Maye's cabin wasn't what shadow expected at all. He looked around the gold painted metal walls holding up a pointed ceiling covered in a large painting of the stars and constellations of Howlite with the creator's name, Staller D. Fanelia, written in silver in a far corner. The floor was covered in a large, old, rose red rug with vines of gold curling around their red grass freely. In the middle of the room was a black oak desk elegantly designed with curving legs holding it up. It was covered with scrolls of probably sea maps and littered with all sorts of papers, inkwells, red and green feathered quilts, Even glass spheres holding odd colored crystals suspended in the air. Behind it was a black throne made of the same black oak, its design was almost the same but waving like ocean waves on a shore. Its cushions were blood red yet plush, very comfortable looking. On the left wall there was a thickly cushioned bed covered in many different animal skin blankets with red and silver pillows scattered neatly across them. The opposite wall held a silver counter holding tubes, beakers, even an elaborate line of glass tubing leading to different beakers and bowls, all hold a large range of colored liquids, some even glowed brightly an odd aura of a completely opposite color. Two bookshelves stood at the two side walls, one held even more scrolls and glasses full of what seems to be just the most random things that make no sense for a sailor to have, old small species of now exist rabbits, snakes, spiders, even flowers and deadly mushrooms. The other held books, some untouched and covered in dust while others their organized colored spines were visible. Maye walked over to the desk and sat down on the throne, she looked as if she shrunk back into a little girl from the sheer size of the cushions alone. Clearly the throne was meant for someone much taller and broader. She crossed her legs on the armrest, looking up at the ceiling before back at him and holds her arm out in an open gesture, "Come 'ere, lad. You'll wear your feet out standin' through this history tale. I don't bite lik' I do out t'ere, 'ave a'seat."

Shadow walked to the bed and sat on the edge of it, quickly yet slowly sinking into the hardly used mattress. He put his hands in his lap as he bowed his head down at her before looking up to she her shake her head, "There's no need for gratitude or any polite gestures. You're on a ship with a new family. There's no need to act like a stranger. Now... how much has Matil kept from you? Do you understand the Gold Rights?"

He nodded, "Mother has told me about the laws and the newly created ones."

"But not the war?... what is that woman thinking?..." She looked up at the starry ceiling again as she talked to herself.

He looked down at his hands, "Your ceiling... it was painted by an artist...right?..."

She looked at him slowly, growing confused, "Aye. Why?..."

"In my house, we have family paintings done by the same person. He also painted one of the rooms. Was he a sailor?"

Maye looked at the corner of the wall holding the artist's name, she nods slowly, "I've seen Staller before on Breach. Him an the captain before me were very close. But that's beside the point now, so Matil really nev' talked about the Frost Wars?" He shook his head and she sighed, standing up she walked to the bookshelf hold the odd assortment of collections. Not looking back at him as she talked, "It was the first war we've ever had amongst ourselves... A war between what's now called Ancient Domnae and Domnae... Two of the same species yet both having different traits and adaptations..."

Shadow cocked his head, "There's two of the same species?"

"Aye, three actually. Ancient Domnaes are the oldest- 'ave ya ever heard of a god? Someone who can live forever and never die from any wound caused? That's what they're like, the only person who can kill them is themselves. They live as long as they wish but nothing can kill them, they're wise, old, and forever living. They used to be called Domnaes... that is, until an evolution happened and the Domnaes of today came around. Those ones are like you, very young to this harsh world but strong, although you only live for a limited time and can be fatally wounded... There's always pros and cons to a side so either way being one or the other is neither good nor bad. I find having Domnaes like you around is a lot better to the world."

"Why?"

"There's a major problem us Ancient Domnaes face. Mating. Females can stay fertile for a long time, but the males... Well, the longest some have ever stayed fertile for was ten years so they tend to become fertile later on in their life. But this leads to the situation of getting a mate too, males have to be just as picky as the female because it's who they're going to spend the rest of their life with. However due to the short fertility they are forced to act quickly while the females take their time choosing."

