Open Meet your friendly neighbourhood racists {Ting}

[Lessomm]

Summer, 78th, Year 513 It was always hot, even when it was colder outside. It had never been uncomfortably cold outside since he had gotten to Ravok but sometimes, especially in the morning, it could be too cold to his liking. But it always got hot and sweaty rather quickly. Lessomm shrugged and rolled his shoulders. He was used to some degree of heat but not when packed up so tightly like he had to do. Even the baggy clothes he wore to hide most of his secret didn't help to cool him off enough. He stuck two arms through the appropriate holes of his shirt while keeping the other four hidden underneath. The shirt he wore was too big for him but it was perfect to hide the extra arms under. Two arms were pressed tightly against his side and to his back, where his right hand held onto his left wrist. The other two arms were pressed tightly against his body as well, but moved to the front, where they crossed in front of his stomach, each hand cupping the opposite elbow. All in all, Lessomm felt like he was packed up as a present, ready to be unwrapped. His free right hand moved to his brow, wiping off the few beads of sweat there. He ran both hands through his long black hair, making sure it was still tied nicely into the ponytail he always wore. Under his left palm he could feel the slight elevation in his skin where the scar was, reminding him of the ever present danger of being not human in Ravok. Lessomm walked out the door of his small apartment and locked it behind him, getting ready to go shopping. The little bit of coins that were left in his pocket would have to do for now. If he got lucky, perhaps he could find some odd job to do to pay for today's food as well. If he was really lucky, he might bump into a new employer who would take him on as an assistant. Not like that would ever happen at random. Lessomm started walking out, pocketing his hands. At first he didn't realize what it was as he fingered the piece of paper in his pocket. As it dawned on him that something was in his pocket, he pulled it out. The piece was crumpled and had obviously been in his pocket for quite some time. Curious, Lessomm started to unfold the paper and read through the few words on the paper. The top part of the paper was torn off, possibly missing a title or something. "... Name: Morenomy. Race: Human... known magic, primary trade... What's this?" Maybe it was just a piece of scrap paper. He turned it around to find it blank at the back. The information on the paper made no sense to him nor had he any idea how the piece of paper had gotten in his possession. Not knowing what to do with a piece of crumpled up paper, Lessomm closed his fist around it, squeezing the paper together and tossed it aside into one of the many garbage piles you could always find on your way out of the NHC buildings. The paper was quickly forgotten as Lessomm tried to calculate how much his too light coin purse still had in it. The few coins inside rinkled empty as he shook his purse and opened it, counting the few coppers and silvers he could find in there. A job right now would not be unwelcome to Lessomm. He sighed as he made his way out of the NHC building and onto the streets of Ravok, where he turned in the general direction of the merchants ring and the many foodshops there.

[Ting Mason]

Ting had been at the Merchant's Ring. She'd been browsing, but hadn't found anything she wanted. All the fruit was dried, and there weren't any flowers, of course. The Kelvic walked quickly, her slippers making little noise. Wearing her signature coat, the girl tugged the collar of it up to hide her jaw from the sides. It was shaped just a little differently than a human's, to compensate for the lengthened canines. Those would set off people's weirdness detectors, and if someone decided to tell one of the families that there was a strange girl living at the NHC and they found she was Kelvic, she'd be caught and sold. She didn't notice the man until she bumped into him. Literally. Ting smacked straight into him, the momentum of her pace causing her to rebound and fall to the ground with a yelp of surprise. Right on her backside, too. The base of her spine was smarting now. Whoop-dee-doo. Peering up carefully at the person she had hit, a five-foot-ten mass of muscle. Black hair, olive skin. Nothing really out of the ordinary, except for the fact that his stomach felt odd when Ting had thumped into him. An unnatural protrusion. The Kelvic realized her mouth was open, and snapped it shut hard enough that if her tongue was between her teeth, she would've lost a chunk of it. Pressing her lips together tightly, the girl stood up and hunched her shoulders, looking down. "Sorry," she mumbled, "I wasn't looking where I was going."

[Lessomm]

