The Restoration of Erihal [GAME START]

"A'ight a'ight, I'm sorry miss, didn't mean no disrespect I didn't." He said, holding up the pen and paper in one hand defensively and tipping his hat to Kamile. "By the sounds of it then, you'll be decent with the letters of this sort then, right?" He asked, gesturing at the piles of bureaucratic papers surrounding the commissioner. "Keeping receipts and records and arguing with people and like then?"

Kyalson tries to shuffle away from the terrifying hound towards the mercantile argument, planning to interject about business with regards to noodles, but decides to stand a bit back when "arguing" and "receipts" are mentioned.

"Fascinating," said Duril to Jack. "We must compare notes! I'm here as an auxiliary to this settlement effort. My goals are aligned more towards researching the history of Erihal and the knowledge that it once held. I'm glad there's going to be another man of science with us on this expedition. I was starting to get worried I'd have nobody to talk to."

"Oh!" Leah lopes to Duril and Jack. "You guys are all learnin'-folk, yes? My expertise isn't historical...but maybe I can contribute!"

With everyone introduced and Jow seemingly distracted, the Commissioner reached over to snatch the pen and paper back.

"I'm going to file your claim, now, y-you can go to the warehouses and get what you need."

He seemed to want them out as soon as possible.

"Oh! Yes! Sorry lads," Leah winks to Duril and Jack. "Gotta pick up my necessities! I think y'all should too!"

Leah goes off to the warehouse and pick up her supplies. It is a modest collection of various lab equipment, packaged seeds (carefully catalogued), various feeds (who knows what sort of livestock are going to populate the settlement?), tomes, and her journals, disorganized and stuffed with notes ordered in a way only she can immediately understand them (because she is disorganized).

"Now, good fellow, er, just a moment!" Kyalson says, almost putting a hand on the shoulder of the commissioner, but reconsidering the very last second. "My supplies are, besides nutritious food provided by myself, are in the nature of couriers and mailmen I can talk with about about fetching my latests and tastiest noodles through the route, or at least, the last checkpoint I will set up." A momentarily pause. "I sure hope, they are not in these boxes, haha." The laughter is a very sad laughter.

Well, seems like she wasn't looking for the opportunity then. Jow leaned over to the commissioner and muttered. "Just you put me down as the leader for now, a'ight? If it comes an issue later we'll come back and tell you to chance it."

With that, he gave Kyalson a nod, an apology for interrupting, and then headed out. For what he was looking for, he inspected the carts, trying to pick out the best one, giving the horses some pets and making soothing noises, tryna get to know 'em well, which ones were reliable gems.

Jow and Leah made their way to the warehouses, pushing their way through a crowd of people looking to join a caravan. Leah quickly recognized her own boxes, as they were stamped in Mau (unlike the rest which were labeled mostly in League Standard or in Lyssean). Jow, meanwhile, found some okay-looking carts, and with his riding expertise quickly identified the healthier horses. They seemed nervous due to the crowds, but happy for the attention. The warehouse-keeper, a stern looking woman in military uniform, looked them both over and sighed.

"Requisition papers? Or proof of identity if you had anything shipped here. Can't have you taking anything from here without proper documents."

Meanwhile, Commissioner Redwyne, glancing up from his deed paper, answered Kyalson,

"If you sent supplies ahead, you should go to the warehouses and give proof that they're yours to the keeper. Now, this deed is almost done, where are you all headed for?"

"Ah!" said Duril, overhearing the commissioner. "Our destination? I could've sworn... it was with my initial document..." he shuffled up to the front. "I believe we all were intended to head for Arisha! At least, I was. It's the central point of my research."

Kamile's glare at Jow is broken only by his leaving. She rushes out after him, shouting the moment she catches up through the hustle and bustle.

"Ugh!!! Why are you so insistent on moving so darn fast!!!" She grabs him by the shoulder. "Now listen here, mister! You gave an apology, but I didn't get a chance to catch your name between all the fast-talking you've been up to!! I know a conman when I see one, fella, and I promise you I won't be tricked into signing anything you put in front of me, or into buying ANY of the bridges you're selling! Do we have an understanding?!"

"Oh! That is quite fair, alright!" Leah pulled out her documentation for the stern-looking warehouse keeper. She's just so excited about the resettlement, that she checked multiple times to make sure her necessary papers are there, before the Big Day. "If that's not valid, then dare I say my entire presence might be enough?" Leah grins, as though being the only cat-person in the room was a hilarious joke.

