[center][b][u]Skies above the Garrloch[/u][/b][/center]

Constance’s face flashed between both shock and disappointment when Krauss suggested she take any seat except for the one she had claimed for herself was, her lower lip drooping as if she couldn’t comprehend somebody telling her what to do. She expected that the man took her for a fool, and she told herself that she was fine with that. She’d rather be taken for an idiot than mistaken for a genius. There was less pressure in it, for starters, and when you proved them wrong it was much more pleasurable. She recovered almost as fast as she had come undone, closing her mouth into a tight smile as if to pretend to be amused by Krauss’s joke.

“What a grand idea. I’ve think I’ve had enough of seawater, Krauss, and I’ve been meaning to dry off anyways,” she said, abdicating her throne as she slipped back into the “hurricane seat”, pretending not to notice Edward’s look.

As Krauss went through his startup checks, Constance busied herself fumbling with straps and belts. Despite the good humor in his warning, she did believe the pilot when he said she could be flung out of the VTOL, and she had already met her quota for near death experiences for that day. Cinched tightly, she relaxed as best as she could in the stock chair, closing her eyes and trying to calm her pre-flight jitters. She still got anxious every time she was on a plane like she had been the first time she had flown, back when she had made her great change from mongrel to mogul by escaping from the Bottoms by stowing away on a cargo plane bound for Argos. Former suitors had found it endearing, and when she was in the air she was completely fine, her worries replaced with wonder, but she still found it embarrassing, and was thankful that the two in front seemed busy with the takeoff. 

She felt her muscles relax as she heard the engine come to life, and slowly opened her eyes a few seconds after the craft had begun to shake and takeoff. Krauss hadn’t been lying, the view from the passenger seat was breathtaking. “Oh, wow,” she mumbled quietly, almost humbled by the vast world of blue that laid outside of the window. The view from the ship, now so far below them that it looked as if it were a bath toy, had been great, but it paled completely in comparison to this one. There was a quiet moment of contentment, disregarding the loud hum of the engines, as she leaned against the window, wide-eyed. Further away, she could she smears of brown and green splashed on the horizon, actual land that was not floating, and she swore she could make out the tip of the other obelisk, although perhaps this was just hopeful thinking. 

And then it was down to business. She needed to know how fertile the land was, how ripe for colonization it would be, how feasible it could be to shuttle people from the floating isles to the new land. Then it would be all about creating the right businesses in the right places. A mining company for raw materials to ship back to the UINC would be the most profitable, obviously, and the tentative end goal, but to get there she need lodging, food, and entertainment for the workers. Even before that,she knew that she’d have to work out some sort of contracts and deeds with the United Isles to rightfully claim ownership of the new lands instead of being seen as some seceding threat. Her brow furrowed at the thought; red tape was always the most infuriating. It was a good thing that she planned to have someone else deal with all of that nonsense, although she was still deciding on who could handle such a task without outright stealing the thunder away from her.

As well, it was somewhat odd that she didn’t even consider the largest, most real problem to her grand plans as she daydreamed about the future. She was so confident that her minor hiccup would solve itself the minute she stepped foot onto one of those distant islands littered with silver and gold that, by the time word ever got out, it would be such a non-issue that nobody wouldn't even blink an eye at it. She smiled Only the extremely rich and the extremely poor knew how valuable money actually was; having been both in her life, she felt quite qualified in that regard.

Unintelligible words from the cockpit drew her out of her mind, their meaning drowned out by the hum of the engines. Reflexively, she assumed they were directed towards her, for obvious reasons, and she leaned forward. However, when her eyes finally spotted the camera in Edward’s hands, she recoiled back as if she had just stumbled upon a venomous snake. Violently, she shook her hands in front of herself. She shouted at the reporter, cupping her hands around her mouth. Surely, she could be louder than a plane engine. 

[sub]“[b]DON’T YOU DARE, EDDY! I’M A COMPLETE MESS! WE CAN DO A PHOTO SPREAD LATER! LATER![/b]”[/SUB]