A few days had passed after their night watching Terwall pass behind them, and Archer had only just finished riding out the wave of exhilaration at knowing he wasn't in Albion any more. It wasn't that he didn't like his homeland, far from it, but he'd never really been anywhere new before. It brought a fresh wave of exhilaration that, as mentioned, had only just started ebbing away.

Unfortunately his newfound excitement did not seem to be shared by his mentor, who had withdrawn into himself somewhat over the course of this last week. His easy smile was replaced by one as false as any the assistant had seen, and his demeanour remained tense at all hours of the day. It didn't matter if he was stuck under a boiler or playing cards in the mess, he was tense as rigging pulled taut. A day or two after the first signs of his friend and boss' funk had set in, Archer was told to simply "Take inventory for the day and leave him be. He don't like it much round here."

That of course raised fresh questions, and almost on instinct he went to the one person who he assumed would know best.

"Mr Cooke."

"Oh! Archer! How may I assist you? Sorry, is just Archer okay?"

He nodded, smiling.

"Of course. I was hoping to ask you a question or two, if it's alright with you."

The man visibly did his best to beam back at him, but the smile fell far short of his eyes.

"Sure! What did you need?"

Archer said nothing, watching the man for a moment, and Talon began to squirm a little on the spot.

"Is something the ma-"

"You as well, hm?"

The man blinked a few times, visibly confused.

"What?"

"You and Lawrence." He clarified. "You're both rather despondent at the moment, if you don't mind me saying."

The kind man's smile fell a little further, and after a few seconds of silence he slumped a little, letting it drop entirely.

"That obvious, huh"

"Yeah. Sorry, Talon. It is alright if I call you Talon, right?"

The man nodded at him, seeming if nothing else a touch cheered up by Archer's willingness to shed a little formality.

"Of course! And... well... do you know where we are?"

Archer looked around, confused.

"We're... we're in the mess. Did you hit your head? Do you require medical assistance?"

The man let slip a genuine chuckle at those words, and so Archer counted this visit a success if only for that single reason.

"No, no, not on the ship, silly. I mean do you know what we're flying over today? Tomorrow as well?"

Archer let slip a wry smile, shaking his head.

"I'm afraid I do not. I've been stuck in storerooms E through H all morning, and Lawrence has taken to his quarters for the day. I was asked not to bother him."

Cooke nodded, seemingly a little relieved.

"Good, I'm glad of that. This place has bad memories for Lawrence. Right now we're flying through the Carronade Pass, where he watched the Leviathan go down alongside half a hundred other ships some seven years ago. He'll tell everyone that he's fine, but... well, you've seen the effect it's had on him."

Archer let in a sharp inhale of breath. Yes, he could see exactly why Lawrence wasn't exactly cheerful as they'd made their approach, let alone as they went right through it. God, he'd never really thought about it. So much emphasis had been placed on the felling of the RAN Leviathan and the loss of the crown prince that he'd not ever really stopped to think about how many others must have lost their lives aboard the hundred other ships that participated in the battle, the crew of the Sunbird amongst them.

"And what about you? If it isn't too impertinent of me to ask, what is it that has you so down at this moment?"

Talon smiled a small smile and tapped him on the nose.

"Don't you worry about me, I'll be fine. Now run along, and stop poking your nose into my business. Shoo, shoo!"

The man made an exaggerated shooing motion with both arms, and Archer left the room half-mimicking an affronted gull, which earned another genuine laugh from the kind chef.

Even if he didn't get all the answers he'd been hoping for, cheering up one of his friends had make it well worth it.

"Petty Officer Trenholm."

"Archer! What can little old me help you with? Wanna take pot-shots at passing gulls?"

"Good lords, you're obsessed with shooting down gulls. What did they ever do to you?"

The young woman pulled a mock-grimace as she spoke.

"Passed through Gull's Pastures once. Never again. So much birdshit."

She laughed at his exaggerated shudder, and pulled him into a bear-hug.

"God, you and Lawrence both need to loosen up a little. It's just a hug, no need to go so rigid. You feel more like one of the bloody pipes you've spent the last week fixing. Any luck with them speaking tubes yet by the way?"

Archer shook his head.

