Open The Docks The Uncouth Arrival

[Helskyge Icinheart]

After sailing from the Northlands on a rowboat, Helskyge Icinheart came across a smaller sailing vessel of several explorers in service to The Vulpine Imperium. While he was initially mistrusting and aggressive toward these sailors rescuing him, resulting in him being locked up in the brig, he eventually came to trust them a bit as one of the members took time to teach him some basics of Vulpinsulan. Eventually, he was let out of the brig to be put to work moving cargo around and fetching items.

Eventually, the ship docked at Bully, and from here Helskyge decided to disembark. He was greatly overwhelmed by the scale of civilization and was unsure of where to head off to. He received several strange looks and many people he tried to approach would run away from him, and as he was wandering the market, he was accosted by a few guards who were suspicious of him.

"You there, you don't seem to be from around these parts, have you gone through immigration?" one of them said to Helskyge.

Helskyge does not understand much of what they are saying, and he is starting to get nervous as he expects trouble from their demeanor, preparing to ready a weapon.

 

[Morgan Liu]

"Hey, lads, c'mon," a femme's voice wheedled, "no need for that." A sandy ferret wearing a jacket of dark leather, impractical metal studs that did nothing to improve it's protective qualities placed across its surface, stepped forward and put a paw out between the two sides. "Look, we're all friends here." She glanced to the wolf and put a paw on her chest. "I am Morgan," she introduced herself. She held the paw out toward him, asking, "What is your name?"

 

[Helskyge Icinheart]

"Morgan?" Helskyge said a bit slowly, finding the name a bit unusual given the naming conventions of his homeland. His eyes darted around between Morgan and the guards before easing up a bit, deciding that Morgan likely means no harm.

"Now madam," one of the guards said to Morgan, "we do have a responsibility to look after this city and check in on newcomers. We can't just let any brute stroll in without knowing their purpose here."

Helskyge looked to the guards again, only understanding a few words here and there. "What do they want?" he then said to Morgan in broken Vulpinsulan.

 

[Morgan Liu]

Morgan looked to Icy, noting his accent, her mind already spinning. Her own accent shifted subtly, getting closer to his. "They want to know who you are," she stated. "They want to know why you come here." She watched for signs of comprehension. Many languages shared cognates with Vulpinsulan, or at least with a language she spoke. She'd been able to make good use of that... the Shrew Incident notwithstanding, that was.

 

[Helskyge Icinheart]

Helskyge nodded his head to show that he could understand the gist of what Morgan was saying, and begins to respond "I have come from my... home in..." he pauses for a moment, not sure of a precise word in Vulpinsulan, "looking for work." Is, imm-ig-ray-shun work?"

"Ah, so you haven't been to immigration have you? I'm afraid you are going to have to come with us sir," one of the guards said as he motioned for the others to get ready to escort Helskyge at spearpoint.

 

[Izakis]

Izakis walked around the market, looking for a very specific kind of oil. It was hard being a reptile in this climate, but she had to keep her appearance immaculate. Her line of work required it, especially considering the wealth of her usual clientele.

She however spotted something... new. A creature larger than most around and seemingly lost. She knew too many of those in this city. Luckily she also knew that helping them wasn't beyond her.

Swaying towards him she just decided that at least she could help him a bit. The guards seemed a bit too on edge for her taste. So she turned to them with her dashing smile and slow, delicate voice.

"Boys... don't wave your sspears around like that. sssSomebeast may get scared... I wouldn't want to be afraid of such cherished and handsome folks like you." She took a somewhat meek posture, fluttering her eyes in an attempt to work the guards like she usually would if there was any trouble.

 

[Morgan Liu]

Morgan started to panic as the overzealous guards started to lower their spears. 'Gates, if her mum could see this lot, she'd probably tan their hides for such sloppy work. Never lower a spear at someone if you don't intend to thrust it, or something like that, had been Eirene's life advice to Morgan. This lot's mums had apparently never served in the guard.

The ferret blinked as a lizard, of all beasts, sashayed into the mix. Morgan's preferences were pretty broad, admittedly, but normally she'd have said that lizards were outside of those preferences. This beast was enough to make her rethink that distinction. It wasn't just the style of her clothes, which were brave in a way that made even Morgan, who'd been stripped down to nearly nothing in front of a ship full of crewmates, feel self-conscious. No, it was this lizard's confidence that was magnetic, that made Morgan want to curl up with her head in her lap and let this lizard soothe her worries away.

"C'mon, guys," she agreed, gesturing to the lizard in accordance with her point. "You don't really need to do that, do you? Tell you what, how about the lovely lady and I escort him to the immigration office? I'm sure we can keep him from getting lost, no spears required."

