//It's a bit short and a tad rough, but forgive me. I'm trying to get my footing with the story. Bare with me as I find my rhythm.
_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_
There was a stark difference between dumb and bat-shit insanity.
A wide gap existed that separated those lacking common sense from those who were simply mentally deranged. It was akin to one starting a small fire to keep warm but not taking any sort of precautions while another did the same but ignited a whole tree in the middle of a parched forest. One had some form of intelligence but lacked the ability to use it properly while another contained neither one.
The world of Ardena was chock full of those who were, in some semblance or another, dumb. They possessed sufficient degrees of judgement and reasoning but faltered when it came to any actual application. Greed, lust, pride, envy, or any sort of strong emotion deterred rational thinking and caused them to make severe lapses in adequate decision making. Even then, the vast majority of folks Maddalin JunBaren came into contact with rarely made any sort of mistakes necessary for her to label them insane or retarded. Self interest and self preservation prevented them from reaching into such levels and safe from most, if not all, of their own harmful activities. Everyone knew what was best for themselves and stuck to the path that would hurt them the least, barring any gambles taken and unknown territory they would wander into.
It was extraordinarily rare that Maddalin would meet someone she'd label as bat-shit insane. In all of her life, she had only physically met around a hundred individuals who had rightfully earned the usage of the word 'retarded'. In comparison to the hundred thousand folks she had encountered in her 28 years alive, it was an extremely small number. Every time she met one of those she had labeled as insane, something interesting would always happen without fail.
Of course, after some time around the block, the young airship pilot kinda figured she had already seen it all; that there couldn't possibly be something else out there capable of tripping her up. The world was full of amazing people and mysteries yet to be solved but she had been utterly convinced there was nothing that could completely shake her.
Her assumptions had proven to be far from true.
Pulling some levers on the side of the airships steering wheel, Maddalin made sure the altitude and speed remained at adequate levels before locking the ships turning apparatus firmly into place. Millions of thoughts were now running through the confines of her noggin, but even so, she kept a cool and level head as she turned towards her left, where a nervous looking young man was toying with a small circular device with buttons lining the side.
"Alright Raison. You have my full attention. Once again from the top." Maddalin walked away from the steering wheel, gesturing for the youth to follow her. "Leave nothing out."
The black haired male stayed in place for a second before quickly following, catching up to Maddalin with quick strides. His face twitched, some sweat could be seen on his cheeks and neck despite the cool breeze blowing throughout deck of the airship. Hunched over, he appeared to get smaller with every step they took. "Y-yes ma'am. I-I-I-I'll give it my best."
"No need to force it okay," Maddalin calmly assured as they walked down the stairs at the end of the Quarter Deck, making their way onto the Main Deck. "As long as you can tell me everything you discovered, it'll all be fine."
Raison perked up a little at the woman's comforting speech, his rapid breathing gradually returning to some form of normalcy. Straightening up slightly, he followed his captain closely as she slowly trekked forward at a now much calmer pace, heading for what appeared to be the Captains Quarters. He continued to sweat and also possessed a slight stutter, but a slimmer of confidence appeared that hadn't been present previously.
"Around 5am, I-I was doing my given job as lookout w-when I spotted him." Raison paused slightly after entering through the doors into the lower area but quickly recovered. "A w-white haired young male around the age of 12 or 13 s-sitting at the f-furthermost edge of the aeronaul. Has n-no distinguishing features to label him a-a-as nobility or royalty nor any s-sort of visible marks for a slave. By all m-means, he looks to be a common civilian."
Maddalin frowned slightly. "A normal civilian wouldn't be sitting on the balloon of an airship while in midst flight."
The aeronaul, the giant helium filled balloon keeping the ship airborne, was around 200 feet in length, bulging in the middle before ending in rounded points on the front and back. Considering the length, surface area, and overall shape of the giant floatation device, the safest place for one to be positioned during travel was the direct center. Accounting for turbulence, wind speeds, and various other factors, should one choose to lounge on the aeronaul's surface for any reason, the ends of the balloon were easily the most dangerous.
And yet this kid was perched in this very spot, the area most likely to get him thrown overboard and into the monster infest forest FAR below.
Obviously Maddalin couldn't just leave him up there without a proper explanation.
Letting out a slow breath, the green-haired woman stopped before the thick wooden door leading into the Captains Quarters. After steeling herself, she gave Raison a side eye.
"Wait here for a moment."
