Fishing for Information (Nellie)

by **Pulren Marsh** on October 24th, 2014, 1:38 am

So it was settled. He could be Palaren and invite someone to lunch at his own expense with little effort. Now, while it was true that it could very easily be a trap for a haughty rich man to get rolled, it was equally possible that Pulren could be some grievous killer and turn the lunch into a slaughter. So, all things being equal, he was happy that they could continue to the restaurant in an amicable manner. "Very good. Nellie."

He did find her remarkably intelligent and crafty for what was supposed to pass for the average resident of Sunberth. Perhaps the stories were just stories and everyone in the town was equally clever and therefore dangerous. It was just too early to tell. As he followed her lead and walked along side of her, he made sure to keep a healthy distance between them. This was both for her comfort and Pulren's coin purse, should she turn out to just be another crook. It seemed it was time to speak of Palaren's Zeltiva, which needed to be a slightly different version than Pulren's. Probably cleaner.

"Zeltiva has a large amount of factional guards which canvas the city. There are the Wave Guards, who patrol the docks and harbor, the Scholar Guard for the University, the Council bodyguards. So many eyes and blades watching for crimes, it really takes the wind from the sails of the sneaky and stabby types that seem to profit here." He knew there wasn't a thing called the Scholar Guard, but by creating false truths, he could weave a different Zeltiva, one that kept prying eyes from perusing its secrets. Or Pulren's, actually.

"It seems that the inhabitants here seem quite happy with the anarchy. It gives them free range to rob and kill each other without any fear of retribution, save from the intended victims. The laws come down quite hard in Zeltiva. Crimes wage from fines to exiles to death, though those deaths are thankfully out of the eye of the public. Cleaner that way, really. Don't you agree?"

by **Nellie Hawkins** on November 2nd, 2014, 7:45 pm

Aiming for a polite expression, Nellie listened carefully as Palaren spoke of Zeltiva. Try as she may, she couldn't keep a pinched expression from crossing her face as he mentioned the various types of 'guards' and their areas of influence. "Oh, c'mon. A Scholar Guard? Do they guard th' students, or guard th' city from them?" A scoff and a shake of her head followed the words, as she carried on, deliberately exaggerating his facts. "I'm surprised ya don't 'ave a 'Market Guard' and a 'Guard of Roads That Run East to West', too. It all sounds very..."

Nellie stopped in her tracks to stare at Palaren quizzically.

"Well, don't ya think all that protectin' is a bit much? Shouldn't people be able ta look after themselves wi'out all th' guards of everything making sure they don't get harmed? Sounds like a city full of children, you ask me."

Though Palaren hadn't asked her, exactly. The opposite, in fact; Nellie had asked him about Zeltiva. So it could hardly be considered the young man's fault if she didn't like what she'd heard. With a small shrug and no apology, she continued leading the way to the Pig's Foot. A glance around showed that they were nearing their destination, and Nellie was glad of it. Though her gut reaction to Palaren's words was one of distaste, clearly he felt that Zeltiva far outshone Sunberth.

His next comment backed up her assumption, and Nellie shook her head again, unable to understand why anyone would prefer to be treated with less than total, if brutal honesty.

"Cleaner? Yea, maybe. Not doin' ya any favors, though. Death's a fact, everywhere, no matter how many guards there are or aren't. Crime is, too. No point in hidin' it."

It was a struggle to put her thoughts, scattered and only half-formed, into words. Nellie tried again, speaking slowly, as she puzzled through a feeling she'd never tried to express before. "I've seen people die, even bein' innocent. That's a shame, but it 'appens. An' I've seen people die jest because they were too petchin' stupid ta know their own limits," untroubled brown eyes met Palaren's momentarily before returning to the road. "That's a shame, too, but it does 'ave a way of 'ammerin' the lesson in - don't be stupid."

"'Cause th' smart ones, th' good ones, they don't end up with a surprisin' death as often." It was said matter-of-factly, as though even a child should know; most children in the 'berth did. Or they didn't make it much past childhood. Of course, everyone had their own definition of 'smart', too. For some, for most, 'smart' meant joining up with one of the major gangs in the city. You got the instant feeling of belonging, family, the false sense of courage that comes from knowing you had a small army willing to defend you - within reason, and as long as the leader didn't tell them not to.

Lost in her own thoughts for a moment, Nellie saw a few similarities between Sunberth's gangs and Palaren's various Guards. Both kept order in their areas, both kept people from committing offenses, and both, presumably, punished people from crimes against what they deemed right. It surprised her, and she knew instinctively that neither the Guards Palaren spoke of nor the gangs would find the comparison flattering.

