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 Posted: Tue Feb 17, 2015 3:38 pm
The bazaars of Sulburi were, as always, crammed packed with people. Good – that was just how Khalel liked it! Waves of Obans moved to and fro, this way and that down the rows of stalls, and it was easy to get lost amongst the crowd. The youngling took advantage of such things, preferring to sneak out of his lavish estate during the peak shopping hours. It was just easier that way. With more people, it was harder to notice a young girl out without her parents or a guardian watching over her. The girl took other precautions, too, of course, namely her clothing.
Her father always told her to be careful. People would stare at her if they saw her features up close. Some might even get angry and yell at her. She knew why, of course, though her father didn’t like to talk about it. It was due to her heritage, and it was also for that reason that Khalel made sure to cover up as much as possible. Despite the heat, she covered herself in a long robe with a hood, careful to hide her skin. While it was colored dark like a typical Oban’s, it was dotted with markings one might find on a Matori. Such skin was courtesy of her mother, and although she hid it while in public, the girl was quite fond of this feature of hers. The one feature she couldn’t hide, unfortunately, were her eyes. They were distinctly that of a Water-earthling, with the horizontal, oblong pupils. One good look, and they would notice, but she didn’t care.
She was there to have fun and explore the stalls, and that was what she intended to do. Naturally, she gravitated toward the perfumed oils and the jewelry, which were her favorite spots in the bazaar. No matter how many times she stopped there, the wares that the merchants sold always kept calling her back. One day, she would own a plethora of all these fancy things, and it would be fabulous. That day, however, had not come yet, and but she was content just to look.
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Posted: Tue Feb 17, 2015 4:10 pm
Nuawahn couldn't remember how he had made his way into Sulburi, but that wasn't unusual. He usually didn't remember things like that. All he knew – or cared about – was that he was having fun.
He danced and cavorted on a woven mat rug, casting illusions to the delight of the crowd that had begun to gather in his corner of the marketplace. It reminded him of his time in Zena, a time he hadn't remembered for a very long time. He remembered snowmen armies and lots of cold and wandering, and also of the wonders of urban life. He was dressed differently now, of course, because it was hot here, but he was still draped with colorful patterns and cloth, and his blonde hair and peachy-golden skin stood out amongst the fire tribespeople like gold in a streambed.
This city was so much bigger than Zidel, and he couldn't wait to explore it, but in the meantime... He made a Suhurama appear out of his magic, swirling above the heads of the people and uttering a great cry before dissolving into sparks and illusory embers.
The crowed 'oooed' and 'ahhed' and Nuawahn giggled as coins clattered into his collection cup.
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Posted: Tue Feb 17, 2015 4:23 pm
The oohs and ahs caught her attention, which was no easy feat when she was standing next to the intricate pieces of gold jewelry. Intrigued by the sudden cluster of people, Khalel pushed and ducked her way through the swarm of Obans and travelers. They had gathered, apparently, to watch a man work his magic. The younglings, herself included, watched in awe as he practiced his craft. Just how did he do that, exactly? She wanted to know! To make shapes and forms come out of thin air like that, surely it was a work of magic! And while she had read about such things being possible, she had never seen it in person. None of her tutors were gifted with magical abilities; just the ability to teach. How boring.
Eventually, the crowd began to fade away, and Khalel alone was left standing in front of the man. Nuawahn was a strange sort of earthling. Never before had she encountered a man with such pale skin. Did he have some sort of condition? Maybe it was because he was magic. Surely, though, he was no Oban. He was…something else. With her curiosity piqued, the girl tilted her head at the man, the hood on her robe slipping off in the process.
”Are you a wizard?”
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Posted: Tue Feb 17, 2015 4:47 pm
When the crowd thinned, Nua, smiling, set about to collecting his earnings. He never asked for money, but people gave it anyway and that – he thought – was really very nice of them! This way he could buy things. Maybe food, maybe lodgings, but probably just trinkets and pretty things. He loved trinkets and pretty things! Sometimes, if he was lucky, inns – such strange places, inns – would give him free lodging if he told them stories, and whatever malady afflicted his mind and brought the white fog over his thoughts and memories never effected the stories. Sometimes the stories were the only hint of something totally lost in his fog, and he enjoyed telling them to people. Other times, the inns wanted pay, and that was also fine.
He had just put the coins away when he realized he wasn't alone. He looked down at the girl, taking in her dark skin and bright yellow eyes and pretty dotty markings. She was just plain pretty.
He crouched and smiled at her, gesturing with his hands and making a ball of rainbows appear in front of her face and explode into prismatic light. ”Mm hmm!” he said, laughing, ”I am a wizard...” he moved his hands quickly around her face, producing a small seashell – apparently – from behind her ear and offering it to her. ”See?”
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Posted: Tue Feb 17, 2015 4:58 pm
One minute he was reaching toward her face, and the next he was pulling out a shell from behind her ear. Surprised by the slight-of-hand and fully believing that he had worked some magic, the girl leaned in for a closer look at the shell. It was strange, this shell he produced. It didn’t have the look that a Matori shell would have. But what other sort of shell could it be? The water-earthlings were known for their shells, and she hadn’t really heard much about other shells.
