Too Much of a Gold Thing [Harps]

[Lucca]

The next morning, Graeme was up and about far earlier than what would be a reasonable time to show up at the bookstore. Or, to put it a little more accurately, he hadn't really ever gone to bed. By the time he'd read over the copied manuscript several times, consulted his maps, made plans, sent messages back to the Capital and the Highlands, counted and recounted the money he'd brought for their journey, and made additional preparations...the first light of dawn was already turning the sky from inky black to slightly-less-inky grey.

By then, as anyone would agree, there was no point in going back to sleep. So the Duck took his time savoring nearly five cups of tea (after all, they may be his last for a while), grabbed his cane and top hat, and then walked from the hotel to Paige's, telling the carriage driver to give him a few minutes' head start and then follow after.

"Dania? Are you in here?" he asked, tapping on the door frame with the head of his cane before pushing his way inside the shop. He was still a few minutes early, but perhaps she'd be overly punctual as well?

((actually, I was thinking we could just continue here instead of making a new thread...just because they switch locations you don't always have to close the thread. I've had threads in the Capital that moved to the Court of Hearts but the thread just stayed in the same place. *shrug* ))

[Harpsdesire]

Dania was in the bookstore, tidying shelves and pacing anxiously. Now and again she checked the small heap of luggage to make sure it was ready to go. (No matter how many times she checked, it never became any less ready, to her relief.)

The previous night had not been restful one for Dania, either. After packing quickly and making sack lunches for the next day's travel, she had informed her father of her plans with a sort of timid defiance. Quite a heated discussion had ensued that eventually ended in the pair storming off to their respective bedrooms with the uneasy understanding that Dania's plans were no longer completely under parental control. She was going to Midori. Her father had (grudgingly) accepted that she was grown now, and could choose her own schedule and friends. She should feel happy, free.

She had cried into her pillow for a while before falling into a fitful sleep.

Nervous energy drove her from her bed the next morning long before she would usually awaken for work. She had tried to sleep longer, but her racing mind forbid it and she was eventually inspired to head to Paige's early, arriving just before the streetlights went out. The morning chores were accomplished far before opening time, and dusting completed in a flash, and now she puttered about in increasing agitation. She was nearly trembling with excitement and nerves.

When the Duck called to her, Dania jumped a bit, jarred out of her own not-entirely-pleasant thoughts by his voice. "Er, yes." She answered, in an almost strangled tone, wringing her paws nervously. A few deep breaths calmed her somewhat, and she was able to speak more naturally, although her heart was still fluttering rather alarmingly. "You're up early. Eager to be off?" She rather hoped he was, as she wanted to be out the door before her parents awoke and somehow talked her out of going.

[Lucca]

When a tremulous voice greeted him, Graeme wasn't sure whether he should feel relieved or worried. It was not entirely surprising that Dania was so nervous, since from what he could gather she'd led a rather sheltered life in Torquehelm up until this point, and he was definitely glad that he could help inspire her to take charge of her own life. But at the same time, it couldn't possibly be easy to commit to a longer journey such as this, and to go out on a limb. Especially since, despite treasure hunting together before (which Graeme considered a really good bonding experience) the two still didn't know each other that well.

Therefore, he waited patiently near the door while the Rat gathered her composure and then replied a little more normally. A smile slipped onto his bill that was echoed in the brightness of his eyes behind his spectacles. "Call it rather a lack of ability t'sleep, though ah ken there's nae a lot of difference," he chuckled. She didn't look so well-rested herself, though the Duck was too well-mannered to comment on it. "But if Ah'm nae mistaken, our carriage is right outside and ready t'go." He swung his cane to point back out the way he'd come, where sure enough the sound of hooves on the street signaled the arrival of their ride.

[Harpsdesire]

So he couldn't sleep either? She made a sympathetic sound, and admitted, "It wasn't the best night's sleep I've ever had. Too excited to be off, I suppose." Despite the bit of darkness under her eyes, mostly disguised by her fur, Dania didn't feel especially tired. She was too nervous now to even think of going back to sleep. Later, maybe, she would wish to rest on the long carriage ride to Midori.

