That Day in the City of Illusions {Sesha}

[Dalvinia]

Timestamp: 20, Spring, 511 AV

A gentle breeze weaved around the angles of the houses, taverns, and shops inside the enchanted walls like the tail of quiet beast. The snow was quickly diminishing, and Winter was beginning to retreat in its defeat. Dalvinia bid good riddance to the chilling season. She cautiously trekked through the streets of Alvadas with each step seemed to be computed and precise. Dew-glazed grass and flowers covered the walkway as far as the eye can see. Some were of a dark blood red while others had a shade of vivid orange similar to the color of her eyes. Dalvinia looked about in mild confusion. She had yet to adjust to the daily illusions of the city. Her wooden sandals crushed the green blades below with each step. The baggy legs of her pants dragged, gathering bits of water from the dew and making her steps heavy.

Eventually, she made it to the main road, but being Alvadas, it would no doubt shift in a matter of bells. The Kelvic brushed her black bangs from out of her wide eyes as she surveyed the myriad of humanoid wonders flocking through the streets. Her focus was only directed towards the citizens for a few moments. Her bright orange eyes were then gazing upon a butcher vending various delectable meats. Long, sharp canines revealed themselves from behind her lips, and saliva began to drizzle down from her mouth. She seemed to gravitate to him and his product but never did she take a single step. Within her pack, she already had enough food to last her the week. The scent of animal flesh, however, was still a prevalent inside her head. The black-haired Kelvic took a seat on the side of the street and retrieved a red-violet ocarina. Upon the mouthpiece were distinct teeth marks given to it by its user.

Dalvinia put it to her mouth, and she played a cheerful tune that consumed her desire with its merry melody. The sweet notes removed the background noise of chattering denizens and elegant slippers crunching the grass of the street. Her eyes began to disappear behind her eyelids until only darkness stood before her. Sitting upon the grass within the city, she was an happy and humble slave of her music.

[Sesha]

~Dalvinia~You need to Timestamp this thread. Sesha gazed at the fanged woman for a time, watching as the Kelvic eyed the butchers’ shop like a hungry dog. She placed the elegant pipe between her lips and puffed the sweet tobacco curiously, her vantage hidden by the crisscrossing of citizens. The foreigner’s garb wasn’t much, a few tattered rags and a traveler’s backpack. Not a mark, but potentially something more interesting by far. Sesha was well aware of the mysterious bond the animals shared with their masters. Perhaps such a bond could be augmented to serve a greater purpose. Sesha’s purpose. She glided artfully through the milling crowds once the woman had begun to play her unusual instrument, acting the part of an inquisitive audience member. She waited for the song to finish and clapped enthusiastically, the pipe clasped between her teeth. “Beautiful,” she said simply, a wide smile on her face. “Marvelous! You have quite a talent young lady.” Sesha reached into her pocket and presented the Kelvic with two copper Mizas. “A token of my gratitude,” she offered, shining eyes boring in to those of the player. “Would you like to join me for a bite to eat?” Sesha asked, motioning towards the butchers’ shop with the stem of her pipe. “You look absolutely famished, and I would so love to hear more of your lovely music.” Sweetness dripped from the woman’s mouth like acid, wearing away all thoughts of pretense. “My name is Sesha.” Her true name rang like a temple bell.

[Dalvinia]

Like a snake, smoke slithered through the air. Dalvinia nose flared as she played her instrument. She rotated her head towards the scent, but alas, the source could not be traced through the swarm of pedestrians. The Kelvic woman brushed it off, regarding it as only daily city occurence no differnent than the thousands she had seen. Her attention had to be focused on the tasks at hand, such as performing to her unseen patrons.

The scented harbinger returned near the end of her song. From the corner of her eye appeared a woman, clad in vibrant colors and extravagant fabrics, leaking from the crowd. The stranger towered over Dalvinia. She had reached the final measure and held out the high C until her breath was extinquished. Before she even had a chance to inhale, the woman applauded and reveled. With each clap, the ornaments upon her fingers clinked together. Dalvinia looked upward to see the origin of the smoke, a pipe between the tall woman's teeth. She smiled, causing the pipe to elevate.

"Beautiful," she said. "You have quite the talent young lady." From her pocket she removed two cooper Mizas and offered them to Dalvinia. "A token of my gratitude," she added.

The Kelvic woman peered into the indigo eyes of the kind stranger and became lost in a sea of magesty. The orange-eyed girl, in a bold yet smooth voice, "I'm okay at it, I guess, but thank you." She deftly took her payment from the woman's hand and started playing again.

