Two Birds, One Hargeon

Spoiler:

Bosco had been on his mind a lot lately.

Perseus Dagger hurriedly leaped from the top step of the train car to the platform, arriving in Hargeon early enough in the morning that he expected the line to get a passport would be small. Just in case, he'd packed a precaution in his bag, though he was conflicted about using it. The issue at hand was that he had another important task in just an hour or so at the docks, helping a man load and unload cargo, so he needed to get this over with quickly or he'd be late. That simply wouldn't do. If nothing else, Percy was a man of his word.

Quick steps brought him out of the station and into the streets of the port town, some breakfast still hanging from his lips in the form of a slice of buttered toast. He was dressed well, as any Dagger should be. If anything, he looked a bit overdressed, but if he was to have his picture taken, he needed to look presentable. Perhaps he looked as if his mother had dressed him, which wasn't too far off. He wore a navy sweater over a white shirt and red tie, looking a bit like a schoolboy, especially with the khaki trousers and patent leather shoes that reflected the morning sun. It was an outfit his mother had suggested, and though he wasn't fashion-challenged, he tended to take his parents' opinions to heart.

Rounding a corner to where the day's passports would be issued en masse, his steps slowed and he nearly dropped his toast. The line was simply massive. Mismatched eyes started at the tent where the officials were and trailed the unruly queue of people for much longer than seemed allowable. Surely there was some sort of city ordinance against something like this? Percy's mood soured as he gobbled up the toast and trudged toward the back.

In a bit of an angel-and-devil-on-the-shoulder scenario, the scarred Dagger son instinctively placed a hand on his bag. There was a tiny device in there, masked as a simple marble. Once rolled on the ground it would start to let off an invisible but highly disgusting smell, one guaranteed to run off anyone with nostrils. Yes, it was a glorified stink bomb. The days of his childhood pranks had been invaluable in teaching him the more mischievous side of technology, and while he'd grown up quite a bit, it seemed he still had a knack for the devious little devices. It'd hurt no one, and as long as he put his nose plug on in time, he could get up to the front and get this over with before it was too late to help Captain Kooh.

In the end, he just couldn't do it. As much as he loved technology and his inventions, and had even gone to the trouble to bring something specific to clear out the crowd, his heart thus far was pure. He'd go a much more Dagger route to solve this problem. Money. Spending the next few minutes with his checkbook, Percy tapped on the shoulder of each person ahead of him one-by-one, offering them however much jewel it took to get them to come back another day or let him ahead of them. It was as effective as ever, and in the end, there were only a few people ahead of him that needed one for business. Now that the wait was much shorter, within just a few minutes the passport was issued and he could get on his way. Not bad!


[WC: 600 || 500/500 for Passport job complete || 100 words left over]

Darting into a clothing store simply to use their fitting room, Percy quickly changed out of his polished, rich boy clothes and into something more conducive to hard work. Being a techy tinkerer, he had no shortage of work clothes that were already torn, burned, and smeared with grease. A simple white T-shirt that was easy to bleach was pulled over his two-toned head, and some frayed and grease-stained gray pants were buttoned and belted at his waist. After slipping on his steel-toed boots and then shoving his good clothes into his bag, the young man was thanking the staff of the store and then fleeing, making for the harbor.

Racing down the indicated pier, he made it just on time. As he doubled over slightly to catch his breath, the salty boatman clonked down the ramp, puffing a beat-up pipe of full of smoldering tobacco. "Aye, boy," he called, voice as weathered as his face. "I didn' think ya'd make it."

"Ah, sorry!" Percy replied, voice light from still catching his breath. There was no smile on his face, but his eyes were gentle enough. The captain seemed to take an extra beat to examine his temporary employee's face, lingering as all eyes did on the angry red skin over his left eye, as well as the white half of his hair. This was typical, but the second oldest Dagger son took no offense. The injury had been his own fault and it was only natural for people to stare. "Getting my passport took longer than I expected, but not as long as it could have..." he explained, to which the older man nodded.

"Plannin' a trip outta the country?" the sailor wanted to know, making a bit of forced but polite chatter. Percy nodded, though he knew it was a long way off. Still, it was a bit odd he didn't already have his passport, considering who his family was. It seemed that was it for the chit chat, since Captain Kooh went on to point to various stacks of heavy crates dotting the pier. It was simple. All of the crates needed to go onto the ship, then come off in River Village. Some doubt crept into the sea dog's features. "Ya look a lil, er, noodly, boy," he commented, looking at each arm. Percy was well-toned, but admittedly he wasn't very strong. "Normally I like to hire mages with super strength or some sort of magic that lifts stuff, ya know? I know ye said ya had no magic..."

This seemed to strike a cord. Brows setting low, Percy frowned but didn't turn beligerent. "That's true," he answered stiffly, sensitive about his magicless state, but not so boorish that he'd argue the truth. "I have my ways around it, sir, so don't worry.

While the captain was still skeptical, Percy took this as an opportunity to test a gadget in the field. Reaching again into his bag, he brought out a small metal cube and placed it on the ground. Inexplicably, it bounced around and folded out until it was in the form of a cart with arms. The arms would pick up the crate no matter the size or weight, placing it on its flat surface. Then all Percy had to do was use the handle to basically drive the self-propelled piece of equipment up the ramp and onto the boat. Kooh was a bit surprised, but ultimately impressed. The two sailed to the small village and Percy did the same thing in reverse, making short work of it and smiling that his invention worked perfectly.

Captain Kooh offered to give him a ride back to Hargeon, but Percy didn't take him up on it. He insisted he'd just catch the train in River Village back home, which ultimately he did after a bit of wandering.


[WC: 641 || Total: 1241 || 500/500 for Anchor's Away job]