The leader of the Maidens points down the street and to the right after hearing Yaziyah's request.
"It's the big warehouse on Harborview Boulevard South in West Dock. It'll be on the left, you can't miss it. Got a big Korvosan flag on it."
Yaziyah notices all of the guards and physicians stiffening on Pietro's comment about the disease spreading through the air. The head Maiden turns sharply to Pietro, declaming: "No it doesn't. Dr. Davaulus would 'ave told us. Now make way, we need to get this man some treatment!"
She then orders you all to part so that they can move past you with the stretcher.
Garvid remains quiet for the exchange of words, choosing instead to give a long look at their leader, filled with resentment and not a little curiosity. His eyes go from the plumed helmets all the way down to their boots, studying them intently. Decent armour. Heavier than what any sane person would wear for patrol, though., he thinks, as he affixes his own heavy plate. Helmets. A good guard would take it off out of combat, let their face be seen. Puts people at ease. Then again, I very much doubt that's what they newcomers He scowls mid thought. [I]With what that costs, you can afford another squad of guards. Or a couple of trained and well-equipped ones. His expression hangs on his face like a storm cloud, as he let's the maidens and the doctors go, still silent. Go. Do something useful for a change., he thinks, clearing his throat as they are on their way.
"So is it just me, or both the newcomers seem used to travelling together?", he asks, grabbing the hilt of his halberd with whitening knuckles. "Can't say I like this. Put a pin in checking that Hospice, while we're at it.", a muttering growl comes from his mouth as he places his weapon on his shoulder.
Talfryn nods absentmindedly as he watches the patrol leave, lips pursed beneath his bushy white mustache, hands gripping the borders of his broad coat lapels. Shoulders hunched, he falls in with the others, but still he seems distracted; he's focused instead on the wisps of magic that are even now fading from his view, the curlicues of aetherial splendor that wreath the plague masks, and whose functions he's determined to divine.
Li mirrors Mouse's reaction, the memory of being chased by Maidens not so long ago fresh in her mind. She sticks to the shadows and quietly observes the Maidens and physicians looking for anything out of the ordinary.
The Gray Maiden patrol escorts the Queen's Physicians through your assembled group, carrying the obviously sick man on the stretcher. As they turn the corner of Harbor Boulevard South, two of the Gray Maidens turn back to keep their eyes on you. There is a moment of tension before they spin on their heels and turn the corner with the rest of their party.
As the Maidens disappear from view, Mouse pulls her shawl from her face and shoulders, settling it once again around her neck. As she does, the deep shadows that had dug into the creases of her skin and the folds of her clothes retreat, and her features come back into clear view from the tenebrous depths in which they'd swum. So, what'd they say? she murmurs softly to Yazi and Pietro once she rejoins them, still watching the corner the retinue had rounded.
"Lovely girls, very nice. Warms an old woman's heart to be treated with such kindness and respect." Yaziyah muses in response to Mouse's question. "They are taking him to the Hospice, on Harborview over in the West Dock. We passed it on the way from the Citadel. For treatment, they say." Her voice is heavy with mistrust as she considers all they've seen and heard so far.
"Seems common practice, on the face of it, but if Davaulus is working to spread the plague and not stop it... What do you think, doctor? Shall we take a look at this hospice or continue with our aquatic explorations?"
"Lovely girls, very nice. Warms an old woman's heart to be treated with such kindness and respect." Yaziyah muses in response to Mouse's question. "They are taking him to the Hospice, on Harborview over in the West Dock. We passed it on the way from the Citadel. For treatment, they say." Her voice is heavy with mistrust as she considers all they've seen and heard so far.
"Seems common practice, on the face of it, but if Davaulus is working to spread the plague and not stop it... What do you think, doctor? Shall we take a look at this hospice or continue with our aquatic explorations?"
Pietro was thoughtful, "yes, as much as I don't like it, it is common practice to take terminally ill patients to a hospice. I would like to check up on them to make sure they are being treated with compassion but we can do that later."
