"So come in come in. And tell me about tech. Please."

Maurice's idea of "tech" is art supplies.

"So vantablack is the blackest black, and doesn't reflect any light..."

"Can you make any? Superblack could be useful for something. Probably."

"I probably could."

"It would not be in my top ten list of things to make being perfectly honest."

"Flight?"

"Yep. Think you can make an airship if I... Acquire... Enough materials and stuff?"

"Easy peasy."

"Well, I want to run away from home on an airship. Do you see the coincidence of wants here?"

"Won't they miss you? Your parents I mean."

"Yeah. But they stink as parents, so what?"

"Reconciliation?"

"Don't wanna. Dad will tell me to get a real job and stop dreaming about adventure or I'll be a useless slob pirate. Mom will look confused and sad and dad will yell at her and then she'll tell me to listen to my father. So, no, I want out."

"But won't your Mum still be sad?"

"Yeah. It stinks. But it stinks less than staying here."

"His life, Maurice, his life."

Maurice nods. "I guess."

"So! What do I need to, er, buy, to make a ship with? Beyond like, wood and stuff for a place to stand."

"Hydrogen or helium, probably, unless you use lome weird local fuel."

"I can probably get some floatgrass down there. Lots of the local plants make hydrogen. What else?" He rummages around and fetches up a pad of paper and a pencil.

"How do you navigate around here? If you can find anything magnetic I can probably make a compass."

"You don't, mostly. You go by weather and the stars. I can maybe find a lodestone."

"How good are you with constellations then?"

"Shame you weren't wearing one of the suits with a compass."

"Says the kid who was literally wearing air-pants. Also, we'll need fabric for a balloon."