Ushari stares at the strange crow like humanoids, not sure what to make of them yet. Her gaze softens looking at some of the children, knowing she was not that far removed from being a child herself. She smiles and waves back to some of the more curious ones. A thought struck her, I wonder if I have any siblings.
Buli says, "Well, it ain't my birthday so I guess this is for you folks. Lemme see what's what." He hustles forward to talk with one of the cooks - a tall, imposing woman with auburn hair. She hugs him then starts talking and gesturing with a ladle at the different cook-fires. Buli nods and comes back.
"Well, we got a couple of hours before everything is ready. The Hetmon would like to speak with all of us, if you're willin'."
Buli walks them to one of the houses halfway up the shingle. A hale, middle-aged Dwarf greets them on the porch and sees them seated with a pleasant view over the town. He introduces himself to each one of them personally, calling himself "Thrane". When they've been served wine, he takes a glass himself and leans against the porch rail.
"So, as I understand it, you folks saved ol' Buli here from a whole lot of Goblins. I want to thank you for that. He's one of our leading citizens, Godfather to my son, and a very old friend. We're going to have a celebration to thank you properly and toast the continued existence of this old codger."
Buli gives a dismissive snort which Thrane ignores. He holds up a small slip of paper. "Now, according to Buli's note you folks were on a ship that sank? That's something that we need to report to the Harbor Master in Orfallen - ship name, passenger names, and anything you can tell us about the loss of the vessel. They'll check the passenger rolls for your ship and notify the families of everyone who was lost, businesses that lost stock... that sort of thing. So, what can you tell me?"
Jayse takes in the little town, particularly watching the two tengu. Any connection to my past is worth noting.
He greets Thrane, trying to be respectful to the city leader, "Nice to meet you, Thrane. I'm Jayse." He smirks at the comment about them saving Buli, "To be honest, we didn't really save his skin at all. He fought as well as any against the goblins. If anything, he's the one who kept us from walking into the area with all the quicksand. Lucky for us."
He shakes his head at the questions regarding their shipwreck. "As to that… I'm not sure how much help I can be. I can't speak for everyone here, but I don't seem to remember much before trying to survive a storm. Literally… my first recent memory is of being underwater, caught by a crate or something as it sunk."
Jayse hesitates, How much to tell? I guess I won't get very far if I treat everyone with suspicion.
"I don't know the name of our ship, either, though we found a piece of wreckage that had part of a name. The last four letters on the wood were D-O-R-I-A. The letters were painted in gold, so I assumed it was the name of the ship. All I know about the ship is that I awoke in a storm and when we washed up, there was a lot of ship wreckage with us."
Jayse waits patiently while the others greet the dwarf, trying to be helpful when it is Findelgwing's turn. "This is Findelgwing. She can't - or at least doesn't - speak and only seems to understand elven. If anyone's to get credit for saving Buli from the goblins, it's her."
Findelgwing turns when she hears her name, her bright green eyes pensive as she takes in the town and its varied peoples. She gives a small wave of greeting when she sees others looking at her.
Ushari nods at the Thrane, "Jayse speaks for all of us in this case. I do not remember what happened before the shipwreck, only snippets, which cause more questions than answers."
She then will translate the Thranes words into Elvish for Fin to understand, if necessary.
Fin isn't sure if it will help, but she can offer to share her maps. If the old man can figure out where her home is, that might help to determine a probable route and narrow down the search for a port of discharge to query.
Jayse looks up as a thought occurs to him, "one other thing. While we were drifting… something we did for a few days, actually.. we did run across one thing of note. Maybe it'll help you locate where we drifted. We ran across a pirate ship burning down a smaller ship." He retells the experience, as much as he can, being as specific as he can about the pirate ship and the flags they flew. He delivers his tone in a surprisingly detached tone with an equally surprising level of detail.
"Like I said," he concludes, "I don't know if it'll be helpful or not. I've heard some pirates have territories, and any details might help, right? And I'm very interested to fill in some of these mysteries."
Buli provides context to Fin's maps for Thrane. "It's like this, Hetmon. I gave those maps a good looksee and asked some questions. Near as I can figure, she don't come from anywhere I sailed in the Isles. Could be from some outlying islands or somewhere further. I suggested she check with the Cartographers."
Thrane nods, deferring to the old sailor's opinion.