She was saved from further examining the implications of her thoughts by their arrival at the humble exterior of Merv's tavern. The Pig's Foot wasn't, by any stretch of the imagination, a pretty building, but it was upright and looked like it would remain so for a long time. Forcing a bright smile to her face after the slightly depressing turn their discussion had taken, she offered a shallow bow to Palaren. "The Pig's Foot," she said succinctly.

by **Pulren Marsh** on November 3rd, 2014, 10:16 am

Pulren enjoyed listening to Nellie as the two of them walked through the streets of Sunberth. She was open and honest, or at least seemed to be. Her stark manner was too clear and evident to be a show, unless the entire populace were spymasters. Her mention of the many other guard divisions that could be formed brought a chuckle and understanding nod to the Zeltivan's countenance. If she only knew how close to the truth that sentiment was. It had always been a bit of a sting to the ego that the largest and most capable Guard division was restricted to the docks and the poorer parts of his hometown.

"It's a larger city, Nellie. More commerce, more trade, the University is the largest center of education in Sylira if not the whole of Mizahar. It's not the shantytown that Sunberth is.Larger and more profitable cities require larger divisions of military." There was the Martial Association of Zeltiva, which espoused citizen readiness, but Pulren had never had the funds nor skills to pursue such an organization until the Wave Guard, which then provided him with martial skills. Listening on as they neared their destination, Pulren noticed Nellie's fierce loyalty to the armpit of the region. Growing up in a place made one defensive, he guessed. With more thinking, it was apparently true, considering his own zeal for protecting Zeltiva's image.

Upon arrival, Pulren found the tavern to be a little more than he was expecting, since he was thinking more Kelp Bar than an actual establishment. Holding the door open for the younger girl, he let her enter first after her adorable bow. "Find us a table and I'll order us some food and drink. Anything in particular on the menu that you prefer?"

by **Nellie Hawkins** on November 17th, 2014, 12:04 am

"Won't be much ta choose from," Nellie replied, stepping further into the dim light of the Pig's Foot. "Merv's not known fer 'is fancy cookin'. Ya can almost always get a decent fish stew or soup, though." 'Decent' might be a stretch, depending on what Palaren was used to eating; typically a watery bowl of broth lightly sprinkled with whatever vegetables were cheap and whatever fish Merv managed to get his hands on. But, what he lacked as a chef, Merv more than made up for with the general stability of his establishment, and after enough drinks had been consumed, patrons tended to be far less critical of the food.

On the tail of those thoughts, a new one struck her, "An' th' ale's not watered down too much." Mostly, she amended silently, moving away to find seating. There were people who actually preferred watered down ale, but Nellie hadn't yet figured out why; Merv didn't care. He'd just as soon serve a mug of seawater as ale, so long as the person ordering it paid in real coin.

Shaking her head in amused incomprehension, Nellie surveyed the seating arrangements. Any other day, she'd have made tracks for the bar, hastily slurped her soup and ale and been back at her fishing. Palaren had requested a table, though, and since he was paying, Nellie was more than happy to oblige.

Merv had a collection of largely serviceable tables set at odd intervals throughout the Pig's Foot, most of which were empty of customers. A mountain of a man sat alone by the wall, sleeping - at least, Nellie assumed he was sleeping. For all the movement the man made, he might as well have been dead, but Merv tended to keep that sort of thing out of his tavern. On the rare occasion that a bar fight looked serious enough to result in a death, Merv made sure the combatants were well out of his tavern before things got that out of hand.

Still, not wanting to ruin either her meal or Palaren's, Nellie made sure to choose a table on the other side of the room from. Seating herself against the wall, where she had a clear view of the goings-on around her, Nellie waited for Palaren to rejoin her. Idly, she wondered how the taverns in Zeltiva compared to Merv's establishment. Surely they would be grander; The Pig's Foot was kept in good repair, but not even the kindest person would refer to it as grand. At the least, it would be a safe enough subject to discuss while they ate.

by **Pulren Marsh** on November 20th, 2014, 1:02 am

Approaching Merv at the bar, Pulren could tell that he had heard what Nellie had said and was already dishing out two bowls of whatever he liked. Not one to challenge his elders, Pulren stepped up and looked down at the grayish water in the bowls. They looked like they might be warm, at least. Two tankards of ale came down next to them and Pulren was just happy that he couldn't see the bottom of the mug. Always a fine sign of too much water.