He added, "I don't think the key to this disease is in this hospice. Besides, we know where it is and it isn't going anywhere. We should visit it later but for now continue with our underwater investigation."
He pulled out his air bottle, "This is not much but it can be useful in an emergency. You can draw a breath from the bottle and the air never runs out."
--------------
Nearly invisible against a building in the shadows, Li peals away from the wall and rejoins the others. She listens to them discuss the hospice and offers, "I c'n be takin' a quick look as we be goin' by ta see if'n anythin' be lookin' real wrong. But I be thinkin' Pietro has tha right o' it - we need ta be findin' tha start o' tha plague an' stop it from spreadin'. Tha ship be tha best bet o' doin' that."
Talfryn pulls on his mustache. "The tainted gold coins began to spread after the arrival of the plague ship. It's possible that the ship carried the tainted bullion, and was sunk as an act of government-sanctioned piracy. The gold would then have been funneled through the central bank, and spread the plague from there. If such is the case, then perhaps investigating the bank first is a quick way to acquire more information as we generally make out way to the ship."
The group heads north to make a quick visit to the Bank of Abadar in order to discover the use of the key found in the Toy Maker's workshop. A wooden barricade has been erected in front of the main doors of the Bank, and is guarded by a half dozen mercenaries led by a man in gleaming white and gold platemail armor. On the roof the Bank, you can see four soldiers stationed with heavy crossbows.
As you approach, the man in gleaming plate holds out his hand, proclaiming: "Halt, stay back! State your business with the Temple of the Gold-Fisted! We have exhausted our daily allotment of godly healing, so if you are diseased, come back and wait in line tomorrow morning. Standard disease cure rates have been halved for the duration of the epidemic. Never let it be said that the Master of the First Vault is not Merciful!"
Spreading her arms out to show the lack of weapons and hostile intentions, Yaziyah replies to the man's challenge. "'Tis not healing that we seek, but the other side of the Bank of Abadar's services, so to speak. We have a key to one of your storage places. If it is not too much trouble, we would like to enter the temple." She nods to Li.
The warrior in the bright plate nods at Yaziyah, relaxing somewhat.
"Of course. The person with the lockbox key may present it and enter. The others must wait outside. I apologize for the lack of courtesy, but these are hard times. I hope you understand."
Don' wan' no one t' go in 'lone, Mouse murmurs softly to Garvid beside her, but 'f 's what we gotta do, 's what we gotta do...I don' like thinkin' o' Miss Yazi goin' in on 'er own if somethin' were t' go bad, though. Maybe y' could claim it t' be your key, an' you go in an' see what there is t' see?
Li pulls out the chain from around her neck that she had hung the key on. "I be havin' tha key, sir. Is Ishani be bein' here?" She assures the others, "I'll be quick."
The white and gold-clad warrior nods at Li's question, opening the side door of the Bank of Abadar for her and ushering her inside.
"Yes, I believe that Brother Dhatri is here. I will let him know that you are asking for him."
The warrior hands Li off to a minor officer of the church, who leads her down into the vaults of the bank, located in the building's basement. After examining the key and its number, he leads her to a small room with several chairs and a bench and asks her to have a seat while he retrieves the strongbox.
He returns a few minutes later with a small metal box stamped with the same number as the key, placing it on a small table. He then leaves the room and begins to close the door.
"Take as much time as you need. When you are finished, you can leave the same way you came in."
several sheaves of paper detailing the creation of dozens of mechanical toys,
and the deed to the toy shop where the vampire spawn had made their layer.
Garvid grins when Li walks in the vault. Well, I'm sure that's an experience for the kid., he shakes his head with a wide smile. "Li's crafty, and besides. If there's a safe place in Korvosa right now, it just might as well be here. Plus,", he chuckles. "I remember first time I was led there, in the Vaults. It is a fancy sight, if maybe a bit excessive. "
Looking at the man in beaming plate, he crosses his arms. "So, any news on that disease? Managed to track down the person who deposited that batch?", he asks, leaning on the wall. "And have you found anything on the disease itself?"
