Bad Days: Get Yours Now! (Open)

[Zlakalia]

(71st of Summer, 511AV) Today was a bad day. Zlakalia had found herself locked in a birdcage. The bars were thin, but enough to keep her from escaping without nearly exhausting herself from reshaping. She sat on the solid bottom, flat eyes pointed the mage who carried her. Blood still was smeared on his face, small cuts on his hands still wet with it as well. His robes were red, at least, covering much of the color from his injuries. "It's your own fault." Zlakalia hissed out. "And you will be punished." "Oh yeah?" The man sneered back, "And you're in a position to punish, little doll?" Just hours ago Zlakalia was getting fed up. Time and time again potentials walked by with either an obvious sneer in her direction or an obvious attempt to ignore her, looking away and ignoring her sales call. Never had she had a sales day this bad. In fact... she hadn't made a single sale since the robed man had questioned her abilities. She was spent, furious, and irritated. 'I can't take this. It's past midday, at least.' Zlakalia gathered her things from her cart, stuffing it all back in her bag, and started on her way out of the Bizarre. The crowd was thick, a forest of legs stretched up above her. Hairy ones, long and thin, some short. Often it tired Zlakalia to stare at the knees of those who spared her less than a moment's glance. They who, too often, thought her cute or child-like or silly. She slithered through the crowd, avoiding their stumbling. These bigger people made her sick. She was better than them, more pure. She was chosen for greatness. Zlakalia would prove it to this filth, sooner or later. Towards the entrance of the Bizarre, she saw the man in red. He was pointing out down the section Zlakalia had just come from, advising a 'merry couple' Ha! of some site to see. Or not to see, it seemed. Her rage flared up, an unsheathed blade inside her. Zlakalia was going to cut this guy down to size. The crowd, rather than act as a changing obstacle, acted as cover. She still weaved and curved through them, but her target was much more focused and her motion and steps much quicker. The mage didn't even see her until she had arrived at his feet, knife pulled from the strap on her back and pointed dangerously. His eyes widened as she leaped up behind him. The jump was well-placed and she handed on a stall behind him, as he turned towards her. The mage's eyes looked further down than she was, giving her just the spare second to jump onto his chest. Zlakalia's free hand gripped his shirt, the blade sharp and free, and she let it plunge into her target's quivering flesh, letting loose the glorious spray of blood covering her own clay flesh. The fight was over not longer after it started. after a few more swipes the couple helped the mage hold her down, but not before she had gotten more cuts on every hand that touched her. At last she was shoved in the birdcage, apparently to be sold by the same crook who cost her the day's business. What a lovely turn of events. They had moved off, away from the scene where the witnesses of Zlakalia's fury were. When the mage was overlooking a new crowd of people he stopped, bending before the cage. In a low voice the mage said, "Say anything and I'll throw you in the oven, clay girl." Then loudly to the moving crowd, "Get a living doll here, finely animated by yours truly! All buyers welcome!" Today was a bad day.

[Seidaku]

OOCDid you have a specific summer date for this thread? I kind of ballparked it at the end of the season.

Seidaku wandered the Bizarre, pushed along by the crowd like driftwood on the tide. It was easier than fighting the crowds, and in his experience was more likely to get him to a stall carrying something he needed anyway. An added benefit of this was that allowing the crowd to guide him allowed his mind to wander.

The Bizarre was truly a fascinating place, populated with more people than the entirety of Alvadas and stretching for miles beyond the walls of the building that contained it, though it somehow remained contained. One had to wonder, how much of it was real? Did the supplies he purchased here really exist, or were they illusions, much as the size and population of the Bizarre were themselves? In the end though, it did not matter, as others could interact with them as easily as he. Able to use only experience and interaction as his guides then, his supplies were as tangible as anything else he experienced, which was real enough for him.

Spotting his goal despite, or perhaps because of, his wandering mind, Seidaku stepped out of the crowd and into the relative calm of one of the booths. A quick inspection of the wares on display and a few questions asked of the proprietor, and then the muted clank of silver changing hands. With a smile on his face, Seidaku rejoined the crowd, tying the small bag of chalk onto his belt. Now, he was better equipped to give his students object lessons in their letters and numbers.

He had turned toward the exit of the Bizarre, still only a dozen or so feet away despite how far he had walked with the crowd, when a merchant's shout cut through the bedlam of competing voices to attract his attention, "Get a living doll here, finely animated by yours truly! All buyers welcome!"

A living doll? Fascinating, if true. He had seen no end of swindlers in the Bizarre in the past. He had seen examples of Animation before, though almost exclusively only written accounts, and never this close. Perhaps, through study, he could reverse engineer the processes of Animation, or at least garner a base understanding thereof. Unlikely, but not outside the realm of possible. At the very least, he had to see the 'living doll' for himself.

