House Hesson does the creative thing.

They landed well away from Cranston, in the meantime, and Eibon set to planning what he might be able to accomplish before the day came.

"Someone noticed the disappearance right away," zie mused one day as they dressed. "I'm more inclined to believe it chance than constant surveillance but we can't be sure. I'd rather not leave a trail of bodies."

Cole, for all the sympathy he'd learned to have toward other species, didn't like it either: The idea of Eibon caught on the other side of a pitchfork-wielding mob, if a body was discovered too early, worried him greatly.

In the end, zie decided it was not worth it, saying, "If things go wrong in Atlantikon, I trust Mist." Cole had all manner of questions then but wasn't sure if it was safe to ask.

It was a week and a half until market day - or days, rather; it would go on for three. Thrud took charge of a group of crew folk who would pose as the bulk of the "sellers" and made sure the ship's accountant briefed them on Atlantikon market prices as a rough guide. They were coached to ask questions about the mysterious ship that had passed through, and Giulietta helped them act the part of locals.

Clothing was a bit of a challenge; underclothes were the most believable clothing most of them had. Cole and his companions lent them all the spare outfits they had. At least they looked like natives of Erda; if some spun stories of leaving a distant town to start anew as a farmhand, they might be believed. Cole at least hoped so.

Eibon wanted no one to accompany zir. Information gathering was one thing but no matter how Cole and Sebastian kept at zir, zie would not take anyone else to help search the station. Cole's energy was still flagging, though it had been a dozen days since they left the Fell; Eibon, Kel, and Mina felt the same way. Even though he wasn't at his best, he'd rather have gone and not left Eibon to face it alone and weakened.

Still, on the first day of market, he was out with one of the groups and pretending to sell mead. The group was agreeable to the idea that he might wander off on his own to peruse the market and question people they would not meet. He knew roughly where the constabulary was and dared walk there at a normal pace, unlike Eibon. It was the best chance he'd get.

He almost passed a crowd that had assembled to listen to some speaker but then noticed an onlooker who seemed very conscious of his personal space. The movement was somewhat familiar - and on closer inspection, it was Eibon.

Cole made his way to the back of the crowd. "What's this, then?"

Eibon turned, looking only slightly surprised. "The famous Dr. Tesla, who's harnessed the power of science. They say he's different from all these electricity-wielding witches running about."

Tesla, here! Even the Arcanists' Guild talked of the man. He might help them.

Or go off and invent a ray pistol instead. Or tell them what color they each were in his mind. They said the man was certifiable.

But it was a chance.

Cole didn't understand a word the man said, but at least he was being somewhat useful as Eibon patted him on the arm and slipped away. He hated it but he daren't miss this chance.

Of course, he also didn't count on half the crowd mobbing Dr. Tesla after. He couldn't even tell which way the allegedly mad genius went when he finally managed to escape from it.

Eibon wasn't anywhere to be found when Cole made it to the ship. Mina caught him in the hall and said, "Looking for your...beau?"

"I suppose you could call zir that."

"He's not back but I gave him a locket full of pooka fur so we could track him. He's gotten into the basement of the constabulary and I sent a pack for him to use if there's danger."

"Well. Thank you." It took a moment for the full impact to sink in. "Wait - how did you get the pooka hair?"

"The change in weather has got them shedding like cats. I've been collecting what comes off of them; I have to wonder if it could be spun into yarn."

"Yarn. That...would be interesting and useful. Yes. Thank you. I'll be going now."

It was far easier to find Sebastian, who was in the middle of the activity in the mess hall. When he saw Cole's expression, he quit his game of cards and motioned for them to step off to the side.

"Tesla's down there," Cole said.

"Gods, what an opportunity! I can barely beat myself up over the thought of having other things to ask him about. We have to tell him about the device."

"Yes, but how do we gain access to him? I watched him speak to a crowd today and they mobbed him when he was done. It was impossible to get through."

A sudden, sly look crossed Sebastian's face. "I'll bet he's got some interesting things in his room, wherever he's staying."

"Of course! Mina is tracking Eibon now, but we can ask how much the machine will do at once. If we can keep zir in sight and get aloft safely, we could find where he sleeps by sunrise."

"Yes!"

"And then we bring him up," Cole said, feeling a wicked delight come over him.

"What?"

"How else do we guarantee that he'll listen to us?"

"You're talking about kidnapping him!"

"I'm talking about snagging him by the elbow for a little midnight chat," Cole said, then dropped his voice. "And besides, we've been 'kidnapping' humans for as long as you've existed. As long as no one misses Dr. Tesla, there's no serious harm done."

"You can't just run off with the man and say that if no one finds out, there's no harm done."

"Isn't that what you do with others' wives?"

Sebastian was struck dumb by that. "You..."

"I'm going to talk to Mina. You can help or not, as you like.