Fresh off the Boat

The instant he stepped onto the weathered wooden deck of the ship, he felt a weight lift from his very burdened shoulders. With head held high, he cast his golden orbs outward to sea instead of saying goodbye to the country of his birth, Dongxia. All he took with him was a lonely and trepidatious childhood, his trusty polearm, and a small travel bag filled with his prized tea set, as many herbs as he could fit, and a sack of mandarins. Even though he was officially leaving, the young man couldn't relax until he could get off the boat. It was a sturdy, extremely well-made vessel running on steam and oil, but it was very Dongxian. It would take him as far as Port Robinshire in Ca-Elum, and only then would he begin to feel free.

Ca-Elum didn't catch his attention much. He wandered around the big city with typical but muted tourist interest. There was no denying that the port had anything and everything for sale from nearly every country he'd learned about in school. I was an introduction to world goods. Even more comforting was the lack of anything authentic from Dongxia. There was a stall claiming to have artefacts, but any native Dongxian would note they were paltry fakes. He saw one small tent where he suspected a merchant was peddling herbs and medicines, but he quickly moved on from it in favour of a Joyan shop selling loose-leaf teas. He bought only a few since he was travelling light, purchased a snack for the road, and boarded a Ca-Elum transport vessel heading for Fiore.

The difference between Dongxian ships and Ca-Elum ships was startling, but they seemed equally efficient even if he did find the latter lacking a certain finesse. He sailed close to Minstrel which tempted him, but something held him back. He had had this plan since his mother taught him about all the countries. Fiore had always been his first stop for exploration. Rumoured to be a land of freedom and acceptance, Fiore would be low-risk. It had a diverse population and terrain. He would try his luck there before he ventured on to the less hospitable nations.

Swinging around the southern coast of the peninsula, the ship docked at a port town named Cedar. It was far from the enormous, bustling trade city of Port Robinshire, and after Ca-Elum's first impression, he was a little disappointed. Cedar offered little more than fishing stalls and architecture, unlike anything he'd ever seen. He descended the ramp with only a few others, pausing on the docks to get his land legs back. It wouldn't take long to explore this place, but the young man was already running into a snag. While he had a travel plan for the order of nations he planned to visit, there wasn't much planning done once he arrived in those nations. Fiore must have larger cities. Inland, perhaps?

Just like that, there was a new visitor in Fiore, a half-demon from Dongxia named Tao, who had never been allowed a surname due to his paternal lineage. The first thing Tao wanted was some maps. He'd get nowhere if he wandered around lost. The problem was, upon venturing more into the town, he saw nowhere to attain any maps, none of Cedar and none of Fiore. He was quickly learning that Cedar wasn't a hotspot for tourism. Hitching a ride on a trade ship had taken him out of the way for someone new to the nation. Though he hated to ask, Tao's only option now was to find someone to help him.

The bejewelled young man turned his face toward the deep voice, though he didn't reply immediately. It was always a struggle to interact with someone new for the first time, though beyond that he was more than willing to converse. He gave Arthur a quick appraisal as if merely scanning him would tell him would reveal intent. Was this a typical Fioran wishing to help or some sort of thief? He had precious little knowledge on how the average Fioran looked or acted, so there was no way for him to know if this was suspicious behaviour or not. Either way, Tao was not some ignorant newcomer who would trust blindly. He could distrust and still receive some assistance.

"I am new to Fiore," Tao spoke, his tone higher and curter than the other man. He was proficient in most of Ishgar's languages, though his Dongxian accent would cling to his words like a sheer shroud. "I intend to travel and require maps," he stated, turning to face the much larger man in the brown coat. Were all Fiorans as large as he? In Dongxia he was of average height, but so far he seemed to be on the short side of things here. He...didn't like that very much. Looking up at people was annoying, and this one was about a head taller and much bulkier. Bringing his suitcase around to his front, Tao proceeded to bow courteously. "My name is Tao. Do you know where I can find the maps I need?" he asked. Despite the focus in his words, the half-demon wasn't actually in that much of a hurry. If he could find no maps, he'd just have to explore at random. It was just preferable to know a little about the nation so he'd have an idea where he should be looking for herbs...and demons.

Tao wasn't unattuned to the prospect of someone finding him attractive, but he assumed instead that the large, tanned man was wrapped up in the novelty of not only ogling someone 'exotic' from a foreign land but also had likely never seen a half-demon before. He had not mixed with people too often in his formative years prior. Perhaps his perception of the outside world was jaded even more than the average Dongxian. "Arthur," he repeated with a nod in official greeting, though a bit slowly. There were some sounds in the name not present in his native tongue, so forming his mouth around them took a little extra effort and still sounded just slightly off.

Gleaming gold eyes lifted their subtly slitted pupils to search the left for the street name he'd mentioned. Pleasantworth Street. He saw it and was already angling to pursue the red-and-white awning. "I'm fine. I trained a good deal in the mountainous elevation, so it will need to be colder before I'll need a coat," Tao said, not yet walking off. He wasn't necessarily looking to chat more than he needed, but Arthur had said something interesting. "You do mercenary work?" he asked, motioning for the looming man to follow him. Standing idly by when he could be killing two birds with one stone wasn't his style. "How does one become a mercenary in Fiore? That would be a sufficient source of employment for a traveller. Eventually, I'll run out of funds," the smaller man said, reasoning aloud. He wouldn't voice it, but he would also need many...jewels? Was it jewel that Fiore used? It wasn't quan. That brought up another dilemma. "I have only brought quan with me. Does this country accept that currency or is there someone I can exchange it for jewel?" he asked now. Logic was telling him that quan wouldn't be accepted since Dongxia wasn't one to interact with the other nations and not many Dongxians left their country for the lesser options. No doubt he'd need to exchange it even before buying the maps he wanted so badly.