Closed The Stench of the Market

[Chaja]

40 th of spring, 513 a.v
mid-morning
oocI know that this is marked as open, but to keep it from getting too clogged with players I am going to close it after a few have joined. Please PM me after that point if you feel that your continued survival hinges on participation.

Chaja was hungry. Quite hungry, in fact; it had been a lengthy span of time since her last meal. Had it been two days, or three? She couldn’t remember; her traveling had been done alone, and so it was difficult for her to mark the time when each day had been the same.

Still, that wasn’t to say that she was dying of hunger—she had eaten a whole leg of the doe that the nice hunter had killed for them whenever it was she had eaten last. And besides, she had been hungry before. She knew how to ignore it, or at least endure it until she found some more food. Why hadn’t Daon thought to wrap a bit of meat up in the sash?

In any case, the sash had stopped chafing. The bulges of the things that Daon had wrapped in them felt nonexistent, now that Chaja had become used to their being there. As soon as she found food she would have to unwrap the silk cloth to see just what he had given her. Or perhaps she should try to find clothes, first. Humans didn’t like people without clothes.

It didn’t help that she could smell Sunberth with considerable acuity. It was lovely and rank, just like Ravok… but with more smoke. She hoped it wasn’t on fire. Beneath the people and trash and filth, she could taste the scent of food—some good, some bad, some completely rancid, but still food—and her stomach growled loudly.

She had entered the city long ago, but made sure to keep to the alleys and shadows. From the flashes of busy streets she had seen, she was close to the ocean, and between the ocean and her was some kind of market. Surely there would be a stall that had something edible?

Almost before she’d finished the thought, a delightfully fishy smell hit her nose and draw another growl from her gut. Chaja snapped her teeth appreciatively, then snuck to the edge of her alley. Aside from a wary glance, no one paid her any mind; mangy dogs were not uncommon. Within seconds she had located the aromatic stall on the other side of the market, run by a wiry and cantankerous-looking fishmonger. All manner of slaughtered seafood was spread over his counters, and the hyena couldn’t help a small whine of desire.

She was cautious as she wove through the crowd; she didn’t want to miss an opportunity when her last food was so far in the past. It would be a simple matter; picking pockets was much more difficult than a common snatch-and-run, and the guard that stood nearby, for all his muscles and armor, was probably not watching for four-legged thieves. Just one fish…

There was a wagon directly adjacent to her quarry, and Chaja unhurriedly crept beneath it. She could afford slowness, but she could not afford haste; she had stolen from stalls before, and his eyes were warily on the lookout for unscrupulous individuals. She would wait for his attention to turn elsewhere. Minutes passed without any change but the constant shifting of the crowds. He continued to watch, and Chaja continued to wait.

A woman approached the stall and asked for a price, and the hyena saw her chance. When the merchant’s caution dropped for his customer, Chaja vaulted from her hiding place. In a heartbeat her jaws had sunken into a fish, and in another she was darting back into the crowd.

[Gad]

"Nononono," Gad contentiously stuttered out to the vendor he was haggling with "it'll be a cold day in Ivak's pit for I pay those prices! There was vendor here yesterday who was selling for less than half that!" Mhm. And that was yesterday. This is today, and I don't see this vendor anywhere around. If he were you'd be wasting his time. "Ugh, you- you dirty fishmonger! I've gotta eat y'know!? "And I've got kids to feed. If you don't wanna pay up then step out of line, I've got paying customers." "Wha-? "Yeah, I was here first!" The woman who Gad had cut in front of butted in. "Yeah? Nobody asked you. Run along dear, the men are talking business" Gad's diverted attention made him oblivious to the fish monger calling over one of the market guards. Before he knew the large armored thug had tossed Gad on his rear end into a muddied puddle. The young wizard rose to his feet and shook his left fist while massaging his tailbone with the other. "Pfft whatever! I don't want your petching fish anyways! Heard it's full of worms and makes your shyke runny!" Gad limped away grumbling curses under his breath. His stomach grumbled in accordance. The hunger in his belly perhaps amplified his sense of smell because as he waded through the crowded market place he caught a whiff of fresh fish in a different direction than both the fish vendor and the sea. He looked around and ducked off in a corner gorging itself on a massive tuna he saw a - well... he wasn't exactly sure what it was. Some kind of animal? Certainly. But what? It was bigger than even the dire-wolves he knew of. It was like some spotted predatory cat-dog. The better part of valor warned him not to tangle with some massive carnivorous creature he'd never seen before, especially not over food. The hunger in him quickly silenced whatever discretion he could be said to have and Gad made his way slowly towards the beast. As he approached it he crouched down low and reached out gently towards it with one hand palm up. "Here boy." he said in a sweet tone as he crept nearer "Here doggy doggy. Let good ol' Gad give you a pet. Here boy." Gad cautiously- though perhaps not nearly enough- reached out with his hand to pet the animal as he drew close to it. That's a good boy Gad just wants to pet ya, that's all. He continued to coax the animal to let him get closer. He was just about in arm's length, almost close enough to be touching it, when the thought that this was a horrible idea crossed his mind again, and again he silenced it.

