Space Lint and Star Dust

A steampunk AU Sherlock fanfiction (Johnlock). I'll be posting this to AO3 at some point, but I wouldn't mind some revision first. (Seriously, tell me what's wrong with this story. Thanks!)

Prologue

“Within all of us is a varying amount of space lint and star dust, the residue from our creation.  Most are too busy to notice it, and it is stronger in some than others.  It is strongest in those of us who fly and is responsible for an unconscious, subtle desire to slip into some wings and try for the elusive boundaries of our origin.” 

-K.O. Eckland, "Footprints On Clouds"

 

***

 

There are some things that you cannot experience with another person without falling in love with them.
Being saved from the wreck of a rapidly plummeting airship by a boy who can fly is one of those things.

(Did I mention the airship was on fire?)

 

***

I suppose I should introduce myself.

My name is Talise, and I’m a nymph, or water spirit; an elemental, if you will. It’s lovely to make your acquaintance!
Now, something you have to understand, my dear reader, is that- although in many ways it is quite like your own- in our world, magic is quite commonplace.
In fact, everyone in this world has a magical companion, or familiar; an elemental spirit, like me, who goes through life with them as a magical helper and friend. Each person has an affinity for one of the four elements- earth, wind, air or fire- that usually makes itself known in the first few weeks of their life, and shortly thereafter, a spirit corresponding to that element will “adopt” them, so to speak; thus becoming their familiar for the rest of their life.

I’m the familiar of one John H. Watson, a young mechanic aboard the airship Recovery. (And I’m here to tell you his story, not mine, so I’d best be getting along with it, shouldn’t I?)

***

John was born on February 19^th, 1855, to Margaret Watson. He and his younger sister Harriet were raised on the streets of London; they never knew their father.
John took odd jobs around the city from a very young age, helping to support his family in any way he could. At the age of twelve, he found work at a clock factory, and there his love for machines and clockworks began.
When John was fourteen, his mother became very ill with tuberculosis, and passed away later the same year. It affected Harriet perhaps more than her brother, and she began to drink heavily and lead a reckless lifestyle of which John disapproved, creating a rift between them that has never fully healed.

He found refuge in books and his mechanical work, and at the age of fifteen, a family friend, Greg Lestrade, helped to send him to the Royal Academy of Mechanical Arts to train in (what else?) mechanics- specifically, airship mechanics.
He took John under his wing and, once he graduated at the age of nineteen, helped him get a job working on the brand-new airship Recovery.....and that was, oh, two years ago, now?

This airship is where our story truly begins- today, July the twelfth, 1876, is the date of Recovery’s maiden voyage, and also, coincidentally, the day our Johnny’s life gets much, much more interesting.

So buckle up, dear reader, and come along for the ride!

***

Chapter 1

The day dawns bright, the morning sun stretching lazily and bathing London in its light. The city begins to stir; laughing children climb out of bed to rouse their sleeping mothers; a young woman wakes her lover with a kiss.
Down at the docks, the sailors call back and forth, their yells mixing with the clanging of bells and the gentle lapping of waves against the piers. Clockworks of all shapes and sizes move about, carrying cargo and loading the boats. The sailors pay them no mind; they’re used to the funny machines, as most everyone is- they have become a normal part of life here.

At the airship yard, John Watson has been awake for hours. Today is a big day- his first day in the air! In just a few short hours, the airship Recovery- a luxury zeppelin, transporting the wealthy and bored to Vienna- will take her first flight. John will be aboard, though not as a passenger. No, he’s of the working class; a lowly mechanic, though he loves what he does.
He’d rather be below decks- making sure every cog and gear is in place and every clockwork is running smoothly- than above; laughing and gossiping, carefree and shallow.
He’s a steady sort of person, dependable and strong and there, and he loves the machines. They fascinate him, and he has a knack with them: taking them apart and putting them back together better than they were before.

John is a little like that with people, too.
Somehow, the lost souls come to him. Sad people, lost people, broken people; they find him, seek him out, and he makes them whole again; makes them better than before.

***

Author's Note

Am I explaining too much (backstory, etc.)? That's my main concern thus far.
Thanks. :)