He rolls his eyes. "If nothing's going to explode, then what're we investigating?"

"How to build a ship! We're... We're stealing secrets, does that work?"

"Ooh. Secret-stealing. I can work with that."

"Like, right now I'm trying to figure out how they put gas in without letting any out..." He's staring thoughtfully at a bundle of machinery attached to the bag and a truss about halfway up.

Tav stares at it too, but complex machinery can only hold his attention for so long.

"Have you figured it out yet? Can we go steal some other secrets?"

"We gotta do it right. I'm wondering how they measure it... Maybe they just guess." He sounds offended at the idea.

Well, it doesn't look like Nick needs his help here, so Tav will sneak off and look at other surrounding mechanisms.

After all, he thinks, the other boy could be wrong about there not being a secret conspiracy aboard. 

He peeks at the entrance. Anyone eavesdropping nearby?

Well, there's someone walking around on the lower deck. He can hear the footsteps.

He glances back at Nick, and then pads quietly out the door.

...Nick notices and starts running after him.

The footsteps pause, then pick up their pace. Towards him.

He's not going to let the footsteps catch him if he can help it. He sneaks along the hallway, ducking in any nooks and crannies he can find. 

Then, remembering Nick's words about urchins, he plucks at his clothes and changes them into something nicer, looking more like the people at the docks. Not the best disguise, but it'll have to do.

The footstep owner says, "Could've sworn I heard something... Oh well!" They sound a bit clueless, really.

He will stay hidden until the owner of the footsteps is going further away and then sneak in the opposite direction.

Footsteps get quieter and quieter and stop.

Sneak sneak sneak. He's not sure where he's going. Maybe he should've followed the footsteps after all. 

For now he's going to poke around rooms and inside desks. Maybe there are maps! Or blueprints! Or secret correspondence!

Adults can be sneaky too. She was hiding in a small alcove and grabs him by the arm. "A-HA! Knew there was someone currying around. Why you on our ship, little brat?"

Nick makes some kind of frantic hand motion behind this mean lady's back!

Tav has no idea what that hand motion means!

"Ow! That hurts!" (It does, but only a little.) He tries to squirm out of the lady's grip.

"Yes, I meant it to hurt. Teaches you a lesson. You steal anything, brat?"

Nick breaks into a run and body-slams her from behind! Adults are much bigger so she doesn't fall over but the grip should be squirmable now. He shouts, "RUN!"

Tav hightails it out of there. 

It's probably a good idea to leave, now, so he looks for a door and also is Nick following?

Yes, very quickly. And that woman is recovering and starting after them! "Out out out out!"

Out! 

He flings open the nearest door and jumps into the empty alleyway on the other side. "Close it behind you!"

He slams it shut, just around the corner from the lady chasing them. And then he grins. "We got away, at least!"

"Of course we did!"

"High five!" He holds his hand up.