[Chaja]

People yelped in surprise and moved hastily out of Chaja’s way as she barreled past them. Some called her names and one tried to kick her, but she was gone before his foot could connect. She dashed through the marketgoers, cackling madly at the fish-juice running over her tongue. A few looked around, trying to find where the horrid noise was coming from, but Chaja had already vanished into the alleys once more.

She sat down heavily, and was already devouring the fish before she’d hit the ground. The flesh was sweet and a bit saltier than she’d imagined, but she couldn’t have cared less—it was food, and any food would have tasted like ambrosia. The passage reverberated with her excited laughter as more and more of the fish disappeared, and it was a good ten seconds before she noticed that a shadow had fallen over her shoulder.

The hyena whooped in alarm and wheeled to face whatever had snuck up on her. Her hackles raised and the fur on her spine bristled; it didn’t take much to figure out why her company was here. Half of the fish still remained, at it was hers!

It was human, which gave her some small measure of surprise. Humans didn’t usually interact with her as a beast, and when they did it was usually unpleasant. Her first instinct was to attack, her second was to snatch her fish and flee, but, against her better judgment, she did neither.

He was crouched, eyeing her with a not-quite-threatening but not-quite-trustworthy gaze, leading her to believe that he did not intend to attack her. Still, she doubted that he had ventured into this alley to merely “give her a pat.”

He extended a hand and inched towards her, murmuring softly. Chaja remained firmly planted between him and her fish, but her mane twitched slowly to rest. She knew that this man had less that honest intentions and probably wanted her fish, but she couldn’t help it; though it was undoubtedly a façade, he seemed so nice. It made her think of times long distant, when others had spoken to her in such tones, times that had been so very long ago. The hyena wanted to attack, but the Kelvic couldn’t resist the offer of softness that it had been created to crave.

Her flattened ears swiveled towards the man, and the hyena tilted her head. Maybe he did just want to pet her…

She leaned forward and sniffed his hand experimentally, careful to keep herself in front of her food. She didn’t trust him, not one bit, but she was confident of herself. If he took her fish, she would just eat a limb in its place.

[Gad]

So what exactly happens when you grab a hyena by the muzzle? Gad cradled the beast's snout in his hand. It's fur was softer and it's skin warmer than he'd imagined. Jolts of adrenaline ran through him. He wasn't quite sure what to do now. The creature was obviously smarter than he'd given it credit for, as evidenced by the fact that it quite cleverly placed itself between it's ill-gotten meal and Gad himself. This was a predator, the fact that it would even allow Gad to touch it without snapping his arm off confirmed in his mind the suspicion that this was some escaped extravagant pet; how else could it be so desensitized to humans? The wizard tentatively rubbed under the chin of the animal, whatever it was, and felt the fishy wetness from it's quarry. It's eyes looked so soulful and human he almost regretted planning to steal the mangy thing's food. Almost. Not quite. Still he had a conundrum on his hands. Hmph. Guess I'll just have to go with it then. This mangy mishmash creature he was sure had to have been created in a laboratory somewhere. He began to scratch further up it's chin, to it's jaw and behind it's ears. The wizard got an idea. With his right hand he continued rubbing the around the creature's ears, and it's odd mohawk like mane. With his left he began to detach his astral body for Projection. Despite it's gruesome appearance, Gad found the beast to be remarkably warm and soft, and probably cleaner than he was from the condition of it's fur. Gad cuddled the monster like a house pet now, leaning in with his body close and massaging the thing like one might a friendly dog. Meanwhile, his astral hand floated behind this beast, getting ever closer to the food. The wheels began to turn in Gad's head."Good boy, good boy. You've got an owner huh? Some fat merchant around here who'll pay for your return?" He spoke soft and sweet to the animal, but in his head he finished the thought. Mm. Bet I can get a lot more than a measly fish out of you, if I play my cards right.

