[The Bizzare] Neither Here Nor There (open)

by **Julius Aldoid** on January 26th, 2011, 8:04 pm

30th Winter, 510 A.V.

With the clack and clatter of shoe on cobble, Julius walked down the street backward, deciding it was the best way to get anywhere. Many people had complained of trying to get somewhere in the town only to take ten steps out the front door of their own home only to find they were sneaking in though the back window of their own kitchen. And so, at the prospect of getting somewhere, at times, one would find they had traveled for an hour only to realize they had been standing still.

So, he decided, the best and most assured way to get somewhere was to try and go everywhere but where he wanted to, and fail to arrive everywhere but where he needed.

Thus far, the confusing plan was a success, which is to say, failing miserably.

He decided to stop going somewhere and see which particular nowhere he had arrived at.

It took not but a second to realize from the general jumbled hush of commerce and sound of soft shoes on softer stone that he was within the halls of The Bizzare. He did not question how he had found his way in doors, and instead a hand shot to the letter in his pocket: a message from his grandfather to Cadmus, priest of Ionu. Julius had long strained his family for the past few years with his indecision to take up worship of one of the family's patron gods, but there was something about worship that prickled in him, and so, his grandfather had often had Julius deliver these messages in a hope that Julius' curiosity would draw him into inquiry with one of the priests of the temple, and then into the bosom of worship.

It was upon such delivery that Julius would then proceed to 'leg it'. Still, never before had Grandpappy had him go to see High Priest Cadmus before. Dread started to grab him by the shoulders and just squeeze as he trailed though the crowd.

In any case, there wasn't anything wrong with wandering the shops a bit, just so long as he didn't run into his grandfather or any of his underlings.

And so, amid the scent of foreign spice and sweat-soaked mizas, he wandered off looking for a hat shop. Something had caught his eye last time he was here, but had wandered off before he could find it again.

by **Vizyous Aconitum** on January 26th, 2011, 9:22 pm

In front of Vizyous was an odd sight, even for Alvadas. Something about the human walking backwards throughout the Bizarre made a smile come to the Symenestra's lips, the clacking of the mans shoes against the stone floor only widening it. He'd found himself some interesting material to study. The original plan to search around for more delicious yet affordable food was abandoned in favor of following this unique man.

Unlike his usual method of simply following, Vizyous took long strides towards him, intending to confront him. Who walked backwards? Then again, to understand anything in Alvadas, one had to abandon logic. He was closer now, his hurried steps more energetic and enthusiastic than usual. Unlike most other people, Vizyous wasn't sure where the strange human was headed. Most likely, he mused, because the man himself wasn't sure either.

He made eye contact with the man as he approached him, taking in the image that he presented. If Vizyous had to name a single place of origin for this creature, he would without a doubt blame Alvadas, right down to the brightly patterned clothes he wore. "How do you do, today, Sir?" He said to him, a smile bright on his face. "My name is Vizyous, and I'm a new resident of Alvadas."

by **Julius Aldoid** on January 27th, 2011, 6:41 am

Julius was scanning the market when he noticed someone trying to catch his eye from the corner of his vision. It was a common enough illusion when the city was feeling sinister, and so he did the standard 'hide eyes and peek from behind them' technique, which helped to figure out that the man was in fact really walking up to him.

Once that bridge was crossed, there was a shift to the strange man of Alvadas; his back straightened and his head cocked to the side a little, returning smile in kind.

"As pleasant a day as ever there was, Vizyous," a hand thrust forward as though to shake, "and as ever one is likely to meet, because it could just as well be night time and we would never know."

He raised his brow and narrowed his eyes thoughtfully, but quickly returned to his normal, chipper self in a moment.

"So Vizyous, are you one of the numerous, nameless folk seeking to gain the favor of our city's patron, or are you-"

A pause interrupted them as his gaze had landed on something over Vizyous' shoulder that made Julius' azure orbits just glow.

In view, it was a simple black top hat, slightly ratty and covered in a fine layer of dust.

"The quarry! Don't move, you'll startle it," his words slowing, as though the very vibrations of his speech might cause the thing to vanish.

"It has already attuned to our presence. We must be careful- lest it get away."

The man had frozen in his spot, and spoke only though the narrow corner of his mouth.

The game was afoot.

by **Dramiana Rosenthal** on January 27th, 2011, 7:33 pm

Dra-Miana was walking about Alvadas in a very flippant manner. It was only its proximity to Symanestran territory that made the trek logically worthwhile, but it was the vivid contrast that illogically lured her. And since Alvadas operates on illogical norms, she was perfectly fine in her motivations.

"We find pieces of who we are wearing hats of a different color..." murmured the girl, her tones soft and dry, hinting at underlying confusion. For as she travelled the alleys of the City of Illusions, a warm wind blew unbecoming of winter, and it cast her black hair all about her pallid face. The pages of a grand grimoire lying flat upon her left palm flew open, where seemingly blank papers drew themselves an ink rendering of her own portrait wearing a top hat with a beautiful pied ribbon.

