A Grande Ole Party (Nephti)

by **Sayana** on November 20th, 2015, 8:29 pm

OOC :

Fall 91, 515 AV (Speakers' Event)

When Sayana awoke, Syna pierced through her poorly made shelter of sticks. In her dazed state, she couldn’t imagine it being quite so late in the day. Usually the cover of the forest blocked out much of Syna’s light. Yet she also noticed her back ached more than usual after a night’s sleep and when she rolled over, she was surprised to see cobblestones beneath her. Cobblestones? The Eypharian sat up suddenly, knocking out several of the sticks that had been leaning to form her shelter.

Instead of being in the forest at the base of the mountain, her lean-to was propped up against the side of a building in an Alvadas street. The city of illusions had changed! And about time too. Sayana was seriously getting worried about whether she’d be able to survive much longer out in the woods. In utter defiance, Sayana stood up where she was, cloak, daggers and all, and broke apart another good chunk of the wooden shelter in the process. She had things to do, people to find, and food to eat. Her stomach growled loudly at the thought, and she pushed over the main log of the lean-to before leaving the broken remains of the shelter in pursuit of food.

But the zith. Sayana looked up anxiously. There were none of the foul creatures in sight, but she’d have to be careful not to walk the streets so boldly. She put up the hood of her cloak to offer some meager protection and also wrapped it about herself more fully to hide her additional arms. Then she slunk off through the streets with the intent to blend into the shadows or crowds where they presented themselves.

Timothy. Her mind itched to return to the Cubacious Inn to see how he was and how Andreas was doing. Yet she couldn’t. To do so would only put him in danger. If the zith knew anything about her ties to him, he’d be a prime target. Yet what about Nephti? She already shared many similarities to Sayana, and her race alone might suggest that they were related or at least connected in some way. She chewed it over. For all she knew, Nephti had already abandoned her at the first opportunity when Sayana hadn’t come home.

The colours of the streets were a blur as she walked swiftly yet without a true destination in mind. In her black cloak she almost stood out more due to the contrast in colour. She couldn’t go back for Timothy. It would be safer that way, despite the fact that he’d surely think she abandoned him. But Nephti, if she was still in Alvadas, needed to get to safety.

Sayana stopped at a food stall to grab something to eat and only then stopped to really look around. She was in a huge courtyard, a plaza, that was lined with colourful decorations and more being put up. It was a bustle of activity and booths like the one she had just stopped at were setting out their wares. A giant party? Complete with stages? Boy had she missed a lot over the last several days.

It was probably only the fifth bell after midday, and already there were performers with crowds gathering. Yet hadn’t she just woken up? Time was playing tricks on her again. But for an event this big, perhaps Nephti would show up, if she hadn’t left Alvadas entirely. If not, Sayana might have to chance going back to the Cubacious Inn. With that thought in mind, the Eypharian began to move through the growing crowd. With her defining features hidden, she shifted this way and that, trying to blend with the laughter and joy of the people. All the while she kept an eye out for a certain young girl.

by **Nephti** on November 22nd, 2015, 10:46 pm

Sayana had been gone for days. At first, Nephti had assumed it was due to the confusing nature of the city, that made everyone be late or early to wherever they wanted to go. But this late was unheard of, wasn't it? It was days, and it didn't seem like Sayana would be turning up anytime soon.

Nephti had stuck it out, not wanting to leave so early that her mistress would find her and punish her. After all, there was the man who was meant to be looking out for her. And there would be more, too, for Sayana had said something of that calibre to her. If she left the Inn so early, and someone recognised her, she would be in trouble.

But after all the time had passed, it seemed like she wasn't coming back. Leaving a perfect excuse for Nephti to disappear, to take a ship and sail back home, and return a free Eypharian. Escape and freedom, things she had been waiting and hoping for from the minute she turned into a slave. They had been handed to her on a silver platter.

She put on everything she could - the robes, the cloak, her sandals and all her jewelry, keeping her tarot cards in her hand as everything else slipped into the backpack. Thankfully, she wasn't wearing the collar, and would pass as a normal citizen, apart from the arms. With a quick blessing to her goddess, she pulled out a single card, placing it on the floor in front of her.

