Completed [The Great Bazaar] Little Thieves, Large Crowds

[Fubuki Kouri]

Fubuki Kouri "Meh... just look all you want, you're not interesting anyway, ehehe... hahahaha!" Kouri mocked the half-isurian man and turned her attention back to the woman in front of her. "Awww..." She puffed out her cheeks in annoyance. "*Sigh*... why won't you play with me?" The woman's disinterest and flat unamused demeanor made Kouri's rather disturbing naughty attitude to died down, there's no point in playing with your friend if the friend wasn't afraid, terrified, excited, or have any interesting reaction whatsoever. "So..." Kouri's pupils returned to normal, now resembling a human's more than a serpent. Ethereal hair ribbons also magically appear on her hair and tied her very long hair back. "*Sigh*... I guess..." Disappointment washed over here, she thought that this woman who could threaten a man in a crowded market would have more interesting reactions than this. "What are you going to do, Madame? Can I come with you?" She approached closer and looked up to the woman in a 'puppy-dog-eyes' expression. She then materialized herself and took the woman's left hand with her right.

[Kaie]

]

Kaie

Slowly, Kaie decided the Isur was no threat. She then returned her brown eyed gaze to settle on the ghostly girl, who surprised her by taking her hand. Wasn't Kaie a complete stranger? She had to remind herself not to react too rashly. Instead, she allowed the action for now. More out of curiosity than acceptance. It was the first ghost she had ever seen, and it had somehow managed to reel her in. Had she indeed captured this child's attention with her sudden burst of false heroism? Unlikely, but she was still finding herself questioning things. Useless pondering, but there it was. The Myrian woman had seen plenty of odd things in her life, but this was a far more rare occurrence. There was a very good chance that she wouldn't run into one of these spirits again. So, she decided to bite. "I'm looking to purchase a small dagger. And make a trade for my food knife. I suppose I won't be getting rid of you anytime soon anyway." She began in response to the small ghoul's request, noticing the interesting change in the eyes. The little girl had found her among a large crowd and it was no question she'd be able to track her down again if she tried to slip away. No matter how good at blending in Kaie could be sometimes, it was a plain fact. Truth be told, she was for the most part unaware of the kid's abilities. Besides, what else was she going to do? Just then, a thought passed through her mind. "So, since I'm stuck with you...How'd you die?" She asked rather suddenly without much remorse. A casual tone to the phrase as if she was just making an observation about the weather. Sometimes she really didn't have a filter. Thoughts that came to her had a tendency to be voiced sometimes. No matter how inappropriate the situation. Without giving the girl much time to process, Kaie began to walk forward again. She'd have to walk and talk to keep up. She headed toward the light of the alley and back into the populated Bazaar at last. She didn't know if the girl actually moved her feet or floated. Guess she'd find out.

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[Fubuki Kouri]

Fubuki Kouri "Hehehe~ I take it as a yes, Madame~" Kouri happily jumped up and down twice and giggled. The woman's statement regarding her plans and the fact Kouri wouldn't leave so easily. This woman was really interesting... she didn't even flinch when Kouri demonstrated how different she was compared to normal human little girls, this made Kouri gained some respect for the bronze-skinned woman. Not many people could keep their calm facing someone like Kouri, then again... she did threatened a man in a crowded public market; she was no ordinary woman, that's for sure. "Oh! If you want awesome daggers, I recommend the Sultros Blades, Madame! Especially the ones made by Madame Hadyn". All of Kouri's daggers are made by her and they are of high quality craftsmanship, because of this Kouri would recommend Hadyn for weapon-related stuffs. "But of course, ehehe~ I'm only giving suggestions~" She was much more friendly and polite like a true little girl with strict upbringing, her sadistic and malicious side died down the moment her crimson eyes turned to normal. "Huh? How did I..." Kouri was taken aback by the woman's sudden question regarding her death. W-what... I... She looked to the ground and pondered for a moment, when she looked back up; the woman was already walking away. "Hey! Wait!" Kouri floated forward, chasing the woman. In the process, she crashed into people several times because of her materialized state. After a few seconds of searching, she spotted her and grabbed her left hand again, the Myrian and Ghost were now walking side by side... or rather, the Myrian was walking while the Ghost was hovering. "W-why did you ask that? W-well..." She thought it was impolite to not answer the woman's question, Kouri was the one who approached her first after all. "I... was killed by a tiger... in Falyndar Jungle..." She answered in a low voice, obviously reluctant to remember her awful past. "T-that's not important anyway! I'm... alive right now... and that's what matters... oh yeah! W-we haven't introduce ourselves yet!" Kouri quickly changed the subject, she didn't want to remember further. "I'm Fubuki Kouri, Madame. You can call me Kouri, ehehehe~ What's your name?"

