Kor'da: This is madness. We didn't come all this way to be dragged down by the Canaanites and their council! We have every right to walk through those gates after everything we went through."
Jimmy: "Speak for yourself, big guy. You and Jibril have been changed by this whole thing, i mean looking at you two, whatever you two did to get to the way your are now, i'm thinking you guys gave up something in return. If i didn't know any better, you guys made a deal to get into the capital to. If it was worth selling your souls or bodies or whatever, I wanna get in just as badly but i ain't giving up nothing as badly as you guys seem to."
Karlya: "Can it, Jimmy, you and the Corsairs weren't doing so hot yourselves. When was the last time you had a home? Look around you, we're all hurtin' and this was not something to joke about. Whatever these two did has nothing to do with getting to Scarlet Rose."
Tar'lak: "Can we focus on the problem at hand? Clawing at each other isn't helping. If the dragonborn is correct, then it seems to me our option is to sneak in and pretend we belong there. Find a good forger would be our best bet at getting papers and proof of citizenship."
Jimmy: "Oh yeah? Do you know of any forgers in New Canaan? Besides, they work a lot differently than the two empires and they're big on the bureaucracy, lots of red tape and rules. There's no way we're gonna last very long if we try to blend in, plus we have no idea what's even going on there that caused them to shutdown the borders. For all we know, they could be in a civil war or something just like Heifong."
Karlya: "Then what do you suggest, Jimmy? We stand around and camp outside where we'd be raided day in and day out? I've got a daughter to take care and, for that matter, no coin! We're all stuck out here with no money and no food, once we leave the caravan, we're all on our own. I don't got the land-legs to be camppin' all my life. If we can't settle on land, I say we steal ourselves a ship and take to the seas."
Kor'da: "Great idea if you preferred the seas. No everyone is as eager to jump ship and sail the seas forever moving towards the sunset."
Jimmy: "But she does have a point"
Karlya: "I do?"
Jimmy: "Yeah, we could try finding an island or another continent to live on. You've seen part of the world with Red Fang, right? I know Fluter's Isle is death trap but there are small islands we could settle down on and make it livable."
Karlya: "I like the sound of that, actually, but we'd need supplies if we down settle on a island."
Kor'da: "Then you three can settle on an island, my family will try our best settling here on land, at least here we have supplies and plenty of people to do labor and where the work is always stable enough to make some coin legally."
Jimmy: "He's right, it's a terrible idea, we'd have to become pirates to get what we need and a merchant ship to come through to keep the island supllied. No way we can pull it off with the pirate lords fleeing the country to seek shelter elsewhere by now. Not to mention the Shurifon Navy is probably looking for all of us."
Kor'da: "Tzu Vang was an honorable man, Admiral Zhao will probably put a bounty on anyone here for his death"
Everyone is bummed out by the lack of prospects. All their ideas so far have trouble making traction. Everyone except Red-Eye who has been unusually quiet this entire time just listening in to their conversation, Tar'lak prods him.
Tar'lak: What do you think Red-Eye, any bright ideas?"
Red-Eye: "What, me?"
Jimmy: "Yeah, what about Red-Eye? He's a Canaanite! You got anything we can use to get in?"
Red-Eye: "Uh"
Karlya: "Yeah. dandy man, you probably know the city better than any of us. Think you can help us get in?"
Red-Eye: "I, uh, shit, I don't know!I ain't exactly a tour guide here!"
Kor'da: "Doubtful, Marlo isn't very well liked by his brethren as it seems"
Red-Eye: "This guy gets it, I don't really knwo anything that can help you guys out. I just live there"
Karlya: "Then what bloody use are you?"
Jimmy: "Yeah man, we're facing a crisis and you're over here just listening and not helping!"
Tar'lak: "Can you two knock it off? If i wanted to stay there, i wouldn't be associating myself with either of you"
Jimmy: "The hells that suppose to mean?"
Tar'lak: "Do you people not see yourselves?"
They do and they looked like refugees and some of them are outlaws and former criminals.
Tar'lak: Even if we get to Scarlet Rose, we'd stick out like thumbs in swamp muck. All of your use to be hired thugs, pickpockets, pirates and extortionists. If the militia there catch wind of your pasts, you'd be serving time in hard labor."
