Flashback City of Disillusion (Zenobia)

[Shanapar]

Time Stamp: 80th Winter, 503AV Who: Zenobia Looking up at the Lady of Ahnatep, Shanapar couldn't believe he was adventuring into the city alone. His father told him days before to stay away from the city because the cursed city was filled with vipers and disillusions. He wasn't quite sure what his father meant, but he didn't understand or cared about his father's prejudice of the great city. He wanted to make his own judgment on the city that shined as brightly as Leth in desert night sky. Shanapar quickly walked up to the plaque on the base of the statue and started to trace his fingers over the strange symbols of the Eypharian people. He couldn't understand anything the symbols said, but he knew it must had been telling the story of the woman's greatness. Shanapar adjusted the bow on his shoulder, and he started to walk backward trying to figure out how tall the Lady of Ahnatep. He tried to determine the items in the great lady's hands, so he never noticed the wagon driver coming towards him. Suddenly, Shanapar heard someone shouting at him in arumenic, and he spun around to stare in the eyes of a ox. Shanapar jumped back and he put a hand on his knife, but the ox just stared at him blankly until he heard the same voice yelling at him in common, “Get out of the way! You black eyed scavenger! I swear by the holy name of Mukutsi that if you don't move in the next ten seconds I will use my bull whip on you!” Shanapar looked up at the Eypharian man yelling at him, and he was amazed that the man had six arms. Shanapar nodded and stepped out the way of the wagon. Shanapar watched in confusion as the man stared and yelled a him again, “Are you deaf boy? If I had the time to deal with the Jackels, I would have just ran your sandy arse over...” Shanapar narrowed his eyes as he watched the wagoner roll his wares down the road. Looking up at the Lady of Ahnatep one last time, he started to make his way into the great city. When he entered the city, he was amazed at the amount of tall structures the city. He could only imagine the about of people and things the building could hold in the building. He walked down the middle of the road, and he couldn't believe the amount of color the city has within it. The marble and sandstone buildings were either painted in elaborate floral designs or their smooth surfaces was painted in gold. Shanapar eyes moved back to the busy street, and he started to feel quite alone in the heavy populated street. Suddenly, a pair of Eypharian women both dressed in sleeveless robes of dyed silk walked up to him. He took a deep breath not sure what to do, but when the woman got closer to him. Shanapar could see they were both beautiful, and the makeup they both used on their faces embellished their feminine features. Shanapar face flushed when they got closer to him, and the woman in lavender robe traced two of her hands over his shoulder and said to the other woman dressed in soft pink robe, “Lady Kayla if I known the Chaktawe men were so handsome, I would have bought on a long time ago.” The lavender woman started brushing her finger tips across his back, and Shanapar couldn't help shiver at her touch. The other Eypharian woman dressed in pink crossed all four of her arms and gave her friend a amused look and said with a sigh, “Lady Talla...the black eyed boy is old enough to be your eldest son's age. Leave him alone. We have more important things to deal with other than satisfying your appetites for young men.” Shanapar remain silent not sure what do say in this situation, so he just stood there as stiff as a board as the lavender woman caressed his bare back. Suddenly, the Eypharian woman wrapped all four arms around him, pulled him close to her, and whispered in his ear, “You can come home with me if you like my black eyed beauty, and you don't have to worry my husband. He has been at sea for months now, so nobody will disturb us...” She smiled up at her friend and almost purred, “You can come too, Kayla. He is young, so we should have plenty of time to have fun with him.” Lady Kalya thought about it for a moment, shook her head, and said softly, “I have been waiting for this performance all year Talla, and I say no. Besides you been out in the sun way too long drinking, so I doubt you judgment is quite lacking at the moment. Besides I doubt the boy isn't old enough to know what he is doing anyways.” Lady Talla let Shanapar go and smirked impishly at her friend, “but that is half the fun, Kayla... Fine! Lets go see your stupid dance, and after I will indulge in my appetites.” The Eypharian walked around him trailing her finger tips across his chest and said to him with a half grin, “I will be back here in a bell, you sweet handsome boy.”

