The remainder of the trip had remained uneventful, the sailors aboard the Fortune passing the time singing songs as they went about their work. As the port came into view on the horizon, quite a few men took up singing even louder, clearly happy to be returning home after months at sea. Captain Agnar soon had the men preparing to dock, the entire crew setting to the task with easy familiarity. The captain does take the time to draw Tomyris and Hornet to the side, speaking in quiet tones to avoid disrupting those around them, or perhaps giving too much away.

"I'll need you both to keep an eye on the Princess. Teutates isn't the best place for outsiders, especially with the Consul about. I'd have taken her to Carrhae preferably, but... well, needs must. Just make sure she doesn't draw too much attention to herself. And maybe keep an eye on the others, if you've the time. I know I've said it enough to them, but there's no telling what the lot of them will do, and we don't want Thera stickin it's nose where it isn't wanted. Certainly not in my business. You'll have to think of it as a personal favor, after all you both only signed on for the one trip, and you don't work for me anymore."

Hours later, the ship is docked, workers swarming the ship to unload its cargo. Others workers check the goods, documenting the in transit sales and tallying the grain that the Fortune had brought home. Stretched out beyond the confines of the ship stands Port Teutates, dominated by the docks, currently filled with ships of varying sizes, almost all swarming with activity. Beyond that is the market district, taking goods almost directly from ships and placing them up for sale. Merchants fill the air with their calls, promising goods and services at very reasonable prices. Farther afield, the buildings that serve as residences, administration, and government. There seems little rhyme or reason to the placement of these, simply allowed to grow organically, save the largest of all, a circular construction of that serves as the meeting hall of the Captain's Gathering.

The harbour was buzzing with activity.
Cargo was being loaded and unloaded, the harbourmaster shouted angrily at a few captains trying to cut corners, and streeturchins ran back and forth carrying messages and running other errands.

One such boy, no more than 8 years of age brushed against Stendara and ran directly into Tomyris firm grip. A brief struggle proved inefficient at breaking free and he quickly handed something over before being sent on his way. Tomyris then lightened her frown and handed Stendara her purse.
"Stendara, I believe this belongs to you..." then she continued in a slightly more hushed voice. "My apologies, Princess, but this is not the place to use formalities. We need to make you a bit more inconspicuous. Let us leave your stuff at the estate and we can buy some clothes to make you blend in more. I can give you some tips. I got great tips."

Not far from there two of the sailors looked up from their crates.
One of them choked a giggle. His mate looked at him and interjected to his friend.
"She said "Tips". T-I-P-S. TiPs..."
This message had punctuation tweaked by the player at 18:54, Fri 21 Aug 2020.

For the vibrant and enthusiastic Windling,what the Captain had to say brought a deep understanding a sense of duty to Hornet. There was little pomp and needed to be even less.

So as Tomyris and Hornet moved away, he asked. Tomyris, I could guard whilst just riding or walking Buzz beside the princess! Do you think it wise to go straight to the Estate or find a different route and shop first? He didn't know what a Princess in hiding needed but to break his usual pose, would that bring attention?

Second thoughts, I'll ride Buzz close by and distract anyone looking.

Mellisandre flew towards the docks after the gangplank had been placed down, not because she needed it, but out of politeness. As such, she was among the first off the ship, mostly because she didn't need to use said gangplank and therefore did not need to wait in line to disembark in an orderly fashion. She took a deep breath, and stretched her arms out to stifle a yawn, before turning to the others of her impromptu group.

- "Well, i'm off to find the local Forge. If you need your weapons looked at, be sure to drop by!"

And with a nod, unless stopped she would make her way into town, both looking for the Forge as well as familiarizing herself with the layout of the streets and buildings, which seemed like it'd come in useful at some point if she were to stay here for a while.
This message was last edited by the player at 17:27, Sat 22 Aug 2020.