[Kaie]

Kaie

"Oh! If you want awesome daggers, I recommend the Sultros Blades, Madame! Especially the ones made by Madame Hadyn." Madame Hadyn at Sultros Blades, hm? She'd have to remember that for the future. Calculating her funds in her head, she began to reconsider her priorities. A dagger would be great, but then again Kaie had a few short ranged weapons already. A gladius and her food knife. The latter wasn't the most efficient but considering recent events, it could do the job. It looked like she had a more serious issue. If someone came at her with a bow and arrow, she'd be facing a more difficult situation. Sure, speed and agility would be a defense in itself but distance would be a huge factor. Besides, what if the situation was reversed? She could hold off on the dagger for now. Come back to it later. "I'm guessing you've been here a long time then. Knowing the ins and outs of the place." She guessed with a shrug, stating her own observation. Her eyes never glanced down to check where the child was. Kaie's feet continued to move until she entered the crowd, sliding past the tightly packed bodies again. It was only when she felt the ghostly hand of the kid again she realized she must've left her behind. Perhaps her invasive question did in fact offend her. Or surprise her at least. It seemed her assumption had to be true. The way the little girl's voice was and all. Stuttering. "W-why did you ask that? W-well..." She figured it was from some accident. Maybe a careless swing of a sword or carriage driven through a wall. Common things one would expect. Kaie was truthfully only half listening as she moved, weaving through the crowd. The Myrian's attention was undeniably divided, focused more on what she was doing than the conversation. Did the Bazaar ever slow down? She would've liked to hit a vendor before all the good weaponry was gone. Maybe if the crowd was losing interest she'd end up getting some sort of deal... "I... was killed by a tiger... in Falyndar Jungle..." The woman stopped dead in her tracks. A couple of shocked people around her smashed into her shoulder as a result of the abrupt halt. Her body was jostled some with the small impacts, but she didn't seem to even take notice. One might've wondered if she was aware there was any contact made at all. Kaie slowly turned her head down to look at the girl more intently. Falyndar...? It had been what seemed like eternity since she heard anyone voice the name of her homeland. Falyndar. Taloba. All of it seemed like a distant memory she had put so far behind her. It all came reeling back in full swing. Kaie was there again, standing in the center of the jungle wilds. Surrounded by trees and foliage, the sound of the wildlife that lived there. She could feel it now. The humidity gathering on her skin. The warmth of summer searing her back with only the occasional breeze to keep one from overheating. "T-that's not important anyway! I'm... alive right now... and that's what matters... oh yeah! W-we haven't introduce ourselves yet!" The brunette savage blinked, watching the forest vanish from her view in an instant. Seeing the Bazaar the various bodies shoving past her in their haste to the market. Mauled by a tiger? Kaie couldn't help but wonder if it was in fact one of Falyndar's rare Myrian Tigers. The beasts hat captivated her dreams as a child. She herself had only come across one once outside the city. How in the name of the gods did this little kid manage to even get across the sea, let alone wander the jungle? Outsiders weren't even allowed within the walls. If anything it reinforced her presumptions about the barbarians. Idiots. It was plain to see the girl was just about done talking with the story of her demise. Kaie didn't feel like pushing it either. That wasn't to say she had forgotten the incredibility of the story. It wasn't that she didn't believe it of course, it was just that she'd never heard about it. Wouldn't someone in Taloba mention a death by tiger? Especially if it was a barbarian child? Either way, she decided to allow the subject to be changed. "Guess I just don't have a very good filter." She answered plainly without much emotion on her soft features. Brown eyes followed the sight of the floating figure beside her. She'd never seen anything like that before. She wondered absently how that even worked. Hovering. The sight was a clear reminder of the kid's state of being. She could pitch the idea that she was alive all she wanted, but the truth was "alive" was a relative term. Kaie couldn't told her so, but she didn't have the heart to do it right then. She'd pressed about death enough. "You already introduced yourself to me, Kouri, remember? Anyways, I'm Kaie of the Cutthroat Shadows." A rare, short lived smile accompanied her introduction. A flash of white teeth to lessen any intimidation factor she had, though she doubted the kid feared much now. Usually, the Myrian woman kept her own business to herself but the girl had entrusted her with personal information of her own. That in itself was enough for Kaie to grant her at least a name. Besides, she's been the Falyndar.

