"Thank you, we'll be fine."

"Very good," says Mr. Oliver agreeably, busily moving on to getting them all settled in.

The Norwoods themselves are an elderly, austere pair, both well out of the prime of their lives and no less dignified for it. Lord Norwood's eyes are piercing and intelligent, and Lady Norwood speaks carries herself with a practiced grace and is even so kind as to address Anizai with the appropriate title. The guest rooms are spacious and well furnished, if a bit antiquated. The windows offer a nice view of the streets below; Raniero's room even has a modest balcony. Dinner is by no means lavish, but it is appetizing and filling, and it's clear that they can make reasonable requests if they give the cook appropriate notice.

Anizai smiles slightly when addressed as Princess, but doesn't mention it aloud.

Raniero is cheerful and friendly and unnervingly energetic. He is so pleased to meet these people!! Dunwall is exciting!!

These people are pleased to meet him, too! Their hosts seem to find such an energetic teenager more endearing than unnerving, though in a practiced and somewhat distant sense. The Medinas might get the impression that the Norwoods have successfully raised at least one child that could cause enough trouble to attract the Outsider. Lord Norwood introduces Raniero to the library while Lady Norwood quietly asks if his parents would perhaps like for Mr. Oliver to take Raniero through some of the city tomorrow.

Raniero is delighted by the library!

Yes that would be lovely. They seem to get along very well.

They do! They'll also send a guard to go with them. Nice fellow, retired from the Watch. Retired life didn't suit him, and he got bored and picked up some work with the Norwoods. Knows the bureaucracy and watch members, should be able to disentangle any trouble before it gets nasty.

The Empress's public funeral is still three days away, scheduled to take place at the West Fairburn Memoriam; the Norwoods have booked a location from which to watch the procession and ceremony, and the Medinas can either join them or set something else up on their own.

There's also an invitation to Dunwall Tower, for the day after tomorrow. If they'd like to go.

They accept the imperial invitation, of course.

Then Raniero doesn't even need to get into any trouble to see the nice view!

But first, he can see Dunwall from its streets. Here is The Clocktower from a closer vantage point! It's almost as tall as Dunwall Tower, but not quite. It's a foreboding, spindly, and mechanical construction, chiming every hour on the hour. It's also pretty recent; they have the Emperor to thank for it. Speaking of recent constructions that they have the Emperor to thank for: Kaldwin's Bridge! The view of the Wrenhaven is stunning, if one doesn't mind heights.

Mr. Oliver babbles about history, their armed escort occasionally muses philosophically but mostly stays quiet, and lots of people stare at Raniero. A number of people give them a wide berth.

This goes about as well as can be expected, until one devout looking man spots Raniero, stares, and then very earnestly runs off. He returns a little while later with an Overseer.

"- there, y'see, an agent of the Outsider! He must practice black magic, you can see it in his face-!"

- he is not going to improve matters any if he reacts to that before the man is in normal hearing range. He remains cheerfully engrossed in Mr. Oliver's latest trivia. Look at him, he's so small and nonthreatening!

Mr. Oliver is so good at providing trivia! One might wonder where he keeps it all.

The Overseer seems less than impressed with 'this guy has a weird face, he's an agent of the Outsider!' rhetoric. "Have you seen him carry any runes carved from bone? Display an unnatural connection with rats and other vermin? Make strange signs, speak in strange tongues?"

"W-well, no, but as soon as I saw him I went and got you! I bet he has, look at his eyes."

The full-face mask makes it hard to judge the Overseer's expression, but from his body language, he is not convinced. At all.

And now they are close enough for Rani to turn his sunny smile on them. "Hi, can I help you?"

The devout man flinches and looks to the Overseer for guidance.

"Good afternoon, citizen. Is it your first time in Dunwall?" says the masked man, a bastion of understanding and patience.

Raniero's armed escort is watching closely, but this seems to be working out well enough. He'll intervene if necessary, but it doesn't seem necessary.

"Yep! I grew up in Karnaca," he explains.

The Overseer nods understanding.

"I've only been to Cullero, myself. Nice in the summer, good wine - but I suppose you know that already."

He does not at all seem to care about the jumpy man next to him that's looking at him like he's insane.

He laughs. "Yeah. I've been there a few times. D'you know that one restaurant, on the cliff overlooking the beach, a little south of the watchtower? The food's great but I go for the view - when I was a little kid my parents brought me and I climbed the fence for a better look at the ocean and almost fell off the cliff."

Snort.

"I know it; ate there, once. It was nice. I suppose you've already seen the view from Kaldwin Bridge, so I don't need to warn you to mind the fences there?"

"I have! It was amazing!"

"It is," he agrees, nodding. "My apologies, but I have duties to attend to, so I can't stay to chat. Enjoy your visit in Dunwall."

His stray is disbelieving and looks like he might say something unfortunate. The Overseer gives him a Look, and the devout stray promptly swallows whatever inadvisable thing he was going to say.

"Thanks! Have a nice day!"

He smiles at the Overseer, smiles at the stray, and then cheerfully turns back to Mr. Oliver. "Have you ever been to Cullero?" he asks. "I admit it's the prettiest city in Serkonos, but I still like Karnaca better."

"I haven't! Travel doesn't sit well with my Lord and Lady, and I couldn't bear to leave them for too long -" says Mr. Oliver, brightening now that the potential confrontation has passed.

The Overseer subtly takes the arm of the devout stray, leading him to a quiet corner so he can say the following: "Your faith does the Abbey credit, brother, as does your vigilance, but harassing a strange-faced tourist helps no cause but the Outsider's."

"But -"

"'Restrict the Wandering Gaze that looks hither and yonder for some flashing thing that easily catches a man's fancy in one moment, but brings calamity in the next. For the eyes are never tired of seeing, nor are they quick to spot illusion. A man whose gaze is corrupted is like a warped mirror that has traded beauty for ugliness and ugliness for beauty. Instead, fix your eyes to what is edifying and to what is pure, and then you will be able to recognize the profane monuments of the Outsider,'" recites the Overseer, patiently. "The first Stricture does not merely refer to distractions of another man's wife, or material possessions. Do not let yourself be led astray by invented signs of the Outsider, giving his heathens a screen of innocents in which to freely hide true evil."

The stray nods, cowed.

"Look for strange runes, carved in the flesh of the practitioner or in charms. Watch for totems of bone and woven hair and darkened twigs. Be mindful of vermin acting in strange ways, or your neighbors behaviors suddenly changing, as if possessed. Your heart and mind are pure, but your will and eyes must be focused if humanity is to ever be safe from the likes of magic."

He claps the devout man on the back. "Stay vigilant, brother."

And that seems to be that.

That Overseer is good at his job. Rani approves. He chats happily with Mr. Oliver and gazes at the many sights of Dunwall.

Dunwall has so many sights to see!

They stop at a marketplace before they head back to the Norwood estate. There are a number of wonders here. Is there anything Rani might be interested in buying?

Ooh. Well, that depends on the exact wonders on offer, now doesn't it?