffaw at her expense. "Yes, yes - I know what you were trying to say. I was about to retort that I hope you did not find me that repulsive," he quipped, before the anxiety on Iris' features evaporated, and she began to laugh alongside him. "There you go - finally cracking a non-nervous chuckle. Your laughter sounds like church bells ringing," he complimented, to which Iris had to bashfully look away, hiding her giddy smile behind a clothed hand.
"Prince Jacob, the bridge is requesting your presence," a masked voice intoned, with two Talons appearing out of the shadows and behind Jacob, who had to cough to expel the last bits of mirth from his system. As much as he would rather want to spend some more time with a person who handled his humor well, running a vessel of this caliber was worth three full-time jobs, and he was fortunate to have gotten a window of a break. "Doctor Arlenia, if you would excuse the Master," the Talon requested, to which Iris nodded her head, but not before looking at Jacob one more time.
"Unfortunately, I do have my duties to attend to, Miss Iris. However, I did not mind your company at all - may we perhaps run into each other again, when work is hopefully not bearing down on both of us?" Jacob asked, with Iris excitedly nodding her head, unable to trust herself to form words. "Excellent - may we cross paths once more." Waving her goodbye, Jacob proceeded to ascend an exterior stairwell on his way to the bridge, with his Talons dutifully following behind. Meanwhile, Iris bit her lip to contain her excitement as she made her way back the way she came towards the bow, and on her way to her quarters.
"Someone appears to have had a good day," Tracy noted, as she combed her hair while Iris donned her pajamas. "Received a message from a lover or admirer, I suppose?"
"You could say that," Iris replied, even as she sat at her desk, opening a diary for her to finally unwind and to process all that happened today. She made sure her pen nib was sharp, for she knew she would have a large block to write about. "Or, at the very least, I admire him."
Tracy almost snorted, before laying in her bunk. "May he treat you right, then, and may he remain loyal to you - especially as you're onboard. Tours can last months or even years - I hope your man has the patience for that amount of time." Tracy then pulled a curtain over her bunk, to give herself the peace of the dark. "Have a good night, Iris."
"And to you as well, Tracy," Iris replied, even as she dipped her pen in ink, and began to write out the events of her day.
1884-06-07
It has been an eventful day, but one that has brought me immense joy. Not only did I properly start my first tour, but I even made it with Mariel from Inverdale! She flies drones, so her and I are probably going to have a lot of time to spend with each other and catch up - perhaps she'll let my fly some drones of my own?
My bunkmate, Tracey Marrows - she's older than a good half of the crew, but she speaks experience, and she's so kind. I imagine she's seen a lot in her heyday, but she still offers to help me about, and even helped me get settled in the clinic and helped with me organizing my desk! Hopefully our schedules do not conflict so I have more time to get to know her outside of working the ward.
I met the Master of the ship today - Jacob Mitfield. For someone so powerful and who is a confirmed prince, he seems so kind. He even showed concern when I bumped into him, and apologized to me when he had to attend to operating the vessel once more. I think I likeappreciate him and his level of concern for meeveryone. I do hope we have more opportunities to talk - but then Mariel is going to needle me endlessly. I like him as a person, not... like that! Mariel is crazy to insinuate that I have a crush on our very Master - he probably doesn't even have time to date, let alone be dating someone far below him like me.
I hope tomorrow brings more stories and opportunities abound!
I.A.
Tucking her diary into a drawer before retiring for the night, Iris looked up at the top of her bunk, even as she fell fast asleep. The sounds of Jacob's chuckles elicited a wide and carefree smile as she drifted into the land of dreams, and she would wake up invigorated and ready to face a new day, and to hopefully bump into a familiar face once more.
Comments