Once she had finished looking at the shell, Khalel’s vibrant eyes looked into Nua’s blue ones. ”How’d you do that,” she wanted to know, stepping back some so she wasn’t as close to Wind earthling. Her father always told her not to get too close to people; they had their own personal space, plus one couldn’t trust them. Not unless they were Oban, she remembered him saying.
”How come don’t you burn in the sun,” she went on to ask, not even bothering to put up her hood. She had noticed it had fallen off her head, but who cared. Let them see what she looked like – she wasn’t ashamed. ”Or is that magic, too?” Magic, she thought, only to nod at her own theories. It must have been magic, or a cream, or something.
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Posted: Tue Feb 17, 2015 5:30 pm
She really did have pretty eyes, with such a funny sideways thing in the center. What was it? Oh! Yes! A pupil!
”Oh! I don't know!” he said. He'd never really thought about why he didn't burn before. It was odd, now that he thought about it. ”Maybe!” he said, that seemed about as likely as anything else.
”Magic does a lot of things.” He said, pressing the shell gently into her hand. ”Here! Its for you.” he vaguely remembered having picked up the pretty sandy shell on the beaches of Sauti. Someone else was there too... Ogbonna? Yes! Oggie! And his uncle... some Wind guy.
Thoughts of Oggie made Nua sad, and he couldn't remember why they made him sad. Only that it did.
He left the shell in her hands. ”But that was a different kind of magic! Do you want me to show you how? Its a magic anyone can do!”
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Posted: Tue Feb 17, 2015 5:43 pm
Khalel’s mouth dropped when he handed her the shell. Her eyes widened further, and it was clear from her expression on her face that the girl had not expected to be given a gift. Once the shell was in her hand, tiny fingers closed around it, and she held on it for dear life. It wasn’t often she received presents – her father much preferred to give Rajiik, her half-brother, gifts of finery over her – but when she did get them, she treasured them. The youngling was already picturing exactly where in her room she would place it. She had the perfect spot, right on the shelf next to her desk!
”Thank you,” she chimed, her voice sing-song and happy. Luckily for her, her father failed to notice little things like shells and other trinkets, so her newly obtained gift would go unnoticed. If it hadn’t, things might be a little difficult, as Zaleem would demand to know where she had gotten it. But she didn’t have to worry about that, and instead the girl focused on Nua’s question.
A different kind of magic?
What other sort of magics could there be?
”Sure,” she went on to say, trailing off in silence for a moment. Before he had a chance to say anything else, however, Khalel jutted out a speckled hand. Where were her manners? She had forgotten to introduce herself. ”I’m Khalel, by the way,” she said, her voice suddenly sheepish and her expression somewhat shy. ”It’s nice to meet you.”
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Posted: Thu Feb 19, 2015 10:47 am
”Khalel is a pretty name!” remarked Nuawahn, delightedly, tracing it in the air with his magic and then making it explode into pretty colored illusory smoke. It always got a kick out of kids, and he liked it when they laughed. Nua just loved laughter in general – it was like it echoed inside of him and made the world so supremely beautiful. Laughter was more powerful than the fog, and kept the unpleasant sad things away, not to mention the nightmares that sometimes plagued him. ”I'm Nuawahn, and its nice to meet you too!” the smoke faded as he held out his hands. In one hand, he held a Jahuaran bead, a long, teal, glassy cylinder. In the other, nothing but his blue-tinged palm.
”This is special magic.” he said, ”You do it with just your hands, but everybody thinks you must have done something else... but the amazing part is... you didn't have to!” he moved his hands quickly, and the bead...
Vanished!
He showed her the empty hand and then, almost miraculously, made it reappear. ”Did you see the bead go away?” he said, smiling impishly, ”Well, it never really went away!”
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Posted: Thu Feb 19, 2015 11:15 am
“Nuawahn is an exotic name,” Khalel countered, replaying the sound of his name over and over again in her head. Although she couldn’t place where he was from, she liked his name. It was different from the Oban names she was used to from people around the city. “I like it,” she then said, nodding her head resolutely. It was a bit long, however, so perhaps she could just shorten it and give the Wind tribesman a nickname. “I’m going to call you Nua; it’s a little easier.”
The small explosions caught the youngling off guard, and she couldn’t help but jump a little in her surprise. A laugh escaped her mouth after that, happy and thrilled at the sight of the colorful smokes that Nua produced with his abilities. The healer was just full of tricks, wasn’t he? Not that the hybrid was complaining. He could probably go on for hours and hours and she probably wouldn’t tire of it. Watching magic was fun, just like meeting new people was fun, and she really wished her father would let her out of the house more to experience things like that.
Khalel listened intently when Nua went on to explained how slight of hand worked. As was to be expected, her eyes were on the pretty, exotic bead the entire time. She had never seen a bead like that before in her whole life, so it was no surprise that she was drawn to it. After it disappeared, the girl looked from where the bead had been, to Nua, and then back to the man’s hand once more. She had never seen it leave, but he clearly did something. He was quick, for sure!
