Too Much of a Gold Thing [Harps]

[Lucca]

Graeme looked around the hotel's interior, and nodded, seeming moderately pleased by it. A bit gaudy, but certainly not as bad as the more touristy trap type places. He approached the front desk and spoke to the clerk. He almost considered just asking for one room, to save money, but that didn't seem very fair to Dania. Two room keys in hand, he shook them in the air and passed one set to Dania. "Nae a bit wrong wi'bein' excited," he laughed, cane tapping out a steady rhythm on the stars as he walked up them. They seemed to be made of a sturdy sort of bamboo-like material instead of the usual wood or metal.

Their rooms were right beside each other, of course, and Graeme unlocked his own door and vanished inside for only a moment before sticking his head back out. "We've just had a long ride, so if ye'd like to look around a bit and stretch yer legs instead of staring at the maps right away Ah'd understand that." After all, the Rat had never been to Midori before, and it was certainly worth a look around. Besides...Graeme had a few initial things he wanted to check about the area he'd selected to begin their search. And what better time than now, before the sun was too low on the horizon to get a good look?

[Harpsdesire]

Dania took her room key gratefully. Although excitement overshadowed all other feelings at the moment, she was sure she would be exhausted when the adrenaline wore off. It was funny how the prolonged inaction of carriage travel was so tiring-- it wasn't as if she'd been expending any energy.

She laughed softly at Graeme's words as she followed him up the steps. "I suppose not." She wasn't at all used to this feeling of intense enthusiasm. It made her a little giddy to be so far from home in an exotic place with an older man she hardly knew. Adventuring forged a strong bond between cards, but that didn't entirely change the fact that she didn't know much more about Graeme than could be found in newspaper clippings about his business dealings. When the duck unlocked a bedroom door, Dania followed suit, and was soon looking at a clean, airy room furnished in tropical style with flowered bed coverings and a window that opened over the beach. She made a small happy noise and nodded to Graeme. "I'd like to look around, maybe freshen up."

Riding in a carriage shouldn't make one dirty and more than it should be tiring, but the bedchamber had an attached washroom with a massive tub, fluffy towels and some small bottles of things that were most likely tropical scented and lovely. She was hardly intending to let that opportunity go to waste, no matter how unrelated to treasure hunting it was.

"Shall we meet back here later to plan for tomorrow?" The rat's unusually pointed ears were forward-facing, making no secret of her excitement. This trip was going to be amazing. Sun, sand, flowers, adventure, treasure. In a rare moment of unfettered optimism, she could almost feel it in her paws.

[Lucca]

Considering how famous Graeme was, there was actually quite a bit more information about him available to the public than one might expect. Not only newspaper articles, but magazines and books all mentioned him at one time or another over the past twenty years. It was something the Duck had a love-hate relationship with. On the one hand, he had a decently sized ego and it was fed when others knew of him and his accomplishments. On the other, not all press was positive press, and there were some things published about him that he'd rather have kept private. Most especially, he hated when the papers came close to speculating about his love life (or lack thereof), no matter how off the mark such things invariably were. But Dania hadn't read these articles and Graeme wasn't thinking about them right then.

He nodded to Dania, expression cheerful. "Aye, that sounds agreeable," he said, and rapped his cane on the door frame. "Ah'm going ta have a wee look 'round outside. Meet in me room in an hour's time?" Waiting for her confirmation, the Duck would lock his own door and then venture out of the hotel. More than a bath right now, he wanted a bit of investigating and a chance to stretch his cramped legs and wings.

[Harpsdesire]

"That sounds fine," Dania agreed, "See you in an hour." The allotted time would allow her to take a quick bath to soothe sore muscles, unpack her limited luggage and investigate the hotel a bit. As much as she was eager to get out there and look for the treasure in earnest, Dania wasn't exactly a seasoned traveler, and she was hesitant to wander alone in an unfamiliar realm, even if it was generally considered safe for travelers.

There could still be pirates about! She smiled at this thought. It wasn't as they had broadcast the fact that treasure was their goal. Even she knew that a search for valuable antiquities should be handled with a certain discretion.

A few short moments later, Dania was sinking into the deep soaking tub and letting the hot water and flower-infused steam take her off to delightful daydreams of adventure and limitless gold. This sort of experience made Graeme's craving for treasure more understandable. Dania had never before really indulged in the luxuries money could buy, and the chance to do so was delightful and somehow intoxicating. I could get used to this place, she thought.

[Lucca]

While Dania was enjoying a bath and reflecting on a sudden desire for treasure, or at least the hunting of it, Graeme himself was getting a feel for the area around their Inn. He took a moment, once outside, to just stand and close his eyes and take everything in. The salt breeze blowing in off the ocean and rustling his feathers pleasantly, the warm golden sand beneath his feet, the sound of the crashing surf..,a relaxed smile curved the edges of the Duck's bill. He well understood why this place was called paradise by many Cards.

He half opened his eyes and looked lazily up and down the shore, as if he were merely enjoying the view...but there was a sharp glimmer to his eyes that told otherwise. He was specifically looking for something. A thoughtful expression creased his forehead, and he pushed his spectacles farther up his bill. With a flash of white and gold feathers, Graeme spread his wings, tucked his cane under his arm, and pushed off, sand flying up in small eddies around his feet as he took to the air.

