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They were taking tea on the main deck Primrose had requisitioned deck chairs and se pot of ablend and some buttery little cru hostess, outfitted in a black velvet travelling suit with purple swirl detailing – not unlike one of Percy’s aether current e purple hat lavishly decorated with silk roses

Rue had opted to only pack and wear her owns – she felt this better suited her role as captain She wore a travelling dress of navy blue with black cord stripes, the jacket featuring proold buttons and a crossover front It was aliven Dama heart palpitations with its severity Her hat was an oval of navy straith an up-tilted front and a very large feather spilling over one side which looked pleasingly piratical The ense by contrast her wo his tea while reading a book on the micro-fauna of the aetherosphere and the threat inherent in such creatures to the vital humours of chronic aetheric travellers Percy was a bit of a hypochondriac His outfit of tweed and les and tool strappings was hardly worth h he had stuck a sunflower in his button hole for ed but presentable, chatted arey with a green waistcoat, which perfectly corresponded to both his occupation and standing He refused, it , although he had religiously donned it whenever above deck

Even with Percy and Quesnel at odds, the teatime conversation was civil Prim was adept at inane chatter and applied it with such dexterity that even her brother had to bow to her consuossip, the gentleil, as ave a squawk of surprise not unlike that of the pigeons earlier The sticky stuff plopped onto his shoe Having been told to alert Percy should anything out of the ordinary occur, the valet sent up a wail of distress Everyone but Pri crumpets, and dashed to the poop deck to ascertain the nature of the catastrophe

"What? What is it?" Rue deer at the probe and then his shoe "That thing excreted at me"

Percy paled beneath his freckles "Already? But it’s far too soon We shouldn’t be hitting the Mediterranean Shifter for another fifteen minutes"

Quesnel said, "Your calculations must be off"

"My calculations are never off!"

Quesnel was already running for the stairs, re his hat at the same tiht noe’ve a hop to make with limited preparation and less time Lord save us all"

Rue tried to look debonair and calht about Uncle Rabiffano, and allowed herself the hint of a dandy’s slouch She thought that she s

Percy continued protesting at Quesnel’s vanished form "The current must have moved from its last charted location – there’s no way I could have predicted––"

Rue interrupted hi and use a handkerchief to clean your shoe There’s a good lad Percy, grab the helm and prepare for a hop"

Percy’s eyes widened "But I’rin "No tiood test of the Custard’s mettle"

Percy stared at her She did look ainto action He yanked at levers and cranked dials, getting the ship out of flotsam status

Rue ordered the er than she liked She’d have to run some drills on them to improve speed

"Propeller at the ready?" she barked