After discovering the ship would be making land for official business, Ayla had determined to herself that she would remain in her cabin for the duration of anchoring. She figured that if she disappeared into the ship, she would leave a shorter trail of sightings for which the Blackthorne bloodhounds could follow. As Ayla built the courage to begin discoursing with Sabrina about general seafaring life, with the aim of getting a better grasp of travel speeds but also with genuine curiosity about a lifestyle that was so far from her own understanding, she noted the captain’s appearance from across the deck.

[i]Here it comes,[/i] she thought. [i]The Quartermaster spoke to him. He knows.[/i]

Putting on a warm smile, Ayla dipped a courteous nod to the man as he approached. His first invitation garnered a surprised doe-eyed expression which quickly shot askew to the nearby cook before returning to the captain himself. His follow-up inquiry smoothed the flood of mixed emotions that had hit her like a sneaker-wave on unsuspecting beachgoers. 

“Oh!” she meekly squeaked out. “I — Uh. Well, I would be glad to have the opportunity to collect herbs and medicinal components.” She fidgeted nervously with her hands and failed at fighting the urge to let her eyes run wild in search of an escape route. 

“I will be honest, I had planned to stay aboard during port. I am not accustomed to travel and though I might be best limiting my explorations to my destination.” She shuffled her steps side to side and tried a joke, “I think I finally got the handle of walking on the water!”

She pursed her lips a moment and returned to her usual poise. “I cannot pass the opportunity to bolster my supplies for treatments, though.” She tried to remain casual in tone as she warily asked, “How long will we be ashore? What sort of amenities can one expect in this location?”