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SARN - POLICASTER - THE MORNING GLORY INN - AFTERNOON
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Gareth sits at the bar, nibbling his way through a small plate of food and a big drink as he spends some time just idling after finding a ship to Orela and securing passage on it. After the incident at the museum, he's feeling glad to be out of Glaushire for the time being, if only to avoid that fox lady trying to spy on him.
Phoebe has been eying the bargoers for sometime now, standing back a bit, rather unobtrusive. She's a dark furred wolf with small patches of golden fur mixed in amongst the black. Her eyes mismatched, one a plain brown while the other is a strangely colored orange. She stretches, taking a moment to saunter up to the bar and ordering an ale, the house special, as she takes her seat next to Gareth.
Gareth glances curiously to the side, then nods in greeting to his fellow wolf once he gets a good look at them. "Afternoon, ma'am."
Phoebe puts her coin down for the barkeep as he brings her an ale. Glancing at Gareth, she nods slightly. "Afternoon yourself, sir." She takes a long drink, though a careful eye might see that her mug isn't nearly as empty as one might imagine from such a pull. "So what. You a pirate? A mercenary? Bit of both? That what you're supposed to be in that getup?"
Gareth takes a drink of his own , draining more of his mug by far before he puts it back down onto the counter. A moment later, he chuckles. "Former pirate. Got meself a good bit o' work as a bounty hunter, at the moment." He looks a little more directly at the wolf with his good eye, "Ye needin' somethin' from someone o' me profession, lass?"
Phoebe doesn't look away from her drink, simply humming a moment. "Maybe. I've been watching the port. I've got good eyes, you see. I notice things. Like I noticed you and your little band booking passage on the Slippery Eel. That right?"
Gareth pauses for a moment, then nods. "Aye, that's correct. Be straight with me, then. Are ye doin' work fer that magitech institute in Glaushire, or somethin'?"
Phoebe barks out a short laugh, "I don't work for anyone, pal. I'm looking to book passage myself, that's all. Myself, a passenger... no questions asked. But I need a little more than that. A bit of muscle. And I'm a lot of things, but that I don't have." She does look rather lean, perhaps even a bit malnourished, lanky, but there's a dangerous edge to her as a result. She reaches her hand along the table towards Gareth's plate, and through a bit of sleight of hand, places a gold coin there.
Gareth looks down at the coin for the shortest of moments, then back up at Phoebe. He lets out a bit of a laugh in turn, nodding as he shifts the coin off to the side of the plate. "Heh, right, well... if it's protection ye need, sure. Only thing is, me trip takes me to Orela first, and then to Aephix from there. If that's okay with ye, then I'll get ye set up fer the trip."
Phoebe nods, pulling her hand back as Gareth takes the coin. "Don't care about the how, just the where. I can handle the booking. Just make sure I get there in one piece. And my passenger is a bit... jumpy. I'll get her onboard, but you likely won't be seeing her, so don't worry about it."
Gareth raises an eyebrow at the comment about two passengers, but nods. "So judgin' by yer lack o' objections to Orela and Aephix, I'm assumin' anywhere but here or Vamas is preferable. As fer yer friend... how jumpy are we talkin'? Not goin' to stage a mutiny or anythin', are they?" He wave a hand a bit after a moment, "And don't worry about gettin' places in one piece. Me face might say otherwise, but I'm damn good in a fight."
Phoebe nods. "Nothing like that. She just won't be leaving whatever we manage to get as a room. So long as no one disturbs us, I figure that's fine." She lowers her voice, "And I did say no questions asked, remember? I can pay you two thousand now... and fifteen once we reach Aephix."
Gareth stares evenly at Phoebe for a moment, then nods again. "Aye, I remember. Just don't want to be out in the middle o' the sea and then the ship sinks because ye were actually workin' with that damned Inquisitor that's been pokin' her nose everywhere lately."
Phoebe bares her teeth just a bit, then shakes head. "I'm just looking to avoid any unwanted attention. Say I'm crazy if you want, but that's why I'm hiring you. Nothing happens to me. Nothing happens to my passenger. That's the deal."
Gareth nods again. "A deal's a deal, then." He pauses, looking Phoebe over a bit, "Ye seem a cautious sort, so I'll just say this: If ye are workin' with that Inquisitor, and the ship does sink out at sea, money or not, I'll put a bullet in ye. We clear? Ye have me unquestionin' protection, otherwise."
