Cormack Owle
4. The Captain and The Engineer: Experience Required
After leaving the Constable to handle Mr. Smithers, Aiden continued towards the other side of the city square to look at the advertisement post. Here, people could advertise for anything from services to employment to sales! It was still very early in the morning so there wasn't really anyone around. Aiden was able to walk right up and search to his heart's content! His blue eyes glanced back and forth over the advertisements looking for engineers and mechanics. With such a big airship port in the city, there was bound to be something!
Aiden stood there for nearly three minutes when he finally found one! With a small gasp of excitement, he reached out and grabbed the small piece of paper and tore it off the post. He stared wide eyed at it for a long minute. He couldn't believe he was going to do this! His gaze lifted and he continued to search for more advertisements. He didn't see any though. He turned and walked away from the post and looked up at the docks high in the sky. There was bound to be more up there.
It was about an hour later that Aiden made it to the airship docks. He sought out an advertisement post and was directed to one with the help of a passing guard. Standing before this post, there were lots more advertisements but there was just one issue: experience. The majority of these advertisements for work required airship experience and were mostly looking for deckhands.
Aiden decided to seek out the one Captain with the advertisement he'd found on the first post. When he came to the ship, he stopped dead in his tracks. It. Was. Huge. His jaw dropped. It was a dream come true! He'd always wanted to work on a massive airship like that! He went up to the gang plank and was stopped by one of the high ranked crew mates. "What can I do for you, kid?" the man asked, folding his arms over his chest. Aiden cleared his throat and held up the advertisement. "H-hi! I'm Aiden Anderson. I was looking for Captain St. Pierre. I saw you were looking for engineers for the ship." The man looked at the paper and reached up to scratch the back of his neck. "The Captain ain't looking for anyone else, kid. He just hired two new people and we're all filled up." "Is there any way I could talk to the Captain? Please." Aiden pleaded, his eyes shifting to look at the ship. "No way, get on goin', kid. The Captain made it clear he wasn't looking for anyone else. If you don't move, there will be trouble!" Aiden sighed and turned to walk away, tossing the paper aside. Well that was a bummer.
Aiden, feeling more determined now, started making his way up along the docks and began to ask individually if anyone was looking for a young, hardy engineer like him. He asked ten more airships and it was all the same answer: we're not looking for anyone or experience only. He was starting to feel uncertain as his mind went back towards the other advertisements for the deck hands. He mentally slapped himself. No, he knew he didn't really want to work as a deckhand. He'd just have to hold out until he found what he was looking for! No settling!
After asking many Captains and First Mates for nearly three hours, Aiden decided to take a break for the day. There would always be other days and other ships.
Aiden made his way back into town and decided on his way home to stop in at The Ten Bells, his father and his favorite tavern. He was parched! He went to take a seat at the bar, glancing out at the clock in the town's square. It was already one o'clock?! Hells, he felt so out of place! By now he'd be arm deep in work! "Good afternoon, Aiden. You're in early today," the tavern owner chuckled as he approached the young man to which Aiden smiled amiably.
"Good afternoon. Pint o' mead, please!"
"Coming right up. So what has you out and about? You're usually working with your old man, aren't you?"
"Usually," Aiden responded as he was given his pint of favorite ale. "But he finally gave me leave to try to find work on an airship." He shrugged and reached into his pocket to pay for his drink. "Everyone seems to be not looking for anyone or require experience."
"But you DO have experience, Aiden; lots, at that. Hells!"
"Not the kind they are looking for. They want experience ON an airship. But all there is otherwise are strictly deck crew positions and that's not what I want."
Aiden began to drink, enjoying the taste of his favorite mead as the tavern owner leaned against the bar, gazing at him for a long moment. "Have you tried any of them smaller ships?" he asked after a moment to which Aiden shook his head. "Not yet. There weren't any up there. It's okay, I'll find something eventually. It's only my first day." The tavern owner looked contemplative before gesturing behind Aiden. "Talk to that man over there in the corner," he said in a hushed voice. "That's Captain Vincent Dubois. He runs a small cargo airship and last I heard he was looking for someone like you; a mechanic or engineer; that sort of thing."
Aiden blinked and turned, glancing over his shoulder at the man the tavern owner was gesturing to. He blinked, taking in his unique appearance. Admittedly he was the prettiest man he'd ever seen and not exactly like what he'd picture an airship captain to look like. "That guy?" he clarified. "The one with the eye patch and braid?" "That's the one."
