[The Bizarre] Found in Chaos (Nixie)

[Indyrio]

15th Day of Spring, 512 AV Any preconceived ideas Indyrio had concocted about the illusory city of Alvadas had been quietly tucked away with just a small amount of self reproach. Since entering the city, his understanding of the manner in which the gears of civilization turned had been stretched like a sheepskin over cold stone - and subsequently ripped to shreds, dyed, ripped again, and resown back together. It had been thrilling to say the least, but now that he was narrowing his wayfaring down to a matter of necessity, each turn led him much deeper into the proverbial rabbit hole than he wished to go. Perhaps it was a lesson in patience from the eternally mysterious Ionu, or perhaps the city just enjoyed watching his resolve slowly wilt. Looking skyward towards what he imagined would be the only source of sanity in this puzzle of gray stone and lumber, Indyrio's assumptions were stifled yet again by a sea of undulating color. As though the currents of the wind had taken on a salience of their own, he found himself with jaw quietly unhinged and arms weighing heavily at his sides. Had it been raining, his fool's pose likely could have seen him drowned in the middle of the thoroughfare. Not the way he had imagined ending his journey... Embarrassed to a degree of flushed cheeks, Indyrio carefully pursed his lips back together and looked down to yet another sea, this one composed of bobbing heads. Contemplating asking for directions put him on the edge of madness, but he felt a looming sense of hopelessness creeping in. Subtle though at first, the more he considered his predicament the more he felt like surrendering entirely. And yet, just as Indyrio appeared crestfallen, his steps taking him towards the edge of human traffic where he might better compose himself, he turned his back towards the wall and leaned into it casually... Only, the wall he had anticipated to hold him suddenly ceased to exist, and before he could regain his not so cat like balance, Indyrio found his buttocks playing the kissing game with cobble and gravel. Throwing his hands behind him to avoid further mortification, he quickly pushed himself back to his feet and futilely tried to gain perspective on his backside with neck spinning right and left. Resigned to simply dusting the backseat of his trousers with slender digits, Indyrio sighed audibly to the hollow alley and looked around for some bearing on his predicament. From whence he had come all that remained was a solid slate gray wall, dampened by an ever present shadow that loomed in the narrow passage. Behind him could be heard a cacophony of various languages and dialects, the rich odors of food the likes of which he'd never smelled before permeating the cool air, simultaneously warranting a growl from his ignored stomach. Licking the salt from dried lips, Indyrio crept carefully to the opening of the alleyway and saw more people than he thought possible crowding an enclosed space. Colorful wares the world over had found there way to the tables here at what Indyrio assumed to be the Bizarre. Of course he had been proven wrong before, but if it seemed real enough, he felt inclined to believe it. Stepping into a thrall of rapacious consumers, the sounds only became amplified, and surprisingly enough Indyrio found himself grinning like a madman. The dwindling spirit he had contended with before was now revitalized, and each step felt like the first of a new adventure. With eyes never ceasing to gaze in one direction for long, he felt himself guided by the rich scents his mouth was now salivating to. The sensation to keep to the cuisines he understood was compelling, but the longer he walked the more distinct his appetite became. Pulling up to a small cart as if by Ionu's divine providence, Indyrio's attention was driven to a small clay bowl of green fruit with a rich brown glaze coating the white flesh and sprinkled with something that was alike in color to the glaze. With pupils grossly dilating, Indyrio became barely cognizant of the exchange. "How much?" He felt his voice lifting much higher than he was accustomed to, pointing to the bowl that had captured all his attention. "For the pear?" The merchant standing behind his cart barely had a working grasp of the common tongue, but he could sense his potential client's eagerness and smiled a businessman's smile. "3 gold mizas. Fair price!" Before he had even finished speaking, the clinking of precious metal had found its way into Indyrio's slender hand and was offered in earnest. Dimly the merchant realized all to late that he probably could have snaked a few more coins out of the deal, but accepted the payment regardless and offered across the bowl with a churlish grunt. Dipping his head as a sign of universal gratitude, it took a great deal of effort not to snatch the bowl away rudely. And yet, suddenly having the bowl in his possession made Indyrio realize with no small amount of bewilderment that he was not as hungry as he had once been moments before. Still, it would have been a waste to toss the purchase to the street, and so took a slice of the caramel glazed fruit and placed a small portion between his teeth and bit down. While not a culinary savant, Indyrio was markedly impressed. What seemed to be a sweetened rum coating simply melted away in his mouth, and a blank euphoria quietly gripped his senses as he chewed. Finding a small gap in the flow of bodies where travel was inconvenienced by several mercantile displays, Indyrio peered above those in the crowd that he could and tried guessing as to the various geographical locations from whence they had all come.

