Solo I think I'm Gonna Like it Here

[Phira]

1 Winter 516

Phira walked through the stone face and into the city. It was so big and...was...was that sand? And why was it so hot? She took off her cloak and took another step in and was hit with whisking sand, and that is when she noticed. Now it was a bit of an alarm having a set of extra arms, but no one else on the street seemed to mind it. In fact they were showboating and sauntering around like peacocks. So instead of loosing her cool, which she could do at any moment, she just began walking. One step at a time, that is all she needed to accomplish, one step at a time.

Of course she needed some time to look at where she was at. So she stopped to look around, this place looked like the city her mom used to describe. Ahntep. A desert land with beautiful six armed eupharians walking around. Of course her mother never mentioned that people grew the arms as soon as they walked into the city. That would have been a nice detail to share. Of course her mother didn't have 4 arms, or 6 arms. So did they disappear when you leave the city?

An even better question, did that eagle drop her off in the right place? It didn't look like a desert outside the stone face. She stopped walking and looked around to get a grip on her surroundings. Sand, heat, eupharians, yup this was a desert. Ok, so what now? Did she continue on or did she go back? She looked around trying to decide when she spotted a bright red sign that read "The Welcoming/Housing/Orientation/Sanity Center." It took her a while to sound out that 'O' word but it said 'Welcoming' and 'Sanity' and those were words she knew.

She made her way over to it at an almost jogging pace. Once she entered she lost her extra arms...did she imagine that? Looking out the door the desert was still there, as were the 4 to 6 armed people. She looked over to the woman behind the desk who looked at her expectantly. "Are you seeing that too? she asked with a seriously with a curious tone. Did riding that eagle do things to her brain, and now she was crazy?

The woman scoffed, "You must be new. It's an illusion created by our god Ionu. This morning it was a swamp. Before you get used to the change, the city will have taken on 3 more forms. But you get used to it." she said quickly and almost dismissively. Like that wasn't strange to say.

Her eyes furrowed in thought. So she was in the right city. That was good to know. She would hate to think she was in the desert when she wanted to be in Alvadas. She would hate to think she was crazy. But what exactly did she get herself into? She nodded in acceptance and took off her bag, "Alright. That's good to know. I'm Phira, and yes I am new here. I need a room and a job if you know any place that is hiring."

The woman arched an eyebrow, "Straight to the point. That won't always work out there. She said. It would have been great if she took the time to explain what she meant, but the woman didn't even blink twice before going on to answer her questions. "There are two places you can rent a room from. The Wolf's Cave that caters to the more animalistic races, and then there is the Cubacious Inn that spins! You can't miss it if you tried. As for jobs that is kind of a personal quest to partake. I don't know what you do or what you are good at." she informed in one sweep.

Ok. The Wolf's Cave seemed like her kind of place to go. And since she had to look for a job she should be on her way."Thank you. What sort of land will I find the Wolf's Cave in? she asked cheekily.

The woman looked like she wanted to tell her off, but also wanted to smile. "Remember, the city changes. I have no idea, this is the only building that stays in the same place. However I can tell you that you are looking for a cave like building. That is all I can tell you about that. she said simply.

Right. A changing city. Well this was going to either be fun or frustrating. Well this was certainly going to tell her if she liked adventure or would hate it. She smiled and said her good bye as she stepped back out into the desert, and grew another set of arms. Was it the same for everyone? Did everyone grow 2 extra arms?

She walked through the streets and stopped when she walked passed a mirror. She looked at herself in it and it was her, but it wasn't...was this another illusion? She waved her hand, and then the other and sure enough it was her reflection. It was just...her hair looked so shiny and soft, and jeweled barrettes littered her hair, and piercings ran up and down her ears, jewels hung from her neck, and she was clean. As another person passed by an older gentleman with 6 arms, whose reflection looked like he was her age. He was blonde and handsome, and had only 2 arms, but that wasn't what he looked like in real life.

What did this mean? Her reflection showed what she wanted. His reflection showed what he must have looked like when he was younger? Did the mirror show what one wants? Or one's age? Was this illusionism? She looked to her left and right, and found people staring at their reflections in the mirrors that littered the streets. What did they look like? She stepped over behind a pale, middle aged, brunette woman. In the mirror she had blond hair, green eyes instead of her blue ones, no wrinkles. Was that what that woman wanted to look like?

