The Streets of Syliras {Ash'eny}

[Lilith]

3rd Day of Summer 510 AV Streets of Syliras The streets were crowded with the living, the proportion of poorfolk far outweighing the well-off or pleasantly rich. The sun was high with summer heat and the stench of sweat mingled with the beautiful scents of perfume. It was a typical day, as it had been for the past year and a half, for street performers. When a woman set up shop with the other entertainers, dressed in dramatic costume and makeup, musicians immediately began to crowd her, begging to be a part of her day's show. Smiling, she picked a couple, a man with a fiddle and his wife with a tambourine, a player with a set of drums and his companion guitarist. Together, she asked them to improvise and began. The song began with the fiddlist giving a darkly melody, accompanied by both tambourine and drums. The dancer began to swing her hips, using her torso to appear serpentine. Each rocking motion was paired to the fiddle and drums, dropping and raising her hips with fluidity and sharp stops, giving the impression that her body created each sound. Her mouth parted slightly as the beat began to quicken, her body moving to keep up. Feet rose and her dance became wild as the guitarist entered and joined the rapid fiddling, easily keeping up with both players. Her belly rolled, her chest bounced, yet every movement was calculated, every muscle controlled. Her hips shimmied extremely fast as the fiddle took off at a sprint. And then it slowed, allowing her dance to become sultry and seductive...before quickening once again, this time almost violently. The dancer's body moved in time, depicting youth and sexuality, her arms beckoning to the crowd. When they finished, the dancer smiled and gave the audience a brief bow.

[Ash'eny]

Music, wonderful beautiful music. This was a common spot for Ash'eny and his 'friends' to lay about, begging for coin. With the music around, the dancers, people were highly entertained, enjoying themselves, and sometimes were even willing to part with a coin or two. Perhaps it was wrong to take advantage of another person's talent like this, but the men were homeless, and out of the four (Ash'eny included), three of them were wretched or lame or crazy or ill. Ash'eny was the youngest, by far, the healthiest, but was still one of them. His cloak was patched, worn, much like theirs, and body smelled, because of them, but that's how they survived. They stayed together, begged together, and even though it was illegal, they survived together. The group of four men sat against some local home on the opposite side of the small sea of people, which divided the dancing, singing, musical playing people, with the only people probably considered to be 'lower', beggars. "You say I'm lying? Never! I swear it, I was faced against a hundred men, each armed to the teeth and angry as could be, Syliran Knights too, and I had nothin' but that potion that the God of Poison himself made." Ash'eny stood up as he lifted his hand, acting as though he had an invisible bottle of potion in his grasp, the other men snickered as the watched in disbelief, and with good reason. "I shouted out to them. 'Take one more step and I'll drink this elixir and kill you all!' " "Ye' says it'd poison!" Ash'eny paused a moment, realizing the flaw in his story, no, not a flaw, just a stepping stone. "Yes! It was, but they were convinced it was the strength of the Gods and Goddesses themselves in the form of a liquid, and with that, they all fled. It was only after that I found out it was actually just piss and I was supposed to die as the Gods planned. But I guess I outsmarted 'em again." The small group chuckled heavily as the music finally died down and the audience began their applause. There wasn't much of a chance that any of his homeless companions would believe it, but he didn't believe that one of them was the son of some Ancient War General that has been alive for fifteen hundred years. They were stories, meant to pass the time by. But now they were dividing up, hitting different areas to ask for coin, Ash'eny, however, had the rare sensation of restlessness. He didn't want to walk around in his pretend limp or grovel for a few copper mizas. He was entertained enough by storytelling and the music. If he had any musical talent, he may even try something like that. It seemed to get somewhat favored reactions from the Knights, or anybody for that matter.

Edit:

It took Ash'eny several moments to realize that he had been staring at Lilith without so much as blinking or turning his head away, as if he had been hypnotized by some sort of magician. He had never really noticed dancing before, he was usually too busy to, but as he caught glimpses of the girl dancing and spinning about, he found himself quite captured, completely helpless, unable to look away, no matter how much he knew he should. It would probably give off the wrong impression for a homeless man like himself to be watching the girl like this. He felt a need to compliment her though, it was illogical, but he felt the strangest desire to do so.

