[color=lightblue]Date: March 11th, 1861
Time: Early-morning
Location: Aeraport, Höllenmaul - Central Shipyard[/color]

[indent]Wench was leaning against the railings of the Encumber, his assigned airship, with a bored expression, while he took long whiffs of the cigarette he was smoking. The ground-crew was busy working on unloading the recent shipment that the Encumber brought in, and Wench had to stay put while the process was taking place. It was more efficient to unload the cargo before the ship was taken to its own hangar, where it would be too cramped to do the work. Yeah, Wench hated these moments the most during the otherwise enjoyable work.

As he was leaning on the railing, he noticed a couple of the crewmen chatting merrily among themselves, holding cargo while standing in place. It was a typical ruse, looking like they were working yet at the same time doing nothing more than killing time. Wench finished his cigarette and flicked the still burning stub onto the closest one. It landed on the workman’s nape after a miraculous aerial flight, jolting him to action from the unexpected burn as he dropped the box of goods he was holding. The wood shaving spilled out from the loosened lid, and a line of bottles rolled out onto the pavement. At least the goods were still intact.

The workman cursed loudly as he looked up at Wench with hate-filled eyes, but his fellows stopped him from making his way up to the aviator. They knew that if a fight eventually broke out, it would be their fault for not focusing on work, so it was not worth the trouble. Instead, they expressed their annoyance through amusing themselves with tales about what they’d do to the whore who birthed the whoreson, which seemed to amuse Wench. He took out another cigarette and with practiced movement, lit the end of it. Inhaling and exhaling another puff of smoke, he could only think of how boring this part of the job was.

After a long wait, all of the cargo was unloaded and Wench could finally set Encumber down in its designated hangar. He gave the steering wheel an affectionate pat before clambering down the rope-ladder on the side. It was time to collect his paycheck, and that meant celebrating afterward. It’s been some time since his last downtime, and Wench knew he needed it. The last couple of trips were especially thrilling with the recent pirate activity on his usual route, and while he enjoyed the challenge, being on death’s door was draining work. If he didn’t relax now, his focus would dull, and that was an undesirable undesirable. He had to offset it with a desirable undesirable, namely drinking himself into a stupor.

The company clerk was as rigid and cold as ever, but it wasn’t like Wench was looking for her company. She gave him his payload and that was the extent of their relationship, which both of them could appreciate in a sense. Neither of them were very much interested in people; he had his airships and she had her numbers. He did leave a single roll of cigarette on the desk though, before he left with his [color=darkgray]9 Ir.ℂ[/color] [color=chocolate]50 Co.ℂ[/color]. 

He got on the packed railcar leading from the Shipyard, and got off once it arrived at the Lingot Bank. He couldn’t trust himself not to spend whatever he had on him, so Wench opted to place it into safekeeping until he could find a good deal for the parts and materials he needed next to build the hull of the airship he was making. In his mind’s eye, he could already see it in all of its splendor, with the name [i]Scallywagon[/i] painted onto it. It was only a matter of time, and he’d have his freedom. True freedom, unlike the restraints that the company’s blasted rules imposed.

He deposited the [color=darkgray]9 Ir.ℂ[/color] and then left the premises to make his way down to Mudburg. His destination was the Traveler’s Lodge, although he did take a weird out of the way path to get there, going through a number of dark alleys so he could eventually leave [color=chocolate]10 Co.ℂ[/color] on a windowsill. The noise behind let him know that it was gone as soon as he turned his back to it, and he moved on with a smile. When he arrived at the Lodge, he got himself a quiet table at one of the corners and ordered a drink.[/indent]