The noise around the pier was all but quiet. The ruckus could be heard all over the pier. Crates and boxes being moved all over the place. People moving back and forth, unloading their precious shipment. Mixed with the salt air of the sea and it made Zzan feel happy. He liked the business of the pier. Workers doing their share for their pay or captains bringing his cargo home to sell. Zzan wished he could do that as well. Live a sort of meaning life. Where what he did counted toward someone else. Although no one would probably hire him, he was too young to do most any job. Sighing, he hopped down from a box near the edge of the pier and began skipping around.

Zzan was very careful about not hitting people as he pranced about. Ducking under crates and jumping over barrels, causing many shouts at him but he ignored them. He didn't mind it as long as he didn't ruin any of the cargo. Of course that didn't last long. Zzan swiftly jumped over a keg of beer but didn't see the keg behind it. Landing on the side of the keg, he dislodged it from where it was sitting and caused it to moved down the pier, Zzan trying his best to keep his balance onto of it. Oh great, just what I needed today! He shouted in his mind as he rolled down the pier, people dodging left and right trying to avoid him. All that Zzan cared about at the moment was how to stop the large keg and how much pain he would be in once the owner of the keg found him.

A grunt escaped Griff as he hefted a bolt of newly arrived fabric onto his shoulder. A custom order had been made at the seamstress shop he worked at, calling for more fabric to be ordered. When news of the shipment had arrived, the shop owner, not wanting to waste money on delivery fees and seeing she had a man working for her, demanded Griff to go pick it up immediately. Silly woman, thinks I can handle it like those delivery youngsters... He grumbled while managing his way through the hustle and bustle of the pier. The newly added weight caused strain on his bad leg and he began to limp.

Behind him there were sudden shouts and a rapidly increasing rumble he could feel through his shoes. Curiosity got the better of him, he glanced back. He had to do a double-take to make sure he had seen right. A young kid was riding a rapidly speeding barrel down the pier and he was directly in its path. Griff turned and made a hasty limping retreat toward the safety of a nearby stack of crates. He stumbled and before he knew it boy and barrel were upon him.

Leon had been selling his services on the pier, he was hoping to get a few jobs before the end of the week. His cart was shinier today, it was from the the mist down below and the sun reflecting off of it. The shiny cart was attracting customers. A man needed a letter delivered from one side of Old Rose to another, where his legs should have been were pegs and he needed a crutch. Leon was going to give the order to the crutch maker and in a few days have a crutch for the old man.

Leon was petting his Kenser, Lester, when he heard the rumbling. A barrel was trucking down the pier at an exceptional rate. It was heading right for a scruffy looking man, only a few feet away from him. the man stumbled. He was on his knees. A surge of adrenaline urged Leon into action.

"Hey, kov, get up!"

Leon sprang into action. He lept into the air, hoping to save the man from the speeding barrel.

Leon was too late to push the man out of the way, but he did manage to save Griff from the force of most of the impact. The barrel crashed into Leon's shoulder and Zzan toppled forwards, knocking Leon down the rest of the way. The barrel veered to the side and hit some crates. A little stream of beer was trickling down the street now-- the plug had come out.

For the most part, the three were undamaged. Leon's shoulder would be sore for awhile and Zzan might have a bruise or two from the fall, while Griff's only ailment was that he had banged his knees when he tripped.

Unfortunately, the commotion caused Griff to drop his fabric and some of the beer from the barrel was quickly soaking into it. In the distance, a very angry red man was stomping towards the trio. They got the feeling that his particular skin colour wasn't from too much sun-- this man was pissed off.

Crashing into the men, Zzan felt a pain develop quickly at his head. His body tumbled a bit passed them and stopped. Uggggh. Zzan didn't feel too well. His head was hurting from the collision and soon hurting more from the angry man stompping toward them. Zzan tried to get up to see if the other two were alright but he himself was having a hard time getting up. His vision was blurred a bit and he was dizzy. He knew if he rested a bit he would be fine. Pushing with all his might, he got up and looked around. He could see the two men, the other man stomping near him, and the barrel, leaking all over the dock now. Yep, Zzan was sure he was in for a world of hurt now.

