The team returns to HQ in the capital before heading to Gravla. There they deliver a complete report on the goings-on in Pennisia and find out that the Special Prisoner used a little blood-homunculus to break himself out (he made it, it clung to a visitor, and on return it went to Malagi and commanded him, at least that's the guess). The corpse of the little thing is still in section Monkey.
They do a little research on King Peter of Gravla as well, and learn that he's pretty much absolute ruler, having somewhat squished the noble class who were previously very powerful. He eats off unicorn-horn plates and drinks from a unicorn horn goblet, because of the huge number of poisoning attempts made on him, and a quick experiment confirms that unicorn horn does in fact blacken in the presence of the corrupted wine (and seems to neutralize it as well). So perhaps he is personally protected.
After a little wrangling they decide to just go to Gravla as tourists (well, Sasha is the tourist, everyone else is a servant). Gravla is not normally a tourist destination, but it's at least not completely impossible. Livery is ordered for everyone except Sasha and Gaius.
In Grav, their first encounter off the sky ship is a customs official, with forms. He wants to know their purpose in Gravla, and is startled to learn that they are tourists. But he does have a form for that - it's the first time it's ever seen use. They fill it out and assert that they're not agents of a foreign power (false) or plotting against the King and so on (actually true, since they're more plotting for the King). They take rooms in the best inn in town (not so good) and do tourist things for a couple of days, buying nesting dolls and furry summer hats.
They discover that there is an "Authentic Imperial Bath" in the city close to their inn, and the Imperial natives are certainly happy to check that out. Inside they find some of the local nobles, trying to be trendy, and a very poor imitation of a real Imperial bath. They use pine twigs! Sasha especially is a big hit with the noblewomen at the bath, who are happy to have a real Daran to try to impress. They order some wine for her "just like they're doing it in Pennisia these days" - and it's got mint in it! Everyone opts for the vodka instead to be authentic, and questioning discovers that this little trend seems to have started with the King, who got it from Pennisia. Sasha and the others publicly say that mint is so... last year... and privately gnash their teeth.