On the deck of the Second Shank...
Morton is glad that Erin seems to be gradually accepting the true light of civilized life, tea, as her one and only beverage of choice. Granted, it might take a little while before she makes that exact declaration, but still...
"Glad to hear I've made a convert, good mage Erin, and I'm quite glad you enjoy it too. Say, have you seen good jester Kev... In..." he begins, but then his eye is drawn to the barrel placed in the middle of the deck that has two legs sticking out of it. "O-oh dear."
Sigmund isn't sure what the big deal is here. Can't a man drain people of their blood without being judged?
"Justine, I think that you have spent more time with Mark than me, and that you have already seen what Mark can do. And what he already did with me once, too. So I don't know why you appear to be so concerned about that."
"As usual, you think wrong. And I am quite concerned because this person embodies within himself and his acts a departure from humanity of such atypical wrongness that it took me until this moment to realize their dark, terrible scope."
Pshaw, what a naysayer.
"Wh-what happened, who was this poor soul, and, Gods above, what are you doing good sir Sigmund?!"
"I'm trying to salvage something out of this body. Mark definitely hasn't got tact, at all, when it comes to his surgery skill."
Having said that, Sigmund turns to his buddy Mark, who appears to be busy enjoying the wonderful feeling of a fresh coat of blood warming up his cold metal bones.
"What is true, indeed, is that you could have made all this less disgusting. At least we could have taken him to the cargo hold, where you could have worked alone, and you could have spared us from this sight. So, why don't we go there?"
He puts his single arm to use and, along with Mark, is about to take the barrel downstairs, but then Scott appears, carrying a mug of tea with a bag slightly sticking out of it. He initially looks at Sigmund hopefully, but Sigmund has just the right answer to the likes of him ready.
"We are busy here, can't you see? Anyway, vampirism doesn't let you drink anything but blood. So find somebody else to test your tea shenanigans," he lies confidently, immediately disappearing downstairs with Mark. Scott is unamused, but continues in his quest, walking up to Morton and Erin. Morton seems a little too distraught to help him, while Erin looks to be sipping some tea of her own. Scott gives her the mug, which she accepts cautiously, smelling it first, then taking a sip.
"Hm... it's... not really as good, yeah. A bit too strong. And missing something, I think," she says, grimacing, then handing Scott his mug back.
Well, Scott did go a little light on the sugar, as he couldn't find any. That might be a problem.
Downstairs, meanwhile, Sigmund evaluates if the drunkard's bled his share into the barrel. After a brief look reveals that he is leaking very minor amounts of blood now, he takes a moment to search the fellow. He is somewhat surprised when he locates a sizable hidden pocket on the person - it seems to have a flask of dark liquid of some kind inside it. For some reason, Sigmund finds the sight of it inexplicably alluring. Aside from a copper coin that fell out of his pocket and into the blood, he has nothing else on him.
In the streets of Shriekpot...
Niklas, feeling that the people following him need no undue attention directed at them, wanders about aimlessly along the streets, keeping to crowded areas. The dudes just keep following him along.
"I do not like the look of those people. They seem to be scum of the earth. Perhaps you should tell them to obtain better pastimes than gawking at you."
"Who are you, anyway? You look like one of those funny tree men."
"Shush, Torkel. Don't pester the fellow."
Elsewhere in Shriekpot, Kevin finally walks out of Gunther Gunnarson's place, with Gunther trailing behind him.
"It looks like you're working fine now. Guess I've earned my gold coin, eh?"
Kevin has to admit, having metal bones feels really cool.