The black-haired youth immediately stood up straighter. "Ye-yes ma'am!"
Giving the kid a nod, she made her way inside and closed the door behind her.
The Captains Quarters was a large room situated near the tail end of the ship, resting directly below the Quarter Deck. It not only served as a meeting room between those in command of the Bredalik II, but also as the room of Maddalin and Walner JunBaren, the two Captains.
The room was divided into two sections. On the left section was the meeting area. A sturdy oak table rested in the very center of this area, it's oval shape taking up just enough room for a proper table but small enough to avoid cluttering and stumbling. Various scrolls and books were scattered atop it's smooth surface, monster charts and supply routes being the main topic. At the very corner of the left section was a wall of bookcases that held even more books as well as some maps that extended to the other walls.
On the right section was a sort of lounge area that doubled as the Captains room. A plush maroon carpet spread across the floor of the Captains Quarter, numerous sofas, love seats, and lounge chairs neatly organized in a circular shape. Built into the very back of the room, cut into the wall complete with a window, was a bed.
When Maddalin wanted some time to think or just to be alone for a bit, she would come to the Captains Quarters and collect herself and her thoughts. However, that's not why she was here this time around.
Maneuvering around the oak table, the woman swiped one of the books off its surface before heading to the very back. There, sleeping on the aforementioned bed, snoozing away without a care in the world, was a green-haired male around the same age as Maddalin herself.
Scowling, the airship Captain raised the book high over the man's head. The light from the window cast a warm glow over them both, giving the a rather picturesque look.
Bonk!
Walner JunBaren let out a solid snort as the thick book landed smack on the forehead, right between the eyes. Despite how hard it seemed to hit him, the green-haired male slowly opened his eyes, as if he had been lightly tapped awake. Letting out a loud yawn, Walner stretched his arms outwards, taking his sweet time as he sat up little by little.
"Oh. Maddy. To what do I owe the honor?" The male rubbed the bridge of his nose, recollecting his senses little by little. "Is it already time for the shift-"
"You had Raison cover for you again," Maddalin cut in, looking less than pleased. "Forgive me if I'm not it the joking mood with you, Walner Francis JunBaren."
Walner winced. "The government name? Haven't heard you use that in a while. Look. I left the kid in charge of lookout to help him with his lack of experience. Having him try put different job builds character and-"
"Cut the bullshit." Maddalin turned around and walked back towards the oak table. "You just wanted to slack off."
"I mean....that's definitely one of the reasons." Walner grabbed the book his sister had dropped on him before rising onto his feet. "But, I also wasn't lying when I said I wanted him to try different things. Kid is a walking chunk of anxiety. Besides, it's not like anything major happened so why do you look so upset? I swear I didn't mess with your secret collection of male hunter figurines."
Maddalin looked stunned for a second, completely thrown off by the last sentence. But, the moment she recovered, she immediately picked up another book and hurled it towards Walners head. However, it struck naught but air as the man moved out of the way.
"Kidding, kidding." The green-haired male put his hands up, signaling a ceasefire. "No need for violence."
After about half a minute, after Maddalin had managed to take a breath, the woman cleared her throat, switching back to an all business attitude.
"We have a stowaway."
Walner's brow furrowed in thought, adopting the same mindset of his twin sister. "That wouldn't be enough to wake me up though. There's something else right?"
Maddalin gave a short nod before briefly explaining the situation, going over everything that Raison had told her, leaving nothing out. Walner didn't say a word as his sister talked, soaking in everything like a sponge. Even when she concluded her explanation, the green-haired male didn't immediately offer any words or advice, mulling over all presented information.
"An unidentifiable youth. White hair. Sitting on the Aeronaul." Walner tilted his head slightly. "Do you think he might be an Adventurer?"
"Too young," Maddalin replied, immediately shutting it down. "According to Raison's report, he appears to be around 12 to 13. If he's 13, enrollment takes place in Lynacar in about 2 days or so."
"Which is where we're headed." Walner relaxed a little as he walked to the door, slipping passed his twin sister.
"Where're you going?"
The male airship pilot paused, his hand on the doorknob. "Forming theories and whatnot is fine and dandy. But. It's really not my style. I'll just ask him directly."
(("Ask him dire....")) Maddalins brain seemed to stall a bit before it finally clicked on what the words actually entailed. (("No way he's about to....))
"In case you're wondering. Yes. I do mean direct. In other words, I'm going to set up a mental link."