Disoriented from the impact, Griff managed to sit up amongst the tangled mess. He rubbed his knees sourly, he was going to feel this for a while. He glanced over to the boy who had managed to gain his footing and then to the new man sprawled on his own feet. Why am I here again?, the thought gnawed at the back of Griff's mind, he was missing something. He padded his pockets, made sure he still had his bag around him, checked for the fabric- THE FABRIC! He must have dropped it during the collision. Griff frantically scrambled to his feet, dumping the other man to the ground. His knees disagreed with that action, he stumbled back down to the pier's surface. Gritting his teeth he looked up, there was the fabric. The expensive beautifully detailed fabric sat there helping soak up the beer like a wash rag. "No! Please no!" He cried crawling on his bruised knees toward the bolt. He finally managed to gain his footing and lifted the soaked fabric from the puddle of beer. Someone was going to have his head for this. He rang out as much of the liquid as he could then hefted it back onto his shoulder. Nothing could make his day worse.
Griff turned his attention now to the other man on the ground. He didn't look to beaten up from collision. "Yer 'aight mate?"

Leon shoulder was throbbing. It felt as if an oversized chrove had stepped on his shoulder. He wanted to start sobbing like a child, he was such a baby. Leon was sprawled out over the scruffy mans feet. He didn't want to get for fear of straining his shoulder too much.

Ow, my clocking shoulder! Great first my nose and now my shoulder. Turning out to be a great year for you, Leon

When the scruffy man got up he dropped Leon on the hard planks. "Ow!, what the hell!?" Leon yelped. Leon saw the man run over to the beer soaked fabric. It looked like a nice fabric but it was worthless now.

"Yeah, I'm all right. My shoulder is just a little banged up, though."

The red man was upon them in seconds. He grabbed Zzan's ear and pulled on it, "YOU GODS CURSED LITTLE TODDLER!" He roared, "I SAW WHAT YOU DID!" He shook the fourteen year old, breathing heavily. Then he pointed at the other two men with a meaty finger. "All three of you! All three of you are in my debt. You all took part!"

Randal hated street rats. And he hated people who tried to help old men. And he hated old men crying over fabric. It was very hard to find something that Randal didn't hate-- excluding his beer, of course.

"What I want to know is how you loobies plan on paying for my keg what you just ruined!" He shook Zzan again and then let go of his ear. A fist sent the boy flying onto the ground. Randal had taken the liberty to punch Zzan's ear. He picked the boy up and held on tightly to his wrist. "Don't think yer gettin' away from me, you little piece of scum."

Zzan was still a bit loopy but for the most part was thinking straight. It changed shortly after that when the blast of the man's voice rang in Zzan's ears. He swore his ears were going to explode. After the yelling came shaking which made Zzan disoriented again. He felt a bit sick. When the man let go of his ear though, he felt better. But only for those two seconds. The fist came right into his ear causing him to fly back and roll on the docks again. He knew now that he was going to throw up but hadn’t a time to react again. The man picked him up by his wrist and held him up. Zzan quickly turned away from the man and puked all over the pier. His stomach swirled around, nausea building up again.

"Eh, sorry b'out droppin' yeah like dat. I was jus' hopin' ta save this here." He patted the fabric sadly. "Looks like I have some splanin' to do to de boss." He muttered watching the beer drip off the end of the bolt.



"Wait. Three?" Griff said turning to the man in shock. "But sir! I had nothin' ta do with his shenanigans!" His voice began to rise near the end. He didn't need anymore trouble than he was already left with. The shops fabric was ruined and his leg was hurting him, he didn't need to add debt to the list. Griff winced when the enraged man knocked the boy to the ground. "Oi! I think dat was lil' uncalled fer!" He began to shakily limp toward the two as the boy released the contents of his stomach on the pier. The new smell over powered the regular fishy smell and Griff's own stomach gave a lurch. He managed to keep his breakfast at bay with a swallow.

"I am really sorry, kov. It was either your life your the fabric.That barrel could have hit you in the head and knocked you senseless." Leon did feel pretty bad. He saw the beer drip off the fabric. "Maybe Someone can figure out how to get the stain and smell out of the fabric." Leon was wondering if he could find anybody that could help the poor man.

"What are you talking about, kov! Me and this man had nothing to do with this mess. It was that stupid kid." Leon gave Zzan and angry glare. "I know I am not in debt to anyone. I can barely scrape up enough money to feed my pets let alone myself." Leon glanced at his kenser, Lester. "That stupid child should be the only one in debt to you and it should be for the rest of his life." Leon's sunny demeanor had disappeared, he was angry.

