The ice boat was nearly finished.

Lori was skeptical, but after a day of Rian not having anything more added, of her not having to remove the ice so that more wood beams or planks could be installed, she was actually beginning to believe it. Granted, he'd asked her to build a dock, which had involved excavating a part of the river slightly so that the bottom wasn't resting on the riverbed, but she'd taken the opportunity to dig out the river near the water hub shed.

A part of her had the thought she should turn the water hub into a hardened bunker so that they could continue drawing water during a dragon, but given the sort of things that could fall into the river, that probably wasn't advisable. Still, making it harder to damage so she wouldn't need to repair it as much after a dragon passes seemed like a good investment to make…

Regardless, the Coldhold now floated in its new dock, ostensibly complete. It was wide because of the outriggers on either side, and you actually had to walk on a ramp between the outrigger and the boat proper to get on board. Rian offered to give her a tour, as if she hadn't been there yesterday to put the ice in the hull.

"You can point out design flaws I missed," Rian said.

Well, she supposed she should just look at it and see what he did wrong…

First was the level—the deck, Rian said it was called, which was silly—in the hull itself. Lori bound lightwisps to her head so she'd have light to see. While the ice was clear as glass, the wooden beams within them as well as the planks cladding them kept much light from passing through the hull. At the part of the level near the front of the boat there was a room just barely big enough for three people, with a sturdy door and sturdy walls.

"It's where we'll keep the prisoners on this trip," he sighed. "In future, it can be a secure cargo hold or something. Per your instructions, that door has a little hatch were we send in their food and their slop bucket. I fully expect them to pour it out the hatch just to inconvenience us—Missus Naineb might do it—so I had the carpenters make a special bucket that goes into the hatch and locks in place so it can't be pulled out from their side. That way, if they make a mess, it's stuck in there with them."

"Vindictive," Lori nodded. "I approve."

"Your approval of this fills me with shame." He didn't looked very ashamed though.

Before the room for the prisoners—it was probably a prison or brig, but given how it was just a sealed room without bars, Lori had trouble thinking of it as such—there was another, larger room meant to house the crew. Or at least sleep the crew. The walls of were covered in beds that folded up, six on each side. They were packed three high, with the lowest one practically at floor level, save for a gap a hand long.

"It's so that anyone sleeping there doesn't get too soaked if water gets in down here, which it probably will," Rian said. "The storage for personal effects is up top, where they'll be easier to wash. Honestly, I'm worried about fungus, given how everything will always be a little wet at all times. I wish I knew more about how actual ships at sea dealt with this problem…"

"Something for you to look into, then," Lori said ruthlessly. After all, she had no idea herself.

In addition to all the beds, there were also food stores. While they'd have jars of stew in case of emergency, the plan was for the expedition to catch food on the go and prepare it on board the ship. "We've got beds, so we can just anchor in the middle of the river and avoid beasts that way," he said. "And this way we don't have to worry about beasts being attracted to the blood. Though I want us to do a practice run before we leave. You know, catch a seel and try gutting it on the ship itself so we know it's possible." He sighed. "We might have to just cut out portions of meat and leave the rest behind, if it's too unwieldy. It's inefficient, but it's better than nothing. Most of us already know how to butcher beasts, but I'm going to have everyone who will be on the expedition learn how to properly butcher seels, myself included, so that we all know how to feed ourselves."

"Wouldn't it be better to have them all learn how to catch seels first?"

"It can't be that hard. The children and you do it. I mean, you cheat with magic, but that's you being you."

Lori gave him a long, level look that could have been used as a road. "Rian?"

"Yes, your Bindership?"

"Learn how to catch seels first. That's an order."

"Yes, your Bindership."

Seeling was not easy, and she wanted him to know that!

Really, this was for his own good, he might have starved from not being able to catch any seels, after all.

