Land ahead, ey! Vesper port in sight, Cap'n!!

One of the sailors cried out the message onboard the somewhat scurvy vessel. The wind was pulling its sails just fine out on the open sea.

Finally...! Lyonya faintly groaned for herself where she sat leaned against the railing. The trip had seemed never ending to the excited missy. She pulled herself up and wandered the starboard side of the ship to get a better view of the new, unexplored land. Ohhh, she could feel her own heart beating faster the closer they got.

What adventures would unfold before her?

Her thoughts were diminshed by the ever creaking sounds the ship made as it bumped through waves after waves.

How 'bout we go just a lil bit faster, Captain??? she said eagerly as she made her way next to the captain of the vessel, namely captain Carolli.

Hur hur.... came a snarly chuckle in response.
See now love, if we nay be slowin down we crash into em docks!

He cackled on about how things were to be handled while on sea, how to measure the winds strength and just about everything you did not have to know about a ship. Lyonya casually listened to his rant while she leaned over the railing throwing glances at the town now growing up before them. She stretched out an arm and grasped nothing but thin air. She felt the seabreeze againt her face.

... an now ya know why we dont wanna go crashing into the docks, right! Carolli chuckled.
Not to forget the valuable cargo we be carryin on this baby... he continued while pating the closest wooden surface on the ship.
And so we be....
Valuable cargo, say? Loynya interrupted him, took her eyes off of Vesper and looked at him curiously.
What might that be? Corelli coughed harshly in response knowing he had somewhat exposed himself. He took a deep breathe....
Carrots! Thats right, carrots love! And lots of them...! he said while rubbing his large belly, giving her a nervous smile at the end. One of his front tooth seemed amiss.
Carrots...? she followed up with a perky smile. He shifted slightly and adjusted his hat.
Fair enough, Captain. It's really none of my business. Instead I will thank you for taking me on this ship. I am truly grateful.

It took a few seconds for Corelli to take a more secure posture and a heartily laugh followed.
Haha, right ya are love! True enough! Indeed! We gladly be taking you on!

By the time Lyonya was once again throwing begging glances towards Vesper. She murmured a prayer to the higher beings that they were to arrive as fast as it were physicaly possible.

*a little bit of time passes*

There ya go puppet!

A sailor shouted as he tossed a backpack into Lyonyas arms. She flinged the rather heavy pack over her shoulder and glanced down at her feet. Truly, she was standing on a dock she had never stood on before. Amazing! She felt her heart beating again. She glanced around a bit and came to realise.
There's bridges everywhere. she mentioned curiously.
Welcome to the city of bridges then, darling! another sailor shouted.

She smiled and looked over the ship, trying to localise the sturdy captain Corelli. He could not be seen, but she recognised his familiar grunts.

Ahhrrr! Move it ya seadogs!
Sailors carrying crates everywhere, unloading them from the ship in a careful manner. What could possible be within those crates? She let the thought go.

Thanks for the ride! Owe you one Captain!

She heard him go quiet and within a few more seconds she could see a hat followed by his face peeking up the ships railing.

Nay mention is lass! Go find that uncle of yers, whoever he be!

And he was gone from sight again. But his grunts and yelling could be heard long after Lyonya had left the docks.

She was making proud, daring steps with a heavy backpack hanging on her shoulder. Into the core of the city was the destination.

Damn this wind!

Lyonya cursed everytime she passed a bridge, and there were plenty of those in Vesper, city of bridges. While the weather might have been nothing but a breeze to locals, Lyonya wrapped her cloak as tightly around herself as she could while dealing another verbal curse.

No doubt about it, she had managed to get lost somwhere among all the smaller islands.

Just perfect! she spat out, but could not help to laugh at this mishap. She took a few more turns, crossed a few others bridges and stopped to actually have a look around.

Nope... was all she said, nothing interesting in that direction. She span around and peeked out over the water....


THE DOCK!!!