Jimmy: "The hell do you know"
Tar'lak: "The Kalisa woman has a big mouth. Criminals serve a high penalty in Blackgate, i for one do not want to be a prisoner there and i can only assume neither do any of you. We either buy our way in or solve the issue amicably"
Kor'da: "Amicably, you say?"
Tar'lak: "Was it something i said?"
Kor'da: "If we knew what was happening in New Canaan, we could perhaps try to resolve it ourselves. Earn our place with the leaders and secure ourselves as citizens. If Kane or the council find us useful to them, I'm sure we could come up with a sort of deal"
Jimmy: "You mean, work for them?"
Karlya: "That's nice and all but how does that include all of us? We have kids here not to mention we have no equipment nor gear that's not including the problem of coin to spare"
Kor'da: "I'm aware but if we took the aid the caravaneers are offering and split up the coin we get, we could purchase some gear."
Karlya: "Split up the take, that'd be swell if we knew how much"
Red-Eye: "You're gonna find out that everything in Scarlet is pricy and excellent quality goods. If ya'll were to get some coin to spend, you could gear up in Shurifon and try your luck sorting out the problem."
Jibril: "IS there a way we could help our selves out of this mess, Red?"
Red-Eye hesitates but thinking about how Jibril and Karlya helped him when no one else did, he relents.
Red-Eye: "Technically speaking, the borders are closed to refugees and runaway slaves trying to find a place. It doesn't actually mean mercenaries like myself and others from finding work in the city. In fact, they pay really well for the kind of work they need."
Karlya: "How much are we talking?"
Red-Eye: "A Petwer coin per hour of the day for regular labor, a Silver coin for complicated work, if you got the skills like Draco or Shimbala's crew, you could be seeing a Gold coin plus extra if you work for the government. Soldiers and the militia get paid big time because there's so few of them versus the Shurifon guards but they make up for it in really good gear and plenty of side benefits like free booze and plenty of space in the barracks. It ain't glamorous but I got three square meals a day and a warm cot plus a bath for enlisting."
Karlya: "Seriously? You sound like a recruiter"
Red-Eye: "Hey you asked, I'm just giving you the options. New Canaan is always looking for people to do the jobs they need and nothing says you can't stay in the hotels and inns there until the borders open up again or they start letting people get citizenship to live there. But if you did that, you could burn a lot of coin staying there"
Kor'da: "What about merchants and business people?"
Red-Eye: "Well, yeah, they need merchants too ... considering we sorta killed most of them recently"
All: "What?!"
Red-Eye: "Yeah, there's been a coup there. Not suppose to talk about it and all but there was some stuff that went down and that may or may not be the problem"
Jimmy: "Great"
Karlya: "A bloody coup"
Tar'lak: "More surface-dweller problems"
Kor'da: "Regardless, we have an opportunity here to make ourselves useful. I say we take our chances in getting work there until we have enough to live off and then try our luck getting our homes."
Karlya: "It's better than what i had in mind"
Jimmy: "I guess it could be worse, maybe they have need of my skills"
Karlya: "Thievery isn't a skill, Jimmy"
Jimmy: "Hey! I use to run a gambling den before all this happened, who know if they even have one there. I hear the Scarlet District has space for one and if i get the coin to open one there, then i can live there without a problem."
Kor'da: "My family plan to do the same as well for our pawn shop"
Jimmy: "That's what i'm saying! We have the skills and grit to make this work, we open our businesses and live out of them"
Red-Eye: "That requires you to have a citizenship"
Kor'da and Jimmy look to Red-Eye: "Why?"
Red-Eye: "Because everyone thought that way too, got too crowded and the council passed a law requiring it."
Jimmy: "Fuck!"
Kor'da: "Seems like working odd jobs is our only chance, we'll have to tighten up our belts to stay there for the time being"
Karlya: "This isn't what i signed on for. First chance i get, i'm going to find work with the thieves guild"
Jimmy: "Good luck with that"
Karlya: "Better than begging on the streets and working a job all me life that i despise. I'd be making more than either of you if it were just meself stealing the goods!"
Jimmy: "How's that working out for you now?"
Karlya: "Watch it, pintsize!"