Phoebe snorts, her voice still low. "I wasn't born yesterday, and I'm sure you know caution keeps you alive. But you got nothing to worry about on that account, Pirate. I'm not tied to any damn inquisitor."
Gareth hums. "Good. Then I'll get yer passage settled on the Eel. The ship's gearin' up to head out to Orela within the next few days, so ye've got a bit o' time to do any last-second prep ye might have." He shrugs a bit, "As fer payment, ye can pay me once we're at sea."
Phoebe nods, relaxing slightly. "Right. Deal." She laughs quietly. "I wasn't stupid enough to bring the money here, so you'd have had to wait either way." She takes another 'sip' of her ale.
Gareth chuckles a bit. "I'm fine with waitin', really. Not like I can spend money on anythin' while sailin' between ports."
Phoebe tilts, flashing her teeth just a bit in a grim smile, "Could follow me into an alley and kill me for it though. Gotta be cautious."
Gareth gives Phoebe a bit of a wry smirk. "Fair enough. Anyway, once I finish up me meal here, I'll go and book yer passage. Unless ye're stayin' here fer the next few days, I guess we'll just meet up at the Eel before it leaves port."
Phoebe sets her drink back down and nods. "I'll uh... go alert my partner." She hesitates a moment, giving Gareth a strange look, then nods once again and raises from the table. "I'll see you at the boat." She watches him a moment, then slips towards the door.
Gareth nods and gives Phoebe a bit of a salute as she stands up. "Aye, see you in a few days, then."
Narrator: Once Phoebe had left, from somewhere out of direct eyeshot, Sammi speaks up, before being present behind Gareth "So..um..is this new lady coming with us now too?" She asks, a bit nervously "And..uh...she's bringing someone else too?"
Gareth blinks and turns around upon hearing Sammi. "Oh, hey there, lass. Aye, that lady just wants some protection, apparently. Probably just tryin' to get out o' Sarn fer some reason or other. Once she and her friend get to where they're goin', they'll be on their way again."
Sammi sits down "R..Right. We're going to be going by sea for a bit" She rubs her 'hair' "I..think there's something coming up. I'm getting that feeling like I'm tired, you know? But it's out of season, it shouldn't be happening for another couple of weeks at least, so..uh..we're going to be on boats, or a cart, or something?"
Gareth tilts his head at Sammi. "Yer gettin' that urge to sleep fer a while again, hm? We'll be travelin' by boat until we get to one o' the Snake ports in Orela. From there, probably just stayin' in town until I can get what I need, then back onto the boats fer the trip back to Aephix."
Sammi: "Okay, right.." She nods "That would work, but..still. I don't like it, I can usually know when it's going to happen, and it's out of time now" She wrings her hands a little "It's never out of time like this"
Gareth furrows his brow a little as he rubs his chin, considering the implications. "Never happened at all before...?" He lowers his hand from his chin and gently places it on Sammi's own hands, "I wonder if I might be able to contact yer Papa, maybe see if he has any ideas about this?"
Sammi: "Maybe? I..don't really know how to talk to him. I think it's some kinda 'He wants to leave me do my thing', or maybe.." She shakes her head "If you can? Maybe you can ask him?"
Sammi leans into his shoulder, "For now..can..we not think about it?"
Gareth nods. "Aye, I'll see if I can have a chat with him fer ye." He smiles a bit and slips an arm around Sammi, giving her a soft hug, "O' course... just... when yer plannin' to go to sleep, let me know, okay? Doesn't matter where we are."
Sammi: "Right.." She nods, leaning into him, and letting out a soft smile "Thanks..and..uh..don't worry too much about it. I don't need you trying to solve all those problems..just, being here like this" She rubs her face into his shoulder, rather like a cat "Is enough"
Gareth smiles a little more warmly as he wraps her in a more cozy, two-armed hug after a moment. "I'll try not to worry meself too much about it, then. But I'll still try to help, if I can."
Sammi: "Yeah.." She settles into him more properly "So..um..who are these new people that are coming?"
Gareth shrugs a little as he lets Sammi settle against him. "No idea. I made sure they weren't with that fox girl from the museum, though, just fer our safety. Seems like they just want to get out o' Sarn and head elsewhere."