The woman in dark, elaborate clothing asked, "Would you like to join me for a bite to eat?" She took her pipe and motioned it in the direction of the butcher's shop. Ceasing her music, Dalvinia's head pointed parallel to the pipe. "You look absolutely famished," she continued, "and I would love to hear more of your music. My name is Sesha."

The Kelvic stood up, still dwarfed by Sesha, and bowed. "Pleasure to meet you, Miss Sesha. I'm Dalvinia, and I would love to join you." She placed the ocarina inside her bag and hoisted it around her shoulder. Her hands were tense, and she would periodically stare into Sesha's vivid eyes. Nevertheless, she followed her hostess wherever she went.

[Sesha]

She’s well trained, Sesha thought to herself as the smaller woman trailed behind her. So many of her encounters with this peculiar race turned out to be rather unnerving, though Sesha had always considered herself very good with animals. Unfortunately, the beastly ones that lurked in The City left nothing to the imagination, often growling for one reason or another, or stalking the streets completely naked. She shuddered at their complete lack of subtlety. After a brief time milling through the crowd they had come to the butcher’s shop. Piles of fresh meat and scores more, preserved in a multitude of ways, hung from the rafters of the small shop to just above the floor. Uniquely decorated platters displayed the finest meats. Sometimes they were artful depictions of the creatures’ original forms, and due to the strange nature of Alvadas, sometimes they would sound to life with clucks and moos. Sesha was mildly repulsed by the frivolity of it all, but knew that the newcomer would be aptly impressed. “What do you think, Dalvinia?” she asked, rounding on the girl with a brilliant smile. “Dalvinia,” she repeated, moving the name about in her mouth. “Do you mind if I call you Dal? I do think it sounds so fetching.” She nearly laughed at her own little private joke, masking the amusement with a long drag of her pipe. Sesha was skilled at persuading others to her own way of thinking, a gift of her father’s. A careful mind might consider the naming of another to be a way of showing dominance over that person. The thief held no belief that this Kelvic would catch on, and if she did, well that would make the breaking far sweeter. “Go ahead, pick something! Anything! My treat!” she flourished languidly, motioning to the interior of the butchery with an easiness and confidence uncommon to many outside The City. “I ask only that you play for me again. A bargain, no?” She snapped her fingers and the portly shopkeeper ambled forward, wringing his hands at the thought of a sale. “Yes Miss?” he asked, with eyes filled with an eager intent to please. He seemed only able to see Sesha, as she held his eyes with her own, demanding his attention. “The girl would like something to eat. We’ll be having lunch on the lawn.” She motioned to Dalvinia, vaguely recalling having seen short grass somewhere along the way. Hopefully it still lingered.

[Dalvinia]

After slipping through the masses of civilians and dodging pedestrians, Sesha and Dalvinia reached the butcher's store. The Kelvic woman gazed upon the spectacle in front of her. Slabs of animal meat grimly swung from the rafters back and forth like hanging men, and the finer cuts were displayed as an artist's masterpieces. Some were hallucinations of live animals desperately crying out and writhing to break free. Dalvinia only found them more delectable. Each wiggle of the poor beats was followed by her pupils. She licked her lips, grazing her keen set of teeth. The distance between her and Sesha increased as she became lost in the embrace of raw meat and fearful squeals.

"What do you think, Dalvinia?" The voice of her guide dragged out of her trance. She saw as a nice, wide grin made its way across Sesha's face. "Dalvinia," she said. "Do you mind if I call you Dal? I do think it sounds so fetching." She then took a hefty breath from her pipe. A cloud of smoke seeped from it and danced throughout the confines of the shop.

Dalvinia cocked her head. Her bestial eyes strayed from both the elegantly dressed woman and the plethora of meat. "No," she said, "I don't mind."

Sesha then cunningly offered to purchase any meat Dalvinia desired in exchange for her services in her instrumental finesse. In the Kelvic's mind, she would gain any reward for something she loved to do. All in all, it was indeed a bargain. Almost immediately, Dalvinia nodded and said, "Yes, Miss Sesha! Yes, I will!"

With a snap of her fingers, Sesha summoned the butcher like a loyal hound. He waddled to the front desk, eager to make the trade. Dalivina was impressed by the woman's seemingly effortless power.

As if instinctual, Dalvinia pointed to the whole cow carcass swinging from the ceiling. Her face brightened at the prospect of the bovine becoming her lunch. "Miss Sesha, I'd like that one! I'll carry it outside if I have to!"

