⊱ Bandar al Kahin: The Port of Diviners [O/A] Win Gold!

[Fiend The Bunny]

[Docks of Bandar - Catching an Aron]

Da. Da. Da. DING!

The ball pinged the capture, the shaking ceased. James ran over, grabbing the ball from the floor and cheering with all his might, Vagabond joining him as curios onlookers began to clap slightly at first, then at full force. "AAAAAAAAH!" "Loooooon!" Boy and beast screamed their respective calls, James holding the ball up as Vagabond coiled its arms around it.

Aron would be too injured to fight anytime soon, and he couldn't just let it out before it healed, but he had now had another friend for himself and Vagabond, and a name in order. "What do you think, Vagabond? What should we name him? Predictably, Vagabond merely purred the latter half of its species name, but for whatever James felt like speaking to him as if he would receive an answer, for Pokemon were not like other animals. They possessed an intelligence much like a human, if not greater, but lacked the ability to speak(normally). They formed gangs, had dreams, emotions, and with that came a bond strong.

"I was thinking Charge, or maybe Rampage? Oh, I know! Stampede!" Vagabond puffed itself full of air at that one, expanding in approval. "Stampede it is!" And with that, another ally in the quest of a youth in a world harsh, full of ultra violence and horrors beyond imagine.

Current: Drifloon Status: Rejoicing; Perfect

[Shaizard]

⊱Mid-desert of Bandar

I will confront and fight for the souls in this street.
The starting point of a new revolution, stop me if you can.
An evil DNA virus, we have lost all our warriors

The crossing through the desert had not been the go to plan if you asked Eden, but it was the route the Black One had whispered to her in her dreams and what her progenitor asked of her, she would follow. If their relationship had come with a guidebook or contract, it would of been the first article cited, when Kali spoke then Eden would listen. Like how the christian God had punished Jonah for failing to follow the 'word' set down, Eden believed so strongly that the Black One would of struck her down for any sign of insolence.

Each step through the shifting sands was a challenge in itself, this kind of climate and heat was something the city street thag was not acclimated towards. A bright white scarf was secured about her face, keeping the sand from entering her lungs as she breathed as well as protecting her eyes from the sting of sand raised by the winds. The bright white contrasted drastically against her skin which was as black as night, so black that it shone an actual blue/purple and also brought out the unusual color of her eyes. Golden amber close to the pupil by graduating out to a rich chocolate brown framed by dark lashes. Egyptian linens made up the rest of her attire and she was truthfully out of her element in them, but seeing her means of travel was to be through the desert...she had ditched her street clothes and thick boots back at a temporary lodging she had secured for a month's time. Loose pants that billowed in the wind and a loose top, she felt awkward and the cloth that she had wrapped around her hair to keep the sand from embedding itself somehow in the carnelian beads that were woven into her hair. The small braids were intermixed with her normal hair, sleek black blocks that were pulled back from her face and also decorated with beetle wings and the occasional silver charm. She stuck out like a sore thumb in the desert.

When desert herders came upon her, they offered her companionship and aid as well as food but she turned all down. Smiling as politely as possible as she refused and continued to travel in solitude. Leaving the herders to shake their heads and consider her walking to her death.

Yet she was not forsworn, the Black One had not sent her here to suffer. 'Immortality' was a gift that demanded Eden's faith in her progenitor, but it did not leave her immune from suffering. Pain was pain, and hunger was hunger. To sustain her, the Black One sent gifts of blood since the Black One was known for her task at drinking every drop of demon blood as to not let the demons respawn in the falling of a single drop. When Eden came upon a goat on its side and breathing shallowly, she had not questioned her task and drank its blood and fed from its meat. A lick of her lips, a whispered thanks to the Black One, and she continued onward to this place that the Goddess Kali had indicated her to travel.

Shielding her eyes as she raised her gaze, the sun beating down on her back, she could see a majority of the seaside city she was coming upon and thankfully, would reach soon. In the back of her mind, she was conscious of the Black One's emotions of pleasure that Eden had fulfilled the task so well and without complaint, and like that Eden felt the Black One's presence fade slightly away. She would take that as her cue to enter the city and begin to understand how the thag in the streets lived as well as establish a relationship with any known guilds for thieves.