Li has to keep reminding herself to close her mouth. As she's led through the vaults, the enormity of it all is almost overwhelming. Ta think that so many people in Korvosa be havin' this much money ta lock up an' keep hidden while so many people be havin' nothin'. Li is both awestruck and depressed by the implications of the vaults.
She tries to wait patiently in the tiny room, not really understanding the process. When he brings in the box, she mumbles her thanks as he takes his leave.
Li picks up the key and just stares at the box for a moment. Her instincts kick in and before opening it, she decides to give the box a once over in case the previous owner had done something to it to makes sure they were the only one who could open it, even with the key.
Letting out the breath that she didn't even realize she was holding, she picks up the key and inserts it into the lock. She turns the key until she hears the click and then slowly opens the lid.
Inside she finds coin, thieve's tools of similar quality to her own, a pair of nice boots, plans for toys, and the toyshop's deed. Collecting the items, she gives the seemingly empty box another once over to make sure there was nothing hidden.
Collecting the items, she gives the seemingly empty box another once over to make sure there was nothing hidden.
-------------------------------
The warrior seems more focused on his duty to protect the church, but is amenable enough to conversation as long as he is not monitoring those coming into the Bank.
He clears his throat and lowers his voice so that only Garvid and his friends can hear him. "The disease continues despite our best efforts. There simply are not enough priests to heal everyone, the veil spreads too quickly. Even if all the priests in Korvosa who are capable of performing the miracle gave away their services for free, they would only slow it. A cure must be found."
"I do not know who deposited the coins, but they did not originate here."
Garvid nods, moving in a step closer. "We understand, believe me." He starts scratching the back of his head. "Any chance you remember where the coins were minted, then? I wasn't expecting them to be Korvosan... That'd be... Hrmph.", he leaves the thought hanging. "And following the money trail might be a goose chase by itself.", he grumbles. "And have the Physicians came in here? Aren't they taking some of the load off the priests?", he asks.
The warrior shrugs, scratching the stubble on his beard. "The Queen's Physicians, you mean? Yeah, they are taking the sick to treat them in their hospice. Supposedly that Doctor Davaulus is working toward a cure, but who knows. I haven't seen any tangible results yet, but I guess these things take time. As for the disease coins, I don't know. They don't talk to me about money matters, the Fathers handle all of that. They just tell me where to stand and to keep the peace."
The warrior then gives Garvid a long look up and down.
"Don't I know you? You served in the Guard once, didn't ya? Also remember you at Sunday services here from time to time, don't I?"
He reaches out his hand to Garvid. "Name's Elo Gettosian. And yours?"
Grinning, Garvid extends his hand. "Garvid Krein. Keen eyes there, Gettosian. You're earning that wage.", he chuckles. "I got booted from the flatfoots about a year and so back. A long and grisly story.", he shares. "Had a crocodile in it, too.", he laughs grimly. "And I come here once in a while, out of habit. My old man used to say, in the alleyways, you take all the backup you can get.", he nods. And I also come, because if I don't believe in the story about the law being above it all, I'll go mad, berserk or suicidal. Or all three., he thinks to himself.
"So, Gettosian.", he clears his throat after a longer pause. "If you got a moment to ask one of the Fathers who handled the coins where those came from, I'd be happy to pay for the information being sent to Fordyce Manor.", he suggests, before his face breaks into a smile. "In coin, wine or stories."
Gettosian shakes Garvid's hand. The Abadarian has clearly seen his share of combat, judging from the many small scars across his hands and arms. "Your father is a wise man, Krein. There is power in unity, and the balled fist is stronger than five fingers on their own."
He chuckles a bit after the last statement. "But now I'm sounding like a priest. Next I'll be quoting from the Order of Numbers. Well, if you ever need work, the Church always pays, you know that, and we can use a strong arm and a quick eye."
"I'll ask around about the coins, although the ones in the vault have all been stripped of their disease as far as I know. Unfortunately more than a few got out into the public before that happened."
-----------------------------------
As Li emerges from the Vault room she spots the worried face of her acquaintance Ishani Dhatri coming down the hallway. He is carrying a small wooden box stamped with the golden key, the holy symbol of Abadar. His face lightens momentarily when he sees her.
