So Grimsby, Connor and Bellgrove climb down the ladder to head into the town of Pescara. They are joined by Mercy. She doesn't speak Italian, but she is eager to see life in other parts of the world.

As soon as they touch ground, they are surrounded by the children with lots of questions. Most of them want to take a ride on the airship.

Upon asking for the telegraph office, the locals eagerly escort the travelers into town. Although there are a number of boats pulled up on the sands indicating a significant fishing presence, Pescara turns out to be far more cosmopolitan than its mark on the map would indicate.

In fact, it turns out to be three towns, actually. Pescara proper is on the south side of the river, while Castellamarre lies north of the river, and Abruzzo, which is the extensive surounding farmlands.

The people are eager to show you the wonders of the town, and talk about all the sights. Castellamarre was once actually a castle, but was dismantled many years ago.

They lead you through the center of town to the Esplanade Hotel, which is where the telegraph office is located. You pass a number of shops along the way, including a coffee shop and a bakery.

One of the children tugs on Connor's clothes, and asks (in Italian): "What are you? Are you a demon?"

"No, little one, I'm just a traveller," Connor replied in Italian to the child, tugging the hood of his robe forwards a little more, perhaps a trifle concerned that his clothing wasn't hiding things well enough. Nonetheless, it was too late to turn back now, so the felinoid went quietly with the others towards the hotel which housed the telegraph office, intending to pop by the coffee house afterwards to get Dash the brew he'd asked for.

He had to admit, Pescara looked to be a beautiful place, and e was somewhat sad that their stay would be a short one. Oh well, a quest is a quest, after all....

Once they reach the telegraph office, Grimsby says, "Mr. Holmes, please ask the rate per word for a telegram to the British consulate at Edelweiss in Graustark. I suppose the rate will be in lire. If the telegraph office will not take British pounds, we may need to change money -- I daresay the hotel desk can handle it, or if not, we may need to seek a bank."
He draws a small notebook from his inner breast pocket and drafts a short message.
This message was last edited by the player at 02:38, Thu 04 Sept 2014.

"In practice, I find so long as you use real gold or silver bullion coins, such as your British Sovereigns or the Yankee Eagles, most places tend to accept them even if they won't accept bank-notes from the same nation, since after all precious metals are valuable no matter where they come from, but I'll ask," Connor replied before stepping up to the telegraph desk once it was their turn and spoke to the person behind it in Italian, "Excuse me, but could you tell me the rate that you charge? I and my associates would like to send a telegram to the British Consulate in Edelweiss, Graustark. And do you accept any foreign money here?"

"The charge is 3 pence per word, Signore," the telegrapher replies to Connor. "Although Graustark might be more like another world, it is still on this continent, so the rate is the same."

"Most certainly we accept foreign currency! Pescara has been an important trade port with the Orient since the Eighth Century B.C.! We'd be a very poor city if we didn't!"

"However, there is no guarantee that the message will make it to Edelweiss exactly as transmitted. It has to go through at least two stations. It probably will, but you can never tell with the Albanians."

"Thank-you, Signore," Connor replied, picking up a telegram form and a pencil and passing them to Grimsby and translating, "He says the rate is 3 pence per word, and they'll accept your English money here since this is an international trading port. However, he says you'd best keep the content simple, for the telegram has to pass through at least two other foreign stations, so there's no guarantee it'll arrive exactly as transmitted."

Grimsby said "Thank you, Mr. Holmes." He took the telegraph form and rapidly copied his brief message onto it. (The message was in code but if deciphered it would read "Arriving soon Edelweiss by airship with unconscious prisoner to transfer to
consulate custody. G.B. Bruce-Partington." (as at the Marseilles consulate "Bruce-Partington" was his identification as an agent.) When he finished writing, he handed the message to Connor with a British gold sovereign. "I trust that will cover the charge." he commented.  "If not, let me know."

While Bellgrove does not actually speak Italian, he does have a knowledge of Latin and combined with his French that permits him to understand a meager bit more than he would had he no romance languages at all and his native tongue was Chinese. His purpose here is to be an escort, though, so he lets Conner to the talking and he keeps a careful eye on the surroundings. He does not expect that they shall be jumped, but any unusual activity that might indicate trouble (somebody shadowing them, etc.).