She looked at her richer self. She had never wanted to look any different than she did. She knew she was pretty and people always complimented her. Her reflection just showed her desired status in life: wealthy. That made her pity those who were staring that their reflections, and made her feel that much better about herself. Sure she didn't have the jewels or the gowns that she wanted, but that was temporary. She could get more money if she was willing to work hard for it. One could never change their looks...well...that was debatable. She did have 4 arms after all.

She shook her head, what kind of illusions are these? Or was it just another illusion? What other kind of magic could it be? What ever it was she should head on her way. Now she was curious as to what she was going to find around the next corner. She spent the next 10 chimes turning corners. She ran into the same shop 5 times, by the 5th time she found herself not so much impressed with it as she was aggravated with it. Ionu must love watching people get lost, or lose their composer over turning the corner and finding the same street that they just walked down. Did he watch? Or did he try to get lost like the mortals? It must be hard for a god to figure out new ways to entertain themselves. Obviously Ionu was very creative and smart to do all of this. Or was he bored? She hoped he wasn't bored in a city like this. It was amazing, that she couldn't deny.

This was far more confusing than she anticipated. How was anyone supposed to get a hold of their surroundings? How was she supposed to find a place to stay, and look for a job before sunset, then make it back? She inhaled a deep breath and blew it out. The worst possible thing to happen, she would have to sleep outside for the night...or break in somewhere and sleep in there, then sneak out before Syna rose again. It wouldn't have been the first time she did that for a roof over her head.

However food was a must. She hadn't eaten since leaving Sunberth which was days ago. So she needed food. But that would require finding a place that sold food and so far...nothing. She inhaled another deep breath and started up again. She must have asked a dozen people where an inn was at, or a tavern, or a market, any place to get her barrings, and the only answer she got was 'How in the world am I supposed to know?'

[Phira]

01 Winter 516

This city had it's charm, she was excited to be here, but at the same time she knew that everything here was different from the rest of the world. Different as in, it made no sense. Any sort of logic, even the simple-minded logic she had was more sensible then the logic applied to this city. She was lost, and usually she would mark her territory so she knew where she had been. But she doubted that people would appreciate marking their buildings with anything.

Well that was fine, she wasn't going to give up. She looked around again, she had been so intent on looking for a cave like building that the scenery had changed. She was now back in Sunberth. That wasn't what she was expecting. The Slag Heap, the anarchy, the complete lack of respect for the rules of nature. It was Sunberth for sure. I hope I can find the Wolf's Cave here. I can get used to the city easier that way. Is what she would say if everything wasn't colored every color of the rainbow.

The rainbow colors of the sand and buildings made it look like Sunberth's rare treasure, the Rainbow Rose. She had only ever seen the one, pressed and immortalized, and belonging to an old woman that gave her shelter during a thunderstorm. Well there was more to that story than that, but basically that is what happened. And it was beautiful. She couldn't keep her eyes off all the colors, and that must have been the reason that she ran face first into the large building in front of her.

Snickers coming from a group of men across from her. Rubbing her nose as she walked over to them. She had learned in Zeltiva that if you wanted information ask the locals. Even though most of the locals she talked to didn't have any answers for her questions, they still told her some things. Like the Wolf's Cave has a really good steak, and if she was looking for a real Alvadas dining experience then she should find The Withering Rose.

Approaching with a smile and tucking her hair behind her ear sweetly she waved her hand,"I am more graceful than that I promise. she said making them snicker and smirk.

"Everyone runs into the temple at least once. It's almost a righ' of passage."

She smile as she looked up at the building,"So what is this place anyway? You said temple. Who's it for?

The men looked at each other, then back at her, "Our god Ionu. He does live in this city. You don' know this? one of them asked.

She laughed at herself,"Of course! It has been a very long day already, and it isn't even noon. I arrived this morning and have been looking for The Wolf's Cave since. Ionu is certainly giving my patience a run for my money." she chuckled.