Sammi: "Oh..the mean one? Well that's good. She didn't seem very nice" She stretches a little, yawning "Well, I'm sure we'll get on well. Everyone is going home now? It'll be nice to be back in my pool..exploring is fun, but..I kinda like staying in one place" You can take the girl out of the deeps...
Gareth nods as he lifts a hand to lightly rub at the back of Sammi's head and through her 'hair'. "Aye, after our little side trip to Orela, we'll be headin' back home. Hopefully me errand there won't take too long."
Narrator: Said hair curls around his hands gently "Yeah, I hope so too. What are you doing there anyway?"
Gareth hums quietly. "Ye know Captain Louma, the one ye talked to about becomin' a guard? There's a type o' spear that she used to use that's only made by Snakes." He laughs a bit, "I figure it wouldn't be a bad idea to have a guard captain owin' me a favor, since I've got good reasons to stick around in Respite."
Sammi: "Oh! So you're going to buy her one? That's nice!"
Sammi: "I wonder if there's anything else we can get there...it might be nice to meet up with other snekky people"
Gareth grins. "I'm sure we can find some nice things to get while we're there. Snake cities usually have some really interestin' things fer sale ye won't find in Sarn or Aephix, and the folks are usually nice, if a little uptight."
Sammi: "Oh! Well, hopefully they don't get too annoyed at me, I'm not realllly the uptight sort after all" She giggles, finally managed to relax again
Gareth chuckles again. "Nah, I doubt they'd get annoyed at ye, Sammi. The uptight ones tend to be in their military."
Sammi: "Oh, well..we'll be staying away from them, right?" She looks up to him "Riiiight?"
Gareth flashes another smile and a nod. "Right. Thankfully, me errand should only take me to one o' their supplier depots. We won't be dealin' with the army or anythin' like that."
Sammi: "Good! The military types are scary, I didn't like how any of them looked at me here..." Likely because they were trying to work out what she was.
Gareth blinks, then frowns a little. "None o' them gave ye any trouble, I hope?"
Sammi shakes her head "No, a few asked me questions, but I kinda just..didn't really answer, and got away"
Gareth hums, then nods again. "Alright, well... as long as they didn't cause ye any trouble."
Sammi: "No" She shakes her head "But..they were still kinda scary"
Gareth gives Sammi's shoulders a soft squeeze. "They were probably just checkin' fer thieves and whatnot. What with how many merchants go through Glaushire, those guards probably have to be attentive."
Sammi: "Yeah..that makes sense" She nods "Still, be good to leave"
Gareth: "Aye, it'll be nice to get back out on the water again. Nice as Sarn is, I think I prefer Vamas or Aephix. Friendlier lot, ye know?"
Sammi: "Well..coastal towns don't really like me.."
Gareth shrugs again. "I don't see why, there's plenty to like about ye." He pauses, then nods his head a bit to the side as if admitting something to himself, "Well, rather, I know all about those rumors o' sea dwellers that go about coastal towns and ports, but I also know most o' that stuff is just superstitious nonsense."
Sammi: "Maybe..It's not all really nonsense..."
Gareth hums. "Mmh... maybe there's a grain o' truth to a fair bit o' it, but ye'd be surprised at how wildly overblown a lot o' surface superstitions are."
Sammi: "Yeah..I'm one of the good squids~"
Gareth chuckles, grinning. "Yer Papa taught you well, I can tell!"
Sammi: "He tried his best, yeah.." Though she wiggles a bit more uncomfortably at something about that whole idea
Gareth eases up on his embrace a bit, thinking Sammi's wiggle might be from him hugging too hard or something. "Ah, sorry, lass, was I hugging ye a bit too tight?"
Sammi: "No..no, you're fine!" She wiggles her 'hair' assuringly "Just thinking a bit, is all"
Gareth hums quietly, then gives Sammi the same hug as before. "Somethin' ye want to talk about?"
Sammi thinks a moment, before shaking her head "No..I..don't think so. I dunno, it's all kinda confusing and weird feeling for some reason. I don't know why"
Gareth: "Well, alright, then... If ye need to talk to me fer anythin', I've always got time fer ye." He chuckles again and smirks, "But I'm guessin' ye already knew that."
Sammi: "Ahuh!" She nods in the affirmation "It's nice, and..you're all warm too" She settles in again, a bit more firmly
Gareth hugs Sammi a little more warmly as the two settle in for some quiet talk together, just chatting about whatever comes to mind about their trip to Sarn while nibbling their way through the rest of Gareth's meal.