[GrayGriffin]

"Of course, that depends on if you can afford it," he continued, beginning to retreat behind the counter and root around. "It is after all a luxury item, technically."

"We don't need too many, and we've been given a rather large budget," replied Huul. Ajor had already reached into the pocket of her maid outfit, and was pulling out a bag of keystones.

"Hmm..." said the Rengosett, popping up again to take a look at the bag. "Is that all pure stone?"

"Yes, it is," said Huul, just the tiniest bit exasperated. Toxshae insisted on that, when he'd much rather use bills, like any normal group.

"I think you can afford two fish with that," he said, diving down again and pulling out a pair of fish that seemed to resemble the picture quite well.

"We'll take it," said Huul. Ajor handed the bag over, and the Rengosett wrapped up the fish quite quickly, stuffing it in a bag and handing it to her. He counted out a few Keystones of change and tossed them back, and she dropped them into her pocket.

"Thank you," she said, after staring at him for a moment.

"Well, that was relatively painless," said Huul, as they left. "So...you want to see our house now?" Part of him was still hoping they could get away with somehow ditching the two Lucain.

[56, 56]

[Freezair]

"Thank you," Halvard said. He tipped his fingers at the Rengosett, and stood by the door, waiting for the others to exit. He wouldn't leave their backs exposed, after all. Hector, however, was one of the first to bustle himself out, desperately seeking air that smelled somewhat less like fish.

Once the others had left, Halvard followed them. "Yes. If at all possible, I would like to help you to your home." He scratched his bristly chin. "If you'd like, I'm willing to fabricate a story to make our involvement look more natural. Say, perhaps, that we saw someone try to mug you or tail you, and we came along with you to help ward them off."

"All the way home?" Hector asked.

Halvard bristled. "Well, we can at least be truthful that we wanted to help them get home faster, so we lent them our teleporter passes," Halvard replied. "And we accompanied them home out of kindness and a desire to give a proper good-bye."

[GrayGriffin]

Ajor strolled out of the door after Hector, Huul following close behind her, listening to Halvard's suggestions for keeping his involvement natural-seeming.

However, the Wombear shook his head. "That wouldn't be necessary," he said. "I'll just tell them that we asked you for help with finding the fish. They'll be fine with that explanation. And I'm sure they'll be grateful for your helping us to get home too. As long as you behave."

"Listen to what Head Ser-vant says," added Ajor.

"You'll know her when you see her," added Huul. "She'll most likely be there as soon as we open the door."

[57, 57]

[Freezair]

"Very well," Halvard agreed. "The simple truth it is. Or what of it can be safely told, anyway." He dipped his nose at them, and strode into the middle of the street. He took one last deep breath of the salty, fishy air, basking in the familiarity of it even when it wasn't always the most pleasant.

"Now then. Shall I show you the wall to the teleporters? They're a bit farther inland--to keep the delicate components from being damaged by severe weather, of course. But it's close enough to walk. I do not know if you've ever been there--"

Hector laughed gently. "You know, if they're close enough inland from the shore that you can walk to them, they're really not far enough to avoid the wrath of an angry sea. Some waves can come pretty far in!"

Halvard bristled. "Well, don't look at me!" He began to walk, and his brother towed along behind him. "I only relayed what I supposed to be the truth. I didn't decide where to place them."

"No, but you coulda used your noggin a bit more."

"Really, now..."

But Halvard felt a smile creep up his face.

[GrayGriffin]

Huul was now a bit calmer, now that the fish had been obtained and was being safely transported, but he didn't fully relax. Ajor, on the other hand, had almost collapsed completely in posture. Any tension she might have had had disappeared.

"We've never been there," he admitted. "We didn't see much point in going there, when we couldn't use them. It was just faster to get our errands done and not spend any time sight-seeing."

"Sight-see-ing?" asked Ajor. Huul frowned. "But we should try it sometime."

[58, 58]

[Bluh, shortity short short.]

