[Crooked Playhouse] Unfamiliar Territory [Ifran]

[Kiou]

6th of Winter, 511AV Kiou walked silently down the deserted street, casting his gaze around him nervously. He didn't know why, but this town set him on edge. Perhaps it was the ever changing streets and buildings. That was one thing he absolutely hated about this city. He didn't like not know where he was heading next, if he was going to end up on one side of this town or the other. He sighed and looked at the ground, kicking lazily at a stray pebble on the ground. Apparently, he was staring at the ground longer than he thought; a few seconds later, he smacked into a stone wall. Grunting with surprise, he stumbled backwards, managing to catch himself before he tumbled ungracefully to the ground. He put his hand to his forehead, gingerly rubbing at the exact point that had made contact with the wall. He already knew that there was going to be a bruise, much to his dismay. He scowled at the wall, silently cursing this damned city and its moving walls. He turned away from the wall and found himself staring into a tunnel leading below the earth. Kiou eyed it curiously, not sure whether to enter it or to leave. Something, however, interested him about it, made him want to go and take a look. He decided why not. It couldn't hurt to just take a peek. Well, actually... Kiou descended cautiously down the steps, continuing on inside. He was stopped and asked to pay a copper to enter. He grumbled reluctantly, but preceded to dig out a copper piece. He hated dealing with money. It stinks, it's useless weight, and just plain dumb in his mind. He knows that without it, however, he'd have a lot harder time. After paying, he continued on through, still slightly on guard. He still wasn't sure what he was walking into, but he still wanted to find out. After a moment, he emerged into a large, strange room. He had never seen anything quite like it. It had a large pit, what seemed to be some sort of strange boxes carved into the walls, and streamers everywhere, seeming to be blowing in a wind that did not exist. The thing that really caught his attention was the raised platform that seemed to be the place of focus in the room. It was really the only thing that was somewhat normal in this place, though at the same time it was beautiful. Kiou shifted his eyes from the platform and looked around him once more. He noticed that there were but a few people milling about, looking as if they had no real purpose in this place. Of course, he was no better himself. He had absolutely no reason to be here though either, but he figured he'd hang around here for a few minutes. Maybe see if he couldn't decipher what this strange, intriguing place actually was. He walked over to the wall and leaned casually against it, wanting to stay out of the way of anyone that was busy while he observed the place. He let out another small sigh and rubbed his throbbing forehead again. "This city just gets stranger and stranger the longer I'm here..."

[Ifran]

They liked to play up on Ifran's exotic nature in the Playhouse, an exoticism that required no god-born illusions. They merely lined his eyes in kohl, braided his hair into cornrows, and painted the lines of skin between them gold, the which limned the rest of his skin to great effect. When he came out on stage with his bronze khopeshes, he might have been some primordial river god, such as begot the race of Eypharians in their ancient mythos. It was only his focus that raised this spectacle up from a sideshow to high art, but even if the audience did not understand the underpinnings of his art, he had been trained within an inch of his life back in Ahnatep, and he had faith in his abilities. The bronze khopeshes danced, and his voice rang and cooed, its timbre variegated, its range inhuman. But then, he was not human. Later, after he had retired and other attractions graced the stage, he came out to mingle with the crowd. In other theaters, they looked down upon such things, but here they placed a crown of fool's gold on his dark head and let the Alvads ogle and eye him. Somehow he overheard the Kelvic's words and they struck just the right chord within him. Nary a weapon to hand, unarmed with six arms, he had only his wit upon which to rely now. "Alvadas drives the weak of mind mad," he agreed.

[Kiou]

Kiou shifted his gaze to the stage as he noticed a strange figure stroll out onto it. This man was like nothing he had seen before, and the weapons he carried seemed just as strange. He watched, transfixed, as the man seemingly glided across the stage, strange swords whirling and all. On of the strangest things that managed to catch his eye was the mans six arms. Never before had he seen someone with more than two, and this caught him off guard. Once the man left, other acts came upon the stage, and Kiou found himself growing more uninterested once more. They were strange, but not nearly exotic as the first man to grace the stage. He glanced up as he heard a voice nearby, and found himself looking at the man with the strange swords. Only difference now was that he lacked his swords, seeming to replace them with a crown of some sort. Kiou raised an eyebrow at the mans words. He wasn't sure whether the man had simply agreed or if he had just insulted his intelligence. Of course, he knew he wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed, though he tried. Instead, he simply offered a slight smile and nodded to stage. "Nice show."

[Ifran]

Ifran had better things to do than insult the patrons of the playhouse, but his face was an unreadable mask. He might have been hurt by the Kelvic's body language, so defensive, but he certainly gave no visual cue. Of course, an animal such as Kelvics were might intuit things by scent and other, more primal instincts. The longer Ifran remained in Alvadas, exiled from his people, the more lonely and out of sorts he became. Of course, he did not realize that he was lonesome. Never had he acknowledged such a feeling before, not when he was the favored son of the Eypharian art scene, not when he was a scion of the House of the North Winds, no, never. But he was in Alvadas now, and relegated to something barely above a freak show, at least to his own mind, and that rankled as he waited for Ionu to show him some spark of favor. Perhaps the deity was not worth it. Perhaps he should go home, at that. "Thank you," he said. "May I buy you a drink?"

