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[Aladari Coolwater]

Timestamp: 39th of Summer, 516 AV

"Mornin', Father."

Aladari sat down at a seat in the nearly empty bar, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Although it stayed quiet in the mornings, Aladari knew the Drunken Fish was always open. For sailors, every hour was happy hour, even at 10th bell.

"What are you doin' here so early, lassie?"

Aladari's eyes darkened at the use of the word "lassie". He called her that often, as did several people who knew her, but she hated the nickname, and found it belittling. Nevertheless, she stayed quiet. It was too early to fight.

"I'm stoppin' in fer a food. What can you give me?"

"Cheese and bread okay? We ain't got much else."

Aladari sighed. "It'll do."

She accepted the tough bread and cheese begrudgingly, handing over the required coins before crafting the food into a sandwich of sorts. With her mouth full of her first bite, Aladari made a drinking motion with one hand, offering up another copper with her other. Father Manowar nodded in understanding, procuring a glass of water from behind the counter. Aladari swallowed her food hastily, and then took a large swig of the somewhat cool water, relishing the feel of it splashing in her stomach.

"So, talk me, Father," She prodded in-between bites, "What've you heard lately? Anyfin about those slabs o' shyke?"

The Father leaned against the counter, sighing as he did so as if it were a burden for him to tell her. "Nothin' abouts the slabs specific'ly, but I have been seein' more an' more a those pirates out there. They's startin' to scare me now, you know. Just watchin' us like that."

Aladari paused in her chewing, thinking hard for a moment. Through her bite, she asked "You ain't thinkin' they got somethin' ta do with the slabs, is ya?"

The Father shrugged. "I dunno any better than you do."

Aladari put down her glass with a loud clink and a burp, having finished off the last of her meal. If only I had a boat, Aladari thought, I could get out there and investigate. But for that I'd need money... That was when inspiration struck.

"You really wanna know 'bouts them pirates, don'tcha Father?"

He nodded slowly, confused by the question, and lost in Aladari's train of thought.

"Nuff to give out coins fer it?"

The Father's face lit up with realization, and he laughed good-naturedly. "Sure. If you can get somethin' useful, I'll get you some mizas."

Aladari's eyes suddenly flashed into a violent shade of violet, her smile growing broader. "Great! I'll be here again soon, Father. Tonight."

The Father snorted in disbelief, shaking his head at the overeager girl. "I'll believe it when I see it, lassie."

[Aladari Coolwater]

Aladari set foot on the beach not ten chimes later, all her adventuring gear packed in her backpack. She had her brand new fishing net, all folded up on the bottom, a day's worth of rations and her waterskin in the center just in case, and her fish knife (the only sharp thing she owned) settled on the very top.

Feeling prepared and rather enthused about the adventure, Aladari grinned as she marched to where the water met the land. The sand was warm where it crept through her boots and onto her feet. It was a pleasant feeling, and she was almost sad to leave the comfort of the beach. She did love the water, though, and so she was once again satisfied when she felt the grainy, salty water flowing around her feet. However, upon setting foot in the tide, she found herself suddenly remembering several things she had forgotten...several vital things.

First and foremost, she didn't have any way to get to the mysterious ship. She didn't own even a small rowboat, and she had never really learned to swim long distances. On top of that, she had no idea how she was planning to spy on the ship if she had no way to hide herself, and no way to disguise herself. And lastly, there were a few simple facts that added up to disaster. She was alone, she had no idea how many their crew numbered, she couldn't fight, and this was Sunberth.

Aladari could virtually feel the excitement drain out of her. She didn't even bother to step out of the water before she sat down, hugging her knees loosely. She would need help. That was for sure. But who in Morwen's name would want to help her that wouldn't try to steal all the coin for themselves?

Someone who wanted information, she concluded. Someone who was curious about the ship- curious enough to be motivated to discover. And right then, like a surge of oxygen, she remembered. I hunt for information. I give you what you want.

