"Soon" turned out to be a full hour. During that time, Bubbles had to regularly splash itself and its passengers with seawater so they wouldn't dry up. Since only merfolks actually enjoyed being wet, the human part of the "ambassadors" had joined Cael on the pier.
The surrounding crowd only grew during that time. Guardsmen, soldiers and just curious citizens all gathered together to watch the show. Even the merciless sun didn't stop them—but peddlers selling iced drinks must've made a fortune today.
Then they came. The Castelrosso Trinity rode into the harbor from the main street—together, but in three separate gilded carriages and with three separate entourages of footmen and soldiers. Cael half expected them to step out of the carriages at the same time. But there, the choreographed pattern broke.