In which Mikilos is not found

The ferry ties to the dock when it arrives. Right now, the ferry is not--docked, that is. The rope however, is--a thick sea-worm that wraps around the dockpole, and drops into a coil along the wooden plank. Chay crouches nearby, a fishing line in his claws. ...but now and then, he looks towards the coil. Now and then, the nostrils flare, scenting, before he turns back to the water.

The ferry itself is not due for another half hour--one might see it, though, about midway 'cross'd the great river.

The Gobbo beside Chay is dressed in a bright, yellow dress with a dainty summer hat of the same colour. She lays upon her stomach, her feet up behind her, kicking slowly back and forth. The bucket nearby, with two fish inside it, is eyed by Acedia from time to time. Dinner. Soon? "So what're we doing here?", she wonders, looking to Chay. "Aside from fishing? You have this expectation in your demeanor, Chay."

Up the long plank of the doc comes a sound, a quiet thud-click, thud-click. He is holding three boxes in hand, carefully balanced in his right claw. They're not small boxes, and they're surprisingly nicely made. Black shining material of some kind with flowers painted on the side. As he gets closer the faintest smell of food can be scented in the air by those with senses keen enough to be aware of it. Thud-clink, thud-. Zeke stops a bit shy of the two on the pier and wags his tail back and forth peacefully. "Peasce on your nessstss. Thisss one hass brought food."

"Peace to your nest, kin," Chay replies with warmth. He pauses after that, and looks to the water. Determinedly to the water. The fishing line flicks, moves slowly back and forth in the water, as guided by small tugs of the fingers and hands. "...thank you for coming here. This one...this one thought to try the sscents of the ferry, to ssee if the mage had passed by. No one has heard from Mage Mithralla in ssome time, sers."

Acedia's head lifts up and she sniffs at the air, and then Zeke speaks, and she grins. "Peace on your nests!", she calls out, cheerfully. She hops up and moves towards Zeke, sniffing noisily at the boxes he holds. "Hi Zeke! What'd you bring?" Then Chay has a fish! She squeaks and runs for the bucket of water and fish, holding it out so that when Chay reels his latest catch in, it can go right into its new home. "We're fishing AND looking for Mikilos at the same time! Smart!"

"Thisss one hasss brought an asssortment." Zeke starts to take half a step back from Aceida, but she goes off again and he holds his place. Even moving forward slightly. "When you are done fissshing perhapss we can sshare food."

Green eyes peer off at the incoming ferry and his tail stills now. "Thiss one hass heard that Mikilosss hass gone misssing. Thossse at the hossspital are looking for him, for hiss medicine. Have you caught no sscent of him yet kin?" He doesnt' sound hopeful, but then Zeke never really does.

"No, kin. Nor have the Hunter's gifts found him. ...but one ssuspects cloaking, sser. One only has to continue to hunt, and wait for them to make a mistake, sser." The rustscale tugs at the line. He leans forward, tug, tug. The line tugs back, and his look sharpens.

He begins to draw it towards them, slowly, steadily. With occasional jerks, then slow and steady, again. "Acedia--" he asks, breaking off. Chay glances towards where the bucket had been, and finds the gobber had found and nabbed it. "--you are quick, sser," he says, warmly. "Please--" he says, and then jerks the line up!

Up!

A shing scalefish flicks into the air. Caught on the line.

The Gobbo squeaks! as the fish launched into the air, and in a poof of yellow, so does she. She snags the fish with both hands, and pulls it in close, landing near by and running for the bucket. "Yay, now there's one for each of us." Acedia carefully works at the hook to pull it free gently, and the fish is deposited into the bucket. "Good work!", she says to Chay with a thumbs up. She glances to Zeke, a grin on her face. "An assortment of what?"

"Cloaking." Zeke echoes this with a thoughtful note. There is much to think of when it comes to the mystery of the plague. "Thiss one thinkss that sssomeone..." He trails off when Chay does, leaning slightly forward as the fish is caught on the line. The line arcs up beautifully and there Acedia is catching it up and putting it into the creature into the bucket. Zeke almost - almost - thumps his tail. He makes the motion but his tail doesn't quite actually strike the ground. He's clearly pleased that it has been captured and he lifts the boxes slightly, a cunning look in his eye.