To Jayse's description of the pirates, Buli spits reflexively to ward off evil. "Reavers! Curse their black-bladed pennant."
Thrane's face looks like a stormcloud about to burst but his reply is more informative. "Definitely, Reavers. Their ships fly two flags: their clan colors... the diagonal black machete you saw... and their crew's colors which are specific to their boat. I don't think I've ever heard of the red hand flag before. It might be a new crew. We'll have to pass the word along." He writes down a description of the flag and the name of the ship: Wages of Sin. "Good thing you avoided them. They don't just loot; they pillage and destroy. Even other pirates are afraid of the Reavers. They'll hunt anything that isn't carrying a Reaver flag. And good luck to you if you fake one of their flags - they have their own language as well."
"Well, you must have come out of the Sea of Storms then, far south of Aamari, probably from Talin Isle. Should be a simple matter for the Harbor Master to determine when a ship by the name of -DORIA left Talin recently." He puts down his stylus and calls out to one of the local boys walking by. He tosses the notepad to him. "I need you to take that to Oly for starlinging right quick! There's a good lad." The boy sprints off without a word.
Thrane turns back to the group. "So that answers all the whats-n-wherefores about your boat. What about you? Where do you all hail from?"
Ushari looks at Hetmon while he talks about the Reavers, and also trying to fill in the blanks concerning how they came to be shipwrecked here in Forestal. Then he asked the question she had been dreading…
”I do not want to be considered rude or untrustworthy, but I…am sorry Thrane, but I…cannot answer that question. I do not remember where I came from. I only remember bits and pieces of my life prior to the shipwreck. My companions all share this amnesia.”
Thrane smiles at Ushari's response and leans back against the rail. He starts 'musing' about the Isles in general, clearly trying to make a point without specifically saying the point applies to anyone in particular.
"There are a lot of different islands here and a lot of different people. The central and northern islands are, I hear, very 'civilized'. But this is Amador. Only thing south of us is the Deep Blue. This is the wild and wooly end of the Isles. We've got storms blowing off of the Sea of Storms and the Deep Blue that, I kid you not, were sent from Hell itself. Fierce things that haven't touched a speck of land til they hit us. And we've got Reavers, common pirates, dread fog, odd sea beasts, and not much law to speak of. We are on our own out here mostly. We aren't called the Furthest Coast for nothing. Takes an odd breed of folk to make it here and we've got our own measuring stick for deciding who are 'good people' and who aren't... and it isn't tied to who birthed you, whether you know how to set your silverware, or what you've done in your past. It's about what you do now and how well you contribute to our family." He pulls out a pipe, and taps out the spent remains before reloading it. "That bag of heads, for instance. On some islands, they'd be appalled. Here that shows you've done an honest day's work, you can handle yourself in a tight situation, you know your ass from your elbow, and you look out for others... unless those Gobins spontaneously suicided and took their own heads." He chuckles and takes a puff on his pipe before continuing.
"Now some people, from more civilized places, come here hoping to forget their pasts or maybe have their pasts forgotten about. You might call it 'selective' amnesia. But here, on the Furthest Coast, we generally leave our pasts in the past. It don't matter that you've a death warrant on your head from some soft northern island... when you are a fair hand with a fishing net and never water down your drinks here. Understand?"
Buli smiles at Thrane, "When you talk so pretty as that, I jes wanna kiss ya."
Thrane glances back, "Oh, shut up, Buli. At any rate, folks, you are welcome here for as long as you want to stay. And if you want to jaw about your colorful or boring pasts... it'd be welcome. We've heard each others' stories so many times and new one are always better." He dumps his pipe and puts it away, heading off the porch in the general direction of the sea and pavilion. "Supper should be ready soon, so come on along! Just drop your packs right there. As for accommodations, we don't have an Inn so you'll be staying here, at my house. We take lodgers and visitors at times. We'll show you the rooms later on when you are too drunk to care."
Ushari is unsure what to do about the upcoming party. She feels unworthy of such attention, there really wasn't anything special about her. She tries to remember more about her past, her father, her mother, any siblings she might have. She wondered if there was a special man in her life who was missing her, one who had gifted her that beautiful dress. She did not think so, surely she would remember a man she liked, maybe even loved. But she did not remember her family, so who knows for sure.
