// Welcome to Arcadia \\

- History -

The world is still recovering from a thirty-year war, which wiped out most of the major governments and severely drained the resources of many countries. Only Arcadia, a nation that carefully balanced its power and its economy throughout the war, was able to withstand the more devastating effects of the conflict. Ten years after a mass revival swept through all of the countries, the major cities within Arcadia have finally begun to flourish and to return to their former glory.

- Transportation -

The world is steampunk and traditional in aesthetic, but scientifically advanced. Trains and small motor vehicles are still the general means of ground transportation while airships populate the sky. Most places are easily accessible by rail. Relations with the surrounding nations are respectful, but travel among them is allowed only with special permits as national security is top priority.

- Housing -

Housing is relatively simple, from small cottages to apartment complexes. A basic home includes advanced amenities, depending on the area. An airship lifestyle has become more affordable and more popular with cheaper aircrafts and more efficient fuel options, but it still remains a pricey luxury to those not prepared for its challenges. Though it offers mobility and full amenities, only those with substantial skill and funds can afford to keep to the skies, the ocean equivalent for the mostly land-locked nation.
--//--

- Locations -

Renescentia: Centre. The capitol city, surrounded by rivers. Chief producer of all paper/linen products.

Portiana: East. Canal town surrounded by dense forest. Specializes in herbs, baked goods, and the production of inks. Cottage housing.

Florentas: West. Desert/forest mix. The electronic net-web hub. High-rise housing.

Ignastus: North. Located in the lower mountains. Specializes in handcrafted goods. Town-house style.

Galeton: South. Port city. Mountains to the north. The only city that is open to international commerce.
--//--

- Monetary system -

"Tayls"

- Denominations -

Coins: .25, 1, 5, 10, 50
Bills: 100, 500
Card: 50k, 100k

- Dimensions -

Coin sizes are equivalent to the dime, penny, nickel, quarter, and $1 coin, respectively, with the thickness of a nickel on all coins. The coins are coppery-silver in color and bear only their numerical value and the location and date of minting.

Bills are slightly smaller than and the equivalent thickness of a dollar bill. They bear the image of Renescentia, their numerical value, and the number of the press they were printed from.

Cards have a max limit of 50k tayls (personal) and 100k tayls (commercial/business). Reusable and rechargeable. They function as credit/debit, drawing only from available funds.

In perspective:  
> Blanket tax of .25 tayls on all commodities. (No income or inheritance taxes.)
> A cheap meal is between 15 to 35 tayls.
> Cheap clothes are between 5 to 30 tayls.

1

"Don't forget soups. And Dee needs more wet food. She's got plenty of crunchies. And we need beer."

The young man exhaled shortly in amusement and switched the communicator to his other hand. He carefully skirted around the corner before a late-night drunkard collided with him. ”I’ll get what I can carry, all right?" he said, approaching the small grocery store in the dark corner of a small alleyway in the busy sky-port section of Renescentia.

"You shoulda brought the Sky-Board. Put stuff on it and -"

"I'll see you in a bit."  He quickly ended the call and slid the communicator back into the pouch at his waist. He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "That man talks way too much," he murmured as he rapped on the door loudly. Within a moment, the middle-aged owner was at the door and unlatching it.

"Tal! Buddy, you're back in town!" the man exclaimed, pulling the young man into a quick embrace. The owner looked at the digital display behind the counter. "A few minutes earlier than last time, eh? You were here quarter to two the other... How long's it been?"

Tal chuckled as he stepped into the store. "It's been about three months since I was last in Renescentia, Owen," he answered, paying a tayl to rent a shopping cart.

Owen walked around the counter and leaned on it. "How's work? Still staying right side of the law, I hope?"

Tal nodded while he selected a large package of canned cat food. "Mostly," he replied, moving onto canned soups. Since none of the shelves were much higher than his shoulders, it was easy enough to maintain eye contact with the owner while he shopped, though he had to raise his voice in order for the man to hear him.

"Any military favors?"

