PM to join [The Great Bazaar] Stumbling into Freindship (Abasi)

[Millicent]

19th of Spring 514 | Speech | Thoughts

It might as well have been swimming against the tide. Millicent’s attempt to escape the crowd was like a fly caught in a spider’s web. Resisting at this point was waste of energy. Countless people pressed into the fourth basement of Stormhold, all headed to the Great Bazaar. Stalls and tents of every color and state of repair had already spread through the streets. Rarely did the girl see so many clashing colors, though at the moment all she could see was shirts and pants in various degrees of cleanliness. Often the owners failed to notice the small girl in their midst and she got to see the articles at a very personal level. Her short legs carried her as quickly as they could, but they already burned with fatigue. This was stupid. A final thought surfaced as she fought to keep from drowning in a sea of cloths.

Rough cloth, like sandpaper grated against her delicate skin and brown eyes darted to the left to avoid being hit. The moment’s distraction lead to a blow from the right, which knocked the girl’s shoulder foward. Trying to find her balance, her feet danced underneath her while spinning around. Yellow locks tumbled in front of her face as she dipped her head to look at her feet. Half formed words caught on her lips and faltered. Whoever had bumped into her, had not even noticed. For a tick longer, she stood there till a light brush on the shoulder brought her back to the world.

Backing stepping, the crowd pulled her with them and forced her to turn around. Quickly she spun on her toes. Too quickly. Though her body had stopped the world did not seem to. Dancing again, her feet stumbled to the left, before the left foot struck against the ankle of her right and she tumbled into something. Pain blossomed in between her eyes and tears welled in her eyes. Whatever she had hit was solid as a rock, but also soft and velvety like a very nice set of cloths. Her small hands pressed against what felt like a mass of muscle, though far too big to be human.

Her own muscles decided now was a good time to rest. Short ragged breaths left her lungs, though the crowd still seemed to pull at her. It took almost half a chime before she caught her breath and regained her balance. With a little bit of a wobble, she stood back up on her own. Whipping the tears from her eyes, she looked up at what she had rest one. I hope I don’t have to buy some dumb fur her first worry passed through her mind. A large black horse toward above her, bringing an almost manic smile to her face. A giggle left her lips.

“Thank you, sorry bumped into you.” The noise of the market almost drowned out her words. Even with the overbearing calls of merchants and the thundering of hundreds of feet, each word carried dustiness to it like they were some old knickknack being pulled from the self. As the words left her lips her smiled returned to a more normal grin. A slight twitching of her brow however hinted that the smile might collapse as quickly as it came.

A thunderous crash like waves on rocks reverberated through the bazaar. Brown eyes darted from the horse to the source of the sound. Her head turned in one direction, but her feet had already begun to turn in another. Cramping pain raced through her upper leg and, she stumbled forward instead of ran. Quickly she was lost a river of bodies. They closed in on either side suffocating her. Putting on arm out in front of another she pushed her way forward. Swim against the musky and sweaty flow, quickly tired her and she found herself at a standstill.

Stop through closed eyes she could see the endless bodies pushing around her. Faceless masses swarmed around her, pushing her back. Back toward a dark an empty room. Empty save for one figure obscured in darkness, save for his smile. A smile that pierced the darkness with its grinning facade. The grin of a predator that finally found its prey. Millicent has never seen a spider smile, but she was sure this was it.

Whatever else happened, Millicent would not go back to that room. [I] Go away. [I] The command burned across the image in her mind in deep scarlet letters. Suddenly she stumbled forward and crashed to the ground. The people were gone. Her heart skipped a beat. For a tick she believed that she had caused something horrible, but her ears picked back up on their noise. The crowd was still there just distant.

Her eyelids flickered twice trying to find the bravery to open. Breaths came in short pants while her heart pounded away like a made drummer. When her eyes did open again, she found herself sitting in an empty stall. Whoever owned it had sold out early that day and already made their way home. While it was no longer useful to them, it became an island in a sea of noisy and madness for the small girl. Her mind told her to move, but her body did not seem to listen. Taking ragged breaths, she laid there for a few chimes.

[Abasi Foran]

Celia likes to ride above the crowed when they pass through the market. Abasi cant blame her. So for now she rides on his bare human back. Her legs around his waist, hands on his shoulders, and her hot breath on the back of his neck. The ancient old cart beside them is driven by an old black gelding and his human handler, another farmer of the outpost, Alex. In the back is a cornucopia of dented farming tools the four of them were tasked to pick up for the farming community.