Always busy.

[The Young Rapid]

(Here's something decent.

I hope I don't do anything completely wrong.)

Was that a ********' Pokemon? No, no time. Not even in the city yet.

Still outside, in Customs- excuse me, the 'Port Authority'. Tiam Kara was all for the safety of a large settlement but he really wanted off this damn boat. Like right now. Underneath his calm bronzed visage this southern islander was about as anxious as one can get before even the most stoic of military men would begin to piss and moan like a five-year-old. Tiam had no idea how long he'd been at sea - maybe a few weeks, at the most - but whatever length of time it had been was just too damn long. Don't get him wrong - dude loves water. But ships are so cramped; especially these tiny schooners the southern islands use. Tiam was ready to welcome the first inch of solid ground he could press his lips to.

Tiam was a tall man; with sharp features that probably stood out as stark contrast compared to the less so desert folk. He was out of a solid bicep, almost literally. He was mostly muscle with little fat percentage, a testament to his great physical conditioning. Tiam was dressed in a pair of thin pants, a sleeveless shirt, and slip-on shoes made of lizardhide. He'd dressed for the area; or at least how much he knew about the area. Which amounted to only that it was pretty hot - which it was. The bronzed islander had indeed broken a sweat and beads of the stuff rolled down his forehead and over his face. Making him wish that the Port Authorities would be all the more quicker.

The staff would of course have to question Tiam, much to his chagrin. They wanted to know the nature of his visit, to which he replied long-term. It wasn't a tourist booty call. Why long term? Not that it was any of their business (and he told them as such) but between you and me, his government had kicked him out. Back home he was something of a 'Special Operations' coordinator. The guy who organized and helped execute covert recoveries, reconnaissance, and sometimes the odd assassination. Think a pacific islander version of the Morag Tong and you're not far off.

And indeed like the Morag Tong, this little club has rules: chief among them being secrecy. Tiam had made the unfortunate mistake of taking it upon himself to execute a known drug smuggler in broad daylight. The smuggler had gone for him first of course - although nobody knows how he knew Tiam, as, like with any good secret society this little shindig is sure to wear balaclavas and such - so Tiam felt the action was justifiable self defense. True as that may be, his identity was still outed and our intrepid hero had to be smuggled out of the island nation via fishing boat.

I digress. The quick little fishing vessel (which, upon disembarking, Tiam would notice was apparently christened the Porpoise for some reason) finally began to move again. The security check was over! The Porpoise skipped it's way into the welcoming womb of the Bandar port proper, it's singular island-born passenger observing from the starboard bow, craning over the safety rail to get a good look at the seaside city of Bandar. It was lovely to say the least. The Porpoise was arriving rather late in the evening. Maybe half an hour after dark. Tiam marveled at the glow radiating off Bandar as it complimented the already earthy tones of the city's construction, making it seem as though the city was made of gold. For a second he didn't feel quite so home sick. Maybe Bandar would work out.

The Porpoise docked and the islander retrieved his duffle bag. With it thrown over his shoulder, Tiam took his first tentative steps into the new city. His new home, for the foreseeable future. He surely missed his little island, but he didn't have many ties to it. Just his parents, as he was an only child. First on his itinerary was to find somewhere to sleep. Tiam had the cash; he'd had all his funds taken from him and replaced with the equivalent amount of whatever Bandar uses for currency.

Tiam spent his first few moments in Bandar stuck to the boardwalk. He didn't want to head into the city until he knew exactly where he was going. It wasn't long before he managed to find a helpful soul who was willing to direct him to where the nearest place where one could rent a room was. Once heading that way, Tiam kept his eyes up, watching for landmarks; restaurants and the like. Lucky for him the route from the marina to the inn was fairly direct. It didn't take Tiam long to find his destination. Once there, he purchased a room with enough of whatever that currency happened to be to ensure it would be at least a week before the land lord came looking for him.

The 'inn' (it didn't take Tiam long to realize the 'inn' was actually just a really big house with rooms for sale) was taller than the houses around it, which were tall in their own right. If he'd ever been to Japan, it would have reminded him of just that: there was no room to build outward, so they built upward. As high as they could possibly go. Tiam was given what I suppose could be called the 'penthouse', when it actuality it was something like the attic. There was one perk, though: shutters on both sides of the room, providing an actually very soothing cross-breeze that he'd discover soon enough. The decor left a lot to be desired; two chairs, a table, a futon mattress, and a ton of mats. There wasn't a bedroom or any room for that matter. The room was more or less a loft. Or an attic. Whichever.