"A few - Ah..." Tal stopped talking when he came upon a young man, sitting dejectedly on a step-stool near the back of the store, staring dismally at the row of sugar packages he had just finished arranging on the low shelves. "Ah... Mm..." Tal scooted around him and continued shopping. "A few calls here and there. Mostly just checking in and what not."

"Your ship still airborne or has it become a rust bucket?" Owen fiddled with the register and tidied up the counter while he waited.

Tal made his way back to the front and stopped at the counter. He began unloading his cart. "She's flying fine. Needs a few parts to keep her from rumbling too loudly, but I'll have to get those in Galeton. This place is too expensive. Hey, uh... Owen?"

Owen began tallying the items and calculating the final cost. "What's on your mind?"

"Who's the guy over in the corner? I didn't know you were hiring new workers?"

Owen glanced over where the silent young man's head bobbed up and down. "Technically I'm not. But the guy was wandering the shops looking for work. He seemed desperate enough for anything so I had him come back to work the graveyard for me."

Tal fiddled with his credit card.  "How is he?"

"As a worker? Most dedicated son of a bitch I've ever met. He's unloaded more'n half the truck by now and he's only been here three days. I like him, but I can't keep him beyond the week. Sounds like he needs steady work, though. I feel bad." Owen waggled his fingers at Tal for payment.

"He here with family?" Tal handed over his card.

Owen took the credit card and slid it through the machine. "Don't know about that. I think he's here with one other person at least. Why you asking?"

Tal chewed his bottom lip while he thought. "We upgraded Sparrow with a few new rooms, more storage... Might not be a bad deal to have a few extra hands. Could allow us to take on larger work orders. Would you mind, if I... Uh...?" He gestured in the young man's direction.

Owen raised both hands. "If he wants to go, I don't mind. Why don't you go ask him while I pack your items. Metal or cardboard?"

Tal nodded, "Cardboard, please. Dee loves the stuff," and made his back over to the corner of the shop where the young man was, once again, staring at a newly opened box of baking products with disinterest.  He crouched down and raised his cap in greeting. "Evening. Owner says you're looking for work and I might be hiring. Ever been on an airship before?"

Lotus Dranger held his head in his hands, trying to pass off a major headache as just being tired. He stared through the shelf in front of him until it doubled, and then closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead. Long nights weren't good for him, honestly, but it was good to be doing something instead of just wandering around with no money, no food, and no idea of if he would ever find somewhere he would call home.

He would get up in a minute, of course. There was more to be done. But for now, it wouldn't hurt anyone if he took a short break.

"Tal! Buddy, you're back in town!"

Lotus opened his eyes, the two voices pounding on his head. He took a deep breath, held it for a few seconds, and then let it out slowly. Already, his headache was starting to ease off, and he mentally thanked Aster for telling him how to stay calm. He stayed still for another minute, swallowed hard, and looked up right as a stranger edged around him with a shopping cart.

Lotus stood up to grab the dry goods he was supposed to stock next. Setting a package of instant noodles on the shelves, words finally registered with him. "...desperate enough for anything so I had him come back to work the graveyard for me."

They're talking about me.

Lotus automatically bristled at the attention, but he pretended not to listen as the owner - Lotus had forgotten his name a long time ago - sang his praises. He couldn't help a small smile, the tension in his shoulders loosening, his headache becoming more and more tolerable by the minute.

"He here with family?"

Lotus took in a sharp breath. Yes, in a way, he was. Was this stranger looking for them? He busied himself with the noodles, but glanced over every so often in order to listen better.

"If he wants to go, I don't mind."

Go where?

Lotus held his breath as the stranger approached him.

"Evening. Owner says you're looking for work and I might be hiring. Ever been on an airship before?"

Lotus glanced around, looking for some sign that this was a joke, a prank, or a trap. "I can't say that I have," he answered cautiously, his voice quiet with nervousness. This could be a way out of the life he was living. Or it could be a death sentence. He thought of what Aster would do. "Go for it!" Of course, Aster's impulsivity had gotten them into trouble before.

Lotus took a deep breath. "But I can make myself useful. I have experience working all over the place. I can be labor, I can be co-leader, I can be a handyman, I can be a cook. What do you want, and what do you need?"

Aster would be proud of him.

