Investigation at the Docks

Sergeant Carver had received information, from the guards who had initially brought Gonyaul into custody, that the man who attacked him might be working at the docks. Carver thought it was imperative to act on this intel and see if it was possible to get their witness to identify the culprit. Time was of the essence, in case the assailant decided to flee town.

Gonyaul was not thrilled to be pulled away from Wim and Alexis. They were the only two people, out of the group of soldiers present at the Brewery, that he had any sense of familiarity; and thus a level of trust. He did not have much of a choice. It was more of a mandate, to which he was respectfully obeying. The growing sense of comfort from the Brewery was quickly pulled out from under him though as he was escorted by the guard on this new task.

Sergeant Carver couldn't have the young man wearing the Arisha Ikeburer in public. It made him a distracting eye sore. Any trouble would be able to spot him a mile away and could drastically hinder their opportunity to find this assassin. She was very much annoyed that this meant they had to first take Gonyaul back to his place on the farm so that he could change. Carver was even more frustrated that him changing out of his attire, with its ceremonial process, took longer than she thought reasonable to remove one's clothes. Her patience was worn thin and that discomfort was contagious to the other soldiers present.

When Gonyaul finally emerged from the interior of his place, he was wearing his new winter attire. A brown linen long-sleeve undergarment, blue linen tunic, sash-like belt, red linen long pants, a common winter cloak with hood, and leather boots. Sergeant Carver looked at the attire and threw her arms up in exasperation.

"Are you serious?!" She scolded at Gonyaul.

"We are trying to keep a low profile, and you look like you are a song bird trying to stand out with those colors!"

Gonyaul explained apologetically it was all he had, save his work clothes which were not at all suited for the winter time. Sergeant Carver instructed him that he better darn well keep the hood on and the cloak wrapped tight around him. At least that way he would be reasonably inconspicuous.

Gonyaul was literally man handled by the guards to get a move on as they took off towards the docks. The vibe he was feeling from the group of soldiers and Sergeant Carver made it clear he should keep his mouth shut. He felt a little like a reprimanded dog getting pulled on by an invisible leash.

When they arrived at the docks, Gonyaul could see the dock hands hard at work. He was keen to observe the process of a ship docking as they moved on by. A line was thrown ashore at the bow and bent around a turning point on deck, while another, much longer line attached at the stern was also thrown on the dock. That line was then carried along the shore until it was well into the quay and a large piece of timber was hung over the corner of the dock to act as a fulcrum. The men toiling at this labor made it look effortless and seamless.

Sergeant Carver led the group to the wharf, where materials were unload and loaded, and looked about the place trying to discern the best course of action. Choosing a starting point, her detail of guards and her began doing surprise inspections around the docks. Gonyaul was instructed to stay within the protective perimeter the guards made while they moved in formation from place to place. She made it very clear to him that he was to remain covered or else there would be consequences for hindering an official investigation. His sole purpose for being there was to only speak up if he identified one of the men working at the docks as his attacker, and for no other reason.