Lessomm had been walking through the stalls, looking left and right at all the food placed out for sale. There was quite a bit of it but most of it was out of his pricerange. He sighed a little as he felt the light weight of his coin purse in one of his hidden hands. The overwhelming smells and colors of all the fruits and vegetables and meats and all other types of food was making Lessomm dizzy and his stomach made no attempt to hide its desire for food by growling constantly at him. Lessomm inquired for some prices from different merchants. Some of them were way too high for him to pay, others decided that they didn't like him and made him go away, either by pretending to be busy or by waving him off. Only one of them muttered something about 'only humans' but Lessomm could have misheard it. As he was about to move to another stall, crossing the open space between the stalls, he suddenly found himself walking right into someone. Although there was no damage on his side, he did notice how the primary point of contact had one of his elbows hidden under his shirt. Depending on the other person's height, it could have been right in the stomach or higher. Quickly he bowed down and reached out a hand to help but the person had already recovered and was back on their feet. "My apologies, I wasn't looking where I was going." He made a small bow, which was barely more than a deep nod. He realized they both had used the same words. In front of him stood a person. Lessomm was unable to tell for sure if it was a boy or a girl. The only thing that was sure was that he or she was younger than him by a few years, at least. The person was shorter than him and her brown hair was cut short, adding to his decision that they were a boy. "Are you alright?" Lessomm looked quickly over her body to make sure everything looked alright. He kept the urge to dust her off under control and kept a little distance. Bumping into someone drew unwanted attention to him, especially in these crowded places. The purse was still tightly clenched in his hand under his shirt, safe and well, just in case the bump had not been an accident. A quick glance around told him that people had no interest in their accident. Good.

[Ting Mason]

Ting scratched the back of her head, a nervous motion. Had he noticed her canines? Was anyone watching? She looked around quickly, thanking Caiyha that nobody was interested. At least, nobody seemed interested. You could never be sure in Ravok. The Ebonstryfe were everywhere, as were the Black Sun and other factions. She mussed her hair to drop down as far as it could in front of her face, which wasn't very far at all. "I'm fine. Sorry for bumping into you. Did you drop anything?" Ting peered up at him through her lashes. His shirt looked too big for him. Hair tied back. It didn't look tied back from her position on the ground, but now it was obvious. The way he was viewing her was uncomfortable too, as if he knew she was Kelvic and sizing her up for the Slave Markets or the KRI. He could very well be a slaver, and she didn't want to take any chances. If he had dropped something, she'd get it for him and be on her way, hopefully without any incidents. Like almost a week and a half ago. She was identified, but the man who knew what she was promised to not tell anyone... Could she trust him?

[Lessomm]

Lessomm looked around for a moment and focused on the person in front of him. He stared for a moment as he tried to determine if they were a he or a she but he was unable to come to a proper conclusion. Everytime he decided on one gender, something caught his eye that made him change his decision again. "I'm fine. Don't worry. I didn't drop anything so don't worry about it. Are you sure everything is alright?" He gave another glance over the person's body to make sure everything was alright. "Well, if you're alright, I'll go on with my shopping then. My apologies again for bumping into you. Have a nice day." Lessomm turned away from the little person and started looking around again, trying to remember what he had wanted to buy just before he had bumped into the girl. Maybe if he looked around again he might spot the shop once more. Had he seen it properly or had he just imagined seeing it because he wanted them. Lessomm made a mental shrug and looked at the various shops around him for something that would feed him without starving his money pouch.

[Ting Mason]

Well, at least he hadn't dropped anything. Ting almost breathed a sigh of relief, caught herself.

"I'm fine. Thank you for your concern."

She practically ran past him, chin tucked against her chest. He wasn't doing anything but shopping. Ting was almost to the NHC when she smacked into someone. Again. She stumbled back, managing to not fall this time. Her head came up, and her jaw dropped. Instinct told her to turn, run, getoutofthere!

But she stood there, frozen to the spot, fear clutching her heart. She knew, but wasn't sure how, that it was a slaver. Her mouth was wide open, too, canines obvious.

Oh, shyke.

Ting didn't wait for a reaction from him. She whirled, coat flaring out. Bolted back the way she came, back to the strange man. He could at least hold the slaver off for a split tick, giving her a small advantage. If he had seen her canines, which he probably did, she'd have to get out of Ravok and fast. She wouldn't be able to take any of her things, except her mother's necklace.

The Kelvic shoved her way past the man she had bumped into, fear and adrenaline fueling her muscles. The world closed in around her, and she headed straight for the Merchant's Ring. With any luck, it'd be crowded. Her lithe frame would be small enough to get through the masses.

[Lessomm]

Bumping into people wasn't a problem. It happened often in crowded areas like the general food markets or the more busy streets of Ravok. Bumping into someone twice in not even a bell was just plain suspicious. Lessomm's hand snapped out as someone bumped into him to get past him, his fingers snapping shut around the arm of his target. "A sorry wouldn't hurt." His fingers kept a tight grip on his target's arm as he pulled her back, turning her around to face him. He immediatelly recognized the boy from a few chimes ago. "Really? Twice in one day is just too much." Lessomm made a quick check of his belongings. Yes, the pouch with his money was still there and the two gauntlets dangling from his belt were still there as well. The other four were at home since he didn't really need them for buying food. "So? What's the plan here? Bump into someone twice and steal their money on the second pass?" He snapped at the boy he was holding onto. Even now he wasn't sure if they were a boy or a girl. "Thanks for catching that little thief, ser." A voice come from behind him, causing Lessomm to turn around, coming face to face with a sweaty, panting man and apparently two of his cronies. Lessomm quickly glanced down at the girl or boy he was holding onto. "So, you're a little thief, hmm?" It was always good to make sure first, before handing random strangers over to other random strangers. Sure, it wasn't his business and getting involved would only make his own life more troublesome.