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[Fubuki Kouri]

Fubuki Kouri *Puff!* "Ow!" The soft puffing sound of Kouri's body crashing into a random civilian was heard. Keeping her materialized state in a crowded tight market was not a good idea after all. "O..ow..." She rubbed her nose in pain, the full body contact made her nose lost its shape; it repaired itself immediately though. Kouri then unmaterialized herself to avoid further complication. The man who Kouri crashed felt an unnatural chilling touch but shrugged it, he looked below him to find the offending person who crashed her. "Watch it, Ki-!...." His sentence was abruptly cut short as he saw the rather transparent little girl with very long silvery white hair and blood red eyes. His gut instinct told him that he better not mess with this kid. "...." He then continued on his merry way in silence. "Ehehe~ So, what are you going to buy, Madame?" Kouri tilted her head to the side in confusion as the woman suddenly froze. The woman then tilted her head down to face Kouri. "Uhm... eeerr... Madaaaame? Are you okay?" She was starting to get worried. The woman's answer relieved her "Oh, ehehe~ you are alright after all... phew...". Have I already introduced myself? Oh my... I didn't remember that... uuu... When the woman told Kouri that she already introduced herself, Kouri felt fear and panic washed over her. She didn't remember... in fact, the more she thought about it; the situation she was in got weirder and weirder. Why am I here in the first place? The last thing I did was... banging my head to a tree... falling asleep and then... when I woke up... I'm in an alley talking to her... It was a rather common occurrence that Kouri couldn't remember some of the things she did when her insane side took over. "Ehehehe~ It's an honor to meet you, Madame Kaie~ uhm... is Cutthroat Shadows your Hold? Like uhm... I'm a Vantha belonging to the Snowsong Hold." Kouri tried to keep her cheerful exterior for the sake of courtesy. Inside, she was like a shipwreck trying to piece together the events that had just transpired. I'm going insane... this is bad... w-what should I do?

[Kaie]