Otherwise, the look on his face is as personable as it gets and he at least smiles at the children as he is watching their hands rather than growl and bat them away as his instincts suggest he should do.

Connor passed the message over to the telegrapher so it could be sent down the line as well as forking over the gold sovereign to pay for it, saying to the fellow in Italian, "Could you please send this as soon as possible, Signore?" The disguised felinoid was already thinking ahead to going over to the coffee shop and wrapping up the other little chore on their list while they were here in Italy, and their upcoming airship ride to Graustark.

"Do you want the change, Signore?" the telegrapher asks, taking the offered coin.

"I will send it momentarily, even if the Albanians are not awake yet, and keep sending it until they do wake up! I will also endeavor to send it overland. I am not sure of what route it will travel, but the others up the line will know."

Grimsby followed enough of the conversation with the telegrapher to say to Connor,  "You may tell him to keep the change, Mr. Holmes --it may encourage him to transmit the message as swiftly as he can."

The locals are respectful enough that they don't crowd into the hotel, though a few of the urchins venture in, but still stay out of the telegraph office.

Based on questions and comments, it is clear that they wish to hear first-hand news and tales of the Big Wide World, particularly from daring aeronauts.

Exiting the hotel, you notice that there is a bakery right next door, prompting a recollection that Dash had asked for fresh bread first, and then requested Italian coffee.

The coffee shop is across the street.

Grimsby noting the bakery says "Shall we pick up a couple of loaves of bread first, and then see about the coffee?  That way the coffee might still be warmer when we get it back to the ship. I think Her Majesty's funds will cover the cost, if Mr. Holmes can handle the chaffering." He produces another sovereign.

"I think Mr. Hawkesbury is after a few tins or bags of the coffee grounds instead of a flask, Mr. Baskerville," Connor pointed out as he padded silently over towards the bakery with the others after telling the telegrapher to keep the change and exiting the hotel, "I am sure brewing up a fresh cup would be preferable to receiving a lukewarm one from a flask. More a tea-person myself anyway..."

When the Englishman produced another sovereign, the felinoid raised an eyebrow, although it was impossible to tell this since his face was hidden in shadow under the hood of his robed disguise, but Connor didn't say anything, figuring if Her Majesty's man wanted to keep picking up the bill, he would let him.

Grimsby replied, "Ah, indeed. I can understand the desire to make his own coffee.  I brew my own tea, myself --like you, I'm more of a tea man. But these Americans seem to prefer coffee."

This message was deleted by the player at 02:30, Mon 15 Sept 2014.

Bellgrove smiles at the conversation about tea and coffee, "As you say, Grimsby, we Americans prefer the delicious, sharp flavor of coffee. My History classes told me it was because of that little matter at the end of last century, but I believe the starker or harsher, if you will, flavor suits us....

"Of course, having said that I know a fellow or two that appreciate tea as well. We Americans are a complicated lot, you know." This last bit is said with a self-effacing grin.

Grimsby responds, "I've not had occasion to meet many Americans till now --they are scarce north of Khyber Pass --but I'm quite prepared to believe they can be as complicated as anyone else. Be that as it may, do we buy the bread or the coffee first?"
This message was last edited by the player at 01:55, Mon 22 Sept 2014.

Since you aren't getting a cup of coffee, but a tin of coffee beans, it doesn't much matter which you get first.

A pound of regular coffee beans costs 1 shilling, while a pound of Turkish beans costs 5 shillings.

Any number of breads are available across the street... baggettes, twists, rolls, pumpernickel, cheese bread, onion bread, rye, wheat, oat, cruellers, canolis, rum cakes and napoleans.

The prices vary, from just 2 pence (equivalent) for a loaf of bread to 5 shillings for a napolean or rum cake.

Grimsby remarks, "My understanding was that we were expecting to get some loaves of common Italian bread, but I would not mind a few cannoli myself --I have never had them in Italy, but there was a pastry ship in London that carried them, and I used to enjoy them."
This message was last edited by the player at 01:34, Tue 23 Sept 2014.

Connor ended up going towards the bakery first with his human companions since all the talk was now centered on baked goods, again translating for them if need be as they procured what they wanted. Along with the other breads the two men wanted, the felinoid asked the person manning the counter for two loaves of cheese and herb bread for himself, paying for them out of his own pocket as well.

