Being a premiere airship port and trading hub, the marketplace of Port Escus was bustling with people. Stalls lined the streets and dedicated shops had their doors open, all clamoring for the attention of customers. Traders and even vendors traveled around quite a bit as well, looking for exchanges to be made.
"Well, isn't this place big," Hadarai commented. "How about we meet back at the grey marigold at say, 8 o'clock?" It was still early in the morning, and a massive clocktower, powered by a spinning windmill, overlooked the city. Understandably, the party all looked forward to a day off.
"Sure," Perona agreed. "Aralynn, let's go!"
Aralynn waved goodbye to the rest of the party, exasperated as Perona tugged her by the arm and pulled her through the crowd.
Their time spent shopping and exploring the marketplace passed quickly. There were all kinds of stalls and shops, including those selling foodstuffs, weapons, jewelry, potions, clothes; there even was an open-air seafood court with a you-catch-you-eat type deal.
To the side rested a massive glass aquarium with various fish, crustaceans and other oceanic delicacies stocked inside. You paid a certain amount for bait, then used one of their fishing rods to try and catch your meal.
In the morning, Aralynn roamed the lively streets with Perona, catching sight of Amon and the others a couple of times. They dropped into certain clothing stores, and though Perona was having a day at it, Aralynn limited Perona to one last set of clothes, reasoning that she didn't have enough room left in her pack.
Perona, devastated, ended up perusing the entire store and left, not being able to make up her mind on what outfit to dress Aralynn up in.
Along the route, they also passed several weapon and blacksmith shops—however, none were of particular note and Aralynn didn't buy anything.
- - -
By chance, the party found themselves reunited at the bustling open-air seafood court. The area was scattered with mismatched tables, each one surrounded by hungry patrons eagerly digging into fresh catches. They claimed a spot near the edge of the courtyard, where the mountain breeze could still reach them.
Aralynn paid for a small box of bait and tackle—ten silver. It was a fair price, considering the crowd and the possibility of hauling in seafood worth far more than what they'd paid.
In the end, it was Grango who took charge of the fishing out of the stock pool. His years of survival had given him a knack for coaxing fish onto the hook—almost like he was casting a spell, though there was nothing magical about it.
Aralynn had been tempted to try herself, but she knew better. Given her osprey lineage, one would assume that Aralynn would be good with fishing. However, after checking, the restaurant only allowed the use of their provided fishing rods. While Aralynn could dive, when it came to line-and-reel fishing, Aralynn was... inexperienced, to say the least.
Grango ended up with a jumbo-sized prawn the size of Amon's arm, two smaller crabs about the size of Derrick's fists, as well as two medium sized greyish fish with rainbow stripes lining their sides.
One of the many chefs then quickly cleaned the seafood as Derrick watched onwards, air-mimicking his movements. The chef then roasted the smorgasbord on a grill before he dished them and served them fresh to the party with some garlic, seasoning, herbs, and lemon slices.
After finishing their meal, the party thanked the chef, and headed out. While they originally intended to split up in their two groups, they ended up wanting to go the same way, and the six walked down the marketplace together.
Shopping together gave the party a firsthand look at just how terrifyingly effective Perona could be when it came to dealing with people. Aside from regular encounters and interactions, Perona was great at haggling prices as well...
Steel-tipped arrowheads? No problem! 30% off. Gunpowder? She talked the seller down to 25% off before he even realized he was negotiating. A whetstone for your blade? Of course—30% off, just for you.
Watching her work made Aralynn uneasy. Sure, Aralynn could hold her own in a fight, but Perona? She was something else, winning negotiation battles with charm and words, and that was a whole different kind of dangerous.
They eventually wound up at a fletcher's shop, where Perona finagled a buy-a-bundle-get-ten-arrows-free deal from a particularly grumpy gnome. Amon, who purchased the special arrows, vowed to put them to good use later.
By the end of the day, Aralynn had fully restocked her bullets—thanks, once again, to Perona's absurd charisma—at an elven blacksmith's stall. The same blacksmith also talked Hadarai into buying a strange whip with a legendary backstory... although the hero's name was spelled hilariously wrong on the handle. Still, Hadarai seemed pleased enough with the purchase, lore inconsistencies and all.
They headed back to the Grey Marigold, tired but refreshed from their day off.
- - -
The door chimed as they stepped back into the inn, greeted at once by the familiar roar of laughter, clinking mugs, and the hum of conversation. The tavern was as lively as ever, with regulars packed into the space, creating a cozy sort of chaos. The party wove their way through the crowd and claimed an empty table.
Hadarai raised a hand. "Any chance a waiter's free? We'd like to order."
"Coming, sir." A sturdily built woman strode up and set a rolled menu on the table. "Name's Elaine—owner of this fine establishment. We're short-staffed tonight, so I'm pitching in. What'll it be?"
"I'll have the sausage links with mashed potatoes," Hadarai said, tapping the item on the menu.
Elaine pulled a charcoal pencil and notepad from her pocket and jotted the order down. She nodded.
"I'd like to try the large-portioned pork-and-gravy… Just for reference, how big is the portion?" Amon asked.
"'Bout ye big," Elaine replied, spreading her hands to show a portion about one and a half the size of a standard plate.
"That's good, I'll get that. Grango? Derrick? Aralynn? Perona?" Amon gestured to the rest of the group.
Grango glanced at Derrick. "We'll share a sausage and mash—large portion, split onto two plates if that's alright. We're both a little... compact."
"Got it," Elaine said. "And for you girls?" she asked, turning to Aralynn and Perona.
Aralynn gestured to Perona. "I'll have a small portion of whatever she's having."
Perona glanced up from the menu. "Mashed potatoes, meatballs, and gravy, please."
Elaine scribbled the last of it down, then read the list aloud. "Sausage and mash, regular. One large pork and gravy. One large sausage and mash, split in two plates. Two plates of meatballs, mash, and gravy. That sound right?"
The party nodded and gave her a collective thumbs-up. Elaine tucked the notepad back into her breast pocket but lingered for a moment.
"Oh, right. You all seem to be adventurers, right? This is slightly unrelated, but would you be up for a job? You'd be paid well, of course."
The party exchanged glances, many of which were 'oh boy, a quest on our vacation?' While something to do didn't sound bad, they weren't sure if Elaine was associated with the Brass Hand, and, if she wasn't, they'd have to keep a low profile.
After a shared moment of silent consensus, Perona leaned forward and rested her chin in one hand. "Let's hear it."