Bumming around the docks...

[Halver]

~Early Pontius, Winter, Era XV Post Fractum~

Halver had been wandering around the yards for about an hour now after arriving at the island, and he still had not found work. He had spoken with a few sailors he'd seen on a large docked warship, but they told him that one needed extensive combat training to work on one of those. He wandered farther down the docks, whistling an old shipman's tune that he always liked to hear and taking in his surroundings. These yards weren't as extensive as some he'd seen, but they were by far the best-built, and he found them interesting. As he sat down on a stack of spars to eat an apple, it started to rain. He was a carefree fellow, and didn't much mind getting wet, so he didn't bother to pull up his hood.

[Whisper]

"Bum luck, huh?" came a voice from behind Halver. If he turned around, he would see a man carrying an open crate filled with figs. Behind him were some more men carrying similar crates. They bore glass jars, dried noodles, candles, and other goods. The fellow who had spoken held the crate under one arm while he pulled the hood of his cloak over his head.

"Just when you think it'll be a beautiful brightening... Bam! There comes the rain. And when you think it'll be a great adventure at sea in the storm... Zap! The sun comes out. Ah, well. That's Demios for you.

"C'mon, fellas," said the sailor, turning to address the men that followed him. "We've got to load all this stuff onboard, or we'll be late. With the rain, we've got to make good time to Jaedaxia."

But as he turned, he dropped the crate that he had been holding under one arm precariously. He cursed as the crate split and figs spilled this way and that, rolling on the ground.

[Halver]

Halver sprang up and started to gather up the figs. He knew it wouldn't be long before the seagulls got to them, and figs were expensive these days.

"You know, if you put a boom on the starboard deck you wouldn't have to carry all of these down yourself... you could just lower them onto the dock. All the ships were rigged like that back in Port Alyxandrya." Halver put the last of the figs into a burlap sack and gave them to the man, extending his hand in greeting.

"The name's Halver. How d'ya fare?"

[Whisper]

The sailor grinned, shaking Halver's hand. "I'm Bridon. It's a pleasure." He tossed the last of the figs into the sack and held it carefully so that they wouldn't spill again.

"So, y'mean, like a crane?" he asked, looking towards his ship. His fellow sailors had already walked up the plank with their loads and were readying the vessel for sailing. It was a smaller ship, but definitely able to make long journeys and carry a fair amount of cargo. "Makes sense in Port Alyxandrya, but as you can see, this is one of the smaller ports in Aelyria. Not much that's done here save for importing and exporting. Smart idea, though.

"So you're a sailor?" Bridon tilted his head curiously with a grin. "Not meaning to be presumtuous, but if y'know about rigging and y'came from Port A..."

[Halver]

"I am indeed." Most people didn't realize he was a sailor until he spoke about it.

"I take it you don't run her through the major ports?" he said, gesturing towards the ship with a weathered hand. "The pirates force most of the ships these days to keep to the coastal routes, I suppose. I respect a man that works the open sea." Halver took a last bite out of his apple and tossed the core into the water lapping up against the dock. "So help on this kind of ship is usually difficult to find, no? Would you be in need of another deckhand?" Halver needed this job, but he did his best to seem nonchalant. "I could even show you how to rig up that crane within the voyage."