Turning her thoughts to happier areas, she walks around the main square where the other townmembers are in full preparation for the upcoming festivities. She feels attention from the other people on her and she tries to be polite as she is swarmed by the children, and some older townspeople, including some handsome men, who definitely made her nervous.
Still, the words of the Thrane echoes in her mind. 'But here, on the Furthest Coast, we generally leave our pasts in the past.' Could she leave her past behind, and build a new life here? She was not sure, she would have to think some more on it. The emptiness in her memories made her think she would have to continue her journey, and find the missing parts of herself.
But that was for a future date...
The party is modest but the food is plentiful and good and the alcohol - virtually lethal. True to his word, Buli introduces them to Eel Tequila, a light brown, almost smoke-flavored liquor distilled from various internal organs of a particular type of eel. There is a cauldron of it bubbling at one corner of the pavilion. But as Buli points out, that isn't "aged proper". Apparently, properly aged eel tequila is 3 days old. The 3 days is "to take the bite off it". Even at three days, it still has more teeth than a goblin and bites like a shark. It is, however, a pleasant tasting drink and each of the group is toasted several times, as is Buli.
While nearly all the townsfolk are at the party, Ushari (who drinks more cautiously than her companions) notes that at the periphery of the town there are casually men standing guard - watching the sea, the strand, and the forest behind the town.
The team is also introduced to several of the notable townsfolk particularly their hostess, the tall auburn-haired woman - Etta, Thane's wife. While all the townfolk intermingle, like attracts like. Each of the team are approached by people of their own race. Fin is delighted to find that more than a few of the Forestal elves speak Aquan. At some point in the evening, a group of them borrow Fin for a quiet evening sail.
Ushari gathers a coterie of eligible men (and several young boys) which grows larger when a drunk Buli relates that she and Jayse are not a couple.
Jayse's usual conservatism is weakened under the effects of the Tequila and he continually gravitates towards the bird-people, almost as if he recognizes them. He eventually slips and says a few words in their language. Their response is immediate. They swarm him excitedly asking questions, praising his pronunciation, and are very pleased that a human can speak their tongue. Their strange, jerky head movements which seem oddly disconcerting to Ushari and Fin, nevertheless evinces only a smile from Jayse... as if he is used to it. They invite Jayse back to their rook, if he is interested.
Straehan's meeting with the other gnomes in town is awkward. Standing next to them, it is clear he is the odd man out. Where their features seem almost exaggerated and their hair, eye, and skin tones are strikingly vivid... Straehan is quite a bit taller, more in proportion, and his coloring is far more similar to the humans in the crowd. While they aren't unfriendly by any means, he is clearly an interesting oddity to them.
Jayse enjoys the evening. The food is warm, the alcohol is plentiful, and the people are curious but kind.
The time spent with the tengu is especially nice. It feels good to finally connect with something that is familiar. Even if I can't remember why.
He agrees to go see their home, curious as to how they've incorporated into this community. He will ask them about their lives, their jobs, how they feel about the community… trying to phrase them up as polite curiosity, but really looking to touch on anything that might give him a better feel for his tengu hosts as well as the community in which they find themselves.
Ushari makes small talk with all of her potential suitors, trying not to show any favoritism to any particular gentleman who is wooing her. All of this attention was unsettling to her, but she found out the more time she spent around them, the easier it became to handle. She asks them various questions about their families, what they like to do for fun, and other non threatening subjects.
She drinks little of the Eel tequila, although the taste of the liquor was quite good, she discovered. Later, she favors some of the cuter, older gentlemen with a dance and allows all of them to generally make fools of themselves over her.
Given how young she is, Findelgwing is a bit hesitant about drinking too much. Instead she shows much more interest in learning more about the other elves in town, and making friends with those of the same apparent age. She is a bit surprised to find that even the tallest among the other elves are still shorter than her and have much a paler complexion than she. Although it's difficult even for the other elves to keep up with her since she scarcely pauses to breathe, Ushari later learns by proxy that Findelgwing has never really seen any outsiders having lived her entire life on a small island with just her family.
Apparently her mother greatly resembled the other elves here, tall and graceful with pale golden hair, but her father was a giant of a man, almost like a huge human with sparkling eyes and regal silver hair. It was he who crafted the sword that she jealously guards — the only memento she has of her family now that they are all gone.
