Varocles inclines his head to Aikaterine when she looked at him and spoke to him, "yes your goddessness. I am here and prepared to serve to the best of my ability."
Amphitryon mentally shrugged. He did not know what caused the change of heart, and he saw no reason to question it. What mattered was that the cleric was on their side. As far as he was concerned, a phalanx did not require everyone to be friends, if needed everyone to be able to trust each other.
The trip on the sea is a rather short one given how far Crete is to the rest of Greece, your captain being Sao Feng who is again a man of little words. The docks along the coastline of Crete is unmanned with only another seemingly empty ship to greet you. The large bustling capitol city of Heraklion spans most of the island it seems as you see people go about their daily lives.
"Now, to find an ant among an anthill."
She takes in the name of the ship next to them at the dock. What type of vessel? Ocean-going? Has it sat there for a long time by appearance?
Varocles makes a professional assessment of both vessels (the one we're on, and the other) to make sure he knows their relative capabilities and crew competence and seaworthiness and such.
It looks like a normal sailing vessel and you think that it's been here for a few days.
The ship you're on is a rather capable one but much smaller than the one the Frisky Satyr(Captain Argus' ship) and not quite as nice, but it is adequate. The other vessel, you surmise might be a pirate ship which will make things interesting if you should meet the crew and/or captain.
"Hmm..." she mutters to herself as she looks to the neighboring ship. If there is anything she understands about it, she doesn't bring it up, but instead looks to Varocles, who seems to be eyeing the vessel as well. He is infinitely a better sailor than she is anyway. Her eyes now surveil the city before them and its mass in the distance. She will look forward to exploring this new sight, as it is far different than she remembers.
Varocles smiles, and under his breath comments, so his companions can hear him, "they be pirates, so watch yer steps."
Amphitryon stepped off of the ship and looked around. He still wore the armor and carried the blade of Ares, though one would never have guessed from looking at him. In his time at the Temple, he had become attuned with the plate and sword. It was now truly a part of him, and like his spear before the change, it was cloaked by his shadow. The Shadow Warrior appeared as if though he wore a simple chiton. Given that the clothing was, in fact, his armor, the garmet was long, including sleeves. The color was dark, a mixture of grays and blacks. Of his blade, it was disguised as a himation. He was taller than before, and broad of shoulder, but not overly so. While he might stand out from that, he still looked normal enough to not warrant anything besides a glance from a passerby.
"Indeed, that we should." He said, to Varocles. "But pirates would be just the sort who would have the information we seek, would they not? I believe that I will go to a local tavern. Have a drink and see what information I can find about those ne'er-do-wells. If they are to be a source of information, it would be right to know who we are going to talk to. Would any of you like to come with?"
"I believe this is becoming quite the custom for us. Let's make it so."
She seems less excited to go compared to their expedition in Thebes. Here, she pulls her hood over her face and lifts a silvery, satin veil over her mouth.
She will ask directions for the Bull's Horn Inn, as it seems a good a place as any to get a drink.
You are given directions to the Bull's Horn Inn and it takes you mere minutes to arrive there. The sign atop the doorway is carved into the shape of a bull's head, with painted red beady eyes. As you enter you notice that the establishment is full of patrons all talking and seemingly having a good time.
”These people have the right idea.” Amphitryon said with a smile.
Varocles turns to Kyronai and asks, "which of us is playing the part of herald here?"
*+4 if trap-related
Aikaterine shifts off to the side of the door and quickly finds a seat at a nearby table. She doesn't wait for someone to bump into her and mess with her illusion. She'd rather them not know she possesses such features. While her hood, robe, and veil still protect her from being seen, this way she will just be a typical elf. Once seated and "safe", she will only then lower her hood and mask (assuming she gets that far). Her godly eyes scan the place for disturbance and servers alike.
Varocles turns to Kyronai and asks, "which of us is playing the part of herald here?"
Kyronai stares at Varocles trying to figure out what he means. After a moment, he replies, "Are you suggesting that we are obligated to announce Amphytrion's and Aikaterine's presence? If we're hear to gather information, that seems like a tactic they should agree with beforehand."
Varocles nods, "of course. How better to gather information than to trumpet their presence and impress the locals with their status? Neither of us is a bard, to be sure, which is why I wasn't sure which of us the responsibility falls to."