[Shanapar]

Shanapar heart skipped a beat when he finally realized what the woman was alluding too. He started to blush, and he decided it would be best to move out of the middle of road. He didn't want anymore strange encounters like the two he just had. When the painted ladies were gone, he almost ran to the wall of building and leaned up against it. He couldn't believe the amount of people in the city, and they were all too strange for his liking. He slipped into a alley, and he sat down in the dirt watching the city dwellers pass him in the street. He leaned his head up against the wall, and he looked up into the blue sky. He was shocked at how high the walls of the building were. He was kind of unnerved that the wall were able to block out Syna. Suddenly, he was approached by a five boys his age. They were a mix of races ranging from Eypharian to human. The largest boy a human knelt beside him and said with a grin, “You one of those black eyed barbarians aren't you?” Shanapar looked over and said in poor common, “I am Chaktawe not barbarian.” The lead boy said with a laugh, “I am not sure what the difference, but last time, I checked your race was considered barbarians by most people in Eyktol.” Shanapar narrowed his eyes at him and said to him, “Chaktawe is a proud people. We are no barbarians.” The other boys laughed out at him, and the human boy laid a hand on his shoulder and said with a smirk, “I'll take your word for it friend. Could you do me a favor?” Shanapar raised an eyebrow when he called him friend and said with smile, “I will help...” The human sat down next to him and crossed his legs. He looked over and nodded to the fruit merchant across the street. He put a arm around his shoulder and said softly, “You see the man with the cart over there.” Shanapar nodded when he looked over at him. The lead boy smirked and said softly, “Now, he is the Ahnatep welcoming committee, and well he been commissioned by the Pressorah to hand out fruit to the foreigner.” Shanapar felt his stomach grumble with hunger and he said to boy, “What you need done?” The other boys were trying not to laugh, but the human boy said with a smirk, “Well, I want you to take a pineapple and bring it back to us. Let just say it would be a token of friendship.” Shanapar smiled to himself and said with a nod, “My name is Shanapar of the Suli tribe. I will get the pineapple. I will be right back.” The boy nodded and said to him, “Oh, Shanapar. Just take the pineapple. It is your gift from the Pressorah anyways.” Shanapar nodded and said with a smile, “I won't say a word to the man. It will not take me long to get it. Be right back.” Shanapar stood up, adjusted his bow, and he walked back into the street. He walked straight for the mans booth. He could see all sorts of different foreigner pursuing his produce. Shanapar walked up the booth and he glanced at the merchant. He looked at his servant a tall skinny boy not much older than him, but at his waist was a sword. He could tell the merchant was busy, so he didn't want to bother him. He walked over to the pineapple, and he grabbed the largest one in the batch. He needed to feed six people, so he put it under his arm and started to walk away. Suddenly, he heard a loud shout in common at him, “What the Hai do you think you are doing you black eyed thief! Somebody grab him before he gets away!” When Shanapar spun around, he saw the Enpharian merchant pointing two of his four hands in his direction, and he could see a crowd of people starting to form around him. He looked back to the alley, and he saw the human boy waving and mouthing run. Shanapar took it as a sign to get out of the area, so with pineapple in hand, he ran straight for the small person the crowd. The much larger Shanapar had no problem knocking the small man out of the way as he ran down the road farther into the city. Shanapar could hear the people running after him and telling him to stop or else, but he wasn't about to be caught by city dwellers. He started weaving through the crowd, but suddenly, his foot got tripped up by a passerbyer and he tumbled to the ground. He watched the pineapple roll away from him. He quickly got up and grabbed the fruit and continued running. He could tell somebody was right behind him, so he darted into a dark alley, but he suddenly grabbed and thrown him up against the wall. The merchant servent was a little older than him, and he said with a hiss in his voice, “III'vee finally caught you dirtyy thieeff. You a coming with meee.” Shanapar dropped the pineapple for the moment, and he shoved him away with all his strength. The servant stumbled back, and he was about to reach for his sword, but Shanapar clenched his fists as he put his left arm in front of his face as he right arm rests on hip. He puts his right foot back and he lifts up his left leg, so his toes are touching the only part of his left foot touching the ground. While Shanapar was taking his fight stance, the servant smirked arrogantly, removed a hand from his sword hilt, and hissed at him in a mocking tone, “I will not usse ssssteel on you boy. My fisstss will bee enough.” Shanapar kept a straight face as he waited for the servent to attack. The servent raised a both his fists and charged quickly swinging wildly at Shanapar face. The Chaktawe quickly moved his left arm to deflect the blow, but he wasn't expecting the follow up punch to the stomach. The man fist knocked the breath out of Shanapar as he stumbled back in the wall. Shanapar pushed himself from the wall and took up his stance again, and he turned left foot straight back and he bring right leg back and thrust the heel forward in the stomach of the smaller man. The servant quickly moved out of the way, and Shanapar growled in frustration. As Shanapar momentum was bring him forward, the servant quickly punches him in the side of the abdomen. Shanapar stumbles back, and he realized to himself he might have to fight dirty to win this fight. The servant smirked at him and said with a sneer, “You got sssome ssspirt, boyy.” Shanapar growled and charged forward driving his shoulder in to the guard. The servant much smaller was knocked off his feet since Chaktawe was still mostly full of water making his weight much more than his opponent. When the servant landed on ground, Shanapar drove a foot down between his legs of his opponent. He smirked to himself when he saw the guard writhing in pain. Shanapar picked up the pineapple and ran down the dark alley. Shanapar didn't know how long he had ran for, but he eventually made it to a gate of garden. He leaned up against it for a chime, and until he figured he need a place to hide of the time. He looked around him and he saw another alley in between a pair of large houses. He walked to the alley, and he sat down in the shadows to trying to figure out what to do next. Leaning his head on the wall, he looked up into the sky wishing he was back in the desert.