The men laughed with her, "Do not give up. It may take a bit, but if you keep looking you will find it. Maybe pray to Ionu and ask to have it stick somewhere until you find it. Maybe he will take pity on you." the shortest of the bunch said.

She conversed with them for a few more minutes and decided to try the praying thing. Who knew, it may work. And if it didn't then it didn't. She wasn't so vain as to think that Ionu would hear her prayers, but she was also vain enough to try and ask for such a frivolous thing that she had always taken for granted until now...buildings that were always in the same place.

She tried to flatten the wrinkles out of her dress, and ran her fingers through her hair a couple of times. This was as good as she was going to look until she found the Wolf's Cave. Opening the door she found the inside not as grand as she would have thought it to be. There were no illusions in here like there were outside. At least there were no extreme illusions that she could see.

There were only 3 people in the temple that were praying. She wondered if there was a certain way to go about it. She had never really prayed before, not even to her favorite goddess Syna. She had thanked her, every day she would wake up and just sit in her rays if they were out. And when she would get up she would thank her goddess for shining on her so lovingly.

Of course that was no prayer. Still did Ionu have a preference? Well now was better than later, so she set her bag down in front of her, sat down, and pressed her hands together copying the woman in front of her. Every one here was silent, so she shouldn't say her prayer out loud. Good. She didn't want to be judged.

She bowed her head,"Hello...ummm...you're greatness? Is that a good enough name to call you? What would you wish to be called? Well umm, your greatness, I have a small thing to ask, but maybe not small to you...but ummm, if you could please just have the Wolf's Cave stay in one place for a bit. Just until I find it. I would appreciate it. I don't know what you would get in return...but obviously I am not opposed to worshiping you. Is that offensive? Well I guess I should say I am in awe of your city. It's great. Really it is...so good bye." she prayed to the deity. Hopefully, if he heard it, he didn't think it too rambly. Because she could get off topic really quickly and not even realize.

Satisfied with that she left and headed outward towards...well she didn't know where she was going, but she felt lucky at any rate. So she kept turning corners and passing amazing things that she wanted to stop and look at, if it wasn't for that little voice in the back of her head telling her. ”it's just around the corner. Just one more turn.” And every time she would turn, nothing.

3 more bells rang out and she was still stuck in Sunberth. She had run into the temple (not literally thankfully), more times then she could count. That was good to know at least. If anything she could find some where on the temple grounds to sleep. She had to find a place for food and as much as she didn't want to spend any money, she had to eat something. In Sunberth it was easy getting at least a small meal in, brats ran rampant and the woods and hills had plenty of game to hunt. Here, it was a city and a well kept one it seemed. She trudged along, not really minding her surroundings any more, just focusing on finding the Wolf's Cave.

She trudged along until she came to a coast line. Perfect. Just great! Where was she now? She looked around at the stunning scenery. She wished she could enjoy it, but she was so tiered and hungry that she just wanted to keep walking. So she did until she ran into a building on the beach.

[Phira]

01 Winter 516

She couldn't get enough of the city. Navigation here was ridiculous, but every where she turned there was another thing that gave her mind a little wake up slap. For the last few bells everything has been kind of a blur. She couldn't tell you where she was or what was there, she had been so concerned with finding that darn inn that she probably missed a bunch of interesting stuff.

Still she was glad she stopped so she could take the time to look out at the sea. It was beautiful just as it had been when she sailed from home to Zeltiva. She continued on to the building she had spotted earlier. It was sticking out, yet was part of it's natural surroundings. Was it another illusion? She was quickly beginning to realize that she could exactly trust her eyes here. But it was real...at least it didn't go away as she approached it. She began climbing the steps up to where ever this led and came across two identically, good looking men guarding a door.

The watched her so closely she doubted she could breath and have it go unnoticed. She gave them a smile and slowly walked up to them,”Hello. I am new here and kind of lost. I have no idea where I am. Could you tell me?” she asked innocently. She didn't want to be anywhere she wasn't welcome or any where she wasn't supposed to be.

