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Arcane Deliveries [High fantasy]
Democratic approach or whatever

Democratic approach or whatever

Although the ship may have been enormous at first glance, its insides seemed more than a little disappointing. Although the kids knew that it wouldn't probably look like the fantastical airships from their books, they didn't expect such a drastic difference.

The stairs were metallic and instead of a single flat surface, were made of a grate with rather large holes. Each step squeaked as they walked down and the fact that they could see through them offered very little comfort to those who were afraid of falling.

The hallways were narrow to save up space. This was, after all, mainly a cargo ship, so comfort and decorations weren't as necessary. Quivering pipes sometimes lined the walls, and the entire ensemble had to walk in a line to fit through.

For a moment, the kids thought they'd drown in the mass of metal that surrounded them before they passed through a more open area at last. A simple curtain hanging over a doorframe blocked their view until the very last second before they entered the dining hall. Everyone was far too busy at work, so the only people present were the few chefs, who were too preoccupied with preparing meals and setting up tables to notice the four kids. The smell of spices was only faintly present in the air, overshadowed by the strong odour of industrial oil and metal.

It seemed that this area was used rather universally, as it contained countless paying card sets, laid out on tables for games that were to be resumed later that night. A small podium sat next to the door on the opposite side of the room. The wooden pedestal hinted that it was most likely used for captain's speeches rather than anything else. Even though the echo they heard suggested that listening to anyone speaking there must've been a nightmare.

"Come on, don't get distracted. Lunch is still quite far away," the captain reminded them when he noticed their fascinated looks.

One more run through the narrow labyrinth later, they arrived at their final destination at long last. By far the largest of the ship's rooms—the storage. From here, the cargo would get loaded onboard via a ramp before being taken to be sold elsewhere. Hundreds upon hundreds of crates filled the place from floor to ceiling, and now, the kids were just adding their own few boxes of supplies to the collection.

"Alright, I suppose that finishes your part of the bargain," the captain smiled. "As for the rest of the trip, you're allowed to spend it however you wish, so long as the work of my people doesn't get interrupted. Firstly though, let me show you to your room."

The quartet barely had time to take a breath after the heavy baggage was finally off their backs. Before they could even think about a moment of rest, the captain spun on his hooves and waved at them to follow. Once again, they were swallowed by the endless maze of tiny corridors and neatly packed rooms, until they reached the very tip of the lower deck, where the residential quarters lay.

The rooms, like everything around here, were mostly practical. The place they were assigned was slightly bigger than most bedrooms, and yet, it was as compact as possible.

"Bunk beds! Dibs on the top one!" Kaili and Airo exclaimed as soon as they saw the two bunk beds stacked next to each other, filling the vast majority of space at the wall opposite the entrance. To the left of the door was a grey metal cabinet, with rows upon rows of drawers reaching all the way to the ceiling. The kids didn't say a word and yet they could all agree that the furniture could certainly be nicer. The remaining space was filled out with barely a knee-high table, and four large pillows to replace chairs.

"This is..." Jin searched for the correct word, but the sudden loud rattling of the pipe above him completely stole his thoughts.

"It's smaller than we expected," Cia didn't hesitate to provide her honest opinion.

"Well, it's not made for comfort. Folk don't really spend their free time here. They work, then socialize in the break room, maybe read a book or two here, and that's about it. Life on this ship is mostly about doing their job," the captain explained. "Don't worry, you'll survive one trip with us!" he exclaimed and slapped distracted Jin on his back. The impact of the massive rocky hand made him stumble forward.

The captain wished them farewell and went to return to his duties. Now that the four no longer needed a guide, any extra time spent with them was wasted, both for Chast and for the quartet, who were eager to spend some time just with each other.

"Ugh, can't say this is exactly soft," Airo remarked as he climbed up to his bed. The mattress made such a dull sound under him that for a moment, he doubted it was even meant to be soft in the first place.

Cia didn't waste any time before diving into the drawers. Her tiny fingers explored every nook and cranny, looking for even the slightest hint of something new that might have been left here by the previous inhabitants

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Jin lay down in his bed. He groaned as he found out just how uncomfortable it was. Perhaps fatigue after a day of hard work was necessary to appreciate its comfort, but he certainly wasn't sure about that. Nevertheless, even lying on a hard surface was better than standing or walking around. He reached into his pocket, put a Whispa root into his mouth, and slid his hands under his head.

"Hey! I saw that!" Kaili immediately reached for the plant, but Jin managed to move out of the way.

"Come on, I'm homesick. It reminds me of the fields we have near our house. Let me indulge in the nostalgia."

"Nice try! You're not homesick. We just left home! And you know those things are bad for you! You'll get cavities!"

"So? Manuel can fix them."