Everyone notices that there is an elf attempting to blend in by pretending to be deep in his cups though in reality he is sharing his drink with the floor. As he "drinks" he is also keeping an eye on his surroundings.
When Varocles and Kyronai look, they see Aikaterine sitting at a nearby table and has not likely heard their discussion.
As she sits, she does notice the elf. It is not as common to see one of her own kind compared to humans so her eyes linger a moment. Despite this, she focuses on her search for a waitress, but in her peripherals, she keeps an eye on the elf from now on.
She counts the people inside, noting the number in her mind. Based on clothing and ship-related attire, she is attempting to judge whether a good portion of the pirate crew are within this tavern as well?
Varocles nods, "of course. How better to gather information than to trumpet their presence and impress the locals with their status? Neither of us is a bard, to be sure, which is why I wasn't sure which of us the responsibility falls to."
"I can think of numerous effective ways to gather information. Your plan may be effective, but not if we don't have their buy-in.
"Since you are a cleric of Poseidon, I would think you'd be restricted in who you can proselytize for. Why don't I act in that regard for Amphitryon and Aikaterine?"
"Well, I see your point, but Poseidon was rather clear that I should do what was necessary to continue the veneration of the gods of Olympus. With that in mind, I would have no qualms about heralding the arrival of the newest incarnations of Eris and Ares, as well as explaining their individual realms of influence to any who were to ask."
"This may seem like an unusual question, but what would you have done if Eris' or Ares' divine power merged with you after that battle?"
"That's an absurd question." Varocles looks at Kyronai in disbelief. "I am a devout follower of Poseidon. I'm sure there is a reason it went into the two of them, I just don't know what that reason is. It avoided me because you can't very well have one god be a follower of another god."
"That's... a lot to think about.
"Listen, you are very knowledgeable regarding divinity, and the ways of the gods. I value that, but please keep in mind that Aikaterine and my brother do not have your expertise, and were 'thrown in the deep end' as the saying goes. They were not expecting what happened to them, and I'll venture to say they are not ready for it.
"Pushing them into their roles before they are ready will not benefit anyone. They have to embrace it on their own. And... I believe that publicly announcing them as Olympians, deities, or what-have-you before they are ready to embrace that role is dangerous."
Varocles nods. "Your argument makes sense. We'll give it a week."
You know that pirates in this area are not shy about being pirates and thus wear loud colors with their flag somewhere on their person and thus you do not see any in here at the moment. You count twenty people not including staff of which you see three walking from table to table.
You also know that Crete is a bit unusual in that their current king is not Minos, but rather his son, commonly referred to in stories as The Minotaur. In fact the tavern you are in is named after him as it is his favorite establishment.
With Aikaterine not gathering the waitress so far, she waves them down.
"Whatever soup you have available and if you have any elven wine, I'll take some. If you can, send a nice glass of wine to my elven friend there. You can tell him it is because he seemed rather dry." This comment is meant to be counter to what he seems, which is sloshed in ale. In other words, she sees through his faking and she is offering a drink to open channels between two elves.
For his part, Amphitryon went to get a drink and then scanned the room for friendly faces. Once he had picked a table he went over, drink in hand and a smile on his face. ”Well met.” He said. ”Room for one more? Just arrived in port and it’s bad luck to drink alone. Name’s Amphitryon and round’s on me, eh?”
The waitress nods Aika's request. "Today's soup of the day is Avgolemono, a lemon chicken soup. I will check if we have elven wine, if not I will get the closest thing we have." She then walks away to complete Aika's order. A few minutes later she comes back to drop off a steaming bowl of soup that smells as good as it looks as well as a glass of sweet looking red wine before dropping one off at the other elf's table. Aika can see the waitress point back to her while talking to the man. The elf in response blinks and furrows his brow. But he takes a whiff of the glass and takes a sip. He seems to enjoy it.
Meanwhile Amphitryon sits down at a table with a half orc who grunts affirmatively to his offer. "A drink is worth some talk. I'm Oktar. Yea I saw the ship and couldn't believe my eyes. No pirate would be dumb enough to try anything here. King Taurus doesn't tolerate pirates and personally hunts them down if he even smells them. But I do hear rumblings that there might be a watchman on the take, but I didn't say nothin." Oktar replies as he takes a swig of his drink.