The Fool. It showed everything about her, journeying off unprepared, recklessly, spontaneously. Nothing new. Her future had paths so different, nothing was clear. With that, she took the cards in her mid arms, hiding them and the lower ones under her cloak. Almost like a normal person.

Then she stepped outside, greeted with colour and celebration. With the crowd of laughter, she could pass unnoticed by anyone, and stopped by a young boy with his dog. "What is this?" she asked, curious.
"Why, we are celebrating the return of the normal Alvadas - at least, normal for us!"he replied with a smile, and she gave him one back, continuing through the city randomly, hoping she would reach the docks. Today was a good day for everyone.

Until she saw Sayana. After her absence, Nephti had believed something really bad had happened for her to abandon all three of them. Nothing bad seemed to have happened, but Sayana hid under her cloak like Nephti did, face hidden. Surely the woman would have no reason to hide - with a celebration like this, Nephti would expect her to be dancing and performing for the crowds. Instead, the woman tried to hide herself. Nephti tried to hide herself from her.

The Eypharian girl turned her head so her face wasn't visible, and joined a group of girls her age, who giggled around her, as if she was with them. Sayana wouldn't be expecting that. They moved with the flow of the crowd, swirling round, and gradually moving away from the woman she was avoiding. Perhaps she had been lucky to have missed her gaze. Unfortunately, all Nephti could think about was the look in Sayana's eyes, searching through the crowd.

by **Sayana** on November 24th, 2015, 1:04 am

She was careful with her movements. Never to push too hard, never to trod upon someone’s foot. It was like another dance but within the smooth bustle of the crowds. There was so much colour. So many people had dressed up and many more actors were doing feats upon the newly set up stages. Acrobats, jugglers, dancers, musicians… Her heart craved to be up there yet the chilly grip of fear kept her within the crowds.

She searched this way and that, trying to pick out faces amongst the crowd. It was almost tempting enough to get up onto one of the stages just so she could look around better. Almost. With a grim expression she continued moving and shifting as more and more people flocked to the great plaza that had formed in the middle of the city.

Then she caught sight of something. A cloaked figure. Yet her first reaction was not of excitement or discovery, but of sudden narcissistic self-consciousness. Did she really look like that? All hooded up and dark, contrasting so openly against the bright cheerful mood of the party? Rather startled at the realization, Sayana carefully removed her hood, yet also messed her hair about to hide most of her face. She opened her cloak just enough to reveal her long red sleeves of her high arms, yet kept the rest of her arms hidden as before. She needed to soften up her appearance if she was to truly blend in with the celebrations, otherwise she’d stand out just as much or more.

After making a few minor adjustments, the Eypharian continued her search. Yet after a short time she was distracted at the thought of what a cloaked figure might be up to. Despite having lost sight of the person, it didn’t take her too long to weave through the crowd to find them once more. After all, they did contrast quite significantly with the party. There were a couple of young babbling girls in a circle, and Sayana smiled brightly as she saw her target mixed in with them. Smoothly flitting through the crowd, Sayana approached and rushed forwards as she neared her mark. Yet when she caught sight of the figure’s face, she certainly didn’t expect to see her slave.

“Nephti! Thank the gods I found you!” Sayana cried out in relief and instinctively took a quick glance to the sky as if looking for danger. “We should go. Right now if possible. I can take you somewhere safe.” Her relief was still obvious yet her voice wasn’t so loud to attract attention.

“Here.” Sayana opened her cloak and pulled out the scimitar she kept at her hip. This time she was a little more discrete, and held it out hilt first to Nephti. “You might as well have this. You’re probably better at it than I am. And you might need it.” Should Nephti take the offered weapon, Sayana would gesture her to follow.

OOCHope you don't mind me assuming Sayana was able to pick Nephti out in the crowd. I figured it was alright since Nephti doesn't have any stealth skill yet.

by **Nephti** on November 26th, 2015, 8:51 pm

oocIt's fine! I was expecting it anyway.

