Bail and Unfinished Problems

[Arabella Porter]

 

     "Yes sir, every one of them." Eudora smiled with a the poise of a business woman caught in the gleam of her eye as the chief inspector stared with wonder at the wealthy woman who was currently offering to pay the bail of every crew member locked up. While Scotland Yard had most of the Silver Widow's crew (all except for Dominique and Mercurian who had been hiding in the secret passage ways of the Widow), Ara, Thomas, Ben, Marlow, and Charlotte Bennet stayed patiently at the docks, leaning against the ship with a pathetic sort of fatigue in the air as they waited for their crew mates. Dominique and Mercurian sat on the ship with a cup of tea in each hand, silent in the galley. 

     "I'm going to ship hop over to America." Thomas finally said with a sniff,staring at the airship a few lots down from where they were. 

                                        U.S.S Bell Ringer 

    He picked up his things, "I'll see you lot in the sky." The man said, walking off and giving Charlotte a wink and Ara a smile. The first mate turned her head as if to say, We're not talking. He still waved though, walking a few paces backwards and then turning to walk down to the Bell Ringer. As he turned and disappeared behind a ship, Charlotte changed her position to face Arabella. 

     "Did you even thank him?" She asked. Ara turned her head to look at her captain. The younger girl was definitely waiting for a "no" so that she could tear the older girl a new one. Arabella wouldn't give her the pleasure and began walking up the ramp to board the Widow. "He saved your life." Charlotte called after her. "He saved your sanity too." 

     "It was his fault that my sanity was at risk." Ara called behind her as she reached upper deck and walked into the galley to grab an apple. Mercurian and Dominique were inside, having tea. "Alright?" Ara asked grabbing a green apple and biting into it, only to find a mushy brown texture under the seemingly crisp green skin. She spat it out looked at the apple with disgust. 

     "Yeah, we're alright. You?" Mercurian replied. 

     "Something along the lines." Ara sighed, turning on the tap water and turning her head to drink from it like a bubbler. 

     "Well, now isn't the time to be an angsty brat. The big room is a mess. There are tools strewn about in the boiler room and the balloon had to get a new patch while you were away. We put corks in the holes in the pipes in the toilets and water systems. There's a few broken bunks. Roderick and Raphael's room is completely trashed. As is the Captain's study. One of our cannons was pushed into the Thames. The locks are broken on one of the doors in the secret passage ways. one of our emergency balloons has been torn. My lab is has been blown up and if I hadn't designed it to be like a bomb shelter, it would have taken this whole ship along with it." 

     "What in the Hell happened?" Ara asked with disbelief. 

     "ton espire." Dominique replies. Ara dropped into a seated position on the floor and banged her head against the stove door. 

      "That's right," She nodded, "Leander's ghost is still causing trouble. Do we still have the Oujia board?" She asked. 

      "Yes," answered Raphael as he trudged into the galley with a tired slump in his eyes, his glasses disheveled. "And we're doing it tonight no matter what happens. With or without you." Ara nodded slowly. 

      "Then we have vacances, don't we?" Dominique questioned and Arabella grinned. 

      "Hell yes."