"This sounds like we're talking about birds and how females pick the brightest feathered male..."

May chuckles, smiling gently, "It does... But for those who aren't cruel minded don't pick like birds."

"Right, so... What's the other species of Domnae?"

"Not much for details are ya?"

"You gave the basic ones, all the others just fall into those ones."

"True, alright. The third species in called New Domnaes. They're a mix between Ancient and Domnae, they live a lot longer but sooner or later their body detreates slowly but that's only near their end days-"

"Oh that's nice... Waking up one day and feeling your stomach rotting..."

Maye laughs, shaking her head, "You'd feel a lot more problems before then and you definitely wouldn't want ta feel that anyways. Like ancient Domnaes, both Domnaes and New Domnaes and kill themselves with a difficult mental action only they can activate. Domnaes only have a few magic powers but both New and Ancient have many powers they can use as long as they have the energy to."

"What's bad about them then?"

"Nothing really, they're fertile for a long time, they can get hurt but they won't necessarily die from the wound, they have a pretty large life span. Of us they're the perfect breed of Domnae."

Shadow scratched his head, looking at her with dazed red eyes, "What does this have to do with the Frost-"

"Everything, Shadow me boy... Everything... You see... the war was between the Ancients and the Domnaes... The Domnaes lived peacefully with Ancients like everyone does now but something happened... No one knows what, all they know is that Domnaes started to despise us and even attack us. First it was only small groups but it later became large groups, then groups spread across all of Howltie... Fearing for their lives and the safety of their cities and families, Ancient Domnaes declared their acts as against the planet and its creatures. Not wanting to back down at the chance many joined both sides and thus created a civil war that lasted hundreds of years... The reason behind Domnaes' attacks are still unknown to this day, so is many war weapons used... except for one..."

Shadow cocked his head, looking at Maye confused as she didn't turn to face him. Picking up a glass with a crystal glowing a rich rose red suspended inside, reflecting both his and her reflection, "What one?..."

"The Kharaa disease..."

"A disease? But diseases arent able to be weapons perposefully."

"You would think that, anyone would. Diseases are meant to be naturally occurring but the Kharaa was never natural from the start..."

"How?"

"It was created by Dralsirds, nasty, annoying things... They helped the Domnaes in the war to try and win a spot in The Ring of Laws. They created Kharaa as a torture weapon... forcing Ancient Domnaes under pain so unbearable it has its own rating on the pain scale, nothing can even be used to compare against it... "

"What does it do?"

"I don't know. I never had it before. All I know is that it was used to make Ancients kill themselves to try to escape the pain... But even death was a horror to live through..."

"Do you know if we can get it?..." Shadow asked worriedly, putting his hands together tightly.

Maye shrugged, "It depends on who ya ask, I aint a doctor. I don't even know much 'bout the sickness."

"So there isn't much known about Kharaa?"

She nods, lifting the sphere into the air to examine it, "Almost nothing is known, you have to ask a doctor who's been studying Kharaa. Not many who have it are able to get treatment because the Kharaa was past the second stage when they learned about it."

"There's stages?"

"Aye, five stages. The first two is the easiest way to detect the disease, it shows itself by making our veins jet black and even pop out against the skin. There's a cure for those two stages but what veins where that turn black aren't always noticed. But ther's no treatment for the other two stages-"

"Wait, you just said there was five stages."

"Aye, the third stage is the painful death. You lost all hope of treatment before that, you're body would've already gave up fighting after so long."

"Oh... Sorry. How long can someone survive against Kharaa?"

"It all depends on their luck: there's some who were born with the disease because their parent had it unknowingly, or someone in below their generation. Those souls last against the disease the longest but have horrible immune systems right off the bat instead of the disease destroying it after a long time. If their body was to get weak even for a short time, the disease can take over their body, then it is all up to how much fight they have that decides how long they live."