"He's not your dentist!" she argued while the two began wrestling on the bed. Jin's shorter height gave him an unfair advantage in the small space.

"Neither are you! Let me have something sweet!" he defended himself.

Airo picked up the poor excuse of a pillow from his bed and placed it over his head. The arguing of his friends was still rather audible, but listening to it muffled was surely the preferred option.

"Guys!" Cia called out, drawing everyone's attention. "I found loot!" she exclaimed and victoriously held a pack of playing cards above her head.

"Those probably belong to someone," Jin replied.

"Yeah, they belong to me now!" Cia grinned and jumped down from the drawer. "Hmm... Looks like no cards are missing. How about we have a game or two?" Despite asking, her nimble fingers were already busy shuffling the cards. She knew the response long before anyone said a word.

Hours passed. Too many for them to easily keep track of, yet too few to mark the end of their journey. Simple games were the first thing that came to their mind. The rules weren't more complex than simply stacking cards of the same number or kind. As time progressed, however, and ideas for fun were slowly draining, they turned to more and more advanced rules. Bets were placed on the table. Kaili's irritation regarding Jin's Whispa tasting grew out of her control. She put her new hat aside and was willing to bet it away, at least for the day, against the confiscation of Jin's sweets. Didn't take long and the boy was grinning at the girl from ear to ear, chewing on the sugary grain and sporting a brand-new headdress. To keep their friendship from further harm, they all agreed that no more bets would be placed. The final hour was then spent with the theme of desperation. Ideas ran out. They played almost every card game they knew the rules of. Now they were simply sitting next to each other, leaning against the wall, throwing cards at the drawers at the far end of the room. Those who would get a card into one of the gaps in it would get a point. Airo was currently winning, with his forty-six successful throws.

"Ugh! This is torture!" Cia groaned and tossed her cards aside. "There has to be something better to do here.

"Well, we can always ask if any help is needed anywhere on the ship," Airo suggested.

"But that's work! I thought we'd get to enjoy a pleasant cruise. Instead, we're stuck in this metal coffin."

"But Airo's technically right," Jin argued. "If we go and help around the ship, maybe the time will fly by much faster."

"Or it will be more annoying."

"Come on, Cia, this is also an adventure. We'd see what it's like to work on a flying ship for one day," Kaili offered some words of optimism.

"Fine! I'm outvoted. Democratic approach or whatever. But I'm telling you, you'll all agree with me in the end. It's gonna be hard work, lots of sweat, and aching muscles throughout all tomorrow, trust me."

"Come on in," Captain Chast replied to Jin knocking on his door.

As the quartet entered, for a very brief moment, they had completely forgotten what they came to talk about. From the picture books and paintings they've seen, the captain's quarters were always the most luxurious room in the whole ship, often decked out with trinkets and ornaments that served as mementoes of past travels. Here, however, it seemed that even this room was abiding by the law of making everything as small as possible. A massive window spanned across the wall opposite the entrance, and reached all the way to the ceiling, offering a lovely view of the main deck, as well as the nature around the ship.

Chast was sitting cramped up at his table, which covered one of the shorter walls. The other one was occupied by a bed, strategically placed atop a series of drawers, to allow for at least some storage space. The children, despite most of them being of a rather small stature, could barely fit into the room without bumping into one another.

"You want to help out?" The captain raised an eyebrow as soon as he heard the kids' request.

"Yeah, to pass the time," Jin explained.

"Hmm," Chast muttered and scratched his face, prompting a few minuscule rock chunks to fall off of it. "Well, any help would certainly be appreciated. I don't have much to offer as a reward, unfortunately."

"That's alright, we just want to chase away the boredom," Airo quickly dismissed any form of compensation.

"Speak for yourself," Cia muttered, but through the creaking of the ship, the others could barely hear her.

"If you say so. I will still try to find a suitable payment for your help. In the meantime, I think I have some places perfect for you." He rummaged through the papers on his table. His fingers, although bulky, flipped the pages aside with admirable speed and accuracy.

"Someone will be needed for pipe maintenance. Clean work for the most part. Just making sure that everything is screwed on tight and that we have no leaks. Next up... hmm... Deck cleaning. Not just the main deck but generally the hallways as well. Not the most comfortable job, but certainly one I would be grateful for. Few of my men are eager to take up such duty. Not to mention that we'll be flying through a storm in a couple of hours, so drain pipes will have to be inspected as well. And naturally, someone should go down to the cargo hold and see if the boxes are secured. Some of that stuff is quite fragile. If it goes flying around in that storm, we can kiss our profits goodbye."

The children looked at each other, exchanging expressions for a few seconds, before rolling up their sleeves and putting their fists together. Nobody would desire the deck duty, and so there was only one foolproof way of determining who'd get the short straw—a good old game of rock-paper-scissors.