Slipping through the crowd as best he could, he found the source of the call two booths over. As he neared the booth though, his steps slowed and he stopped just at the edge of the crowd. The caller's face was smeared with blood and his hands were covered in bleeding cuts. More than that though, he had noticed the 'doll' in the small cage beside the bleeding man. If this was the creator of the doll, then the man was slightly unhinged. The foot tall clay figure was disturbing, almost perverse. The proportions were mocking exaggerations of femeninity, and the masked face bore what could only be described as a leering grin beneath soulless, dead eyes. Most disturbing of all was the way those dead eyes moved across the crowd.

Standing at the edge of the empty space surrounding the stall, Seidaku began to have second thoughts.

Self-ModerationPurchased 20 pieces of chalk for 2 silver Mizas.

[Zlakalia]

There wasn’t much a crowd gathered, many gave the robed man a wary glance and continued onward. Zlakalia wanted to scream and yell, to scare the crowd away and keep the man from getting his sale. But she held her composure for a moment longer, pushing down her rage. Now is not the time for rash thought or action. She gave a glance at the wizard who held her cage, merely smiling without letting anger take her. And the inklings of a plan wormed its way into Zlakalia’s mind. ’I don’t have to hurt him myself.’ Zlakalia stood proud, modeling herself for the crowd. The faces that gathered were curious. ‘Good.’ Zlakalia gave the crowd a quick smile, sharp -looking teeth jutting out of her mouth for only an instant. She had the targets in mind, three men who looked the toughest. The first was a lean fellow, tall ad skinny with strong arms and golden eyes. The second was large, perhaps somewhat round, but carried his weight firmly below his straggly brown hair. And the third was Seidaku, though Zlakalia barely saw him at first. His light beard looked tough to her, though she didn’t think much of him. The three should work perfectly. Zlakalia cleared her mind, just focusing on the three targets and letting only the plan echo through her head again and again. ’First the feeling, then the idea, and last the action.’ She closed her eyes and leaned back, showcasing her detailed form. As she did so she let a feeling creep forward, grabbing at the three men. The feeling was… hard to describe. Greed. Desire, a need to have something. Zlakalia was tempted to give the slightest feeling of lust as well, but kept from doing so. ’No need to go to far…’ Still, the emotion was subtle, happy but sad, a longing. She was sure all three of her targets should have felt that feeling today. After all, this was the Bizarre! Treasures lay for sale on every corner. They’d know the need to own something as much as they knew hunger or lust. The scene was set. The large man seemed to be cracking. His face already seemed dumbstruck, a simple smile playing on his lips. His hands roamed his body, searching for his coin purse. But that wasn’t what Zlakalia wanted just yet; she didn’t want them to just buy her. Zlakalia needed to focus harder. She had already spent too much time just getting them ready. She kept herself from looking at them, so they wouldn’t realize anything out of the ordinary. She moved into the second part of her plan, focusing on a single thought, sending out to the three men one idea. Each of the three men should hear the thought inside themselves, in their own voices. With the subtle emotion she just presented this should nearly do it. ‘I want that doll.’

[Keido]

It was a surprise to see the pycon attacking another person in broad daylight. Keido was shocked to see such a scene unfolding in front of him. Back in Syliras no one would dare to do that. Because if they did, the knights would be on them almost immediately. Keido smiled and was brimming with joy at the thought of the efficiency of his future comrades.

Actually, this would be a good opportunity for Keido to see law enforcement of Alvadas in action. He did not know the reason why this pycon was attacking random people but then justice must still be served. The man and couple must be bringing the pycon already imprisoned to the authorities. Keido just has to follow. It will broaden his horizons on laws of foreign lands.

To his disgust, the man was selling the pycon. This...this...this was slavery! Not justice at all. And the other people around them. The ones deciding on whether they should buy the living doll or not. Either they knew or were just plain ignorant.

Keido should try and liberate this doll. But maybe it deserved something like this for attacking. No, it should be taken to the proper authorities. Keido stepped up and started walking to the man selling the pycon. Maybe he can persuade him to release it? It was lucky that Keido did not have an inkling of the deceit both the pycon and the man shared. Or the trouble that might happen soon.

[Seidaku]

As he stood at the edge of the crowd, watching the animate doll seem to survey its surroundings, his initial revulsion at the crude proportions of the doll was overcome by the realization of how it could assist his research. Quite aside from the potential benefit of possibly discovering through reversal of the process how to create animate figures of his own, if the doll was truly capable of observation, it was immeasurably more valuable.