In reply to Hornet (msg # 3):

Hornet had an idea....Rafe, you seemed close to the Princess after that fight we had, fancy coming along so Tomyris and I can show 'our friends, this couple from over the see, a few places to go?'  Better than us showing a lone lady around, princess or otherwise.  Hornet wasn't too sure he made sense, especially as he could protect both ladies should the need arise, at least he thought he could.

Before Mellisandre flies off Mellisandre, I know a place not far from the dock that doesn't think anything of serving us if you want to join us at the next meal time, can meet at the {enter name of tavern or square here} bring Yartok if you can

Hornet thought that the Tavern a little ways back from the port would be a better place to meet up later.  After all, they had something they needed to do regarding planning and the Captain who tried to kidnap the Princess.

"Oh, thank you," Stendara says, taking her purse back with a small laugh.  "They'd have been quite disappointed, though."  She glances over at the laughing man, eyes hardening briefly, before she turns back and notes, "Speaking of formalities, it would probably be best to forego... the P-word, entirely, at least while we're in public.  And I would gladly entertain your tips," she levels a warning Look at the nearby sailor as she says the last word.

As the Windling woman takes her leave, she gives her a smile and a small wave.  "Best of luck!  I shall certainly come looking for it, if we don't see you elsewhere," she promises, nodding her agreement with Hornet's invitation as well.

Mellisandre nodded, and called back.

- "Sure! Depending on whether the Forgemaster tells me to chip in on a project i may not be able to make it, but i'll try to be there!"

She responded to Stendara's wave with one of her own, before making her way to the local Forge. She'd need to let them know of her arrival before she could get anything done, and with the group both knowing her current location as well as having made an appointment to meet in the local tavern later on, she figured they had more than enough information to find her again, should they want to of course.

"First rule is; You don't buy sausage-in-a-bun from Mr. C.M.O.C. Dobbler.
You really don't want his meat in your mouth.
Come on. He's bound to hang around here prying on newcomers.
We can take the rest as we walk." Tomyris looked about the harbour with some suspicion.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:36, Mon 31 Aug 2020.

Yartok garhered all his stuff and disembarked, waving to everyone. He walks around town, looking for a pub or tavern where he can start a professional relationship. He can't wait to get started writing the story of the Pirate Failure, though he knows enough about politics to know it can't get out for a very long time.

Locating the forges of Port Teutates isn't difficult, given ring of hammer blows that permeate the air.It is a bit more difficult to navigate the crowded streets until once managed to breakthrough into the forge proper. At a distance they appear as simply a single mass of forges, but close inspection reveals a clear divide between various shops, apprentices working the bellows while journymen and masters set hammers to work producing goods of all kinds. One section, closer to the waterfront, works almost exclusively on what appear to be metal parts for ship construction. Customers of all kinds haggle prices, whilst others scrounge through the various display pieces.

The area is perhaps a bit less crowded then the trade district, and much easier to navigate through. Still, no one pays any attention to the windling flitting through the crowd. If anything, no one seems to bother much acknowledging Mellisandre's presence at all, too busy seeing to their own tasks.

-----------------

Yartok finds, soon enough, that the city is littered with pubs and taverns of all kinds. Most are situated along the docks, taking eager advantage of the sailors coming home, plying them with food, drink, and all forms of entertainment. Still, there's quite a few wandering eyes that note Yartok's bulk moving through the streets, a rare sight in Kavos. Still, there is one pair of eyes that notes more than the troll's race, picking out the telltale signs of an entertainer.

"Ho, traveler! Seeking a warm meal and fine bed, or perhaps you're seeking a place to make some coin?!"

The strong voice rises above the crowds, even as the burly human steps away from the door of a nearby tavern, sign above marking it as the "Salty Kraken". The wide smile on his face speaks of friendly camaraderie, perhaps a bit forced, but certainly not hostile in the least.

Yartok notices the name of the Tavern, more from the ubiquitous picture than the script as he's not quite familiar with the local language yet, and realizes this is exactly where he should be...unless it's exactly where he should NOT be, in which case it's even more inviting to a Troll. "You in need of an entertainer to draw in custom?" he asks as he starts thinking about the negotiations to follow.