3

Tal chuckled. He readjusted his cap on his head and stood up. “I have an airship that is in need of a small crew. Not looking for anything specifically at this point, but it might be worth your while to check it out. We hop around from city to city; you find something else that suits your fancy, there’s nothing binding you to the ship. If you’re interested, you can let owner know and he’ll pass it along to me. All right?” He stared at the young man for a moment before heading for the front. He carefully hefted the packed box of supplies and leaned against the door, pushing it open and sliding through. “I’m heading out, Owen.”

Owen gave him a wave on his way to the back room. “Take care, Tal! Get some sleep! You crazy kid…”

Tal grinned faintly. “Will do.” He let the door close behind him.

//--//

It was a long walk back to where he had parked his airship; the supplies getting heavier by the minute. By the time he reached the base of the entry ladder on the side of the ship to rest, he was yawning widely and his shoulders were aching. He managed to flip open the protective cover for the intercom system and leaned his elbow against the call button. He waited a long moment, shifting the box’s weight from hip to hip, before the camera zoomed in on his face and the speaker crackled.

“Sup, cap?”

“Open the side door and lower the ramp from the cargo bay, please. Before my arms fall off.”

The man chuckled. “Will do. Half a moment.”

The intercom shut off. Tal struggled to close the protective cover again. With a tired and slightly annoyed grunt, he smacked it with his elbow and was rewarded with a loud click as the cover snapped back into place. He readjusted the heavy supply box once again and then made his way to the back of the ship. As he rounded the corner, he saw the regular-sized door open and a ramp slid down for him. “Thanks, Rei.” He walked up the relatively steep incline onto the ship.

The silhouette of a tall, broad-shouldered man formed in the soft lights from the cargo hold, his face shadowed because of the low light. He retracted the ramp and shut the door. “Want me to take that? You looked wiped.”

“I am. And, please.” Tal handed off the box of supplies to the taller man. He followed him to the elevator and stepped inside, massaging his shoulders. “I saw Owner at the shop.”

“Mm… How he’s doing?”

“He’s doing pretty well. He’s got a new kid there. Looks like a good guy. I asked if he'd like to join up with us for a bit”

Rei raised an eyebrow. “Oh? We in the hiring gig now?”

Tal rubbed his face. And stepped out onto the main level. He made his way to the small kitchen and rummaged in the fridge. “Not really. But neither is Owner. So, we might be getting a few new kids on board within the next few days.”

Rei carried the box over to the low step-stool and set it down. He looked through the items and moved the perishable things to the fridge. “D’you know how many? We only got so much room on this rig.”

Tal pulled out a bottle of flavored water. “I am well aware of that, but they may not stay long. Probably just long enough until something better comes up. You can leave the rest for later. We had better turn in or we won’t be up for the meeting tomorrow.”

“Roger that. I’ll do the last rounds and make sure we’re locked up for the night.”

“Night.”

Lotus picked up the fragments of sentences from the stranger through the last pangs of his headache. "Not looking for anything specifically ... check it out.... Nothing binding you to the ship. If you're interested, you can let owner know and he'll pass it along to me. All right?"

Lotus nodded a few times, hoping that he had understood the key points of the speech. "Thank you. I'll consider it."

Lotus kept his eyes on the stranger as he left, and then stared at the same place for a few seconds after. It was a good offer. A great offer, even. And Aster would want him to say yes right away. But he couldn't.

He had to go back, talk to Aster, sleep on it, and most importantly finish his work for the night. He finished stocking the noodles, then the baked goods that he had been neglecting, and he walked up to the owner (whose name he still couldn't remember) before heading out. "I'm thinking about it," he mentioned. "What that-" What was his name?! "I'll let you know tomorrow night."

He couldn't even meet the man's eyes. All he could think about was going back to Aster and having a good, long talk about this before going to sleep. "I'll see you then."

~^-^~

Aster wrapped his arms around Lotus as soon as Lotus trudged through the door to their room. "You smell like you've had a long day," he whispered.

Lotus resisted the urge to roll his eyes and smiled instead. "More like a long night."

Aster laughed softly and pressed his head into Lotus's chest. He mumbled something.

