Chapter 1: Stream of Consciousness

Ritsuko tries to follow along with the man's story, but it is quite strange. With nothing else to really go on...."Hmmm...Despite how crazy the story is, and this being the only person with a perceivable problem plaguing the town, this might be our only lead. I'm sure the rest of you feel the same?" She looks to the shaken man. "Is it possible to show us this river you spoke of?"

Superbia wanders up as Lucas began talking "Huh, water? Less exciting than an angry Faery Queen and her accursed child. But also I'm sure it's much more likely for us to be able to fix it"

He flourishes his short cape before offering a hand towards the man "We shall clear this reserve of whatever ails it, and then you can go back to drinking water and..." He sniffs for a moment "Bathing"

"No, sorry for scaring you, monsieur," Lucas politely apologizes to the man, "Thanks for telling us what's been happening. We'll be on our way now." With that, Lucas starts quickly walking away from the man, in the direction that he pointed. Although aware that it might look like he's trying to escape the conversation, it's really just because he's feeling anxious about the potential effects of the town's water, especially considering earlier. Thinking about it, there are similarities to the children's tale, seeing that many of the townspeople have been bewitched and are being slowly taken, albeit into the river instead of the forest. Then a thought strikes him, though he immediately thinks it's a little silly. Still, he voices his theory. "What if the queen moved?"

Lucas hesitates for a moment while looking at the cup of lemonade he's been holding onto for a while before finally murmuring, "It's a little too late for that..."

Lucas stays in stunned silence for a moment, processing the heaviness of Iga's promise and threat, then swallows and smiles apologetically. "I'll hold you to that, monsieur." At that, he raises the lemonade to his lips and throws it back, almost choking because of how quickly he gulps it down. "At least it tastes good," he laughs ruefully as he clenches the empty cup in his hand. Is he sorry? A little. But it might lead to answers faster. "Let's go. I don't know how much longer I have."

Leaving the man behind to pick up his bags and figure out what to do, the group heads in the indicated direction, moving through the heart of town. Comparatively, it's relatively bustling, though still people seem to pay them no particular heed.

The river itself is unmistakable once they reach an area of the city overlooking the banks. It's enormous, with enough room for a decent sized port built on the city side. On the other side is what appears to be farmland, with a bridge to the other side further upstream. About midway between the bridge and the port appears to be a bit of a bend in the river causing a beach, though it seems to be fairly empty. There're a fair number of people around elsewhere, mostly clustered around the port area, looking to be in the process of unloading boxes of stuff from what the group can tell from this distance. Investigating anything in particular will require getting closer, though.

Superbia shrugged "Scouting has never been my strong suit, so I'll defer to your expertise on this Iga."

He pulled out his book and looked at it for a moment before placing it back and turning to Lucas "You said that the Grow-Lithe that Iga has is often used as a partner with your police forces? Are they only good for battle or are they kept for other reasons? I know I would often include hounds in my police forces for their excellent tracking abilities. If this Grow-Lithe can do something similar, then it may be useful to bring out when we get closer"

Ritsuko looks over the area, and rubs her chin. She wasn't too familiar with investigating a big open space, and preferred dungeon delving. She puts her hand to her brow, and stares out at the water...looks like water from where she is standing. "The man talked about suspecting the water. Perhaps taking a sample, and observing it over time is a possible idea. People disappearing, and lights....That I can't seem to wrap my mind around. I suggest we walk up and down the water to find any clues we can like the tracks Iga mentioned. We have to keep our eyes peeled for these lights, and possibly those people just in case." She points to the people near the water.