They just remained silent and stood there as if they didn't hear her. What was their problem? Well they didn't push her out, so she took a step closer, and another one, and another until she was in a bar like setting. It was so nice, some where she certainly could never afford. She looked back at the twins then back towards the bar, so far she wasn't stopped so she will just go in and ask someone who would actually answer her.

It was quiet and not crowded but not empty, and clean. It was such a nice atmosphere. Not at all like the tavern she worked at in Sunberth. She walked up to the bar and a blonde woman with scales on her arms came up to her right away, ”Hello, welcome to The Surf and Turf. What can I get for you?” she said as if she were in a hurry yet eyed her up and down as if contemplating something.

”Hello. I am lost. I came to the city just this morning and I can't seem to find my way to where I want to go.” she said setting her bag down in front of her.

The woman smiled back at her and laughed a little, ”It is a little hard at first. You just got to keep at it. she said the same thing those men at the temple said. ”Where are you trying to go?” she asked.

She watched out of the corner of her eye a woman deliver a big, juicy looking fish to a table. She licked her lips, ”I am looking for the Wolf's Cave and a job. I have yet to find either.” she said with a chuckle.

The woman took out a glass and set it front of her, ”Here have some water.” she said. And looked at her like the twins only softer. ”You have beautiful eyes and a fair face. I could hire you here if you need a job.” she said kindly.
She sat up, now alert, and her smile shining in her eyes, ”I would love a job here. Thank you! You have made my day so much better! she exclaimed happily not taking even a second to consider so she couldn't take back the offer.

The blonde laughed, ”I'm glad. You start in a week. Now please stay, the fish is exceptionally good today. And we have a variety of drinks. Relax for now before you head back out.” she said nicely before heading off to put her order in.

A week would be perfect to settle in. Of course who knew if she would ever find the Wolf's Cave by then, or this place again in a week. But she was now rejuvenated. At least something was going right for her today. She sat back for at least a bell and a half, eating a nice grilled fish, and enjoying a fresh glass of water, and talking with the blonde Konti Kay'Layza, and some of the other waitresses. She even got to talk to a Charode, which was a first. She had always heard her father talk about them in disdain, but she never got to see for herself. And now she couldn't see why he hated them so much. They are very nice people.

With a job and a purpose she paid for her meal and set out again, hopefully with more luck. Leaving the coast and entering the city once again she found herself in some sort of large castle, and there were tiny, little creatures in suits of armor walking around. She was trying her absolute best to not step on them, but it was difficult. What were they?

Were they just illusions? Surly, loud for their size, tiny illusions, that hurt when they poked you. That seemed in the realm of possibility. Anything was in the realm of possibility here, she found. She hopped, skipped, and jumped so much she could be mistaken for a professional dancer. Probably not, but the point was these things were everywhere and were getting on her nerves. She kept going for who knew how many bells but it was so many that Syna had left the sky for the night and she still hadn't found the Wolf's Cave. Was she ever going to find it? She didn't even see the Cubacious Inn either...or maybe she did and didn't notice. The woman behind the counter when she first entered the city said that she would recognize it when she saw it. What a load of bull shyke! This was impossible. How did anyone make it home? She felt bad for the children around here, they couldn't go any where without the risk of getting lost.

Her feet hurt and she was tired, and she just wanted to sleep in a bed, but that didn't look like it was going to happen tonight. She kept walking looking for a place that she could sleep, an abandoned building, even the temple of Ionu. She just needed somewhere that was sheltered. She could keep warm if she changed forms and slept under her cloak, but she didn't want to be caught in the rain, or snow, or what ever might fall from the sky in this city.

She leaned against the wall of some building and blew out an irritating sigh. She would never give up, but she had to rest somewhere. That was when she saw it, a door that just appeared from no where right in front of her. She looked both ways to see if any one was out and about, before she casually walked up to it and knocked. It sounded hollow and it echoed on the other side. Was it an abandoned building? Or was that an illusion to make it seem like it was empty? She stopped thinking about it, her mind was far to tired from trying to rationalize almost everything in this city. She would just accept what ever this place was for what it seemed to be. She looked around again and quickly backed away when she saw a couple of gentleman come up the alley way. She didn't want any trouble or want any one to think she was breaking into somewhere...even though she was. The point was she didn't want to get in trouble, and as they passed her and turned the corner, she began jiggling the handle, but found the mystery door was unlocked.

