The place has... atmosphere...

"Why do I have to wear the hood?" Sans asked again. The stifling cloth didn't feel good on her skin, and she missed the feel of the rays of the sun, muted as they might be behind the fog.

"Because Green is a dead giveaway, sweetheart," Ketsueki smiled, guiding the trio along the narrow city streets towards the docks. "And I am sorry about the wood and the water. I told the boys to send along a small selection of plants to the ship. They should be meeting us after we strike a deal with Nobody."

"So, why do we have to go to the bar first then?" Xitlaly asked.

"Because that's where Nobody's gonna meet us," Ketsueki grinned. "It's an old joke, but her little clan of weirdos live by it. That's their name. Nobody."

"Wait, another group of Oni?" Sans gasped. "How many of you are there around?"

"Oh no, she's not an Oni... she's a Fox," Ketsueki laughed. "She breezes into port, and one of my boys is always the first one to meet the ship. Put the binding on them myself. I don't really trust Nobody much, because she has a lot of people she does favors for."

"So why are we going with her then?" Xitlaly asked. "I think I've heard this story before... we get halfway there, and she turns out to be working for the bad guys and delivers us right into their hands."

Ketsueki smirked.

"That's the PLAN?" Sans realized with a shock. She looked up at the small stone edifice which Ketsueki had brought them to. Looked small and squat, far smaller than what she would expect for this dockside. Chiseled deeply into the rocks were the words "First Independent Import/Export". She glanced out into the fog, hearing the sound of the ocean but not seeing it.

"Can you think of a faster way to get to my Mom? I know Nobody's on her payroll, and I know if we try to "Smuggle" something into Mom's city, we'll be in front of her faster than we'd be dropping our panties after snorting that blight."

"I'm not wearing..." Sans began.

"I know, and it's really, really cute... But it was a figure of speech, sweetie." Ketsueki looked over towards Xitlaly and shrugged. "So, we're bringing along a shipment of Elephant Creeper. Fun stuff, but not exactly Legal in Mom's city. They've got a church with a bug up their ass about ****."

The trio entered through the low hanging curtain, the interior of the small building lit by small windows placed high in the ceiling. Near the center of the square room was a Dias hewn from stone, and a bored looking dwarf, complete with full beard sitting at an ancient desk. An old mechanical device sat on the desk, and occasionally the dwarf would press a key, then curse for a moment before poking at it repeated with a small metal tool with a black and red handle.

"Can I help you?" The Dwarf asked, not even looking up from his work.

"Three for the Safe House," Ketsueki answered briskly, her eyes never moving from the Dias.

"Good to see you, Bosu," The dwarf commented, before his hand dropped to a small speaking tube that Xitlaly hadn't noticed before. "Three coming in." His gaze returned to Ketsueki, and his head inclined politely. "Enjoy yourselves."

"Oh, so that's why you left that club back at the..." Sans began, before noticing Ketsueki making a repeated slashing motion across her throat.

"Yep, yep, but we're here to have FUN, right?" Ketsueki smiled, pointing at the dias, which slowly rotated revealing a small stone staircase descending down. The sound of boisterous laughter from below caused a smile to cross Xitlaly's face. "Oh, NOW you can lose the hood, Greencheeks..."

The three of them descended the narrow stone staircase, which opened into a large underground area, dotted with pillars and arched beautifully. Off to one side the entire area opened into a broad cavern from which the sound of the ocean could be heard, echoing along with the sound of laughter through the whole area.

"This is... beautiful," Xitlaly commented, not even paying attention to the fact that all eyes in the bar had turned towards the three and the conversation had become more muted. Her eyes flitted around the crowd, noticing a strange collection of misfits, sailors, and what looked like nobles slumming it. Everywhere there were Monster Girls, some laughing, some flirting, and a large woman that looked like a living statue tending the bar.