[The Bizarre] Temporary Borders (Ayanna, Pash’nar, Ortha)

[Naeya]

Timestamp: Season of Summer, 47th Day, 512 AV – Early Afternoon “The… Bizarre?” Naeya’s brow wrinkled in confusion as she stared at the sign hanging outside of a large, windowless building. “That’s got to be a spelling mistake, right? Are we even in the right place?” The small, blonde woman turned to her Symenestra companion, and let out a long sigh. Who was she kidding? Nothing in Alvadas was what it seemed. She had appeased some of the fear and confusion that had wracked her emotions during the last two days, but she was still feeling rather jumpy. She couldn’t shake the feeling that something horrible was wrong with the city. It’s snowing. In summer! The two women had come to the bazaar… er, Bizarre, to find a sailor willing and able to take them to Syliras, as they had been told that both sailors and traders alike frequented the market. The women’s voyage from Riverfall to Alvadas had been unexpectedly fraught with conflict between the passengers and their guide, and the voyage ended up being shorter than they had expected. Brim had kicked them off his boat at Alvadas, and now here they were. “Well, I suppose we ought to take a look.” Naeya smiled hesitantly at Ayanna, and walked towards the entrance. Stepping over a small pile of fresh snow (and trying not to think of its horrifying unnaturalness), the young Konti pulled the door open and came face to face with a clamour of noise and a horde of people. She stepped just inside the door and stopped quietly next to it, taking in the room. It was overwhelming, really. The large crowd, the myriad of goods and services… What really got to Naeya, however, was the sheer size of the building. From outside, the Bizarre had looked big, but she never quite expected it to be as large as it was. For some reason, she was reminded of being at the bottom of a valley. The room just stretched on and on, and seemed to be climbing upwards the further back it went. Naeya dug her nails into her palm on one hand, and tugged nervously at her jade shirt with the other. She tried to keep her voice light and friendly, but her discomfort was clear. “So, Ayanna. Where should we start?” When do we leave?

[Ortha Quickdraw]

The bizarre, the favourite place of Ortha in Alvadas, by far. Not to buy anything, off course (OOC can someone tell me how you spell off course? Seriously, I can say it a hundred times, but the spelling...), as he didn’t trust the building, the people, the crafts, the air he breathed. But the collection of trinkets made him feel rich and educated, as this was the real mix of the cultures, not the churches, temples or forums, but the marketplaces. The marketplace, Ortha thought, was an example for the rest of the world. If you forget the regular fighting of the salesmen and buyers. But that's a detail.

Ortha walked along some stalls selling Dryka goods. Mostly pottery, and probably fakes from Sunberth scoundrels, but that didn’t matter. The clay crafts formed a portal to the past, more stories and history could be held inside these kind of small things than in any book. Ortha had to sweep away a tear, for all the memories of his childhood and the Sea Of Grass came back. All these thoughts quickly became to much, though, and Ortha planned to leave as soon as possible. That was a far going decision, changing his fate and that of others.

When Ortha faced the door, he saw the strangest thing he had seen in the Bizarre. It wasn’t a jewel, a book or a staff, it was far from that. It was a girl. Two girls. Two fragile looking girls. They almost seemed to glow among the unshaved traders and eccentric collectors. The Konti looked rather confused, making her stand out only more. Normally, this would affect Ortha, and if it was a normal day, it wouldn’t make any impression. But this wasn’t a normal day. The memories of the Sea made him feel lonely. Very lonely, and very sad. Somehow, the innocence of the girls made him feel safe. Imagine, two young ladies making a two meter tall man feel secure. But that was the only truth. Intrigued by the sudden appearance and his own feelings, he closed in on the ladies. Not too obviously, but slowly, as if he was searching for a necklace or a pocket watch. He approached cautiously, making sure he wasn’t noticed. It was probably a lost hope, he thought, because how can a man, two meter tall with an axe blend into the crowd? At the closest stand to the couple, Ortha stopped, hoping to catch something of their conversation.