As for what happened to them, she can't recall, only that upon seeing the Reavers, she was filled with a sense of dread, hate, and terrible, crushing loss...
Jayse wanders up the shingle with the Tengu and into the outskirts of the forest where they have built an elaborate 'tree house' that stretches between 3 enormous trees and rests on boughs thicker than a giant's leg. They climb the rope ladder some 40' onto a covered deck that overlooks the town. It is a fantastic view.
Being a gregarious lot, Jayse is quickly introduced to the six Tengu in town - three adults and three 'juveniles'. It takes awhile for him to understand all the nuances of their society but he eventually gathers that two of the adults are a mated pair. The other adult female is single and the three youths are nomadic and unrelated to any of the adults. They are staying in town for 'awhile' and sharing the rook but expect to move on when they get itchy to see new places. Apparently, this is typical of young Tengu and Jayse seems to find the information unsurprising. He even thinks he may have 'migrated' with a group of Tengu youth when he was in his teens.
It takes little prodding from Jayse to get the Tengu discussing themselves, their neighbors, and all the gossip in town - who is sleeping with whom and who doesn't know about it, which fisherman holds a grudge against another for debatably 'poaching' in a favored fishing spot, etc. They paint a portrait of a small town that has its share of up and downs, odd characters, and hardships. But the general tenor is that folks get along here, if not perfectly than at least passably. After a few more drinks and some shared Tengu cuisine, Jayse also finds out that Thrane spoke truthfully about the latitude in town regarding people's pasts. There are a few 'criminals' in town and some well-checkered pasts. The Tengu point it out as interesting gossip... after all, the best Eel Tequila in town is made by a woman who was allegedly a convicted poisoner, so what's the past got to do with the here-and-now?
Fin finds there are nearly a score of Elves that call Forestal and it's surrounding areas home. Of those, there are four who are close enough to her age that she is comfortable spending time with them. Two of them speak Aquan and are avid sailors. The other two are friendly and curious but they are clearly more at home in the forest than the water. In any case, they are all friendly and when Fin shies away from personal subjects they talk with her about the sea, the local fishing and swimming spots, and other light subjects. They politely offer her a place to stay among the Elves if she'd rather not stay at the Hetmon's house. Apparently, this won't be seen as an insult to the Hetmon as the town is very 'casual' regarding accommodations.
Fin eagerly accepts the sleep-over invitation though any who would listen are pretty sure that there's next to no chance of her getting any sleep much less being quiet. Late into the night, the sounds of drums, singing, and laughter can be heard wafting out over the water.
Some facts about Forestal, you've been able to gather:
.
Population: 110 people (70% are adults)
Humans: 59
Elves: 20
Dwarves: 11
Halflings: 7
Tengu: 6
Gnomes: 5
Tieflings: 1
Aasimar: 0
Industries: Fishing, Eeling, light Forestry, and Mushroom production
The next morning, Straehan groans and rolls over to face a swath of lovely, unblemished skin - a woman's back. Even though his head pounds, he appreciates the sight of the slope of her hips and the hourglass figure. She rolls over - still asleep - her long lustrous. black hair, dishevelled. He smiles and brushes the hair from her face... and horns. As he rises and dresses, he runs through the evening. There was the initial disappointment of being little more than object of curiosity for the gnomes, not because he was a stranger but because of his odd looks. Whatever parent had given him the sorcerous skills, claws, and the facility with flame had also bequeathed him with the unusual appearance. He didn't even realise he looked odd until he saw the other gnomes.... So he excused himself and started drinking and chatting with other people. And the only one in the crowd who stood out more than him was this woman with horns and a devil-may-care grin.
After all that tequila, he probably said too much to her but he needed answers and denying the questions was the slow way. Sometimes, you just have to take a risk. He looks in on the woman once more before sneaking out. Despite the booze haze, he clearly remembered why they had ended up in bed together - they were both retirees from the oldest profession.
Ushari wakes up in her bed, wondering where she was for a moment. She turns her head, and is relieved to see she is alone. Considering how much of the tequila she drank, certainly too much for her own good, she is glad nothing untoward happened to her. Still, there were quite a few cute guys there. So why was she so nervous about getting close to...anyone? She was not sure, maybe she was afraid of getting abandoned again...now why did she think that all of a sudden?