"So Kharaa attacks when they're sick?"

"Not just sick, even when they're weak from emotions. Domnaes may not have beating hearts but we have the most strongest emotions, especially lov', fear, hate, and sorrow. Should they be heartbroken they could end up dying in just a few days, if they are sad they have longer, fear makes them sick but not as strongly, at that point it's 'ore like a strong fever."

"What about those who are infected?"

"They have to live on luck, Kharaa can take their life should they let their guard down."

"So why am I learning about the Kharaa?"

"Because of the war we are fighting today." He cocked his head but she still refused to look at him, "I have a strong feelin'-an' I know I ain't been the only one ta have it.-that the Dralsrids 'ave created the Frost Wars to weaken us. Now they have started this war... the Forever Wars... And we aint winning it... they outnumber us by a landslide... they have help from another planet too. Don't know who but they're just as cruel."

"Why are we fighting this war then? What do they want from us?"

"They want us to bend... to bow at their will... to rule over our lands and rule over the universe. I bet that's what they've been after ever since they were called weak by it itself..."

"Why? How is it to judge who is the weak and who is the strong? We all have to live in a world were if we make a choice we must follow through with it to the end, and if we were not to do such then we would be killing ourselves over our own fault."

"Matil has taught you well but still has kept you tucked under her wing for far too long..." She finally turns around but only walks around her desk slowly, examining the cluttered mess of artifacts, gold, and sea maps laying under quills and different colored ink wells, "At the time they asked to join in the Ring of Laws their lands had freshly suffered against a plague that killed all but fifteen percent of their population and three percent of their ecosystem. The universe only accepts those species that have the highest status of both battle, nature, strength, and survival alone. All the other worlds obey under the universe's rule and will only listen to those within the ring. I bet they are jealous of us because of our strong connections that have not once been severed with the universe for as long as we have existed. They created Kharaa to destroy us and now they're using it again to gain our Howlite, to gain our land, to take over our government, to rule over us and make us slaves!"

Maye raised her voice with each word, gripping the glass sphere hard, Shadow thought it would break in her hand as he whimpered. Leaning his back against the cold, metal wall, "But they can't just take our control away from us... Could they?..."

She sighed, growing calm again, "I don't know, but... If we just keep thinking about it instead of preventing it..." She drops the glass ball and it shatters across the floor causing Shadow to flinch, the shards glisten brightly in the light like little stars in a blood sky, "We'll end up destroyed into pieces that we won't be able to pick up and fix... They are here to ruin us... to destroy us like thin glass... "

She looked up at Shadow with gold, dull gold eyes. She put her hands behind her back and he looked at the shards glinting in the light, putting his hands together while talking quietly, "How could someone be that cruel to take someones freedoms away?..."

She sighed, walking over to him she placed her hand on his shoulder gently, "This world's a cruel one... only the strongest get the best of life. They want to wipe out the most strong in order to be thought of as the most powerful, in order to take what they didn't even need but what gives them a title. A fearful title..."

"What good does fear do, it has only ruined the chance of seeing the good in life gives too many worries and thoughts..."

"That it does. And that, isn't what a Domnae stands for."

He cocks his head as he looks up at her, "What do we stand for?"

"By the wind, boy! You really know nothing do you?! Domnaes stand up for the weak, for those who have been wronged, for those who have cries and screams of help so silent only we have the ears to hear. We are the strongest of them all and we stand for those who can't stand for themselves anymore. We protect the defenseless. We are the most feared but far more respected by all!"

He shrinks, "I don't fit in that at all... I can't even defend myself-"

"Oh you'll learn ta. You're in the army now. I've seen how you've been getin' push'd aroun' out in those alleys. You got the strength to stand against them kids, you're more man than them by this point."

He cocks his head, "You've seen me those times?..."

She nods, "Its hard not ta, i've always heard them boy a talkin' about pickin' on any they coul'."

