Bram Keel

Bram Keel keeps Weapons Outfitter aboard the Orbiting Market. A former skyship quartermaster, he tests a weapon's balance before admiring its finish and can usually tell where a buckle will fail by looking at it. His navy coat has survived more careful repairs than he cares to count. Beneath the dry remarks is a patient teacher who would rather spend an afternoon explaining a safe grip than sell someone the wrong blade.

When the shutters close, Bram restores small wind-up toys and writes tidy corrections in his knot books. He likes dark blue cloth, worn brass, peppermint tea, and things that can be repaired. Brassbutton, his Glimrook, considers every loose fitting a personal treasure. Bram keeps a little return tray beside the till.

Bram and Nell Vane served on the same skyship before opening their market stalls. He checks the fittings on her balloon reels; she repairs his sash and insists that a useful thing is allowed to be beautiful. Their longest-running argument concerns a knot both claim to have taught the other.