Making sure to stop and look after every bridge she passed she slowly made her way back. Fortunately she spotted just the same ship she had arrived in, still there when she finaly got back to the dock. At once she could hear captain Corelli's brutish shouts, she was quite happy to do that though.

*some time passes*

Corelli's laughter boomed around the dock area as she was moving off again. She had asked him for directions and he thought it more than funny that she had made har way back just to ask him.

That lil darling sure be a pearl....! was all she heard as she rounded a corner.

She sighed heavily but atleast now she had a direction to follow.

Swaggers Inn, huh? she said as she tightened her skullcap in the harsh wind and continued on.

Did not seem bad at the moment and she kept thinking whether there would be a fireplace. She could really use a fireplace now. Feeling slightly warmer by the thought she kept her hopes high.

*inside of Swaggers*

There were quite a few seated persons smalltalking and more coming in after Lyonya. She had tossed her backpack to the floor and moved over to the fireplace, just as she had hoped there would be, and was warming her hands.

The majority of locals were dressed up in bronze coloured uniforms and were swarming up around the bar for what seemed like some meeting.

They went on for quite a while and by the time they had finished Lyonya had found a stool and were busy scribbling down magical scrolls of all kinds and variations. Coming to realise that her uncle was more or less a hero in Vesper she decided to give it a try and ask these soldiers if they know about the great Hanse.

It came like a minor surpirse to her, seeing her uncle standing there. He had even tried to engage her in conversation earlier but had been showed off. She felt some guilt for that.

Uncle, you look so old! she said with laughter coming as she noticed he was not so very fond of the remark.


Truly he had aged, but he was still the same uncle she remembered him to be. The age somewhat made him look more manly and handsome she thought, he even looked to be in good shape. More peculiar was however how he still seemed to talk to her as if she was in her teens.

So what will you do no that you are here? came his question all of a sudden which caught her offguard. She gave him no straight answer but ideas was already forming in her head. Her perked smile, a smile Hanse recognised from her youth, gave an indication to him that she was planning something he just might not approve of.

But what could he truly do? The little baby lion had turned into a lioness.

Hanse rubbed his temples furiously, pacing around the Militia's meeting hall back in the Jailhouse. What the hell was his "little lion" Lyonya doing in back on the mainland? He'd had his family forced out to Magincia not long before the Crown of Thorns was reaching its peak to make sure they weren't involved in the fighting, and that his neices and newphews like Lyonya could get a good start in life in a place where neither rebel nor royalist really had any influence.

He'd never actually thought what he'd do if they came back to the mainland to see their real homes in Minoc, or what they'd do if they decided to stay on the mainland in Vesper or otherwise. After all, the family had Royalist roots, but he had broken the mould in that regard, and the family's holdings in Minoc had died with his father Arenhurr and any claim thereafter lost as the world powers like the Royalists, Vesper and Cove struggled over Minoc's fate. The fact he hadn't been at all regular in his visits to his family out in Magincia had probably helped to keep those kinds of thoughts back.

It also didn't help that his little lion had gotten a damn sight bigger, and taken on much the same mentality as most Davion's did that they could strangle an ogre to death with one hand behind their back while blindfolded and juggling apples. It was great to see her again, and to know that she'd done well in her studies and was now a competent magi. But at the same time she had said she was going to be staying on the mainland - one of Hanse's fears - and that she had replied with just a playful smile when he'd asked her what she was planning on doing - another one of the things he feared as he knew all too well it prescribed mischeif on her part.

Hanse's sister Larissa had made sure his neice grew up with little to really know of what actually happened after the family had left Minoc, but what little she was told had apparently made an impression on her. She came looking for a hero, and perhaps Hanse thought, he was in a way with some of the things he had done. But he dreaded to think of his little lion following in his footsteps... and hell, what if his brother Hasek's children decided to come back someday. An example had to be set somewhere that they couldn't follow him in being a soldier.

No, no. He'd have to find her a job somewhere, see if she could make it as a merchant or a scholar or somesuch. Enough Davion's had died between the Crown of Thorns and now already.