Abasi hates it here. And so, he can tell, does the old gelding. The acrid smell of so many people washes over him, and the torches on the walls leaves a greasy heat that sticks to the throat. The light is unsteady though adequate, but his dark skin seems to repel up all the light around him. So that it shines in a sheen on his head and chest, but never actually touches him.

"Dont worry Abby, we'll be out of here soon", Celia mummbles, picking up on his discomfort. "And when we do, lets take our time going back. Stretch your legs a bit. See if we can find some dandelions for a delicious salad tonight", She bites his ear playfully, making chewing sounds.

"I'd like that." the Kelvic intones, smiling as he shakes off the ear predator.

The gelding suddenly starts in his harness, pulling Abasi's eyes away from the tide of people in front of him. And what he sees makes him choke on the ice in his throat.

Its Celia.

No, thats not true. He mentally slaps himself, hitching his bonded further up his back, feeling the solid weight of her. But the girl who collided with the gelding is so similar its startling. They have the same narrow features and angular bodies, and if he were to set them side-by-side, he doubts there would be an inch difference in their hight.

“Thank you, sorry bumped into you.”

She has tears in her eyes. They are bloodshot around an iris the colour of fresh-tilled soil. He can hear her rapid breaths against the horses chest, and can see the bones of her ribs poking through her shirt with each inhale. But just as swiftly as she came the girl is gone again, tottering through the crowd, buffeting in the human current.

The intensity of his attention has reached through the bond and caught Celia's attention as well. She peeks over his shoulder, her pale brows furrowed as she scans the crowd ahead of them.

"Whats up?"

"...Nothing."

But that icy feeling is lingering, moving down to incase his ribs with a chill he cant seem to shake.

"Can you do me a favour sweetheart?" the Kelvic finds himself saying, kneeling so the girl can clamber off his back. "I want you to ride with Alex back to the outpost, ok? I'll catch up with you in a bit. Theres something I want to check on."

It's a mark of her trust that the girl doesn't question him. She nods knowingly, understanding he will tell her everything later.

"Ok. Dont be to late, though. I'll try to pick some dandelions on the way anyway. But if you don't hurry I'll eat them all myself."

She winks, then climbs onto the back of the wagon, sitting with her legs dangling over the edge. Abasi lingers long enough to make sure she'll be alright before he forces his way through the hawkers and pedestrians, running after the Not-Celia to back engineer this awful feeling.

It doesn't take long to find her, as she didn't make it far. In the first abandoned booth he finds the girl is already there, lying on the bench behind the counter. Ah, he thinks ah, so thats it. Because it is Celia; its the Celia that would have happened if he hadn't been around when her parents died. The Celia that had to fend for herself, and had nobody to help her.

The ice moves to a choking grip around his heart. God dammit, his mind growls.

He steps carefully behind the counter, ducking a bit so as not to hit the awning. And carefully he slips one arm behind her knees and another around her shoulders.

"Easy, sunshine", he whispers, unsmiling, but with a gentleness in his voice as he carries her out of the stall.

[Millicent]

Speech | Thoughts | oocI am sorry for the last post. Editing right before I go to bed is probably a bad idea. I am also sorry about the speed of this reply. I hope you enjoy this post

With a light plop and small creak the bench accepted her weight. The smooth wood worn to a polished sheen still held some warmth. Millicent’s legs ached, particular under her knees. Tracing her fingers down her legs, the cloth bunched under her grip limiting her ability to message the muscle. The course cloth drug across her skin leaving behind a burning sensation. A sigh escaped her lips and she leaned backwards almost falling off the bench. Shifting her body, she laid down. The bench was long enough for a couple of people to sit on but even to such a small girl her legs still dangled off the edge on.

Not deterred, she slide her feet up on to bench and bent her legs. Of course now all she could see was her shaking knees. A clap of flesh on cloth broke the silence of the tent but did not venture beyond its walls. Sharp burning pain rose form her palms as she gripped her knees tightly. It proved a futile effort against the shaking. Following her hands back up to her arms, her eyes opened in almost disbelief. They seemed little more than sticks covered by some pasty paper. Something between a cough and sob broke through her closed mouth.