"Miss Li, it is good to see you again. It is quite fortunate that you are here, as I was trying to track you and your companions down. I received a note from Field Marshal Croft, stating that you might be needing a means of breathing underwater."
The young priest opens the box, revealing 12 identical potion vials set in a wooden holding rack.
"These magical potions will each allow one person to breath underwater for five hours. They were requisitioned over a decade ago by a member of House Ornelos. He ordered them for an underwater picnic he was organizing, but never picked them up. The Archbanker has instructed me to pass them on to you."
Li gives Ishani a relieved smile. "Thanks ta ya an' thanks ta tha Archbanker. We be hopin' ta speak ta ya but tha others weren't let in. Be seemin' like security be tight right now." She chuckles at the revelation that the potions were initially wanted for something trivial like an underwater picnic. "These potions bein' us'd fer somethin' much more important than a picnic when we be searchin' tha sunk'n ship. Hopefully we be learnin' somethin' that c'n help ya."
She puts the small wooden box into her bag with the rest of the items, making sure to keep the coins separate from everything else. She looks around to make sure they're still alone before asking quietly, "Have ya heard anythin' more about tha source of tha plague? Is tha money bein' clean'd somehow?" Then her voice lowered to a whisper, "Do ya know what's happenin' in Old Korvosa an' with tha hospice?"
Ishani Dhatri shakes his head at Li's question.
"I'm sorry, I have not, Miss Li. The true origins of the plague remain a mystery to me and everyone else I have talked to. There are plenty of rumors, of course, but I don't know if I would put stock in any of them. There the rumors of the ship the guard sank in the harbor, of course, but others claim that blood veil is a punishment from the gods for our own greed. Since Endrin Isle was put under quarantine, I have also heard some claiming that the plague originated in Old Korvosa."
The priest gives a weak shrug and a tired smile. "I'm sorry I can't be of more use, but I have many duties left to do today. May I see you out?"
Dhatri walks Li back up the stairs to the Bank's main entrance foyer.
"May I give you the blessing of Abadar before you leave? You and your companions certainly carry the hopes of all of us as you work to unravel this mystery."
Lord Talfryn has been waiting patiently on the broad steps before the temple, keeping half an ear out for Garvid's conversation with the guard even as he takes the moment to rest.
Hands laced over the head of his walking cane, chin settled on his chest, he looks like he could doze right there in the weak sunshine, stolid and worn out from all their past activities.
Still, when Li emerges from the grand doors, he rouses himself, blinking rapidly as he adjusts his spectacle and moves closer to hear her report, eyebrows raised.
Li smiles shyly at the priest, "This place be a maze ta those not familiar. It'd be great fer ya ta see me out."
When he offers a blessing, the rogue nods enthusiastically. "Me an' tha others would be likin' all tha help we c'n get. Many thanks fer yer generosity."
As soon as Ishani leaves, Li tells the others what she found. "Ishani gave lots o' potions he said be helpin' us breathin' under water. In tha toymaker box I be findin' coins, some tools, a pair o' nice boots, tha deed ta tha shop, and some toy drawin's. I didn't be havin' tha time ta look at tha boots much. Mebbe when we're done with tha ship someone who be more familiar with nice stuff c'n look at 'em."
Pietro impatiently observed the people lined outside waiting for treatment. One side of him wanted to tell them that he ws a doctor but he knew that he would not be able to leave if they learned that he could somehow help them.
In reality, he had more important things to do, like find the source and hopefully the cure of this disease.
"That's quite nice, Li, well done. When this is over perhaps the marshal can help us find that poor toymaker's family, if any still live. And I can take a look at those boots as we walk."
Should Li allow her to examine the footwear, Yaziyah does so before passing them to Lord Stickfryn Smugoak; the man maybe an insufferable, pretentious bore, but he does know his magic, she has to admit. And he may, occasionally, be somewhat correct about the most appropriate course of action, although Yaziyah is not yet ready to admit that one.