Dania swallowed a few times. Her throat felt oddly closed from nerves and her stomach seemed to be doing some sort of an energetic dance within her. It was her last chance to turn back, and for a moment she debated taking it. Graeme would probably be disappointed, but at least he would still have the story and the chance to keep the treasure all to himself if he found it, and that would certainly be enough to placate him.

Still, how often did a card really have the chance to head to a lovely, exotic vacation spot and look for treasure? It would be silly to chicken out of such an opportunity, especially after all the trouble she went through to find the book which would lead them to the gold. Dania attempted to convince herself that this trip was a good idea, safe and potentially profitable. She told herself firmly that after the cave, the skeleton, and the strange underground spring of her previous adventure, she could surely handle a realm known mostly as a tourist destination.

"I'm ready, too." She heard herself say, almost against her will. Dania picked up her luggage, locked up the shop and followed Graeme out into the watery morning light where his carriage waited. Even though her paws trembled a bit with nerves, her eyes were bright with the promise of adventure.

[Lucca]

Graeme nodded in understanding, and waited with as much patience as he could (which wasn't a whole lot, to be honest...his webbed foot tapped out a nervous beat on the floor) for Dania to say she was ready. In truth, the Duck would probably be more disappointed than either of them really realized if she'd backed out now. He'd actually come to see Dania as more than just a business partner. It was a feeling he'd barely recognize himself...he was the stereotypical popular rich kid with very few real friends. He knew it and it rarely bothered him.

"Hm." A smile spread across his bill, and Graeme turned to lead the Rat back to the waiting carriage. "Ah hope you're bringing a book or two. It's a long ride." He hailed the driver and hopped nimbly up into the seat, offering a feathered hand to Dania for assistance. Himself, he'd brought along a newspaper or two, though he guessed he'd probably fall asleep, or else busy himself with planning things, before reading much of that.

((if you want we can do a time skip to when they arrive, haha.))

[Harpsdesire]

((Time Skip is fine. Sorry if the delay killed your muse for this, I think I'd like to keep going if you still do...))

Dania had, of course, brought books with her. Several, in fact, both of the helpful, related variety and for pleasure reading. Pleasure could wait until the ride home, however, and as they carriage jogged along the rat perused a volume on Midori legends and lore. A map of the realm lay spread on the seat next to her, and she studied it now and then, searching out locations and landmarks mentioned in the stories.

It was interesting and light enough reading, and the time passed quickly, even with stops to rest the Aces and have tea at roadside taverns along the way. It wasn't long before the tang of salty sea air began to seep into the closed carriage. When this happened, Dania put down her book, folded her map and stared out the window in mounting excitement. Another adventure-- this made two in one lifetime! The Torquehelm had never really dared to hope for even one.

She glanced at her traveling companion, violet eyes alight with an intensity the meek rat rarely allowed herself to feel. "Almost there." She had a sudden impulse to laugh, to bounce in her seat like a child who has just noticed that they were entering her grandparents' driveway. She resisted it, but a smile escaped and she pressed her nose up to the window to look out at the scenery.

Palm trees! They looked wonderfully exotic, and a profusion of bright blooms and lush ferns grew alongside the road. Even the road side weeds of Midori outshone Torquehelm's gardens in the full splendor of summer. Splendor, in this case, was used in the loosest possible sense. Dania had never seen so many flowers.

[Lucca]

Graeme, for his part, began the journey with a rather long nap. After all, as excited as he was to arrive and start hunting for treasure, there was nothing he could do to make the miles any shorter. And many past journeys had taught him that showing up for a new adventure running on empty was a bad idea and only caused further delays or, worse, dulled senses that made him miss a clue. When they got to the first tea shop, the Dukc woke up, had a cup, and was more lively for the rest of the trip. He read his newspaper, studied the maps with Dania, and even engaged in a bit of idle chit chat with his travelling companion, were she amenable to it.

