Fumbling as he tried to juggle both the apron and the terminally explosive lantern, Jötz was caught so off guard that he didn’t have a chance to so much as shout a warning as Ivy bolted past towards the steam barge. He did, however, wince in sympathy as she landed hard upon the ancient deck of thick wooden slats to roll off and into the brackish water. Shaking his head and still grimacing, the Jaeger walked up the edge of the dock and simply extended on long leg to cross over.

“Fly.” The words came out flat and disapproving. “No, dey didn’t ‘fly.’ Dey vas Canallers. Dey lived on da canals. Most canals don’ go off into da sky mit all da clouds and da rain and da birdies.’

As soon as he said the words, he closed his eyes in instant regret. He had a horrible feeling that even now she was contemplating how to make water canals that went through the open air.

Taking a deep breath and opening his eyes, he shook his head and set the imposed items off to one side upon the deck where they were safe. “Lets get chou out oft da vater before it gets you stump infected. Ve only gots so much of da healing schtuff after all!”

After helping her out, he tried not to focus on how her soaked clothing clung to her youthful frame. Ivy’s figure was outlined in the light of the mint lamp. Turning around hurriedly, Jötz began to take stock of what they had.

There wasn’t much that could be added, but there was plenty that could be fixed. The wheelhouse near the stern was half collapses, but the wheel and controls appeared to be in sound condition. The connections would probably need some degree of work before the ship could be steered adequately. What looked like twin smoke stacks on either side of the wheel house had also fallen, revealing deep holes that went down into what was possibly a steam engine of some sort. Sticking his nose in one of the holes, Jötz sniffed. “I tink der’s coal down der, but it might be wet. Ve would need someting really hot to get it burning again, I’m tinking!”

Curiosity overruled common sense, and the Jaeger stood to push away most of the collapsed sections of wall that remained around the wheel house; rotten wood and rusted steel slid away into the water with a loud splash. A hatchway led into the darkness below. Sliding down into it, his boots splashed into murky water that released foul smell as he disturbed the silt that had accumulated below. Even with the ticking light source above, he could make out dim details. 

“A leetle vet, down here!” he called up as he squinted. “Ders passage dat goes forward, might be oder rooms towards da bow. Maybe another hatch at da other end?” The more immediate surroundings were easier to see, so he focused on those. “Ja, dis ist an engine room. Eet’s a room mit an engine in it. Oh, and der’s tools down here! Don’t look like da vater got to dem, either!”