The islander, once he'd scaled the staircase aaaaaaaall the way up to his room, dropped his duffle bag with a sigh. The reality of the situation was slowly beginning to sink in. Tiam dropped into one of his chairs and began unpacking his things. He had his essentials; the shark-tooth sword (in it's case) and his obsidian knife (in it's sheath). At least they let him keep the knife. He'd set those aside, zip up the bag, and kick it under the table. Tiam would leave the sword on the table and keep the knife under his pillow; it was a new area and he didn't really trust it at all. With his effects in order, the islander was free to drag his chair over by one of the windows, through the shutters open, and have a seat. He'd sit there for quite a while. Enjoy the cooling breeze on his sweat-drenched features.

Eventually he'd have to eat, though.

[The Young Rapid]

The next day came like an oven preheating. The heat seemed to sneak up on him like a trickster; the difference in temperature between night and day left Tiam heavily disoriented. He wasn't used to manic-depressive weather, it didn't gel with him at all. The islander rose from his futon (well, peeled himself out of it) and stumbled his way over to the northfacing aperture and threw the shutters open. He'd closed them sometime last night, after the temperature had plummeted like a rock in water. He immediately regretted after receiving a face full of sun. It was like trying to headbutt a space heater. Tiam threw a hand up in front of his eyes to shield them from the sun, which had risen over the horizon perhaps an hour ago. It would take some time for him to adjust to these conditions.

In the meantime, gotta eat. It's definitely time to eat now. In just a pair of simple cloth pants held with a drawstring Tiam made his way downstairs. The old crone who rented the rooms out had already prepared a simple breakfast; mostly fruit, bread, and other boring things that poor people ate. He sat and ate quietly. Tiam was surrounded by the other two tenants: a couple that would later divulge themselves as having come from far north. From a sprawling supersuburb called Barton. Bandar wasn't a popular tourist spot, though, they'd tell him. Few people that far north knew this place existed. Few people ever left the mainland up there, they'd stress. Tiam didn't blame them; this heat was bordering on unacceptable.

He decided to explore the city some while it was still early and the weather was still well outside of fatal range. Apparently there was a market. It was close to the stronghold the city was built around, which wasn't far from where he was staying. The crone offered to accompany him so he wouldn't have to worry about getting lost but Tiam refused. He'd be fine on his own. She didn't press the issue, but instead insisted she loan him something to wear. When he inquired as to why (he had his own clothes after all) she explained to him that he had to protect his skin from the sun, lest he burn. Tiam had little trouble believing that the sun would roast him alive if he left without covering himself so he accepted her offer. A few moments later he'd depart dressed in a loose-fitting cloth garment that fit almost like a robe, complete with to shield his face and eyes.

She'd given him directions to the marketplace so Tiam had no trouble finding it. It was different from that of his home, which was to be expected. For one it was multi-tiered like modern shopping malls. He'd stare upward in awe of such construction, not fully believing that it didn't collapse of it's own volition. It was truly impressive when compared to the simple shanties that most people lived in where he came from. With what little money he'd decided to bring with him Tiam would purchase various kinds of fruit and vegetables. He was curious at what kinds they had here, and was not dissapointed. There was a rich assortment despite conditions not favoring the planting of crops. It didn't take long for him to put two and two together and realize that all of these goods had imported, though. Maybe Bandar wasn't so bad after all.

He'd spend another hour or so sightseeing. Tiam explored the marketplace for a few minutes more before moving on to roaming the city. Bandar really was very easy on the eyes; the architecture was like nothing he'd ever seen, both in scope and design. It was also the most densely populated place he'd ever been to. Tiam had never seen so many people crammed into a single place. It gave the city personality, though. The city felt lively; it had energy. Energy that perhaps Tiam was beginning to enjoy. Nevertheless, Tiam would spend the remainder of the morning strolling the streets and enjoying the new sights and sounds. Oblivious to any fateful encounters that may stumble their way into his life.