Vincent set down his teacup of steaming tea with a quiet sigh. He was almost finished with his tea and once he was done, he needed to get going. They were due to leave at noon tomorrow and there was much to be done before then. He began to go over his list and the list he had his First Mate taking care of as he lifted his teacup and took a slow, generous sip.
"Ahem."
A soft clearing of a throat to his right distracted Vincent from his thoughts. His gaze turned and before him a young man a little younger than he stood there with a determined but friendly expression on his face. Immediately Vincent felt a headache coming on just by looking at him. Without saying a word, he quirked his left eyebrow as if asking what the young man wanted.
"Hello, I'm Aiden Anderson," Aiden began, trying to sound confident when in fact he felt a touch intimidated by this man. "I am looking for work on an airship and I was told you may be looking for a crewmate." Vincent blinked, then set down his teacup and glanced around Aiden and glared slightly at the tavern owner who was suddenly very busy wiping down a counter. His attention returned to Aiden and he gave a sigh as he drained the rest of the tea from his teacup before setting it down upon the table once more.
"Have you ever worked on an airship before?" The voice that came from the captain was deeper than Aiden had expected and held a melodic ring to it. Aiden watched as the captain reclined slightly in his booth and crossed his ankles under the table, his gaze lifting to meet his. Aiden stared back, focusing on the captain's visible eye. He was immediately reminded of the colors of the sea.
"No, Sir," he replied, feeling more unsure that the captain was going to seriously consider him.
"Have you ever been on an airship?"
"Ah, erm...no? Not exactly? I mean, I've been on a few jetboards."
Vincent stared up at the young man. He had to be no older than eighteen or nineteen years old. He could tell that the guy was genuinely interested, but Vincent knew that type: young, bright-eyed and ready for adventure from home!
"Look, kid, you don't look like the kind of guy who would want to risk never coming home again just for a bit of adventure."
"But-"
"You seem like a nice guy, but I don't think you're cut out for this kind of work."
Vincent began to scoot out from his booth, turning and reaching for his teacup and holding it firmly in his hand. He stood before Aiden, gazing up into his face since he was just a little bit shorter than him. "Don't you have a family? Parents? Friends?"
Aiden's brow furrowed as he responded, "I know what this looks like, but there's more to me than...than just some kid looking for a bit of adventure without a care of what he leaves behind." Vincent gazed at him, his eye looking him steadily up and down. He gave a slight shake of his head. "I don't think so."
As Vincent turned to go, Aiden stood there feeling slightly stunned by this man's stoicism and brush of cold shoulder. Well, what the bloody hell was that? He watched as the captain went to return his teacup to the tavern owner. Feeling a bit put off, Aiden turned and walked towards the door. As he approached, his mind began to turn with all the things he should have said. Damn! At the door, he suddenly turned on his heel, determined to speak to the captain once more.
Suddenly he bumped heavily chest to chest with none other than the very man he was determined to see! Aiden's eyes widened and he gasped, "Oh shit!" he exclaimed as he reached out to steady Vincent. However, he was too slow and Vincent fell back and collided against a booth, hunched slightly.
Upon collision, something fell out from Vincent's jacket and collided heavily on the floor with a ding and crash! Vincent gasped loudly and reached for his chest pocket. 'Oh no. Please, God, not that!' he silently prayed as he turned to see what it was. Slowly, in unison, both men looked down upon the floor where a wooden and copper compass lay, broken into two pieces.
***
Next Part: www.flickr.com/photos/153660805@N05/50744827722
To read the rest of the story, here's the album link:
www.flickr.com/photos/153660805@N05/albums/72157717075565127
***
This scene was taken in Second Life at Victorian London - Time Portal in the tavern along the edge of the city square called: The Ten Bells!
You can check out this AMAZING roleplay-type parcel and even rent from there! Its so realistic! Seriously! The details here are incredible! You can see even more of this place in Part 3 of this series!
***
***Please note this is a BOY LOVE (BL/yaoi/gay) series. It is a slow burn and rated PG13!***
***
Special thank you to Vin Aydin Raven-Mysterious for collaborating with me on this series and co-starring as The Captain!
~
DISCORD SERVER: That's right! The Captain and the Engineer has a Discord Server! If you would like to join and chat with other crewmates and see what's new and happening before it gets posted to Flickr, click the link!
***NEW!!!!***
The Captain and the Engineer now has a FACEBOOK PAGE! Please come Like, Follow, and join the crew! Thank you so much for all your support!
