Silly
Force and Fury
Scrawl Banditta
Memoria
Echotech71
Sadu
SkyeOfStars
FourtyTwo
DastardlyTally
Kaggs
Event: Metropolis | Location: Wánggǎng, ReTan
Maura bit into the bao bun, finding it to be very delicious, as the steamed dough was soft like cotton with a seasoned meat filling. She picked up another of the buns with the chopsticks as she leaned over toward Abdel, presenting with her hand to prevent it from falling. “Say ‘Awh’ ~” she brought the delight toward the boy's mouth, so he may enjoy it as well.
She started to begin some small talk with the others, especially Blossom and the Inn-Keeper's daughter, as she attempted to use their goodwill for further useful information she may benefit from.
“Wánggǎng holds much interest for me, so does greater ReTan too. We are very fortunate to be here, especially to enjoy this authentic cuisine, far better than what is found in Ersand’Enise which pales in comparison using our local ingredients.” She mulled for a moment as she tried to say it in ReTanese for them. “大包很好吃。比 Ersand'Enise 好。” She looked toward Blossom, gauging the woman's opinion of her attempt of translation.
Maura started to ask about local delicacies, trade, and shipping, making mental notes. “Is there a harbour, a port, nearby? We love looking at the boats.” She looked hopeful toward them, wishing to enlist their aid with her request. “船在哪里?”
"We have same interest for your country here!" Xiulan replied cheerily, but she soon lost the thread of what the tethered girl was saying. Auth... Aunetic? Pales? Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment, for she was a poor translator, and she took another sip of her drink. "Oh, you know some Retanese!" Xiulan cheered, saved from having to pretend any further. She clapped a little bit.
Yin, meanwhile, smiled at the attempts, grateful for being included. Aside from her sudden enthusiasm towards the dragons, however, she was more reserved than her peer.
Finally, they came upon the subject of the port. It was strange, thought the translator, that Maura used 'we', but she knew Avincian much better than her Retanese counterpart, and so Xiulan deferred, of course. "Hmmm, port?" she responded. "We have many ports." She began listing them, ticking off one after another on her fingers. "Zere is a main port not zat far from where walked. I believe you can see it? Zere is king's port close to zere for special sings. We have port for foreigner only. There is fishing port too!" She plucked another dumpling with her chopsticks. "I sink you will see some of zis tomorrow, actually."
Maura smiled as she thought of something, "Nothing as compared to you. 我的语言是托拉贡语 (My language is Torragonese)". She coughed for a moment to clear her throat, as she switched to her native tongue. "Hola soy Maura". She spoke to them in her own tongue, some basic introductions to demonstrate it. The language is far more beautiful than Avincian, with its more charming and pleasant rich sounds. Goal to build more good will and endearment. She soon shared a little about her home.
"My hometown is Varrahasta, a beautiful city that stretches out into the sea due to the number of boats. 小船隔海将城市延伸到地平线". She attempted some poet expression in the local language, to help give the mental image of boats to the horizon. Her eyes cast between them as she smiled sweetly. Nothing better than the image of a sweet lil' helpless girl who is homesick. "We find that the gentle rocking of the boats help sleep at night. The sound of the water lapping against them is peaceful. 船有助于睡眠"
There is something that itch her mind though, the difference between the main port and foreigner port. Her instinct is to assume taxation, though they are being confined to what is termed the foreigner district. It seems the culture here is far more isolating in particular than back home. “What makes someone a foreigner, and someone not a foreigner?” Whilst it may seem a simple question on the surface, she attempts to tease out the details during the conversation.
Xiulan was well into her cups and quite oblivious at this point. "Oh, I'm from an inland city myself," she chirped. "But your country sounds so interesting!"
Then, Maura kept going, and Xiulan arched an eyebrow and scowled in thought. "Well, I don't know what government said, but the foreigner is someone not be born in your country." She shrugged innocently and took another sip of her drink. This foreign girl used 'we' when she talked, and far be it from a Retanese to question her speech, but wasn't that for more than one person? She blinked. Wait! The 'royal we!' What if she's royal!? It would explain so much: why she was pretending to be a merchant, why she was so well-educated, why she was an invalid but allowed outside the home! That must have been it! The translator swallowed, trying to hide her nervousness. "So, what do you want to know about ze docks?" she asked helpfully. "I can accompany you, zere," she further offered.
Maura arched an eyebrow at the response as she noticed a switch in tone. The docks appeared to be making her feel very uncomfortable, perhaps worthy of a solo adventure. She paused for a moment as she began to switch subjects. “Well… there is something that has been bothering me a lot. Maybe you help us tomorrow?”. She raised her eyebrows as she adopted that puppy-eyed look. “You see, due to being foreigners, we are not adopting the appropriate Hanfu and this makes us stick out. Could you assist us by taking us to a tailor or clothing store?” As she canned the others, she tried to recall the different words. “Those are Nobles… so they should wear Beizi and Pifeng? The others would wear an Aoqun and Shanku? Kaureerah is a Yiji, so something fitting her station of the arts. Yalen would wear a suitable Daopao.” Maura started to point everyone out, and assigned them to the categories as she understood them, with Niallus and Abdel falling under the military as well, to permit their heavier hand in the future. Maura paused after pointing out the rest, as she considered her next question. “We… govern an Island, and represent my country's interest. What would be suitable for me to wear?” The conversation continued as things grew later into the night.
Maura, due to necessity, was assigned a room on the ground floor, which suited her perfectly. With a peck upon Abdel’s cheek as she bid him goodnight with a sweet smile, they parted for the evening. She would have loved to bring him along, but it might have been too much for what she had planned.
Dressing up appropriately from clothes she could find to fit in better with the surrounding ReTan people, she started to edge her way toward the rear entrance as he noticed the guard. A small hurdle as she does the elementary distraction technique. With the use of her magic, a little vase fell over and smashed. The guard’s ears pricked as he looked around the area, approaching the location with the tune of shi shui (是谁) leaving his lips. She simply rolled on through the door, the low quiet rolling sound and not the pitter-patter of footsteps the others would have left as she made it into the streets outside.
Thankfully, her conversation with Xiulan aided her direction as she oriented herself to the path taken to arrive at the inn and, like the girl said, she could make out the sight of it from where she was. “Time to have a better look without the Nannies breathing down our necks.” She rolled through the streets toward her destination.