Although by no means wealthy, Connor nonetheless was a well-off cat, running a modest but successful engineering firm (himself the sole employee so far) in Ireland and abroad, so he certainly had the coin to be buying things if he so wished, certainly bread at tuppence a loaf.

"Ought to go smashing for teatime, these," he murred as he collected the bread he'd bought, more to himself than Grimsby or Bellgrove, but they certainly could've heard him...

The time they had so far spent in this lovely town had relaxed whatever caution Bellgrove bore when they left the aeroship. He was still attempting to be cautious, as his role in this was security, but by the time he heard Conner's quip a goodly portion of his guard had dropped. "Oh, certainly. And one that would show a coffee-loving American the whole point of your tea-drinking ways as well, I suspect."

Grimsby responded, "I look forward to having my cannoli with tea once we are safely back on the ship. But meantime, if Mr. Holmes can purchases the coffee for our American friends, I think we are done here."
This message was last edited by the player at 02:37, Wed 24 Sept 2014.

Connor didn't rise to Bellgrove's bait, merely shrugging and saying, "To each his own." Then, in the same silent gait he'd been using ever since they'd first arrived in Pescara, the felinoid headed over to the coffee shop to procure the coffee beans, waiting his turn before asking in Italian, "Excuse me,  but I would like to buy five pounds of your best coffee beans, please."

It was a pity that the shop didn't sell is favorite blend of  tea, otherwise he would've stocked up on it as well..

Bellgrove looks at Conner slightly nonplussed, "I meant that... I mean, if this stuff goes along with what one has at 'teatime', then..."

Realizing that he is probably not helping anything the American stops speaking with a slight sigh and shrugs, smiling as he steps back away from the counter away from Conner and towards Grimsby moving once more into 'security' mode and feeling rather more uncomfortable than he had when they entered the shop.

As Grimsby is not part of Connor's conversation, he joined Bellgrove in keeping watch in case any threat appears outside the shop.

Emerging from the shop a bit later with his purchases slug over his robes in sturdy bags, Connor rejoined his two companions with a low mutter of, "There, got it all. Anything else we need to get or to do, chaps?"

It is soon apparent to the townsfolk that Grimsby and Bellgrove don't speak Italian, so many of them are disappointed. The young and the children keep trying anyway, using hand gestures and making faces to try and convey their curiosity.

A few minutes later, though, someone arrives who speak fairly fluent English. And begins translating the questions for the children.

How high can the airship fly?
How fast can the airship fly?
Can you get seasick on it?
How did you get it?
Have you ever crashed?
How many people can it carry?
What makes it fly?
Are you the captain?

For the most part, there is no such thing as 'premium' coffee beans at this time. The shop does sell Turkish coffee beans, but that's a bit more bitter and stronger than what Dash seemed to want. The 'best' coffee would be anything made from fresh beans, but that still means a week ago, as its all imported.

The coffee business is mostly for visitors, tourists, foreign nationals, etc. The locals mostly drink wine.

Connor, not know if Dash has a coffee mill, lets the shopkeeper talk him to buying a small coffee mill. It costs 30 shillings for the coffee and mill, and 2 shillings for the bread.

Bellgrove is happy to answer the children's questions beginning with the news that neither he nor Grimsby are the Captain. While he does not know the specifics about Remi's ship he knows enough about airships to give general answers and does so with great pleasure.

Since Bellgrove sees to enjoy talking to the children(and vice-versa) Grimsby contents himself with a few friendly smiles and gestures and still keeps watch until Connor emerges from the shop.  When Connor comes out, he replies to the felinoid's question by saying "I know of nothing more we need to do here. We had best be on our way before the trail of the black airship grows too cold"
This message had punctuation tweaked by the player at 03:53, Sun 05 Oct 2014.

The three of you make it back to the ship without incident, though accompanied by 30 or 40 townsfolk. They are as curious about news from around the world as they are about the ship.

Grimsby bows a polite farewell to the townsfolk and enters the ship, where he says to those who stayed behind, "Well, my telegram was duly sent, and if the Edelweiss consulate receives it as they should, we should be able to hand off our prisoner to them, presuming he is still alive by then. If not, I suppose there is always burial at sea in the Adriatic."
This message was last edited by the player at 03:57, Sun 05 Oct 2014.