[flashback]Come on baby light my fire (Orion)

[Gia]

Summer 30, 509 AV Gia scanned the crowd, and it was a rough looking crew, that was for sure. But the sixteen year old wasn’t nervous, or dismayed by the sea of extremely scruffy and hard looking men that surged about in the square, all of them drinking, many of them already drunk, or well on their way to being so. There were an almost equal number of women and older girls interspersed throughout – those ‘in the life’, or those who were just hoping for a free drink, or drinks, with the promises made with a knowing smile and a suggestive flash of cleavage. And no doubt, more than a few of either sex was there for what could be plucked from an unsuspecting pocket, or taken directly and boldly from those who might be foolish enough to just do a face plant right in a convenient gutter once the alcohol in their bloodstream hit saturation level. But all of it was simply par for the course for this town. The same type of crowds congregated in most nights in most of the taverns of the city – and as for her own performances, Gia looked upon this as just the typical audience she always played to. The only difference was that at this rather impromptu little festival, there were about twice as many unwashed, lice ridden and brown toothed patrons as she was used to seeing at their run of the mill nightly performances around town. The manager of the troop she belonged to, though, had been especially ‘asked’ (that is ‘told’) that their presence might enhance the ambience of the festivities, which some local mogul was putting on to impress some rival or other. Gia didn’t know all the ins and outs – she only knew that she was about ready to go on, and she was concerned. It wasn’t the unsavory nature of the noisy festival goers that had her worried. It was their number – and the cramped space that had been set aside for her troupe of dancers, singers, jugglers and acrobats. The first few acts had been able to modify things, as they often must, to fit the smaller space. But her act involved twirling a fan of metal, with ribs two and a half feet long, the tips of which would be set aflame here in about one chime. She didn’t fear so much for herself – her audience though, with as much alcohol that was flowing and as many tipsy drinkers stumbling about….Gia shuddered to think what might happen if she accidentally set one of them afire. People were so packed into the square, it was conceivable that one flaming party goer might result in many, and a panic, and a rout, and a… “Ready, Gia?” the tubby, balding manager asked in his raspy voice, with taper in hand. The girl had already tried to talk him into letting her do her sword dance instead, but he had been immovable – apparently whoever had ‘requested’ their performance had specifically wanted the fire dancing – it was very flashy after all. So she had no other option then to nod, trying to focus on the changes he had discussed with her to make her patterns fit the space they had to work with. He had positioned several of his other performers about in a rough circle to try to keep the crowd back. Good luck with that. With his taper, he quickly lit the six ribs on each fan, which was the shape of about one third of a circle. Carefully, she moved into the center of the tiny area, her scant and gaudily decorated top, and skirt that sat right at hip level and dipped to expose her navel, drawing the cheers and leers and cat calls and lewd comments that they always did. Gia took up her position, fans held out to the front, her arms straight, weight resting on one foot, the other knee bent as she rested on her tip toe. The musicians off to the side – playing a hand drum and flute and finger cymbals - began their rhythmic pulse, as the girl began a graceful swirl of flames about her head and body, turning and dipping and moving her feet in an intricate pattern that existed in her bones and muscles and nerve endings as much as it did her conscious brain. The faster the music moved, the faster moved her feet and her body and her hands - and the fans. But she was finding that the moves her manager had helped her choreograph were flowing well, and she became more optimistic that all would go off without a hitch - or anyone ending up burnt to a crisp. That would be a very good thing.

[Orion Michaels]

Orion The stupid city. This petching stupid city. It was full of idiots, fear mongers, gangs, power struggles, and selfish, selfish people. People who would sooner stab you and be off with your money than give you a friendly hello. It was poison, it was hate, it was madness. And it was even worse when they were gathered in one area. Orion was still trying to get his bearings in this city of anarchy. He'd only been in the city for a couple dozen days, if that. It was all so foreign to him, the culture, the layout, the everything. And now there was a crowd in the streets. No doubt something horrible would happen. Probably to Orion, knowing his luck. His head throbbed from the previous evenings events. The horrible drinks which Sunberth had to offer burned horribly in his throat and gut, despite it being so long since they'd been imbibed. The barkeep had warned him his first night there that outsiders called it an acquired taste. For all the liars, cheats, murderers, and worse in the city, the man spoke nothing but the truth on that matter. It hurt to drink, it hurt to think about drinking it, but it managed to get the job done. A hangover was expected, though, and a vicious one it had been. When he'd finally felt well enough to be on his way, it was then that he felt the building frustration at the appearance of some sort of stupid festival. He didn't know where he was going, but damn it if his destination didn't need to be on the other side of the crowd. Head down, and a hand on his coin purse, Orion pushed through the crowd, trying to avoid anyone who looked particularly aggressive or especially drunk. However, when he heard the sound of flames igniting, his journey through the sea of people paused while he turned to see the source. Right before him was a young woman, mid teens if he had to guess, swirling in the streets with fans of flame about her. The faster she moved, the more brilliant the trails of flame were. Flickers of the light almost seemed to trail behind with each movement as Orion stood there, mesmerized by the music, dance, and intense warmth as it cut through the air. The crowd was close to her, and occasionally her graceful movements would cause a man to lean back to avoid getting too close. Her movements brought the teen by Orion on several occasions, kisses of flame teasing his face with each pass and each flourish of her fans. It was truly a sight to see, and one Orion was unfamiliar with. In Syliras, the knights would have put something like this down in an instant, he was sure. Not here. Not in idiotic Sunberth, where you could do whatever you could, and others would do the same. A quiet chuckle, drown out by inferno and crowd alike, escaped from his mouth. "What am I doing here?"