"Nope. We've gone through just about every section of pipe there is and can't find the reason for its malfunctioning. Worst comes to worst then according to Mr Walker we'll have to completely dismantle the system and reconstruct it from scratch."

Talwynn sucked in a breath as she swung herself around to sit on the carronade she'd been next to, kicking her legs off the side absentmindedly.

"Shit, that sounds like it's gonna suck."

She gave him a look up and down with a curious expression on her face, then she continued talking.

"Not that I don't appreciate your company, and I know I am a fucking delight to be around, but you're hardly ever apart from Lawrence whilst you're on shift. What gives this time?"

He sucked in a breath of his own.

"That's just it. Lawrence has been a little despondent lately, and he wouldn't even leave his bed today. I asked Talon and he said that it's to do with the fact that Lawrence fought in the battle here."

Talwynn nodded.

"That he did. God, what a battle that must have been. Can you imagine it? More than a hundred airships, led by great battleships that dwarf the Sunbird herself, the sound of all those guns... the smell of burning powder..."

She shivered a little as her eyes glazed over, but she then shook her head and gave him an apologetic smile.

"Sorry about that. You can take the girl out of the powder-gangs, but you can't take the powder-ganger out of the girl. Aye, our resident mechanical expert did fight in the single largest battle on the continent in half a century. He watched three other Dawn-class Heavy Frigates get lost as well; neither the Moonbird or Lightening survived the battle, and the Twilight was taken into rebel hands. Apparently the Starlight was in the battle as well, at least according to Lawrence, but no-one knows what became of her after the battle. Apparently she just... started sailing east. The last time anyone saw her was when she pulled into Last Stop Port, then she just carried on into the eastern wastes."

She shook her head again to get herself back on track.

"With all that in mind, can you blame him for being a little shaken by this?"

Archer shook his head.

"Not at all, Ms Trenholm. I recognise Mr Walker's own bad memories to be the reason for his current despondency, but what I do not understand is our resident chef's similar nature at the moment."

Talwynn looked him up and down again, confused.

"You mean Cooke? As in Talon Cooke?"

"Yes."

She looked at him incredulously.

"As in 'never unhappy, always smiling' Talon Cooke?"

"That's the one."

"Never thought I'd see the day he let his smile go. Is it bad?"

Archer looked at her, eyebrow raised.

"Have you not paid any attention to him recently?"

She shrugged sheepishly.

"Not really. Not in an unkind way, I hope you understand, but more because I just... haven't really seen him recently. I guess now that you mention it he has been a little less peppy recently, but I didn't think anything of it."

He held up his hands in a gesture of supplication.

"Hey, no need to work yourself up about it, I didn't mean to interrogate you or anything. I only wished to ask if you knew of any reason why he might be feeling down. He just tapped me on the nose and told me not to worry about it, which if I'm being honest was both adorable and made me more worried."

She nodded at him.

"Yeah, that sounds more like him. I'm afraid I don't really know what could be causing it. As far as I know he wasn't on the Sunbird during the battle, but I don't know if he served on any of the other ships that fought on it and transferred over afterwards. I genuinely don't know. It might explain why Lawrence and Talon have been as thick as thieves as long as anyone can remember."

Archer nodded. That made a little sense. Perhaps it really was that simple?

"What else do you know of the battle? Of the war against the rebellion?"

She shrugged.

"What do I look like, a tutor? The eight kingdoms in the west of the continent, Albion included, created parliaments to represent their people. Radical groups in the eight kingdoms, influenced by the success of similar rebellions in the centre of the continent, rose up against the eight kingdoms hoping to create some fucking radical republic."

She spat off the side of the ship, as if hoping to hit a rebel passing by beneath.

"They were mostly beaten back, but amassed their forces in a last-ditch effort to make a break for the Albionic capital and cut down the royal family. In response almost the total naval force of Albion, as well as a couple of ships from Gaul, Pictriu, and even Hithin, made a stand in Gaul. If the rebel forces were enough to finally force the Hithinians to leave their island and help us then it must have been dire. But I don't see why that's important at the moment."

