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SKIES ABOVE BAIRNELL - MIDDAY
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Shirley is positively giddy at the moment as she guides the airship slowly up into the sky, a prototype of her original prototype, made from locally available parts. She and Robin are currently a few hundred feet up in the air on the deck of the airship, just about ready to drop the last rope for its first fully untethered test flight back to Respite Falls. She calls out a bit louder than really necessary in her excitement. "How are we looking, Robin? Anything you think we should touch back down for before we remove the last tether?"
Leana slithers down to the dock somewhere below, having just gotten her baggage (what little she has) off of the ship. Eager to get back to land. The swan-snake lets out a soft sigh and muses to herself: "So... this is Bairnell. Not much to... see." Just as she says that, she notices an... airship... up above her. Blinking a few times, she considers what to do...
Robin is ready to pull the knot apart for the tether in question, looking about. He knows everything they have is already below decks, as well as more than enough food gifted from some folks that were plenty intrigued by the construction. "Uhhh... No? I think it..." The airship shudders a bit, tweaking away from the direction of the tether as the rope goes slack. Robin peeks over the edge to see the pin dangling above the ground. "I think it's decided by itself, Shirl."
Leana feels an itch in her wings, something she really usually doesn't, but this... thing, above her, is getting the better of her curiosity. With a couple of unpracticed and ungraceful flaps of her big black wings though, she gets up from a slithering start, eager to figure out what she's seeing.
Shirley blinks, then sighs and motions for Robin to just undo the rope and haul it up. However, she regains her giddy demeanor in moments as she scurries over to the wheel and takes control of the ship's rudders to better guide the flow of air off of the propellers. "I guess that's just a sign that it's time to get going, Robin! Let's get back to Respite for a successful landing!"
Robin chuckles, drawing the heavy rope up hand over hand until the pin drops onto the deck, untying it after it's all there. "I think we need to take a few steps back and invent a better tether pin. Twice is a sign of it's own, yeah?"
Leana frowns at the ship starts to move, but not quickly enough to get away from even an unpracticed flyer just yet. Soon enough, she's flying almost at the height. She calls out, though has no idea if she's audible through all the noise: "Hello there!"
Shirley chuckles as she gives the wheel a spin, only to near-instantly catch it in hand again as someone flying just off the side of the ship calls out. She looks around, then waves happily at the unusual figure. "Good day to you! Be careful of the propellers at the rear of the ship!"
Leana flies closer as she dares: "Mind if you join you? You have quite the-" she coughs a bit: "-ship, here!"
Robin squawks at the voice, turning to see a snake...ish person flying alongside them. "Yes! It is! And don't peck the envelope, please."
Shirley waves Leana aboard as she adjusts the wheel just a touch to keep the ship's heading steady while she waits. "Welcome aboard, miss! You're lucky to be the first passenger on our airship!"
Leana giggle slightly as she lands on the deck, being able to lower her voice: "My pleasure, I imagine, then." She gives a small curtsy: "My name is Leana, and I guess I was just... curious, yes?"
Robin looks to Shirley, then back to Leana. "I think we should have sold tickets or something." He wanders a bit down the deck, adjusting the lift a bit to compensate for their movement and Leana's weight. he peeks his head back around the equipment, "Robin!"
Shirley takes a moment to check their heading on the compass installed next to the wheel, then smiles over at Leana as she goes about shifting their direction to line up with roughly the direction to Respite Falls. The rudders of the ship shift in response, and the ship as a whole turns rather deftly as the propeller wash is redirected by the rudders. "Well, we could have, but this is the test flight. If it's properly successful, we can always start charging on the next flight." She nods at the lesser coatl, "Good to meet you, Leana! I'm Shirley Cawlin, inventor and engineer!"
Leana smiles warmly: "Well, if this is your invention, you definitely have it in hand. It is always a marvel seeing these big creations, it is."
Robin chuckles, giving Shirley a bit of a look as he wanders out from the gas controls and back to the deck, looking up at Leana. "It's not her first rodeo, in a way. Guess being up this high doesn't impress you much though, hmm? Might be a bit jealous of those pretty wings, myself."