[Sesha]

Sesha raised an eyebrow at the kelvic’s request, noting the sharp points of her teeth and the almost feral way she eyed her chosen game. The shop keep made a sound of disbelief mixed with delight when Dal spoke, her captivation reminding Sesha that she was in fact dealing with an animal. This one could simply talk. “Unfortunately, I haven’t the coin for such a purchase today,” she said with a frown, cocking her head to the side sympathetically. She didn’t doubt that the kelvic might gorge herself to death on such a massive meal, and Sesha would not be seen in the presence of such atrocity. Truthfully, Sesha was also short on Mizas. And though her bearing would not reveal it, Sesha needed to make a few daring transactions to keep her affluent habits afloat. “How about a plump rib roast?” she asked elatedly. “Perhaps something fresh from the back?” At this she regarded the shopkeeper who almost tripped over himself in an effort to meet her request. He disappeared behind the counter and the sounds of meat being cleaved could be heard dully. Sesha’s penetrating gaze returned to Dal and she brought a delicate index finger to her lips, urging silence as she followed the shopkeeper’s trail and ducked behind the counter. Her eyes alighted on a small chest no bigger than two hand spans across and carved ornately. Testing the latch she was pleased to find that it was not locked. Deftly she removed a smattering of its contents, pocketing only enough gold, silver and copper Mizas so that the loss would not be immediately recognizable. She then lowered the lid and with a smile returned to Dalvinia’s side, barely missing the approach of the butcher. “Three gold pieces,” he said happily, setting a wrapped bundle on the countertop. “Unless of course, you’d like something else?” His eagerness to make another sale brought a smile to Sesha’s face and a gracious nod. She motioned absently for Dal to collect her prize and set three gold Mizas on the countertop; procuring them from the same pocket she’d stashed her recent theft. “That will be all,” she said sweetly, offering the man a too long stare that would keep his mind off the coin for just long enough. “Off we go, Dal. The City awaits!” She led her companion out the door and through the maze of buildings and people, not mentioning the transaction in the least as she sought out the sunny lawn she’d seen earlier. A trail of smoke snaked behind her invitingly.

[Dalvinia]

"Unfortunately, I haven't the coin for such a purchase today." Opulence rolled of Sesha's tongue even while saying a statement as simple as that. Her mouth and chin sagged into a frown. Dalvinia's teeth disappeared behind her lips. Her vivid eyes dimmed. Sesha then recommended a rib roast with a bright tone in her voice to which Dalvinia nodded in agreement. The rodent who owned the shop vanished into his hole, fetching the requested meats.

When the butcher went out of sight, two jewels of indigo pierced the Kelvic's being. The keeper of the jewels brought a single finger to her lips. Dalvinia watched in silence, tilting her head. Sesha crept to the counter and brought a tiny chest elaborate in design into her nimble hands. The fanged woman uttered nothing and watched the entrance to the back room nervously. After skillfully pilfering the money she needed, she returned the box to its rightful place and gave Dalvinia a grin. The black and white-haired woman returned a facade of a smile. A swamp had settled within her gut, and a great fire flared within her chest. She was not normally surprised nor enraged by the wickedness of others, but more often than not she sees it manifest in people's faces rather than behind their backs. What got to her was Sesha's deceitfulness and dishonesty. Regardless, Dalvinia's lips never opened.

The shopkeeper returned with a blissful skip in his step and meat in hand. While the larcener placed her payment on the counter, she signaled for the two-legged beast to take the butcher's product. Drawn by the promise of food, she briskly sped to the front of the store and snatched the meat. Caressing the rounded, plump cut, she made her way to the exit behind Sesha. However, she halted in mid-step and rotated her head towards the portly man. A noxious fluid boiled inside her. After looking at the ornate woman then back at the man, she tiptoed towards the butcher. She reached into her bag. Inside her clenched fist was a handful of currency. Unbeknownst to Dalvinia, the coin was equivalent to 5 gold Mizas. Tossing them on the countertop, she bolted back to the exit where Sesha waited.

