Cestié nods, and lays a hand over yours.

He was counting on it.

* * * * *

After a much quieter and more sombre breakfast than the dinner preceding, you cross the greater canal that separate the wealthier core of Miragliano from its middle class and poorer extremes. Your destination, Maso explains as Biagio pushes along the canalboat with a long oar, is the East District.

"Even when I was young, the East District was given over to the marsh. The islands it's built on - they're no good; it's all sunken into the mud, and drowned the lower floors of all the buildings there. The Weevers have bolt holes across the city like most of the gangs, but like most of the gangs, their main holdout is in the East District."

Biagio has two bribe a few separate sets of guards at separate canal gates to get you there. Strictly speaking, the East District is forbidden; but the locksmith has a good reputation and your group - two grey haired men and two young women - doesn't look like much trouble. Finally, as the boat crosses a final canal gate to where the East District begins, you see the change immediately. The building past this point are not maintained; here, the lower floors of those you can see are at least ankle-deep in water with higher tidemarks on the walls. Some buildings have such compromised foundation that they have given up and crumbled entirely, or slouched appallingly against their neighbouring structures. More frustratingly, the canals are not maintained - they are choked with debris and weeds, and as Biagio drives the boat into the midst of some of them, it slews to a whispery stop against the bulrushes.

Maso stands up, stretches his back out with a grumble, and then takes up a rope and hook, tossing it easilly to the window of a building nearby and giving it a firm tug.

Biagio doesn't particularly want to remain behind - Augusto is his son, after all - but he has neither your strapping frame, Maso's experience, or Bella's generally compensating youth. And someone needed to mind the boat, after all.

"Don't worry, Biagio. I've got my girls here; we'll all be back, no trouble."

At Cestié's direction, you climb up the knotted rope and into the second story of what might have been the home above someone's shop - now stripped bare of anything except some mildew-rotten planks that were some kind of shelf.

"Better to go window to window, if you can. Floors are made to hold up people; rooves are made to hold up rain. Much easier to fall through an old roof than an old floor. But if we do end up on rooftop, try to move on the steepled tops; and failing that, along the edges. That way, you have a joist under you at all times. Now keep your eyes out - there's worse than thieves, in the East District; but tell me if you spot any graffiti that looks like a fishbone."

Bella follows behind you and Cestié, with her bow drawn. If you had left her behind, the chance she would have followed you anyway was quiet high; but she watches your back as you advance, looking for signs and threats...

Spoiler: OOC:
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I'll take Perception (Visual), Perception (Aural), Search, Scale Sheer Surface, and Swim checks, at this point.

None of these are disaster-checks. This is just to set a standard for how easy it is for Taalia to travel and seek under these conditions!