FACEBOOK PAGE:
4. The Captain and The Engineer: Experience Required
After leaving the Constable to handle Mr. Smithers, Aiden continued towards the other side of the city square to look at the advertisement post. Here, people could advertise for anything from services to employment to sales! It was still very early in the morning so there wasn't really anyone around. Aiden was able to walk right up and search to his heart's content! His blue eyes glanced back and forth over the advertisements looking for engineers and mechanics. With such a big airship port in the city, there was bound to be something!
Aiden stood there for nearly three minutes when he finally found one! With a small gasp of excitement, he reached out and grabbed the small piece of paper and tore it off the post. He stared wide eyed at it for a long minute. He couldn't believe he was going to do this! His gaze lifted and he continued to search for more advertisements. He didn't see any though. He turned and walked away from the post and looked up at the docks high in the sky. There was bound to be more up there.
It was about an hour later that Aiden made it to the airship docks. He sought out an advertisement post and was directed to one with the help of a passing guard. Standing before this post, there were lots more advertisements but there was just one issue: experience. The majority of these advertisements for work required airship experience and were mostly looking for deckhands.
Aiden decided to seek out the one Captain with the advertisement he'd found on the first post. When he came to the ship, he stopped dead in his tracks. It. Was. Huge. His jaw dropped. It was a dream come true! He'd always wanted to work on a massive airship like that! He went up to the gang plank and was stopped by one of the high ranked crew mates. "What can I do for you, kid?" the man asked, folding his arms over his chest. Aiden cleared his throat and held up the advertisement. "H-hi! I'm Aiden Anderson. I was looking for Captain St. Pierre. I saw you were looking for engineers for the ship." The man looked at the paper and reached up to scratch the back of his neck. "The Captain ain't looking for anyone else, kid. He just hired two new people and we're all filled up." "Is there any way I could talk to the Captain? Please." Aiden pleaded, his eyes shifting to look at the ship. "No way, get on goin', kid. The Captain made it clear he wasn't looking for anyone else. If you don't move, there will be trouble!" Aiden sighed and turned to walk away, tossing the paper aside. Well that was a bummer.
Aiden, feeling more determined now, started making his way up along the docks and began to ask individually if anyone was looking for a young, hardy engineer like him. He asked ten more airships and it was all the same answer: we're not looking for anyone or experience only. He was starting to feel uncertain as his mind went back towards the other advertisements for the deck hands. He mentally slapped himself. No, he knew he didn't really want to work as a deckhand. He'd just have to hold out until he found what he was looking for! No settling!
After asking many Captains and First Mates for nearly three hours, Aiden decided to take a break for the day. There would always be other days and other ships.
Aiden made his way back into town and decided on his way home to stop in at The Ten Bells, his father and his favorite tavern. He was parched! He went to take a seat at the bar, glancing out at the clock in the town's square. It was already one o'clock?! Hells, he felt so out of place! By now he'd be arm deep in work! "Good afternoon, Aiden. You're in early today," the tavern owner chuckled as he approached the young man to which Aiden smiled amiably.
"Good afternoon. Pint o' mead, please!"
"Coming right up. So what has you out and about? You're usually working with your old man, aren't you?"
"Usually," Aiden responded as he was given his pint of favorite ale. "But he finally gave me leave to try to find work on an airship." He shrugged and reached into his pocket to pay for his drink. "Everyone seems to be not looking for anyone or require experience."
"But you DO have experience, Aiden; lots, at that. Hells!"
"Not the kind they are looking for. They want experience ON an airship. But all there is otherwise are strictly deck crew positions and that's not what I want."
Aiden began to drink, enjoying the taste of his favorite mead as the tavern owner leaned against the bar, gazing at him for a long moment. "Have you tried any of them smaller ships?" he asked after a moment to which Aiden shook his head. "Not yet. There weren't any up there. It's okay, I'll find something eventually. It's only my first day." The tavern owner looked contemplative before gesturing behind Aiden. "Talk to that man over there in the corner," he said in a hushed voice. "That's Captain Vincent Dubois. He runs a small cargo airship and last I heard he was looking for someone like you; a mechanic or engineer; that sort of thing."
Aiden blinked and turned, glancing over his shoulder at the man the tavern owner was gesturing to. He blinked, taking in his unique appearance. Admittedly he was the prettiest man he'd ever seen and not exactly like what he'd picture an airship captain to look like. "That guy?" he clarified. "The one with the eye patch and braid?" "That's the one."
