Msaka winced as he pushed open the door and witnessed the bizarre idea someone had of interior decoration. The inn's main room had been painted in gaudy colors, and various odd bits and pieces were hanging from the walls. While some might have considered the appearance to be whimsical, Msaka considered it garish, and the assortment of oddities merely reminded him of the shelves in Shapier's magic shop.

He briefly reconsidered the notion of sleeping outside the city, but shook his head and stepped inside, his gaze rising as he noted a reddish glow overhead. Looking straight up, he discovered an antlered animal head hanging over the inside of the door - one which sported a glowing red sphere in the place of its nose.

As he regarded it, a female voice piped up from his left, drawing his attention away from the mounting. To that side of the door stood a short counter, backed by a red curtain and flanked by a staircase leading to the upper landing. Perched behind the counter with a wide grin on her face was a gnome. Gnome Ann, Msaka reasoned, the proprietor he'd been warned about.

"Hey there, pussycat!" the gnome prattled. "Looking for a comfy corner to curl up in? I've got the purrfect room for you!" The gnome's voice took on a pleading tone as she added, "Paw-lease say you'll stay!"

Msaka had to make a conscious effort to avoid rolling his eyes. Clearly, the sooner he could finish his business here and leave, the better. The gnome's manner reminded him altogether too much of the rude salesman back in Tarna - though at least she wasn't being irritating on purpose.

"Yes, I will," he replied resignedly, opening his pouch. "What price do you charge?"

"Only ten drachmas a night, fur you!" Gnome Ann declared, the grin remaining in place. "And along with the room come two meals a day, prepared by the most creative chefs in all of Silmaria! I'm afraid we're all out of Meow Mix though," she finished regretfully.

"That's... just fine," Msaka replied in a carefully even tone, glad he'd had the foresight to exchange most of his money for Silmarian currency back on the mainland. He fished a handful of coins from his pouch and counted them aloud so as to forestall any further comments by the gnome. Setting enough for a five day stay down upon the counter, he shoved the rest back into his pouch.

"Yours is the first room at the top of the stairs," Gnome Ann replied, collecting the money and handing him a brass key.

Before she could say anything more, Msaka spoke up again. "I must go now. I will return tonight." With that, he turned and started towards the front door.

"Leaving so soon?" Gnome Ann called sadly after him, then in a brighter tone added, "Cat-ch you later!"

Msaka hastily exited the inn, depositing the key in his pouch as he pulled the front door solidly shut. His mind was made up on one thing; He'd wait until late in the night before he returned. With any luck, the gnomish innkeeper would have gone to bed. The offer of creative chefs seemed particularly dubious given who had just made the claim, so he also resolved to seek his meals elsewhere.

Remembering the captain mentioning that the main marketplace was in the city's central plaza, Msaka cast his gaze towards the hill ahead of him, suspecting that he'd find the central plaza through the archway perched atop it. Casting a frowning glance back at the inn door, Msaka strolled across the gate area and up the hill, hoping to find a food vendor who didn't even remotely resemble a gnome.

He soon passed through the archway atop the hill and emerged into another plaza, one which was quite different than the two he'd thus far seen. While they had both been fairly long and narrow, stretching along the city's coastline, this one was almost rounded. The plaza was cut squarely in half by a large stream which cascased from a small cliff across the other side. It ran clear across the plaza, and was flanked by decorative rails. It then cut through the wall to Msaka's right to feed the waterfall in the West Gate area. A small bridge crossed the stream in the middle of the plaza; while a walkway rising up some stairs to his left, ran around the plaza's edge and over the archway behind him, and provided another way across. The latter also provided access to several homes built into the hillsides, and descended down another flight of stairs next to a small flowerbed flanked on its other side by a small shop.

Several other structures were notable; across the other side, the stream cut between an imposing building with a pair of winged lion statues at the foot of its stairs, and another large building set into the cliff which the stream descended. Msaka immediately noted the Tarnan architecture of the latter, which certainly made it stand out from everything else nearby. An eye, the common Tarnan symbol for magic was displayed clearly above its pillared front. Msaka paused for a moment, gazing at the building. Someone from his homeland with magical ability must have resided there, but he had no idea who it might be. It certainly wasn't anyone from his tribe, which meant he should be doubly wary of the owner.

Shaking his head, he took note of two other exits from the area. The archway leading back down to the docks pieced the city wall to the right, just next to a small bench. Across the plaza to the left rose another stairway, this one winding up the hillside, probably to emerge somewhere atop the cliff.

The market stalls seemed to offer a variety of goods, but the one that drew Msaka's immediate attention was a food cart on the other side of the stream. He began striding towards the bridge, but slowed when he caught sight of the proprietor.

"A katta?" he wondered. "They are certainly a well travelled race. I hope he hasn't come from Shapier recently."

That seemed unlikely, though. Anyone working as a food-seller wasn't likely to be travelling around at a rapid pace, so in all likelihood the katta had left Shapier long before Msaka had arrived there. On the other hand, that also meant the katta would likely want to hear the news from Shapier if he knew Msaka had been there recently, so it would probably be best to avoid the subject entirely when speaking with him.

Msaka stopped for a moment and took another look around the plaza, and soon noted two more katta in the place. One was tending another stall, and another young katta was sitting on one side of the bench by the dock exit. Both were female, and Msaka reasoned that they were all members of a merchant family, probably one who made Silmaria a regular stop.

His attention returned to the food cart, however. Awkward questions or no, Msaka wanted something fresh to eat, and the katta's wares were far more tempting than the thought of facing Gnome Ann again so soon.