[Lilith]

As the audience continued their applause for a few moments, Lilith looked out into the crowd and smiled, her short, graceful bows implying the handing out of coin. A few were thrown towards her to be collected into the guitar players hat. She turned to him, a smirk settling on her face. Some unspoken words were transmitted between the two before she glanced at the other three players. They nodded. It would be split among them. She waited another chime, speaking with the musicians to figure out their playlist. One more song, they decided, as their pile from the first was plenty for a day's meal. The drummer, fiddler, and tambourinist stood and collected a few pieces from the hat before walking away, making their way through the crowd. Lilith watched them silently, carefully eying how many coins they took. She smiled, however, at realizing they had left enough for her and the guitarist both. Turning her head to him, she nodded, preparing a stance for a new song. The guitarist began the melody, a soft and somber tune, without delay, gazing at Lilith silently to judge the development of the song. She took it slow, absorbing the music delightfully, closing her eyes in almost ecstasy as her hips moved to the moving line. Her torso bent and swerved as if it were a snake, her thin arms threading about her body with the fine precision of a tailor. The pace remained at a slow walking speed, yet her curves and movements seemed to hypnotize the crowd. Lips parted, her eyes opened to scan all who had come to watch. She noticed most of her audience was built of the middle class and poorfolk, which was a pity. The richer ones tended to enjoy her company after the show, providing a softer bed than her own. Today seemed to be a bad day for business...but at least she had money for a meal and a bath, if she wished. Her brown eyes closed as she did a brief spin, pivoting on her right foot before creating a fluid stop. She opened her eyes and glanced at the guitarist to watch his cues. He nodded, slowing the tempo to a painfully slow ending. Her body matched the closing and she chose to end it on a dramatic note, performing a drawn-out split. The crowd applauded and a few coins were once again tossed their way. Her audience dispersed as she stood due to her guitarist packing up. It was fairly obvious that they had finished. She wiped her hands together before reaching for his hat, sifting through the coin. "Here's half," she stated, holding up a few mizas. The older man looked at her in disbelief. She showed him the hat. "No magic trick, pops. Nothin' else." The man took the coin and his hat, muttering a gruff thank you as the noise of the streets escalated. Lilith sighed, staring at her day's pay for a few moments. Turning, she began to get her backpack in order, crouching down to keep it safe from any sneaky passer-bys.

[Ash'eny]

A single silver rimmed miza was tossed in front of Lilith's path, scattering a very small cloud of dust about as it landed, maybe three paces ahead of her. The man who had tossed the coin was none other than Ash'eny, the beggar, actually handed out a coin to a street performer. Not exactly common considering the person he was. Ash'eny was in the process of stripping off his old homeless cloak and turning it inside out, revealing a solid black, much finer looking article of clothing, though he made sure there was really nobody around to notice or who would care (Syliran Knights, other Beggars, etc). "A moment Missus. I wish to congratulate you on your performance." Ash'eny trotted for several steps to catch up to Lilith, who mostly likely picked up the coin by now. Even though he had the majority of his head and face hidden by the cloak's hood, he acted as though it wasn't there, as if it was completely normal to run around, midday, in a straight black cloak and hood. "I don't believe I've seen that style of dance before. I don't believe I've ever really stopped to watch any dance before for the matter. So I guess I owe you two applauses for being first dance to take my attention and first of that dance that I have ever seen. No, a third is necessary. You are an idol amongst us poorer folk with your performance. You dance for us without requirement of pay. It's like us beggars, except you have talent and even deserve and earn your own pay. Not-so-much for us." Ash'eny grinned faintly as he extend his left hand (which had no pinkie finger) towards Lilith to shake. "The name's Tolby. I've been here in town a few months but I do not believe I've seen you around." Ash'eny would definitely have noticed somebody running around Syliras wearing that sort of outfit most likely. After offering his hand to shake, whether she took advantage of his greeting or not, he would glance up into the sky, the sun was beating down on him mercilessly. The warmth was quite powerful, especially for him, who was wearing a full set of clothing, leather armor, and all that hidden by his large reversible cloak. He felt like he was baking. "Seems a bit warm out here, for my liking at least. Do you drink Missus? I'd be happy to buy you a mug or two if you enjoy a drink." It was fairly rare of Ash'eny to offer anything to anyone. Ash'eny pointed at the tavern as they walked, as if to say 'make up your mind, it's right there'.