Shirley nods over at Robin as she makes routine checks on the compass and makes slight tweaks according to a small map she has pinned beside it in a little case. "My invention, come to fruition thanks to a lot of help from my assistant, Robin. Really, it was a joint effort from start to finish."
Leana nods: "Always good to have help." She shuffles her wings slightly: "And no... the height does not bother me..." She glances aside, towards the lands below in the distance: "...much, anyway. Admittedly I am not much of a flier."
Robin blushes a bit, shaking his head. "Your designs, Shirley. I mostly hand you tools and steal snacks from the market for you." He looks to LEans, humming. "really? How could you resist? Seems like the easiest way to get around, yeah?"
Shirley feeds a little more power into the propellers with a lever beside the wheel, which opens up the valves driving the gears a bit further. As she does that, she flares her wings open a bit, partially to let the wind billow against her feathers and partially to put a point on Robin's statement. "Since I have wings, it's hard to resist wanting to fly all the time. With this ship, though, I can do it without getting tired, and Robin gets to experience flight as well!"
Robin grins a bit at that, nodding. "Yeah... Being up here is great. it's the getting back down we gotta work the kinks out of. Second time's the charm and all that." He moves aside for a minute to check on the envelope lashings, making his way around the edges of the deck over the course of a minute or so.
Leana smiles at Shirley: "A noble cause, I imagine." She turns to Robin with an equally warm smile: "And it is... just not in the city all that much, perhaps. With all the tall buildings, it is not very practical for someone like me." She spreads her wings for a brief moment, tilting slightly as they catch wind, before closing them again with a sheepish grin.
Shirley calls to Robin as he goes around the ship. "How are we looking, Robin? Everything lashed into place properly still?" She looks over at Leana as she waits for a response from the chipmunk, "You're from one of the major cities, then? What brings you out this way, Leana?"
Robin shouts back, after getting through the knots and stepping to the middle to eye up the envelope itself. "Yeah, lookin' fine so far! What city're you from, Leana? Any we'd have hearda?"
Leana glances aside: "I am... unsure. I come from Policaster, though I am here on a... calling, I guess you could say it." She leaves out the part where the 'calling' is a literal one inside her head, for now. "Respite Falls, yes?"
Robin nods. "Respite is quaint. Acceptably quaint."
Shirley takes another moment to glance at the compass and the map, then continues to make minor adjustments. It's starting to look like the ship is pretty well on its way at this point and just needs general station-keeping to stay on course. "Yeah, we're making our maiden flight towards Respite. Once that's done, we're going to start trying to figure out a way to make a longer trip across the ocean to Westport. Probably offer routine trips back and forth between Respite and Bairnell in the mean time, though."
Leana smiles, shuffling a bit: "Well, if you do not mind me accompanying you on this chance encounter... if I may, of course?"
Robin nods, looking to Shirley. "I don't see why not... We're pretty good on food and water. Also, if Shirley decides to bump into a mountain, I can rely on you to rescue me, right?"
Leana chuckles nervously, but nods. "C-can do."
Shirley laughs. "Oh, don't make Leana nervous, Robin. We won't bump into any mountains. We're high up enough, and the skies are clear enough that we can see any terrain for several miles even at night."
Robin grins, shrugging. "a little bit of nerves is good, keeps ya paying attention. Welcome aboard, then Leana. Once we're movin' along nicely, you gotta tell me how you get such vibrant colors in your plumage!" He scurries off, disappearing below deck to check on the engine's operation.
Leana looks at Robin go, then turns to Shirley: "So how did you... I guess, get started on this endeavor?"
Shirley shrugs a little with an easy smile. "It's something I actually worked on for a good while before now. See, I'm from Vamas, so..." She starts to tell Leana about how her original airship prototype worked out, from initial planning to construction, and then to the mishap... while making it clear that everything went fine except for the freak storm. The initial stretch of the journey to Respite goes smoothly all the while, with the skies calm and peaceful.