"Right, figures... Anyways... why did you pick me to be in your army?"

"Not my army, my crew, my odd little family as many call their seamates. And that reason is one I swore not ta tell till told ta tell..."

"What?" He looked at her confused as she walked back to her desk, sitting down on the throne.

Picking up one of the quills out of its green ink she began to write on one of the maps, "You heard me, now that you've safely got this new information ya best get ta the galley and start cookin! Good old Gryer ain't so kind to late fresh meat, that is, if we can even tell that you're even meat anymore by the time he's done with ya! Well? Go! Get your feet a movin' already!"

Shadow paled and nodded, quickly walking out of her room he walked down the thin metal hall. It was rather roomy considering he wasn't as broadly chested as the much older crew, for them only one could fit with little space left between both shoulders. The hall was lit with the same square lights that were on the dock, seemingly metaled into the ceiling, but the lights were a more light blued tint to give the lights a brighter shine. The floor was covered in a black, rather plush rug to keep the metal underneath protected from wear and tear. He walked down the hall with his hands in his pockets, looking at the walls the silver metal glinted with an odd sweat of its own. The beads shook as they slid down, unable to grip onto the ungraspable. Quieting his footsteps he could hear a faint hum buzz against the walls. Standing still he could feel the floor beneath sway yet shake faintly with the same tiring song the ship sang in the days morning. Or was it already night? Was Maye talking for so long that even the sun had grown tired of standing once again? It was hard to tell how much time had past when no light can shine through a window or crack. It was odd to him to be in a metal ship when all the tales his mother had told him of were that of wooden ships. Ones holding valiant pirates who would fight against thieving governments, stealing their freedoms and gold away. Ones of prisoners being held in small, rusty, black metal cages and the only thing they could do was count the sun's rays that shined through cracks onto them, or ones of prisoners being thrown over as their captors ships were blown to a skeleton and they were left to drown as they floated with one shredded plank to keep them up. Most of the tales had gruesome endings where the person would die from something before they found what they hoped for. But the ones that didn't, were the person was to live with the scars normally didn't always live the way they wished but most were happy with the life. Such morals of the stories were far from his understanding even now with the faint memory of the stories. Perhaps there's books of them somewhere and he can read them again.

Shadow flinched out of his daze when he heard a loud Thunk against some sort of table. He looked at where the hall met another then down the left of it at a surprising wood and metal door. The skeleton of the door was made of an old metal that was char black that is rough and very bumpy. The metal was attached by steel, thick studs to the old, worn, tan wood boards that stand vertically. Both the top and bottom of the boards are curved and two other board lays horizontally to fit the door to the door frame, leaving no space for creatures to squeeze through the door. He looked at the door handle which used to be bumpy too but that texture was long faded away but the symbol of a blue, moon rose drenched in golden flames was covered in a clear resin that hasn't lost its shine to calloused hands of sailors. He looked at the rose curiously, expecting to find the name of the creator to be hidden somewhere within the dark and ice blue pedals of the thornless rose, mostly he was expecting to find the name Staller again. Clearly the person was famous if they make paintings almost everywhere, especially having on the most feared ship in the Kara Seas.

