<blockquote><div><cite>Sillyness wrote:</cite>“I don’t have a ticket mister mousey sir. Will this do? If not I can always fly to the shore line to get some stones to owner up to it!”</div></blockquote><br/><br/>As Twilah heaved up her coin over her head, the young squirrel widened his eyes and gritted his teeth. He had no idea how the pixie could have kept something like on her person or how she produced it at such short notice, and her misuse of the phrase only served to add to his confusion. Mostly, however, he was just afraid that she would hurt herself or drop off the railing into the bay, instinctively using his thumb and forefinger to steady the coin in her grasp.<br/><br/>“Err… that coin will be fine!” he lied, knowing that the fare for the ferry ride would normally be at least ten times that quantity. “Here, I’ll just take that, and-“<br/><br/><blockquote><div><cite>Kitts wrote:</cite>"Ahh...you know, I...had a friend that was going to come with us. He decided to stay behind, though. I've got this extra ticket...ahh...for her?"</div></blockquote><br/><br/>The small rodent’s blank expression turned to Eruin, one eyebrow arched slightly as he caught the small slip in his wording. Even so, in his current flustered mood, he was quick to take what the wolf said at face value and use it as a scapegoat out of his situation. After all, the captain would certainly warm up to an extra ticket a lot more than an undercharged customer. “Ah, it must be your lucky day, miss pixie!” the squirrel replied, his voice thick with forced joy. “That ticket will do nicely sir, thank you very much!” A meek grin crossed his face while he nodded with more vigor than was necessary. It was clear he was trying to be as polite and accommodating as he could be to the lupine, still quite intimidated by him and his large canine companion.<br/><br/><blockquote><div><cite>Allie wrote:</cite>"Of course. One round-trip ticket to Eva Heights."</div></blockquote><br/><blockquote><div><cite>Akiada wrote:</cite>"No worries, here you go."</div></blockquote><br/><br/>The relatively simple transaction with Alyssa was a welcome return to straightforward ticket-marking for the squirrel, who quickly took the small piece of paper and punched it with a click. However, it was the unexpectedly kind tone from the admittedly daunting German shepherd that caused his demeanor to change. “Thank you very much, sir,” he replied, a more genuine relaxed grin appearing on his face. He bent and twisted the ticket in his hands pensively before turning to face him.<br/><br/>“I’m sorry if I seem a little jumpy,” he muttered softly, glancing up at the much taller canine. “We sometimes have aggressive individuals come on board and… well, I was hired to replace someone, to put it mildly.” Punching the ticket, he slipped it into his pouch and gave Theron a small nod. “Have a good trip, sir.”<br/><br/>While the squirrel proceeded to sort through Eruin’s tickets, the jackal and wolf from before began to do more than merely stare at the strange group. From across the deck, they would be able to see the jackal’s lips move as he jerked his thumb at Eruin, looking down at his own lupine companion. The red-furred wolf replied with a few words, leading to a small exchange that ultimately ended with the sitting canine chuckling slightly and the jackal rolling his eyes. Rubbing his chin, his brow furrowed as he scanned the group pensively, as if he was trying to put something together in his head. Even then, neither canine appeared ready to start trouble over the averted confrontation before them.<br/><br/>Just as her ticket was taken away from her, Alyssa would feel her familiar finally calm down and cease to struggle. Although her mind wanted to fulfill the little feline temptations coursing through her, her exhaustion coupled with the futility of her movements finally caused her to give up.<span style="font-style: italic">Layers, I’m tired…</span>She hung her head limply over the tiefling’s shoulder, settling for a baleful glare at the pixie.<span style="font-style: italic">I swear, if we ever cross paths again and I’m not stuck in this thing, you are mine!</span><br/><br/>The squirrel’s ears perked up at the sound of the engine humming to life, the large contraption sputtering and coughing out small puffs of smoke from the chimney above it. It was his cue to rejoin the mouse and help his compatriot draw up the gangplank, heaving up the large slab of wood to place against the wall of the engine room. Second later, the captain took to the wheel in the steering cabin and throttled the old motor, and at last the ferry began its journey to the city. The mist that hung around them turned into a comforting breeze that flowed over the passengers on the main deck, washing away the smell and heat of the crowd. In moments, the small ferry harbor of South Hensen Bay became little more than silhouettes in the fog, and the next moment, it was gone out of sight.<br/><br/><div style="padding: 3px; background-color: #FFFFFF; border: 1px solid #d8d8d8; font-size: 1em;"><div style="text-transform: uppercase; border-bottom: 1px solid #CCCCCC; margin-bottom: 3px; font-size: 0.8em; font-weight: bold; display: block;"><span onclick="if (this.parentNode.parentNode.getElementsByTagName('div')[1].getElementsByTagName('div')[0].style.display != '') {  this.parentNode.parentNode.getElementsByTagName('div')[1].getElementsByTagName('div')[0].style.display = ''; this.innerHTML = '&lt;b&gt;Spoiler: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;a href=\'#\' onClick=\'return false;\'&gt;hide&lt;/a&gt;'; } else { this.parentNode.parentNode.getElementsByTagName('div')[1].getElementsByTagName('div')[0].style.display = 'none'; this.innerHTML = '&lt;b&gt;Spoiler: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;a href=\'#\' onClick=\'return false;\'&gt;show&lt;/a&gt;'; }"><b>Spoiler: </b><a href="#" onclick="return false;">show</a></span></div><div class="quotecontent"><div style="display: none;">The suspicious jackal:<br/><img alt="Image" src="http://i1009.photobucket.com/albums/af219/sonatawolf/SuspiciousJackal.jpg"/><br/><br/>The conspicuous wolf coming soon!</div></div></div>