[Zenobia]

It had been an awful day so far. Since arriving in Ahnatep, Grandfather and Grandmother had been kind to her, though less so to her father. Zenobia supposed that they still couldn't forget that Iubeh had, to some extent, taken away their little girl from her people... and he was a Benshira. Never before had Zenobia realised quite how racist her mother's people were and exactly why there had been an objection the marriage of her parents, whereas now she did. Her Aunt, Lady Nenuphar, had explained to her how the Benshira used to be slaves and that the Eypharian were the most important of the desert peoples, indeed the most civilized and grandiose race in Mizahar. Still, it had all been alright until Grandfather had decreed that she should meet another one of the heads of the house of the North Wind, his elder brother, Setma. To say things had gone downhill from there, was not exactly true from the very beginning. When they had arrived at the luxury villa, not far from the dwelling of the North Winds, she had been greeted warmly. "Sudek. You have brought your grand-daughter?" He was a grand man, six armed and tall. For his age, his face was youthful and he looked very strong. Powerfully built and maybe there was an air of cruelty in his feature, but there was equally a sense of kindliness and of fairness. Zenobia had not been too sure what to say, but the power her great uncle seemed to hold over her grandfather was clear and she had sensed as they made their way to the dwelling, with it's marble pillars, some purple, extensive gardens and gilded floors, that he had been more than a little nervous that she would discredit him. "Setma. I present to you my grand-daughter Zenobia." Then there was that moment of inspection, that she should only have expected. She flushed violently and wished that her hair was loose so that it could have covered her embarrassment, but her mother had insisted she wear it up, 'in order to best show off her bone structure'. She had even bought her a floaty dress made of a dark purple silk covered with gold spiralling embroidery, with a bateau neckline. Then, there was so much jewellery, most from Jandisra. She was certain she must have jingled like a bell with every step she took. Of course, she didn't, but it still felt to her that, although it was beautiful, she was wearing a ridiculous amount. "How old is she?" "Thirteen." "She looks older than that. Positively so. It is a disappointment, for I thought she might have been ready for marriage in a couple of years. She is not unattractive." Zenobia had great trouble following the conversation, which was in high arumenic, where she simply spoke a basic version of arumenic. "Of course, a half-breed is harder to sell, but a pretty face helps a great deal." He stood up from his seat, "Come, I have arranged a meal for us." At this point, things were still going fine. They had had an assortment of fine foods, of sweet wines and, since both her Grandfather and her Great Uncle spoke almost perfect common, the conversation flowed readily... that is until a comment was made about her father. "You should be proud Sudek. She has everything to recommend her except..." then the man sighed, "Such a shame." "It really cannot be helped Setma." "Tristana is so clever. I still cannot believe she acted so recklessly. A Benshira." Zenobia bridled slightly at this remark. "The girl's hopes for a successful marriage are severely diminished by such parentage. Had she been fully eypharian, why we might have found her a partner among the Inkara or Jibade." "Setma... Zenobia will be returning to Zeltiva with her parents by the end of the Summer Season." "If she were to stay here, we could do the best with a bad situation. A poorer member of the gilded perhaps... someone we wished to create an alliance with. Or, of course, a Palace Concubine. Curses that she should have such a father." Zenobia, very fond of her father, felt quite rightly that the abuse was about to be kicked up a notch so, with the excuse of needing the loo, she left the dining room with it's intricate tables and red velvet seats. The luxury all around her was almost suffocating. She got lost, trying to find the way out, but managed to in the end. She dropped her golden jewellery into the pocket of her Grandfather's coat then took her own brown one, which although of good quality, was less obvious than the clothing underneath. Finally, she let loose her hair and was relieved to feel the curls around her face, before leaving the house. The whole street was full of these big houses, separated by their gardens and 'public' parks which the poor could not enter. There was a long line of trees. Finally she settled herself down against one of the walls of these houses, in an alley between that house and the house next to it. She had been there for a few minutes, when she heard someone walk past her. Zenobia looked up and saw that, not far from her, a young man had sat down. Slowly, after a minute, she stood up and walked up closer to him. "Hello." She said, in her basic Arumenic. She understood almost all Arumenic, but she sometimes had trouble distressing more difficult things in her Mother's language.