Sharp golden eyes gazed down from the Duck's new vantage point. He easily kept aloft from the warm currents of air above the beach, sharing the space with a few non-Card seagulls that he mostly ignored. He began a slow, steady flight along the beach, still looking for...something.

[Harpsdesire]

It wouldn't do to keep Graeme waiting too long while she reveled in warm water. Rather before she really wanted to, Dania toweled off and wandered down to the lobby to look around, planning to be back before long for the appointed meeting time. She passed through a doorway that was left open to the sea breezes and found herself a few steps from the sun-warmed sand.

It was soft and shifting under her paws, and she was surprised by the extra effort walking on sad took as she headed down to the vast blueness of the ocean. It was bigger and more profound than anything she had previously seen, wide and mysterious as the sky. The swells of the endless sea gave her a half-uncomfortable feeling of being terribly tiny and fleeting in the world.

She looked out into blue, she looked up into blue, she watched a few brightly white gulls sailing overhead. Seeing a sky that wasn't gray with Torquehelm's twilight or tarnished with the smog of the capital gave her spirits and curious lift, and when all too soon it was time to return inside for the meeting with Graeme, she couldn't help but sigh.

[Lucca]

While Dania was still in the bath, Graeme finally seemed to have found what he was looking for, as he landed, clipping his wings and letting the warm thermals above the sea carry him a short ways past the barrier of smooth rocks near the ocean. He landed there and poked around a bit, a smile of satisfaction turning the edges of his bill at the look of the rocks. They were old, yes...and possibly familiar. Definitely useful. He took note of one especially weathered formation that might, at one point, have resembled the head and neck of some sort of bird.

Nodding to himself, Graeme waded out into the water and returned to the hotel on foot. He, too, was a bit sadder to be stepping out of the sun and spray, but he knew they'd be back out soon. He got to his room in time to freshen himself up and still be there sitting on his bed when Dania came in, smiling widely. "Good day, lass!" he greeted her, obviously pleased. "Ah trust ye've had a pleasant stay so far?"

[Harpsdesire]

"It's lovely here." Dania said, genuine pleasure in her tone. "Very different than what I'm used to." The light and colors of the place were extraordinarily intense compared to Torquehelm's gloom, or even the leaf-filtered sun of Avington. To be honest, the bright sun reflecting off sand and water had given her a bit of headache, but Dania hardly noticed.

"Are you enjoying the location so far?" It was a mere pleasantry-- Graeme was overtly cheerful and looked quite ready for anything from an adventure to a nice sun on the beach. "The sea must look even bigger from the air." She could only assume that anyone with wings would have taken advantage of the beach's warm updrafts and panoramic views for a nice flight.

Feeling refreshed from her bath a quick stroll, Dania tried not to look too eager as she said, "Do you have any thoughts on where you might want to start looking around?" She had a few thoughts herself, but as they were mere conjecture, Graeme's were just as likely to steer them in the right direction. In fact, probably more likely, as he had treasure hunting experience and a quite-literal nose for treasure.

[Lucca]

Graeme nodded, the smile on his bill almost as bright as the sun outside, and with an underlying smugness. "Good." He chuckled and made a motion to Dania to join him in sitting on the bed. In typical Inn fashion, the rooms didn't really accommodate much sitting down and talking pleasantly. "Ah always enjoy Midori, as long as it's nae a too crowded potion o'it," he said, making a small face at the thought of the more tourist-trap parts of the Beach. "Aye. Everything looks...different from th'air. But ye'll ken that someday for yerself, too." He poked lightly at the Diamond on Dania's chest, looking thoughtful. It was nice to go flying. He so rarely got such a chance at home between everything else.

At the Rat's next question, the Duck's smile turned a little sly. "Aye, tha' Ah do. But before tha' Ah'd like tae talk t'some locals and see if we can get anything that way. They know the tides better than anyone." He knew just the place to mingle with Midori, too...

[Harpsdesire]

Dania hardly hesitated before she carefully seated herself on the edge of the bed. Indeed, there were no other obvious options. Well, she supposed if Graeme didn't mind, neither did she. She nodded as he mentioned a dislike of crowds-- that was a taste they apparently shared. She had been pleased to see the beach mostly empty, and the few young cards and family groups had mainly concentrated further down the beach, where natural tide pools formed and the roughest surf was calmed by a coral reef off the coast.

"Perhaps someday." She replied mildly. The idea of flight was appealing, and it would be practical as well, allowing her to move about and carry things in her paws at the same time and more easily navigate stairs or rough terrain. Dania smiled as Graeme poked at her suit marking. Although she couldn't say she disliked it, being touched was always a little surprising, even if it was a very casual brush.

The most exciting part of the conversation, however, was yet to come. Dania's eyebrows furrowed slightly at Graeme's idea. It was a very good one, but it did require careful, tactful socializing, not one of her strongest skills. She wold have to keep her Diamond charm up all evening if she was to be any help at all. "That's a wonderful idea." she said, ignoring her own misgivings.

At least the basic charm took almost no effort to cast or maintain. "I'll be sure to see if I can find anyone who knows the lore of the area. Maybe there's a local variation on the story." It wasn't a sure bet, but Dania had a hunch that this was the kind of tale to be preserved for many years in the storytelling traditions of the area. It would no doubt be in a slightly different guise, but with oral traditions each version tended to retain different details, and the local flavor of the story could easily hold a clue that she had Graeme could use which had been omitted from the Torquehelm version.