Having secured a means of breathing underwater, you head towards Citadel Volshyenek to speak to Grimaldi, a member of the Korvosan Guard who supposedly was on duty the night the supposed plague ship was sunk. Even though Korvosa's harbor on the Jeggare River isn't terribly large, you decide that it would be prudent to get some advice on exactly where to find the wreck. The Jeggare is not exactly known for being Avistan's cleanest river.
The guard at the gate waves you through, recognizing you from your work with the Grand Marshal. When asked about Grimaldi, he directs you to the eastern high tower of the Citadel. Garvid leads the way, leading you up many stairs and through many rooms until you finally emerge on the parapets of the tower. High above Korvosa, the cold wind whips at your clothes, threatening to tear away any loose items. It only takes a few seconds to find the man, or rather dwarf, you are looking for.
Grimaldi is an older dwarf gentleman whose voluminous beard has grown beyond any sense of modesty or sanity and now reaches down to his knees. Although the top of his head is bald, the hair on the side and back of his head has grown out to match his facial hair, so that it almost looks as if he is wearing a hirsute dress. Only glimpses of his gray Guard uniform peak through between countless strands. He is currently bent over one of the ballistae, hammering away furiously at something.
As you approach, Grimaldi jumps down from the siege weapon and shoots you an angry glare.
"What do you people want? Can't you see I'm busy? The Captain will have my hide if I don't finish this by sundown!"
Talfryn turns the boots over and over in his hands, but finally gives them back to Yazi. "I'm afraid I can't quite pinpoint the nature of these boots," he says, bracing himself already for her withering scorn. "Perhaps later I can sit with them in my study and delve deeper into the matter."
***
Stepping out onto the windswept parapet, Talfryn feels a moment's exhiliration; the view is stunning, the wind bracing, and being so high above the city gives him a fleeting sense of reprieve from the horrors below.
The dwarf's gruff challenge however quickly brings him back to himself, and he steps forward to respond.
"I am Lord Talfryn Blackoak, and my friends and I are working as special envoys of the Lord Marshall. We're investigating the plague ship that was sunken in the bay, and were told you might be very dwarf who could help us pinpoint the location where it went down. Did you by chance see the scuttling of the ship yourself? If so, what more can you tell us about its destruction? Who gave the order?"
Yaziyah receives Talfryn's admission of defeat with a noncommittal shrug. "My impression was that these would aid the wearer with the kind of things that people do when they wear boots. Like walking. Perhaps even jumping."
She holds them out to Li. "You think these would be useful for you? Or perhaps for Mouse? My long legs are doing enough striding for my tastes, and I am not at all inclined to jump and caper about at my age."
Reaching the top of the eastern Citadel tower, the Shoanti woman is too winded to talk for a moment, so of course His Lordliness starts interrogating the poor dwarf like he owns the place. The nerve on the man... She gives the hirsute guardsman a grin, twirling her own impressive length of braid. Perhaps they can bond over hair. Or perhaps not. But time is rather of the essence, so she decides to try and help things along. "Don't mind him too much, the quicker his questions are answered, the sooner we'll be out of your hair... and there's several pints in for you at..." She snaps her fingers at Garvid, expecting the man to supply the name of a drinking establishment favoured by the guards.
Pietro ambled along towards the port and the sunken ship. Still not quite sure how they will manage to investigate the vessel.
He turned to Li, "Did you say that you have potions that allow for water breathing? How many do you have?"
tag?
------------------
WITH DWARF
Pietro added his own voice of reasoning, 'Yes, good sir. We are here to try and determine how to stop the blood veil sickness."
He added, "Surely you have someone dear to yo affected by this plague. Your help is much appreciated."
-------------
Li reaches out hesitantly and takes the boots. She looks questioningly at Mouse. "Are ya bein' ok with me wearin' 'em or did ya want 'em? Or mebbe we c'n share 'em."
When Pietro asks about the potions, Li pulls the wooden box out of her bag. "He be givin' us twelve potions ta breathe under tha water." Her brow furrows as she tries to remember what he'd said. "I think he be sayin' they be lastin' for five hours."