[Shanapar]

Staring up at a lone snake like cloud in the sky, Shanapar wasn't paying attention to his surrounding. Suddenly, he heard someone walk up to him, and he turned his head quickly and started to slowly stand up. He stopped for a moment, and he saw a beautiful girl a few year younger than himself. He didn't understand the Eypharian language, but he assumed the girl greeted him. He stood up straight clutching his pineapple, and he said in broken common, “Hello...name is Shanapar the Untamed from the Suli tribe..What your name?” Knowing he must have sound like a complete idiot. He ran a hand through his black hair, and he looked her over with his black eyes. The girl was stunningly beautiful girl with long wavy dark brown hair. He wondered if the girl was a half breed because she painted herself up like Eypharian woman, and if she was a daughter of noble because she was heavily weighed down with jewelry. He never saw a need for jewelry, but his mother and sister seemed to enjoy wearing it. When Shanapar looked at the girl, the decorations made the Eypharian girl shine in the desert sun. He decided to break the ice with the girl, and he pointed to the jewelry around her neck and said with a silly grin, “I suggest you don't try to swim with your decorations on. You might sink to the bottom of water..” Shanapar hoped he didn't offend the girl with his bad joke. He put the pineapple under his arm, and he looked at the large houses and said with smile, “Do you live in any of these stone castles? I am still trying to figure out why you city dwellers need such large castles.” He walked up to the metal gate and looked at the house and said to himself softly, “You could fit a small Chaktawe tribe in just one of the castles.” Shanapar turned around to look at her. He hoped she didn't think of him as a ignorant barbarian, but he knew nothing of the life in the city. Also, he had many questions about the city and it's inhabitants. He smirked at the girl and said with a smile, “I must sound like a ignorant fool right now, but I know nothing of the city.” He looked at his pineapple and held it up to her and said with a laugh, “And I think I might have stolen this pineapple...” Shanapar knew he must sound like a jabbering jackal puppy, but he was scared in a unknown world, and she was the only person the city that seemed to treat him like a person at the moment.