The water jet was in its own little space right under the tiller. In fact, there was a hatch leading down to it, since there would need to be someone there to take directions and adjust the speed as needed, since Rian's idea of a really long lever that poked through a slot on the deck had been too unwieldy and kept tripping him whenever he moved to adjust the tiller.

"We'll be storing the food and other cargo in here on top of the water jet, since it doesn't really get hot or anything like a steam driver," Rian said. "Though I had a table built on top, just in case. I was afraid putting things directly on it would make it come apart."

Lori gave him an incredulous look. "Rian, it's inside a wooden box that's sealed shut, and the parts have their own rods locking them together into place." She considered it. "Good idea to put a table on top of it to keep people from touching it directly." One should never underestimate how easily an idiot could break something.

"I wanted to have shelves around it too, since people might accidentally kick it, but that would take too long to build," Rian said.

"Chests," Lori said. "Surround it with chests."

Rian nodded. "That could work, and they'd be faster to build. Basically a box with a lid. Doesn't even need a hinge. Well, we'd need someplace to put the food anyway…"

They both nodded in agreement.

The evaporator was in the corner, with a large, obvious funnel on top of it to put water in. There was another intake funnel in the level above so people could pour water in directly from the river or sea without having to bring it down. The container underneath for the salt could be slid out when it was full so it could be stored in some other container, and next to it was the spout where water would drip into a barrel from the evaporator.

Lori had added an intake in the bottom to get any water that flooded the level as well, mostly to keep people from wrenching off the funnel and putting it on the ground. She had made sure to add bends in the pipe to the actual evaporation chamber with the binding in it to keep people from trying to stick wood into it. They shouldn't, especially after her demonstration, but… well, the fact they shouldn't has never stopped people from doing things, especially if the thing was stupid. Next to it was a rack to secure the barrels the boat would be carrying for water. It had a little space so that people could switch around the barrels and place them next to the evaporator if it went empty.

"It occurs to me there is a serious design flaw," Lori commented.

"I know," Rian sighed. "I honestly thought it would be brighter."

The entire lower deck was dark and gloomy, what little light filtering in through the ice more of an accent than any sort of actual illumination. The only light proper light came from the lightwisps on Lori's head.

"In my defense, I didn't miss this design flaw, I just can't think of how to fix it," Rian said. "If we'd spaced out the planks to provide more light, it would also let water flow down here when we washed out the upper deck, which would be inconvenient." He sighed. "I remember when our problem was not having enough water. Now our problem is if we have too much."

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"Your problem," Lori said.

"So you keep reminding me."

She shrugged. "You could just not go. Stay here, send someone else."

"Missing me already?"

"I find you much more reliable for taking care of problems than my temporary Rian."

"Riz. Her name is Riz. She has a name that you know, use it. Please."

Lori raised an eyebrow at the sharpness in Rian's voice, then shrugged. "Fine, fine. Though you've never seemed to care before."

"Yes, well, she's going to be doing my job. I know firsthand how hard that is, so I'm not going to let you make it any harder for her. Besides, do you really care who's taking care of your problems as long as it's taken care of and you didn't have to talk to anyone to do it?"

Lori actually had to take a moment to think of that. "You're better at it," she said.

"Well… it's nice to be appreciated, I guess."

For a moment, there was only the movement of the boat as it bobbed and swayed in the water.

"I might be able to amend your design flaw," Lori said. "But I'm only putting one binding of lightwisps into place. And even then, I can't be certain that it can be renewed as easily or as efficiently as the waterwisps claimed by my blood."

Rian sighed. "I can ask the sweetbugkeepers for some wax to make candles, but that almost seems wasteful. And it likely won't last long."

"Do it," Lori said. "It's an available resource, so use it. It's not as if you intend to keep them lit the whole night."

"I suppose…" Rian said. "And it's not like we don't already have a fire hazard…"

They both looked towards the level above.

"Come on, let's continue finding things you can tell me I did wrong."

