Cinnamon Bun

Chapter Two Hundred and Twenty-Five - A Happy Sort of Busy

I had everyone on the Beavers crew gather in the kitchen the next morning. Id gotten some eggs and bacon, as well as some of that potato salad from July. That with some fresh bread and a can of beans made for a big, hearty breakfast.

If I wasnt so active, Id be afraid of gaining weight with such a big meal, even if I wasnt touching half of it.

The crew seemed pretty happy though. Except for Awen.

A... awa, she said. It wasnt just any awa though, this was a pained awa.

Awens head was resting against the table, both arms folded up over to hide her from the light. Sally was patting her back a bit awkwardly. Is she okay? she asked.

Awen drank too much, I said.

Oda chuckled. Looks like it.

Awa, Awen complained. Her arms wiggled a bit, but it didnt go much further than that.

Oda, Sally, and Joe were sitting next to each other, with Steve and Gordon, our harpy crewbirds, next to them. Clive was on the opposite side, next to Bastion, who had finished eating before anyone else.

Amaryllis was next to me, and at the head of the table, sitting on the table, was Orange, who had a bowl of mixed leftovers before her. She would be very miffed if I didnt serve her anything, even if she didnt plan on eating any of it.

Orange was one hard working kitty, and she took her job--sleeping on the Beaver Cleavers duck-shaped figureheads--very seriously.

Right, I suppose someone mature ought to take care of this one, Amaryllis said. We are four days behind our original schedule. We were meant to arrive a week before the official delegation. Now, if we hurry up and dont spend any time on unimportant things on the way, we might still arrive a day or two ahead of the delegation.

Thats still good, right? I asked.

Its imperative that we arrive before them, Amaryllis said. It will give us time to settle in and get a good idea of how things are going in Sylphfree. If the delegation is delayed, or fails to arrive, it will mean were in a better position to take over.

Whats all this about a delegation? Joe asked.

The Scallywags hadnt really been informed about all that, had they? Theres trouble brewing between a few countries, I said. Mostly Sylphfree, the Trenten Flats, and the Harpy Mountains. I think Deepmarsh and Mattergrove are involved too. If things go wrong, it might mean a sort of really messy fight.

Amaryllis huffed and unrolled a map. There were three lines across it. This is the path the delegation is meant to take. From Fort Sylphrot, to Farseeing, around to Fort Daggerscar, then into Sylph skies.

The government will make them go around the long way, Bastion said. North first, then around and south. Its safer, but significantly longer. Mostly itll be a show of force.

Amaryllis nodded. Good, that will add... maybe two days to their travel time?

How fast are they? I asked.

Not very, Amaryllis said. The ship they're leaving in is a retrofitted cargo-hauler. A nice vessel now, to be sure, but its only hull-deep; that thing has engines two generations older than what the Beaver has.

What kind? Awen asked, still sounding bleary.

Nautilus, I think, Amaryllis said.

Those overheat, Awen said. Annoying to maintain.

Amaryllis shrugged. If you say so. Theyll have mechanics with them, and a pair of escort ships. Theyre supposed to take a week to travel across, stops included.

Thats pretty slow, I said.

Amaryllis grumped. The Beaver is significantly faster. We can hit thirty knots, right? the last she asked to Clive.

More, when the winds in our favour, the old harpy said. Hes not the fastest ship, but this boy heres not loaded down with anything at all. Were running light.

Still, Amaryllis said. She traced the path we were supposed to take. We left a week early, on a course that would only take us six or so days. The delegation was going to leave the day after we arrived, winds willing.

And now?

Todays the day we were supposed to arrive in Goldenalden, Amaryllis said.

Oh, I said. Were really late.

We still have a week, Amaryllis said. Thats how long the delegation will take to get there. A week to travel from hereshe tapped Insmouth on the mapto here. The tip of her talon traced over to Goldenalden, then tapped down twice.

Thats pretty far, I said.

Clive leaned forwards. Its not all bad. The winds over Methal Bay are strong; they wrap around south to north. It will be hard over the Hoofbreaker woods, but once were past that, well have the wind at our backs the entire time. Without wind, Id say itll take seven, eight days to make it. With good winds, we can cut off a day or two.

Awen raised a hand. We have oil, but no actual fuel. We can burn it, but its not good for the engines in the long run. And we dont have enough to make it either way. We left with enough fuel to fly for ten days.

And its been seven, with another seven coming up, Amaryllis said.

Our fuel bunkers arent very big, Awen said.

I tapped my chin. We can stop by the Grey Wall, I said. Just a quick stop, for fuel and to resupply, then we continue. Do they sell fuel there?

They do, Clive said. Been there before. Bad prices, but theyll have some.

So, thats the plan then. We rush over to the Grey Wall, see if anyone needs help, and if they don-- I cut myself off on seeing Amaryllis look. Uh. I mean, we go there, gas up, and move on?

Yes, she said. Thats exactly right. No stopping any longer than we need to.