[Ting Mason]

That blasted stranger!

"Why would I steal your money!? I don't care for it, just let me go!"

She jerked her arm, but was unable to break free of his grip. Her hand closed around his fingers, trying to pry them away from her limb. She needed to get away before the sla-

"Thanks for catching that little thief, ser."

Petch. Ting's mouth dried up, and her legs felt like noodles. The Kelvic's knees gave out and she fell, landing awkwardly with the stranger holding onto her.

"Not a thief," she managed to gasp out. She didn't know what else to say. The world was just a light at the end of a dark, dark tunnel. It wasn't even a bright light, oh no. It was a sickly one that only fed more fear into her system. Ting felt like passing out. It would be easier to be caught while unconscious instead of having to see the KRI or the Slave Markets as they dragged her towards it.

She realized she was making a high-pitched wheeze in the back of her throat every time she breathed in. Her jaw refused to work, and her mouth was completely void of anything of a liquid nature. The girl's lips were parted, canines in full view. She felt as if she were outside her body looking down on the scene. Ting couldn't, didn't, wouldn't move. She was stuck to the spot.

Petchin' shyke.

[Lessomm]

Lessomm kept his fingers around the little thief's arm like a vice, not letting her go. There was no way he would. As the three strangers seemed to move closer, Lessomm stepped back and kept the same distance between them. The few people around them looked for a moment before moving away, ignoring the scuffle. It was not their problem and they would rather not get involved in it. As the three strangers moved another step closer, Lessomm moved one of his hidden arms, the left one resting behind his back, down to where the pair of gauntlets was dangling from his belt and slipped his fingers inside it, wiggling them in deeper until the gauntlet was nicely around his hand. From the front the motion went undetected but from the side or the back the movement could be caught. "Well, he says he's not a thief, so who am I to believe?" He turned his head from teh strangers to the thief and eyed him for a moment, trying to come to the best decision. As he took a moment to observe the thief more closely, watching as he showed so much fear. It was quite obvious, now that Lessomm took the time to look at the thief from so close that he or she, Lessomm hadn't decided yet, was not a human per se. Perhaps some form of sub species or something. But not the Ravokian version of a human. Lessomm turned his head back to the three strangers as they moved closer, one of them, the right one, decided that taking the thief from Lessomm was the best course of action. He extended his hand to try and grab the thief's other arm. In the moment it happened, time seemed to slow down and freeze as Lessomm moved his eyes over the three strangers. The two guys on each side seemed like simple people, although with a nasty touch to their faces. The middle one however Lessomm imagined he could see the greedy twinkling in his eyes and the smile on his face was that of a guy who had just caught a very big fish. As the frozen moment in time started moving again, Lessomm moved as well. In one quick succession of movements Lessomm pulled the thief behind him with the hand that was already holding him or her. As he did, the two hands that had been resting in front of his body, under his shirt, hooked themselves under his shirt and pulled it up to his shoulders, revealing Lessomm's tanned chest, together with his two extra shoulders and his total of six arms. As soon as the shirt left enough space for it, Lessomm's left hand, fitted snuggly into the steel gauntlet, rose up at an angle and hit the thug, they had gone from strangers to thugs now that Lessomm knew what they were really after, square in the face at full force, cracking bones under the steel fist as the man's head rocked back and he sunk to the ground. "Run!" Lessomm turned around and pulled the poor creature, no longer a thief, by the arm he was still holding onto.

[Ting Mason]

Woah, wait. 'He'? 'He'!? 'He!?' Was she just called a guy! Granted, she looked a little androgynous, but it wasn't that bad! Before she could point out the simple fact that she was, in fact, a woman, the stranger had moved and she was staring at his back. A very nice back, if you ignored the two other sets of arms sprouting from beneath the first pair. Ting yelped as her shoulder was almost wrenched out of its socket, yanked along by the... Eparian? Ipairan?

Bloody stupid race, if you ask me. Who needs two or four extra arms? I function quite well with one pair, thank you very much.

She glanced back, looking at the damage caused by the funky six-armed man. The slavers were... What were they doing? Her view was blocked by a wall. They had turned a corner. Ting's legs had become another creature, one that she was merely riding as one does a horse. Her muscles burned, and she realized that oh, her chest did too.

"By the way... I'm not- a man!" the Kelvic managed to wheeze out.