"Well, it matters not," Ted said, hoping to sound nonchalant as he slurped up his drinks, reveling in the subtle burn of forty and something percentages of alcohol of the whiskey and the slightly less strong mouthfeel of the rum. "You've got yourself a place on my team. Seems to me that you are rational enough to avoid losing said place because of cheap stage magic tricks."
"I have pulled no tricks, my friend," Doctor Farthings said and indulged himself.
The whiskey was there for the sake of entertaining guests, although being high up in the air, Ted did not expect to have too many high-ranking people come over and demand to be treated to such a luxurious experience. The rum was an impulse purchase, brought on by certain romantic ideas Ted had about airship pirates and everything spectacular that could happen on low skies or high seas.
Ted was by no means a big drinker, and this meant that the bottles were almost full.
