“...and so we came here. Thought after our tussle with the pirates, we could get Hourglass patched up,” Twila finished. Almost everything she’d said was the truth. Except for the pirates. And the way Skipper Anton had died. And how the ship had been damaged. And why they’d come into Shimmertower in the storm.

Actually, most of it was lies.

And worse, Caroline DeWalt - no, Auntie Charlie - obviously knew it!

“Okay, setting aside that you’re not telling the truth - no one tells me the truth in this room, and I don’t pry - let me see if I understand. You got a hold of a courier sloop, it’s full of all sorts of cargo, and you’re looking to sell it,” the woman said. “But you’re not sure who owns the cargo?”

Twila and Carter nodded slowly.

“So what’s the cargo?”

Carter reached into his wool coat pocket and passed over their makeshift manifest. Auntie Charlie pored over it, plinking away at her [Writing Machine]. “Six of cotton - that’s good stuff. “Three of reddish-brown sand, could be a flux of some type. Two crates of tools? We make those here, but we might still find you a buyer.” On and on she went while Carter and Twila fidgeted nervously.

At last, she looked up, sliding the paper back to Carter. “Alright, you have options. The first choice gets you the most crowns, but it’s slow and risky. I know seven different buyers who’d be willing to purchase one or two crates. But the more people who know about it, the better chance of the prince or Gibson hearing about it.

“So, the second option is we go to the Gibson Company directly. They’ll offer you a poor deal, but it’ll be fast, and the prince won’t get in the way of Foundry business,” she continued. She steepled her fingers. “I’d recommend that choice. You’ll probably pull a few hundred crowns in, which’ll make us both richer.”

Twila thought about it. Getting Hourglass repaired and refitted as a hunter couldn’t wait. “What’s the last option? And what if we don’t work with you?” She asked. She glanced at the pistol Auntie Charlie had set next to her. She was playing a dangerous game. Would Charlie be willing to kill Twila and Carter if they refused to work with her?

“You walk out of here, try to find a buyer without me, and I report you to the prince for dealing stolen goods,” Charlie said matter-of-factly. She glanced at the gun as well. “I wouldn’t kill you. I don’t do that kind of work in Shimmertower.”

“Okay. Let’s talk to Gibson.” Twila stood up, and Carter followed.

“Wait. Before we go, there’s the small matter of my cut.” Charlie gestured to the seats again. They were comfy, plush red velvet over a carved wooden frame, and didn’t fit in with the run-down tavern beyond her door at all.

“I want forty percent.” Charlie paused, looking at Twila’s confused face. “Four out of every ten crowns.”

“Two out of ten,” Carter slurred. Twila could tell he was using a Skill, but not which one.

Charlie grinned, obviously enjoying what was about to happen. “Look, children, I’m just an honest woman trying to make my way in Shimmerport. Three crowns, eight masts.”

Twila leaned back in her chair. “Risk is all ours. Cargo is all ours. All you’re doing is getting us to the buyer. Two crowns, five masts.”

“Three crowns, five masts. You’re not paying for my work. You’re paying for my knowledge.”

“Two crowns, seven -” Carter began.

“Wait.” Twila interrupted. The woman was right. They couldn’t sell anything without a buyer, and bumbling around the market would just get them in trouble. “How much is it worth, do you think?

“You’ll probably get three hundred crowns, or close to it,” Charlie replied after looking at the keys on her wristguard. “I’ll walk away with…one hundred five of them, so you’d get one hundred ninety-five crowns. It’s enough to fix your ship with a bit left over for supplies.”

“Enough to buy guns for Hourglass?”

“No. Even [Long Fives] are pricey. But with a fixed ship, you could earn enough for a pair of those in a few months’ work.”

“The ship in the harbor? The big one? What kind of guns did it have?”

“The Royal Romney? A mix of four forty-pounder carronades and eight twenty-four pounder cannons per side, along with two Long Nine chase guns. Your Hourglass wouldn’t support those big guns - even the Long Nines would be pushing it without bracing, and line ships like that use adult crews.”

Just under two hundred crowns, Twila thought, wouldn’t be enough to make Hourglass a hunter. But it’d get her hull patched up, and the starboard engine looked over. She could live with being a trader for a few months until she could properly refit Hourglass. At least, she thought she could.

“Three crowns, five masts out of ten. Deal,” she said. She stuck out a small hand across the table. Charlie wrapped it in her much larger hand. It surprised Twila how few callouses the woman had.

“Deal,” Charlie said. She stood up, holstering the pistol and shrugging on her greatcoat. “Let’s go see my person at Gibson.”

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As they weaved their way through the crowded streets, Carter whispered to Twila, “Why’d you agree to that much? We coulda gotten her down to three of ten easy.”

“Hourglass is the most important thing,” Twila replied. “Don’t know how else we’ll get her fixed. Couldn’t mess this up.”

“I don’t trust her,” Carter said.

“Me either, but there’s no choice.”

Charlie stopped outside of a long, stone building. Wide brass doors let air flow inside, and purple flashes and smog poured out of them. “Alright, ship rats, let Auntie Charlie explain everything,” she said. She opened a wooden door off to the giant workshop’s side.