He had heard that there was life in the Void, creatures that had been banished there and not died. Moreso, there were tales of ancient wizards' workshops sealed away in the Void for safety and then lost in the Valterrian. Perhaps more, things he could not even comprehend to imagine. If the doll could observe and report, he could affix it to an Anchor and send it off into the Void with instructions to report on what it found. Of course, the odds of it finding something by itself were slim, so the ideal solution would be to learn the secret of the doll's creation, and make as many of them as he could create Anchors for, then send them all into the Void to report.

The more he thought of it, the more he realized one thing. He had to have the fascinating piece of magical equipment that was currently residing in a gilded bird cage. He felt at the almost empty belt pouch on his waist. Maybe the wizard who had made the doll would accept knowledge in trade? Or maybe a loan, just to study it. For the advances in his own research, there was very little that he would not give to possess that doll.

Closing the distance to the merchant with quick steps, with eyes for nothing but the doll that he would soon possess, any pretense at sublety or negotiation was thrown to the wind as he asked, "How, umm, how much is the doll?"

[Zlakalia]

Zlakalia grinned as a fourth man walked up to approach the wizard who peddled her. The grin twisted her face for a second, before her appearance snapped back to the normal smile that played coyly on her audience. 'Either he is more susceptible to magics placed over those three or he simply is already feeling the need I'm giving these three. Regardless, this newcomer is perfect. I don't even have to do any extra work.' Even better, the lanky golden eyed man seemed to resist her tactics, he hadn't moved from a stoic and thoughtful pose the entire time. Zlakalia released her hypnotism powers on him, instead weaving together a new emotion for the large fat one, Seidaku, and Kaido. She again didn't spend too long eying any of the three targets, she wouldn't have them know she was the cause of the emotion that would plague them. All the better to make it effective. Zlakalia's long hands scratched lightly at the bottom of the cage, an excited tic, but not loud enough for the mage who held her up to take note. The new emotion she cultivated would hopefully result in the final step: the ACTION. Zlakalia was more excited now that her plan was coming to completion. As the first two men went forward the fat one lumbered behind, trying to get through to make the purchase before either of the others. This was where they needed to be. When the angry wizard answered Seidaku's words he seemed to have to pause for the answer, trying to come up with a suitable price on the top of his head. "Um... how much ya got? And she's really no good for chores er anything like that, best keep her locked in the cage. What were ya planning on doing to... er.. with her?" As the facetious mage spoke, Zlakalia let loose the new wave of djed, flowing over the three who arrived at the foot of the mage. The emotion she crafted was simple, one she knew personally as she was currently feeling it. Rage. A primal, basic anger, flowing into the emotional streams of the three men. She hoped the greed would mix with the rage as the men processed the new emotion. Zlakalia wanted to see blood flow, and she thought that's what was about to happen. She smiled again, brightly at the three.

[Keido]

The pycon's attempts to get Keido to act was wasted. Because he was already going to. When he reached up to the mage, Seidaku has already beaten him to it. Asking how much was the doll. Was he really that big a fool to not notice that the creature in the cage was a person? It should be taken to justice instead of being sold like cheap goods.

From out of nowhere he started to get angry as he thought that. It was strange. It was an emotion he did not experience anywhere outside the colosseum in Alvadas. Was he angry at the mage who was selling the pycon, the pycon for assaulting a person in the streets or the man beside him for his ignorance? Keido shook his head. Anger was not something that was needed in this situation. This was something which had to be approached delicately.

"Excuse me my friend, but I do not think you would want to buy this doll." an advice Keido would give to Seidaku.

"And are you sure you should be selling that one? You know what I am talking about." Keido would give this man a chance to redeem his mistake and see that justice was brought to the clay creature, the right way.

[Seidaku]

The uncertain reply to his question kindled an entirely disproportionate surge of white hot anger in Seidaku. He had come here, pushed through the crowd, and was willing to give up anything he owned in trade for the doll, and this fool had the temerity to ask him how much he had? For an item this obviously valuable, there should have been at least a starting figure ready to mind. Was the man a simpleton? Had he misjudged him? Not the creator, but only an assistant or menial?

Quite simply, it was unacceptable.

With fists clenched at his sides, he spared only a fleeting glare for the man trying to convince him not to buy the doll. Obviously so that he could purchase it instead, once he had gone.

"Since it is obviously only ornamental," Seidaku glared at the merchant, frustrated beyond endurance with the man's incompetence, "I will give you two gold Mizas for it. That will, umm, include the cost of the cage, as well."