Kaie

Without a hesitation, Kaie kept her pace through the sea of bodies. Only checking to make sure the kid was still there once in a while. As expected, she always was. Her neck strained some as she peered over the heads before her. Was that a group of vendors up there? Yes, yes it was. Feet changed direction and moved hastily onward. "What am I getting? I need a bow, arrows, and a quiver. I have no long ranged weapon. Hard to hunt someone or something when you have to be in their face all the time..." She explained to the child with a gentle shrug. Hopefully she'd still have a shot at firing the damn arrows straight. After all, what's the point of owning a weapon you're hardly competent enough to use? She didn't have the Mizas to throw away currency like that. Myrians learned from a young age that nothing is ever wasted. Didn't that apply to most things in life? "Ehehehe~ It's an honor to meet you, Madame Kaie~ uhm... is Cutthroat Shadows your Hold? Like uhm... I'm a Vantha belonging to the Snowsong Hold." Brow furrowed at the question while she struggled to understand. A hold? Vantha? The words were foreign to her and meaningless for the most part. At least she understood the first bit. "Nice to meet you as well. As for Cutthroat Shadows, it's my clan. Tribe is maybe word you use? Where are you originally from anyways? What the hell is a Hold?" She replied, narrowing her eyes in deep though as she began to question her. It wasn't that she doubted something of this girl. It was genuine confusion. Finally they came upon the vendors and Kaie began to feel overwhelmed. She mentally counted the Mizas she possessed, choosing how much to spend on her weapon when the time came. Finally, she found the correct place to go. It was a large stand for weapons. Bows of all different sizes, styles, and materials lined the counter. Quivers hung from racks in hundreds of different skins and sizes. Arrows were all shaped uniquely. Designs all different from one another. Some had colors, and tassels while other had more traditional makes. The Myrian was starting to feel overwhelmed by all the choices. How would she even know which to pick? All she knew was she was going to choose a long bow. At least that's a start...

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[Fubuki Kouri]

Fubuki Kouri Kouri kept following the woman, materialized herself again, and held her hand once more, tighter this time; trying to find solace in her ever-growing insane mind. "Oh... you're looking for a bow, I see... ehehehe~" Kouri had zero experience in wielding a ranged weapon such as a bow. She can, after all, wield her daggers as if they were a flying harbinger of death with her tendrils; she could also blink all over the place, making distances somewhat irrelevant. "Oh! A tribe, I see. Ehehehe~ I understand it now." Kouri, due to the noble-like ways upbringing from her parents, studied about the world a great deal; especially as her father liked to travel the world to search for song inspirations, she was rather acknowledged in the cultures of the world; for a twelve years old girl anyway. "I'm from the Frozen City of Avanthal in the Taldera Region, Madame Kaie. Have you ever heard of it? It's governed by Our Queen, The Goddess Morwen. Our people are called Vanthas! Ehehe~ We're humans, but we're different as our eye colors could change! Awesome, right?" Kouri explained about her heritage in excitement, she's rather proud of her people. In her mind, there wasn't any flaws with the Vantha way of life. They are artists, carvers, peaceful-loving people, they are loved by most of the sentient races and their Goddess-Queen, Morwen is a very popular gentle, kind, and benevolent figure. "I might not look like it now... but my eye colors could change... honest..." Kouri quickly shook off the growing frustration inside her, bad things happened when she's frustrated... her insane side seemed to awake when she's feeling extreme negative emotions. "Our Hold is uhm... like your Tribe! Each hold specializes in one kind of job, the Snowsongs are singers and musicians!" She was also proud being a Snowsong, people loved her singing; they always flocked to her when she sang... at least, that's how it used to be. Her current appearance and eerie haunting tone of her voice deterred most humans away now... When Kaie reached the weapon vendor, Kouri kept standing beside the woman; holding her hand. The human shopkeeper noticed her and his brows furrowed, A Myrian standing beside a strange little girl... and is that blood?! The Myrian's reputation of savagery and cannibalism combined with the bloodstains on Kouri's dress made the shopkeeper thought Kaie was responsible for the little girl's ghastly wounds. He didn't realize Kouri was a ghost yet though. Blinded by anger and false judgement, the shopkeeper approached Kaie and spat at her face. "Petching Savage, what did you do to this poor girl? You cut her neck? Is the taste of children that good? I swear, your kind disgusts me!" He locked his eyes with Kaie, not focusing on Kouri. If he only knew that Kouri was not exactly... human, he would have thought differently... maybe.

