Probably Not the Pirates Code (1/2)

There was a time for grief, and it was good to get it out. But Threadbare was wise, and knew that holding onto grief would only make it grow. So after a time, when he'd collected himself, he went and worked with the engines some more until his tinkering skill had grown to level four, and a daring bit of adjustment gave him what he was looking for.

You are now a level 2 Tinker!

DEX+1

INT+1

With a rush, he felt his energy return to him. His mind got out of the dark place it had gone to, and he was back to his full focus again, though his situation had not otherwise improved.

This was the advantage of leveling up; Sanity, Fate, Moxie, and Stamina would all refill the instant a person gained a level.

Which was why he had refrained from taking his last crafting job for so long. He hadn't really needed to use it, given his new position and responsibilities, and in the event that he got into a tight spot where he couldn't risk waiting ro replenish his resources, he could fill that last slot and be ready for whatever may come.

It was a small victory, but it helped Threadbare feel a bit more in control. And with his mind somewhat settled he felt confident enough to go exploring.

He was a guest, after all. If he strayed into someplace forbidden then the worst he would get was a request to relocate.

Threadbare decided to start on the top deck. The ship was long, perhaps fifty meters from one end to the other. Stern? Bow? He was a little fuzzy on proper nautical terms.

The front of the ship was flat, but the back had a... cabin, yes that was the term. There were two stairways on either side of a door, and the stairways led up to the roof of the cabin, and the wheel of the ship. The door was locked when he tried it, and a crewbunny came hurrying down from the rigging when she saw him climbing up the door and jiggling the handle.

“Best to be leaving the Captain alone,” she said, eyeing their captive. “Be there something ye need, princess?”

“I'm just looking around,” Threadbare told her. “It looks like I'm going to be here a while, so I thought it would be good to learn about... well, here.”

“Aye, well, that be the captain's quarters. Ye just came out of the main hatch belowdecks. Over there—” she gestured to the front of the ship, “is the hatch to the forecastle. Which on most ships is the section of upper deck that's closest to the bow, but fer this one we call the for'ard cabin the forecastle. Because Cap'n Anne said so, and what she says goes.”

Threadbare nodded and looked upward. There was a single large mast in the middle of the ship, and two smaller masts, one fore and one aft. Yes, those terms sounded right, he reflected. Sails and rigging criss-crossed between the masts, and each one was topped with what looked like a large, inverted wooden bucket. Crew sat up there and watched out for trouble, he recalled. It had probably been where this crewbunny was sitting, before she spotted him poking at the door.

“Thank you for telling me these things,” Threadbare said. “I really don't know much about boats.”

The crewbunny winced, and tugged on one of her earrings. She had to reach up a bit to do so, because of her overly-large ears. “Ah, don't ever let the captain hear ye call this a boat. Boats are vessels that are carried on ships. If a vessel can't be carried on a larger vessel, then she be a ship.”

“You're very helpful. I appreciate it,” Threadbare said. “Would you like to come with me and show me around?”

“Nay, I be on watch. Captain's orders. Got to sound off the second the scouts come back.”

With that she scurried back up the mast, and Threadbare decided to make his way through the forecastle hatch.

It led down to a narrow hallway, with a door on one end and a ladder going down on the other. The door was a bit ajar, and he just made out the sound of shifting wood on wood, and the rustling of cloth.

“Hello?” he called out.

The rustling stopped, and a veiled face poked out, eyes flicking over him. “Hello,” said Stormanorm III. “Did you need something?”

“I'm looking around,” Threadbare said. “What's in here?”

“Well, up until yesterday, an assortment of... uh, guests that we were going to drop off during our escape. But you saw what happened with that. They were the halvens, that beastkin, and the two humans.”