Return to Embassy, meet with Hugo and Kawakai
"Retcyl, my friend. Welcome back. I trust you had a good trip?"
"Kawakai? Bad news. Poor dear came in bleeding one night, fainted whilst I bandaged her wounds, and hasn't woken since. I don't know much about medicine, but it seems to me she is fine- just tired. Very, very tired. She's in a back room. There are people taking care of her. Another Hacturi came looking for her a short while after she fell asleep, but she hasn't been back since. I don't know what happened."
"On a more cheerful note, let me show you around! I think I did a very good job with the place, don't you? The innkeeper is back, and taking care of the inn part of the establishment. Towards the back and on the upper floors we have quarters for you and your men, and rooms for all number of purposes. A little empty at the moment, but I'm sure your men will have no trouble settling in. I took the liberty of granting myself a room and office on the upper floor- small thing, you won't miss the space. And"-Hugo looks around for a moment-"...if we twist this candlestick and push this floorboard down, this door opens up- wonderfully hidden, isn't it?- which gives us access to the 'lower floors'. I haven't had much time to find staff for those, yet, though I think I might be able to find a few folks- I've seen one or two down at the docks, not to mention this one fellow who stole one of my paintings right in front of the queen!"
"Anyway. I'll show you all the various
doors later. If you forget where they are, the paintings"- Hugo gestures to the wall, where a small, quickly-doodled painting hangs-"contain clues and directions, to those in the know. The current lot are temporary, I will paint some truly worthy of the place when I have the time. So much to do, so little time!"
Hugo pauses for a moment, looks around as if thinking, and then concludes:
"Well, I'm rambling. There are details to be explained, but that can wait until later. Was there anything else you wanted?"