She gets up from the bed and dresses quickly in her clothes, and notices they are getting kind of ragged. She really needed to get some clothes. Maybe she could do that today.
She arrives in the common area, looking for her friends, but sees they have not returned yet from whereever they spent last night. She decides to have a quick breakfast, and then see about doing some shopping. Maybe Buli or one of the other guys would accompany her. It couldn't hurt to ask.
Ushari is greeted by Etta, Thrane's wife. She speaks quietly in case the small girl is hung over. The Hetmon's wife offers her breakfast which she quickly whips up. She also brings a large daisy that appears to have been torn out by the roots, judging from the dirtball attached to the bottom of it. She places it next to Ushari's plate. She smiles, amused, "It seems you have a secret admirer. This was left for you on the porch."
Ushari looks at the daisy, and on impulse, removes the dirt from the stalk and cuts it down to a manageable length. She finishes wiping the dirt off of the remainder of the stalk, and then winds one of her braids around it, so the dasiy is interwoven into the right side of her scalp. She gives Etta a smile, and responds, "Well, this should draw my admirer out quickly enough, I think. Do you know if any of my friends have returned yet? I have not seen them this morning at all."
"… and then the woman looks at the dwarf, the halfling, and the dog in turn. Then turns her head back to the salesman and says, 'I think I'll go with the worm.'" Jayse concludes the joke to the strange, cawing laughter.
I don't know if i'll ever really understand that joke. he thinks to himself. But I guess if they like it…
He finishes his last bite of the meal, thanking his tengu hosts again for their hospitality, and excuses himself, hoping to be able catch more of the fun before the town turns in.
He wanders back to the pavilion in time to hear an odd music swing into play, a song obviously meant for dancing. Still some fun to be had after all He smiles as he makes his way into the pavilion, finds a cute enough girl or three, and spins the rest of the night enjoying a dance or three with a few of the girls.
The strange brown liquor makes sure he doesn't quite remember going to bed.
Jayse walks into the main room, surprised to see Ushari already sitting with breakfast - and a daisy in her hair of all things. He pulls on his shirt, ignoring how his sweat shows through almost instantly, and goes to sit by her. She can tell he's already been up doing those stretches and exercizes of his, despite the festivities of the night before.
"G'morning, Ushari. Nice flower. Have any fun last night?" He looks at what she's having for breakfast, trying to catch Thrane's wife's eye to get some for his own. When she brings it, he thanks her and dives in, his appetite large as usual.
Ushari smiles at him, "Good morning to you too. I had a...good time last night. As for the flower, I think someone...likes me." She blushes on the last words. "And you?"
After Jayse has started eating, she asks him, "I am thinking of going shopping for some clothes, would you like to come with me?"
"Uh... I think I'm good on clothes for now. Thanks, though. Maybe Fin will go with you." He looks around and outside, "Speaking of which... have you seen her or Straehan?"
"No I haven't, Jayse. I think Fin was going to spend some time with those elves she met earlier, so who knows when she will be back. As for Straehan, I have no clue."
She rises to her feet and says to Jayse, "Well, I hope you have a good time, I will check it out on my own. Maybe my secret admirer will show up there as well!" She giggles, and after giving Jayse a quick hug, heads out to find the General Store.
Straehan roams in shortly thereafter. He looks hungover but in generally good spirits. When Etta serves him a breakfast of fruit juice, eggs, fresh sausage, warm baked bread and tea - he is all the happier for it. He attacks the food with as much gusto as Jayse. In between mouthful, he compliments the chef and asks Jayse, "What's with the flower in her hair? Did she spend the night with the elves?"
In spite of staying up late, Fin wakes up early with the other elves and enjoys watching the water fowl swirl overhead landing to pick off crustaceans from the surf. After a quick wake-up swim and a bit of bow fishing, she eagerly helped the mother of the sibblings she was staying with to prepare a side of fish along with some eggs she managed to harvest from rocky nests a bit further from the surf.
At the suggestion of one of the girls, she realized that her clothes were in rather poor shape after her ordeal and that her hosts had little of a suitable size to fit her. Completely unfamiliar with the concept of shopping (her only coins having been found gods-know-where), her newfound friend offered to keep her company amongst the 'round-ears' as Findelgwing called them.
The girl just laughed and smiled explaining that they were called 'humans'. After a bit of braiding morning glories into flowery necklaces and hair garlands, they set out for the town proper.