She took a step in and just saw a staircase. What was this place? She was too curious for her own good, and in spite of her mind telling her not to she began descending down. It couldn't be as bad as what was up there, a never ending maze. Who knew, maybe Ionu's influence didn't extend down here. So she kept going down and when she reached the last step she found what looked like another city. Buildings extended as far as she could see, and upon the horizon was a red cresent moon. But Leth wasn't red tonight, at least not up in the city above...wait...she entered a door. And she descended stairs, how could she be outside?

It didn't matter, the red moon and the dark city gave her chills. She didn't like the feeling of this place. So she spun around and found the staircase gone. Gone! Where did it go? She wanted out! She turned around and screamed in frustration. She hated this city!

[Phira]

02 Winter 516

Phira had found an empty house and set up a makeshift bed there. Using her bag as a pillow of some kind, and her cloak for a blanket, she kind of fell asleep. She never got fully asleep like she would if she had a bed, instead she just balanced on the line between being asleep and awake. Usually it was a rat running across her or a loud bang coming from somewhere that woke her, but after a while she knew that it was a wasted effort trying to get good night's rest here. So she got up and threw on her cloak, picked up her bag, and left. She stepped out of the abandoned house and found herself facing a wooded area.”What in the world? Where am I now?” she shook her head and just went straight. If Ionu wanted to play with her psyche, fine. But she was not going to let him break it. Nope. She was strong. She would get through this and find that staircase again. And she would never go down it again if she could help it.

As she walked deeper into this forest she noticed it was not normal. The fog became dense and the cries of hidden figures echoed louder through the woods. She could feel the air cool around her and she knew it could only mean one thing. She was far too used to this feeling to not know what it was. She inhaled deeply and just continued on. The ghosts will let her know if they want to be noticed, otherwise she would let them carry on with their lives, as if they were people on the street. It wasn't until they started walking through her that she began to get the feeling they didn't want her there. It was as if they were pushing her out, but out to where was the question.

She couldn't help that. She was trying to find her way out of this place, and the faster the better. Another ghost ran through her and she stopped and began flailing her arms in the air around her, ”Will you all stop that! I have had a long day and a terrible night I am not in the mood to deal with pissy ghosts trying their hardest to possess me! Now if any of you want to help me get out of here it would be much appreciated. If not then you will leave me alone until I found my way out! she yelled at the spectrum's that lined the woods around her. She knew that on Black Rock by stating boundaries and setting up rules that the ghosts usually followed them. These ghosts proved to be different.

These woods were haunted, she could tell that for sure. The sheer volume of ghosts that reside here reminded her of Black Rock. Every where you turn there was another set of eyes staring at her, or another set of wails. It was sad because unlike Black Rock these ghosts didn't seem like they wanted to be here, but obviously they did because they were here. You don't come back as a ghosts if you are at peace when you die. Hauntings were a mixed bag. On one hand a place can be haunted with ghosts that don't mean any harm, and just want to reminisce about their lives there. On the other hand you had a place that was haunted because the people that died there can't escape it and so in fits of rage make any one who come to that place suffer as they had.

These ghosts sounded like they were in awful pain. She felt like she was spoiled back on Black Rock because Lady Dira and her Omens was always there to keep everyone in check, both ghosts and the living alike. Here it was just like Sunberth for ghosts, no rules or laws. But the crying was what was making her regret yelling at them. She continued on faster, if they wanted her out she was going to get out. Though they weren't making it easy, they had stopped trying to run through her, and instead just watched her from afar. That was a bit scary, they just stopped and stared at her. Most of the time it was when someone became silent that they became truly enraged. Eerie as that was, she ignored it as best she could, but was so very cautious as to what it meant.

She quickened her steps through the trees and the mist until she came across a ghost so tall it was towering over her. The towering ghost had the most menacing look and it began yelling so loudly her ears rung, then it began running towards her. She took off in the opposite direction with no hesitation. She ran and ran, hopping over logs, and ditches, and running passed the trees so fast that her face was getting scratched by the twigs and branches sticking out.