[Freezair]

Halvard nodded his head. "So it shall be. Follow my lead, then!" He spun around, and with a practiced, military stride, he lead them up the street, away from the boardwalk, and inland, where the beach began to fall away and the rocky shore became more and more prevalent. Many of the shops still had the rustic charm of the ocean, built from old ship's wood and other salvage, but a few more modern buildings began to crop up.

"Sightseeing," Hector repeated to Ajor. "You don't know of it? Hmm." His brow furrowed. "S'what me and my brother were supposed to be doing today. It's where you sort of... just... go to a place to see what it's like. To see it. Like, lots of places have things in them that are famous for one thing or another. Like a famous museum, or a famous park, or maybe the site of a historical battle! So you go there to see it and be there and learn about it--to see the paintings or the beautiful park. Or maybe it's not famous, and you just go to see what IS there. What the shops are. What the people are like. And you just relax and enjoy being there, in a new place. Do you like seeing new places, Ajor?" He gave her a smile.

[GrayGriffin]

Ajor stared at Hector for a while, almost freezing in place. Huul had to gently touch her arm to remind her to move again.

"New places?" she asked softly. "No...fa-mi-li-ar is safe. New is ve-ry dan-ge-rous. Sight-see-ing sounds dan-ge-rous."

"It wouldn't be dangerous if I was with you," replied Huul. "Maybe...maybe we should try that. It would be something different to do."

Ajor tilted her head. "I trust you, Huul. May-be we can try that, then." She turned her head ahead once more, looking around at their surroundings.

"Is that where we're going?" asked Huul, pointing ahead at some shapes in the distance.

[59, 59]

[Freezair]

"Going somewhere new can be scary, sometimes," Hector nodded. "You might worry about getting lost, or getting stuck, or even that it might not live up to your expectations. But I think it's generally good to see the world, overall. You learn a lot of new things, and sometimes that new place makes you really happy." He gave Ajor a smile. "The two of you should definitely go sightseeing sometime.

Halvard, meanwhile, gave Huul a nod. "Yep. Those buildings over there. Look a bit different, don't they?" Among the driftwood and thickly-painted aesthetic of the rest of the buildings here, these were pale and blocky and mostly concrete. See-through glass doors--an oddity in these parts--fronted the building, and as they approached, Halvard pushed his way inside.

The building did not smell of the sea so much as it did a scented candle with the word "sea" in its name. The tiled floor was the color of beach sand that had lost its will to live. Soft, plinking classical music piped in over the speakers, and a lone receptionist poured over her papers at the narrow counter.

((Should we continue the adventure to Toxshae's house in this post, or take it to the appropriate forum?))

[GrayGriffin]

"I will re-mem-ber that," said Ajor. Her voice sounded a bit lighter now. "Huul is right. It will not be dan-ge-rous if he is there." However, she quieted down as they reached the actual buildings.

Huul wrinkled his nose as they stepped in. This was not an aesthetic he was used to. "Do we just tell them where we want to go?" he asked. It all seemed very swift and convenient.

[60, 60]

[Bleh, short post, but I think we should change forums.]

[Freezair]

((OK. Make the start topic when you're ready.))

"Follow me," Halvard said. He wiggled his fingers to beckon them. He slipped around towards the right side, down a hallway that seemed darker than its fluorescent lighting should allow for. Abstract paintings in soothing colors lined the halls. Halvard had to duck to pass beneath a tan, plastic-colored arch. It made a few beeping sounds in thought, and for a moment, it seemed to want to reject him. But it made a serene tone, and he passed through. Hector followed behind him without a moment's hesitation from the arch.

Halvard selected a door on the far right, and opened it into a small room. It was a stark white, with paintings in simple frames on each of the four walls. The paintings looked as if they'd been taken from a photograph of the Jawan seaside, and indeed, signs above each one read "JAWAN - DISTRICT 5C" in large, non-serif letters.

"All the stations are like this," Hector explained. "Teleporting can be kinda quick, so they're how you know you've made it. If the pictures change, you're where you're supposed to be! C'mon in," Hector said. "It's really quick, though I know it makes some people queasy. Not me, though. We have to close the door behind us, but once we do, Halvard will tell it where to go."

Hector frowned slightly. "Will you guys be alright?"