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AIRSHIP LANDING PAD - LATE MORNING
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Shirley hums a little tune to herself as she works on a couple of minor improvements to her airship's structure. The machinery she's using whirs along without any issues as she fills the air with the sounds of industry and birdsong... right up until everything on and around the landing pad goes silent and dark all at once as another brownout brings her work to a screeching halt.
Shirley throws her tool down onto the deck of the ship with a loud exclamation, already more than a little frustrated that her improvements are a day or so behind schedule due to past brownouts. "Oh, for the love of all that is holy, why another one?!" She turns and scowls towards the town as she waits for the power to come back on, "Bloody, blasted generator isn't pushing enough power out again for some reason... Really brilliant work, I swear."
Froge wanders along, dragging a two wheeled cart (upgrade!) that jangles with the clinking of glass considerably less than his sled used to (also an upgrade!). He's not had a chance to make it to market today, just arriving in town just before sunrise and then falling victim to a long nap while waiting. He perks up on seeing the new construction, about to head that way when another new construct just to his left seems to scream out at him. "...Boat?" He tilts his head a little, making a beeline for the thing he's only seen drawings of. He waves to the first figure he sees near the strange thing. "Hello? Are you mad because your boat is on dirt instead of water?"
Shirley looks around towards the person calling out to her. "Hm? What's that? N-no, no, I'm upset because that bloody building in the middle of town..." She points a finger in dire accusation at the building in question, "...is constantly dropping power all around town! I can barely work with my tools constantly sputtering out while I'm in the middle of upgrading my airship."
Froge blinks, rubbing his palm on his forehead as he follows Shirley's accusation with a curious croak. "Ah huh? The um... Power. Yes." He has to think for a few moments, his tongue threatening to loll out before he snaps around to smile at Shirley. "OH! The stuff that makes all the glass baubles glow, yes? This one knows that!"
Shirley nods absently, still stewing over the troubles that are currently plaguing her and the town at large. "Yes, yes, that stuff! I don't know what's going on in that building, but the engineer working on it had better get a handle on it soon. With the town running on nothing but magitech power, all these brownouts don't look great for it being reliable at all!"
Froge hums, his hand pretty firmly rested on his forehead. "Magic, unreliable? I thought it was supposed to be like... Everywhere. And powerful. Not like firegas, which is powerful, but not everywhere, yes?"
Shirley shakes her head. "Magic is everywhere, but magitech is not as infallable as people like to think. I keep trying to prove that we need other means of doing everything, but folks are just too put at ease by how convenient magitech is!"
Froge nods along, chuckling three throaty notes. "Some folks! This one barely knows what magic tack is! But what does the light making building have to do with your boat?" As he asks, the lights around them flicker back on, as well as any tools that were switched on. The sudden tool noise startles Froge slightly, making the frog look about.
Shirley looks around with a sigh as the tool she was using switches back on. "The building is what helps the lights stay on, and that same building keeps my tools running properly. When the lights go out like that, so do my tools."
Froge ahhs, nodding as he finally drops his hand. "I see I see... Your tools are magic." He tilts his head a little. "Why are they magic?"
Shirley hums and shakes her head. "Not quite, they just run off of the power the generator sends to the town. The generator is magitech, and it uses magic. The power it creates isn't magic."
Froge feels and looks confused, croaking deep in his throat as he thinks. "That... Sounds too hard. Firegas is easy. Light gas on fire, yep. So if your tools aren't magic, why is your boat next to town?"
Shirley smiles a bit, the first moment today that she's felt anything other than annoyance. "Because my boat can fly!"
Froge looks at the boat, gasping. "Your boat is magic?"
Shirley laughs and grins. "Hah, nope! It flies with steam power!"
Froge hums at this, tilting his head. "Your flying boat is not magic, but works from steam? Like... From your soup bowl, yes?"
Shirley nods. "Like that, but a lot more of it! Steam is just as strong as magic, if not stronger, when you have enough of it!"
Froge finds himself no less confused, shaking his head. 'I do not know how, but then... I probably wouldn't get it if you tried to explain, yes?" He chuckles a frogsong. "What do you need a floating boat for, though? You look like you can fly, yes?"