Aladari nearly toppled over backwards as she tried to stand up suddenly. Chase! Surely he would be willing to help her, if it got him more information about Sunberth, and maybe where he came from. For all they knew, he could be tied in closely with the mysterious ship. And he would definitely want to know.

She fumbled to get her backpack off, tossing it on the ground unceremoniously. Then, she reached for her belt. On it hung a small bag of Mizas, a cord on which her flint and stone were strung, and a tiny silver whistle. She grabbed the whistle, nearly ripping it from its place. With a hurried prayer to Morwen, she put the whistle to her mouth and blew as hard as she could.

For such a tiny whistle, it was extremely shrill, and so high-pitched that it set off the barking of a few stray dogs. Aladari paused for a tick, listening to her surroundings, but she heard nothing. So, once again, she brought the whistle to her lips and blew- slightly softer this time. Again, the whistle shrieked until Aladari ran out of breath. She drew the signal whistle from her mouth, waiting with baited breath. Come on, you giant bat. You've gotta be able to hear that.

[Chase Hunter]

Chase perked up from his eating. His catch again was one of Sunberth’s many rats that infested the land. Not the tastiest of treats, and it was unsettling even to his stomach, but it worked well enough. He heard the whistle. It was definitely not his plan for this device, but he had to admit that it worked well enough. He dropped his prey and pulled off into a slow run, covering the ground as grass whistled by his feet. This time, stalking was not necessary. This was a signal devised by the human girl. She promised to give him information, and would let him know by this whistle. He had every promise from that sound of a successful reward from that night, early of the season. The wind blew through his hair, his fur tingling in the coolness. He came down to the docks, following the noise as it rang for the second time. She was down near the tavern. He crinkled his nose impulsively just because of remembering the smell of that place. He paced down the docks, and cocked his head as he heard it a third time. He climbed a wall, and peered down at the place where he heard her. She seemed alone, and searching. He knew it was for him. He hated to disappoint. Not really. He just needed to know what reward was in wait for him. He paced along the roof he was on to drop down on the planks of the dock, rattling the noise where she was, and slowly stalked towards her. Not for the fact of hiding, but just because he was still in the mode of hunting. He knew enough not to attack this prey however. ”I am here. Your metal worked. Why did you call?”

[Aladari Coolwater]

His footsteps were no louder than the light breeze, his dark form no more noticeable in the sunlight than the shadows beneath the docks. His voice was startling when it growled from nowhere.

"I am here."

Aladari flipped around instinctively. Upon spotting Chase, she relaxed, knowing that she was in his good graces for the moment.

"Your metal worked. Why did you call?"

"There is something I thought will make you interested." Aladari gestured off the shore, towards where the ship usually sat. "There has been sailors comin' into town, from a ship there. We dunno where they's from, or what they's doin' here. They been in the Drunken Fish, an' Father wants some folks to figure out about them. They's s'posed to be all kinds of diff'rent people, but they all gots some kinda tatt that's the same."

Aladari realized as she was speaking that she didn't know much at all. In fact, her information felt inadequate. She worried for a moment that she would anger Chase with her lack of knowledge. She had to brush away the worry, though, because she would get nowhere else otherwise.

"I call because I need help, really. I need to get to the ship to find things. But also, it might be good for you, to know more about the strangers. If they come from somewhere else, maybe they know you, or your family?

So, what you say? You can help me get to boat? And how?"

[Aladari Coolwater]

Name:Aladari Coolwater

XP Award:

• Intelligence +2
• Persuasion +1
• Investigation +1
• Logic +1

Lore:

• Persuasion: Tell Why They Need You
• Intelligence: Rumors Spread with Bartenders
• Investigation Requires Planning
• Worry Gets Me Nowhere
• Logic: Information Can be a Substitute for Coin

Penalties/Rewards :

None.

Comments :

Self-graded via new policy. Miss you, Chase. Message me if you ever come back.