[Lilith]

When a silver miza landed in front of her, Lilith picked it up without a thought, gazing at it curiously. She looked up, eyebrow raised. Wasn't often coin was tossed at her after a performance unless the person wanted something a little 'extra'. She sighed, hearing a male voice asking her for a moment. She noticed an approaching man and gave a smile, though her mind was already dreading the proposition. She did not wish to bed a stranger tonight. His choice of clothing was a little strange, though Lilith shook off that thought. Her garb was always dramatic, even when she wasn't performing. However, the majority of his head and face was hidden by the dark cloak. This made her uneasy. People who didn't show their faces generally couldn't be trusted. "Ah, it's a style I learned in Sunberth," she replied as she slipped her backpack on. She smiled, bowing her head slightly in thanks. Her smile promptly turned into a smirk as he spoke of a third applause. "Oh, well, it'd be nice to get some coin from anybody..." She shrugged. "And I am a beggar, sir. I just found a love for something and turned it into a performance. I'm sure you could do the same." As he extended his hand, Lilith peered at it for a moment, noticing its lack of a pinky. She did not hesitate, however, and shook it firmly. "'I'm Lilith," she replied with a tilt of her head, eying him inquisitively. Well, he didn't seem to be interested in bedding her, since he told her of his current employment as a beggar. She wasn't too sure what exactly he wanted, though she certainly wanted to find out. "I've been here over a year, though I set up shop on a different street corner for every performance. It doesn't surprise me that you've missed me." At his invitation to a drink, she nodded, her grin widening. Now he was speaking her language. At this point, however, she had a feeling he was only a beggar in speech. Those poorfolk were extremely stingy with their money, as it meant a meal lost or gained. No beggar would offer to buy a drink. "'Course I drink," she laughed, eagerly walking towards the tavern. "I wouldn't mind a mug or two at all. Kind offer there." They entered and sat at a table near the bar itself. The tavern was fairly empty, seeing as it was the early afternoon. However, a few men spoke loudly in the corner as a bartender stood cleaning glasses, and a barmaid watched them happily. She approached them and asked what she could do for them. Lilith gazed at her company, lips parted in a smile as she waited for him to speak their order.

[Ash'eny]

Ash'eny followed the girl diligently, a faint smile on his face the whole way. When she mentioned that her dancing was just another form of begging, he nodded to himself, not in agreement but in understanding. It made sense, even though it seemed like more work and a greater possibility of income, not to mention dignity was probably a little higher. Then again, her costume probably helped. "I'm sure I could, but there's... not much I'm good at." Of course, he meant that he was good at breaking into homes and stealing small valuables or the occasional pickpocketing, or maybe a mugging or two, but he wasn't stupid enough to announce that. Those kinds of thieves don't earn much or live long. "Any, enough about what we do, I assume you are hungry as well?" Ash'eny smiled as he turned towards the barmaid, who probably was no older than fifteen, and spoke for them both. "Four mugs of beer and two plates of whatever you are serving today." Ash'eny grabbed the young girl as she began to turn away, pulling her back, and e brought up her hand, kissing it lightly, but it was an act though. She smiled because in his own hand, he slipped a few gold Mizas into her own, which the Barmaid herself did not use the secrecy he did to conceal it. He chuckled faintly, finally sitting down. Ash'eny was a different breed of man. He felt a strong urge to help those that needed it. Beggars, fatherless boys, and that girl, though he wasn't certain, he assumed needed an extra two gold coins for her work. It didn't feel natural for Ash'eny that she should be working here at such a young age. "Sorry, I suppose I should have asked first. Would you prefer Ale instead? I can order another mug for you." "Anyway, I know I introduced myself, but I apologize. Tolby is only my street-name. I'm Ash'eny, a pleasure to meet you. I suppose you've been in town quite a bit longer than I have. I've learned to avoid the wealthier districts of town with my chosen profession, the people there tend to treat homeless people more roughly, have a tendency to call in the Knights more often, and the knights always go to where the money is." Ash'eny shrugged, he felt like he was dominating the conversation a little, and since the point of bringing her here was actually because he was curious about her, it made his little non-stop chatter counter-productive. "Anyway, I'm not very interesting."