Two weeks have passed, and the shore dive beach is bright with late-morning sun. Jules wades onto the sand in her blue bikini and fitted dive equipment, water streaming from the gear.
Near the marked entry path, Mara Venn waits in a pale canvas overshirt and rolled trousers, a dry bag at her feet and one hand raised in greeting.
Mara Venn
Jules. That looked like a clean exit. I was hoping I’d catch you before you headed back to the marina.
Mara steps aside from the path, leaving the route clear. Her expression is friendly, but the dry bag and folded envelope suggest she came with more than a casual hello.
Mara Venn
I need a favor that is partly marina business and partly personal. Scott said you’re good at keeping details straight, and I could use someone I trust for a small handoff.
Mara Venn
It isn’t urgent, and you can say no. But before I explain, can we talk somewhere dry for five minutes?
The beach remains quiet behind her, with the marked water access open and the marina path leading uphill. Mara waits beside the dry bag, giving Jules room to decide.
✓ Quest Accepted
Hear what Mara came to discuss
“I take off my dive gear and set it in the sand. If she's catching me right as I finish a dive, and Scott sent her my way, I suspect there's some diving involved with this favor. "What kind of favor, exactly?"”
SUCCESS (Legendary Conversation, rolled -1)
Jules removes her dive gear and sets it carefully on the sand above the damp tide line. Water drains from the equipment while Mara waits beside her dry bag.
Jules
What kind of favor, exactly?
Mara Venn
Scott asked me to find someone comfortable with the shop’s diving work. A customer left a set of personal equipment here, and I need it delivered to the ferry office before tomorrow morning.
Mara opens the dry bag and shows Jules a padded equipment pouch, a ferry receipt, and a sealed envelope addressed to the customer. Everything is labeled and neatly secured.
Mara Venn
The personal part is that the customer is my cousin, and she is leaving the island unexpectedly. The marina part is making sure the handoff is documented properly.
Mara Venn
You would collect the signed release from Scott, carry the pouch and envelope to the ferry office, and get the clerk’s receipt. Paid time, ordinary responsibility, and no water work involved.
She closes the dry bag and leaves it between them, the request now specific enough to judge: a documented handoff, a short walk, and one cousin’s belongings moving off the island.
✓ Quest Accepted
Deliver the customer’s equipment pouch and envelope to the ferry office
Quest Complete
Hear what Mara came to discuss
“"I'm curious, why did you meet me here, and wait until I'm getting out of the water to ask for this? It doesn't sound like a complex favor in need of a scuba diver; though I suppose familiarity with scuba gear doesn't hurt..."”
SUCCESS (Legendary Conversation, rolled +0)
Jules
I’m curious. Why meet me here, and why wait until I was getting out of the water? It doesn’t sound like a complex favor needing a scuba diver, though familiarity with the gear probably helps.
Mara Venn
Fair question. I met you here because Scott said this is where you usually finish a morning swim, and the ferry office is on your route back to the marina.
Mara rests one hand on the dry bag, careful not to crowd Jules or the equipment drying on the sand. The explanation comes without defensiveness, practical rather than rehearsed.
Mara Venn
I waited because I didn’t want to interrupt you underwater or catch you while you were gearing up. Once you were out, I knew you had a quiet minute and could decide without being cornered at work.
Mara Venn
And no, it doesn’t require a diver. It requires someone who knows what the equipment is, will notice if a label is wrong, and won’t treat a handoff like tossing a parcel over a counter.
She taps the pouch through the dry bag, then nudges the ferry receipt into clearer view. The favor is ordinary, but the documentation matters because the equipment belongs to someone leaving unexpectedly.
Mara Venn
So you’re right about the complexity. It’s simple. I came here because you’re already familiar with the gear, and I waited because I wanted to ask you properly, not assume your time was mine.
“Should I change out of my bikini before heading to the ferry office?”
NO, BUT (Likely, rolled 66)
Jules
Do I need to change before I take this to the ferry office?
Mara glances from Jules’s blue bikini to the dry bag, then toward the uphill road. Her answer comes with a small qualification rather than hesitation.
Mara Venn
No, not for the handoff itself. The ferry clerk knows marina customers come straight from the beach. But the office’s only changing room is locked for repairs today.
Mara opens the dry bag again and pulls out the pale canvas overshirt she had folded beneath the pouch. It is clean, long enough for the walk, and has a spare button at the throat.
Mara Venn
You can borrow this over your suit, if you want the office visit to feel less like arriving from the water. It also has an inside pocket for the receipt.
The answer leaves Jules’s original plan intact, while the overshirt offers a practical alternative: cover up for the ferry office without delaying the handoff or needing a private place to change.
“I accept the the pale canvas overshirt, throwing it on over my blue bikini. "Thanks, I'll head over to the ferry office."”
SUCCESS (Legendary Agility, rolled +1)