Reiner sauntered out of the crowd, as casually and comfortably as if he had already been on his way. The soldier stopped and took a loop of spiced sausage from a vendor and pushed some coins into the ancient woman's hands before heading for the ship. The mercenary stopped by the sweating boy and said something to him before clapping him on the shoulder. The boy sank to the ground with a breath of relief audible even over the noise of a busy harbor.

Bonhoff wiped his greasy hands on his shirt and came to his feet in a distant relation of military courtesy.

[b]"Dieter,"[/b] the Captain greeted, passing the old sergeant the sausage before turning to face Camilla and Cedric. Camilla noted that his more flamboyant clothes were gone now, replaced with nondescript gray woolens and a dark brown jacket of faded leather.

[b]"Camilla, Cydric, decided to come along, splendid, splendid,"[/b] he greeted them. Camilla made a cautious nod.

[b]"As far as Marienburg at least,"[/b] she said noncommittally. Bonhoff looked over them in appraisal, approving of Cydric and viewing Camilla with a mixture of interest and skepticism.

[b]"As for growing a beard Herr Becker, I'm afraid we can't depart until the Captain gets here."[/b] Bonhoff snorted at that.

[b]"He means the ships Captain, Frauline Kemmler,"[/b] the seagrent clarified before turning to bawl an obscene instruction to several armed men milling about on the forecastle. Camilla thought they might have been trying to place a small swivel gun but couldn't say for sure. Reiner nodded his agreement.

[b]"Too many Captains, Capti?"[/b] he shook his head, [b]"No matter. No cabins for troops I'm afraid. All the space below deck is cargo, save the captains own cabin. Find a place to bunk on deck."[/b] He made a vague gesture to the forecastle. Camilla saw that it wasn't a gun the men were positioning, they were stringing canvas to provide shade for men to sleep up there.

[b]"All I know..." [/b]before Reiner could finish the statement there was a disturbance in the crowd on the docks. A half dozen sailors shoved their way through the crowd behind them carried on a palaquin was a fleshy woman in her middle years in a fine satin suit. She had steely grey hair and a face that spoke of perpetual irritation. Reiner sighed his customary optimisim slipping, Camilla guessed that he had had his issues with Frauline Kemmler already.

[b]"It seems the Captain is comming aboard, we may not need to wait for Herr Becker's beard to grow after-all."[/b]