Inside, Charlie nodded at the secretary behind the desk. “I’m here to see Governor Hart. No appointment, but he’ll see me.”

“Of course, Ms. DeWalt,” the secretary said. She reached over to a little box on her desk. “Governor, Ms. DeWalt is here to see you.” She paused and looked back at the woman and the two ship rats. “He says he’ll send an escort down for you.”

Charlie nodded, sitting in a straight-backed wooden chair. They didn’t wait long before the escort clunked down the stairs.

It wasn’t a person.

It was almost six feet tall, in the rough shape of a man, but its body was entirely brass and steel. Purple-blue smoke snuck out from a tube connected to a track on the ceiling - it was myst-powered. Tubes wound their way around its limbs and framework, delivering myst to engines throughout its body.

Twila smiled and waved. The automaton raised an arm awkwardly and waved back.

“Master Hart awaits your presence in his office,” it said. “Follow me, please.”

As they climbed the stairs, Twila looked at the machine man. “You remind me of someone,” she said.

“That is unlikely. I am a Gibson Foundries U.V. Mark One Assistance Automaton,” it said, its voice flat and monotone.

“Nevermind,” Twila murmured.

The governor’s office took up most of the third floor. Unlike the other buildings Twila had been in, this one’s walls were wood - or at least, wood paneling. A brass device hissed in the middle of a table that was waist-high on Auntie Charlie and chest-high on her. Maps covered one wall, while another opened to a view of the street, and below that, the sea.

Twila didn’t care about any of that. A smokey, nutty smell filled the room. She sniffed the air, all her thoughts on the delicious smell. Where was it coming from?

“Ms. DeWalt, I was not expecting a visit,” a man’s voice said. Twila blinked and tried to refocus herself. The man sat behind a desk near the window - a wig on his head and gizmos whirling on his desk. “I assume you’ve come here about our arrangement?”

“Yes, actually. Listen, Hart, these children with me are ship rats -”

“I gathered from the tools and abject state of filthiness, yes,” the governor said. “What are you offering?”

“They need their ship cleared out. You need cotton for starter fuses, more brass and iron, and flux.” Charlie read from her [Writing Machine], reciting the cargo list she’d written and what she thought it was worth.

“I’m afraid those weren’t the terms of our arrangement, Ms. DeWalt,” Hart said. He stood up. “However, Gibson Foundries does require those supplies. Let’s have a drink and discuss terms - I’m sure we can arrive at an arrangement that benefits you, the Gibson company, and the crew of the…what was your ship’s name?”

As he opened the brass device’s lid, the smell grew stronger. Twila half-closed her eyes, sniffing in with every breath. “Hourglass. She’s called Hourglass.”

“A wonderful name for an airship.” Governor Hart poured from the brass device, filling four tiny teacups with steaming liquid so brown it was almost black. He sprinkled something in each. Then, he carefully passed one to Twila, Carter, and Charlie before taking a quick sip from his own teacup.

Twila held the cup in her hands, enjoying the warmth and the smell. It was like holding happiness, she thought.

“To business, then. I’m more than willing to factor our needs into negotiations, but I’m afraid that the circumstances of this cargo’s arrival is suspect. We’ll pay two hundred fifty crowns.”

“If you need what’s in those crates that badly, then four hundred isn’t an outrageous sum. Four hundred,” Charlie said.

Twila leaned back and put the cup to her lips. Let the adults deal with numbers, she thought. The sweet, honey-flavored drink had her full attention.

[Twila Tighe, Ship Rat Mystgineer, Equipment Level 1.09 (Myst 1/10, Hit Points 1/1)]

[Head - Empty]

[Eyes - Myst Lens (lvl. 1) Myst Sight (passive) See own status block and others’ classes]

[Chest - Ship Rat’s Harness (lvl. 0)]

[Waist - Apprentice Mystgineer’s Bandolier (lvl. 1) Deep Pockets (passive) - Equip an additional Gizmo]

[Legs - Canvas Overalls (lvl. 0)]

[Gizmo #1 - Basic Myst Tools (lvl 1) Skill - Tinkering]

[Gizmo #2 - Anton’s Pocket Watch (lvl. 4)] Redo (active, 5 myst/5 seconds) - redo the last five seconds of time, with knowledge of what’s happening (1 minute to reset); Skill - Piloting]

[Gizmo #3 - Empty]

[Gizmo (Belt) - Mystwork Lantern (lvl. 2): Mystlight (active, 25% failure chance, 1 myst/attempt) - start the light; Adjustable Light Aura (sustained, .5-2 myst/tick) - light a variable area; Skill - Perception]

[Myst Battery - Basic Myst Battery (lvl. 1) Small Storage (passive) - 10 myst maximum, requires condenser to refill]

[Weapon/Pair - Anton’s Paired Pistols (lvl. 2) Smoothbore Myst-Shot (active, 1 cartridge/shot) - fire a ray of heated myst; Rapid Shots (active, 2 myst/shot) - fire twice/tick; Skill - Marksman]

[Weapon/Pair - Empty]

[Skill #1 - Tinkering 1]

[Skill #2 - Perception 2]

[Skill #3 - Piloting 4]

[Skill #4 - Marksman 2]

[Skill #5 - Empty]