"Uncalled for my erse!" Randal screamed, the veins in his neck standing out. "It's street rats like him what ruin my things! An' that means I don't get payed!"



"Well I guess you'd better figure something out, or I'll have you bleeders dead before next week!" He shook Zzan by the wrist and pointed at the two men furiously. "Th' rest of us've got a livin' to make as well! And don't you clockin' forget! I got friends in high places, if ye know what I mean. An' those friends en't as nice as I am!"

Randal wasn't bluffing...entirely. He was pretty sure one of his cousins was a Brother. Still, he couldn't help wanting to put the fear of Alioe in the trio. That keg was worth at least... 10 shills. Possibly less, but he wasn't going to tell them that.

"Ye've got a week to pay it off. Or I'll contact me friend, and tha'll be the end of ye's."

Zzan was still delirious from the smacking and shaking of his body but he could hear the man quiet clearly. 10 shills? That sounded like a great lot to Zzan. He didn't know how much money was worth because he couldn't count. There was a lot of things Zzan didn't know how to but he was certain he could get away from this man. Any longer and he might heel again. After a bit he was feeling better again, the man shouting at the other two. He opened his mouth and bit the man's hand. With any luck he would let go and Zzan would jump away from him, although he would still be groggy and fall over probably.

Randal yelped at let go, more out of surprise than pain. Zzan had time to get away and leave the two adults to pay for his mistake.

Griff looked at the fabric with a hopefully glance, the thought soon vanished. The delicate fabric seemed beyond repair. "Bah, what's done is done." He gave an appreciative look towards the man.



Dead? Griff gripped the bolt tighter. This man didn't look like he was joking. He couldn't mean one of the Brothers, could he? Griff swallowed hard. He had one day hoped to meet a Brother, but on good terms, not with the threat of debt. But, all this fuss over one barrel of booze? "'Ow much did that barrel cost?" He looked towards the broken barrel still leaking the last of its contents onto the pier. It didn't smell different than any other beer Griff had encountered, though he wasn't much of a drinker. Griff nearly lost his grip on the fabric as he heard a sudden scream from the man. He whirled in surprise and witnessed the boy being flung to the ground.

Leon was slightly afraid. Death? It was just a keg of beer. It probably only cost at most eight shills. Leon might have been able to pay it off but because the man handled himself, He wasn't going to pay anything.

Leon heard the scream. It sounded like a dying osta. He realized this was his chance. Quick on his feet, Leon started to run. He turned around and saw that Griff wasn't going to be able to get away from the beer man. Leon grabbed Griff by the hand and started running down the pier.

"C'mon, we have to get out of here." Leon said, running for what seemed like his life.

Yes! He was free! But not out of harms way. Zzan wasn't feeling too well and tripped over his feet. Slamming into the dock wasn't too fun either. He just wanted to get away but his body didn't seem to want him to. Looks like crawling was his next way to try and escape. Zzan struggled to get his hands out in front of himself but he managed to and started crawling away.

"Ten shills an' not a penny less!!! That was right good beer in there, you idiot scuts!" Randal looked properly outraged. Ten shills was a lot of money in Old Rose.



"EH! YOU WOMEN BETTER GET BACK HERE!" Randal roared, and dove for the boy. He grabbed Zzan and held on tight this time. "Don't think yer gettin' away so easy! Looks like them ten shills is all on you now. Unless..."

Randal had a rather nasty look on his face. He knew the other two would be slowed down because of the old man...he could probably catch up to them. "Unless you help me take 'em down. Then I'll cut what ye owe me in half!"

It wasn't much of a choice, but it was there. Randal shook Zzan to force him to answer. The other two were getting away!

The shake made Zzan focus on what was being asked. Risk doing the work all by himself, or have the other two help him and him have less work. Zzan made up his mind fast. "Alright.....I'll help you." But Zzan had other thoughts on his mind as well. Let's just hope this works! Zzan said in his mind, afraid of what would happen if it didn't.

Zzan took off in the direction the other two men were heading but not exactly toward them. Instead Zzan rushed toward the empty keg. Please, if there is a god out there, help me now! Zzan jumped above the keg placing his foot on the back of it and with all his might, gave it a push toward the angry man.