As luck would have it, Ushari while heading down the shingle runs across Fin & company heading up the shingle from the water. Since they are all intent on purchasing (or at least looking at) goods in the store, they join forces and enter the store. It is a clapboard-fronted facade that really doesn't stand out, save for the single signboard which runs from the lintel to the ground, proclaiming in a variety of scripts and hands, in some 15 to 20 languages:
Store - General and Specific Goods - Brynna, Proprietress
Jayse turns to the gnome, "No. Well. I don't know where she slept, but she said the flower was from an admirer. No surprise. She's pretty enough."
He turns back and watches the gnome shovel a few bites, "It's good, right? I mean, it's no sun-warmed shark fillets, but still." He enjoys the last few bites of his own breakfast before continuing. "So how about you? Any fun last night?"
Straehan gives him a small, private, smile. "I met a charming, young lady. We... exchanged 'pleasantries', you might say." He reflects on the evening for a moment and then turns serious, pushing back from his plate. "Jayse, does anything in this town seem odd to you?"
Ushari waves to Fin, glad to see she has found those of her own race. Really her own Elvish speaking skills were not that well honed. She does ask for their asistance with the cart she borrowed to move the loot they had recovered from the goblins. Once they have arrived at the General Store, she seeks out Brynna, and greets her, "Hello there, I have some gear I would like to sell, we recovered these from the goblin raid."
Once she has finished appraising the gear, Ushari nods at the total granted for the purchase, and says, You can hang on to the money for now, I need to split this with my friends."
Something occurs to her, and she reaches into her pack and pulls out the blue silk dress from the waterproof bag it was being stored in. "Could you tell me what a dress like this costs, I am debating whether to sell it or not."
The ladies enter the shop which is a fair bit larger than they thought it would be. It doesn't provide an abundance of options but it carries everything from clothing, to foodstuffs, to weapons both common and a few fine ones. A plain, brunette woman in her 40's wanders the aisles, straightening items, dusting, etc. You expect she is Brynna, the owner... a fact confirmed by the Elf maids who greet her cordially by name, one going so far as to call her 'Auntie'. She smiles, nods, and asks after everyone's health and then leaves you alone to peruse her wares and try on clothes.
When Ushari sets the goblin equipment down, Brynna casts a discerning eye on the goods and pulls out a well-used abacus:
(3) shortbows
(2) short swords
(2) longbows
(2) long swords
(2) suits of leather
After some calculation, she says, "On the equipment, the best I can offer you is 232 gold and 5 pieces of silver." She then eyes the dress critically. "It's lovely; I'm surprised you'd consider selling it. If you were to purchase it in a shop, I expect you'd pay about 70 to 75 pieces of gold for it. If you really want to sell it, I would pay 50 gold for it."
Ushari nods at the assessment of Brynna, "That seems a fair price for all this gear, very well we have a deal."
On the dress, Ushari blushes slightly, and says quietly, "it was a gift from my last boyfriend and I was deciding whether I wanted to be reminded of him, if you know what I mean." She shrugs, and stows the dress away again. "I will hang onto it for now, thanks."
Jayce shrugs, "I don't know." He leans back, crossing his arms and looking around as if looking for a new perspective. "There don't seem to be all that many kids." He looks Straehan in the eyes as if he might find the answer there. "They also seem very eager to ignore everyone's past, but I gotta say that might not be all tha bad of a thing for a group like ours. Why? What ya thinking?"
Ushari nods at the assessment of Brynna, "That seems a fair price for all this gear, very well we have a deal."
"Fair?!" She nods and moves over to the Elven women commenting on the clothes they are trying on and making recommendations.
Ushari nods at the response, and then loses interest, instead checking out some clothing that would fit her slender form.
Straehan looks perplexed. "No, I meant... it's just... hmmm, I see all these people living together, all these different races getting along, and it just seems strange to me, like it is a novel thing to see. I don't know where I came from but I think it was more... homogeneous." He flicks his hands in a dismissive gesture. "I don't know. Maybe I'm missing the memory of everyone getting along."
Jayse shrugs again. "You may be right. And it may be strange, but it seems to work for them. If there's something strange going on here, it'll show itself... particularly if we stick around for a bit."