[Nixie]

Today it seemed the illusions had lead Nixie to the crowded and loud hallways of the bustling Bizarre. Whether by happenstance, or the will of Ionu himself, who could say? Wandering, she smelt of tobacco, as was typical of her even without a pipe pressed between soft lips. Her gaze traveled little farther then the cobble that lay before her, or the feet that would sometimes occupied that space. Not out of lack of confidence as onlookers may have thought, but out of annoyance; still unaccustomed to the illusions, she only tolerated them. Hands stuffed in pockets, nimble fingers toyed with a near empty tin from one pocket, and a wooden pipe in another. Always keeping the two close at hand for when the need arose in her.

Chin tucked, Nixie's ears guided her steps with some difficulty; most noises being muddled in the air if you didn't include the merchants. Their voices carried over the crowds, advertising goods and low prices in hopes of stealing business from their competitors. She could have easily made a whole day of browsing the stands and looking at things that caught her eye, but today she was looking for a few, more specific, things. One of which should have been fairly easy to find in any trade post, while the others, she doubted she would have as much success. It was worth a shot at least. After all, could a place like this really be called a trade post if it didn't hold something for everybody? She scoffed at the thought.

Walking in slow pace, Nixie ignored most of the pestering merchants until a few familiar resounding words flew through the air to meet her ears.
"Fine tobacco!" They brought her to a still for a moment, glancing through dark strands in the direction they came from. Finally a stand worth visiting. Over the past few days her tin had begun to feel too light for her liking, believing it best to restock her cache lest she be stuck in a desperate situation later on with no means of alleviation. It was just a matter of waiting for a few market goers to pass before she could leap through a gap and hurry over to the stall, out of traffics way.

Hovering near the stand, Nixie's intent gaze fell to the product she craved without giving the merchant so much as a friendly glance. Interested in what he sold, not formalities or making friends with the oaf. But with her approach the man quieted his tongue, eying and measuring his newest customer. Perhaps wondering if he could get away with bumping the price up a bit. "Looking to buy? Best tobacco in Alvadas, sir!" He said, rubbing greedy hands together and forcing a large, sleazy, grin. "A great gift for anybodies father! Five gold Miza a pound, its a great price!" Nixie was quickly growing impatient with the fools spewing words, finally flicking her gaze to his own twinkling one. Her smoky stare was cold, her brows furrowed slightly, and lips pressed thin. Sure she hadn't bought much, if any, tobacco in Alvadas yet, but that price sounded outrageous compared to what she would have payed in Syliras!
"Five silver for one pound, and not a Miza more." Her voice was quiet, yet commanding, perhaps even a little intimidating. Only because the tobacco he was trying to sell her at such a costly price felt dry, and lacked fragrance. Far less savory then what she might have found in her home city, it was obvious to her nose that it this particular product was far from 'the best'... or perhaps Alvadas just had poor taste in tobacco.

Reaching inside her shirt, she fumbled for something, and once she had it, she thrust a closed fist at the merchant and held it there until he reached his own out to accept the Miza. Far less then what he had hoped to swindle out of her, but he couldn't afford to have customers spreading bad rumors about his product. Mumbling to himself as he went to work gathering a pounds worth, and after weighing and tying the bag, he practically threw it at her. Not unlike the behavior of trying to shoo an annoying animal.

[Indyrio]