“Absurd,” huffed she, no sooner than having the wind cause a bespeckled top hat from a nearby shoppe to fly atop her head. Perhaps it would have continued dancing about on the cobble pavers had it not settled in just such a way as to blind her vision - so that what ought to have been a subtle reflex turned into a tangle of silver chains and bell-sleeves ultimately binding the hat to her head.

You see, around her left arm, shoulder, and waist was a long fetter attached to said grimoire (which was most likely used to keep her book in place, but the thing was so very heavy, it didn’t rightfully need it). So long was the chain and so fine, that it made quite the clatter beneath the howling wind.

“I’ve no sense of things…”

And that’s how all things start in Alvadas.

by **Vizyous Aconitum** on January 28th, 2011, 1:03 am

All words and thoughts that were about to come from Vizyous's lips stopped along with his hand that was stuck out in the air, ready to shake the other mans hand. "The quarry! Don't move, you'll startle it," The straightness in the mans back suddenly became even straighter, stock still. His eyes were locked on something over the Symenestra's shoulder, trained on it and making Vizyous wonder if he'd begun studying someone who was already following someone else.

"Who is it?" Vizyous spoke quietly, not daring to move a millimeter. He wanted to turn and see what had captured the mans interest so suddenly, but didn't want to startle it away. "It has already attuned to our presence. We must be careful- lest it get away." Slowly, Vizyous turned his head to look over his shoulder, expecting to see someone or something staring back at him in quiet fear.

Instead, behind him was a hat shop, with lots and lots of, well, hats. Surely, something had caught this mans interest though-- Vizyous felt he must just not see what the man saw. When a very harsh wind began to blow-- inside a building? Well, it was Alvadas-- Vizyous braced himself, his hair blinding him temporarily. When he pushed it away from his eyes, though, he caught sight of a single hat flying away from the store he'd been looking at, carried by the wind through the air and directly into the face of a very unfortunate woman.

He watched in surprise and humor, baffled by the complexity of movements the woman had to perform in order to remove the hat that was obscuring her sight. It must be the clothes and equipment she wore-- the hat had tangled with them brilliantly.

by **Julius Aldoid** on January 28th, 2011, 5:42 pm

His eyes did not break from the hat, watching it sit noble, dignified upon the shelf.

It had first caught his eye a few years ago, sitting much as it was today. It had alluded him by simply vanishing on that first day. Eight months had then passed before he would see the top hat again, this time not in the market but upon a simple barrel outside of the Cubacious Inn, this time changing itself into a cloud of butterflies. Most memorable of all had been when the hat had chased after it, it having gained legs and scuttled off as a crab into the hedge garden.

It had not been until that day that he had come to learn that a hat could break his will on bended knee.

So suffice to say, to the great hat hunter, this top hat was his unicorn.

He savored the thought of resting it upon his motley hair, crowing his head. So potent in fact, that it took quite a few seconds to notice the long and narrow digits Vizyous had thrust upon him.

"Nestra?" the phrase the whole of his question, grasping Vizyous hand in greeting, the shake of a somewhat frantic firmness, "Julius Aldoid. Your hunting skills will be invaluable. Walk with me please," seeking to usher Vizyous forward. "Act natural, if it thinks we are coming for it, it will-" and no sooner had the words left his mouth, then a preternatural breeze had drifted though the stalls, the scent of spice and mischief carried upon it, and plopped it onto a passing woman's head.

"It plays a deadly game. We must give chase, lest it harm the maiden," Julius kicking up the pace of his walk, drawing the side of his coat upward to hide and peek from around it.

To be inconspicuous.

by **Dramiana Rosenthal** on January 28th, 2011, 6:29 pm

Dramiana had tangled herself into a mess, falling down in the middle of an intersection between five busy streets where the hat shoppe had been. Her legs were slightly sprawled so that you could see the buckles of her shoes and the fetter intricately woven around her stockings, left foot, waist, shoulder, and draping sleeve. Sounding like a cacophony of sleigh bells, the chains settled, and the top hat gave its death-throes at the notion of being caught.

Horses and carriages dwindled by, some floating over her or appearing to split in half to avoid her, though she showed no sign of any sort of pain save for the cumbersome hat. Were they illusions also?

Her large book had landed atop her head, and the hat appeared to be reading it (as well as one can picture a mute reading a book). Thusly, it went about turning itself different colors in a frenzy of textile emotion and appeared to be trying its brim at summoning a mean to escape its enslavement.

Blindly, Mia reached up and quickly shut her tome – squishing the hat therein. The book struggled and jolted about for a bit as its little brim was still about the girl’s eyes, but for the most part it was sandwiched. Squirming and writhing in protest, it was further insulted when the youth moved all of her heavy bonds just to sit on it to contain it further.

