Short, Fat and Thin climbed up the rope ladder in this order, Fat's face showing obvious reluctance as he stuck his cold hands deeper into his pockets. Kiel, not concerned about them cutting the rope ladder while he was on it, grasped the stiff rope and shimmied his way up easily.
Thin hauled up the anchor while Short rolled up the rope ladder. Fat, a compass and map in hand, scurried to the helm.
"Oh, that's right," Kiel said like an afterthought, "I believe it's still common courtesy to ask for your names?"
The pirates busying round preparing for takeoff only hesitated for a brief moment.
Fat, who was making markings on his map, "I'm Pudgin."
Thin, going belowdecks, "I'm Bean."
Short, fiddling with the sail, "You can call me Halfdan."
Kiel nodded. Since Bean had disappeared from sight, he leaned against the ship's rail, feeling the tremor of the vessel through his spine. Whatever Bean was doing belowdecks made the ship give a shrill whine, vibrating as various machinery clicked and whirred to life. Halfdan unfurled the sails, and the ship slowly turned as Pudgin heaved the wheel.
Seeing Halfdan polish the lens of a telescope as he walked to the edge of the ship, Kiel stood beside him and looked down with interest at the shrinking land below.
"Halfdan, how does this flying vessel of yours float?"
"It's quite simple- there's a chunk of ore called helite in the engine room, which can be influenced to increase or decrease its buoyancy."
Halfdan looked quite proud at having knowledge to share, and patted his chest confidently.
"If you have anything you wish to ask, I'll be happy to help!"
"Is that so?" Kiel smiled.
Seeing such an open and sincere expression, Halfdan was momentarily flustered.
"Then, is helite rare? Are there many vessels like yours?"
"Ah, it's rare but not that much. Naturally, larger pieces fetch a higher price. There's also quality...our ship is actually one of the smallest ones- but she's quite reliable! As for how many flying ships there are...there's many, but also not many..."
Halfdan scratched his head, slightly frustrated at his inability to explain. Kiel smiled again, dazzling him once more. Patting his shoulder, he spoke sincerely to him.
"Thank you, Halfdan. If there's anything else I'll like to know, I'll have to trouble you."
"I-It's no problem at all!"
Wait wait...why am I being all chummy with the Shade?
Halfdan, recovering his senses, looked around but Kiel had already left.
———~~<~>~~———
Bean met Kiel as he was ascending a metal ladder to the ship's living quarters. Kiel was looking around thoughtfully, with every little bolt or pipe capturing a fair share of his attention. Bean quickly plastered an amicable smile on his face, coughing to attract the Shade's attention and guiding him to a metal door.
"Your Honor, please use my room during your stay here, if you won't mind my shabby quarters."
He opened the door, an odd sense of inferiority surfacing as Kiel scanned the interior of the room, looking back at him.
"You're too kind. Where would you stay then?"
"I can bunk with Halfdan, he won't mind."
"If that's the case, I won't be polite."
Kiel entered, curious eyes roaming from the clothes hanging from hooks on the wall by the door, to the dressing table where numerous knick knacks like seashells and miniature ship models were displayed, his gaze briefly lingering on the crude flag displayed above the bed complete with metal rails and the statue of a mermaid in the corner by the window, missing a chunk of her shoulder.
Bean hurried in after him, grabbing spare blankets and a pillow from his closet before making his escape. Kiel sat on the worn seat before the dressing table, putting his face inches from the wood that had long lost its lustre. Its make and material were ancient, probably belonging to a previous occupant from a bygone era. Tilting his head up towards the ceiling, Kiel noted the finely carved designs, still with some flakes of paint clinging to the mural of an idyllic countryside filled with mystical beasts, a figure with a crown floating above her head standing with arms outstretched right above the bedhead.
There was a shelf with a few books tightly secured in place next to the dressing table, Kiel unchaining "Of Seas and Skies", opening it to see the text in three types of script, accompanied by beautiful illustrations. Kiel recognised the Runic Script, which had been falling out of favour in his time, the Common Script, and what appeared to be it's simpler cousin, most likely developed in the thousands of years since.
Kiel waved his hand towards Bean's bed, a thick layer of pure white, fluffy permanent snow covering the pillow and bedding. Finally able to rest, Kiel sat down with the book to burn some time.
———————
Come evening, Kiel admired the sunset on the deck, feeling the warmth of the last rays of sun on his face which felt both pleasing and incredibly nostalgic. Though his last memory was as good as yesterday, his body reminded him that it had been more than four thousand years since it was last operated consciously.
The view atop the ship was like one was suspended in the sky, the clouds a mere hand's reach away and the whole horizon laid out at one's feet. Kiel had seen such a perspective many times before, but this time he had solid ground under his feet, and not just two pairs of permafrost wings holding him afloat.
Such reminiscing thoughts made Kiel's voice unconsciously soften, and he spoke in a pleasant tone.
"Pudgin, what is our course?"
Pudgin, who was winding a long brown scarf around his neck, shifted slightly and glanced at his compass.
"We're planning to stop at Osrios to refuel and resupply. Originally, we had enough for the three of us, but-"
"Oh," Kiel cut him off in a gentle tone, "There's no need to worry about that, I require no consumption of external sustenance."
Bean, coming up from behind him, telescope in hand, looked puzzled.
"No consumption...does that mean you don't need to eat?"
"You didn't know?" Kiel turned to him in surprise. "That legend, can you let me have a look?"
Bean handed the ancient book over, Kiel riffling through the pages till he reached his target. On the page about Shades, there was a simple illustration and two lines, saying that Shades were high ranking respected figures, commonly addressed as "Your Honor" by inferior beings, and that they were the first creations of their Rulers. The rest of the page had been torn off, and Kiel ran his finger down the tear that had been made at least sixty years ago.
Confirming what they knew and did not know, Kiel snapped the book shut.
"How about sleeping? Do you need to sleep?" Bean asked, taking the book back gingerly.
"Sleeping is re-required," Kiel said lightly, "recreational" taking a sharp turn back down his throat. He was greatly interested in what the sky pirates would do with this information.
"That's good, our supplies will definitely last then," Pudgin said, walking past them. "I'm going to supper, you coming?"
Kiel tugged Bean's sleeve, the thin man shrugging.
"I'll be there," Bean said, Pudgin disappearing down the hatch.
"Sorry to keep you, it's just that that book "Of Seas and Skies", you can read Runic Script?"
"Ah, so you've seen it," Bean slid his hands in his pockets casually. "A little, only."
"What about the third script? That one that looks like Common?"
"Common? You must be talking about the simplified script created several hundred years ago. Nowadays we call the old version "Classical" and the new one "Common"."
Bean looked rather intrigued at having a chance to explain such a fact to someone, nodding absentmindedly as Kiel thanked him, following Pudgin belowdecks. Kiel's figure, silhouetted against the darkening sky, wandered across the deck to the helm.
To think pirates can let down their guard like this...do they not know that the basis of human technology stemmed from us?
Flipping through the navigation charts weighted down by a stone deftly, he confirmed the ship's course.
So that island has become inhabited.
Making sure everything looked untouched, Kiel returned to Bean's room.