Shirley spreads her wings a bit and looks back at them with a fond look. "I can, but my airship is to help those that can't fly. You know, people without wings, like yourself and many others." She looks back at Froge, "And my ship is faster than traveling by wagon! I can make it from here to the port to the northeast in a span of about two or three days, when wagons take a week or two."
Froge ahhs again, nodding. "That makes sense but... I don't think I would like being up high. Maybe." He chuckles a little nervous frogsong at the thought. "Nowhere to land in my home, either." He taps his foot on the solid ground. "Boat would sink in the Vella, yep."
Shirley chuckles. "Maybe, maybe not. My boat is able to sail on water, too, if needed." She tilts her head a bit curiously, "Where is your home?"
Froge gestures generally Southward. "Down the shore, beyond the bay, yes. All mud and water, and thick, light trees. A swamp, they called it here." He chuckles, "Nobody visits, though."
Shirley hums thoughtfully as she looks towards the south. "Ah, I might be able to fly over, at least, even if landing isn't possible. It might make things faster, if you routinely come to Respite?"
Froge hums a low croak, smiling after a moment and nodding at Shirley. "Yes yes, maybe not land in swamp, but some places high and dry there! But wouldn't ask for me, no no. Don't want to cause you trouble, yes?" He stares at the airship a long moment. "Would like to see up high one day, maybe."
Shirley chuckles as she looks back towards her airship. "Well, if you want to try and go for a ride, you're welcome to stop by when you feel ready for it. We can go for a quick sail through the air, or I can even take you to Bairnell's Foothold and back, if you want to check the markets over that way."
Froge blinks, gulping a bit. "Bairnell? A-all the way there? Ah... That's really far from home I... Don't think I need to go there." He smiles at Shirley, though it's got a hint of nerves to it. "Thank you though! Say so... How do you make the steam with no magic tech? Burners?"
Shirley dips her head. "Yup! I have a set of boilers that heat water and generate steam. The steam goes through the system to make everything work, and then it cools back down into water, which I can boil again over and over."
Froge nods along, seeming to get a little fidgety. "And..? What do you use to run the boiler and make the heat?"
Shirley chuckles. "For that I make an exception and use magitech heating units. They're a lot more efficient than carrying coal or anything similar. Probably the only things I'm willing to use magitech for."
Froge lets out a little croak of disappointment, but nods. "If you have to, yes." He glances at his cart full of firegas bottles, sighing. "Less and less people using firegas. Only been selling it to Respite for eight seasons, and Groak for a dozen or so before me. Worried."
Shirley tilts her head a bit as she looks at the cart. "Firegas? As in... combustibles?" She hums thoughtfully, rubbing her beak with a hand, "I'm all for encouraging any technology that doesn't rely on magitech... All it takes is someone being clever in how to use the materials being presented..."
Froge nods, tugging the cover aside to show the somewhat crude looking bottles of invisible gas, as well as two much larger bottles wrapped in cloth and soaked in something that looks like it was very sticky before it dried. "Burning air and water. The water is in these big ones. Very heavy, but a friend made a... Err... Twisty thing. Lets only a bit out, or a lot."
Shirley peeks at the bottles when Froge shows them to her, and she nods. "A valve of some manner, hm? That helps regulate how much comes out at once, which can be very helpful for less... explosive applications."
Froge chuckles his frogsong, shrugging. "Strix thought so, yes." He pulls the cover back into place, securing it with a tug of rope. "Well, hope your tools keep working today, yes? Must make it to market before someone else gets my spot."
Shirley hums and smiles, though she glances out towards the generator building again. "Thank you, sir. I hope your day at the market goes well! As long as there aren't any more interruptions, I think I can finish what I need to do today."
Froge nods, stepping to his cart and picking up the lead ropes. "I am sure everything will go your way! Take care flying around!" He turns to face the center of town, starting to pull his cart of goods along toward the gate. His eyes dart up toward the gatehouse door when the light over it flickers again.
Shirley waves at Froge as he turns to go, then goes back to resume her work on the airship. She winds up shooting a look at her tools as they sputter out for a moment. "Don't you even bloody dare..." She stares at the tools for a moment, then nods as they continue to run once they regain power, "Good."