The cobblestone streets were a familiar sight to the genin by now. Humming a sea shanty she had picked up somewhere without knowing the lyrics, she'd sashay through the streets without a care. And without a drunken stupor for a change, her mind fully focused on enjoying the new outfit she was wearing even though she was supposedly on some off-handed mission. Delivering a package. If that wasn't a dumb mission, then she wasn't sure what was. What plague her mind, however, was all the secrecy behind it. The ANBU masks hiding their identity was one thing, but the two men had not shed the slightest bit of light on the situation. No information, no directions, no warnings. Just... stealth delivery. It annoyed her. So much in fact that she was of a mind to disregard their suggestion for stealth, not use henge no jutsu and enter ship in bright daylight as herself. And yet... The knot in her stomach warned her such rebellious actions would cost her dearly. A tempting thought despite the discomfort.
The day still young and the sky beautifully blue, Alexa was of a mind the whole delivery could wait for a bit. First, she'd stroll along the open market and the quay for a while. Fresh fish had been hauled in, the most vocal sailors currently trying to sell their catch of the day and good prices as the crowd came and went. Alexa casually walked through the crowd, enjoying the pervading smell of the fish and eyeing the wide open gazes of dead fish rueing the day they were caught with half opened mouths. Interested in salmon, she'd compare a couple of hauls from various vendors before she decided on one of them. As she bantered with the merchant for a solid piece, a familiar parrot would fly in and land on her shoulder, triggering a sense of confusion in the salesman who recognised the old bird.
"Wait... Is that...?"
"Arrr. Go spread your fleas in 'nother's bed, ye scurvy hound."
"Aye, tha' be him. Bird's mine now."
The parrot would cock its head, looking at Alexa as if to say 'oh really?' for a couple of seconds before he started to gnaw on his leg. The salesman would scratch his head, not sure what to make of the fact a young brat like Alexa had the famous Arrchibald's parrot sitting on her shoulder without getting her gutted like a fish. Sure, everyone knew by now that the smuggler was dead but even then the parrot was notoriously known to be attached to the former captain. Alexa would prod through his distraction by pointing at the salmon with a questionable look.
"We agreed on a thirty-eight hundred, aye?"
"Err... Wait, we-"
"Ye backin' out on our bargain?"
"Ney, it's fine. Low on the price but consider yourself lucky today"
"Yarr. I'll drink one for ye."
Sealing the deal, the salesman packed a healthy piece of fresh salmon for her. He was right when he said she had paid well below the regular price, since she had cut under for about two hundred ryo - one of the few things her parents didn't scold her for as she bargained for lower prices of just about everything. The Hyuga were well off, so bargaining was hardly required, but every ryo gained by it would not be thrown away either. The downside of being a bargaining devil was that she had to shopping choir most of the time. Finding herself a courier as she was not about to run around the whole day with the fish, she sent him off to the Hyuga estate with a good price for his services so he wouldn't run off with the fish in the first place. Most likely, he'd be given another few coins upon delivery since that was just what her father tended to do almost as a force of habit.
With the boy running out of sight, Alexa would continue her stroll along the quay, taking in the salty scent of the sea outside as she watched a couple of the fishermen she passed by. She had never found the patience to dedicate to the sport of single-rod fish-catching, instead preferring to throw out the fishing nets and crab pots to drag in a hefty amount of fish all at once. Hard work not to be underestimated but instant gratification for it. The killing and cleaning of the fish afterwards was a grimy job, but the gain from selling fresh fish was worth the trouble.
Speaking of trouble... It was time she took care of the delivery.
Digging up a couple of biscuits, she'd lure Arrchibald onto a nearby bird stand pertaining to a small aviary of the docks own little coop. It was mostly used for brief messaging in Kasai itself, but the exotic birds that housed it made the perfect camouflage to have the bird sit here for a moment. It was just a matter of providing sufficient biscuits while she'd be out to make her move. Attaching a small back with biscuits onto the stand, Alexa would consider that little difficulty settled, Arrchiburd already nibbling away at the treasures he had been handed and giving the stinkeye to the other birds if they looked so much like they were inching closer to his biscuit bag. Leaving the aviary, Alexa made sure she'd pass a forgotten street with no prying eyes before she executed the henge no jutsu and changed herself alike to the courier she had sent away.
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