[Kiou]

Kiou studied the man before him curiously. He had never met anyone quite like him, six arms and all. When the man asked if he could buy Kiou a drink, he briefly thought about accepting, if nothing more than to be polite. But, instead, he just smiled slightly and shook his head. "Thank you for the offer, but I'm afraid I don't drink," he replied calmly as he gazed evenly at the man. He had never had an alcoholic drink before, and he didn't plan to start any time soon. The man's offer made him think back to his childhood, when his father always stumbled in drunk late at night, smelling of beer and women. When his father actually sobered up, which was not often at all, he was always in a bad mood and puking his guts out. Kiou didn't understand why anyone would want to do that, especially to themselves. Thinking back on it, Kiou made a silent vow to abstain from drinking alcohol. He didn't see any advantages of the strange and unnatural drink, only many, many problems that it induced. Nothing good ever came of it. He glanced back at the six-armed man standing before him. He didn't seem at all like his father when he drank, though he might not drink quite as often as his father had. He pushed the thoughts of his father from his mind, not wanting to dwell on them. "Where are my manners?" he asked, suddenly, having forgotten to introduce himself prior. "The name's Kiou. Nice to meet you." He briefly thought of extending his hand to the man, a greeting he had seen used many times over, but he thought better of it. He didn't want to offend the man, in case it was against his cultural ways. And of course, he thought it would be a bit awkward with the man having six arms and whatnot. He was still caught off guard by the fact. Instead, he simply offered a friendly smile to the man.

[Ifran]

"Nonsense," he said with a dismissive gesture of one of his myriad hands, but he was still smiling his faint smile that gave one the sense that it would take a great deal for a face-splitting smile, though it might be worth it to make him so happy. "Everyone drinks, except the Nuit, I suppose, but you do not smell of rotting corpses. There is water, and juices, and other drinks if you do not wish to partake of the intoxicating varieties, and as I have offered, I will provide you with one if you wish. "My name is Ifran," he said simply. Nobody here cared that he was a scion of the House of the North Winds, nobility back in Ahnatep. "It is a pleasure to meet you." And it was. He did appreciate the appreciation of himself and his art, even from those who were not well versed in his art, which amounted to just about everyone in Alvadas. "What brings you here, if it is not too intrusive to ask?"

[Kiou]

Kiou gazed curiously at the man as he spoke, replying with a small shrug. "I suppose that water is fine with me. Thanks," he replied, flashing a smile. He listened politely as the man introduced himself as Ifran, before acknowledging him with a curt nod. This man seemed quite interesting. When Ifran asked him his purpose here in this city of illusions, he wasn't sure exactly what to say. He didn't exactly have a purpose for being here. "I don't really have any reason for being here, I suppose," he replied, giving a slight shrug. "Just wandering through, I guess, but I'll probably stick around for a little bit." He wasn't sure how long he would be staying here, but it was quite the interesting place so far. He figured he might tick around a bit longer, perhaps until spring came around. He wouldn't be able to stay cooped up in this city the entire time, though, and he figured he should scout out the area around the place. He hated being cooped up inside a city for extended periods of time.

[Ifran]

Ifran nodded and signaled one of the staff to bring water. He was not noble here, so he did not have servants, but the paying customers were generally treated well and sometimes there were refreshments. He had been unclear with his question and so Kiou had answered with equal obscurity, but it seemed that he was speaking of his plans for Alvadas more than the Playhouse itself. "I have wandered too," he confided, although that was hardly a secret. There were few people with so many arms as him, and most of those wore them thanks to illusions. "There is much to be learned from wandering. Have you learned anything exciting?" The man seemed not to be fond of speaking overmuch, but still Ifran tried to draw him out. Meeting people was part of what had brought him wandering here from Ahnatep. "Ah, water. Thank you." He took too glasses from a server and held one out to Kiou. Sharing food or drink was a bonding experience of sorts. "For you."

[Kiou]

Kiou watched as Ifran ordered another man to bring them waters. When he shifted his gaze back to the man, he listened as he spoke of wandering, asking Kiou if he had learned anything from it. He had to think about that for a moment. Had he? "Well, I suppose that I have learned of many of the differant cultures that inhabit Mizahar, as well as seen a few pretty cool places," he replied simply, shrugging, as he was not realy sure what to say in response. He had never thought of it like that before. As the man Ifran had asked to bring them drinks returned, he watched curiously. If only obtaining water in the wilderness was this easy. When Ifran offered him his glass, he took it, nodding politely and smiling. "Thank you," he said, politely. He took a small sip of the liquid, and was relieved to find that it was clean. Some of the places he had visited, the water ws dirty and disease ridden, the only thing fit to drink was alcohol. "So...what exactly is this place?" he asked curiously, taking another glance around at the strange place, glancing briefly back at the stage before turning his gaze back to Ifran. The performance that was on at the moment wasn't all that interesting, though it was a bit strange. "This place is nice, though I have to admit, it was by accident that I arrived here," he stated sheepishly.

[Ifran]

Ifran noticed Kiou noticing how the man brought him water when he required it, but he could not discern just what Kiou thought of that. It was common practice, even though the Royet Theatre had never offered refreshments within the house the way they were here. That was what the bar was for. But this, he reminded himself for the billionth time, was Alvadas and not Ahnatep. "You are welcome," he said, raising his own glass of water to Kiou and taking a sip. The gesture seemed lost on him, and he had to wonder at the man's alleged travels. But perhaps he was a Kelvic, or just an eccentric. The world had its share of those. "This is the Crooked Playhouse," he said, "and perhaps Alvadas decided you needed to see it. Here we perform: song, dance, stories. If you have questions, I will try to answer them to your satisfaction." This did remind him of young Nowa, the raven Kelvic. They were such curious creatures, Kelvics.