A restless cadence of marching feet and chaotic clucking from a sea of culturally exclusive voices fell quietly behind the chiming of a bell somewhere within the city. While some eyes were diverted with great futility in search of the bell’s origin, others accepted its toll with what could only be described as a muted disinterest. Indyrio found himself numbering amidst the former, a slice of fruit caught in the moist pocket of his cheek where teeth had ceased to break it down to a digestible mush. Each grave moan sent reverberations up the traveled soles of his feet which in turn coursed through tickled brown flesh and left a chaffing hum in the roots of his teeth. Caught by a routine sense of curiosity, Indyrio quickly gnashed his teeth together a few more times and swallowed the sweet pulp with what would have been an audible gulp. The violets of his eyes fell to the bobbing sea of heads once more. If he had not noticed it before, the Bizarre felt markedly warmer to him now, friction from bodies brushing against each other captured in the mosaic dome of the ceiling. Wiping the sweat from his brow by the dinged white sleeve of his tunic, Indyrio felt his desire to linger drawing to a close, and so wedged himself with some effort back into the river of flesh and fabric. There was no real sense of expedience in the ebb and flow of Alvadas’ citizens, though Indyrio was more than aware of just how close he was to an Isurian’s back that was sleeked with sweat. The man’s musk found Indyrio struggling to find air between his lips as he tried to keep the rest of his face from splintering into disgust. Thankfully it was the taste of tobacco from a nearby vendor that favored the north man’s tongue over the tang of perspiration, his eyes momentarily drifting to its vendor whom seemed occupied in a transaction with a slender boy. Guess there’s no age limit on vice, he mused with the hint of a smile, twisting his head back around to a perplexing, and rapidly growing, elbow in his field of vision. It seemed the Isurian had been rattled by something in front of him, and rather than show an awareness to his surroundings, had reacted to it with a forceful retraction of his arm. Petchin’ fool was the only thought Indyrio could muster before dense bone smashed clumsily into the dark hairs of his pointed chin, unsure as to whom he’d meant the stifled comment for. Stumbling backwards, the first thing to leave Indyrio’s willful sway was the small clay bowl he’d been holding, a glimmer of glazed fruit caught in the golden light of the Bizarre as it sailed high before tumbling in tandem with its bearer. Being the more gravitationally inclined, Indyrio was the first to hit the ground, the back of his head careening mercilessly into the unsanded edge of the table where the tobacco merchant kept his product in neat order, a symbol of aesthetic pride he instilled in his business. Spittle fled from puffing cheeks when he realized all his merchandise was being jostled, set apart from the display he’d crafted with such meticulous hands hours before. The grunt in response to the sharp pain Indyrio felt rolling like a wave over his scalp was muffled by the sounds of barter and the endless thrum of feet, the clay bowl he’d once held bouncing harmlessly off his chest and rolling to the side where it received an decorative chip once it connected with the cobbled floor. No one seemed to notice his folly aside from the galled merchant whom was more concerned with his wares than a distracted fool, though the more likely event was that none cared to aid him. Feeling an abrupt tug on the collar of his jerkin, Indyrio was pulled back to the screaming face of a dark skinned merchant, admonishing him in a tongue he thought he should be able to comprehend but couldn’t. Looking up in a way that attempted to make sense of what he was being chided for, Indyrio wondered why he still hadn’t managed to get up.

[Nixie]

With her tobacco restocked now, Nixie was more than ready to leave the bothersome merchant and his stand. It was about time she moved onto the next item on her unwritten list, but at least now she wouldn't need to be sparse with the use of her pipe. Though before she had even taken a first step, a kind of chaos had broken out in the hall behind her. Turning just in time to catch a glimpse of a market goer ungracefully careening in her direction. Twisting to move from his path, she failed to notice the glazed fruits that were about to rain down over and around her. Painful projectiles that would surely leave buses, or be bruised themselves.

She was too late to react when on of them struck painfully against her skull with an audible thud. Flinching under its impact, when it fell away a hand rose to rub the soreness away. Her features twisted into a scowl as she glared down at the stranger with smoldering eyes. No venomous words or even ones of sympathy would leave her mouth, instead her gaze turning to the ground in searching for one of the fruits that had assaulted her. There were many scattered at her feet and the surrounding area in general. Picking one at random, she kicked it at the man who was already getting an earful from the hot-tempered merchant. With him tending to the clumsy man, Nixie had no reason to stay, taking her leave.

Rejoining the constant traffic, Nixie pulled out a wooden pipe, managing to keep pace with the ever changing flow of bodies. Through years of practice she was able to fill the pipe without losing a step or wasting even a small amount on the floor. Then pulling a loose tinder from a warm pocket, she lit the pipe and pressed it to her lips. Extinguishing the flame with a flick of the wrist when she was finished with it. Inhaling deeply, her nerves would soon sooth in reaction.

