Port of Call [Open]

The warmth of the sun that had followed Asami all day and whose heat fueled the wind that filled The Whisper's sails soon left both the wanderer's pale skin and her vessel's sails as it slipped away beneath the distant horizon leaving the world in darkness. Overhead a crescent moon hung low in the sky among a sea of stars like thousands of crushed gems and in the distance the lantern-lit of coast tea country greeted the young girl with a warm inviting glow that promised a warm bed and a full meal. Though, truth be told, after the day she'd had she would settle for just any kind of bed and anything to fill her stomach.

While the winds had indeed been kind to The Whisper and its diminutive passenger, the sail was anything but easy. The small vessel was much more at home in the sheltered waters of Kirigakure and not made to run the strait between the island nation and the mainland. Waves washed over the gunwales, the mast moaned against the unceasing winds kicked up by distant Kirigakure's storm wall, and more than a few times Asami was certain that she was seconds from being condemned to the depths herself. In the end, however, it all turned out well enough and—though she was still soaked to the bone as she guided The Whisper into port—the crossing could be counted as a resounding success.

Passing between ships of every shape and size, the small vagabond marveled at each one as she progressed deeper and deeper into the jungle of wood and steel that was the central harbor and trading hub of the land of tea. Some vessels looked familiar, some flew the flag of Kirigakure, and others looked foreign both in make and standard. Most had a few cabins lit from within by light of some sort that shone down on the black waters below and lit The Whisper's path deeper into past the breakwater.

Maneuvering her small boat around an outgoing fishing vessel, she entered the harbor proper with a keen eye for the guest moorings. Luckily, she did not have to look for long as an illuminated sign directed her to the dock just inside the breakwater. Without much trouble, she found a berth along the worn wooden platform, stowed the sails, double-checked her lines, and made her way to the harbormaster's office along with all her worldly possessions in a single canvas bag.

The office—if one could call it that—was a small shack at the end of the guest dock. A feeble light shone from within giving the wanderer hope that she had not come in too late to register and check-in. So, taking care not to pull the structurally questionable door from its hinges, she entered the homely shack.

"Oh," a voice that matched its wizened owner greeted her. "Why hello there little miss, you'll need your father to come in and register himself. We don't accept a proxy after last—well we just don't."

Sporting a shock of white hair, blue watery eyes, and a face weary with age, the man who Asami could only assume to be the harbormaster stood up from behind his desk and moved to the improvised customer service counter covered in nautical charts.

"My father won't be coming," Asami corrected politely. "I'm here on my own and on official business."

She pulled down the collar of her slicker to reveal the crest of Kirigakure and the man seemed to stand up a bit straighter. There might have even been a bit of fear tinged disgust in his eyes as well, but Asami was not the best at reading people at a glance.

"Right. Right, very well," the harbormaster pulled out a large leatherbound tome from behind the counter and placed it in front of him. "I'll just need you to sign in here and pay the mooring fee. How long do you expect to be here for, little miss?"

"Hopefully, not long," Asami responded vaguely as she filled out the required information and left the requisite ryo. "And please, call me Asami."

"Very well, Miss Asami," the fear faded from his eyes ever so slightly, but the disgust remained as he returned the tome to its proper place. "M'name's Argus, I'm usually around so if you need anything come a' knocking and either I or my assistant, Kado, will be able to help you out."

"Thank you—"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, have a good evening, little miss."

Too tired to correct the man, Asami allowed him to slink back to his desk as she slipped back out into the night air. Perhaps she should've asked about possible accommodations during her stay, but for some reason she doubted Argus would have given her the time of day despite his seemingly friendly facade. Oh well, it couldn't be that hard to find a place to stay, right?

Right...

[WC: 811, Exit. 363 words towards Soul Resonance 448 words to Extrasensory , & +8 ap]

Approved