[h2]The Docks[/h2]

Ryker gathered his gloves and sword and exited the Inn. He had just about forgotten about the rain until he felt it. He shrugged it off as he was going to be getting wet anyway. Actually, it was almost pleasant. The petrichor almost drown out the usual fishy smell of the docks.

He had a number of things to do before he would be ready to meet with Miguel. He started off heading back to the ramshackle little inn that he had stayed in the night before. As he entered, he took note of the sleeping innkeep sitting behind the counter in the main room. He walked into his own room, a very small, rather uninviting place. There wasn't much other than a bed and one small nightstand. That was all this traveler really needed, however. He unloaded some of his gear onto the small nightstand and was off again.

He headed down the twisting path's of the city towards the local public bathhouse. As he walked in the doors, he was hit by a wave of moist, hot air. He entered the men's dressing room, just to the side of the entrance. It was a small room, dimly lit with only a candle. It had a pile of towels, some of which looked as if they hadn't been cleaned in weeks. He dug through the pile, choosing one towel that looked the cleanest, and began to unrobe. He lay his clothes carefully over his arm and tied the towel around his waist.

He walked to the back where a small pond of water was, separated from the rest of the city with thin walls. As it was raining, there weren't very many people there. He picked a spot in the corner and waded into the water. He spent some time cleaning himself first before reaching up to the shore to grab his clothing, one piece at a time. He started with the clothe pieces: his shirt, pants, hood and undergarments. He submerged them in the water and began vigorously scrubbing each piece until they looked and smelled clean.

Next he started to clean his leather armor. He took a clothe, got it damp, and began wiping the mud and dirt off of each piece. This took some time as there was plenty of mud caked onto his boots alone. When everything was finally clean, he decided that it would be a good time to just relax for a moment. He got out and laid his clothes across a fairly clean surface under an overhang to dry, then got back in the water. He sunk down into it's depths, letting the water come all the way up to his chin. With an audible sigh, he closed his eyes and focused on the feeling of the falling rain.