He flinched a second time as he heard the loud thunk again, this time it sounded like it went through some type of meat. A loud scrape against wood from a blade could be heard soon after, perhaps this was the galley and Gryer was inside. Shadow shivered in fear as he put his hand on the freezing door knob. Opening the door as slowly as he could the old wood groaned and cried as it scraped against the surprisingly white birch floor that had many white and grey fur rugs of wolves, bears, and even elk scattered across and laying under rich, brown wood tables that held the same metal as the door bolted around their edges. He took a step in and let the door tiredly walk back to its spot behind him. He looked up at the lights which were not the same as most of the ship, instead they were candles melted into massive hollowed horns of some kind of beast. The horns were shaped into jawless skulls and were painted black, connecting to a black, metal, skeletal spine. The skulls were turned upper jaw up so the candles would melt into the head of the skulls. Some tan wax seeped out of the eye sockets of some skulls. Looking like they're crying, crying over all that they've seen; whether what they've seen be good or bad. He looked back at a long counter separating the room in two, the silver metal held a black granite countertop. Behind it was the extensive kitchen, counters were covered with pyramids of dried fish, deer, bear, wolf, even meats of unknown creatures all just waiting to be cooked for a starving crew. At the far wall was the long black stove that held no flame on top made of a small pile of twigs and leaves. But instead rings that would heat up under the odd glass had clearly cooked the glass until it was charred underneath. An island stood in the middle of the room but its top was made of a brown wood and a rather large, deadly looking fish laid on top, its body covered in shiny black scales and its mouth was stuffed full of ragged sharp teeth. Its large, raged tail had been cut and its body had been chopped cleanly in half showing some organs that had not yet been taken out. Shadow flinched as he saw a long, thin yet thick butcher blade cut half way through the fish's head with one blow. He watched as the man's long, lengthy, yet very thickly muscled arm sawed the blade straight through the bone with only a few movements as if he was using a brush to stroke paint in thin layers. He was a disturbing sight to look at, his skin hugged him loosely like an old thinned rag. His muscles were visibly bulky and thick but his veins were clear as day as they wrapped around his body and his bones looked as if they were trying to rip through their paper thin prison. His hair was down to his shoulders but pulled back to keep from falling onto food. It was full of whites purer than snowflakes but not as thin as one. He was hunched over letting one see every vertebrae in his spine which was all crooked and full of scars from blunt object blows, meaning to break his bones. Although not at full height he would still be able to tower over little Shadow causing him to look even more like a ant compared to these giants. Shadow's body quivered as he saw the blade raise once again then plunge back through the fish that now looked so scared before the blade instead of terrifying itself, the blade sliced straight through with a loud crack as it cut through the fish's spine then get stuck into the wooden countertop with that same thunk as he heard before. The giant slowly rose his head to face Shadow, his eyes held no color. The redish whites of his eyes looked as if they ate his pupil and iris. He slit his eyes while scanning Shadow up and down, nodding his head for a silent reason he stood tall and high. He walked around the counter to him slowly, his steps not once making the wood creak one bit. Not a single sound seemed to come from him no matter what he did, he didn't even make a single sound or grunt using such strength to cut a beastly fish in four. He stood a few feet from him, scanning him more with slit eyes before holding out his hand.

His elbow cracked loudly, being too used to staying bent instead of straight. Shadow looked at his hand then up at his eyes, hesitantly putting his hand on his, "A-are you Gryer?..."

He nods slowly, squeezing his hand gently he roams his thumb and fingers around his hand even slower.

Shadow shivers but tries not to move his hand away, "Uh... Maye told me that I was to be an extra hand for you..."

Gryer nods again, putting a hand on Shadow's head he tilts it back into the candle light, sliding his eyes till they're nothing but slivers of reddening white. He looks at him weirded out, pulling away from him nervously. Gryer cocks his head then smiles softly as a sorry, putting a finger on his neck and taping it before waving his hands in various directions and shapes. Shadow looks at him confused making him sigh silently, shaking his head. He walks over to the galley's door and rings a silver bell hanging above the door. Leaning his side on the door while crossing his arms. Shadow cocks his head, hearing a set of footsteps slowly fading into hearing as someone rushed down to the door and opens it, revealing the person to be Ryan. He looks at Gryer and smiles sweetly making Gryer do the same and ruffles his hair. Shoving him playfully into the kitchen towards Shadow who grows very confused. Ryan waves, seemingly just as puzzled, before Gryer stands at their sides and repeats the hand motions to Ryan then points at Shadow. He nods, looking to him and smiles more, "Gryer can't talk, he has to use Sign instead. Seein' as many on Breach don't know it he tends to use me or the last captain when he was here. He's tryin' to tell you that he's sorry for actin' odd, he doesn' have the best vision either and relies more on touch to see who he's lookin' at."

