[center][url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2jUxeBqbZI][u]S E T T I N G  S A I L[/u][/url][/center]
So much was happening all at once, holy hell! Ed was taken aback when the suave women stepped up and started asking him questions. No, that was his job, thank you very much. But before he could say anything to her in return, she was introducing him to someone else, and then that someone else was telling the first woman--Constance--to relax, and then they were all cut off by the roaring of an airplane screaming by.

Ed had heard about the new airplane prototype they were going to be taking along on this trip: after all, he worked at one of the best newspapers in the U.I, and they had little ears and eyes everywhere. But to see it! It was incredible: landing almost like a hummingbird from the air. He knew that later in the day, that image would still be burned into his mind with incredible clarity.

All words and discussion were cut short by the arrival of their bird. Edward couldn't help but grin fiercely: already the excitement was set to drive him dizzy with glee.

"Oi!" Captain Conway stepped up onto the dock with a roar. It was barely audible over the sound of the aircraft, and the captain took three steps toward the craft, moving one hand in a "shut it down" sort of motion. "Right then!" With the sound of the rotors slowly fading, the captain no longer had to shout to make himself heard. "We're finally ready to git out on the water." The man had a curious accent: it seemed like a blend of multiple accents. Ed heard traces of Ilyistavi, Gherish, and Ventuian in there, all muddled together by years of shouting and fighting.

"In case ye all are still wondering, I'm the cap'n here. Name of Vernon Conway: you listen to me or you go over the side. This may seem like the best time of yer lives, but mark my words, chummies: this is a dangerous expedition we're 'bout to embark upon. If'n ye decide to ignore me, odds are ya'll not live to see the end of it. Aric!" The captain waved over one of his underlings. "Tie down the Dragon, with as much cording as you can manage. We'll need it."

Edward opened his mouth. "Sir, why tie down the airplane? Isn't it supposed to fly?"

Conway snorted. "Generally, ye'd be right. But we have to make it through the Ring of Thunder before we can spread open th'wings." 

Then he turned away from the reporter and started shouting orders. "Let's get ready to head out, boys! We've been here long enough!" Before Ed could catch him, the man had disappeared into the belly of the ship. For a moment, Edward debated following him, but he decided he would only get lost.

Then the bells began to ring. A horn blew. It appeared that the good captain had been more than ready to move out as soon as he deemed they were all aboard. Edward thought that normally it would have taken longer for them to get out of the dock, but as the deck lurched below him, he realized that he'd been wrong.

But wait! He stumbled toward the hatch, opening it with clumsy fingers and dropping into a lower deck with a huff and a puff. A kind sailor pointed him in the direction of the bridge. "Captain Conway!" Ed said as he pushed into the spacious area. "Why..." he groaned, his stomach still swirling from the Drop. "I thought we came down to sea level to avoid the storms."

Conway looked at him with a curious expression. "Yer a persistent one, aren't you. Aye, we're below the worst of the storms, but didja think that we could escape 'em altogether? No, sir--we're headed right into the belly of the beast, we are. Today seems like a particularly grumpy day up above, so I'd do myself a favor and go somewhere I can strap in. Ye won't like what's coming, I'm afraid." The captain pulled down a microphone from up above him.

"Attention, everyone. This is cap'n Conway. In case ya weren't aware, we are about to head directly into the Ring of Thunder. This won't be a pleasant cruise, so I suggest everyone tuck in befar we get too far in." As if to emphasize the captain's words, a light rain had begun to fall outside the bridge, growing stronger with every passing moment. "I'd advise each o'ye to get belowdecks and lock yerselves in for a time. There may be somethin' to eat in the mess hall, if ye think you can keep down the meal." The captain winked at Edward then, who got the message with a jolt and retreated.

He wandered the ship's lower decks for a time, not wanting to hide away. Somehow he ended up in the mess hall, which was already  milling about with people. Everyone was looking for food, but it seemed the food had yet to be prepared. Ed was about to ask someone where he could find the cook when a resounding [i]crash[/i] swept through the whole ship, rocking them all to one side harshly. "God and Ground!" he shouted as he fell into one of the mess hall tables.

"What in the fuck was that?"