So it was that we are left pondering who was humiliated more: the woman bound by her own chains or the hat plagued by its own vanity.

by **Vizyous Aconitum** on January 29th, 2011, 7:24 am

"Nestra?" Vizyous heard the man say after a brisk handshake, not understanding quite if it was a question or a statement. "Julius Aldoid. Your hunting skills will be invaluable. Walk with me please," He'd intended to, if not only a short while after the sentence had been spoken that unnatural breeze had swept through the Bizarre.

The woman's struggle with the hat that had seemed so innocent before landed her on the ground, her dark clothes sprawling around her and in Vizyous's mind, somehow making the fall look more graceful. He began naturally stepping closer to examine the situation, nearly forgetting about Julius after the excitement the wind had caused. "It looks like some kind of quarry is caught." The Symenestra commented to Julius at the last moment, remembering that the strange man had spoken to him. "It plays a deadly game. We must give chase, lest it harm the maiden,"

After a step or two he carefully turned towards Julius, his voice a whisper. "Is the hat what you chase?" The doubt was evident, but the man had pulled his coat forward to cover his face and seemed deadly serious. So be it, if it was a hat-- not just any hat, but that hat-- that Julius wanted, Vizyous would follow. He approached the woman with hurried but slightly uncertain steps, watching as she trapped the trouble maker inside of a large, curious looking book.

The tense feeling that began to arise in him only spread as he got closer to the woman; what was it that was bothering him? Determined not to let anything tear down the feeling of excitement he rarely experienced, Vizyous took quicker and more confident steps, until he caught a glimpse of them. Her eyes were unmistakably a shade similar to his own, a distinct multicolored purple only that could be described as amethyst-- that could only be described as Nestra, or so Julius put it.

Vizyous stood still, close by but speechless. Alvadas, he found, often left him speechless, whereas before he'd never had a problem with finding words. The look on his face wasn't one of fright or hostility, but his mouth was slightly parted in surprise, eyes locked on the woman's that resembled his own-- in color, that was, since the emotion her eyes showed seemed much more troubled.

by **Julius Aldoid** on January 29th, 2011, 9:27 pm

He staggered over to the woman, light, prancing steps, almost skipping, as though he were trying to avoid touching the ground. Sneaking perhaps? Horribly if so, but nevertheless brought him to be standing before the woman.

He was flabbergasted, though his face was hidden behind his coat, so she missed that particular gurn, but quickly withdrew from his hidden ways to stand, quite humbly, smiling before her.

"Ummm, hello madam," Julius, waved, though standing only a few feet from her, and hoping not to startle her, his eyes glancing to the book. He could not believe that his great adversary had been defeated so quickly. By a book no less! He should have known: they are truly the mortal foe of top hats.

"I mean not to bother you," noting she was somewhat... distinctive, to the average member of the town, "I would be awfully thankful if I may have that hat you have caught between your pages," he gesturing to the book.

And so he stared, somewhat ancy, at the woman, his azure eyes quite wide.

by **Dramiana Rosenthal** on January 30th, 2011, 2:27 am

Secret :

"Hats of a different color indeed."
The woman spoke through clenched teeth, though her voice hardly resembled an angry one due to the drab nuances of her personality. Gathering her limbs at the knees, there was little time to untangle herself before the approach of two curious gentlemen was apparent in her peripheral.
A huff of breath forced a long wisp of wild hair over her face, she quite disheveled.

“I mean not to bother you," noting she was somewhat... distinctive, to the average member of the town, "I would be awfully thankful if I may have that hat you have caught between your pages," he gesturing to the book.

“Oh, why yes-“ she stammered, reaching down and trying to rise. This was all very awful, because she was caught short by how the fetter still wove about her shoulders (somehow, the girl had looped them vertically). Stunting her movement, Dramiana catapulted forward. The book was loosed from its paper weight, in a sense, and the little hat shot out to catch her fall so she didn’t scar her chin. It squished itself once she was flat on the ground as an accordion does, turned into a totally different sort of top hat (silk, black, and a foot taller), and then shot out from under the girl’s face to bounce atop her back in a kind of mockery jig toward the Aldoid.

Brandishing itself until it was satisfied (and not too long lest the young man capture it), it romped through the bazaar beckoning them to give chase.
“This is war…” The young woman had managed to untangle her legs, unfurling out her left bell-sleeve in a sharp snap which made the entire chain loosen and gather below her elbow onto the ground. Another few lasso motions and it was right back in its proper position (if you could call wrapping thirty feet of fine chain around half of your body proper).

She would have unfettered the length to wrangle it up, but her senses were preoccupied on her precious book. With great care, she checked all of the corners and the backing to make sure it was intact.

Pupils dilated, and the encroaching crowd began working a sort of nervousness into her. To mask the discomfort, there was a proud gesture of hands on hips before declaring victory…until the hat came back for seconds, tangled itself around a bit of her chain gathered at her ankle, and bounced back off…dragging her with it.

“Why do they call them illusions if they’re real?!?!?!...”
The hapless cry of the girl was heard waning into the market.

Secret :