To begin

by **Angelo** on January 14th, 2012, 10:25 pm

Winter 54, 511 AV

Angelo marvelled at the sight of Alvadas. It was so... strange. He wondered what it might be like to live here. He didn't have a house, though, so it may be hard. He could just stop at an inn, though. However, for the time being, he decided to check the town out. He wanted to know so much more about the town, and Ionu especially. He's been following his leads on him like a stray dog does when he sees food in somebody's hand, panting and drooling.

When he had first arrived at Alvadas, he had been a bit wary of the city, especially when the rock... thing... opened up to let him inside. It's mouth. Usually, majority of what goes inside a mouth gets crushed. He didn't think about it much, since he was still alive, but his hard had been pounding. To eat, or not to eat? That is the question! thought Angelo. To his surprise, he had almost walked into a wall. Inches before impact, he jumped out of the way. He sighed to himself. It was so easy to get lost in thought, and it's usually dangerous when it happens. Once, he had almost been run over by a horse, when he was little. He doesn't have the best luck in the world. Instead of dwelling on the past, he shook his head. Not wanting to relieve old memories, he observed the buildings around him instead. They seemed to be slowly moving, a fact that always surprised him. Somehow, though, it seemed amusing to him, although now that he thought of it, it was a natural reaction. Well, he hoped it was. People would either be freaked out, or would be brought to giggles at the thought of buildings moving. On their own. He continued to walk to the murky path, and he found himself in a murky alley way. He shivered. Something about the atmosphere didn't feel very welcoming. It was cold, and damp, and it was almost a bit difficult to breathe. It was then where he spotted a bakery not to far from him. He could see a young child working there, selling food. He thought he could use some food. He looked for his bag, where he would keep his Mizas. However, a thought crossed his mind, making wonder if he could put his Hypnotism skills to some use... A sly smirk crossed his faced, and quickly disappeared when the boy came out again. He was taking out the trash, and Angelo began to walk towards him.

He took a deep breath, and then spoke, "Hello, young man." The boy looked up, and he looked into his eyes. Feel generous, he thought. He noticed a small twitch of the eye, and knew he was successful. But it wasn't over yet. "You help out at a bakery, do you not?" he gave him his most charming smile, trying to appear friendly. He looked into his eyes again, this time trying to send a thought into him. He looks pretty hungry, he tried to say. A strange emotion crossed his face. It as starting to work. "I've been travelling for a long time, all the way from another region. But I decided to settle here. It's a nice place, isn't it?" he looked for any emotions coming through the boys face. His emotion was different from before; his eyes were becoming soft, and his cheeks a rosy red. He put all his effort into the next one, and he almost grunted. Maybe he wants some food? he tried to get him to think. He could tell that he was having some effect, because he quickly hurried into the bakery, and came out just as quick. In his hand he held a small loaf of bread. "Mister, would you like it?" he looked up at Angelo with warm eyes. Angelo smiled, and took the bread. "Thank you. You're very generous," he replied, his mind reeling at his success. Triumphantly, he walked away without another word, leaving the child at the bakery to wonder what he did.

by **Ifran** on January 17th, 2012, 3:33 am

Ifran had begun to figure out where the best places were for things, though he was still unused to the whole idea of buying his own food. In Ahnatep, of course, he was brought food on golden platters, his every need seen to by the staff of his grandfather's grand abode. Of course, he had waited upon his master, Taharqa, during his apprenticeship, but now he had been an adult for some time and this was still strange. But sometimes he wanted something that the Crooked Playhouse's commons could not supply; today that was a cinnamon roll. He walked through the streets with a certain bakery in mind, and the streets shifted under his feet to lead him there. He was becoming ever more adept at traversing Alvadas.

His footsteps were silent, his training giving him rather good control of his body. He paused when he saw a young man approach the baker's boy, silently observing their conversation. Now he knew the baker was talented, but he also knew that the baker gave nothing away for free, not until it was late and time for closing and the stale things were given to beggars in the know. But it was not that time yet. The child was kind-hearted, but not liable to give away his father's merchandise for free.

Curious, he observed the entire interaction, then began to walk his silent walk again, picking up speed until he was walking beside the golden-haired stranger.

