[Mockrabbit]

Another step forward, and one step closer. Mockrabbit reached out to try and grasp a post to pull himself in, but it was still out of reach. He looked up at the surface of the water and could see the silhouette of what must have been a small goblin peering down towards him.

"Lil'help would be nice looky-loo". He raised a hand and waved. It didn't matter if it was a guard, or a fisherman, he was getting annoyed of stumbling in the mud. "C'mon, I know ya can see me!".

The figure seemed to stand up, look down a moment longer, than disappeared from the edge. Mock waited a minute hoping to see a rope fall to the water, but none came. Mock lowered his head back to mud and continued his struggle towards shore. A school of small fish darted around the posts, and then around him. Mock raised his arms and made a motion to 'shoo' them away. "Und'r t'a water, ya I be stuck 'ere, down in t'a muck 'ere, und'r t'a sea".

[Hardkandy]

There was a tap on Hardkandy's cheek from Ottis' paw, then the rabbit exaggeratedly looked up. Hardkandy looked up, too.

A small shadow -- goblin or gnome. Most likely goblin. It moved back, almost directly over them, then turned at an angle, as if trying to search the bay.

For them?

Hardkandy pushed gently away from the post toward the slant of bank at her back. Her heel dug into sand. Keeping to the shadow cast by the boardwalk's supports, she crab-walked backward onto dry land, Ottis's paws around her neck. Scrub brush and saw grass stung her hands. She ignored the pain and, still keeping to the shadows, raised from her crouch enough to see the boardwalk proper.

A goblin shaded his eyes with his hand. At his feet rested a small cage, the kind those awful 'tamers' used to hold small animals. Hardkandy's teeth bared. Not Ottis. She looked past the would-be battler. Farther down the boardwalk bruisers were tossing nets into the water; one was gesturing wildly at a rowboat owner, another was stripping out of his armor and a third was loading harpooon guns.

She peeled Ottis from around her neck, set him on the sand, then leaped and grabbed the edge of the boardwalk. She swung herself up and behind the small goblin just as he started to turn around. Her hands closed around his throat and pressed against the large vein. He passed out and Hardkandy lowered him to the boardwalk.

She caught up a small coil of rope and dropped back to the bank and Ottis.

[Mockrabbit]

Hardykandy looked down at Ottis; he was wet, covered in sand, and not looking overly please. The bruisers were in the water with the first boats they 'borrowed'. They were checking under the docks.

She looked down at Ottis, "Do you think can find Mock out there? Do you think he needs help?". Ottis shook himself again, a light spray of water shot out in all directions. He sat on his hind legs and looked out over the water. He first looked towards the bruisers slowly making their way closer to their location, and then closer to the area where they had first entered the water. His eyes narrowed and his ears raised. He looked up to Hardkandy and let out a small, maybe annoyed, grunt. Ottis took one end of the rope she was carrying with his mouth.

Hardkandy nodded. "I'll tie my end here, and keep out of sight. If it looks like your in trouble I'll pull you back in, okay?". Ottis grunted again and then hesitantly jumped back into the water. He slowly splashed his way back out into the bay, diving into the small waves as he came up to them.

[Catrenna]

The goblin lightly stepped onto the dock from between a stall and some large wooden crates that were shadowed from the overhead awning. She knelt down beside the goblin. She shook her head from side to side with a smirk forming on the left side of her mouth. She grasped the small cage that was left sitting on the dock and tossed it back to where she had been watching. "Amateur" she muttered to herself.

Peering into the bay she could see the bruisers making their way down the docks closer to where she stood. They would flush them out sooner rather than later. Stepping back closer to the stalls and cargo lining the pier she pulled off her hood, revealing bright red hair. She walked softly down the dock, keeping her eye on the bay.

[Hardkandy]

Patience.

Patience was more than a virtue for Hardkandy; it was a tool, a weapon, a friend. Patience had kept her company through hours-long stakeouts of houses and offices and keeps. It kept her still and silent to do what she had to do. It kept her alive.

But patience wasn't a fix-all. It worked best when the enemy didn't know you were there. And their enemies were well aware of their presence.

There was another presence on the dock above her; another goblin, Hardkandy judged. It moved down the dock. To help the bruisers trying to get into boats?

Hurry, Ottis, Hardkandy wished. If they had another diversion, another ally.

There was always the loa. She had her daggers. Just a little blood...

No. She had promised Tezkali. And things weren't that desperate.

She hoped.

[Mockrabbit]

Paddling forward, through wave after wave, Ottis made slow progress. The rope ,clamped with his sharp teeth, was not helping his progress. The weight of it was almost enough to pull him under the water. As he reached the edge he stopped and looked down into the water.
"There's the stink bag".

Mockrabbit, bracing himself against a dock post looked up. "Big talk fir a drown'd rat", he thought.
Ottis inhaled deeply, and then dove. It was only a few feet down before the rope was handed off Mock, but it was long enough that Ottis flailed in a panic to get back to the surface for another breath. Gasping he started to swim back to Hardkandys hiding spot. '''cough-cough' You better hurry' cough' up. Those goblins are heading our way!"

Mockrabbit pulled him self towards the location on the rope, this was far easier going than trudging through the muck. Looking up as he gained ground against the not-so-deep he could see a shadow on the dock, seemingly following his progress through the water.

[Mockrabbit]

Mocks head breached the surface of the water as he walked up the embankment, only a dozen or so feet from the Blood Elf's location. Sea water ran out of his eye sockets as he emerged.
"Swam like a rock" he commented as he walked over to the hiding spot. Ottis was perched on her shoulder, both completely still. "Quiet!" Ottis exclaimed to Mock in a hushed voice, "W'at?" Mockrabbit replied. Hardkandy looked up at Mock and then turned her gaze down the water below the dock. The goblins were 20 yards away.

[Catrenna]

"Hey!". A voice yelled from above the hiding trio, " The Elf climbed back up the shore further down that way! She took one of my friends hostage!" she yelled out to the bruisers in the water.
The goblins in the boat closest to the dock talked amongst themselves for a moment and then yelled back to the figure on the dock, "Stay there! someone will be there to escort ya in a few minutes!". The boat than quickly began rowing down the dock past the hiding three.
The rowing party started yelling to another boat in the water, and they in turn back to the bruisers waiting on the wharf where they had taken the boats. Movement ensued, a few of the bruisers were heading back up the dock towards her location she presumed.
She stomped her foot twice on the dock boards. She looked down through the cracks to see the elf, corpse and rabbit looking back up at her. "There is a small hallow you all can climb up a few yards that way. I'll meet you there".

She moved back in between the stalls and crates on the edge of the dock.

"...this might be easier than expected" she said to herself with a slight grin.

[Hardkandy]

The goblin wasn't an ally. Not really. But she was pretending to be one, and right now, getting out of the water and away from the Bruisers was a necessity. Whether they waited around for their supposed rescuer was another matter.

If it came to it, they were three against her one.

Hardkandy nodded once to Mockrabbit and scrambled up the bank in the direction the goblin had indicated, Ottis clinging to her shoulder.

[Mockrabbit]

Emerging from the hollow, after Hardkandy and Ottis, Mock looked around. They were in a narrow nook between two building next to the dock.
"Tight spot" he remarked, not really able to turn around without bumping his shoulders on the stone walls.

Hardkandy nodded and started to head out of alley, not wanting to wait for their 'savior'.

A goblins stepped out in front of the exit, a small modified cannon in her hands.

"That's far enough" she said, lining up the weapon.