Nephti continued as stealthily as possible, but it seemed she wasn't good enough. Sayana spotted her, moving round to see her face and crying out with relief when she saw her. Almost as if she happy to see her, and not because she was her slave. With an almost scared look, she looked up to the sky, and stayed quiet.

What had happened these last days? Sayana had never been this... cautious before. She had been a brave, strong Eypharian, as far as Nephti could remember. And also deceitful, cunning. The type that could get into trouble with anyone. So who was it this time?

Nephti looked around for signs of escape, but knew that now that Sayana had found her, it was different. Fleeing was definitely not going to be easy now. Besides, something about her mistress had changed, something she wanted to find out about. The only way to do that would be to stay.

Then Sayana did something she hadn't expected. She opened her cloak, and offered the hilt of Nephti's scimitar to her. A weapon that had previously been taken away from her, something a slave wouldn't be expected to have. Sayana told her she might needed. All of a sudden, she regretted not running at the first moment. Whatever Sayana was mixed up in, it meant that even a slave could be entrusted with a weapon, one she might even be extremely skilled at, as far as Sayana knew.

Nephti took it, wanting the protection. The truth was, she wasn't that good with it, but good enough to do something. From the look of it, something was enough. "Sayana," she started, completely forgetting to address her as mistress. With a scimitar in her hand, thoughts of showing that sort of respect had gone. "Is everything okay? Where were you, what happened?"

It was no longer curiosity, but more concern. All she wanted was reassurance, that Sayana would take her back to the Cubacious Inn, to Andreas and Tim, and they would continue with a peaceful life. Or reassurance that she was now free, and would be allowed to leave in peace. Any reassurance would have been comforting. Until then, she would follow Sayana wherever she went. She had nothing better to do.

by **Sayana** on November 28th, 2015, 5:21 pm

“I got myself stuck at the bottom of the mountain,” Sayana replied quickly, trying to make it sound off-hand and casual. “It’s an impressively hard climb but fortunately the illusions shifted today.” Again she did a quick glance upwards before reaching to take one of Nephti’s hands, any hand, in one of her highs.

“But come, we should go. And not to the Cubacious Inn. Tim… He’ll do better off without me. I’ll only bring him danger. He’s better just being with Andreas.” There was regret in her voice. She had wanted so much to be there for him, yet there had been conflicts and now all she would be doing is putting him in harm’s way. Harm that she was indirectly the cause of. Even as she tugged gently at Nephti’s hand to encourage her to follow along, she realized she still hadn’t explained the predicament. Should she tell Nephti the whole story? Her gut tightened but she decided that the girl deserved to know at least most of it.

“You know how I had gotten into a fight with a zith before I met you? Well, I managed to capture the zith’s brother mid to late Fall, but he got away. Now I think his family is after me. And you know, zith have large families. They breed like rabbits. Worse than rabbits. With teeth and claws and wings.” Sayana made a look of disgust and then carried on weaving through the crowded plaza.

It seemed to be getting busier by the chime. More booths were getting set up, crowds formed thickly around various stages, speeches of a grand nature were projected to various audiences, and more and more brightly coloured costumes littered the streets. It was clearly a big event and those who had known about it were making use of their extravagant outfits, while those who didn’t, simply adapted quickly and were almost just as fierce in their competition. Music of all sorts filled the air, and works of art and finery were quickly exchanged at the various booths.

“Oh petching petch….” Sayana had caught sight of dark figure perched upon one of the rooftops that surrounded the expansive plaza. The Speakers’ event had certainly attracted the attention of not just some, but all races of the city of illusions.

“Nephti, I want you to keep your head down and follow me quickly but don’t run,” Sayana spoke in a hushed voice but with a sense of urgency. “There’s a zith on a rooftop to the left, but don’t look at it. Try to blend with the crowd. We have to get to the Underground.”

She wasn’t sure whether the Underground would offer more protection or less, but fewer people knew how to access it and hopefully the zith family didn’t know either. The Eypharian led the way through the crowds, careful not to tread upon people’s feet and feigning a sense of excitement at the event rather than fear of being followed. Her steps were faster than the casual walk, but merely pressing this way and that with the shifting crowd. Her time as a tavern dancer made it easier to navigate, yet the hard part was going unnoticed.