"You have a silver tongue, my friend," he said quietly, affably, without a hint of malice.

by **Angelo** on January 21st, 2012, 2:01 am

"You have a silver tongue, my friend."

Angelo looked to see that a young man (actually, no. He was probably older than he was) had begun to walk beside him. His smile faded, an automatic response when somebody tried to get close to him, and he put on his usual face; his "poker face". His lips were in a tight, straight line, his brows furrowed and his eyes narrowed. He stared at this man and decided if he seemed friendly enough, or was going to be a jerk. He also wondered if he was going to be a pain to control, or if he was going to hinder him in any way. Not that he was going to be useful, all he had were amateur florist skills and a little bit of knowledge in Hypnotism. He was probably more useful than he was. Nevertheless, he didn't show any signs of weakness as he continued to glare into his quiet and soft eyes, showing nothing but kindness and tranquillity. He began to relax, but he was still wary of him. He turned to face in the direction he was headed; nowhere at all. He didn't know where he wanted to go next, so he decided to look at the man, and for the first time in a long time, he decided to make a bit of small chit-chat.

"So... Where are you headed?"

Before the man could answer, he simply said,

"I have no interest in things like a little drink some place where I don't know of, or a drink at the bar. Ugh, bars. They're so noisy, and the stench is awful," he said in a slight monotonous tone. He looked again at the one who was walking beside him and awaited an answer.

by **Ifran** on January 25th, 2012, 7:03 am

Ifran made no move to impose upon the other man, merely walking beside him, not too close, not too far, matching speeds and all. His smile was friendly, but not overly so, not unctuous and false. If there was a spark of curiosity, well, that could not be hidden, nor should it be. If one was not curious about those around him, he would learn little in life. At this point he was just curious how such a simple bit of cajoling had made the boy part with baked goods. Perhaps this one was more dangerous than he looked and was somehow blackmailing the baker, but no, that was Eypharian thinking more suited for Ahnatep than Alvadas. Such things were not commonplace here.

"I thought I wanted a cinnamon roll," he said truthfully, "but I changed my mind. I am, as they say, footloose and fancy free. Eventually I will return to the Crooked Playhouse for rehearsal, but I have some time to myself. It is a fine thing to walk the streets of Alvadas, is it not? The city reveals such depths of imagination and wonder."

by **Angelo** on January 27th, 2012, 10:26 pm

Angelo snorted. This man seemed humble, but was he really? His eyes narrowed in skeptically as he watched the man's movements. They were somewhat graceful, and his eyes or face refused to show any hint of malice, or any emotion at all, for that matter. He noticed him walking at a considerable distance, matching his feet, quietly trotting beside him like a dog. His lips twitched slightly; what did he really want?

"So, you're saying that you're just killing time?"

He didn't say anything after that, allowing the man to follow him. They were both silent, and his eyes narrowed again, this time in frustration. He was irritatingly quiet, and although he hadn't done anything wrong, Angelo suppressed the urge to slug him in the nose. For some odd reason, his silence was pissing him off.

"So, are you saying that you're going to follow me around, because you have nothing better to do? Trust me, I don't either, and I don't exactly have anything in mind. You here isn't going to help, at the very least. You could do yourself good and show me around, I'm new here."

... Not the best way to ask somebody for assistance, but that was the only way he knew how to talk. His gentleness was washed away when his siblings died, and he wasn't going to become all goo-goo for some stranger.

by **Ifran** on February 3rd, 2012, 7:49 am

"I am saying," he corrected, "that I am following my curiosity while I have the time to do so." Humble he was not, though he could feign humility with the best of them when it suited his purposes. He did not follow Angelo, but walked along beside him. He was not emotionless, though whatever things he might be feeling were subsumed by a mask of quiet amusement. All the world was a stage, and he kept his senses attuned to it.

"What should you like to see, then?" he asked. "The city changes its shape regularly, sometimes right before one's eyes. I have found that the best method for traversing its streets are to keep your goal firmly in mind. Usually, but not always, the city seems to sense a goal and shift itself to make it come true. Sometimes it has a shitty sense of humor instead, and one ends up somewhere entirely unsuited for their needs."

This too had happened to him in his time here.