Li stays quiet as the others plead their case with the dwarven guard. There were already quite a few voices in the conversation and the rogue couldn't think what she could possibly say to help things along. She watches and waits to see how Grimaldi will react considering he seems to have started out angry.
Mouse looks appreciatively over the quality of the boots, but in the end hands them back over to Li. I got these what I picked up 'afore, she answers, indicating the red-and-gold boots she'd purchased in the marketplace. They're already helpin' me with th' duckin' 'round, even if they don't strict make me faster. 'Sides, we already know I c'n trounce y' in a footrace a'ready, she ends with a teasing elbow jab.
----------
Like Li, Mouse keeps quiet as Talfryn and Yazi speak with Grimaldi. Would bribin' 'im help any? 'E's a Guardsman, I know, but it don' mean 'e stops likin' money, an' dwarves is s'posed t' be th' mos' greedy of 'em all by what I 'eard...
Grimaldi nods at Lord Blackoak's question growing serious and quite a bit less agitated.
"Aye, I was one of them's that fired on the ship after it refused identification. It was all done according to regulations and was a good call on Captain MacTaggart's part. I'm glad someone's doing something to investigate the wreck. Seems like the ship was up to something for sure."
The dwarf then turns to look out over the water, his long hair blowing in the stiff breeze making his entire body look like it is undulating. He points to a place in the distance.
"See that small island in the Jeggare? The Direption went down about 75 yards north-northeast of that. The river there is about 80 feet deep, so if you're going down to the wreck, you better be good swimmers. The Jeggare doesn't move fast, but he does have some odd currents."
As the topic of the boots is breached, Garvid raises a curious eyebrow. "Huh. Don't let the word that there's magical boots reach us Flatfoots.", he grins. "Boots are the most useful thing a guard can have. You walk with it, feel the pavement with it, hide your dagger in it." He starts raising fingers in the air. "Use it as a means of barter, means of identification. It also doubles as a drinking vessel, if you're from Galt.", he laughs, tapping the ground with the heels of his own, severely worn boots. "I could use a pair, so if nobody else insists...", he stares at the pair with barely contained greed.
---------------
"Grimaldi!", shouts Garvid, having taken a moment to pick up the rear. "You need rescue from that bush? Keep it all up, and soon you'll be captaining your own pirate ship.", he laughs, giving the dwarf a pat on the back. "McTaggart? Didn't he marry that noblewoman? If he comes by, tell him I dropped by to inspect his handiwork in person.", the large man chuckles. He gestures towards the island. "Do you know who frequents that dirtspeck? Any gangs we need to keep an eye on?"
Lord Blackoak listens gravely, lips pursed and brow lowered. He links his hands behind his back and moves to the parapet to gaze out over the Jeggare.
"We've reason to suspect that Direption was plundered." His voice is a sober counterpoint to Garvid's exuberance. "Did you see any scavenger craft move in after it went down? Any activity at all?"
Grimaldi smiles at Garvid's comment and chuckles. "Garvid, it's good to see you again. It's been too long. Turns out McTaggart only thought she was noble. Once they got hitched, it turned out her father was a soapmaker from Palin's Cove and she had just bought a few fancy dresses. We still haven't let him live that one down."
The dwarf shakes his head at Lord Blackoak's question. "As far as I know, no one's gone down for it. For one, it's pretty deep. And two, the blood veil hit right after it sank, so people have been focusing on more important matters."
"Hey, now, you laugh now, but I'd like to see a noblewoman make soap.", grins Garvid. He taps on the ballista, grunting with approval. "Alright, Grimaldi - I think that's all I can think of." he looks around, waiting to see if any other questions are being raised.
As soon as the dwarf gets back to his work, Garvid nods towards the isle. "Hate the damn river. The amount of floaters in it was high enough before a damn ship was sank in it.", he chuckles with a wide smile. "Should be a fisherman or two with a boat we can borrow. That time of the day, I'm willing to bet they're drinking some paint thinner in one of the dockside watering holes. Could probably take us there, if you don't feel like walking with me on the bottom.", he pats his worn and battered chest plate.