[Indyrio]

Colors and lights stretched hazily out from Indyrio’s field of vision, an incessant hum forming behind every word that was being yelled. Puzzled, his left hand reached to the back of his head while his right palm slapped against flagstones and pulled his torso up into a sitting position with legs stretched in front of him. A faint trace of blood embellished the rings of his fingers when he brought them back into sight, and the halfblood groaned in displeasure. Then something small zipped harmlessly into his thigh from the side, fuzzy eyes following an inferential path where a young - boy? who had been trading with the vendor snapped a foot back to the earth from in front of him. Baring a set of pearly white teeth in silent disdain, Indyrio cleared his throat to yell after him only to see the body melding seamlessly into the crowd. Coward… Were the people so depraved that they could not differentiate between intent and accident? The answer seemed obvious when Indyrio felt another slap against his back, the heel of the merchant’s palm digging a touch too close to the combative side for his liking. Leaping up to a pair of unsteady feet, Indyrio reached down to the edge of the tabletop while the world spun around him, nausea slowly creeping in while he kept a safe distance from the man who was likely to take another swing. “Hit me again and I’ll take the hand with me,” he spoke with an unwavering voice, tapping the slender sheath to his rapier with the hand that was not anchored to the table. The merchant never troubled him again after that. Turning to look back into a sea of scalps, Indyrio thought he saw a ruffle of hair that looked suspiciously similar to the boy’s. Assaulting a merchant in this city was likely the means to a swift end. On the other hand, teaching a boy the finer points in manners seemed more or less acceptable. Brushing shoulders with many a pedestrian, Indyrio used the stiff flow to keep his balance in order. Silks, linens, and leathers all whispered and sang against one another within the mayhem, voices from the perimeter broken by the crenellated wall of human skulls. Peering out in front of him, attempting to pierce the layers of bodies with little more than mortal sight, Indyrio noticed a thick plume of smoke rising to the air and dissipating quickly. Nostrils flaring in a temper that he rarely illustrated, Indyrio found a quickly opening pocket within the thrall and slipped quickly through the gap. Catching sight of the boy’s slender frame through vision that had finally returned, Indyrio twisted sideways to avoid the last body between them and stepped in line behind his pear-kicking assailant. “You know its not polite to kick a man while he’s down,” a taunting inflection in his voice. “Granted your boot didn’t bury into my side, but I’d consider the gesture one in the same. Wouldn’t you?”

[Nixie]

Hearing one voice, among many, emanating from somewhere behind her, Nixie simply ignored it. It would have been a waste of time to try and give attention to every voice inside The Bizarre. But when one in particular mentioned the incident from just a few moments ago, she glanced back over her shoulder. Smoky eyes finding the strangers quickly and breaking contact just as fast. Looking back ahead of her, she plucked the wooden pipe from closed lips, opening them a crack to let a dark cloud escape, and then she spoke.
"No I wouldn't, and no I didn't." A pause. "If I had, you'd know it." Her voice nonchalant as if she were already over the incident, or perhaps trying to keep from provoking the stranger.

When she had finished speaking, she side stepped out of the way as a pair of children when they came running down the hall and forcing their way between legs and bodies. All giggles and snot. In the distance Nixie heard another merchant advertising his own tobacco, and while she had already bought plenty to last a while, she was curious. How would his wares compare to the others. Mind made up, and without another word, she started to veer off to the side. Making her way to a second tobacco stand.

OOCBleh! Super short! Sorry. :x

[Indyrio]

Stricken with amusement rather than an unraveling rancor, Indyrio noticed with only the slightest touch of alarm that the boy’s voice sounded questionably feminine. Furrowing his brow in quiet contemplation for but a brief lapse, the halfblood readily switched over to a simpering grin and unwound his rigid gait into a saunter lathered with overconfidence. There was the slightest bit of static clinging to his eardrums now from before, a passing hope that the wound would be no more than a swollen scratch by morning. Unfortunately only time would tell. Watching… it suddenly glide off to the side to avoid a pair of rambunctious youth, Indyrio found himself less inclined to move. Two lumps of frolicking innocence with eyes alight and giggles afloat split past him, their fearless hands patting his legs amidst a fit of enjoyment. They were gone before he could even remember them, a reflection of sadness flowering from his chest watching them disappear, forced to recall the bygone age of his childhood and how the unforgiving north had made him into a man far too quickly. Regaining the senses that had been lost to a fleeting prayer, Indyrio turned his attention back to the thing stalking in front of him. Watching her attempt another escape drew a faint flutter from dark lashes and brief pulse of his nostrils. A viper’s strike from his hand found digits wrapped firmly around a thin wrist, his posture hardly as composed as it had been before, shoulders heaving in annoyed sigh. “Running from your problems again, are we?” The mood he’d shown before quickly dispersed as farce, drawn over by contempt that lined the sagging edges of his lips and grew dark within the shallow pits of his eyes. It’s flippancy was a point of distinguished aggravation now, and he had half a mind to twist the hand until pain shot up the arm. But for the time being he was content with those surrounding them to believe it was but a trifling quarrel.

