I sat on the bed.

Though confused and scared there was some comfort in knowing that the old man was present. He closed the hatch, shuffled towards me, then carefully widened one of my eyes and gave a curious grunt.

"Silver," he uttered in triumph. "Definitely silver. If anyone tells you they're gray or the color of fish scales, you tell them that the old man says that they are a bright, glistening silver and nothing else."

He pulled a chair and settled himself down in front of me.

"Now little trout," he said, plopping his hands energetically onto his lap. "I hear you tried to run away. I don't suppose you knew where you were going."

"No," I confessed. "After we left the tea house, we just stopped. There was no place for us to go."

"Well in my opinion, you certainly did not run away. All you did was take a small stroll. I imagine being cooped up in a rickety building with nothing to do but chores surely warrants a bit of a refreshing walk through the streets of the capital.

Of course, convincing Miss Nishio of this is going to be a far more challenging matter. She see's you as an investment. And she certainly can't have her potential profits go running off when they please. I suppose she may forgive you in time, but Madame Quoli will most certainly keep a closer eye on you from now on."

"So I'm not going back to the temple?"

He gave an exaggerated chuckle as if he were hiding a deep feeling of concern for me.

"No. The only thing that waits for you there is a lifetime of servitude."

"But I heard Madame Quoli say that I was worthless."

"Yes, you probably did. But did you believe it?"

I gripped the sheets and tugged at them angrily.

"No. I’m not worthless. How can anyone think that of me? How can they?"

"And when she came to see me, that is exactly what I told her, little trout. How can she, a simple business woman, understand our ways? She may not understand what it means to bear the gifts that you have, but you are going to prove to her that there is truth in my claim and yours."

The hatch screeched open and Kassashimei sauntered in. She wore faded rubber overalls and her hands and face were smeared with soot and grease. To see her in such a slovenly state was certainly a rare and shocking moment for me. She had a frustrated gleam in her eyes that accented her dirty appearance, making her seem more wild than sane.

At first I was surprised to see her come in so suddenly, then it turned to feelings of concern, but that was only for a short moment as my pity gave way to a smirk that slowly crept across my lips. I suppose that annoyed her, because she threw a dirty rag at me and stomped incessantly like a small child.

"Do you know how selfish you are?" she growled. "You've been sleeping for the past three days while the hag has been making me do both your chores and mine. And now she has me cleaning the pipes on this stupid ship. It's not even hers. But the hag told the captain that I had a penance to work off. And now here you are, waking up like some prince and you have the nerve to mock me?"

Her tantrum only emboldened my heartless sneer.

"By hag, do you mean Madame Quoli?"

"She's not a madame, she's a stupid hag," she said, throwing another dirty rag, this time hitting me square in the face.

"Now that the both of you are together again," the old man said light heartedly. "It is time we put any doubts about your skills to rest."

The common man aboard a Rui Nan air vessel learns that it moves skywards with the help of powerful, steam engines which exhumes an unexplained, but vaguely scientific force that allows the ship to push forward through the sky. During the era of my youth, such explanations were only half of the truth. The engines certainly made the ship go much faster, but in reality, they really weren't needed. As a matter of fact, they did nothing to float the vessel. Such a task was given to us.

One of the first things that I had come to learn about air vessels, is that they are also floating shrines with one or two decks deemed as sacred. These were known as the ritual decks; places forbidden to commoners. This was where the chienkuu ko resided, slept and ate, sealed away from the curiosities of peasants and normal citizenry. Within these decks sat a place at the bow of the ship, half-encased by a glass dome, overlooking the vast expanse beyond. This was called the ritual room, the pilot room, or simply, the glass chamber, depending on who you asked. This was the most sacred place within these honored decks, for this was where people used their special gifts to part the way through the sky.

This was what truly drove the vessels of our country through the heavens.

Unlike many of the other rooms in the ship, which had oval-shaped doors made of steel, the entrance to the ritual room was usually a pair of ornate wooden doors, decorated with vine-like patterns made of brass.

At the time, two monks were diligently watching over the entrance. As soon as the monks caught sight of the old man, they bowed reverently and opened the doors for us. Kassashimei and I followed the old man inside where we found Madame Quoli and Miss Nishio waiting.

To my amazement, there was another familiar face in the room. It was Master Ichiro, who sat amongst the rows of brass-colored benches that lined the back of the room. Both Madame Quoli and Miss Nishio were sitting beside him, making idle conversation.

"Why is the Boar here?" Kassashimei asked.

I looked at her suddenly, taken aback by the name she called him.

"Isn't that what you call him?" She glanced back at me with a small frown, as if somehow offended by the look I gave her.

"How do you know that?" I asked.

"Did you know you whimper like a dog when you sleep? When you were passed out, you mumbled about a lot of things. And you mentioned his name quite a bit."

She gave a triumphant grin that left me this time with the frown.

Chimes rang sharply, signaling the end of a shift, and the chienkuu ko who had been so focused upon driving the ship, ceased their motions. They stood, and turned towards a certain monk, which they bowed respectfully to, before being escorted out of the room by their sword-bearing guardian. On their way out, the shyo mah gave Kassashimei a disgusted sneer.

It was obvious my partner hardly looked presentable; so much so that some must have questioned her reason for standing in such a venerable room. Though the old man offered a chance for her to change and clean up, she refused.

Her face was still smeared with dirt and grease, and she seemed all the more defiant and proud to be wearing her rubber overalls.

Considering her company, she stood out like a misshapen piece of clay earthen ware, amongst a collection of fine china.

The monk motioned for us.

Instantly, I looked up at the old man, shocked.

"We're supposed to fly the ship?" Though I had already sensed the answer, I found myself apprehensive.

"Of course," the old man replied calmly. "Why else do you think we came here? If you're worried about us suddenly falling out of the sky, you need not be concerned. When the chienkuu ko leaves the helm, the barrier they've created continues to remain. As a matter of fact, it can linger for quite some time and keep the ship in the air for as long as an hour. And even if no one were here to take their place, the bubble would slowly deflate, and we would float safely back down to the earth. So take your time. Approach the summoning circle when you're ready. I imagine it will be sometime before the captain notices the ship losing momentum."

"You mean the captain doesn't know what's happening?"

"Well the monks do, and so do the caretakers of the ritual decks. They are, after all, close friends of mine. But as far as the captain and the rest of the crew is concerned, I, Miss Nishio and the others are simply guild officials on an inspection trip with you and Kassashimei as our personal servants."

My head was swimming, unable to grasp the enormity of this moment. I regarded him carefully, wondering if he was truly sincere in what he was asking.

"How can we do this? Kassashimei and I were only beginner students at the temple."

From deep within his throat, came a small raspy laugh.

"My dear little trout," he said. "The temple is for children who are unsure about their abilities; who feel they are not ready to do things they should already know they can do. They are sent there, because most doubt their skills. I have faith in yours, and you should too."