"Although more than one person has gone out of their way to point out that this town is quick to overlook someone's past. A whole community of peole with that mentality? It does point to a group of people all with something to hide or escape."
His voice drops to barely more than a whisper, "Though until we know more about ourselves, this is as good a place to start put as any."
"You don't trust many people, do you?" Straehan says, half humorously.
"Or it could be as Thrane pretty much said - in a border community with a lot of external threats they can't afford to be turning folks away just because they may have done something shady in the past. The other thing I noted is that he didn't say what happens to people who continue their shady actions here. I'm curious to see if they have a gaol or if 'frontier justice' is what they deal in."
Jayse laughs, "I don't feel particularly untrusting. I try to believe someone til they show they don't deserve it. Unless I get a bad feeling about them." he idly scrapes his fork around his empty plate. "You asked if anything seemed strange. That's the only thing I could think of. I mean, other than my apparent social comfort with bird people. Hey, wanna step out and see some of this town? Or you have plans?"
"Plans? I wish I had plans - it would indicate I have a direction to go in. Let's go and see what we can see."
With her new friends' help, Fin attempts to try on some new clothes. Unfortunately, the clothes for human women are far too short, and those for elven women are not quite as short, but far too tight on her more robust frame. She holds her hands up in front of her chest and the points to the others and makes a constricting motion.
You realize that even though she doesn't look particularly well-endowed, that simply being nicely-proportioned at her height means she'd bust out of any of the blouses for elven women.
Brynna notes Findelgwings predicament, and thinks on the matter for a moment. Noting the colors the girl favors, she picks out a pair of stretchy, dark-blue pants that are close-fitting as tights but not constrictive. With those on, she picks out a cyan shirt with split cuffs and lace frill in the front from the elven men's section. She has Fin put this on, then ties off the bottom of the shirt just below her bust to keep everything in place.
Fin seems happy about this, eagerly telling her aquan speaking friends about how it looks like foam-capped waves to her.
Brynna takes a step back. The girl's well-toned midriff is still bare all the way down to the drawstring waist of her tights, and she's wandering around the store barefoot. As Fin continues to wander around, somewhat oblivious to the difference between men and women's fashions, she oohs over a matching set of eel-skin accessories in the elven men's section — a vest, long-cuffed gloves, and thigh-high boots. They are very nearly black, but in movement, shimmer with a deep purple color.
The proprietess gives a sigh, and is about to lead Findelgwing away, when she realizes with a bit of tailoring and a few cinches in the front, she could essentially transform the piece into a bodice of sorts. While the other girls are looking after one another, she takes Findelgwing aside, hops up onto a stool and makes some measurements which makes Fin raise her eyebrows in confusion.
40C bust... 30" waist... 42" hips... aaand 9"... from underbust to waist.
Brynna holds up a finger to the leggy girl to wait and hustles off, returning a few times over the course of the next hour to check on others before she has completed her alterations. When she's finished, she has Fin try on what is now a close-fitting bodice that helps to keep her from bouncing around quite so much in her youthful vigor.
After admiring her handiwork, Brynna looks around. Something is missing...
With a snap of her fingers, she snatches a long, ruby-colored silk sash off a shelf and ties it around Fin's waist, knotted on the left hip. Liking the look, Fin unearths a few smaller ribbons of the same material tying them over her boots above the calf muscle, and over her shirt just above the biceps. Lastly, she uses one to help contain her indomitable silvery mane.
Ushari looks at the outfit Fin finally settled on, but knows that was not her style. Instead she settles on a much more utilitarian outfit, consisting of a light blue cotton blouse with white frock, and black tights similar to Fin's tights. Finally, she settles on a pair of knee high eel-skin boots. She nods as she notes how the colors mesh together.
"How much for this outfit here, Brynna?"
Having picked some very rare and expensive materials (as her friends tell her in Aquan) and knowing the amount of effort Brynna has put into tailoring everything to her figure, Fin braces herself for a bill of nearly 50GP. She is surprised when Brynna names the price at 35GP.
To Ushari, she says "With those boots, 8GP."
Fin is surprised when Brynna only wants a bunch of little round shinnies in exchange for actual clothes. She happily forks them over.
Ushari pays Brynna the price of the outfit, and then gives a nod of approval to Fin's outfit, complimenting her in Elvish, "I do love that outfit on you, it is very striking!"