[Kaie]

Kaie

The Myrian savage listened to the girl as she ranted about her world, yet her eyes always looked about. Kaie had a habit of keeping her wits about her, watching her surroundings at all times. She had gotten good at multitasking though, and hardly missed a word. This kid was a long way from home. That was for sure. Taldera? That was farther north than Falyndar. Did they have jungles there? Probably not. Taloba was far south and had some of the hottest and most humid climates out of every other place. As far as she knew anyways. Then, hearing the word "frozen" she quickly realized she was correct. Kaie had never seen snow or much ice, but she had heard about it. She did know what it was. They made cities in it? How miserable. "Taldera? Why the hell was your little singing "hold" doing in Falyndar then?" Her voice was steady and casual, like she wasn't really returning to the story Kouri had mentioned earlier. She couldn't help it though. Her curiosity. When things didn't quite add up in her head she liked to find the answers. She hardly thought about the consequences she'd face to find those answers. Finally, they reached a proper weapons vendor. Kaie could see what she wanted. The vast arrays of bows in all different styles and makes. Anything from wood to iron, iron to steel. It was a beautiful sight to behold. Brown eyes practically lit up at the view, a corner of her lip turning up in a tiny smile of satisfaction. What could she say? She loved her toys. "Petching Savage, what did you do to this poor girl? You cut her neck? Is the taste of children that good? I swear, your kind disgusts me!" Her sights flashed up rather suddenly at the man's explosion. His face was contorted with rage and indignation. That accusing, hateful tone in his voice. In every voice it seemed. Too typical. Kaie had gotten almost used to it now. Well, not really. Tolerated was a better term for it. She'd rather deal with an ignorant barbarian for a few minutes than be hanged for slitting their throat. Nonchalantly, lifted her free hand to rest it on the counter. Kaie looked down at the kid and her bloodied attire. Then back up at the seller. Her hand was facing him so perfectly, her fingers pointed directly at his chest. The man's face started to slip from anger to a cold sweat sort of fear. The kind of despair you catch in the eyes of your victim before you swing an ax down into his skull. Or when you aim your crossbow bracer at them, carefully concealing it beneath your loose cloak sleeve. "Listen, buddy, I just need you to give me your best presentation of your longbows for purchase. Then we'll be on our way." She said with a bored tone, looking at him impatiently. Kaie didn't even bother trying to explain herself. It would be a waste of time. Besides, sometimes the belief worked to her advantage too. Everyone else in the crowded Bazaar was bustling about still, hardly paying attention to the new arrivals. Whatever bad things she'd said about the crowd, she took back quickly. What an advantage it could be. The vendor swallowed hard, taking a step back from her with wide eyes. The thing about a crowd was it wasn't really voices that disturbed it. Body language was far louder than words and this man's was screaming too loud. Shyke. "Come on. This is just a regular transaction so act like it. Unless you want this "savage" woman to see what seasoning flavors your children best?"

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[Fubuki Kouri]

