----------------------------------------------
BAIRNELL'S FOOTHOLD - AFTERNOON
----------------------------------------------
Piper grunts as she swims up to a small raft launch, shaking the water from her shimmering scales and making her way over to where the Slippery Eel has docked, only lagging slightly behind the gangplank dropping. She had leapt from the back of the ship as soon as she was told they were landing in Bairnell, uninterested in remaining on board a minute longer if she could help it. While the water within the horseshoe bay was calm, ocean swells beyond it's mouth were another story. Coming to a stop near the stern-most plank, the croc casts a disapproving look toward the dark horizon North of them, huffing.
Gareth wanders off of the ship, leading the rest of the group down the gangplank and onto the docks. He bids a quick farewell to Itzcali, Aelia and Sammi as the trio head off to find some lodging for the party of five for the day, then nods at Piper as he notices her glaring at the ocean past the prongs of the bay. "That's the end o' the ocean travelin' fer a while, now. Ye feelin' alright, Piper?"
Piper grunts a grunt worthy of the look in her eyes before turning to shrug at Gareth. "You said Aephix is nice. No more boat rides, then I agree." She flicks the end of her tail, water pooling between the flat top scales splashing onto the dock. "Bay is refreshing, though. That steward bringing our things?" She might mean a leopard that had been annoyingly attentive during this leg of the trip. Or maybe the everpresent ick in her gut just made him seem annoying?
Gareth nods as he looks back up to the deck of the Eel. "Aye, they're gatherin' the bigger bits o' our gear and settin' it out near the lane linin' the docks. Shouldn't take too long, since none o' us really brought along much fer our trip."
Piper nods, also looking toward the ship, then back to Gareth rather suddenly. She's rapidly losing interest in remaining within any distance of the ship for now. "Mh... I smell smoke... Hot food." The croc looks about for the nearest vendor, grabbing Gareth's shoulder and turning him toward it when she locks onto her target. "Ay, buy lunch. To celebrate, hm?"
Gareth wobbles as Piper spins him around towards the food vendor selling some pretty typical port city fare. Typical food, but delicious food nonetheless. "I've heard far worse reasons to celebrate, so sure, let's go get somethin' to eat and celebrate a safe arrival. Might as well grab some food fer the others while we're there, too."
Piper looks to Gareth, then the vendor. She seems to be pondering for a few moments. "Well... Okay. They might take long enough." She nods, leading the way despite conspicuously missing her things. One might wonder if she'd jumped into the water with her coinpurse or not. The thought never seems to cross Piper's mind though, as she makes an uninterruptable beeline for the vendor.
Gareth fast-walks in order to keep up with Piper as she hurries off the dock and towards the vendor. He doesn't need to worry about money much since his own money pouch basically never leaves his side. "Depends on how long they take to find a good place fer us to spend the night at, aye. Still, fresh food's goin' to be nice after a couple o' weeks out at sea."
Piper nods almost absently, her tail swaying slightly as she reaches the vendor. She remembers her manners well enough to not lean over the succulent roasted meats and vegetables. A clever business model, really, since those are two things every ship runs dry of first. She gestures to roughly three quarters of what's set out on the grill. "These. The lot. Yes." She nods curtly, thumping her tail on the cobblestones before looking over to Gareth, as if in afterthought. "Which do you want?"
Gareth looks at the array of food currently almost finished cooking, taking a moment to lick his chops just from the savory smells of the food. After a few moments of consideration, he gestures at one of the remaining chunks of roasted meat that Piper didn't select. "That one looks good. I'll pay ye fer the others' food once we get to the inn."
Piper lets out a little sigh, looking at the piece Gareth had selected. She hadn't noticed how perfect it was among all the others. Or she's just being petty. She shakes her head of the silly thought as her food is packed up, nodding to the cook. "Thank you kindly." She reaches into a fold in the side of her still-clinging pants, revealing a well hidden slit that covers a few leather thigh pouches. They're deep enough for her to slip her fingers into, retrieving a number of silver coins, but narrow enough that the croc-specific tailored legs normally hide them.
Gareth smiles and gives the vendor a grateful nod as he's handed his own selection. "Aye, thank ye kindly. Nice bit o' fresh food after bein' at sea fer a while." As much as he wants to just take a bite to savor the food's taste, he refrains, at least for the time being.
Piper doesn't have such self control in the moment. She turns away from Gareth, having at least the decency left for that while dragging two skewers clean at once. Granted, the motion is rather fluid, not stopping in her turn and looking over Gareth towards the town proper. "Small place, hm? What... Two thousand, at most?" She totes the rest of her food in hand more casually, prepared to enjoy it on their walk.
Gareth nods as he moves up to walk alongside Piper on a more casual stroll now that they've got food in hand. "Aye, the port's been settled fer a bit longer than Respite, but it's still troublesome to get to so the community's been pretty small."
Piper hums, nodding. "Makes sense. Heard the name before... Then. Aephix. Just not much." She's certainly more active than she was the last couple weeks on the ship. "Not all that different looking than Sarn, ay? Rougher, maybe." She tilts her head toward a 'tavern' that looks to be a shipwrecked bow, pointing toward the sky. "Cobbled, a bit."
Gareth chuckles. "Aye, that's usually how it is with newer places, especially in ports. Rough around the edges, usin' what's immediately available... sort o' what gives these places their personality, I guess. Every port's got a unique feelin' to it."