Not even to sight-see? I asked.

No, not even to sight-see.

I pouted. Thats no fun.

Were doing a job, Broccoli. Were not here to muck about.

Were on an adventure; mucking about is half the goal, I said. But... but, I know that youre right. We should get to Sylphfree sooner rather than later. Are there any shortcuts we could take?

Shortcuts? Amaryllis asked. No, Broccoli, its nearly a straight flight.

Bastion shifted. Thats not entirely true. Once in Sylphfree, youll need to navigate around some of the mountains. Your map isnt entirely accurate with them either. I suspect the delegations going to be dragged around too. It would make for a good show of military might to have them fly over some known bases with more than their usual share of ships.

That doesnt sound like a shortcut, Amaryllis said.

I could, in theory, use my position as a paladin to allow us quick passage to the capital. Fewer inspections.

I grinned. That would be super, I said.

It wouldnt work with a crew mostly made up of harpy though, Bastion said.

Amaryllis hummed while running her talon through her wing feathers. In that case, could we hide some of the crew? Or disguise them? Broccoli, and Awen and the Scallywags should be enough to operate the ship, I suspect. Well still need to stop and get a permit to fly the Beaver to the capital.

Perhaps, Bastion said. We... you could hire some temporary sylph crewmates as well.

Neat! I said. More friends.

Breakfast didnt last much longer than that. Awen hardly touched hers, I noticed, but she was a bit under the weather. I picked things up, cleaning them as I went, and set the leftovers away while the crew dispersed and got ready to take off.

Awen stayed at the table while I put things away and everyone else except for Orange left.

Are you okay? I asked.

Orange shrugged.

I meant Awen, I said to the cat.

She gave me a kitty glare, and I giggled a bit as I moved over and scooped her up for a quick hug. She didnt like that much, but even if she had grown a bit, she was still just a young cat, and she couldnt squirm away from my affections yet.

There, consider yourself snuggled, young lady, I said as I set her down. Now get back to work. And keep an eye on everyone while youre above, okay?

Orange gave me a kitty huff before sauntering off.

Broccoli, Awen said.

Yup?

I think Im dying.

I held back a laugh. Oh? I asked. It wasnt nice to laugh at a friend. I pulled up a chair next to hers, then gave her a side hug. Hows your health?

Its fine, she said. But my head hurts, and Im... urgh.

Right, lets get you some more water, and then you can go take a small nap, alright? Youll feel better by this afternoon, Im sure. Maybe some tea instead of water? I have some for aches.

Please.

I ran my fingers through her hair, straightening it out a bit before I got up and set some water to boiling.

A few minutes later, Awen drank her tea and I pushed a bit of bread on her just to make sure her tummy wouldnt be empty. Then it was off to bed with her. Her room was... a bit of a mess, I noticed. I could clean the dirt and dust with a glance, but there was a lot of picking up to do. Something for when Awen wasnt in such rough shape. She definitely deserved a morning off.

I tucked her in, but I think she barely noticed. Good night, I said before closing the door to her room carefully. Then it was up and onto the deck with me, but not before picking up my captains hat.

The Captaining skill I gained from my captains hat combined with my own skill, pushing it to Rank D. Not super, but it was kinda neat to have skills working in tandem like that.

The deck of the Beaver was... not all that chaotic, really. We didnt have a crew big enough for anyone to be bumping into anyone else. The Scallywags and our harpy crew were setting things up, checking the lines, and generally getting into position. Clive was at the wheel, with Amaryllis next to him, a map pinned down on the bannister with what looked like a bit of magic trickery.

Are we all ready? I asked as I climbed up to the top of the quarter deck.

Aye, Captain, Clive said. On your word.

I took a deep breath and scanned the world beyond the Beaver. Insmouth looked peaceful, little ships still setting out to water from the port, and plumes of white smoke rising from chimneys. The skies were bright, bright blue, cloudless and inviting. There was a smidge of wind coming from the... west, I thought. It would be at our side for a bit of the trip, something to keep in mind.

Okay then, I said before I made myself louder. Engines on! Anchors up! All foresails to full and mizen sails to quarter!

The crew snapped to it and I got an impressed, if a little confused, look from Amaryllis. Was my Captaining skill finally working?

Clive, nose in the air, we have some catching up to do.

Aye, aye! he replied.

The huge propeller started to spin up. The engine rumbled in protest for a bit, then started to roar while plumes of black-ish smoke puttered out from the sides of the ship. Id have to clean that off before the smoke stained the Beavers bright yellow paint.

The anchors were weighted and with a lurch, the Beaver left the ground.

Some folk from Insmouth were there watching us, so I made sure to raise my hat and wave our goodbyes.

It was off to the next leg of our adventure for us. We had a bit of urgency, but nothing too critical. I was sure wed find some time for a few smaller adventures along the way.

Stop grinning so much, you dolt. And to think I thought you looked mature for a moment.

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