She ran so fast that she could barely stop quick enough from running into a building. She didn't think she would ever be relieved to see that false red moon in the sky, and the dirty streets. She began laughing hysterically and turned back to face the edge of the forest she just ran out of. The ghost of the towering, menacing male just glared at he from the forests edge where the mist stopped. She looked at him back, she was not going to cower away from a glare. If he started approaching her, well then that is when she would start running again.

”You can move on you know and if not Lady Dira isn't so bad, and she even has a whole island where you can go and live until you wish to move on.” she said, conversing with the entity as she leaned against the wall of the building she almost ran into to regain her breath.

He just kept staring at her angrily until he disappeared. That was fine, at least he knew now if he didn't already before, that he could move on to better places. She leaned against the wall for a few more moments before heading down the road that was presented to her. She didn't see any one down here yet, but she could hear them in the shadows, whispering. She kept her wits about her and didn't stop to look at anything. She didn't want to be caught staring at the wrong thing, but when she did look up she saw a staircase leading upward. It was going up which meant...

She ran up it and through the same door that lead her down there, and when she burst through it into the same alley she had left she started laughing again. This time she was laughing to keep the tears away. She was not happy with what had happened. She had never met a scarier ghost in her life, and she didn't much care for that fake moon, or those dark streets. Leth and that blood moon didn't even compare, and Syna was no where to be found at all down there. It was so saddening to think that, but the more pressing matter was what exactly that place was. Who needed a prison when they could just be condemned to that awful place.

She inhaled deeply and began walking, this time just walking. There wasn't any thinking about where she was going or which way she turned. Nope. She just walked until something stopped her.

[Phira]

02 Winter 516

It was around noon that she finally found the Wolf’s Cave. It had to be the hardest 2 days of her life. She walked into the cave like building, and was didn’t even take the time to look around at the surprisingly nice interior. As she walked up to the counter, ignoring the stares of the other patrons she rang the bell. She was finally here and the first thing she was going to do is take a proper nap, in a proper bed, with proper pillows, and without any rats crawling over her.

She turned her head from left to right and got a look at some winged creatures she knew to be zith’s only because she had heard terrifying stories about, and a couple of Symenstra. She was definitely in the right place. She blew an irate sigh and went to ring the bell again when a small brunette woman came out of the back, ”Sorry for the wait. What can I do for you today? she asked kindly.

”Do you have any rooms available for the season?" she asked with a desperate ad pleading tone. She couldn’t take another bell out there on the streets. The woman behind the counter chuckled at her desperation, ”Yes we do. I assume it’s your first time in Alvadas.” she asked as she filled out her ledger.

She felt relaxed already just knowing in a few chimes she would be in a nice comfy bed, and she gave a tiered smile to the woman, ”It was my first time yesterday. It took me a day to find this place. she said filling out her name where she was told to.

The woman nodded and gave a knowing smile, ”Really? Well it only gets easier. If you need anything here I’m Micah and over there is my brother Korin. We can help you with anything. If you go down the cave to the right over there it will lead you to The Watering Hole where you can get food and drink. And your room is up the stairs on the second floor, take a sharp left and keep going until you reach it.” she said all at once.

She really didn’t hear anything except how to get to her room. Following Micah’s directions and going down one of the many caves that littered the place she found her room. Finally! She turned the key, opened up the door, and didn’t take two ticks to look around at her new home for the season. She threw her bag next to the chest at the end of the bed and threw herself down on it, not even bothering to take off her cloak or shoes. She was finally safe, comfortable, and at peace for the first time in two days. Thinking back on her experiences since entering the city, not all of them were bad. She met interesting people, saw interesting places, got to have 4 arms, and see what she looked like if she were rich, and even got a job. She could have gone without the ghosts and the creepy blood red crescent moon, but all in all it wasn’t a bad experience. She was just tired, as soon as she rests up she would go out and explore more the curious city that Alvadas was. She just might end up liking it here. With that though she drifted asleep.

[Kaleidoscope]

GRADES PENDING...

Hi Phira! Unfortunately, your grade is withheld until you have paid your living expenses for Winter 516. Once this is done, please send me a PM and I will grade your thread. Thanks!

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