Piper chuckles, looking to Gareth. "Right. I mean style. Poor imitations of Sarn buildings." She looks about. "Not much Orelan. Almost none. Wouldn't feel at home here very easy." She takes a bite of a large drumstick of some sort, shrugging after she rapidly finishes the mouthful. "Not that I'm looking for a new home."
Gareth hums as he looks around at the buildings, noting they indeed look more Sarnian than anything else. "Now that ye mention it, aye... I guess a good bit o' the original settlers were from Sarn?" He starts to almost absentmindedly nibble on his own bit of food, "A nice enough place to explore, and at least kind o' familiar since we first ran into each other up in Sarn."
Piper nods, thinking on it for a moment before grinning at Gareth. "Ay. Months sure seem short. Appreciate you holding your word. Figured you were smart enough to. Thank you, all the same."
Gareth grins in turn. "Ye helped me out without promptin' up at Glaushire, and ye had a damn good reason fer comin' out this way. Wouldn't have been right to cut and run on ye at any point." He pauses, considering, then shrugs a bit, perhaps a little self-consciously.
Piper is left silent for a few moments as she enjoys a fourth skewer. "Mh, right. I'll not tell anyone that. Reason is a bit soft. Wrath doesn't sound like the type."
Gareth laughs. "Ahh, Wrath is only wrathful when provoked. Fury's the same. Besides, if ye want to look at it from another angle, a favor fer a favor, aye?"
Piper grunts, but surrenders the point. "Ay. That works. Was more to bother university snobs." She chuckles her three notes, wiggling a drumstick. "Two birds."
Gareth smiles knowingly. "I can appreciate a bit o' multitaskin', especially at the expense o' those researchers. Though, I never thought I'd meet anyone as arrogant as a couple o' marks Fury and I have hunted in the past, but that lead researcher could give them a run fer their money."
Piper nods along, smiling. "Sounds like a story. Not worried about them, then?"
Gareth seems a little discomfited, but shrugs after a moment. "Well, had an encounter with one o' those inquisitor folks. They seemed to think I was tryin' to pull a fast one on them, but I got them off o' me back." He shakes his head, though the encounter with Teya leaves him looking a little sour still, "Not worried, but I don't fancy gettin' into a fight against one o' her sort."
Piper drops her smile a bit. "For the money? Should have said something. Would have cleared that." The cleaned-off bones in her hand crunch in her grip.
Gareth shakes his head. "Nah, not the money. They thought the gadget I brought back was a fake." He scoffs, "Just because I didn't bring back the actual target. Still got me hands on the tech, and it's not me fault they broke the damn thing already."
Piper relaxes her grip, discarding the bones in a rubbish pile between two buildings. "Mh. Still." She glances toward a South-facing gate, not noticing any wagons lined up nearby. "Should schedule a wagon. Can't waste a lot of time. Ocean is one thing, unpredictable. Not much excuse for land." She hesitates for a moment, not wanting to sound so selfish. "Think Sammi misses the waterfall."
Gareth nods as the conversation shifts to more pressing matters. "Aye, I think we can book passage with a caravan. Usually got a few merchants waitin' fer enough guards to escort them to Respite." He glances at Piper for a moment, "And considerin' how we're both capable, could probably even loan ourselves out fer a bit o' mercenary work since we're goin' that way."
Piper pauses in her step, giving Gareth a look. "Am no mercenary. Not out here to make money." Her demeanor shifts, the smile gone. Seems she doesn't care much for being lumped in with James, even if the late merc had been agreeable that one time.
Gareth notes Piper's change in attitude, then shrugs. "Well, yer call, Piper. I figure if I have a chance o' comin' under attack, might as well get paid to do it, since me own protection also keeps others out o' harm's way."
Piper shrugs. "Look like a bruiser, prefer not to fight." She sighs, turning away, towards the main road again. "Shouldn't show spears." She doesn't start moving along yet. "Will protect Phoebe and Aelia, and Sammi too. If I must. Promised. Others... Well." She shrugs. "Who protected James?"
Gareth hums. "If his attacker was brave enough to fight him head on, I'd have heard, and I'd have jumped in to help."
Piper looks toward Gareth after a moment, giving him a tilted nod. "Will protect you, too, then. Sorry." She straightens up, sighing. "Place has bad feel for me. Not even in Respite yet." She gives him a half-hearted grin. "Will try to be less down."
Gareth gives Piper's scaly arm a pat. "Nah, I understand. Wasn't really talkin' about me needin' protection or anythin', just sayin' that the attacker was underhanded as all hell."
Piper nods, considering this. "Ay... Ay." She shrugs, straightening up a bit, considering Gareth for a few seconds. "Makes sense now."
Gareth looks around the street as they walk through an intersection, then points down one of the turns. "That way should take us to the merchant stagin' area, unless they changed it the past few weeks I've been away. Shouldn't be too hard to find a wagon or two willin' to take on a bunch o' passengers."
Piper nods, keeping pace with Gareth as she snacks on her nearly-forgotten meal. "Trust you to set up. Don't know details."
Gareth nods with a smile as the duo enters what seems to indeed be the merchant staging area. As they walk, a few merchants go about their business setting up wagons with supplies and the like, what seems like regular orders from Respite's folks. He starts to make his way towards a familiar face who seems busy enjoying a bottle of what smells like whiskey. "Easy enough fer me, lass. The merchants probably remember me from the last trip, anyway, so I might even be able to net us a bit o' a discount or somethin'. Once that's settled, we can go and find the others."