"You're adorable."

"Am I? Gosh, how did I never notice?"

"Clearly, you were too distracted being adorable to stop and notice."

"Ah, of course, I should've thought."

They reach the location of their date proper. The scenery is quite spectacular.

Not quite as spectacular as Temperance is, he thinks.

Flattery can get you anywhere! And can get Temperance to kiss you and return the compliment.

Oh good!

What else is there to see, then?

Well, there is this rock formation, almost a cave. Very private, you know.

And they have this nifty piece of equipment that creates a bubble of breathable air around them! How convenient.

But convenient to what? One must wonder.

Surely nothing untoward.

Clearly. But very non-untoward things can happen. Can't they?

Yep, they can.

After a delightful amount of non-untowards things it's time for them to return to their tiny spot of civilization.

"So that was fun."

"Yes, let's do that again someday," kiss.

A few days later, the ship with Temperance's brother arrives. Weeks go by. They run out of planning to do and move on to building and getting more resources. A small nonflayer village forms around the skeleton of the gutted ship, and they collect more resources and figure out more magic. Each new breakthrough means they have to redo some part of the plan to take the new resources into account, but that's better than the alternative. And still no sign of invasion from outside.

Temperance and her half-brother don't have the warmest reunion. And many might interpret Temperance's tendency to work in her room for days as a means to avoid contact with him. These people clearly don't know Temperance well enough.

Then one day, people hear a high-pitched excited squee coming from Temperance's room. Followed shortly after by Temperance hastily leaving the room while shouting "Portals! Portals!"

This is probably not the most dignified way to announce these news.

She sticks her head out of her room to watch Temperance run. "Wuh?"

"I figured out portals!" Temperance says pausing a little but jumping in place. "Got to tell the Captain."

"Ooh! Yes, go tell her!"

Temperance giggles, but leaves to do just that.

The Captain is poring over some maps.

Temperance does have enough presence of mind (and a limit of how much she can run before needing to catch her breath) that she politely calls the Captain's attention and then announces. "Figured out portals!"