Mellisandre looked around as she followed the familiar sound of hammers striking anvils. While it was at first a little overwhelming to see the sheer amount of stores, she soon reached the conclusion that this was actually very much to be expected: A city was kind of like a cluster of villages after all, and bigger amounts of people required more forges to support them.

When it came to finding the right Forge to approach however, there were several things she kept an eye out for. The first was the division between elders and apprentices: Two elders for every three apprentices was the correct division, and so she needed to strike off those who already had too many apprentices, the odds of being accepted were simply too slim, and if they did, it could impact the quality of the work, something no Weaponsmith could allow.

The second was the quality of the tools themselves. She took great care in maintaining her own hammer, and knew the sound of blows that rang true, and that of well maintained gear upon anvils of good quality. Should, after these two divisions, there be more than one Forge remaining, she would simply close her eyes and go with her gut: Any of the remaining options would be fine, and it'd allow her to have a second and maybe even third choice in case she was rejected by the elders of one Forge.

The search was not a simple one, at least not until the foremost shops were skipped past. Most of those already had apprentices aplenty from the look of them, or were too flooded with customers to tell one way or the other. Farther away from the most popular shops were the less crowded and more easily accessible of their number. Some of these were forges for particular tasks, and therefore they lacked the need for a large number of potential buyers viewing their wares. Others were smiths of lackluster quality, their inventory worthy of only someone who lacked the coin for proper gear, or perhaps the work of those who were only recently made journeyman and were foolishly seeking to strike out on their own.

But the trained ear of someone born to work the forge found, hidden behind the shouting of hawkers and the ring of lesser smiths, the distinct hammer blows of the skilled. The sound led to a forge set apart from the others, appearing perhaps a tad shoddy in its construction, with its walls in ill repair and its door fitted poorly. Still, the hammer blows rang out, insistent upon the skill of its master, and the works within, though they sat on stands and shelves of haphazard make, were of a quality that spoke of decades of hard won skill.

Farther back, a pair worked the forge, one a younger human boy, perhaps early teens in age, working the bellows to keep the forge hot. The other was an dwarf woman, bare chested save a wrap of cloth to preserve modesty, holding a piece in the fire with a pair of tongs, a blacksmith's hammer clutched in her other hand with easy familiarity.

"Are you daft, boy? Parents drop ya on your head? I said to keep the fire steady, not to set the whole shop ablaze! When I say steady, boy, I mean steady!"

"Y-yes master! I'm sorry ma-"

"I'm not lookin for apologies, boy! See to the fire, not to flappin your gums!"

----------------

"When isn't a tavern willing to earn some extra coin? You might as well ask if a ship sails with the wind, or a man needs to fill his belly with hearty meals. If you're looking to make some coin yourself, than I'm more than happy to serve as a venue! I'm sure all will be happier for it."

The man's grin widens, losing its forced nature. Clearly he'd treated his greeting as something of a gamble, but with at least some form of confirmation as to who, or perhaps what, he might be speaking to... well, business was business. The man steps closer, extending a hand with the certainty of someone who had seen all kinds before.

"Cigar Jones, and it's a fine day to be meeting a new face! I'd wager a day's meal that you're fresh off the docks, from the look of you, but then any street urchin could tell as much."

Mellisandre smiled when she saw the shop her gut had brought her to. Not the most visible of Forges, but then again, Weaponsmiths were not store owners in the traditional sense, nor did they need to be: A firm belief that if their products were good, customers would find them wherever their Forges were was quite common among them. Convincing people to buy theirs with words was more a Troubadour thing, she figured.

She approached the dwarf woman, though, rather than speak up, simply waited for her to be done with whatever forging she was obviously in the middle of. She made sure the hammer slanted diagonally across her back to keep its weigh balanced during flight was visible, attempting to make it fairly easy to guess what she had visited the Forge about, and let her determine when the right moment had come to allow her to say her part. The alternative -- simply speaking up expecting her to drop her work -- would make a rather poor first impression for an apprenticeship after all.