Pietro was glad that Garvid knew the guard; n better way to get info and favors than from a friend.
He waited patiently to see if they would be able to visit the sunken vessel after all.
Lord Talfryn nods to Garvid as they walk away from the dwarf and his ballista.
"A boat or even a modest ship would be greatly appreciated. Could we anchor it in place, or is that too great a depth? If so, we might need to employ a sailor or two to await our return."
Talfryn looks down at his heavy clothing and sighs. "And I suppose we'll need appropriate clothing for such an excursion. And lights. At eighty feet I'll doubt there will be any natural light to speak of. I can, of course, furnish us with a magical light source. I shudder to think what manner of fish and monsters that lone beacon shall summon, however."
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
"I could use a pair, so if nobody else insists...", he stares at the pair with barely contained greed.
Li grins and hands the boots over to Garvid. "Every fine gentleman be needin' a good pair o' boots."
----------------
Li starts to get nervous as it begins to sink in that she'd be going under the water. She wasn't even that strong of a swimmer. And now there were going to be fish and monsters...it's then that she realizes she hadn't really thought things through. Could she even fight under the water? "We be havin' tha potions. We be needin' ta get in quickly, be lookin' around, an' gettin' out before anythin' in tha water be gettin' hungry."
Righ' Mouse agrees with Li, staring dubiously (and more than a little nervously) at the river's depths. It'll be all fine...water's mostways still, an' there's th' potions an' all... Still, though, Mouse can barely contain her panic - the waters had swallowed up half a lifetime in Mouse's mind, after all.
With little effort you find an unemployed fisherman named Mank to row you out onto the Jeggare in his boat. He doesn't have an anchor that will reach the bottom, but promises to wait nearby until you reemerge, and then pick you up again. () All he requests is a silver on the row out and another one on the row back, which seems like a reasonable price.
"Why, indeed,", grins Garvid back. "Your Ladyship.", he winks, bowing in an overexaggerated manner as he takes the boots in his hands. The large guardsman takes a position next to a nearby wall, then reaches downwards to take off his boots. Sitting on a fence, which complains rather meekly, he takes off his old boots, the already torn leather indented and scratched by clasps, buckles and plates. Putting the boots aside, he grabs the new ones, and stops. "How do you... uh, magic them to become bigger?", he asks Yazi, staring for a moment at the boots, seemingly sized for a small woman. As he sits there scratching his head, he suddenly turns back to them to find them perfectly sized. "Damn magic...", he mutters as he puts them on.
As he stands up a moment later, he takes a look down to appreciate the look, he stares down with distrust. "Well, it seems they don't work for m...", he starts saying, as a feel of amazement spreads over his face. "Hooo!", he blurts out, starting to tap on the pavement. "Haven't felt this way since... hah! Twenty years ago!", he chuckles, before taking a running jump into the air. "Woah! Misjudged that...", he narrowly misses breaking into a window. "Hrmph..." He looks around the street with a hint of embarrasment on his face, as he gleefully taps his feet on the ground with closed eyes. "And the pavement... it's like a book!", he continues his praises.
After calming down in a moment, he quickly runs over to the curb to collect his halberd, then shoulders it, a grin still spread across his face. "The colour could be darker, though...", he complains as the group departs, though the comment sounds more like habit rather than a genuine complaint.
Tapping his boot on the deck of the boat, Garvid stares at the water with disgust and a bit of distress. "I don't like being on the water...", he mentions after a while, shrugging at the fisherman. "Or on a horse, or on a cart...", he adds, staring down a suspicious blot on the Jeggare's surface as if it personally insulted him. Turning towards the rest, he looks at Talfryn, as if a thought suddenly came to his mind.
"Lordship?", he asks. "Meant to ask you something. All the noblehouses in here have a business of their own. Docks, libraries...", he stares at Old Korvosa. "Bloodsucking. What did the Blackoaks do to gain nobility status?" So far, him and Cal are a lot better than the rest of those leeches. If a bit wordy...