“The thieves guild would love you!” This was said openly and without much thought for those around her, but her words were honest. Such tricks were generally performed by thieves and others who utilized being quick of hand. “Do you go on adventures,” she went on to ask, quirking a brow at him once she had inquired. “Wizards go on adventures. I’d like to go, if so,” she went on to say, an impish grin tugging her lips upward. Perhaps, if he did go on adventures, he could take her. Then she could get out of the city and see the world. Khalel could only hope.
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Posted: Sat Feb 21, 2015 8:25 am
”Mmhmm!” he said, ”You can call me whatever you want!” He produced the bead again, seemingly out of thin air, and handed it to her. Had he given her a gift already? He couldn't remember. Oh! Yes! The shell! But she could have another anyway. After all, her laugh was so pretty! It made her happy, it made him happy, and maybe it made the world happy!
”Really?” he said, surprised, ”I never thought that I was a thief!” Sure, sometimes he took things that didn't belong to him, but that was usually unintentional and he gave things back without fuss, even when he thought the people they belonged to needed to lighten up! He was going to make some sort of silly comment or other about thieves and stealing when she brought up adventures.
”Yes I do!” he said happily, nevermind he didn't remember most of them, ”Lots of adventures! I'm on one right now!” which was a reasonable assumption, considering he wasn't in Sauti, and everybody here was definitely a stranger. Strangers, to Nua, were the best sort of people. ”Ooo!” he grinned at her, ”You wanna go with me?” he was and wasn't surprised, all at the same time.
”Sure” he said. Adventures were the best when they were with others, after all, ”What do you wanna do first?”
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Posted: Sat Feb 21, 2015 8:31 am
Khalel pocketed the other bead without even hesitating. Before she did, however, she couldn’t help but pause and examine it with a careful eye. It was pretty, just like the first one, and she was glad to have a pair of them, rather than just one. A person could never have too many trinkets, and just like so many of her other belongings, it would go in a place of honor in her room. The youngling beamed from ear to ear after she slipped the bead away. A new friend, presents, and an adventure. What a day this was turning out to be!
”First, let’s get some juice,” she said, raising a hand up to point over to a small stand at the corner. Oba was, as always, particularly hot that day. A cup of juice would not only be refreshing, but it would quench the thirst that dried out her throat. One couldn’t exactly go on an adventure while they were thirsty now, could they? That was a most assured way to perish in the desert sands!
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Posted: Sat Feb 21, 2015 9:49 am
Juice sounded like a very good idea to Nuawahn. He was so thirsty! Not that he wasn't used to being thirsty or finding water on his own.
Juice, however, was tastier, but all their juices were strange and new to Nuawahn – completely and totally new. He wanted to try them all! But he had to start somewhere! Ignoring the odd looks his pale skin, hair, and eyes garnered from the juice stand manager, he strode up and offered them money and his favorite cup.
”What's your favorite type of juice, Khalel?” he asked. She was a kid, and kids always knew the best juice!
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Posted: Sat Feb 21, 2015 11:14 am
”Dragonfruit,” she chimed, pulling out a small coin purse that she carried with her. She had placed it in the pocket of her robe for safe-keeping, as it was less likely to get stolen that way. ”Or guava,” she added in a sing-song voice. The mention of the fruit juices made her mouth water, and after she opened up her purse, she held out money for a cup from the vendor.
The man at the stall chuckled. ”Back for more, Khalel,” he said fondly, chuckling as he took the coin she held out to him. ”This is your third time here this week.” What could she say, honestly? She loved juice! Sheepishly, the girl nodded, her expression a shy smile as he handed the juice over. It was already chilled, so it would be even more refreshing to drink. After serving the girl, the vendor then looked toward Nua and grinned.
”The young miss is quite fond of juice. She stops by often.”
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Posted: Sat Feb 21, 2015 1:40 pm
Three times?! Nuawahn trusted the child's judgement and got dragonfruit for himself. He sipped it. ”Thats because you have the best juice!” he chirped happily, ”Nothing better outside of Jahuar!” at least, he was pretty sure. It was tasty, anyway, and the dancing flavors on his tongue made Nuawahn want to sing and dance just from it alone.
”We're going on an adventure!” he announced to the woman, because clearly such things should be announced. Adventures were fun, after all, and should be shared. ”Do you have more?”
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Posted: Sat Feb 21, 2015 2:31 pm
”Of course, of course,” the vendor said, a smile on his face. By the time he had said that he had more, Khalel was already finished with her glass of juice, and was handing the empty dish back to him. If Nua wanted more, then she wanted to have more, too. Besides, adventures often took a long time, and the more they drank, the more refreshed they would be for whatever came their way. Not wanting to keep the young girl waiting, he handed her back a full glass of juice, and another for Nua as well. The youngling drank hers in no time flat, a big, content sigh escaping her once she finished it.
”So, adventure,” she exclaimed, pointing out through the busy streets to one of the cities many exits. ”Let’s go out into the desert, and maybe to one of the other settlements! That could be fun.” Hopeful yellow orbs then gazed at the Wind healer and then stayed on them. Oh, she was ever so eager to finally go on a real adventure! Not just hang around in the market. This was going to be great!
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