When Xan left Stell’s office, he took a moment to breathe a sigh of relief. Then he held up the piece of paper Stell had given him.

“What have I gotten myself into?” he muttered to himself.

If he was being honest, that whole conversation went better than he had hoped. During their trip back to Vaimea, Dee had warned him that Stell wasn’t usually the type to hold back when it came to reprimanding others. So he had been surprised when the little shipwright had offered him a job instead of chewing him out.

He shrugged to himself. He had been planning on paying for the damages to Stell’s boat all along. This new development would just take some of the hassle out of it.

He headed down the iron spiral staircase to the main floor. Taika was sitting at the long counter near the front, staring down into the cup of tea she was holding between her hands. Shadow was curled up in her lap. Neither one of them looked up as Xan approached. Isaac, however, glanced up from the ledger he had been writing in.

“Looks like you survived,” he commented. Xan chuckled awkwardly.

“I guess so… uh… here. Stell said to give this to you.” He held out the piece of paper.

Isaac took it. He read over it quickly.

“I see. Well, then, come on back,” he said. He lifted up a part of the counter that was hinged, gesturing for Xan to join him behind it. He then spent the next several minutes taking Xan’s measurements with a measuring tape and jotting them down on a sheet of paper.

“What’s all this for?” Xan asked as Isaac measured across the back of his shoulders.

“It’s for your new uniform,” Isaac said. “If you’re going to work for Miss Stell, then you’re going to need one.”

“Work for Stell?” Taika said suddenly, looking up at Xan questioningly.

“Aye. So I can pay for the boat repairs,” Xan said, reaching up to awkwardly scratch the back of his head before Isaac gently pushed his arm back down. “And so I can save up for our passage to Rezan.”

“You want to go to Rezan? Whereabouts?” Isaac asked nonchalantly as he bent down to measure Xan’s legs.

“The Dawn Shrine,” Xan said.

“Hmm… I’m not familiar with that place,” Isaac said, straightening up.

“It’s…” Xan began to say. Then, realizing he didn’t know where it was either, he looked to Taika for help. Taika gestured towards a map that was hung on the back wall above the iron stove.

“It’s on the northwest coast, just west of the Hallowed Tangle and north of where Minghar used to be,” she said.

Isaac glanced back at the map, noting the location.

“Then it is quite fortuitous that you’re working for Miss Stell,” he said as he wound up his measuring tape.

“Why’s that?” Xan asked.

“All of the port cities between here and there are heading into Everstorm season. You’ll be hard pressed to find a ship willing to take you that far. At least working for Miss Stell will keep you busy until the Everstorm passes,” Isaac said.

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“Oh, right… the Everstorm…” Xan said quietly.

For an instant, his mind jumped back to that perilous moment when the Astaria and her crew had been caught by the Everstorm; when his captain had ordered everyone to abandon ship mere moments before the hull smashed into the rocks. For a moment, he thought he could feel the waves closing over him, pulling him this way and that as he fought to swim to shore. Then, suddenly, he felt a hand shaking his shoulder.

“Are you alright, son?” Isaac asked, looking at him intently.

Xan blinked. It took him a moment to recognize where he was. Then he realized that his heart was pounding and his hands were trembling. He rubbed his hands together to get them to stop.

“Aye, I’m fine,” Xan said.

Isaac looked at Xan intently for another moment. Then, pushing his glasses up, he turned to one of the bookshelves and pulled down another ledger.

“What skills do you have that would benefit our shipyard?” he asked Xan.

“I have experience as a boatswain,” Xan said.

“Really? At such a young age?” Isaac asked, peering at him over the top of his glasses. Xan took this to mean that Isaac didn’t believe him, and he straightened up a little in indignation.

“I’ll have you know that I’ve been sailing since I was twelve,” he said.

“Uh-huh. And how old are you now?” Isaac asked as he flipped through the ledger. Xan stammered briefly before replying.

“That’s not important. What I mean is that I know everything about ships from keel to crow’s nest,” he said.

“And how many ships have you worked on in your sailing career?” Isaac asked, pulling out a loose leaf of paper.

“…One,” Xan admitted begrudgingly.

“So you know one ship from keel to crow’s nest,” Isaac said as he replaced the ledger.

“Alright, fine,” Xan said as Isaac made his way back to the counter. “But I still learned everything that went into sailing that ship.”

“Building a ship is a whole different beast, son,” Isaac said as he sat down on a stool near the counter, “and especially in this shipyard. We work on boats and ships of all sizes, from dinghies to galleons and everything in between. We even do airship repairs as the need arises. Because of this, each of Caird and Caird’s employees is expected to produce quality work while staying flexible to the demands of each job. Do you think you can hold yourself up to that standard?”

He was looking at Xan over the top of his glasses again. Xan was starting feel really annoyed by his scrutiny.

“Of course I can,” Xan said, puffing out his chest a little.

Isaac hemmed. Then he pushed his glasses up, turned back to the counter, and started writing.

“For now, I’ll put you under Per Strand, our master rigger. Do you remember him?” he asked.

“Big wolfy Canidan?” Xan asked, holding up his hand to indicate height.

“That’s him. Report to him tomorrow at eight bells sharp for your orientation. He’ll assess your skills and give you your first assignment. And as for your uniform—we’ll send it to you as soon as it’s tailored. After that, you’ll be required to wear it during working hours. Understood?” Xan nodded. “Good. Now, sign here.”

Isaac spun the sheet of paper around and pushed it closer to Xan, offering a quill with his other hand. Xan looked down at the sheet of paper skeptically.

“What’s this for?” he asked.

“It’s your employment contract,” Isaac said.

“That’s not necessary,” Xan said, folding his arms.

Isaac pursed his lips. Then he shrugged in mock indifference.

“Well, if you’re not satisfied with the terms, I suppose you could always renegotiate with Miss Stell,” he said, slowly pulling the contract back. Xan jumped forward to grab it.

“No, no, that’s fine. I’ll sign it,” he said.

With a knowing smile, Isaac proffered the quill again. Xan glared at him, then took it and signed on the bottom of the contract.

“Very well,” Isaac said, taking back the piece of paper. “Welcome to the Caird and Caird shipyard.”

“Aye, sure…” Xan muttered as he turned away.

“Look alive, people!” a voice suddenly called from above them. They all turned to see Stell and Dee coming down the iron spiral staircase, both seeming to be in good spirits. Stell even skipped the last step as she came down.

“Got everything squared away?” Stell asked enthusiastically. For a moment, Xan thought she was talking to him. But Isaac spoke up before he could say anything.

“Aye, chief,” he said.

“Excellent!” Stell said. “We’ll be heading to Nakoa’s, then. Don’t stay too late, now!”

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Isaac said.

Stell yanked open the front door, stepped outside, then leaned her head back in to beckon to Xan and Taika.

“Well, come on you two! Time to get something to eat!” she said.

Xan hesitated before following. Taika, however, didn’t seem to hear Stell. Dee waited a moment, then quietly came over and tapped Taika on the arm.

“Taika? You coming?” she asked gently.

Taika sighed. Then she followed as well.