Alrik was a dangerous man, one of the most dangerous in the league. Not with his fists or the sword, but in every area a scholar and merchant was. His mind and keen eye moved in unison, plotting the most judicious and expedient route to get the best job done as quickly as possible, even with the uncountable variables they were likely to face. Moving out of Argethafen, there was around 200 miles north until they made it into the frigid sea, which did not give much promise of wealth. They needed to focus southwards and along the eastern coast, which they needed to get to going through a circuitous route around the islands to the east that was said to be the den of vikings, and at all costs they needed to avoid the Island Nation of Noxtuga and the Isle of Sencoshima to the south, which meant they needed to continually travel south until they reached safer waters, or go between the islands through some of the traveled but risky routes more intrepid sailors braved. Going north and around was also an option, but it wasted a week of their time, and in those waters were large serpents. Not that there [i]weren't[/i] any south, he thought to himself. His intense gaze was as broken as his thought process when Inez entered his quarters. He briefly thought about making some boundaries between them to help him think, but it wouldn't do to be rude to the only sword that was sworn to his service beyond indirect service to the captain under his command. He made sure to convince himself of that justification, and it wasn't her pleasing dark features that made his tongue seem too unruly to speak for a moment. To his credit, he didn't let it show beyond a mere moment, and he was also a bit too tired and worried to let it get to him. "Well, when every route I have can lead to death, hard to say," He replied, even his dry tone buttered up by how smooth his voice carried. He didn't know how worldly Inez was, but he wasn't about to give a lecture that she didn't need. Better if she had questions and asked them herself. Not everyone enjoyed long orations like he did, and he still got tired of them when it wasn't an interesting or prudent subject. "We, meaning the League, have over half the cities on the western coast, so it would be best to go east, and if the routes are deadly, I guess I need to think on what is the best first stop, instead." With two dozen independent city states, he couldn't even begin to choose. Itacestor City, Takahn, Yhesra, the Alesean Peninsula? He gave a small laugh when the city of Basileos entered his mind, dismissing that as foolhardy even for him. He supposed the ship's defenses and speed were good enough to handle more humanoid dangers than beast, and he couldn't afford to be slow moving at the start of the race. He spoke his thoughts aloud. "Yhesra, I think. It has three royal houses that work in a council, and if I can convince one of the dukes, the other two will follow to stay in competition with them. I hear it's also beautiful there," He looked in her direction and gave her a smile, and winked. "Baby steps for our first stop, yes?" Once he firmly stamped the pin onto Yhesra and began to peruse the sea routes with his eyes, he realized her question had set his mind into action. He was glad he hadn't pushed her out, out of hand. He cleared his throat and brushed some of his hair with a flick of his hand, turning back to her. "Would you like a drink? I need one." He said with a staunch recourse. "I've got whiskey or brandy." Alrik had the distinct feeling if Inez were a proper lady she might think it forward, but he guessed she wasn't as prim as that.