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Martin sits at a table and pulls out his mandolin. He strums and sings quietly, a sad, slow, soulful tune full of pain and loss:
"Look at me
In waters so deep
Much too far from shore
To see the lights of reason anymore
And I'm sinking slowly to the bottom
No emotions to save me
I ain't got 'em anymore

Night and day
I deep drifting farther away
Much too far from home
Where the fires of passion keep me warm
And I'm miles away from where we started
No I don't know the reason that we parted anymore

And if my voice
Starts suddenly shaking
Don't be confused anymore
It's just the sound of my heart breaking
Ship to shore"

He stops singing momentarily and says: "What if there were a code, a signal between ship and shore. A way for the conspirators on shore to tell the ship that it is safe or not to come in to port? What better place to send such a signal than from the mansion, from a high window overlooking the sea?
"Could the papers you found hold some kind of code?"

Kim listens to Martin's song, getting ever more rigid, face turning to stone. With the tune's ending, the return to reality seems to be difficult, but after some blinking and a shrug, Kim seems to be back in the present.


The conversation is interrupted by Tel the landlord, who declares: "We will start serving lunch soon. Any orders by your group?"

Brax scoffs at the song, frivolous emotions..

"But.. If everyone left with the vessel, only the 'inside man would signal..." She taps the table.. "Actually thinking about it, the plan has a possiblity.. We draw out the 'inside man', good."

Echo orders some lunch as she listens to everyone talk about what they plan to do. "Hasn't this all ready been planned out?" Echo asks with an annoyed sigh.

"Then, Miss Echo, would you kindly tell us what the plan is?" Kim asks sharply before turning to Tel with a smile. "What is on offer for lunch?"

"Well, we have fish and vegetable stew, lamb pastries, and if you are ready to spend a little more, you can have clam chowder as well" Tell lists the menu.

"I will take the stew, then" Kim tells the innkeeper.

At this moment, Veeleyana and Geraldine enter the common room, too.

Listening to the conversation and thinking about the lantern, Gunter's attention is suddenly drawn to Tel at the mention of chowder.

"And a chowder for me, sir." he then turns towards Searos. "You spoke to those sailors earlier, do you think that they might know anything about communications by lanterns? Back in Narwell I remember listening to sailors talking about the exact same thing. If a fishing fleet gets caught in a storm and spread out, it's the only way to stay in touch. Perhaps our particular smugglers aren't using any special code at all."

Brax stands at Vee's arrival, offering the girl a seat next to her. "Yes please tell us Echo."

"We are suppose to wait a couple of weeks, go to the shore, and see what exactly is going on," Echo says with a sigh. "That is what we were asked to do, so instead of coming up with this elaborate plan on how to be big heroes, why don't we do what we were asked to do?"

"Then that is what we will do I suppose." Brax comments simply and goes back to her breakfast.

Searos considers Gunter's words. "They probably would know something about it. I don't think any of them are involved but it wouldn't shock me so I'm a little hesitant to trust any of them."

He listens to Echo's words for a bit and then turns back to Gunther. "Though, to be honest, I think I'm willing to try it because if I had to spend weeks in this village twiddling my thumbs, I might go insane with boredom. Though, that being said, I could try and spend that time to win someone's farm or something in a game of dice. That could be a fun little diversion."

"God moo-oornig guys!" Vee says happy. Showing a big smile she takes the seat next to Brax. "So tell me how was your night? And what is the plan you have talked about?"

"Enlightening my dear, master linton does not like forward women." she laughs loudly, the volume rising from the whisper she started out and slowly fills the inn. Its actually quite magical.

"The Plan is how it was, go the next moon. How are our friends? No one woke me so I assume no help was needed?"

"Well, I organized the watches while you were still at Mr. Bronzemoon's" Geraldine explains. "I did not know when you would be back, so Vee and I took the second watch, too. Our friends went out shortly after sunset and headed out to the countryside, from what Kim told me when we relieved the first watch. Vee and I saw them return shortly before sunrise. No loss of livestock has been reported during the night."

"That's good. Any people missing?" Martin asks. "What? I'm just sayin'. Master Amon's experiment in treating monsters as if they were people could have gone hideously awry. You never know.

"That said, it does not sit right with me to merely wait around for the new moon. I mean, I can always find ways to amuse myself, and others, but there must be something we can do to further our goals meanwhile. Whose cage have we not rattled?"

"You can do whatever you like, sirrah," Amon says. "But you are not part of our group, and should not speak as if you were. No invitation has been extended. Why are you even here? Have you nothing better to do than harass us? Isn't there some bored sovereign for you to entertain elsewhere?"