[Nemanjak]

"10 Mizas?! It was 5 yesterday! This is outrageous! Outrageous I say!" Nemanjak was yelling at the vendor who was selling fresh apples.

"Either buy it, or get lost, I've got customers here." He pointed to the row behind Nemanjak.

"I don't give a crap about your customers you will either sell me those apples for the original price or I'll take them off of your dead body!" Nemanjak yelled pulling a knife placing it in front of the vendor's throat.

The row was shocked by the sentence. They began to whisper to each other:"Is this man insane? Is he going to do it? Oh my God, is anyone going to stop him?"

The vendor placed his hands on the apples and slowly placed them in the bag Nemanjak placed on the stand. He placed 10 apples and said:"On the house, if you don't kill me that is."

Nemanjak glad with the outcome continues his shopping when he spots a human in the alley petting a, what is that? A mutant dog? A mutant cat? A hybrid of some sort? He took a peek up close and saw a little fish almost fresh. He carefully observes the area in a way behind the two and spots a balcony. He watches a bit and sees a few boxes around, maybe he could climb on them and jump to the balcony, but if he fails, they will definitely spot him. So just one chance, let's take it. He climbs on the boxes, but as he is going to jump he slips and barely holds on the bottom of the balcony above the 2. His hands, slippery from the sweat, slide from the balcony and he falls right next to the two. Barely he says:"Hello, I'm guessing you are the hybrid's owner? Well, I'd appreciate it if you keep it away from me if it attacks.."

[Chaja]

The scrawny man gently touched Chaja’s muzzle, as if unsure of the exact danger of such an action. The hyena’s ears pointed upwards happily, especially when he started scratching. She angled her head away from him to expose more of her chin and jaw, and when he began to scratch father along her head she leaned heavily into his hand. By the time he reached her ears, the fish was forgotten.

He moved closer, to which Chaja had no protest. He spoke again, soft and deep so that it was almost a hum.

The hyena growled and snapped halfheartedly at the man’s sleeve, then bumped his hand for more scratches. To imply that she had an owner. Hmph.

A monstrous clatter arose from somewhere behind the man, and Chaja stopped her demands for attention to try and locate the cause. What she saw was quite odd; at least, more odd than she would have expected. A cloaked man appeared to be in the midst of an attempt to… climb some boxes? The hyena’s head very slowly tilted to one side, and her eyes glazed over with a complete failure to understand why he would wish to do such a thing. Was he quite mad?

He slipped and fell, which it seemed even a hibernating hedgehog could have predicted, and landed with a solid thunk next to her and her scratcher.

And like that, the spell that had settled over them was broken. Her hackles raised and her mane stiffened, heralding the sudden flame that appeared in her eyes. She bared her teeth and snarled viciously, both at the climber and the scratcher; she had no more desire for his attention. The hyena danced backwards, then wheeled and snatched her prize from its resting place. The climber would not have her fish, either! She returned to a wary distance, fish in her mouth, and eyed them both dangerously as a violent giggle erupted from her throat.

[Gad]

"Did... did that thing just snicker!?" Gad was disturbed by the high pitched fluttering sound that escaped the creature's throat. Certainly odd, but there was something else that caught his attention. "You!? Ugh, look what you've done, scared him away! What were you doing running around up there anyways? Wait, you aren't one of those assassin types are you? Not on any secret missions? Following some diabolical creed?" Gad calmed down and dealt with this cloaked man a little more civilly. "Ah, yes, it's my pet...Lamina, very rare in these parts, the Giggling Lamina, but it was a present from my dear father. I was trying to coax him down but YOU spooked him off. Very sensitive the Giggling Lamina. Even more expensive. So, you're going to help me get him back." Gad eyed the man up and down. He wasn't exactly sure this guy was the type to help. By Rhysol, Gad wasn't even sure he really wanted to man's help. But, the creature had been spooked, and Gad was confident if he was going to reunite it with it's owner- and that owner would unite Gad with some wealth- then he needed to calm it down first and get it to trust him. Or at least follow him. With the hand that wasn't projecting, Gad stroked his chin and then gestured at the man. "Here, just down the alley a ways is a dead end. We need to back him into a corner. Despite his fearsome looks he's very docile. Once we get him cornered he's sure to back down." Of course, that wasn't a good idea for calming her down((OCC: I, the writer, know she's a girl, Gad hasn't bothered to look, and as far as Hyena's are concerned I think that just might confuse him more)) . Gad really wanted her to start snarling and biting (preferably this man in the cloak) so that she'd let go of the fish and he could snag it with his Projection, thus leading her around at will as she chased it. That was the plan anyways.