 

[SwifttailTheFox]

It was market day in Bully Harbor. Swifttail padded through the stalls with a small woven basket looped over his arm, his tail swaying cheerfully behind him. He had a modest list in mind: fresh bread, a bit of waxed thread, maybe a tin of oil for his lantern. Nothing urgent, but enough to justify the small pleasure of browsing.

A sudden voice pulled his ears upright.

“...Morgan?”

He blinked, turning toward the sound. There she was. Morgan, unmistakable, standing near the harbor’s edge.

His paw went halfway up in a wave when he stopped, caught breathless by the towering figure beside her.

A wolf.

No...it couldn’t be. But it was. Broad-shouldered, fur like wind-swept ash, taller than any beast had a right to be. Swifttail’s breath caught. He hadn’t seen one since... since Iskatyut.

Heart racing, curiosity overtaking caution, he trotted forward.

“Hey, Morgan!” he called, weaving around a fruit stand, basket bouncing against his side.

He was nearly beaming by the time he reached her, until he took stock of the scene. The wolf was tense. There were furrowed brows and uncertain glances. Morgan’s stance was also too firm. A stoat nearby had a steely gaze. The very air felt heavy.

Swifttail slowed, his smile dimming to a careful, quiet presence. His eyes flicked from Morgan to the strangers around her.

He cleared his throat softly, offering a sheepish nod.

“…Did I miss somethin’?”

 

[Morgan Liu]

Morgan started as a familiar fox's voice drifted across the tense standoff. It took her a moment to place it; there were so many todds aboard the Golden Hide, and she was still learning to disentangle them from each other in her mind. "Hey, Swiftie," she addressed him cheerfully as she stood in the midst of the hostile factions, a precarious position if ever there was one. "Nah, nothin' much. Our friends in uniform here just missed the training day on how to welcome new arrivals to the Imperium, that's all."

 

[Izakis]

Izakis gave a quick wink to the ferret who clearly reacted to her presence. When the todd came closer, seemingly a friend of hers, Izakis just nodded at him and with coy smile continued to work up the guards. She moved close to them with a grace of a dancer, each part of her body swaying with years of practice. Putting her claw on one of the guardsman's spear she delicately pushed it down.

"ssSee boys? Flexing muscles does not always bring you the right type of attention... Fuhuhu~ let this man go with us before more and more beasts will get less ssssatisfied with your line of work... You wouldn't want to lose on being seen as ssstrong and valiant among the ladies would you?" She kept her tone sultry and her movements fluid. Swaying her hips while almost dancing sensually with her blue tail.

 

[Helskyge Icinheart]

Helskyge's eyes darted around a bit more, trying to comprehend exactly what is going on due to his inexperience in comprehending Vulpinsulan. He is particularly unsettled by the sight of Swiftie, as his tribe had commonly warred with another tribe of foxes who they saw as dishonorable in their methods. He however could discern the more friendly demeanor of Morgan, so he eased slightly as he responded "lead on, to this… Imm-ig-gray-shun”

"Ah, fine, just get him over there quickly. The man clearly doesn’t seem to have a clue about where he’s at anyways,” one of the guards says to Morgan as he then motions for his companions to depart, though he whispers in one of their ears before taking his leave.

 

[SwifttailTheFox]

Swifttail perked up at the mention of immigration, ears flicking and tail giving a curious swish.

“Immigration? Oh! I know where that’s at!” he chirped, trotting a step forward with the eagerness of someone glad to be useful. “Had to go through the same thing myself when I first landed here.”

 

[Morgan Liu]

Morgan scratched at her chin idly, looking after the pair of guards as they walked away. "Kinda bypassed it myself," she mused. "That's probably gonna come back and bite me, but I'll deal with that later. I'm a wounded veteran, what are they gonna do, withhold my pay?" She looked to the wolf, trying to avoid making eye contact with the lizard lest she blush again. 'Gates, that outfit! A small part of her wondered where the lizard gotten it from, and if it came in Morgan's size... or Vihma's. "So," she addressed the wolf, offering her paw, "we'll go to immigration. It is that way." She pointed back down the docks. "You tell them your name, tell them your home, tell them what work you do. Okay? We will go with you." She hated talking to him with overly simple sentences; she could tell he was a smart guy, it was just the language barrier getting in the way. Until she heard his native tongue, though, she couldn't begin to piece together some better way of communicating.

 

[Izakis]

Seeing as the two guards were leaving, albeit more resigned than flustered as she expected, Izakis decided on the spot to keep company to the small group… At least to the office as she told herself. She noticed how the wolf looked at the Todd and, by all means, it wasn’t friendly. Wishing to help, she softly but not seductively anymore turned to the trio.

“sssSorry, let me also join you in if you won’t mind. The guardsmen like to be annoyingly rude to those undeserving so at least I can... persuade them to leave if things get too ho fuhuhuhu~.”