"But I will show you a few things before rehearsal if you wish. Say the word. I am Ifran, by the bye."

by **Angelo** on February 6th, 2012, 12:45 am

The fact that he had corrected him only seemed to make if worse for Angelo. He was now royally pissed, but he made an effort to calm down. He didn't want to cause any unnecessary commotion on the streets of Alvadas; it would be bad if anybody came to him and started to anger him more. One bother was enough; a barrel of them would make him explode. As the man continued to talk, he stuffed his hands down the pockets of his worn jeans, and turned his head to face the other way as the man beside him droned on and on. Angelo closed his weary eyes and sighed. It seems that his little charade back at the bakery tired him out, even though all he did was make the boy give him some bread.

Wait, maybe that was a big thing. Angelo didn't know, but he still silently chastised himself for being a weakling. He despised weaklings, even if it meant he despised himself. He probably did despise himself, after all, he had let his siblings die right in front of him. Angelo began to perceive lost memories, they began to flood in now. He stopped walking, and put his fingers to his forehead. Calm down, Angelo, he thought. He closed his eyes, and groaned. He could still see things he didn't want to see, but he forced himself to continue walking. He opened his eyes and turned his attention back to the man; it might keep him busy.

"But I will show you a few things before rehearsal if you wish. Say the word. I am Ifran, by the bye."

Ifran? That was an odd name. However, he thought that he should keep a conversation going, for the sake of himself.

"Ifran..? That's an odd name. My name is Angelo... I heard you say rehearsal. Rehearsing for what?"

This perked Angelo's interest, only because he had nothing better to do. He was curious to see what the man might do during his time.

"If you don't mind, take me to the place where you're going to 'rehearse'. If I'm allowed, of course."

by **Ifran** on February 12th, 2012, 7:44 am

Ifran politely made no comment about the strange gesture to Angelo's forehead once he started speaking, assuring Ifran that he was not going to pass out, at least, or explode or some other strange thing that only happened in Alvadas. But his words, oh, his words. People outside of Ahnatep really had no manners, but he let it go. What else could he do? They were only human.

"Angelo? That is an odd name. Ifran is a noble Eypharian name, thank you. And we rehearse many things at the Crooked Playhouse; most of our works are performed in repertory so there is always something to be tightened up, if not a new work in preparation."

He looked thoughtful for a moment. "Hm, I could certainly lead you to the Crooked Playhouse, but you would have to seek approval from Master Fabel to watch rehearsals. I am, sadly, not in charge." His tone mildly suggested that things would be more professionally run if he were, but he was too polite to say that out loud.

by **Angelo** on February 16th, 2012, 10:19 pm

"Angelo? An odd name?"

... Hmm... He guessed it was a strange name. It was strange, a very strange name indeed. However, he always had assumed that names were supposed to be strange. It represented them, a unique person who has their own personality, own interests, own strengths, and own weaknesses. It was them, basically. According to his logic, nothing is really strange, because they all were. However, he had not wanted to share his own personal feelings with a stranger, so he let it go. Although, something about Ifran made him think that he was better than him. It was something in his tone of voice, and his aura.

"Crooked Playhouse?"

Angelo stifled laughter. That was an interesting name for a theatre. Or was it..? He didn't know.

"Judging by the name, it's a theatre, right?"

He didn't care if he was wrong. He was a man who was not afraid to speak his mind, no matter who the person was or what he was doing.

"All right. Take me to this 'Master Fabel' person that you speak of. I'd like to meet him, if that will allow me to watch whatever it is that you do."

He smirked a bit. It was interesting to him--he wanted to see what this man could do.

by **Ifran** on February 17th, 2012, 6:31 pm

Ifran had no idea what thoughts might be running behind the mask of Angelo's face, but smiled with aplomb at his bluntness. In Ahnatep, the lad might have been striped across the back for speaking so informally, so familiarly with a member of a Noble House, but this, he was frequently reminded, was most decidedly not Ahnatep.

"You are correct, sir. It is, in fact, a theater. And I am not sure he will meet you without an appointment while he is directing a rehearsal, but perhaps he will let you watch or you can make an appointment."

That said, Ifran turned to go, finding a familiar bit of the Playhouse peeking over the tops of the buildings and heading in that direction. It was the only navigation system he had in Alvadas.

OOCIf you want to play with Master Fabel, you need to PM Bedlam or Fallacy. We can't NPC him ourselves.