On Back Shavers, Victorian Mosh Pits, and Lia

Once again, Lia has made Cobalt look really silly. In this scene, our heroes have escaped misfortune and find themselves among the crew of a modest merchant airship, the Velia Rose. Although at first glance the captain and crew appear normal and respectable, once Lia sabotages my laptop, the scene takes quite a different turn. Poor Kate and Ania! Will they ever get a break?

Despite her injury, Ania zipped up the stairs almost too fast for Kate to follow. Taking the hint, Kate stopped on the first step and turned back, holding Ruby close in her folded arms. Her eyes swept over the close-packed boxes and barrels. The ship had looked too small from the outside to fit such a cavernous space within its hull, Kate thought.

Crewmen ran to and fro around the hold, shoving more crates into place and beating anyone who got in the way. One crewman was so flustered, he grabbed his back shaver and ran it across one rich man’s head, giving him a reverse Mohawk. Another crew member took a woman, ripped off her corset, and threw it off the side of the ship, then threw her off the ship as well. The ship was in chaos. The crewmen were going nuts, and Ania and Kate were right in the middle of it, trying to avoid being shaved or kicked in the booty. Kate tried to duck around a mosh pit, but was whacked in the face by a rogue boot. Ania, even with her injury, threatened to murder the next person who tried to French kiss her. Finally, Ania and Kate managed to wade through the dog piles and flailing limbs and made it to the other end of the room and escaped through a body-shaped hole.

Abney Park’s Ophelia, although crewed by musical, drunken pirates, still seems more respectable and sane than the crew of the Velia Rose!

In related news, I’m collaborating with a friend of mine for a really exciting project involving both music and steampunk, but I can’t say much about it yet. It should be ready in about a month or so. Let’s just say the fangirl in me is doing some major squee-ing!

And now this post is getting me in the mood to work on Cobalt some more. It’s been a few weeks since last I wrote, which is sad because I’d really been on a roll. If I can pick up “steam” again (heh heh) and get back to my old speed from the last time I worked on that scene (minus the airship moshpit and slapstick madness), I think I’ll be done with this book in no time!