With the elf stirring at the distant table, she will take her robe and use it like a hotpad, and then carries her soup and wine over toward the table.
"Care for some company?"
Even in her disguised form, there is something exceedingly stunning about her; not just as an elf, but in her presence alone as well. If she were trying to sow chaos, envy, discord, and strife, just her presence alone may be enough to make people fight over her. As it is, she is just looking for a quiet meal with a fellow elf who seemed to be acting suspiciously.
"I suppose for finding me a suitable drink here I can spare some time. It is not Elven, but it will suffice." He replies, very clearly trying to get a read on you and your motives.
Aikaterine finds her own entertainment and sets her bowl down at the table of the elf who was surrounded by drinks and eyeing the room in secret.
"Yes, I have done some research on the topic. I wouldn't have thought to find someone else on this island with any taste. You know your wine." He replies suitably impressed.
Aikaterine seems to have revived the elf through conversation.
The half-elf gladly sat down and ordered a round for the table. He spent some time just drinking and listening, learning about the stories of the others who were there. Who they were, what they did, that sort of thing. Then, he steered the conversation towards local events that might stand out, and to get what information they knew about the pirate ship at port.
The elf's eyes grow wide at Aika's words. He mouths a swear. "Keep your voice down. I'm undercover on a job. But if you saw through it, others probably did too. Which means I've blown my cover. What do you want to keep your silence? I should have enough gold to cover it. I really don't want to be burned. Thirty missions, no mistakes. But I get caught by another elf." He sighs after he whispers to her.
Oktar is the only other person at your table. "I'm a mercenary by trade. Most folks think my kind are all savage brutes, so the only ones who hire me are ones that need a savage brute. That ship is Glaucetas' ship. What he's doin' here, no idea. But I'm guessing it ain't good. Only reason I know it's him, is because of the falcon skull on the flag. And he only does big jobs or ones that make him famous. He doesn't waste his time on small prey."
She can see that Amphitryon is speaking to an orc, and she briefly looks for what Kyronai and Varocles are doing without giving them away. Not that the spy she is talking to couldn't probably pick them all out among commoners. Even her own robes are far nicer than the muck-covered ones that most wear.
"Fine. I am on a scouting mission. I am to keep a low profile as I am watching for terrorists. They call themselves the Prometheans. I am strictly on a observe and report assignment."
If she can sense no deception, the act of leaning in also allows her to open her robe slightly with the other free hand, showing him her badge.
"My allies here are of a similar mind. Is there somewhere safe we can meet and talk later without itching ears and blowing your cover?"
Aika senses no deception from the other elf. "I am being housed by a friendly couple who believe me to be a friendly drifter, down on his luck." He replies, quickly writing down some rough directions on a small piece of parchment.
Feeling that it would be suspicious if the four of them all separated upon entering the inn and began engaging various strangers, Kyronai invites Varocles to the bar where they can each order a drink.
Varocles agrees to Kyronai's suggestion. "Do you think we should get a couple ambrosia's for the other two?"
"Well...I'll say you are down on your luck, given those you are up against. Be careful. They have been formidable."
She will take the offered script written in char and will glance at the address before palming it.
"Now say something offensive...and if you don't mind. I'm throwing some of this fine wine in your face..."
If he plays along, she will do as she promised and then will get up from the table with her bowl and storm across the room away from him. The whole interaction wouldn't have taken long. Having paid already, she will storm out. When the others exit the tavern eventually, she will regroup with them and display the address for them to see. It is the address of the contact they were seeking.
Once you both seat yourselves at the bar, the bartender walks over to greet you. The halfling steps onto a short stool. "Welcome to the Bull's Horn, boys. What'll it be today?"
The elf nods. "Listen, I'm sure you're very good at your job, but I can't afford a date with you today. You can turn your tricks somewhere else." He says very loudly causing a few people to glance in your direction before wine meets face. A nearby waitress hands him a towel wipe himself off as he "seethes".
Ignoring Varocles' question, Kyronai orders a glass of wine and indicates to Varocles that he should order something. He starts to engage the bartender further when Aikaterine's outburst draws everyone's attention.
After things calm down, Kyronai points at the elf Aikaterine was talking to and asks the bartender, "Who is that?"
Varocles shrugs and asks, "something local please?"