[u]Lower Deck 1[/u]

It was rapidly becoming clearer and clearer to Edward that this trip did not follow the same general laws and logic he was used to back on the United Isles. He realized that following a tightly sequenced series of events which left him sprawled on the floor, gasping, as what felt like a ton of seawater came pouring back down on him. He spluttered with indignation, but a lip on one of the doors caught him as the ship tilted again at the crest of the wave.

This time he clung to the support like his life depended on it: which of course it did. He didn't want to fall down the hallway dry and comfortable, much less soaked and exhausted.

When the water rushed past him from his back on the way down, he wanted nothing more than to hit something hard in frustration. He'd known what he was getting himself into, of course, but even that hadn't been as harsh as what they'd already been through. "And this isn't even supposed to be the worst of it," he muttered.

Still, as they slid down the back end of the monster wave, Ed was endlessly relieved to realize that the world was finally coming back to its senses. The floor reappeared beneath his feet, and after a few long moments of frozen contemplation, Edward stood.

Captain Conway stood as well, with that Constance woman clutching at his coat like some kind of street hawker. He couldn't help but smirk good-naturedly at the woman's deflated ego. "Doesn't seem like there's any room for ego on this ship," he said, to no one in particular.

"Cap'n Conway," the PA system crackled again. "We're clear of the Ring of Thunder. Barrin' that hellish storm, it's actually quite a nice day out. Also, Supply Officer Gante wants to have a word with you at your earliest convenience."

Conway cursed as he switched directions. "We better not 'ave lost the food," he muttered, heading toward the rear of the ship. "Can't be eatin' steel, yeah?" Then he had unsealed one of the doors and left. Edward nearly followed him before he was struck with a sudden furious, raging delight.

They were outside the storms! This was historic! He lurched into action, pulling up next to the man and woman who had saved his life only moments ago. His entire right side stung, but the adrenaline and excitement dulled the pain considerably. "Come on, Luna! And...sorry, I don't know your name. Come on, Constance!" He waved to the bewildered-looking woman, then to the pilot. "You probably already have seen this, but come on anyway! We made it!"

After all those exclamations, he was off, bolting for the nearest ladder up. He'd risked everything for this, it was time to collect.

[center][url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TplKR2PTZOs]Welcome to the World[/url][/center]
[u]Main Deck, Fore[/u]
Ed climbed out of the ship's underbelly with barely contained glee, his feet clanging on the metal steps as he poked his head up and over the lip of the deck. He gasped as soon as he looked up. "No way..." he croaked in awe.

[center][img]http://i.imgur.com/tftBP70.png[/img][/center]
He whipped his head behind him: sure enough, a raging wall of thunderclouds greeted his eyes with rippling fury. The clouds remained still, however, and Edward could tell that they were moving away from them. "This is..."

It was the most beautiful thing he'd seen. Back on the Isles, the Ring of Thunder prevented early morning and late night light from reaching the landmasses directly: light always sort of bounced up and over the storms, which resulted in the most gorgeous rising and setting of the sun behind the clouds. Crops grew well despite this lack of sun, as there were less clouds [i]above[/i] the islands, and more sunlight went through. Or something. He was a reporter, not a god damn scientist.

All that was forgotten now as he slowly sank to the ground. "This is what I've been missing," he mumbled, content to sit there for an eternity.