Prelude to Anarchy - Princess of Steam

Deal

Elizabeth stood in one corner of the cargo hold, watching over a growing pile of boxes as Katherine argued with three men at the same time. The girl was smaller than all three, but somehow she seemed more feral, more likely to smack them around if they didn't like her way of seeing things. It was a common enough sight, Katherine bickering at port agents.

Elizabeth walked out of the shadows and across the gangplank connecting the Crusader to the tower, side stepping some burly men who were carrying out a few boxes that jangled with every step.

For a moment, Katherine caught her eye and the two stared at each other, then they nodded. Reassured that her disappearance was noted, Elizabeth began walking across the tower and to the staircase in its centre.

She had an important meeting to attend, one that was rather confidential, and truly profitable. When she had embarked on this journey she had never expected it to be this long, or to lead to such strange friendships. It was so different from how she had lived her younger life, yet so peaceful at the same time.

As she descended the first flight of stairs, she almost physically ran into Daisy running up. Behind the mechanic was a young man whose arm was gripped in Daisy's vice-like hands. The couple shambled to a stop. "Lizzy!" Daisy said, as excited as usual. "I want you to meet Bastion." She turned to her friend. "Bastion, this is Elizabeth. She's sorta like our captain, maybe."

The man bowed quickly, a move made awkward by the heavy bag strung over his shoulder. "P-pleasure to meet you, miss," he said.

"I'm pleased to meet you too, Bastion," Elizabeth said. Her mind had been elsewhere, on serious matters, and she was in no mood to smile, but as usual Daisy's good mood was infectious. "I have a few errands to run, but I'll be sure to greet you a little more formally later. Daisy will show you around the Crusader, I believe?"

He nodded, looking at the shorter woman beside him while blushing.

"Oh, this is going to be fun!" Daisy said. "Won't it, Lizzy?"

Elizabeth nodded the affirmative. "Of course. I'm off to the inn. I might see your grandfather there, Daisy. Any messages to pass along?"

Daisy's grin widened, if that was possible. "Nope! I'll be going there later, before we leave. If grandma finds out that I was here and didn't stop by for biscuits and tea, I'll get a whopping next time."

The two continued up the ramp, leaving Elizabeth to watch them climb up. She had not yet made her mind about the Bastion boy, but she did notice that he seemed to have eyes only for Daisy. She was going to have to look into that, later.

When she reached the bottom, Elizabeth turned and began to walk at a leisurely pace towards the gigantic, long building that was the town's inn. It was, at the same time, the unofficial seat of the unofficial local government.

The Crown ruled over these lands, and their money was used and their taxes paid, but Plumage had a long history of ignoring the decrees of the Inara family, the nobles who were once feudal leaders of the region.

Instead, family Dobalt ruled, though not by any overt means. They were simply the biggest group around, and had ties to every family that had moved into Plumage. They were also fiercely proud of their patriarch and matriarch, the oldest members of the family.

She stepped up to the inn and stopped, looking up at the old worn wood of the building. She could see, faintly in the different shades of weather beating, that the inn had had additions built into it at least six times. Around it, the air reeked of horses and soup and was constantly filled with loud laughter pouring out from within, as if the locals had something to prove by being the happiest people around.