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

Archer nodded, taking her words in. It was true that the eight kingdoms in the west were far from friendly, instead being allies of convenience. The forces of reaction and revolution in the east were both threats to their societies, and so they'd banded together to try and halt the tide of sweeping revolutions. Still, just as she'd said, the kingdoms had spent more time than not warring with each other, and bad blood ran deep.

"The RAN battered the buggers and blew 'em to kingdom come, and all it cost us was four-dozen ships, a few thousand men, and a boy of seventeen years. Whether it was a low cost or not is for the philosophers to decide."

Archer nodded. He needed no further hints as to who the 'boy of seventeen' was; an obvious allusion to the beloved crown prince, who had charmed the nation and seemed to be a symbol of hope not only for Albion, but the people of their neighbouring kingdoms as well. He was set to take the thrones of both Hithin and Albion, including the Albionic territory of Ewyng, and Archer was fairly certain he'd read a few papers from north of the border stating that the earls and lairds of Pictriu had put his name forwards as a candidate for their elective monarchy.

Still, that future was all but lost to them now.

"Do you think he was afraid?"

Archer blinked a few times, his mind catching up with him. He turned to face Talwynn, who had an uncharacteristic grimace on her face.

"Come again?"

"The prince, I mean. He was only seventeen. Do you think he was scared during the battle?"

Archer was silent for a moment, trying to piece together a response. How could he say? He'd never seen the prince before, not unless you counted poor illustrations in papers at the very least, but from all accounts he was as sweet boy more suited to a life of charming dignitaries and ambassadors than to fighting a war.

"I don't know. I think so, though. He'd have to have been mad not to."

Talwynn smiled at him and snorted, but she seemed a little subdued. They might never have met him, but everyone had loved the crown prince in their own way. She gave him an uncharacteristically sad smile as the two of them stood in silence for a few seconds, mourning someone they had never known.

"Leviathan. What a bloody pompous name."

Archer snorted.

"Yeah, I guess it is. You don't seem beholden to superstitions around it, what with how much you talk about it."

She laughed at that notion, the very idea that she be beholden to superstition seeming to amuse her.

"Freaks out some of the newer hires. Besides, I'm an aetherborn. Why should I fear what I already know?"

Archer was taken aback a little, his surprise quickly fading as he remembered the circumstances of her birth.

"Ah, I remember. I'm not sure how I keep forgetting that you were born on a skyport. I keep thinking Lawrence is the only aetherborn aboard the ship. I guess it's cause I keep expecting all aetherborns to be like him. You know, stern, diligent, that sort of thing."

She waved away his words and made a 'pshhht' sound, disregarding what he'd said.

"As if. There's probably a dozen aetherborn on the Sunbird, you just don't realise it since we're all the same as the rest of you."

Archer smiled.

"Believe me, that has been made abundantly clear since boarding this bird. Where is it you were actually born? It was on a skyport and not an airship, wasn't it? Or am I misremembering something?"

She motioned to herself with her thumb as she spoke.

"Nah, you got it right. Auld-Kern Shipyards, born and bred. Best shithole in all Albion."

He chuckled a little at her.

"I'll have to see about visiting sometime."

"Wouldn't bother, unless you're the kind of person who enjoys watching airship parts being put together on the docks. There's fuck all else to do since the mines ran dry."

He chucked again, with her own laughter joining his after a moment. This was nice, he thought to himself. He'd made more friends in the last two weeks than in the rest of his life back home.

After a while his thoughts returned to the original topic of why Talon was feeling down. Maybe he did serve in the battle. Maybe he sailed alongside the Sunbird, if not on her.

As if reading his thoughts, Talwynn spoke back up, her voice regaining her usual levels of peppiness.

"Or maybe it's even simpler than that. Maybe he's just feeling down since his 'Lawrie' is feeling shitty."

She smiled conspiratorially as she used Talon's pet name for Lawrence, and Archer grinned in response. Not for the fact that she'd used the name per-se, more for what it would enable him to do next.

"Oh, that's what you want to call him behind his back, is it? Because as far as I remember being told, he's rather particular on who's allowed to call him that."

Talwynn's smile fell away.

"You wouldn't."

Archer maintained his grin.