[Zlakalia]

Zlakalia was tired. Using magic with this frequency wore her down, zapped her strength. Luckily she was already laying down, she could feel a weakness growing, threatening her with overgiving. But again came the elation, the wonderful feeling of her plan seeming to come together. That is... before she heard the words of the newcomer. He was TRYING to mess up her plans. Not a buyer at all, someone who thought he could take the situation into his own hands. Zlakalia peered with heavy eyes at the man, trying to determine his true purpose. Keido was a mystery, Zlakalia wouldn't even have been able to guess at his noble intentions. Was he looking to free her, take her as his own slave, or perhaps a grudge against the very mage she despised? Zlakalia couldn't figure this one out. Fortunately the second of the two was visibly angry. Seidaku's fist was rolled into a ball, his glare blazing into the bloody mage. Zlaklia needed to make this work fast before the petching Sylirian Knight* breaks up all her hard work. She knew she was pushing it this time. The three would probably know something was up as they got hit with this new emotion, but she didn't care. She wanted action! The new emotion was one very familiar to her. Bloodlust. The need to hurt something, a measure of rage mixed with self-righteous pleasure. It was very hard to cultivate, however. She had to mix the right amounts of anger and pride, and everyone seemed to interpret the emotions differently. Still, her rage blinded her, made her just want to get this taken care of. She didn't care what would happen next. In fact, even as the emotion pushed out of her djed to affect the three men, Zlakalia was blinded by her fury. No... not her fury. Overgiving. She had spent too much magic today, spent too much even before she attacked the mage and ended up in the cage. Her sight faded to grays and shades of black. Outwardly her molded eyes seemed to soak outward, the clay becoming more liquid in the concentration of her rage and sinking back into her head. Zlakalia felt the clay change, but her sight was so blurry now. She cursed the change, but silently. No matter how Seidaku and Keido reacted, the fat man had already made up his mind. The emotion had soaked through him, taking over his mind. His chest was pounding behind the two men and his eyes were perfectly focused on Zlakalia. Chubby fingers gently roamed his leggings, more sensual before they found the firm handle of his sheath. His hand pulled free the sharp metal, a bit of drool hanging from his fat mouth. Zlakalia saw none of this. Finally the man pushed through Seidako and Keido. He glanced away from Zlakalia for a moment, only long enough to see the surprised expression take the mage. The made moved back, but not far enough to feel the sink of the blade against his throat, the spray of red from the deep gash. The large man grunted as they both fell, Zlakalia's cage dropping as well to smash against the ground. As she was falling Zlakalia peered over, her eyes doing their best to decode the black shadows around her. The sounds told her the plan worked at last, but she was disappointed. She NEEDED to see the new blood pour, she desperately wanted it all. Wanted to feel the blood on her skin. It was tragic! The fat man glanced around, trying top figure out what happened, why he was lying on another human, why his hands were soaked in blood. Guilty eyes peered back at Keido and Seidaku, and he started running. *Note: Zlakalia spent some time of Syliras and is using the term Sylirian Knight to herself as an insult, like goody-two-shoes. Just for clarity's sake. Also I realized I was tiptoe-ing the rules in this thread, taking the roles of too many NPC's. I've contacted the mods because I felt bad I let it get out of hand and I was advised to just get the situation back to my PC and the two of yours. That's why I changed the dynamic a bit toward the end. Still, I hope you both enjoyed what I did so far.

[Keido]

This whole scene felt strange to Keido. There were many feeling he has not experienced before or has tried to block out. But still they kept surfacing. His eyes darted wildly around as he tried his best to shake off the bloodlust. But he knew if he was unsuccessful, whoever was responsible will be on the receiving end of it.

"Petch!" he cried out. In his efforts, he failed to notice what was happening right in front of him. Already a death happened under his very nose.

Keido just stood there dumbfounded as the man began to run away. He had a decision to make. Run after the man or look into the others around him. The decision was an easy one. He knelt down to the bloodied man, but not before he looked back. Memorizing the features of the murderer. At that distance he could see he was fat, chubby and very very ugly. Probably not very bright either seeing the way he was drooling and how he just stabbed someone where anyone could see. He also had the glint of a short blade in his hands. Keido took note of the weapon. He won't be caught by surprise if he ever had the chance to bring the fool to justice.

"Speak to me. Live and face the punishments for your crime!" Keido shouted at the man below him as he shook him wildly. The bloodlust from the hypnotism needed an outlet. And it chose this unfortunate man.

There was no answer and the man limped around as he was being shaken. Keido put the man back on the ground and searched for the key to the cage. He saw that the pycon suddenly stopped doing anything. If he was not a witness to how she attacked the wizard earlier, he himself would believe that she was fueled by his magic and now ruined now that the source was destroyed. Finding the key, he unlocked the cage and reached his hand into it to try and get her out.

"Are you alright?" he asked quietly. She would still have to answer for her assault, but the ordeal from today must be horrible especially now with a death to get her.

OOCI assume that the man is dead or unconscious but if he is not please tell me so I can make changes. Also I hope you don't mind that I am going for you right now.