[Zenobia]

Zenobia smiled with relief to find that the young man spoke common. If she had been brought up to speak a little arumenic, she hardly did any more than that and having been brought up in Zeltiva, common was the language she spoke most fluently. "Hello." she repeated, this time in common, "My name is Zenobia. I never explain my surname because it is far too complicated, due to the rules of naming in both the Benshira and the Eypharian." She laughed lightly, recalling the expression of the last person she had decided to introduce herself to with her full name, and moved closer to Shanapar. She was of a naturally warm and open nature, almost extroverted, and the boy... man looked far from wishing her any harm so, moving closer, she sat down next to him. He had an interesting face, she decided, not typically handsome and far more intriguing for it. A pretty face did get so dull so quickly whereas there was always something worth looking at in an unusual, more striking and expressive, visage. Her smile widened further at his joke about her sinking. "I am afraid I don't know how to swim which, bearing in mind the time I have spent at sea in the last few years, seems to be tempting fate. It's rather counter-productive to survival." She didn't say that she wished to learn, but had never had the opportunity, for in a way that was almost like an admission of failure to somebody which many members of her eypharian family would consider an inferior race. Saying she didn't know how might highlight that she had not learnt as a personal choice, even if it was a rather poor choice. She realised he was looking at the jewels she still had on and flushed brightly. She had taken a large proportion off within the house, hoping less attention would be drawn to her, but she still had on some other pieces. Quickly, she slipped off everything else, all excluding the golden necklace like a manacle around her neck, and put them into one of the large pockets of her coat. "I don't actually live in Ahnatep. I'm here for a couple of seasons to visit my family, but I was born in Zeltiva and live there. I suppose you're right that there is a lot of space in these houses but they like to show off their grandeur to their neighbours. You don't sound like an ignorant fool. Not to me." If he sounded like he was babbling on rather too much, she must have a great deal more. "Stole a pineapple? Should I be worried about my jewels?" Not that she would be anyway, she thought, although they were beautiful... there were more where they came from and there always would be. Then she frowned, with mild confusion, "Why would you steal a pineapple?"

[Shanapar]

Shanapar listened to the half benshira and eypharian woman tell her story. She was originally from a far away city of Zeltiva. The name didn't ring a bell with the desert nomad because the only major cities he knew in the Eyktol of were Ahnatep and Yahebah. He intently listened to her tell him about her reason for coming to Ahnatep, and he was curious about the days on the ship. He always had sand under his feet, so he was always curious about the strange wooden contraptions of the “civilized world.” Zenobia must had a lot of interesting tales of her journey to Ahnatep. Shanapar could only imagined what she saw on the ocean. He listened when she told him about her reason for coming to Ahnatep. She was visiting her family, and the Chaktawe had to ask softly, “Are you getting married, Zenobia because I know women in my tribe sometimes where jewelry to attract the attention of men. Is it the same in your culture?” Suddenly, Shanapar remembered Zenobia mentioned she never learned how to swim, so he was curious if she wanted to try it. The chaktawe blinked his long eye lashes and stared at with his black eyes and said softly, “If you want to return your fancy cloths and jewelry to your family's house. I could take you to the river or the beach, and I can attempt to teach you how to swim.” He ran a hand through his black hair and said simply, “Besides when you head back to Zeltiva, you will than have the peace of mind that you know how to swim.” Shanapar knew when he told her about the pineapple incident. Zenobia would react the way she did. He wasn't a thief, and if he was a thief, he would be honest about his life of crime. He hates lying unless it is absolutely necessary. He looked over at the Zenobia when she asked if she should worry about her jewelry. He laughed out loud, shook his head, and said simply, “Honestly, I don't have a need for shiny trinkets. They would do me very much good in the hot desert sand.” Shanapar looked at her and said with a smirk, “Besides your jewelry looks much better on you.” He put a finger to his lips and said jokingly, “Well wait a minute...” The Chaktawe stood up and looked down at the half eypharian woman and said with a playful smirk, “You know the pearls necklace and the large earrings would actually look splendid on me.” Shanapar sat back down next to her still holding the pineapple in his hand and said sadly, “No, I was tricked by a group of boys when I first arrived in the city. They said the merchant was the Pressorah's welcoming committee, and like a fool, I believed them and stole the pineapple.” Shanapar look up at the tall buildings and shook his head. He started to pet the leaves of top of the fruit and said without looking at her, “It is my first time in the city, and I am already a thief. My father warned me to stay away from the city, but I didn't believe the stories."