[Ayanna]

Ayanna was by far much less disturbed by the odd weather. In fact she found it rather nice, she didn't get to see snow often growing up and so she revealed in the chance to see it. It reminded her of herself in some aspects, so pale, so delicate. She caught a flake on her tongue and smiled to herself. Poor Naeya was so unused to unusual things, having grown up in one place and never seeing the world. Aya looked over at the stalls and shrugged, they were somewhere were things were sold that was for sure. "Calm yourself Naeya, enjoy this. Enjoy the oddity, how often will you have a chance to see snow in summer?" she spoke to her companion softly with a smile, trying to calm her. Trying to get her to enjoy the oddness, the novelty of it all. Odds were if she stayed in Mura for the rest of her life this kind of thing would never happen again. Aya wanted her to enjoy the world while she saw it. "And besides I find the name fitting for the city. It is a Bizarre place, come I think I see some pretty necklaces." she tried to coax her friend with the promise of pretty things, knowing her to be materialistic, a nice trait and something that helped Aya if she found herself having a panicked Naeya. Ayanna went to the stall in question and looked over some silver necklaces with a variety of stones in them. She looked around constantly, aware of danger and looking for someone who seemed to be a traveler or sailor. She looked around the building, appreciating it's size. She'd never admit it but being inside this place reminded her of home and it gave her some comfort. She had the urge to explore this place until she knew all of it's secrets, but alas she couldn't. Perhaps she would come back some day and enjoy herself. She had a feeling this city would keep her entertained for awhile. She looked back over at Naeya who was standing there looking like a frightened rabbit. Ayanna smiled at her companion and gently, so very gently, took her arm to show her the jewelry. She waited while Naeya looked, guarding her companion almost without thought. Checking people for possible threats. "Well I suppose we should look for people who are selling fish or other sea goods. If they don't have boats they will know who will." Ayanna mused as a man caught her eye. He was large, about six feet and then some. He had an axe on him and he looked to be a Dryak. She tilted her head and kept her body turned towards Naeya but kept her body alert to this man, who was short compared to the blue giants she had seen but he still towered over her. Her hand went to her lash as she fingered the hilt. But she wasn't too perturbed, yet. He wasn't holding himself tense to hint at aggression.

[Pash'nar]

If Pash'nar could tolerate anywhere else in Ionu's city other than Patchwork Port—which was thankfully outside the shifting chaos of the city itself—he supposed the Bizarre was about as much as he could tolerate. Getting there had, as usual, been enough of an ordeal, though he'd come alone for the afternoon. It was a strange feeling after almost half the summer already spent traveling with others, tightly packed on his antique of a casinor, fluttering across the Suvan to Syliras and back. Again. If he sailed the route any more that season, he may have petching been able to sail it drunk and half asleep. Still, as he slowly settled into the crowds that seemed to teem in the place, adjusting to the sounds and smells and sights that were far more overwhelming than the endless shifting of waves at sea, he was thankfully on a shopping mission. He was even sober, so he could remember: Hammocks. Food. Something pretty. Yes, by some mystery of the fickle gods themselves, he'd made a list. Surely, someone out there who might have known him in his century of a lifetime since slipping from the tear in the heavens would be proud of his efforts at organization. Who? Well, he couldn't remember. Someone. Maybe. Maybe not. Cerulean gaze sifted through the loud merchants vying for his attention even as he carefully maneuvered his sea-worn, tattooed earthbound flesh through the press of the shopping crowds. He had no petching clue how to find who or what he was looking for, but he somehow felt like the Bizarre would be like the rest of Alvadas—he'd know it when he found it or when it smacked him in the face. Bits of glass caught his eye as he wove his narrow frame past a couple of chattering women, both pale in their own ways though he hardly noticed. He may have allowed a moment's distraction had he even spotted the smaller of the two as a Konti—generally unable to resist a peek at the scaled, magical women—but, he was intent on scowling at the poor craftsmanship that glittered on the table he slipped past. He knew better works of glass, far on the other side of the Suvan. That was for sure. Still looking at what lingered on a few of the adjacent stalls, Pash'nar didn't entirely notice the course of his sandaled feet. His shoulder connected roughly with some tall frame of a man, and it caused him to stagger, but not stop. He resisted the urge to turn and shout something defensively, unsure as to whether or not he was interested in getting himself into too much trouble without completing the purpose of his shopping trip. Instead, he rubbed his shoulder and glanced over his shoulder, tide pool eyes narrowed in an appropriate level of disapproving glare at the tall, tanned, bearded man who had obviously been in his way. Surely, someone so much larger than himself could have—no, should have—seen him coming. Then, the dark-haired navigator turned away with a smirk and attempted to continue his hunt for the items on his list without another thought to those he'd left behind him.

