Work Text:
Dear dad. I know you were worried when I “followed” in Zana’s footsteps to become a courier, but it’s mostly hard work so far. She really accentuated the adventure stuff. For example; yesterday I had a whole seven hour shift of just shoveling coal, I mean-
A familiar bell rings, Jonnit stares up from the letter he’s writing as the call, “All hands on deck!”, rings out through the still darkened hallways of the black audron.
Jonnit smiles as he quickly shoves his feet into his boots. They are about to land the audron in burza nyth today. Captain Foxglove had confided in him and Dref. They were apparently going to get a mission to take some important letters from the representatives of the liquid swords monastery there and perhaps learn a thing or two about the water cleansing rituals they did.
Speaking of Dref, he seemed to still be enraptured by his meticulously kept notebook and the bits of fish gut he was working on.
“Dref,” Jonnit says as he places a hand on his shoulder startling him, “don’t you hear the bell?”
Dref looks up at him with bleary eyes. Whatever chance they get to rest on the job, he takes to stud. A thing Mulden may approve of but Jonnit does not.
“W-what?” he says, suddenly startled again as once again the quartermaster calls them on deck, “R-right sorry...” He says, standing unsteadily quickly pulling on his coal black coat that seems to always have odd stains and new patches on it.
“You need to get more sleep, man.” Jonnit says pulling on his own coat, embroidered in the back of it in golden stitch are feathers, with a crowning centre piece of an eye resting in the middle of one. Jonnit quickly buttons the annoying, but very cool, eye-shaped buttons too. Dref is convinced it must be magic of a sort, although they have yet to find out how.
Dref hufs as he runs his fingers through his hair, adjusting his glasses, peering around the room to find his boots. “I’m p-perfectly f-fine, Jonnit,” he says, “although I ap-apriciate your c-concern.”
Jonnit hums distractedly, as he ties off his black bandana with ease, leaning against the door of their shared room. “We don’t want to be late,” he says impatient, tapping on the floor with his foot rhythmically.
Dref smiles as he laces his boots methodically, “C-captain F-foxglove will n-not promote you just f-for being early, y-you know?” he says knowingly.
Jonnit laughs. “Hey all bits count, don’t they?” he says.
Everyone keeps telling him it’s not possible to get promoted in the first six months of apprenticeship. It had even taken Zana a good two years on the red audron to be promoted to Adept, although she had moved up the ranks of the yellow audron rather swiftly, becoming one of the youngest Allcouriers the service has ever seen. Jonnit suspected it was simply captain Allegria’s favoritism, who if you believed the rumours, was already training his sister to become starwatcher one day. Jonnit somewhat hoped it wasn’t true; pride in his sister lessened a little by his own love for star watching.
Clearly the only way to beat Zana was to rise the ranks even faster, to become the captain he one day wishes to be.
He remembers the day he finally got called on stage on novice day, the certainty with which he had said the reason he wanted to do this job was because he wanted to become postmaster captain one day.
There was only a slight shock on the faces of the crowd, and a gleam in all the captain’s eyes, clear for everyone to see he had potential.
Jonnit was still surprised when his name was called alongside the black audron’s. Red always being the one he had been aiming for, he was even more surprised when the captain had winked at him and said they had specifically requested his presence on the ship.
“Your destiny is here,” he had said, “I’m sure you’ll find you have a way with magic.”
Jonnit loved the way the word destiny sounded, especially said so confidently by the eccentric captain. Who quickly had him running special errands, sorting all sorts of odd and creepy parcels. Making Jonnit confident; if he just worked hard enough, maybe he could soon enough outrank his sister.
Jonnit is snapped back to the present by Dref, finally ready pulling him along to the corridor. “W-who is m-making us late now?” Dref says, easily walking out onto the deck.
Jonnit rolls his eyes fondly, “Sorry, get lost in my thoughts.”
Dref hums as they walk out on the deck, already a flurry of activity in preparation for landing. “Y-yes, y-you are of-ften lost in d-daydreams.”
Jonnit is about to talk back when captain Foxglove spots them, “Kessler, Wormwood,” they say, “I want you two on lookout.”
“Yes, Ser.” They say in unison.
Jonnit easily climbs the rigging, slowing down for Dref who does so hesitantly. Jonnit smiles at him, “I can’t believe you’ve been working here for so long and you are still nervous on the ropes.”
Dref’s face goes slightly red. “I am r-rahter m-more pro- proficient in other areas.” he says as he finally manages to climb up.
Dref and Jonnit had become friends the moment he’d boarded the ship. As a new apprentice, people easily forgot that you hadn’t yet mastered the job and seemed rather keen not to explain things.
Dref had always stuck close to him, eager to teach him the ropes as it were, especially when it came to magic Dref simply had passion and enjoyed having someone to share it with. In return Jonnit started taking his shifts flying the lion birds and soon enough it was odd to see the one without the other.
Jonnit looks onto the horizon, at their left the vast expanse of the sea looming dangerously at their right the bustling city of Burza Nyth the dawn breaking framing it all in a beautiful light. He couldn’t help but get lost in it for a second, with a glance at Dref who too seemed just a little bit mesmerized.
Both of them jump as the call comes from the deck. “Estimation for our arrival in Burza Nyth?”
Dref stares at Jonnit hopelessly and Jonnit laughs as he squeezes his hand reassuringly. “About 20 minutes, sir.” He calls down the tube.
The wind in their faces as the ship descends, the creak of the wood and the roar of the furnace that sounds even in the top. Jonnit looks down at the city below him as a new adventure begins.