"You will have to come and look Ascedia." His eyes do not /quite/ flicker toward the ferry which is moving slowly. He moves backwards suddenly. "We can sshare wordsss while we eat yessss?"

Chay relaxes as the fish is taken away. Relaxes, at least as much as a hunter-caste might. In truth, he might pace the pier if one were free, if he did not expect--he looks towards the river, towards the ferry.

Then gradually, towards the shore. "One is not eager to sshare we are hunting, ssers. One only hopes they make a mistake ssooner rather than later." He inhales quietly--just softly, deeper breaths.

To that point and fact Zeke steps back, encouraging Acedia to follow him off the docks and toward the riverbanks where they might be able to talk more freely and also sit out in the open to eat. He moves about unhurriedly however, at his usual slow and steady pace. The sith-makar watches the ferry subtly as he walks away not at all eager to be around when the boat arrives. One eye’s on the boat and the other on his kin so that he's hardly looking where he's going. It means that he isn't paying much attention to where he's going but thankfully he doesn't stumble anywhere as he finds a likely location far enough from the docks that they have some peace.

Hesitantly Zeke stands there for a long moment. Wanting and not wanting to be there when the boat arrives suddenly. Chay... He looks at Acedia in her eagerness and sighs out a breath. Slowly he lowers himself down to the ground. It is difficult to get to the ground without flashing his limbs, particularly with one of his hands taken up by the boxes. Once he's on the ground he places one of the boxes far away from himself toward Acedia, and another at a similar distance for Chay. Next come out utensils for eating with, from a pocket of his robes.

The hunter lifts his muzzle. Scenting the air as it passes by--smelling, scenting the people who had passed by on the wood of the pier. Whose feet had trodden past. The hands who'd held the rope. THAT is why he's out here. THAT is why he'd taken the time to be on the pier.

But. Nothing. The hunter lowers his muzzle, and well. "...they will make a mistake, ssers," he says. Low-voiced. Barely heard about the water and the waves. He looks one more time towards the slowly incoming ferry, and then heads towards the grass. The food, that Zeke had so thoughtfully brought.

He steps, moving so that he does not trip Acedia by accident, as the gobber zips about. Quick twitchfolk.

Aceida IS rather enjoying herself, and who wouldn't after being constantly cooped up in a dreary dungeon. So far, no cough. It'll come too soon, though. She settles herself next to the box that Zeke left for her, and she watches and waits patiently for Chay to arrive. "With you watching, they'll be found soon enough, Chay. Then we can all pounce!" She looks between the two Sith, and waits. Practically vibrating, but she waits.

Zeke is amused by Acedia's impatience, but he waits until Chay joins them to motion for her to go ahead and open her box. It is filled with foods from Am'shere. Things that are fit for a sith-makar's palette. All of it cut up into neat bite-sized pieces so that they can be eaten with ease. The box itself is red on the inside, offering up these delicacies with a color fit for inducing an appetite. Zeke is more patient of course, leaving his closed for now. "Thisss one... Thiss one hass been thinking." His brow is furroed slightly, making for an intimidating look. He's looking at his box for the moment however. "Whoever thiss iss, they have made magic unable to find them. They have made it sso that it isss difficult for usss to track them by normal meanss ass well. Did you hear kin, Ascedia... that thosse who call themsselvess adventurers /found/ the tower?"

"They /will/ make a mistake, sser," the hunter says, firmly--more to reaffirm to himself, perhaps. Though the eyes flash, his muzzle lifts as he looks towards the road. A smile though, for the two friends present. He crouches nearby, to wait on Zeke to distribute the food, and to listen.

With the gesture, Acedia waits no more. She carefully tugs open the box, and pauses, eyeing all the delicious goods inside. Then she simply starts in one of the corners and begins to gorge herself. Mango slices. A variety of melons. Even some lemons, though she makes a very interesting face as she chews on those. An assortment of meats, and some things that are quite possibly insects, all are devoured one by one.

-End