” May all the gods damn him” A wet mutter rose from her lips. Her brown eyes closed again. Awaiting her in the darkness was figure of the man who called himself her uncle. He was a plump and short person, far taller than Millicent but at least a head shorter than Krieg. Despite his size, he bore his weight well with a calm confidence about him. However in her vision of him, the shadows flowed around him as if part of him. They extended like eight thin legs all busy weaving endless strands. Her heart continued to pound and her breaths still came as pants despite the position she was resting in.

Then her heart stopped, and her breath froze in her chest. Warm arms wrapped around her legs and back. Kreig? Almost as soon as the thought passed through her head, it was dismissed. The muscles where wrong. These where not stringy, compacted muscles as much about speed as strength, but big muscles built for pure strength. Whoever was picking her up was not a warrior, but they definitely male. A dock worker, or someone hired to move this stall, or the owner? Her eyes flickered but found it hard to open.

Light blinded her for a brief tick but faded to reveal a man whose skin was far darker than anyone she had even met before. It was not a pure black though. To one who had grown accustom to the darkness of a sealed room, the deep brown of his skin would have stood out against the emptiness of true shadows. Neither a frown nor smile could Millicent see on the man’s face, but as he spoke a breath escaped her that she is not even know she was holding. Sunshine? She wondered about what he called her, but felt more relaxed.

Then man’s face was unfamiliar to Millicent. Clearly he could not be mistaken for any of her friend, so she thought about her client. Millicent barely contained a giggle. Clients…that would require me to work The bitter edge of her thought lashed out at herself. So probably the stalls owner She reasoned biting her lip as she did so. “Umm I just stepped into your stall to rest... I did not mean any harm…The street was crowded and well I kind of just fell in” Millicent felt her mouth moving and words coming out without her say so. “I am going to shut up now”

The noise of the bazaar burst into the tent as the flap was open. Thousands of people talking at once till their words where nothing more than nonsense. Screams of merchants promising cheap goods rang over noise, but where quickly drowned. An endless river of people flowed past in what would have been to her an inescapable currents. Yet even in this man’s arms, her head resting on his shoulder, she was far above the pull of the human current. At first looking over the heads of the crowd made her feel better, but with all the people running around, the walls felt even closer. Her steadying breaths began to turn ragged once again.

I miss my room Millicent closed her eyes and imagined she was back in her room. In this instant darkness was a blessing. Though actually not much bigger than the stall, the grey walls disappeared, and she could believe them not there. Her breathing returned to normal but she did not want to open her eyes again.[b] “I apologize for entering your stall without permission.” No the noise of the crowd sought to destroy her illusion, Millicent forced it out maintaining a dark empty space in her mind. “How can I make this up to you?”

[Abasi Foran]

The girls eyes flutter once as he lifts her into the air, but then quickly close, as if their weight had sapped her of all her strength. He shouldn't be taking her. He was waiting for her to scream, to kick, to fight. Nothing. She hangs limp and deflated in his hands like a broken toy. Apologizing as a strange man carries her away.
 
The Kelvic exhales heavily through his nose but doesn't answer.
 
Abasi cuts his way effortlessly through the throng and into less dense passages of the castle, climbing up. While his bulk and unfriendly expression is usually enough to guarantee himself a wide berth, now people skitter out of his way like he's shouted at them. Something about the emaciated girl in his arms and his murderous expression makes them nervous. But though they pass several knights on their way, no one stop the odd pair.
 
While Celia rode on his back earlier he took comfort in the solid weight of her, and the healthy beat of her heart through her shirt. But this girl feels fragile, like she might fall apart and crumble between his fingers. It's a stark contrast, and he avoids looking at her. For every time he does there is a moment where he's holding Celia's corpse.
 
She's a child! He wants to bellow, to rage at the passing pedestrians, Why would you leave a child down here to rot!
 
He doesn't delude himself with the thought that maybe someone is looking for her. They're not. There is an air of unkeptness about her that hints she was never adored even when she was little.
 
This whole situation brings a dark myriad of unwelcome thoughts to his mind: what if he never made the decision to work at the Outpost when he was young? What if he had never met the Presper couple and their child? What if, when the disease took them, Celia never had anyone to cling to and hide behind? Would she be wandering the market, looked through by the masses out for themselves? Would they step on a little girl to make themselves taller?
 
