Solo Putting on the Blinders

[Ambrosia Alar]

Putting on the Blinders 84th of Fall, 517 AV Bustles were something Ambrosia thrived on. The busier a place, the more she felt at home in it and the more she found she enjoyed it, and this morning, the Bizarre was in its usual chaotic state. In the crispness of the early autumn morning air, every sound was that much more precise, that much more distinct. Every shopkeeper’s voice could be heard clearly, not muffled the way it normally was by all the other voices of the marketplace. Despite the clarity of the voices and the ease this brought in locating specific wares, Ambrosia did her best to ignore them and let them fade into the background. As much as she was here in search of something very specific, it wasn’t a particular item she was looking for, so she ignored the vendors’ calls. Rather, she was hunting for a particular color, so she let the focus of her eyes slip until everything was just a blur and shapes became meaningless. Now her world was nothing but a chaotic kaleidoscope of color, and its lack of focus gave Ambrosia a renewed sense of purpose. She ignored every color but the one and ignored it as well until she saw it in abundance. When she let her eyes concentrate once more, she saw that the collection of red was a single stall selling a myriad assortment of goods, all of them red. There was everything Ambrosia could think of, from jewelry and articles of clothing to dishes and cookware to decorations and plants, all of it one shade of crimson or another. It wasn’t so much that she wanted something red but that she wanted to be noticed by someone who loved the color red or, at the very least, was fixated on it. Wide with wonder at all the red, Ambrosia’s eyes scanned the stall for something she thought might do the trick. Already, she had done a little to prepare by selecting the one dress she owned that had red in it. There wasn’t much red in it, but every other color in the dress was a muted neutral, making what little red there was leap out at anyone looking. All the pieces of clothing Ambrosia could see in the stall were nothing she could see herself wearing. Most were overly gaudy little affairs with too many frills or articles of clothing she wouldn’t even know how to wear, but just when she was ready to give up, she spotted them, evidence of the previous season’s sash fad. The shopkeeper had obviously overstocked and had more than the craze could sell. There were a dozen or more shades of red for her to choose from. Selecting one that matched her dress, she grabbed an even brighter one for the person she was headed to see. Browsing the rest of the stall, her eyes fell on the variety of flowers that the shopkeeper must have had delivered just that morning. All of them were still fresh with no signs of wilting. With a tightly budded rose in her grasp, she handed the two sashes to the shopkeeper. The shopkeeper glanced quickly at what Ambrosia was buying and stated flatly, “Five silver.” Ambrosia was sure she was being ripped off and that if she wanted to she could easily haggle the price down to about half that, but as it was, now that she had found what she wanted, she was in a hurry. That must have shown on her face, and the merchant had seen her chance to earn an extra coin or two and had taken it. Ambrosia couldn’t hold a grudge against her though, as her rush had been plain to see. She’d have to do a better job at hiding that next time. She paid the merchant’s asking price and went on her way. As she made her way through the streets of Alvadas following any illusion that shone with an impossible light, she braided her hair but did so a little too quickly so the result was a scraggly mess. Making a makeshift head wrap of the sash, she allowed the braid to peak through and drape over one shoulder. The light in the illusions kept getting brighter, more ridiculously colored, more impossible, and Ambrosia knew she was getting close. A few more turns, and she was left standing in front of an unassuming building with a sign hanging in its window that read The Unnamye. Even though it was just a sign, it still made her smile, because she knew what it meant. Inside was one of the most magical places Ambrosia knew of. If she thought the world around her held boundless curiosities, it did little to compare to the infinite amount in her head just waiting to be released and discovered, and there was little better in the world for that than the drugs made behind those doors by the Poisoness, Dreams, and Red. It took the Alar sisters less than a week to find the drug den after its mysterious opening, and they had been regulars ever since, Tessa for the sense of power the high gave her, Ambrosia for the sense of wonder at the discovery of each new hallucination, and Bethany to make sure her little sisters didn’t get too crazy. As soon as she stepped through the door it seemed, a pair of arms wrapped around her, giving her a warm, lingering hug. When the arms held her out at arm’s length, Ambrosia saw it was Dreams, a curly haired man with the light, half-absent smile of someone tripping on something. Ambrosia’s smile came easily, something it hadn’t done for most of the season since her sister had gone missing. It was nice to see someone who didn’t care. Not that he didn’t know who she was, but he didn’t care about the goings-on in her life beyond what she did inside these four walls. Something was different about him today though. While he was usually friendly, he was much more exuberant about it. Cocking her head to one side as she tried to figure him out, she greeted him warmly. “Hello, Dreams.” “Ambrosia!” She laughed. The substances made within the Unnamye could explain most anyone’s odd behavior. “Me or the drug?” “Both.” His eyes widened for a moment in joy, then his focus slipped to something next to her. Ambrosia had to glance to be certain there wasn’t anything there. The man loved his hallucinogens, but ambrosia didn’t cause those, Ambrosia knew. Another substance had to be causing the visions. He had to be on several drugs at the same time to get all the results he was getting. That was a dangerous thing to do, even for someone who knew what they were doing. “You’re mixing,” she accused. “Guilty as charged. Azura and ambrosia, a lovely combination.” Dreams shrugged, smiled his high smile again, and met her eyes. “So, the usual for you today, Miss Alar?” Her usual was random, dealer’s choice. That helped to preserve the mystery of it all. Ambrosia shook her head. “I’ve got a specific request today. Is Red around?” It wasn’t that Red was the only one who could serve her what she wanted, but Red had a habit that Ambrosia found quite admirable at the moment. She never seemed to speak. Right now, Ambrosia needed to concentrate, and silence was best for that. Dreams wasn’t overly talkative, but ambrosia was sure to make him more so. Dreams considered her, saw her excess of red, shrugged, and headed toward a back room. “She’s gonna love all the red,” he called back over his shoulder. “Good,” Ambrosia murmured. “I’m counting on it.”