"I guess so. It's not one of the common kinds of special magics."

"It's pretty hard to do with native magic, especially to any level of detail."

"So now I'd really better learn all I can about it."

"About your magic?"

"About your magic!"

"Silly me, of course. Well, there's lots of different kinds in the realm. The native kind is shareable, and so are a lot of the widespread magics."

"Being a Witch like me isn't shareable at all. It's random which girls get magic."

"Only girls?"

"Yeah. Only girls. And not many."

"That's interesting. I've heard about gender-selective magic, but it's pretty rare. Usually not learnable, of course."

"I don't know any more about it. I don't know much about most things that aren't farming I think."

"That's okay. I can teach you some things, and there's schools you can go to."

"Neat. We only had school some years."

"I think some remote places in Bajilda still do it like that. Growing up, we only had classes when a traveling teacher was in town, but the kingdom's been doing a big push to get everyone a better education."

"Anyways, do you want to come watch me get the engines started?"

"Sure. What's an engine anyway? It sounds smith-y."

"Engines are a type of machine. I can show you a very simple example once we're in motion. These engines turn stored energy into motion, and help control the sails and make power for the lights and the ship's magic."

"I guess the magic has to come from somewhere if you're not a Witch."

She watches.

The main ship has two levels, lit by smooth, heatless lamps recessed into the walls, that give off a pleasant light like sunlight. Their rooms and some storage is on the main level; Sarati leads Grenadine down a ladder to the bottom level - "Engines are down here, and more storage."

The engine room takes up the center stretch of the bottom floor, metal pistons and gears moving seamlessly with a quiet hum. It's not clear what it's all doing, but Sarati points out the energy sources - tall cylinders hooked into the walls. She's checking them for problems like cracks, then turning them on and reading the pressure gauge (which she shows Grenadine how to do). 

Some of the gears also need to be oiled and then cleaned, and occasionally a cylinder has to be removed and a new one put in.

"It almost feels like I could charge them up. Like that army Witch showed me how to do with jewelry back home."

She doesn't try it.

"Do you want to try on an empty one?"

"Maybe later. I might break it."

"Okay." And she finishes getting the engines prepared.

She stretches when she's done, and says, "Do you want to head up and watch us leave from the viewport? It's quite the sight."

"Yeah. What does flying in the mist look like?"

"Beautiful. Like frozen lightning and stars." She leads them upstairs. 

The main room of the ship is rather plain, with boxes acting as tables and chairs and benches along either wall. There's no window in sight, until Sarati walks up to one wall and taps it, sending a jolt of energy into the smooth surface. It ripples and goes transparent, showing part of the dock and the mist.

Cool. "You gotta be careful about how big your ship is, right?"