But no, that didn't happen. He shifts his arms to better support the girl in his hands, noticing her short, panting breaths. Don't let her pass out, says the part of his mind that so often speaks with his mothers voice, keep her engaged. So he says the first thing that comes to mind, the shallow layer of his deeper thoughts. 
 
"I have a girl about your age", he tells her in his slow, deep voice. "She's a sweet thing. You two look very much alike", The have sounds possessive, almost territorial, but there is a brotherly affection in his voice thats hard to miss. "I'm Abasi, I work in the Mithryn Outpost", he tells her, "what are you called?"
 
At last the air starts to freshen and a breeze flits cold fingers over the Kelvics exposed back. There are fewer people here, but wide carts and horses make for a new obstacle to overcome. But at long last the wide, hungry mouth of the Syliras gates is open before them. And passing teeth of gated iron and wood, the two are finally outside. The fresh air does the Kelvic good, and he takes deep draughts of it, chest expanding and his breath ruffling the girls hair.

There is a shadow of ill disguised anger in his dark eyes, though it is not directed at her, but for the first time since he picked her up he smiles.

“I’m taking you to my home. I’ll make sure you’re fed, and you can share a bunk with my girl tonight”, he informs her. It is not a question, and he is not giving her a choice. “It’s still a good bell away, though. And I’m not sure I can carry you all the way on my forearms like this. Would you be ok to ride a horse bareback, if I promise we will go slow?”

[Millicent]

Speech | Thoughts

His statement about having a child her age caused her eyelids flickered and opened. A question formed on her lips, but faded as the tone in his voice. Even though his words also carried affection, she was focused on the possessive sound of his statement. Such a tone always sparked a rage in her. Pushing against his chest, she attempted to escape his arms. Teetering on the edge of falling, Millicent paused. Looking down caused her a brief surge of fear. Fear cold the rage and the spark receded. This gave her enough time to actually think about the man’s words. The frown softened, and she looked over the man closely.

From her vantage point, the only thing to see was the man’s face and upper body. There were no wrinkled around his eyes and his forehead was smooth. The hands that held her felt thick with callouses hinting at years of hard manual labor, but that gave no real clue of his age. If he has a child my age at least 30 but… Looking over the man again, she sought out any wrinkled she might had missed. You had children young hmmm? You are close to 30 right? She decided to just come out with it.

“Oh sorry, I am being rude.” Her voice echoed cheerfully, almost too cheerfully. “I am Millicent, and I use to work at Soothing Waters.” Her eyes drifted away from him. A sharp pain spread though her lip. A small bump had caused her to bite it harder into it than she meant to. However it was not near enough to draw blood. “I got sick over the winter, so kind of stopped working.” Her words faltered slight and she looked away from him. “So I guess you could say I am between jobs at the moment”

Another realization passed through her mind. “So if you work in Mythrin Outpost, then that….” Her question died on her lips. Wind hit her face stealing away all other thoughts. It was stronger and cooler than those that normally passed through the streets. Her chest swelled as she drank in as much air as her lungs would hold. What is that smell? Her mind could not find words for it because it was mostly a lack of smells. The wind did not carry the scent of thousands of sweaty people and all their trash. It did not smell like a city. Closing her eyes, her whole body rocked with the wind. Her lips spread upward till the grin reached her cheeks. The smile reflected in her eyes as they opened again.

Looking away for Abasi, her vision traced the horizon. The smiled opened up till her mouth was gaping open. Widening, her eyes tried to take in the whole view at once. Turning her upper body, she tried to look around them more. Gulping slightly, she noticed all the green. That was it? That is all it took to leave? Her eyes wandered back to the gate, but quickly turned back to the world around her. A shaking began in her legs again, but it had nothing to do with exhaustion. The trembling quickly found its way to her hands.

Vaguely she heard Abasi talking but her attention was elsewhere. Silence fell between them. It took Millicent a chime before she realized he was waiting for her to respond. Turning her attention back to him, she tried to recall what he had said. Biting her lip, the words would not come back He ask about going to his home and eating. She recalled a few of his words, but far from all. Looking away from him, she felt a nagging feeling that she was missing something. Sure that sounds fine. Her voice wavered with uncertainty. A soon as the words left her lips, she was looking at the horizon again.