Shadow nods then cocks his head, "How am I supposed to understand what to do then?"

Ryan looks back at Gryer as he continues to talk for him, "He'll teach you with out tongue, in other words he's going to show you all the steps an' hav' ya repeat them to make sure you'll understand."

"What about things that don't need lessons but are more of orders?"

"He'll use me or if you learned signs by then you won't need to worry."

Gryer smiles gently and Shadow looks at him curiously, "Do you have glasses?"

He shakes his head, Ryan looks at Shadow, "His glasses grew too weak and that was the strongest pair they could make. He'll go blind by this point."

Gryer grunts horsley in annoyance, smacking Ryan lightly in the back of he head. He steps away, smiling more, whispering, "He's actually nicer than he looks as you can tell, just doesn't like people talking about his age."

Shadow smiles and chuckles silently, "Sounds like he's like a father to you." He shrinks and his eye scans the floor, Shadow bites his tongue, looking at him worried, "I'm sorry... I didn't mean to-"

"No, it's fine. I just havn' looked back in so long I almost forgot my story. Times out here made me feel like this crew actually was my real family. Now ain' the time to be sappy though, especially to a new friend. Come on. I'll show you our rooms since Gryer wants to get his cookingdone before Breach leaves the dock far behind."

Shadow nods and Ryan grabs his hand as he looks at Gryer again, "Wait.I want to ask you another question if you don't mind." Gryer nods too, making Ryan look up at him, "How did you lose your voice? Were you born without it or?..."

He shakes his head and looks up at the ceiling before signing slowly, trying to remember, "It's been so long since someone's asked him that. He says he lost it to the sea while the last captain was on his final raid of the Frost war. He'll be willin' to tell more after you get settled if you'd like."

Shadow bows halfway, "Thank you."

Ryan smiles brightly at Gryer then partly drags Shadow out of the room into a hall behind one of the counters that was just a staircase up to four rooms, each having a different colored door. They walked up to a gold colored one and Ryan opens it to reveal a rather dark room that only holds one lit tiny candle standing on a plate on some sort of nightstand. "This is your room. Sorry its so dark and a bit unlit. We did't have the time to know what job you would mainly have on Breach. We can give you more candles later and some help fixing up anythin' if you'd like." Ryan smiled brightly at Shadow making him smile gently in return.

"Thank you but I'd rather do it myself and just get used to the rocking right now."

"The sea always hits hard the first week. Gryer will go easy on you, he'll eve' give you a herb that helps a lot if you need it."

He nods, walking into the room he feels around the dark but trips and falls onto a rather plush feeling bed and soft fur blanket. Ryan giggles and shakes his head, saying goodbye he walks out of the room and closes the door behind him. Walking back to Gryer he gets his hair ruffled then helps out with descaling the fish while Gryer finishes gutting it. Using the useful organs he puts them in a pot, readying them for a stew.

Shadow Sits on the bed and moves he plate closer to the edge of the night stand, his eyes adjusting to the darkness of the room. He can now see the outlines of a bare desk in one corner of the room and a bookshelf on the opposite wall, on the wall opposite of him a long counter stood with drawers underneath it at edges. Looking up at the ceiling he saw the same skeleton chandelier as what was in the galley. Flopping onto the the bed he sighs, pulling the fur blanket over him as he goes into thought about how his brother and sister are going to live on a ship, not knowing where their home was or their mother, nor when they were to be back home on safer dry land. But how were they going to survive on a ship that has less hands than it needed? They can't work like him or Ryan so are they even going to be given jobs? How would they even learn on the ship, there's no way he could teach them while trying to be taught himself.

"Hey, don't go to sleep yet. The day hasn't ended and the meal ain't been served."