[Nemanjak]

Nemanjak was slightly injured from the fall, but he was lucky to fall feet-first so only his feet hurt a little. He was worried about the hybrid thing attacking him so he jumped up onto his feet in a flash.

As he hybrid backed off and, what was that a warning? He was relieved but unhappy that he took the fish with him.

When he heard a man talk he turn towards the voice and listened to him blabber on about that thing and how he spooked it off and how he's going to have to help get him back. "You want my help? You have to buy it. 30 Mizas for this job." He said, knowing that it was too much, but you better pull out the best offer from a possible customer. He saw the hybrid get away and said: "Oh forget that, you'll pay me later, we should go and now, I think I remember where that dead end is. But look at his or whatever it is it's definitely going to fight for, what is that? A fish? It thinks I'm going to mess with its fish and put myself in danger of being bitten and scratched? Not a chance, but then again its pelt might be expensive as it is probably a rare species, never seen anything like it."

[Michaela Abendroth]

“13 Mizas! I think you are sadly mistaken. I visited a vendor yesterday that had not charged this much!” Michaela was screaming at the vendor.

“Maybe your scary zithyness might scare some vendors into selling you stuff cheaper but I am letting you know that I will not be fooled. I don’t care what your race is, and you will all pay the same!”

“This is non-sense.!” Michaela yelled as she huffed off to go and find something else to buy.

As she was walking by the vendors that seemed to be trying to rip everyone off today, she looked down an alleyway and she seen a man running up some boxes and then try to make it to the balcony but he dropped down to the ground. Just as Michaela was going to run up to see if he was okay, she seen that there was trouble below. He had crashed right beside some weird looking dog animal and someone that she thought she might have recognized but wasn’t sure. She then seen the dog – animal thing run off and the other two were standing there and talking. Michaela slowly walked up to them and started to speak

[i]“Hey, do you know why the vendors are being super stupid this day, and why did you scare that animal dog off?”[/i] … She stood there awaiting their responses. She was a Zith, there wasn’t much that she was scared of and she could tell that they were more scared of her than she was of them.

[Chaja]

oocMy sincerest apologies for the delay! Some unexpected RL stuff came up, but it’s now over and I should be able to post much more regularly and frequently. Also, I have changed the status of this thread to closed, as we now have four players and I think that any more might begin to clog up posting.

Gad: even if he did check her gender, it would probably only lead him to the same conclusion. Because of their unique appearance, it is very difficult to pinpoint females, even by trained experts, and she looks identical to a male.


Chaja began to pace warily from one side of the alley to the other, very cautious of the climbing cloaked man. The scrawny one raised his hackles towards the newcomer, spitting words at him like an angry camel. The climber began to spit back, and they engaged in what Chaja believed Daon would call a “pissing contest,” which, as far as she knew, was some human behavior through which males tried to attain dominance over one another. It seemed a silly way, however, and so she regarded them with curious distaste.

Of course, what they said immediately put her on the alert once more. Chaja lowered her head and raised her tail in open threat; if they were going to try and corner her, they would have to do it by the skin of their teeth—she would not go willingly.

Then a dark-skinned—er, dark-furred?—woman—bat?—thing appeared at the end of the alley, seemingly unaware of the confrontation that was occurring. Or perhaps she just didn’t care. Either way, the addition of yet another person the equation did nothing to soothe Chaja’s nerves, and she instead of a giggle she let out a full, long and loud laugh while her dashes from one all to the other resumed, this time with a greater pace.