This was a new experience for Kale; he'd rarely been to this part of Revaliir. Even more, he'd never once been to this region of Parvpora. This was the city of Nisshoki, a land founded where the eclipse brought with it a blue halo and inspired a nation. It was a city known for its natural harbour and fertile farmlands.Kale, a one-armed man with icy blue eyes and jet black hair, wandered about the city and taking in the sights before taking yet another job tomorrow.

He'd met with the employer earlier that morning and was tasked with retrieving their husband from the nearby forest, or at least an heirloom they carried if the worst had come to pass. The woman he'd met told him that her husband disappeared in the forest a few weeks before and hadn't been heard from since. What Kale did not know about was the local legends regarding that forest.

Through his ambling about, he'd managed to find his way into the various districts. He sampled the local delicacies of fresh fish and the like as his locale transitioned to that of the marketplace. Kale had to admit, the food here certainly agreed with him. He passed by stalls and buildings selling various wares; he even walked through a shop and purchased a few strange objects for his collection.

Ultimately, he found his way to one of the production districts devoted to tailors and other various fabric-related professions. With a few bits of gold, he'd managed to persuade some of the local tailors to help him learn the methods common to this region. They were concerned at first given his missing arm, but he'd managed to accomplish his goal despite the extra time it took… And the many onlookers that seemed curious about it all. Thankfully, stage fright was never something he could afford in his life of piracy.

"Recent string of sickness in the houses bordering the forest…following heavy rains. People have been setting up statues at roads in hope of warding off the illness." Fumbling about she pulled a map of the region and stared at the news post in Ataiyan. "It's reported to be around here–which is close to Menomori. I should go make a few house calls." Shiloh was on high alert with the barrier between Kujishoku and the living world still not quite solid. She had planned to meet Cymbel earlier as a surprise, but a look over the local news changed her focus. There had been heavy rains a few weeks ago and then they were hitting a dry period. It was the perfect situation for the growth of mold, fungus, and other things that thrived in humid muggy conditions.

But an entire small hamlet falling ill all at once? That was suspicious. Within such a short span of time people who weren't living exactly wall-to-wall were becoming sick. The fact this was happening so close to the Forest of Eyes was a coincidence, probably. She hoped it was a coincidence, but with her track record it usually wasn't. The houses there were older than the city buildings, probably at least fifty years or more. With time, things might start falling apart and it wasn't like carpenters would want to journey so far for a group of small farmers. She had some secondhand knowledge of what it was like to live in an old structure, thanks to her husband's now fully-restored home. The rainy season was the worst, he'd told her, as the roof leaked in at least ten places and rotting wood was a constant worry.

Snagging the news notice for herself, she stuffed the other half of the red bean bun into her mouth and started making her way towards the northern city gate. Cymbel was at work right now and she didn't want to bother him. Maybe she'd check in on how his house was while she was at it. 

"What do you mean the ferry's closed?" Half and hour later she was staring down a middle-aged Ataiyan man with a sloping straw hat with arms crossed and glaring displeasure. "I'm sorry, really! But the flooding from the rains have made the river this side too dangerous to cross. The banks are still overflowing, and there's rapids still running. Also the bridge was washed out due to a massive burst of water that came downstream. It's not getting any repairs until the river stops raging." The man was more distraught at the sight of a glowering woman boring her angry eyes into him than the prospect of turning away a customer, and he was clearly avoiding direct eye contact.

"…Fine. Just my luck…" She'd have to cross another way. Going straight across was the fastest way to access Okino, flooded river or not.

Having had his fill of stitching and his hand beginning to hurt from the struggle, Kale took his leave of the tailor shop and began walking once more. He’d meandered his way through, passing by soldiers in blue armor heading the opposite direction. They were quickly chatting, but all Kale managed to catch was something about a woman causing a scene at a river? Looking at the district ahead, one filled with women in fine clothes and a substantial amount of face paint, he turned to follow the blue-clad guards.

They carved their way through the crowds and the one-armed man fell in behind just before the gap could close. He had no idea of where they were headed, but it had to be interesting with the guards hurrying in the manner they were. They arrived, it seemed, as the guards hurried over to a guard being stared down by a woman. From the look of things, the woman seemed to be winning. It seemed the river beyond was flooding and a bridge somewhere had been washed away. The woman, Kale assumed, was not pleased by this and the arrival of the groups he’d followed made him wonder if she’d be charged for some reason.

He worked his way around the forming crowd, hoping to get a better look at the situation. Recognition dawned on him as he got a look at the face fo the woman. The one-armed man hurried up, “There you are,” he said in feigned concern, “I’ve been looking everywhere for you, sister. I wish you’d tell me when you head off.”

The guards all turned their gazes on him. “Your sister,” they asked, “You look nothing alike.”

A smile spread across Kale’s face as he bluffed, “Yes, our parents found me as a child and took me in, raising me as their son! Wonderful people.”

The guards all gave the one-armed man a dubious look, not buying into the tale. Kale looked to Shiloh, hoping for some sort of aid in this lie but unsure if it would come. Either way, he had pieces of gold that he needed to get her; a task made far more difficult if she were taken under guard.

As she was staring at the other side of the riverbank with her perpetual poker face, some guards came running for no reason. The thought of her being the reason for their arrival never registered, since she wasn't harassing anybody–at least by her standards. And with how preoccupied her thoughts were right now, she thought they were just doing a routine patrol for people unlucky enough to fall into the water. Somebody called her, well vaguely called to her and was mistaking her for his sister. Shiloh turned, looked at the guards, looked at the stranger, looked at the guards again, and said nothing. She then proceeded to ignore the entire group of people who had arrived at the riverside and returned to speak with the lone guard she had been staring down earlier.

"You, blue hat. How far is this from Okino?" The beleaguered and slightly terrified guardsman looked up, confused at the question. "It's probably a few miles or so? I'm not absolutely sure, this isn't my usual post!" He held up his hands in defense. He threw a few glances at his fellow guardsmen, as if begging for help. She began rummaging around in her knapsack, and pulled out a map of the general region of Nisshoki. Flattening it out, she held it in front of the guard. "So where would that be on this map?" The man had a look of despair as he was still not freed from her presence, but out of fear and obligation, he continued. "It's about here?"

"Where are we standing right now?" She followed up tersely. "Here." He squeaked. "…Ok." Rolling up the map, she finally left the guardsman alone and began walking along the riverbank. "Hey! Wait where are you going?" The guards were now agitated, thinking the worst. "Oh nevermind… let's go." The guards began to speak among themselves, and snippets of their conversation were easily overheard. "What was she doing?" The guard who was first at the riverside shook his head. "She just came up out of nowhere and began asking me when the ferry would be coming. I told her the ferries weren't running due to flooding, then she gave me this bone-chilling stare as she kept asking me again if they really weren't coming. I don't understand why she wanted to cross the river so badly."

With the guards off her back, she was now by herself. It was the perfect opportunity for Kale to catch up with her, as she was staring at the river again. Clearly she was thinking about something, but who knew what it was?