Her passage brought her to the edge of the plaza, but she wasn’t sure where the closest entrance to the Underground was. She only knew of two, the one at the Crooked Playhouse and the one near the Stallion’s Rear. But neither building was anywhere in sight.

by **Nephti** on November 29th, 2015, 10:11 pm

Sayana grasped one of Nephti's hands as she explained that she had been stuck at the bottom of the mountain. She spoke with regret when she decided to leave Tim and Andreas, and then with disgust as she told the story of the Zith. Nephti listened curiously, wondering why she had tried to fight a zith, why she had captured one. Surely she knew how dangerous the vile things were?

They continued to weave through the constantly increasing crowd, and Nephti stared at the booths jealously, watching the costumes and the art around her, hearing little snip-its of songs and speeches. If only she could stay - Nephti longed to watch them and hear what they had to say. If she was free, she would, enjoying the celebrations. If she was free, she might have even been up there, foretelling the future of the city to the crowds.

Instead, she was being dragged behind Sayana, who now spoke to her in a hushed voice, urging her to move quickly with her head down. The girl's head tilted to the left a little once Sayana had mentioned it, unable to restrain herself. It was true: a black figure perched on a rooftop, surveying the crowd. Nephti was too close and too similar to Sayana to not be associated with her. Fear grasping her heart as tightly as she clung to her cards, Nephti worked hard not to run, watching her feet move one after the other.

Sayana was much better at blending in with the crowd, moving with excitement rather than fear, and it made Nephti relax more, despite the fact it was fake. The girl looked up more, peering curiously at stalls in interest, real interest, but it could easily be mistaken for her just trying to blend in. Unfortunately, she could not stay and watch, for they moved swiftly to the edge of the plaza, to the Underground, whatever and wherever that was.

Once they had reached the edge, Sayana seemed uncertain where to go, leaving a small window for Nephti to ask more questions, this time about where they were heading. While Nephti had no argument with the Zith, she had the same fear, if not more, and wanted to reach this sanctuary as soon as she could.
"The Underground - what is it? What do we look for?" she asked, scanning the surrounding area in a hope to recognise it, without even knowing it. It was Alvadas after all. Perhaps she knew the Underground without even knowing it.

by **Sayana** on December 4th, 2015, 7:39 pm

Sayana cast her eyes about the plaza, searching. They were no longer in the thick of the crowds but there were still people about who flocked towards the grand finale. There was certainly something going on with all those “oohs” and “ahhs” and whispers of “Speaker”. But the Eypharian was intent on finding the entrance to the Underground. What had the other entrances looked like? More importantly, what had they felt like?

As she scanned the buildings, cobblestones, nooks and windows she was interrupted by Nephti. “The Underground. It is a realm beneath us. Or at least that’s what its name implies.” Sayana answered. She started to walk again, feeling that if she stood still in a festival of celebration she would surely be noticed. Keeping a causal walk, and trying to feel any discrepancies, she continued to explain. “The world of illusions looks different there and it’s hard to find entrances. If you’ve been there before, it’s easier. But someone had to show me how to get there.” She paused and then turned back around in the direction they had come. Something felt off. With more purpose she started heading towards the feeling. “Sometimes it feels like someone is laughing at you behind your back when you first discover one of these entrances.”

She left her explanation hanging for a moment and then she spotted a sliver of a crack going through the cobblestone plaza. Except it didn’t just go through one or two stones but led the way for several paces, only to reach… Sayana let out an exasperated sigh. They stood in front of beautiful fountain with a statue of a woman carved in stone. It was life sized and the fountain itself spanned several paces in diameter. The stone woman had a beautiful dress and held out a single hand as if showing off her rings. Right in front of the statue one of the rocks that formed the ring around the fountain was lowered slightly.

“And sometimes you only realize it’s an entrance when you come face to face with it,” Sayana finished. The Eypharian did a quick look to the skies and rooftops and was glad to see that there were no shadowy forms. Wait, glad? She did a double take and suddenly realized that now the zith that she had seen could be anywhere.