They climbed up the steep, almost ladder-like stairs and up onto the level above, what Rian insisted on calling the main deck. The wooden planks were almost flush with the top of the ice forming the hull, and wooden rails formed a boundary on all sides to keep people from falling into the water. Wooden beams on either side connected the outriggers to the hull of the Coldhold, and there were breaks in the railing to allow people to enter via the ramps on the beams.

Half of the level was open with only railings to bar the way, since whoever was operating the almost comically long tiller would need the free space to move the rudder. The two latrines on either side of the boat were merely seats with a hole in them which let things fall into the river, which… probably worked, but seemed absolutely disgusting to her. In the middle of the boat was an enclosed, shack-like structure with wooden walls, though not a lot of them. On either side and in front, it seemed to mostly be wide window, and the entire back was missing in lieu of a door. The roof seemed the sturdiest and substantial part of it, along with the vertical support columns, a sturdiness that was explained by the ladder built into its side and the railings on the roof.

Inside the little shack sat a stove. It was made of bound ice, with a metal grill and flat metal panel for cooking food on top. There was a stone-covered wooden door that could be closed in front of the firebox, and one could see the golden wire that carried magic into the bound ice. A tube made of ice and reinforced with bone led outside to act as a chimney. Next to the bound ice stove were a pair of table-height surfaces, and on either side of the shack were long wooden benches that doubled as storage chests.

"It's not a fire hazard, not really," Lori said, though even she eyed her creation dubiously.

"There's wood directly above it," Rian said. "You just know someone's going to manage to find a way to get the fire that high."

"You said you needed a stove, I built a stove."

"I know, I know, and I can't think of any way it could be better. But I guess I've been around you too long, because all I can see is someone using it to set our ship on fire. I can just see someone making a fire in there, then leaving the door down for light and heat, and then the boat gets jostled and coals go everywhere, and the top deck catches fire… " Rian sighed. "I could be the only one to operate the stove, but that means leaving someone else to operate the tiller, and then I keep seeing us crashing into rocks in the water and getting caught on banks... Please don't suggest I just stay at home."

Lori closed her mouth. "Well, if it's a matter of convincing people to do something—or not do something, as the case may be—then I'm sure you can manage."

"That's a lot of faith in me. Aren't you afraid I'll fail?

"Rian, I consider you to be full of failings. Being unable to convince people to do what you want is not among them."

"Thank.. you…? Um, also, I was talking to some people, and I think that we have a partial solution to the food preservation problem."

"Oh?"

Rian nodded. "When ice isn't available, people smoke food to keep it from going bad."

Lori frowned. "Smoke… food…?"

"Put it in a container full of mostly smoke," Rian clarified. "It stops things from rotting, and if you do it right it can impart an extra flavor to the meat." He pointed at the stove's chimney. "I figure if you have that lead into an air-tight box, we can store raw food there and keep it from going bad for… oh, about a day or so, since we'll hopefully be catching more food to replace it. You won't even need to put in any sort of binding, just one of those one-way water valves so the smoke won't go back to stove."

Lori raised an eyebrow but… well, it vaguely sounded like it would work. Dustlife, which was what made food go bad, needed breathable air to survive after all, and smoke definitely wasn't breathable. "I'll need a box."

"Already being made," Rian said.

"How industrious of you," she said dryly.

She hesitated, then turned and began climbing the ladder, absently extinguishing the lightwisps on her head.

At the highest point of the boat, every little sway caused by the river seemed magnified hugely, and Lori grabbed the nearest railing to keep herself steady. Thankfully, if felt very solid under her hands. High balcony allowed for a wide view all around the boat, but especially ahead, though all that was ahead was the town around her Dungeon. Still, she saw over the curve of the roof of the shelter and baths, and was about level with the roofs of many of the houses. Lori stood carefully, holding the rail, and was mildly annoyed that Rian moved so easily after following her up.

"I should probably put some benches up here," Rian commented, "otherwise people are going to sit on the rail and fall on their heads."

Lori nodded. Yes, that sounded exactly like the sort of idiotic thing people would do. "Not completely finished then, is it?"