Vincent set down his teacup of steaming tea with a quiet sigh. He was almost finished with his tea and once he was done, he needed to get going. They were due to leave at noon tomorrow and there was much to be done before then. He began to go over his list and the list he had his First Mate taking care of as he lifted his teacup and took a slow, generous sip.
"Ahem."
A soft clearing of a throat to his right distracted Vincent from his thoughts. His gaze turned and before him a young man a little younger than he stood there with a determined but friendly expression on his face. Immediately Vincent felt a headache coming on just by looking at him. Without saying a word, he quirked his left eyebrow as if asking what the young man wanted.
"Hello, I'm Aiden Anderson," Aiden began, trying to sound confident when in fact he felt a touch intimidated by this man. "I am looking for work on an airship and I was told you may be looking for a crewmate." Vincent blinked, then set down his teacup and glanced around Aiden and glared slightly at the tavern owner who was suddenly very busy wiping down a counter. His attention returned to Aiden and he gave a sigh as he drained the rest of the tea from his teacup before setting it down upon the table once more.
"Have you ever worked on an airship before?" The voice that came from the captain was deeper than Aiden had expected and held a melodic ring to it. Aiden watched as the captain reclined slightly in his booth and crossed his ankles under the table, his gaze lifting to meet his. Aiden stared back, focusing on the captain's visible eye. He was immediately reminded of the colors of the sea.
"No, Sir," he replied, feeling more unsure that the captain was going to seriously consider him.
"Have you ever been on an airship?"
"Ah, erm...no? Not exactly? I mean, I've been on a few jetboards."
Vincent stared up at the young man. He had to be no older than eighteen or nineteen years old. He could tell that the guy was genuinely interested, but Vincent knew that type: young, bright-eyed and ready for adventure from home!
"Look, kid, you don't look like the kind of guy who would want to risk never coming home again just for a bit of adventure."
"But-"
"You seem like a nice guy, but I don't think you're cut out for this kind of work."
Vincent began to scoot out from his booth, turning and reaching for his teacup and holding it firmly in his hand. He stood before Aiden, gazing up into his face since he was just a little bit shorter than him. "Don't you have a family? Parents? Friends?"
Aiden's brow furrowed as he responded, "I know what this looks like, but there's more to me than...than just some kid looking for a bit of adventure without a care of what he leaves behind." Vincent gazed at him, his eye looking him steadily up and down. He gave a slight shake of his head. "I don't think so."
As Vincent turned to go, Aiden stood there feeling slightly stunned by this man's stoicism and brush of cold shoulder. Well, what the bloody hell was that? He watched as the captain went to return his teacup to the tavern owner. Feeling a bit put off, Aiden turned and walked towards the door. As he approached, his mind began to turn with all the things he should have said. Damn! At the door, he suddenly turned on his heel, determined to speak to the captain once more.
Suddenly he bumped heavily chest to chest with none other than the very man he was determined to see! Aiden's eyes widened and he gasped, "Oh shit!" he exclaimed as he reached out to steady Vincent. However, he was too slow and Vincent fell back and collided against a booth, hunched slightly.
Upon collision, something fell out from Vincent's jacket and collided heavily on the floor with a ding and crash! Vincent gasped loudly and reached for his chest pocket. 'Oh no. Please, God, not that!' he silently prayed as he turned to see what it was. Slowly, in unison, both men looked down upon the floor where a wooden and copper compass lay, broken into two pieces.
***
Next Part: www.flickr.com/photos/153660805@N05/50744827722
To read the rest of the story, here's the album link:
www.flickr.com/photos/153660805@N05/albums/72157717075565127
***
This scene was taken in Second Life at Victorian London - Time Portal in the tavern along the edge of the city square called: The Ten Bells!
You can check out this AMAZING roleplay-type parcel and even rent from there! Its so realistic! Seriously! The details here are incredible! You can see even more of this place in Part 3 of this series!
***
***Please note this is a BOY LOVE (BL/yaoi/gay) series. It is a slow burn and rated PG13!***
***
Special thank you to Vin Aydin Raven-Mysterious for collaborating with me on this series and co-starring as The Captain!
~
DISCORD SERVER: That's right! The Captain and the Engineer has a Discord Server! If you would like to join and chat with other crewmates and see what's new and happening before it gets posted to Flickr, click the link!
***NEW!!!!***
The Captain and the Engineer now has a FACEBOOK PAGE! Please come Like, Follow, and join the crew! Thank you so much for all your support!
FACEBOOK PAGE: