"You've been on a boat?" Ruli asked, finally tearing his eyes away from the water to gaze at her. It was clear he was itching for details, but thought better than to ask. With another pausing glance at the sea, he started walking again, though his pace was slower and with less purpose. He took advantage of the extra time to ogle ahead. "I've never even fresh fish. Not salt water fish, anyway. Some manage to find their way into Ziad, but."
Mentioning Ziad, even in memory, sent him into silence again. 

They walked along the docks, the ground falling from beneath the platform until they walked over the water itself. Ruli glanced down uneasily now and then, his gaze mostly on the sea beyond and the boat and warehouse at the crossroads of the walkway. Large, muscular men went back and forth into the warehouse, carrying armloads of crates, wood, and wagons full of what Ruli assumed to be raw ore. 

"There's something that I really want to ask. That just doesn't make sense to me." He said softly, his blue eyes darker, reflecting the stormy waters. He had his hands tucked into the pockets of his trousers. He made fists for warmth, knuckles brushing the rocks he apparently still carried. The sea might be lovely to gaze upon, but it was damned cold here. "You celebrate a plentiful harvest by eating in abundance?" Ruli asked, glancing toward her. "Why? It seems absolutely wasteful."

Up ahead, the warehouse foreman spotted their approach; foremost the armed woman, and turned to head them off. "Can I help you two?" He asked, his voice burly enough to out-man his horribly messy beard. "We don't allow tourists near here. Dangerous, you see."
"As you can see, the lady knows how to handle danger." Ruli said blankly. The foreman eyed Kire again, his gaze lingering on her scarred eye. "We're here to buy."
The foreman shrugged indifferently. "Don't sell to tourists, neither." He said matter-of-fact. 
"We'll buy in bulk." Ruli said, ignoring his rejection.
The foreman laughed, and Ruli's frown deepened. "What, you going t'stroll out of the city with boat load of wood tucked beneath your arms?"
"Why does it matter how we leave with it?" Ruli asked sharply. "So long as we pay you for it, the rest shouldn't matter."
"You show me the coin, and I'll consider the offer." He said, looking Ruli up and down. "You don't look like you got a copper to your name, lad. Your boots don't even fit. Now." He turned his ruddy face toward Kire and grinned. He had one gold tooth, while the rest were yellow and rotting. "Let me see that blade your pretty lady has, and I might be a little more attentive."