[Nixie]

Believing that she would soon be free of the offensive man, when a hand clamped down around her arm, Nixie was taken aback. Coming to a sudden and unexpected halt, she was held in place with little leeway. The imposing hand kept a strong hold on her, and its owners voice sounded newly familiar. Is it that pest again?? Turning to investigate, glaring smoke colored eyes were quick to find his, displeasure more then evident in the scowl that twisted her features. In her attempt to yank free, she protested, but not to be released.
"Your the one with the problem." Pulling back a second time, with more force, she remained ever attentive of the pipe she held. Cradling it between gentle fingers.

After failing for a third time to break free, Nixie shifted her stance, leaned back, and pulled once more. This time with the whole weight of her own body behind it. Her arm was pulled tight for a moment before it was suddenly slack; slipping free of the mans hold. With the release, her balance was thrown off and she was sent stumbling back with a few frantic steps. Regaining it only after bumping into a few oblivious people, she earning her a few heated glares before the accidentally assaulted continued about their business. Nixie missed the glares though, her gaze fixed on the cause of her frustration.
"If your looking for an apology, you can go look elsewhere. You won't get one from me." With that said, she was about to take the pipe between lips again and be on her way, but paused. "Are you going to try and stop me again?" Her voice was almost completely calm, just a hint of aggression to it.

[Indyrio]

The dark clouds hovering over his brow folded slowly when their eyes met. Realization crept in like the morning sun chasing away the fog, each androgynous feature given depth and clarity. Her slender jaw line fell to a pointed chin, a set of full lips mouthing words he failed to grasp aside from the tone which he became more aware of for its feminine quality. The wrist he held was delicate to the touch, and her curves, though sparse, were not made from the same stock as he. Suddenly it didn’t matter what crime upon his ego she’d committed. Now something else far more primitive within him stirred. Having dismissed her previous attempts at freedom as little more than nuisance, it was on her fourth try that the half blood gasped at his own incivility, loosening his grip. Unfortunately his timing couldn’t have been much worse. Her body caromed between others before she found footing, Indyrio’s hand still outstretched with fingers loosely fanned as though he still hoped to stop her. Pained expression filled the gaps where apathy had once dominated, lost in his own inability and oafishness. When she spoke again, his expression turned quickly apologetic. “Only if you refuse to join me for a drink…as a manner of my apology to you,” he found himself saying over the knot catching in his throat. It was a fool’s wager to think she would forgive him after what he’d done, but it was all leading back to that more basic instinctual desire.

[Nixie]

Watching him with fleeting eyes, she saw the more obvious changes in his posture. Also managing to notice the more subtle changes to his voice, if his words hadn't given it away. In that moment she was bewildered, and like his, her own body reflected that. Her own emotions betraying her. Shifting from one foot to the other, she crossed an arm over her chest and held her pipe in the opposite. Lips pursed in frustration, her head turned and smoky eyes shifted over the most immediate area. Unsure if his words had really been directed at her, or another who stood nearby. Whats wrong with this guy? But when nobody paid him any mind and the river of bodies kept flowing around the two, her gaze met his.

Treating him and her as little more than obstacles in their path, an anonymous and oblivious body brushed past Nixie in a rush. The incident forcing her a step closer and impose on the strangers proximity. With the involuntary motion, Nixie threw her hand out in front as if to keep herself from getting too close, or to push him away. And her lips moved to reply to his odd request, but the words were lost in her state of confusion. Eventually giving into speechlessness, she simply glowered at him.

Before any more words could be said, an angry voice sounded from behind the stranger.
"Move it, buddy!" It was a heavy set man who led a wide, horse drawn wagon, down the hallway. Hit attitude evoking a similar one in Nixie, a low growl escaped through a clenched jaw. Only standing there a moment longer before she hurried out of the way, slipping between bodies, and over to a dark narrow passage. From there it would be easy to sneak along the wall to her intended target. The second tobacco stand. But only if she could successfully avoid being caught in the pests hold again.