Lotus absently ran his fingers through Aster's hair. "What was that?"

Aster lifted up his head. "You're shaking. What's wrong?"

Lotus gently pushed Aster away and hung up his coat before answering. "I don't want to talk about it right now. I'll tell you before I go to bed."

Aster leaned against the wall. "All right. I'll get you something to eat."

They shared a meal of lukewarm, leftover noodles and Aster's curious faces before Lotus finally opened up. "I got a job offer," he started with.

Aster's eyes went wide. "Doing what?" he asked as he twirled a noodle around his fork.

"On an airship," Lotus mumbled. "He even said we can leave if we find a better place to go. But for now, it's work, it's a place to stay, and it's a lot better than being away from you all night."

"We?" Aster asked.

Lotus blinked. He couldn't actually remember if the man had offered the job to both of them or not, or if he even knew about Aster. He shifted uncomfortably. "Probably? But I don't know."

Aster nodded. "And you didn't say yes right away?"

Lotus sighed. "I wanted to talk to you."

"Yeah, yeah, I get it." Aster slurped his noodle, accidentally hitting himself in the face with it. "But I don't know about you, but I'm tired of living in a dingy hotel room living on cold noodles and not being able to see you all day or night. Come on. Take the job."

Lotus shook his head.

Aster wiped the splattered broth off of his cheek. "I'll come with you. Come on. Who do you have to talk to?"

"Tomorrow."

"All right. We'll talk to them tomorrow. You should go to bed though. It looks like you're stressing out."

Lotus winced. "Maybe we should pack our things just in case."

Aster smiled. "Now you're talking," he whispered.

~^-^~

Lotus could hardly sleep. He trudged back into the shop, Aster trailing behind him. Lotus swallowed his fear as he walked up to the owner. He couldn't meet the man's eyes. "This is Aster," he mumbled. He cleared his throat. "He's with me. We're interested in taking that job."

6

“I swear if you do that one more - GET OUT OF THERE!”

There was a crash and a bundle of grey streaked past the amused captain’s face as he poked his head up the ladder-well the next evening. “Problems, Rei?”

The lavender-eyed man glared at him. “Dude, your cat was in the milk again.”

Tal climbed up onto the mid-deck and walked over to Rei and leaned against the counter. “She doesn’t like milk, Rei. She likes you. Have you been ignoring her recently?”

“I don’t think I have.” Rei debated whether to finish his bowl of cereal. After a moment he shrugged and continued eating. “She’s got relatively clean paws, right?”

“That depends on how clean you’ve kept the floors.” Tal walked over to the fridge and looked in. “Is it dinner time or snack time? Why’re we eating?”

“Snack time.” Rei chewed thoughtfully for a moment and swallowed. “You going back to Owen’s?”

“Did you clean the room?”

“Yes.”

“Then, yes. I’m going back to Owen’s.” Tal took out a microwaveable meal and popped it into the microwave. “I told that guy I’d be back to hear an answer.”

Rei spotted the grey bundle of fur slinking back towards the counter. He sighed and patted the countertop. “Come here, Dee.”

Dee’s ears pricked forward. She scurried over and leaped to the countertop.

Rei ruffled her fur, effectively causing the cat to melt against the counter with happiness. “Did you tell the guy that you had a cat? What if they’re allergic to her?”

Tal munched his microwave meal thoughtfully. “Then it will be a very short trip for them.” He finished up his meal and rinsed out the case. Then he carefully disposed of the case. He grabbed his jacket from the small closet by the back elevator and pulled it on. He checked on the concealed weapon at his hip, making sure it was secure and within ready reach. Then he pressed the call button for the elevator. “All right. I’ll be back in a bit.”

Rei stood up and walked to the hallway so he could see Tal. “Hey, uh… What if they decide to come tonight? D’you think they’ll arrive tonight?”

“They might. Would there be a problem, if they did?” Tal stepped into the elevator and pressed the button for the lower level. He held Rei’s gaze with an expression of amusement as the doors closed.

“Uh… No. No, not at all.” Rei waved his hand dismissively and walked back to his bowl of cereal. He raised an eyebrow at the grey paw that was dipping into the leftover milk. He waited a moment.