The keg hit Randal, but it was empty and it bounced harmlessly off his leg. Randal was furious. He lunged towards Zzan, grabbed his wrist, and took off running towards Leon and Griff, shouting obscenities.

Leon was slowed down by Griff, whose leg was starting to ache, but they were still far ahead. Randal dragged Zzan towards the two.

All four were coming into a bigger street with more people, entering the market area. It was getting harder to run for all three of them. A man shoved a fish towards Griff, proclaiming its qualities. A woman thrust fine fabrics at Leon, screaming prices at him.

They were in the thick of it. The stream of people had become a sea, and Randal was closing in, Zzan in tow.

"THOSE TWO LUGGERS RUINED GOOD BEER!!!" He was shouting, trying to catch the attention of the crowd.

Leon and Griff were, actually, making pretty good head way. Randal was about a good ten feet behind them but he was keeping a steady pace. The crowd of belligerent salesmen was getting tighter with every second. When it seemed like they were going to get away, Randal started alerting the crowd of the presence.

What is the crazy kov doing? He needs to let it go.

"You all right back there, mate?" Leon was starting to get worried abut Griff. He didn't look so good and he was coated in the stench of fish. Surprisingly the old man was keeping up. Just when things seemed to be getting good for the men, it happened. A women walked right in between Griff and Leon. Leon lost his grip and lost Griff too. He looked back to see the man stuck in the crowd. He felt horrible but he couldn't go back. Leon needed to get away.

"What the 'ell are yeah doin'?" Griff sputtered as the man snatched hold of his hand and began dragging him down the pier. I am going ta pay fer this dearly, his knees would make sure of that. The fabric bolt had nearly fallen from his grasp but he managed to clutch it awkwardly to his chest with his free arm. Glancing back, it seemed the boy was now on his own. Griff kept a mildly far pace with the younger man, though his leg was beginning to slow them down after only a few adrenaline loaded steps. It seemed they could loose the man at the fast upcoming street. Entering the crowd, a fish-wielding man shoved one of his goods to Griff‘s nose. Giving a ragged cough, Griff had to fight to keep his meal down once again. Hearing the enraged screams of the man over the crowd, Griff hunched his shoulders and dodged glances from the curious onlookers.



“Just peachy.” Griff huffed. His leg was near ready to revolt from this unwanted exercise. To make matters worse it was getting more difficult weaving through the crowd after his companion. Then Griff’s fear became reality, his hand lost its grip as a lady cut in front of him. The younger man looked back but disappeared in to the crowd. “No! Wait!” Griff frantically tried to follow, plowing towards where he last saw the man. It was no use, it seemed he was on his own as well. There came another shout from the beer man, he sounded closer now. Griff needed to get away, and fast. Running did not seem like an option, his leg was shaking from the strain. The crowd splitting the two men two may be in their favor though, or so Griff hopped. Following two targets should be harder than just one. Pulling up his cloak and hunching to further shrink his form, Griff made a B-line toward the nearest vendors stall. He took a space beside rather large customer, hoping to have them shield him from view. Leaning slightly over the vendors goods as if considering to buy, Griff stood listening intently for the angered man’s voice to fade.

(I'm terribly sorry about the late post! I've been playing games all summer and I lose track of time very easily! )
The ground was scrapping up Zzan as he was being dragged by the angry man. It didn't seem like he would be giving up anytime soon in his chase. So Zzan decided he would stop him. He reached for the man's legs and hoped he could grab at least one of them so he could trip him over, letting the other two escape.

Randal only felt a slight tug, but he hadn't been going too fast and the crowd stopped him from truly falling. He shook Zzan roughly again, reddening and losing sight of the other two. "SETTLE DOWN, YE DUMB GONEY."

He began to scan the crowd, only tightening the grip on the kid's wrist. He would leave a bruise.

A scraggly girl ran up besides him and glanced up at Randal.

"Ey. Need some 'elp? Me mates are around. It'll cost ye, though. " She asked, giving him a winning smile that wasn't entirely trustworthy.

Griff and Leon had a chance to get away while Randal searched desperately over the heads of the people who were milling about.

Zzan wasn't too sure he could trust the girl or what this "cost" was but it probibly wasn't as bad as working. "Sure. I need all the help I can to get away right now." He hoped what the girl was saying was true, and that she could get away from him.