He flinched when he heard Ryan's voice which was rather frim compared to his normal chattiness. He sat up and nodded, "Sorry... It's been such a long day for me... My mind is everywhere right now, I don't even know what I was doing in the bed in the first place..."

Ryan smiled calmly, opening the door more to let more light into the room, "How about you help cook then? Do something rather easy to get your mind off the day?" He nods again and stands up, walking back out to the kitchen with him.

Gryer looked at both of them and nodded, pointing at Shadow then at the island in the middle of the room which held three different types of mushrooms in bowls. They walk over to them and Gryer takes out five mushrooms that were speckled like odd teal eggs. Placing them in a row he flips them onto their heads then takes a knife and cuts out all the frilled parts underneath rather carefully. Putting those frills, and dust that had fallen out of them, in a separate bowl. He points the blade at the both of them then points to a bowl full of red mushrooms to Ryan then white mushrooms to Shadow. Pointing back at his mushrooms as he cuts into another one the same way. Ryan nods and picks up two very small blades, the handles only long enough to be used like a very short pencil, handing one to Shadow. Shadow shrinked slightly, looking back at Gryer he studies how he handles his large blade very slowly, taking his time with cutting each frill. He looked back at the mushrooms and grabbed a handful gently. Laying them on their heads he tires slowly to copy him. Making sure to cut each frill down to the point where it connects to the head. He cocks his head as a tiny, orange, dust cloud puffs out and around the mushroom, falling down to the table. Gryer grabs a wet cloth and cleans the table quickly, putting it away. Shadow looks at Ryan curiously, "Why are these mushrooms full of dust?"

Ryan cocks his head at him, "You only lived by the dock havn' you? Mushrooms are deadly, poisonous. Some like these shoot out dust that harms anyone who breathes it in in many ways."

He pales, "Then why are we cooking these?"

He looks back down at his work, making Shadow do the same, "The ones Gryer has if you take away the dust sacks they're no longer deadly. He's goin' ta use those in his soup. Ours are for Grann' Maye an' 'er experiments an' tests."

"Tests? Experiments?"

Ryan nods and shrugs, "She n've tells anyone but Richard."

"Why? Are they harmful to us if not handles right?"

"That mushroom will be to ya if ya don't watch your fingers, getting the dust in your blood stream would be worse.-Maye doesn' tell any what she does if it doesn' hav' to deal with smoke screening."

"Smoke screening?"

"An old trick. I've ne'v seen it be done though, but every'ne of the older guys talk about 'ow Richard ain't doin' so well tryin' to make a better one than 'ers. But other than that they keep other experiments secret an' in their rooms which ar' always locked."

"So how do we give these to them?"

"We don'. They ask Gryer when meal's done an' 'ee gives it to them. We just get to do the dirty 'ork for 'em."

"Do we get rewarded for this? It sounds like they don't ignore our work."

He nods, "Oh yea! But it ain't considered as good as any other 'ward apparently, although I find getting on' of Gryer's deserts the best there could be."

Gryer chuckles horsley at him, shaking his head as he smiles, Shadow cocks his head, "That's it? Wouldn't we get one each day then just from him when we work with him?"

"No, cause then there won' be any left for when celebrations come about. If the sea is feeling well then we can get some extra food on our plates, like honey soaked cinnamon bread or sugared fruits."

Shadow flinched when he heard his stomach growl and sighs playfully, hitting his arm, "Now you're making me hungry, Ryan!"

Ryan smiles innocently then laughs slightly as he hears his own stomach naw at him, "So's mine now, makes you want to get the work done quicker doesn't it? Maybe that's why Gryer waits till 'ee knows the sailors can smell the food before getting them rushing down 'ere."

He looks up at them and smiles more, nodding shamefully, mouthing the words, "Don't tell them though."

They giggle and nod, looking down they go back to their work. Waiting for the night and meal to come.