By the time they reached their destination at long last, a large grin was spread over Graeme's bill. He had to admit, the Midori always was one of his favorite destinations. There was always the chance to run into some pirate's long forgotten loot, and the weather there was generally lovely and tropical. He could do without all the overpriced food, though, which was why one of the things he'd packed was several days' worth of rations.

Unlike Dania, Graeme didn't bother to hide his glee, tail wiggling as he laughed and rubbed his hands together. "We sure are, lass! Ooh, this is going t'be wonderful!" He looked out the window and grinned widely. "What a sight fer sore eyes." His eyes weren't actually very sore, but were getting a little misty, thinking of all the treasure buried under that gleaming sand and sparkling water.

The carriage pulled up outside an Inn that Graeme had been planning to spend the first night at while they made plans and squeezed information out of the locals.

((no worries! <3 I'm up for continuing this.))

[Harpsdesire]

Dania scrambled eagerly out of the carriage to find herself standing in fine, golden sand. Like nearly everything else in the region, the inn was right on the beach. It was a two story structure, whitewashed and rather plain, but the tropical plants and palm leaf umbrellas that decorated its broad front walkway lent an air of exotic charm. On the horizon the ocean stretched out smooth and brilliantly blue. "It's beautiful!" Dania tried not to stare like she was some country mouse who had never been out of her own little town-- even though that was actually rather accurate.

"Should we check in before we look around?" Based on the maps and her reading, Dania was understandably excited to start the treasure search, but doing this right was going to take careful planning, and probably more than one day.

She was not convinced that the 'heart' of Midori actually meant the accurate geographic center, but it was probably a good place to start, and had the added attraction of being not too far from the Inn Graeme had selected.

[Lucca]

Graeme stepped out of the carriage just moments after Dania, grinning as he felt the warm sand under his webbed feet. It had been far too long since he'd been here. And Dania had never been here before; that much was obvious. He chuckled at her reaction, though he couldn't help but agree, and actually took a moment to admire the way the sunlight reflected off the water before turned towards the Inn.

He raised an eyebrow at Dania. "Ah, are ye tha' eager, Lass?" He could hardly blame her for that, either. He stretched his arms and wings a bit, collecting his bags, and threw a coin to their driver, who caught it nimbly and went to park his vehicle, intending to rest a bit before travelling back. "This treasure hunt will take a good bit o' planning, Ah'm afraid. Come along." He set off for the hotel entrance, walking past all the colorful tropical foliage. Inside, the Inn was a good bit more amazing than the outside would suggest. Lavishly decorated with furniture that screamed 'sea shanties', and with more shell decorations up than one would ever see anywhere else.

[Harpsdesire]

Dania was honestly surprised at how eager for adventure she was. She blushed at the Duck's words. "Just... excited, I suppose." She answered, much more sedately. She followed behind him into the building and was rather taken aback at the lavish and tropical decor. This was certainly more than she had expected from the inn's exterior. "Planning is important for this sort of thing." She agreed, "I, ah, I guess I'm getting ahead of myself..." The rat's smile was apologetic.

Even without Graeme's experience, Dania understood the need to plan out the best routes to take, choose places to look and pack supplies. Otherwise too much time could be wasted just wandering about and important clues could be missed. It was the sensible thing to do, and Dania would hardly want to skip such an important step. Still, she was eager to get out and walk on the sand, sniff the ocean air and take in the sun, which was almost too warm and bright compared to the dim light of Torquehelm.

She was close behind the Jack as he approached the desk to check in. It was manned by a Midori canine with the realm's trademark braided mane and almost blindingly vivid swirls of green and magenta on his coat. Dania smiled nervously and let Graeme take the lead in arranging for rooms. She was too busy looking around at the various shells that decorated every available surface and hung on the walls in elaborate sailor's valentines.