"I wouldn't what? Let slip to my boss and mentor that one of his colleagues used a nickname only one person is allowed to use for him in a casual conversation with someone unrelated? Oh, perish the thought! Still, it has been known for my tongue to take on a mind of its own whilst I'm annoyed..."

She sighed in an exaggerated manner at him.

"Ugh. Fine, what do you want?"

His grin vanished, replaced by what was almost a comedically straight face.

"Stop wolf-whistling at my arse every time you see me from behind."

She pouted.

"But it's a really nice ass."

Archer felt his cheeks flush a little as she laughed at him.

"Right that's it, I'm telling him."

She spoke through laugher so thick that there were tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Wait- wait, hang on! I concede, I concede! No more wolf whistling when I see your arse! I promise!"

He nodded at her, and turned to walk away. Even if she hadn't given him anything more than the starting point for his friend's downcast mood, at the very least it would stop her from being so bold towards him.

At least he thought it would.

"Phweep, phew."

"RIGHT THAT'S IT! YOU HAD ONE JOB!"

"WAIT NO ARCHER IT WAS A JOKE DON'T TELL LAWRENCE!"

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That encounter had made him chuckle. At the very least it seemed as though his friends would, if nothing else, cheer up as they left the Pass and put some distance behind them. It couldn't be easy for Lawrence to revisit the slaughter there, nor Talon if he'd served there for that matter. It was actually that night that, on deck and after shift, he'd bumped into a familiar face.

"Michael! It's good to see you again! How have the Rickard's been treating you?"

The young marine turned to him and smiled as he recognised him on approach, the two of them clasping arms in greeting.

"Archer! I figured you'd dropped off the edge of the ship!"

"Really?"

The man waved his hand in dismissal of the question.

"Nah, not really. I've seen you around here and there."

"Oh, my apologies for not seeing you in that case!"

The man shook his head and laughed.

"It's for the best you didn't; most of those times your head was stuck under some very heavy looking tools or parts. I couldn't imagine doing the job you do. It must be difficult, what with all the technical aspects to consider."

Archer made a so-so motion with his hand before leaning against the railings next to his friend.

"It's hard work, but you get used to the more intricate parts quite quickly. It helps when you have a mentor as good as Mr Walker."

The noble's son shuddered.

"Mr Walker. He gives me the creeps; his eyes just sweep over you as if you're made of machine parts and he's analysing what's malfunctioning. It creeps me out a little."

Archer laughed at that.

"Mr Walker? Creepy? I can understand people finding him a little intimidating, what with his stern demeanour and piercing glare, but creepy? Are you sure we're thinking of the same person?"

Michael chuckled a little as well.

"All right, all right, maybe 'creepy' is too strong a word. I think you were right when you said 'intimidating'."

"Michael, my friend, you literally carry a rifle around as a part of your job."

The man nodded.

"And I'm damn good with it as well. Corporal Rickard says I'm in the running for Private Soldier First Class by the end of my first year of service, which is damn fast."

Archer nodded in recognition of his friend's achievements.

"I'd raise a glass to your successes, but I haven't any drink with me I'm afraid."

Michael motioned towards the mess.

"Well, I don't know about you, but I've still got my day's bottles to drink. Let's have a few beers together, seeing as our shifts are over."

Archer smiled, nodding.

"Now that sounds like a good plan. A couple of beers sounds like fine idea to me."

----------------------------------------

"So, you seem to have done rather well for yourself."

"Oh, I wouldn't say that. I've just done what I was asked, after all."

Michael nodded and tossed a bottle over to him, which Archer caught and opened against the head of a bolt in the wall next to him.

"Well, whether or not you think so, the officers all seem to like you."

"They're all nice people. A bit... eccentric, but nice nonetheless."

Michael huffed out a laugh.

"Yeah, that about chalks them up. I never thought I'd meet people that made my siblings feel 'normal', but here we are."

"They're good people though," Archer pressed on, "even if some of them like annoying me day-in-day-out."

"The Gunnery Officer?"

Archer nodded.

"The Gunnery Officer."

Michael laughed again.

"I almost hesitate to ask, but does she, by chance..."

"Whistle at my backside? Yes. All the time."

The other man let out a sigh that almost sounded like relief.