Jow felt himself get dragged back away from a horse, and spun about to face Kamille, thankfully he hadn't been caught off guard thanks to the shouting. He blinked a little, then smiled widely, very widely. He took off his hat, and gave a steady bow to Kamille. "Name's Jow miss. Jow McJobbernowl, of the Owls family." He slipped out, putting back on his browed hat slowly. He stepped back, resting an arm around a horse and giving it a scritch under the neck casually, as if he wasn't paying Kamille the majority of his attention. "No worries, I'll never try to slip nuthin' past you miss Kamille, ah like mah eggs too much tah risk that." He drawled lazily, moving a hand up between them defensively and slowly waving it side-to-side. "You really bauy bridges then? Seems lika hassel."

"Er, no, I meant, I will have the supplies sent ahead once I get the contact list of the couriers I requested, haha." said the sad Kyalson to the commissioner, but he has already moved on. Dejected, he goes towards the warehouse, to check if the mailmen are really in the boxes, standing in line behind the giant lion, as the merchant girl, or rather, merchant lady and the Self Appointed Scribe are distracted, cutting in their place.

"Woah there!" Leah exclaimed. "There are people before you, you know!"

Leah looked at Kamile and Jow. "Well...think maybe they're a lil' busy. So, maybe it is fine."

"You must be, Kyalson, yes? Nice to meet you, by the way. Name's Leah - if you hadn't caught by hearsay."

She holds out a meaty hand for Kyalson to presumably shake.

"The bridge trade is a long and storied field, I'll have you know - but also one I don't take part in! That said!!!!" She crosses her arms. "I'm glad to hear you've learned your lesson, Joe Jabberjaw! Now-- what were we doing here, again?"

Jow pet the horse again, looking at it as if to ask if it knew, then shrugged casually, looking back to Kamille. "I think weare seeing what we can get away with claiming. And Jow, just Jow will do sure, not Joe. Knew a joe once, unlucky name ah think." He said quietly, glancing over at the stern-looking keeper. "Unless you sent anything ahead you didn't feel like carrying here yourself, in which case it's prawbably here appparently."

Klyalson gingerly extends his hand to shake the paw, which becomes a firm handshake. Such a powerful aura! Kyalson thinks it would be beneficial to be on the right side of this powerful lady.

"Ahha, pleased to meet you! Ah, yes, I recall you saying your name during the roll call. So, you are a botanist, yes? Do you think there will be interesting spices and herbs where we are heading to? Perhaps I could make a Local Flavour Variant of my, ah, signature noodle dish, haha".
And if he could just pick plants that are just lying about, that could save a fortune!

The Commissioner gulps when Duril mentions their destination.

"A-arisha. Of course.Well, I'll f-file the claim."

The warehouse keeper glares at the chatting group. She stomps up to them and crosses her arms.

"You're holding up other colonists! Get your supplies and get out of my sight."

"Oh! Sorry madam!" Leah books it.

She stops and turns to Kyalson, "I suggest you listen to her."

She winks and scoots out.

Kyalson finds the warehousekeeper much scarier than Leah, so he scoots along.

"So Kyalson, you are a noodle shop...entrepreneur? If I recall? What sort of noodles are you thinkin' of making? What flavors?"

"Mrr... Fine, fair enough!!"

Kamile launches over and begins examining goods! She'll stare past the military woman, just gaze right into all the goods.

"My err, noodles are all made back at home! I will just import them, mostly. They stay edible for a long time, and as for flavour ah, I have favours of various fish prepared. For the taste of the sea!"

Jow breathed out slowly, now that Kamile was defused for now. Anyway, he gave the horse a final quick pat, and decided to chance his luck.

He put on his most winning, easy grin and mosey'd on over to the Keeper. "Ah must apoligise madamn. This little band of miscreants be put undar mah wing most resentlee. And thay are just a cluster o' little panicking chick-ah-deeds traying to get their little bags of goodies and tools togethar andinn order they are, all afraid of the big new world theyyer bout to be thrown out in. Between you an me, I'd be rightly 'obliged'-" And at this Jow took off his hat, holding it in his hands concernedly and looking right respectful like. -"if you could help me, help them, set them at ease and gather what they'll need, so we can get out of this fine, tight ship you yah runnin' here Ma'am. Althogh' leavin' the presence of such an official, res-spon-sibble lady like yurself, I don't know how we'll function now seeing how someone proper runs things." He finally said, maybe, possibly, half-way flirting a little.