"Are ye dun inspectin the wares, Cap'n? Ready te pay?" Pulren grinned, happy to hear the sounds of a man he was accustomed to meeting. Palaren would have turned up his nose, but Nellie couldn't see his face and a pair of gold mizas came out to the bar. Merv's face softened just the slightest bit and his old hand cupped over them. Palaren never thought of change. That's why he was Palaren. He was already turning on his heel and bringing the bowls and mugs over to the table. Once everything was awkwardly carried and placed there, he took a seat, his fishing gear under his feet firmly.

"Dig in, Killer of Fishes." He smiled and began to pluck at the fish bits from the watery bowl, plopping one into his mouth. Chewing at it, he decided it was the catch of the day..before today, but not so bad as to make a man sick. It was palatable and he had much worse in his short lifetime. Between chewing, he looked over at her and said, "Name the fish. My guess is shad." He thought shad because of its greasy feel and their cheap and plentiful manner. Most were used as bait for real fish.

by **Nellie Hawkins** on November 25th, 2014, 4:06 am

The bowl Palaren placed in front of her was the expected cuisine: fish soup. Nellie regarded it neutrally. It wasn't gourmet fare, but Merv managed to make it tolerable, if not tasty. She stirred the watery gray mixture unenthusiastically before reaching for her mug. After a long drink, welcoming the bitter flavors of largely undiluted ale, Nellie felt friendlier toward her soup and took a spoonful of broth.

"I can't even guess, ya got it in one," she complained good-naturedly to the man across the table. Shad was plentiful in the Bay. It wasn't the best thing swimming in the waters, but its ready availability meant that it was often on the menu in some for or another. Nellie preferred it in soups; used in chowder, it made the whole dish distasteful, greasy layers of oil settling at the top of the bowl to be spooned through with each bite. Awful.

"So, 'ow does this compare ta Zeltiva?" She gestured to the murky depths of the bowl; chunks of fish and potatoes could be seen bobbing almost sadly in the bowl. Merv had skimped on actual ingredients, apparently. Nellie shot the grizzled old man a look; maybe his stinginess meant he'd be in the market for a few more fish? A full fishing trip was in order, perhaps; but tomorrow. Today had been full enough, and she had no intention of wandering back out to the docks after her meal.

"I bet they serve much fancier foods there, right? Wine at every meal, that sort of thing?" The words were lightly mocking, but the curiosity was genuine. Nellie had never left Sunberth, had never really heard much about other places, but she knew Zeltiva wasn't too far away. Future travel included either the port city or Syliras.

The Syliran Knights made the latter less appealing, but Palaren's description of the multiple different guards in Zeltiva had evened the score in that regard. Now her conversation was more than just a distraction, as she tried to paint a better picture of what might await her, should she ever have the chance to leave the 'berth.

by **Pulren Marsh** on November 28th, 2014, 2:08 am

Chewing happily on the tough, oily flesh of the boiled shad, Pulren nodded happily at his knowledge of the fish. Between bites, he chimed in. "Yep, I've used shad as bait fish for bigger catches, but hey, I can't cook worth a damn, so who am I to complain?" He chuckled at his own wit and continued to chew, washing a bite down with a swig of ale. Her next question and comment really caught him, however. He started laughing as the grease spilled down his windpipe, making Pulren cough and hack until little spots danced before his eyes.

Once he got his breath back, he placed his palms flat on the table, taking some even breaths before speaking. "Sorry, that was just too funny, then some grease went down the wrong pipe. Anyway, meals are about the same here as there. Sure, we have better cooks and more greens and variety, but almost everything eaten in Zeltiva is shipped in. We don't have the land to grow anything. Almost every Zeltivan is used to living on rations by the time they are a wee lad. Or lass, excuse me." He raised his mug to correct himself, having a swig.

"Now, have you only been a fisherwoman for your whole life? You seem to have a spark of intelligence and I would think you had other interests. If I'm digging too deep, my apologies. Just need to listen a little while the air comes back, ya know?" He smiled and considered more soup as he listened.

by **Shakune** on May 16th, 2015, 2:04 pm

Pulren Marsh

Skills
Fishing +2
Socialization +5
Observation +3
Deduction +2
Rhetoric +3
Investigation +3

Lores
Sunberth: Like an aftermath of a war
Fishing: A worm for bait
Fishing: Threading the pole
Nellie: Fisherwoman.
Fishing: Not usually done in the middle of the day.
Fishing: Jerking the line to mimic an insect
Deduction: Recognizing a Sunberth native
Nellie: A Sunberthian
Missing: one worm
Investigation: Forming a well worded question
All Sunberth natives hate authority
Nellie: An honest native
Location: Sunberth Docks
Location: The Pig's Foot
Deduction: Recognizing a watered down pint of ale
Nellie: 'Killer of Fishes'

Nellie Hawkins

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