She stepped by them with grace and confidence only someone like she could have. More out of habit really considering she wasn’t on the hunt for clients. She wasn’t gonna extort beasts in need.

 

[Helskyge Icinheart]

Helskyge cast another look towards Swift as he backs up a step, his brow furrowing slightly with mistrust. "I would prefer to be lead by these two over here, thank you." he said in his native tongue toward Swift, assuming that he may be from the northlands himself.

"Lead on then", he then said to Morgan in Vulpinsulan, "this... place is... strange to me."

Helskyge then proceeds to follow Morgan and Izakis to the immigration office, drawing a few odd stares from citizens along the way, naturally making him a bit wary. A few guards seem to be trailing him in the background, but they keep their distance.

 

[Morgan Liu]

Morgan's ears pricked up as she heard a snatch of the wolf's native tongue, her mind racing to try to understand. It didn't sound too far off from some of the northland dialects she'd heard all the time growing up on Blackbone Isle; raiding parties from the north had stopped in for shelter from bitter winter storms, and during those times the taverns had been willing to give her shelter from the weather in exchange for helping to clear tables or run mugs of hot grog to the northern guests.

As they walked, Morgan considered a bit before deciding to make an attempt at it, reaching deep into her memory for the words she'd once absorbed. "You north from ??? long go?" she managed to construct, mangling a word in the middle.

 

[Helskyge Icinheart]

Helskyge turns his head in recognition of the words that Morgan spoke with most of them being similar to his own language, enough so to understand her question. "Yes, I come from up north in search of work and a new life. I cannot return home anytime soon and am curious about the wider world. I will say, it is quite overwhelming to come upon such sights as these," he said in his native language as he looked around to the buildings nearby, not being used to many structures beyond that of tents and huts.

 

[SwifttailTheFox]

Swifttail shifted his basket against his hip, ears angling subtly as the conversation carried on just ahead of him. He’d only just arrived but now he was piecing together the tension lacing every word. The mood had shifted. Something about the towering beast’s tone... That wasn’t just gruffness. That was directed.

His tail slowed its sway.

A glance toward the looming creature. The way he looked at Swift wasn’t the same as the others. No, there was something cold in that gaze, and Swifttail shrunk back a half step, unsure what he’d done to provoke it.

Then there was the lizard.

Swifttail tried hard to be fair. His upbringing had drilled in values of peace, acceptance, and goodwill. He wanted to be open-minded. Still, something primal tickled the back of his neck whenever he spotted Izakis’s scaled form. He'd only heard legends of Lizardfolk in Iskatyut, and they weren't too common in Bully Harbor either. What little he’d heard of them was filled with superstition and cautionary tales.

He adjusted his grip on the basket and forced a small smile toward her, hoping it didn’t look as forced as it felt.

Then Helskyge spoke again, his words clipped, sharp.

"I would prefer to be led by these two over here, thank you."

Swifttail understood the dialect instantly. It wasn't exactly his native tongue, but the structure of it sang of home.

The reply left his lips before he even realized he was speaking.

“Sorry for the intrusion. Be on your way.”

A stock phrase. Well-worn. The kind of line one offered when an apprentice or underling got under the paws of a true working beast. Polite, but submissive. His ears twitched as the words hung there, a strange old reflex suddenly dragged back into daylight.

He blinked, looked to Morgan, and gave a faint, sheepish shrug. Perhaps he'd leave the group be and finish his market run in solitude.

 

[Morgan Liu]

Morgan's eyes widened as he responded in kind, her mind racing to adapt to his words. Some of them were similar, and the ones she didn't recognize she could at least guess at based on context. Look for work and living, I think? No going home, something about the world? That last part I kinda missed, I think that word in the middle maybe meant 'big feeling', something about 'seeing' as well.

"See big feeling is plain," she managed to get out. 'Gates, I'll have to ask Swiftie for lessons. "I go city time, big feeling very much. Small feeling now."

She stopped as something that he'd said to Swifttail finally registered in her mind, and something in his response. Was there some bad blood between the two that she'd missed? "Swiftie," she addressed the fox, moving closer to him and lowering her voice, "you alright? You seem a bit, well..." She shrugged. "I dunno. Is there something about this wolf I oughta know?"

 

[Izakis]

Izakis for her part didn’t understand much of the discussion that was ongoing. But she could read the snouts. Pain, confusion, uncertainty. She more than often was paid just to listen and soothe those. Such was a world she presumed, but she didn’t like it.

“You all ssseem distressed. Tense.” She spoke with as much expression as she could provide to make sure she was understood.

“I know immigration office must be visited. But I offer you… ssssomeplace to relax first. Or later if you need to haste. Don’t worry I will pay and for all I represent, I mean not anything inappropriate.”

She tried to uplift the group. Wishing to take them to a little operetta. Music and art was language beyond cultures.