The cat licked her paw, tasting the sweet milk, and then settled on the counter in a loaf position, turning her head to look at Rei. She meowed at him for attention, dark tail tip twitching.

The man ran his fingers through his chestnut brown hair and shook his head, smiling. “Come on, Dee. We’d better finish up cleaning.” He cleaned up his bowl, putting it in the dishwasher. Then he scooped up Dee and made his way back to the lower deck.
————————————————

Owen raised an eyebrow at the two that came shuffling into his shop just an hour before Lotus's shift. He scratched his cheek and looked between the two. “Let me let him know, then. I’m sure he’ll be pleased.” He picked up his communicator. “Hey, it’s Owen. I got some news for you. You - Oh. Really? All right.” He set the communicator down and leaned on the counter. “He’s on his way already.”

Tal walked through the door a moment later. He lifted his cap in greeting. “Hello, folks. What’s the news?” He spotted the two men standing on the other side of the counter. “Good news, I hope.”

"Excellent news," Lotus murmured. "We'd like to come with you."

Aster playfully thwacked Lotus in the arm. "Speak up! Hey, are you-" Lotus hadn't given him a name. Aster shook his head to clear it. "We'd like to work on the ship with you. I'm Aster. This is Lotus. I've never been on an airship before."

That was just like Aster, getting so friendly right away. Lotus liked that about him. It made it easier to talk to people. He noticed, though, that Aster kept his hands tucked into his pockets.

Lotus turned to the owner. "Sorry to leave you so soon. But we need a more steady job, and it's good not to be apart so often."

Damn, he shouldn't have said it like that. Lotus hoped that no one could tell he was blushing.

Aster grinned. "It's nice to meet you. We've been looking for steady work for a long time. We can do almost anything. Lifting, cleaning cooking- he can cook. I can't. But I'm a quick learner. And you'll be happy you took us on."

Lotus shuffled in place, looking over to get a good look at Tal. He looked honest enough.

"We brought all our stuff, so we're ready to go."

"Aster."

"What?"

"We still have to check out of the hotel."

Aster opened his mouth, hesitated, and closed it. "Then you'd better get going," he whispered loudly, nudging Lotus.

Lotus rolled his eyes. "We don't even know if they're taking us on yet."

"Ah- true. So, what do you think? Do you like what you see?"

8

Tal raised an eyebrow at the amount of enthusiasm just rolling off of the two men.

Owen looked between the two groups, rubbing his chin in amusement. When the awkward silence went on for much too long, he cleared his throat and straightened up. “Well, then. It seems as if these two are ready and raring to go, Tal. What d’you think? Can you handle a bunch of energetic youngsters like these two?”

Tal turned his bemused gaze to Owen, crossing his arms loosely over his chest. “You say that as if I’m anywhere near as old as you,” he commented. Then he took a deep breath and let it out, looking over the two hopeful gazes. “Well,” he began. He paused to think. “Hang on.” He stepped out of the shop, pulling his communicator from his pocket. He slid it open and dialed the ship.

“Good evening, Sparrow Transport Services, how may I - This is Tal, isn’t it?”

The young man chuckled. “Hi, Rei.”

“Yo. What’s the news?”

Tal looked back over his shoulder briefly and then turned away again. “So, they’re all packed and ready to come aboard. Are you ready for them?”

There was a flustered round of noises before the man answered. “Well, I - I guess so. Can you stall them for… Maybe another half an hour?”

“Even if I stalled for half an hour, you’re not going to be ready, are you?”

“N-n-no, I’ll be ready. I just… Uh… I just… Just a little time to… Stuff?”

Tal laughed. “Well, you’ll have at least half an hour because they still need to check out of the hotel. Please be at least semi-ready by then.”

“Right. Okay. Anything else?”

“No, that’s all for now. I’ll see you in a bit.”

“See you in a bit…”

Tal slid his communicator shut and walked back into the shop. He clasped his hands in front of him and looked at Aster and Lotus. “It looks like almost every thing’s ready. I’ll walk you to the hotel and help with your things, is that all right?”