[Naeya]

Necklaces? Naeya perked up almost immediately as her Symenestran companion reminded her of what she understood to be a universal truth: bazaars always had jewelry for sale. She continued to stand silently by the entrance for another moment, however, as though she were afraid that any sudden movements might alter her entire reality. Ayanna had already walked over to the vendor she’d spoken of, but Naeya couldn’t compel herself to join the girl just yet. The Konti found herself caught in some sort of trance, and her eyes flitted from stall to stall and person to person. A pot-bellied man with an affinity for hats. A slender red-haired woman wrapped in scarves. A tall, axe-carrying man with a scar… And then there was Ayanna, once more. The fragile Symenestran appeared in front of Naeya and, without a word, gently took a hold of her arm. The Konti allowed the girl to break her trance and pull her over to the jewelry vendor. The people she had seen were immediately forgotten. Naeya smiled kindly at the stall’s owner, and reached down to pick up one of the many necklaces. She was pleasantly surprised by the amount of gemstone-laden jewelry that populated the stall. And so inexpensive! Does he know how many rare stones sit at his booth? Perhaps there was a positive side to Alvadas, after all. Her attention turned to the piece she held in her hands. It was spectacular. Many moonstone, citrine quartz, and opal gemstones were beaded into the necklace and hung in three layers that draped one over the other. “This is a beautiful piece, sir!” Naeya bent her head over the necklace to examine it further. Everything seemed to be in order, and she was considering trying to haggle with the shopkeeper. “How much for-” Naeya stopped speaking mid-sentence as a gaping flaw in one of the gemstones finally caught her eye, and the illusion was shattered. Fake! A wave of anger washed over her. She had never been so disgusted in her life. “It’s a fake!” she exploded, a fire burning in her eyes. Her tone had changed from its usual softness to a fierce anger, and her words were emphatically voiced. As a competent jewelcrafter, she should have caught the flaw earlier, but she had been so overwhelmed by the market and so hopeful that she would finally discover one good thing about the city. No such luck. “How could you possibly… how could you even think of trying to sell this… this atrocity?” she spluttered, raising her voice even louder than before. Several passersby turned to look her way, confused by the burst of energy coming from the nearby stall. “You, sir, are a liar and… and a thief! No one would be caught dead selling this garbage in Riverfall!” The Konti dropped the necklace as though it had burned her and spun away from the vendor, ignoring his reaction. “Petching Alvadas with their petching fake gemstones and their petching lies,” she muttered to herself as she walked a few feet away from the stall in an effort to regain her composure. Naeya turned to Ayanna and spoke in a softer tone, though the anger was still somewhat evident in her voice. “Please, can we just find ourselves a sailor and get out of here?”

[Ayanna]

Aya had seen a lot of things in her travels and she was scared of few things. But seeing her friend that mad, well that was something that frightened her a little. The usually complacent, or even skittish, Konti woman had turned into a vestige of age and indignation. Aya took a step back and covered her mouth, to hide the growing grin as the woman lashed out with her tongue at the trickster. The man himself looked a bit daunted. While it was scary the woman's anger was strangely entertaining for the Sym. And she supposed laughing at that moment would not be the best thing for her friends temper. She'd probably have to find her a true gem seller somewhere around here to help appease her, after they found their ride. While Naeya went off on her tangent of curses Aya turned to the seller and gave him a creepy grin, showing off those deadly canines of hers, she waved a clawed hand. The man paled even more at the woman's show. She walked off, not saying anything, just reveling in the entertainment. Aya never fully understood why she found other people's anger entertaining, she just did. If someone started yelling at her or getting worked up she'd just laugh, which of course made it worse. And watching others get angry was as entertaining as seeing people get angry at her. She wiped the smile from her face as a still obviously angry Naeya turned towards her and asked for them to just find a sailor. Ayanna nodded and began to head towards the smell of fish, placed farther away from the finer goods and items.

[Daydream]

Congratulations! Here's your thread awards!

Naeya

Awards :

Skill	XP
Socialization	1 Point
Observation	2 Points
Intimidation	1 Point

• The Bizarre
• Looking for a sailor
• Learn To Enjoy The Strange

Ayanna

Awards :

Skill	XP
Socialization	1 Point
Observation	2 Points

• Standing Guard of Naeya
• Looking for a sailor
• The Bizarre

Pash'nar

Awards :

Skill	XP
Socialization	1 Point
Observation	1 Point

• The Bizarre
• Escaping The Docks

Ortha Quickdraw

Awards :

Skill	XP
Observation	1 Point

• Taking A Closer Look

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Comments

I'm pretty sure I milked this one for all it was worth. If you would like to see something revised or have any questions or concerns, please let me know!