"Well, close enough that I want to test how it handles by using it to bring the next batch of miners to River's Fork tomorrow," Rian said. "All the parts that let it boat are pretty much done, it's just a few quality of life things left to add. After that… we can leave."

"You can leave," Lori said quietly.

"If it helps, I'm only picking people with family here," Rian said dryly. "Happy families. That way, no one will be tempted to stay in Covehold. I asked some of the single people in the shelter if they wanted to come with us and try their luck at another demesne—" Lori's head snapped towards him, glaring, "—but they all said to their knowledge no other demesne offered free hot baths. Though a lot of people have a long list of things they want to know the prices of."

"Consolidate the list for me, and I'll transcribe it into stone for you to carry," Lori said.

"That would be great, I'm running out of space on the walls of my house. People want a lot of things." He sighed. "I don't think they realize this is just the start. When we come back from Covehold, we'll have to figure out what we can sell to get the money for everything."

"We'll have all winter to think of it," Lori said.

"That's… what, two, three months away?" Rian said. "Might be sooner. It's starting to get colder." It was? Lori hadn't noticed…

For a moment, the two of them just stood there, listening to the wind and looking out over her demesne.

Eventually, Rian sighed. "Well, best get back to work. The sooner everything is finished, the sooner we can go, and the sooner we can come back and not get caught by winter while traveling."

"Yes, I suppose," Lori nodded. "Rian?"

"Yes, your Bindership?"

"Do you want to get married?"

Rian spun around so fast he nearly fell off the roof, and only a quick grab at the railing saved him from a painful descent. "Ah, Lori, you're a wonderful woman, but—"

She rolled her eyes. "Not with me, you idiot. But in general, do you want to get married?"

"I'm… not against it?" He looked like it was the first time he'd ever thought of it. "No, I'm not against it." He shrugged. "But it's not like I have any prospects. I mean, most of the women I know are either married, like other women or… well, are you."

"But if you did," she asked. "Would you?"

For a while, Rian just stared into the distance, seeing something on the inside of his eyes, face wistful. "That would be… nice," he said quietly. He frowned. "Why do you ask?"

Lori shrugged. "If you had family here, you wouldn't be tempted to stay in Covehold."

"You're still on that?" It was Rian's turn to roll his eyes. "I'm not leaving you."

"Why? Given your reaction just now, it can't be because you're secretly in love with me and are trying to gain my attention by being a steadfast and reliable presence in my life," Lori said.

Rian frowned. "Play?"

"Novel. Of course, it doesn't work, and she married the girl who actually had the nerve to confess."

"I wouldn't have thought you'd like a story like that."

"It was a subplot, the rest of the novel was about industrial espionage." Lori shrugged. "To be honest, the only reason I remember it is because the protagonist used the attempts at romantic encounters as cover to infiltrate various places."

"Now that sounds more like you," Rian smiled.

"You didn't answer my question."

Rian nodded. "Well, if I'm going to be honest… you remind me of my sister."

Lori raised an eyebrow at him. "Younger?"

"Twin, actually," he said, looking sad and wistful.

"I'm… sorry for your loss," she said. That was what you said, right?

"Hmm? Oh no, she's probably still alive. I just… likely won't ever see her again." He smiled tiredly. "Being separated by an ocean, you know?"

Ah. She nodded. "And I remind you of her?"

"Yeah," he said. "You have no idea how many times I have to resist the urge to pat you on the head sometimes."

"Noted," she said dryly, looking out over the river.

They stood in silence for a moment.

"I always wanted a sibling," she eventually said quietly.

She heard the sound of wood shifting. "What happened?"

"Two mothers."

"Ah. Yes, I can see how that would be… difficult."

She turned, eyed him up and down. Then she turned and started to climb down the ladder. "Come on. Enough slothfulness. Back to work."

A chuckle. "Yes, your Bindership. Hopefully, we'll be done by tomorrow, the next day at the latest."

They got back to work.