"....." Kouri just kept silent and pretended to didn't hear Kaie's last question. The answer to it was because Taka, Kouri's father, loved to travel all around Mizahar in search of song inspirations. In fact, it could be said that one of Taka's greatest flaw was his extremely carefree nature regarding the dangers of Mizahar. It costed him his family... and left his daughter in her current state. The mentioned daughter didn't want to remember any further so it's better to play silent. I'm sorry, Madame Kaie... She apologized in her mind, Kouri is an honest girl; even her insane side is even more honest to the point of brutality because it didn't care for other people's feelings. The original Kouri would rather kept silent than giving out information that could hurt her or other people's feelings. At the weapon vendor, when Kouri heard the false accusation and deplorable judge of character this petching merchant had; a figurative black shade appeared on the upper part of her face. Seething anger quickly build inside her, this human dared to accuse her newly-made friend of something she didn't do; even more, the accusation was based on something he assumed. A wrong assumption lead to empty accusation. Kouri listened as Kaie kept her cool and countered his insults with calmness. She even played along with the cannibalistic reputation her race had, Kouri didn't know she was a Myrian yet though, but hearing what the merchant said; she came to a conclusion. Oh... Madame Kaie is one of those... Taloba people... but she's nice to me yet he judged her just because of her people's reputation just like... me Kouri felt first-hand on how the ghosts' reputation made most humans feared and repulsed her. She knew how hard it is to live in a city filled with bigots. This... petching... human! That was the last straw, She gritted her teeth and looked up to the merchant, locking her reptilian eyes with the merchant's. "As you can see... Sir..." Her voice dripping with venom. "I'm quite alright, see~ Yes, I'm a ghost... a spirit of the dead... now, please give Madame Kaie what she wanted... she has done nothing wrong... please~" She tried to keep her calm, it would not do for her to murder this vagik in the middle of a crowded market. Her other side might be insane, fearless, and bold. But it's not a fool. If she saw this merchant somehow stranded in the Bronze Woods, she would not hesitate to murder him and leave his corpse to be eaten by the wolves. The merchant's wide eyes went even wider at the development. The haunting girlish voice of the little girl brought his attention to her, he saw... some major things that humans shouldn't possibly have on the girl. Her glowing crimson dhani-esque eyes, the powder white complexion, and the malicious smile she wore even though her neck looked like it had been gashed by a sword. The merchant gulped hard... again. Seeing that he definitely lost his case and realizing his misplaced accusation, the merchant gritted his teeth in fear and frustration, but his pride would not let this savage get the better of him; this is Syliras after all, and this savage was an unwanted outsider. "Y-y-you!" He pointed back at Kaie, his finger shaking. "Y-you can't do anything to me! I-I work for Sir Belmont!" He hoped the Myrian woman knew about the powerful Syliran mogul and it would intimidate her. "I-if you try anything! H-he would not stay put!" Kouri cocked her head Who's Sir Belmont? He... hehehe... I see... he sounds like one of those people who abuse their power... hehehehahaha.... She silently added the name to her 'People-to-murder' list.

[Kaie]

Kaie

Hearing the little ghost's sudden burst of indignation at the man's accusation, it was all Kaie could do not to grin in amusement. Gods, if looks could kill. At least she remained calm rather than cause a scene. Kaie's brow furrowed and she stared up at the sky for a second at the sound of her name. "Great. Now this petching idiot knows my name to tattle to the Syliras Knighthood." She thought, groaning mentally in her mind. When all was said and done, the cards said this Myrian would need to high tail it out of there and into the woods. Somewhere out of the Knight's jurisdiction anyhow. Nonetheless, Kaie nodded her head at him as if to say "better listen to the girl." "Y-y-you! Y-you can't do anything to me! I-I work for Sir Belmont!I-if you try anything! H-he would not stay put!" Looks like he had other plans. Name dropping an influential figure? How typical. All these cowards loved to hide behind their connections with power rather than use their wits or skills. Clearly, this man must've known he was screwed out of both options to resort to that. It was predictable really. Kaie sighed, flexing her fingers and letting them dance about the trigger. Make him sweat a little more. She was starting to enjoy herself. "Oh, Sir Belmont, hm? Let's talk about that for a minute. Your employer? He loves money. Now, answer this for me. What do you think your Sir Belmont cares about more? Mizas and a reputable business or preserving the pride of one of his insignificant, replaceable work drones?" The Myrian savage eyed him with a knowing expression, one that said she knew she had clearly won this argument. Who knew she wasn't too horrible at negotiating? Well, maybe aiming an arrow at his chest wasn't quite fair game. Regardless, she was a survivor. She got what she wanted when she needed it, and there was nothing she'd allow to get in her way. Period. Some flippant vendor trying to preserving his image was a minor obstacle in the grand scheme of things. Quite frankly, an obstacle she'd leap over with relative ease. Of course that wasn't to say there was no real danger. He knew her name, but she had him by the balls on this one. Figuratively of course. She heard the distant clanking of armor somewhere nearby in the crowd. Somewhere in the middle of course so it wasn't close. Not yet anyways. Just to be safe, she turned her head in a warning gesture. Finger tapping the trigger hidden beneath her cloak sleeve. If he was idiotic enough to start screaming for the knight, flailing his arms like a starving sailor seeing the shore for the first time in months, he'd have another thing coming. Her wrath all wrapped up carefully crafted into an arrow, that is. He'd get the message loud and clear.

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