"At least it isn't just me. I think she does that to half of us who boarded at King's Cove Harbour, so don't worry about that."

Archer waved him off.

"Nah, it doesn't really bother me outside of causing me embarrassment; I know she means well. Besides, I've just blackmailed her into stopping."

Michael grinned and patted him on the back before opening his own beer.

"Archer, you old blaggard! I didn't know you had it in you! Blackmail, hah!"

He raised his beer and the two of them clinked their bottles before taking a drink. Archer closed his eyes and savoured the hoppy taste in his mouth before swallowing. It wasn't particularly good beer, but he didn't really mind that. It was a familiar, almost comforting taste; something that reminded him a little of home.

"So, what's the information you used?"

Archer smiled slyly at his friend.

"Mr Griffon, I would not divulge such secrets to one who did not already know! What would my colleagues think of me!"

Michael laughed at his impression of an upperclassman, perfected after almost two decades of watching the baronet's son strutting around like a peacock.

"Very droll, Archer, very droll. In all honesty though, it wasn't anything truly damning I hope?"

Archer waved away the words with his free hand whilst he took another swig of beer.

"No, of course not. I've become quite good friends with the officers, herself included, and as such I have no desire to play on their secrets for my own selfish pursuits. No, she made a slip of the tongue and in response for me keeping quiet she's promised to stop wolf-whistling at me."

"Now there's a cause I can respect. She's a bloody maniac when it comes to the guns though; sometimes I think she watches us while training not for any actual reason related to us, but rather because she enjoys the sound of the rifles firing."

Archer thought for a second of how she'd shuddered upon imagining the cannon fire at the Carronade Pass, and nodded.

"I wouldn't be surprised. Not at all. She's a very genuine person though, wears her heart on her sleeve."

"That doesn't stop her caustic tongue."

The two of them laughed together. It was pleasant and mirthful, a fine end to the day.

"Aye, that it doesn't. Sometimes I'm surprised she hasn't managed to cut anyone with her wit yet, what with how sharp it is."

"Heh, okay, that one got me. How's your boss holding up? I heard Mr Walker's been out of it today, or a few days, depending on who you ask."

Archer paused for a second before answering. He wasn't sure if this counted as gossip or common knowledge, but he figured the basics couldn't hurt.

"He's lived on the ship his whole life, and we're currently flying through the Carronade Pass. See if you can put two and two together here."

Michaels eyes widened as he realised what Archer meant.

"You mean... woah... yeah, I can understand why he'd be put out. God, that's horrible. He was actually at the battle?"

Archer nodded.

"Yep. I don't know this next bit for certain, but I'm fairly certain he must have seen the flagship go down. That can't have been easy on him."

"Aye, and that's the truth."

Archer raised an eyebrow at him.

"'Aye', is it? Mixing with commoners changing your speech, is it?"

Michael shoved him with his shoulder good-naturedly.

"Give me a little credit, I realised after a day or two aboard how poorly I was hiding my... well, noble heritage. I'd like to think I'm doing a little better now."

"A little pompous, but not too bad."

"Hey!"

Archer held his hands up in surrender.

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding! How have you been with the other marines anyway?"

"Not too badly at all, as I said before. The Sergeant and his 2IC seem to like you."

Archer stuttered a little.

"They do? I mean, they do, yes."

Michael smirked as Archer fumbled over his words.

"They do, yes. The two of them are quite glad you're helping Mr Walker with engineering, and that you're a good sport at cards. I think they're annoyed they weren't able to snag you for the marines before you were sent to Mr Walker, even if you've never fired a rifle before."

Archer snorted at the thought of himself as a soldier.

"I'm not a fighter. I'd hardly know which end of the bloody barrel to point at the enemy."

The two of them laughed some more, and then Michael launched into a humorous story about one of the practical jokes that some of the marines had played on each other, and passed him another bottle of beer as he finished his own. The night continued much in that same way, the two friends swapping stories and passing bottles long into the night until they parted ways, tired yet happy.

Of course, none of his investigations today had dealt any clues as to why Talon had been feeling saddened as of late, but he'd been able to catch up with a friend and cheer the man up, so he would call the day a success anyway.

Besides, it was probably nothing.