Her movements quickened, knowing that they needed to hurry lest they be found. She stepped upon the lowered rock and bent forwards to lay a kiss upon the statue’s hand. It had simply felt like the right thing to do. Directly in front of her, the water in the fountain seemed to shimmer and flicker. She could see the faint shadow of steps that led downwards. Why did it have to be water?

Turning to Nephti, she spoke in a calm yet firm voice. “To get to the Underground, you need to believe and have faith in the illusions. They can help you and guide you, but you have to trust that there are stairs right there leading downwards.” She pointed to the spot in the water where she could see it flicker. “It’s not just water, there’s more. But keep your wits about you. The Underground isn’t always the most friendly of places.”

They had dawdled long enough. “I’ll go first and you can follow me. If you can’t get through in five or ten chimes, I’ll come back for you. But the exit might not be in the same place as the entrance.” With a nod and an attempted grim smile of reassurance, she placed a foot in the water. Immediately she tensed at the cold, but then she realized that the feeling might also just be another illusion. She tried to relax and then stepped in with her other foot. Become one with the illusions… Sayana glanced up and smiled at the stone lady. “The pleasure is mine,” she murmured. With the next step, she dropped suddenly and vanished completely down into the water with a soft splash.

The Speakers had started their final act and the city of Alvadas was soon destined to fall into darkness.

OOCThis is my last post but I wanted to leave it open for you to choose how the season ended for them.

by **Nephti** on December 5th, 2015, 10:41 am

Sayana spoke and Nephti listened. That's how it always was. The Underground sounded like such a mysterious place, but it didn't even bother Nephti - this was Alvadas, after all. Having a place like the Underground would be expected, wouldn't it? And so would Sayana's knowing of it. The woman got involved with the darkest of things.

She walked around slowly, backtracking a little, and now Nephti was uncertain why. With a nervous glance, she looked back up to the roof, but the zith was gone. Surely they were safe now? But Sayana made a stop at an ordinary looking fountain, with a statue of a woman in the middle. Vain. That's what the woman looked out, admiring her rings and flaunting about in such a dress. Nephti smiled inwardly, watching as Sayana scanned the surface of the water, before entering, taking a moment in reaction to the cold. Then she vanished down, leaving Nephti alone.

The slave knew this had just given her another chance to run. She could be out of the city before Sayana even came back out to find her. But she was loyal and curious. And terrified of the Zith. She would follow Sayana into the Underground. She would discover what lay below that water.

Closing her eyes, she felt her heart tighten with confusion. She could do this. She could. First, she stepped up on the edge of the fountain, staring hard at the woman. Faith. Belief. Hope. She could do them, she had the marks to prove it. The faintest of lights came from her hand, from the mark from the goddess. She could do this.

The statue seemed to come to life, turning her head to face Nephti. An illusion, or her imagination? No, real. Just like the stairs that led down to the Underground.

She didn't feel the water on her skin as she entered the fountain. She did not place her foot on the floor. Instead, she watched the stone woman wave goodbye to her as she descended into the Underground. Everything came clear, and she could see Sayana waiting. The shock of the illusion still coursed through her veins, carving her actions. One hand, the higher hand, reached out to grab hold of Sayana's, knowing something bad was to happen. She could sense it.

Her marked hand still glowing slightly, she took hold of her cards tightly, shuffling through them agitated. Her lower arms moved to her weapon, just in case. One card slipped out her hand. She reached down to collect it, flipping it over to see which one it was.
The Moon. Sleep.

Darkness engulfed the city. And there was nothing more.

by **Fable** on December 17th, 2015, 4:26 am

S A Y A N A

a d r o i t . a c c r e t i o n s

e s p i e d . e r u d i t i o n

r e c o m p e n s e . a n d . r e t r i b u t i o n

none
d e t e r m i n a t i v e . d i c t a

The fountain was a nice little twist.

N E P H T I

a d r o i t . a c c r e t i o n s

e s p i e d . e r u d i t i o n

r e c o m p e n s e . a n d . r e t r i b u t i o n

none
d e t e r m i n a t i v e . d i c t a

Welcome to the shadows, little light!

]

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