[Sesha]

“Ah, there it is!” Sesha remarked, taking in the wide open space and quickening her step. An expanse of bright ruby grass lay before them. Sinewy trees, a dark ebony color, grew haphazardly about the lawn. They moved of their own accord, waving their limbs so as to collect the most amount of sunlight on aquamarine leaves that splintered the light in every direction. At the center of the lawn an ornate marble fountain issued diamond droplets from a number of angles. The place looked like an emperor's treasury come to life, it was marvelous and completely breathtaking. Sesha led them to the fountain, taking a seat on the solid outer ring and reaching out to catch one of the falling diamonds. It splashed on her palm, breaking into hundreds of smaller stones and eluding her grasp. Gold plated birds fluttered about, chirping mechanical sounds that sounded pleasant, if somewhat foreign to the ear. People wandered about the lawn, trying to catch their own diamonds and plucking stone leaves. Some even tried to capture the birds or pull up the grass, but their attempts were foiled by the will of the Trickster God. He was most certainly having fun. “Do you like it here?” Sesha asked of her companion, eyeing the great slab of raw meat with some disgust. “Alvadas has been a good home to me. It could be a home for you too.” She looked to the kelvic’s gear, wondering how far Dalvinia had traveled. Sesha longed to travel herself, but The City of Illusions held a great sway over her. She was not ready yet. Perhaps Ionu had a greater plan for her. “You’ll absolutely love The Temple,” she added, thinking that her God might like this youngling as well. “And you simply must stay at my home while you visit. The Inns charge outrageous prices and I have a spare bed.” Her offer was irresistible. Sesha was convincing, but she was aware that her earlier actions may have sparked a moral quandary in the girl.

[Dalvinia]

Under the glimmering sun lay a sparse forest of fibrous trees. Their dark ebony hides contorted in competitiveness. Like tired men they stretched their limbs clad with bright blue-green leaves for the ultimate prize: descending sunlight. Their bases were surrounded by an vast ocean of fire red grass. In the center of this spectacle was a fountain so wondrously divine and unique. From it sprouted a stream of pure diamonds, which nearby onlookers gawked at with envy.

Sesha and Dalvinia's journey led them to this fraction of Eden. As the vivid dressed woman sat by the fountain gathering diamonds, the Kelvic glanced at the gold, mechanical birds above with her meal grasped tightly in her arms. Never before did her ears collected a symphony of shrill motors and automated chirping. It was rather hypnotizing.

“Do you like it here?” asked Sesha. “Alvadas has been a good home to me. It could be a home for you too.” Dalvinia drew her attention away from the birds and ambled to the woman on the fountain. When she was only a few feet away from her, the beast in human form dropped onto the ruby grass. Her animalistic instincts initiated as she finally dug her canines into the tender slab of flesh. Her teeth pierced it with the utmost ease. Her hands held down the butcher's gift as she ravenously jerked her head from side to side, wiggling free chunks of the rib roast. Sesha continued with, "You'll absolutely love The Temple, and you simply must stay at my home while you visit. The Inns charge outrageous prices and I have a spare bed."

Dalvinia perked her head up. Her mouth was glazed with a thin, red coating. She smiled, revealing the remnants of her previous bite. "Of course, Miss Sesha," she muffled. In a moment of thought, the Kelvic retracted her grin. She then uttered, "Just out of curiosity, how big is your house? And... what's so great about this Temple?"

[Sesha]

Sesha did her best to ignore the cross legged kelvic as she mangled the roast with incredibly sharp canines. It was difficult, due mostly to the sounds of tearing flesh and hurried gulps. She returned her gaze to the fountain, wishing that the diamonds wouldn’t disintegrate in her hands. She toyed with the stone water absently, listening to Dal over her shoulder. Curious as a cat, perhaps? she thought with some faint aplomb. No, most likely a dog – like those kelvics in the cave. She considered abandoning the girl. A cat, even a rat could be of use to her; someone who could go places where humans never could. Though a dog could offer protection, or maybe sniff out potential marks if trained well enough. The greatest thing about owning a kelvic would be their ability to go undetected through most regions in the city. Animals were a common luxury among nobility. Sesha could potentially look quite stylish with a fine dog at her side, donning a bejeweled collar. “The Temple?” Sesha asked aghast, her mock surprise meant to excite the kelvic as she rounded on her. “Why the Temple is Alvadas’ greatest monument! Dedicated to the God of Illusion and trickery, Ionu!” She smiled brightly at the seated pup, deciding that she would need to teach Dal proper table manners. “It has vast ceilings and wonderful impossible angles built into it. And it can disappear in the blink of an eye!” She finished the little show with a flourish of her pipe. “And my home is quite cozy; a quaint little flat on the second story of an old building. It’s rather spacious, just one large room. And it has all the amenities you could ever need. A warm place to sleep, places to store your things, and even a wash basin to clean your…” Sesha hesitated, looking at the woman’s bloody face, “… to clean yourself!” She thanked her quick wits for that one. It wouldn’t do good to insult this new charge, even if she weren’t human.