Sandstorm [open]

[jubes]

High noon. The hottest part of the day in Agrabah. The heat was sticky and seemed to be clinging to whatever it could. It was a heat that could make you claustrophobic, make you suffocate. It was times like this that Mera wondered why she decided to dedicate her life to helping people. It was much more comfortable sitting in the small shop in Traverse Town. Sure it wasn't as exciting as treasure hunting in the desert, but hey, at least the shop had air conditioning! Not to mention there were never any sand storms in Traverse Town.

Mera squinted her eyes trying to find the city through the large clouds of sand that harassed her line of sight. This wasn't her most favorable stay in Agrabah so far but it had been worse. Heartless rarely showed up anymore and when they did Mera was able to keep them at bay without requiring any assistance. The town was now peaceful aside from the uproar of winds and humid conditions.

Pushing her way through the storm to the walled city she pushed the large wooden doors open finally obtaining shelter. With the help of some natives they slammed the door shut again securing the fort. Mera was finally able to throw off her dust mask which had only made the heat worse. Letting her long pink curls topple out of the hood, she shook the sand from her body with a displeased look. She had been helping out in different worlds for nearly two years now but she was still a bit to prissy for her own liking. Fighting and adventuring was never going to be an easy or clean job.


'How'd it go Mera?'

'Better than expected. No heartless this time. Just a lot of sand.' Mera smiled at the young girl, Neftiria. The girl was a local of Agrabah whose story was much like Mera's. She had no family and was forced to be a thief on the streets. She had taken an interest in Mera and her adventures so Mera always made it a point to visit her and bring her souvenirs from other worlds.

Excusing herself from the market where she had entered, Mera made her way towards the back streets. Far from the prying eyes of the locals who thought her weird for her light complexion. Back here she found solitude and deliverance from the outside world. Or at least, most of the time.



Tagged For: No one yet
Listening to: Katt Williams
Word Count; 478
Comments; Not my best, but okay.

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[syncwolf]

Otto moved slowly through the sandstorm, disappointed that his imprompto tourist trip to the world of Agrabah was ruined by such poor weather. Nothing better to ruin your chance at sight-seeing than a sandstorm. On top of that, he was hot, sweaty, and tired...due to getting lost in the middle of the sand covered desert. His sense of direction was poor enough without being half blinded by sand.

Dragging his sand covered body into the shelter of a convenient space between a boulder and a tree, Otto sat down to catch his breath. He quickly took his jacket off and shook it out before wiping the sweat off of his face an out of his eyes. He needed to find a place to camp out for the remainder of the storm, and a way back to Traverse Town would be nice too...

"Hoo boy." Otto said as he realized that this was going to be quite a bit of work. Pushing himself to his feet, the tired teen threw his jacket back over his shoulders and dropped his hood down. With a second sigh to no one in particular, he set out once again into the sandstorm.

After a few minutes spent walking through the unpleasent terrain, Otto finally caught sight of a city with walls high enough to keep a good majority of the storm out. Smiling slightly at his luck, he over-eagerly shoved the doors open and dashed into shelter, leaving several of the townsfolk to close the rather heavy doors by themselves. For some reason...they didn't look very happy with him. Shrugging, he made his way to the nearest shop and motioned to the shopkeeper to bring him water.

After recieving and paying for his water, he quickly paid for it and guzzled it down in the space of a few seconds before motioning for another.

"Another water please." he said this time, his throat now wet enough to talk.

[nascent]

"Thief! Come back here - I'll have your head for that!" The merchant shouted as he scrambled through the busy streets, pursuing the offending shoplifter.

'Ah, just like back home...'

Kassom grinned slightly beneath the ragged tan cloak that concealed his appearance, and so too did the malignant entity that dwelled inside him. If that man had half an idea who - and what - he was pursuing he'd have gladly given up the stolen fruit. It would have been nothing, a bargain in fact, compared to the risk he was taking. But both demon and host were in a good mood today, so there would be no need for violence.

"You're too slow, old man!" Kassom shouted back over his shoulder.

The thin, agile lynx easily outpaced the bulky Arabian merchant, weaving through crowds and leaping up and over stalls while gaining a steady lead. Truth was that he was hardly running, and already the greasy man in an over-sized turban was falling back out of sight. Of course, his shouting drew attention - people bolted away, keeping hands on their coin purses, while vendors reached for daggers and scimitars as he passed by. No one wanted to be a thief's target... which wasn't to say the scarlet-furred wayfarer didn't make off with a few trinkets along the way. His hands were at least as quick as his feet, sometimes quicker; a bag of coins here, a ring there... and he'd made sure to touch - but not remove - a few swords and other forged items along the way. A professional thief knows he doesn't necessarily have to take to gain, after all.

The chase growing tiresome, he leapt on top of a merchant's stall and then bounded up onto the nearest rooftop, leaping from one to another until the sound of pursuit had faded away. All too easy. Silently he dropped down into a back alley near a pile of abandoned rags, discarded his cloak, and traded it for a mud-splattered robe. He quickly made an over-large head covering from a large piece of the cloak's fabric and a makeshift bag from the rest, making sure not to waste that which had served him so well. Thus outfitted, he paused to examine his treasures.

"Let's see... a dozen coppers, few silvers,... hm, nice gem on the ring." He pulled out an oddly shaped gold trinket that was shaped like half a beetle. "That's odd. Wonder if I can sell it..."

<<You could melt it down... but you'd have to do it the old fashioned way.>> A dark voice with metallic resonance echoed through his mind. Ilaelis' comment caught Kassom's immediate attention.

"Magic?"

<<Of some sort. I can't quite tell what. It feels... incomplete, somehow.>>

"Interesting..." The young lynx pocketed the trinket, then put the rest of his bounty into the sack and tied it securely at his waist. "Now, to find a pawn shop."

<<Don't forget why we're here, kid.>>

Kassom was silent for a moment. He hadn't forgotten... couldn't, in fact. His mission was still the same as it had been when the dark rift had thrown him into that desolated train station. Still, traveling between worlds wasn't proving to be an easy venture, and he'd have to keep world-hopping if he was to find the information he sought. He'd gotten lucky last time, stowing away aboard a ship that was passing through. He couldn't count on that again, which meant he'd need money to hire a pilot. Although where he'd find a pilot in this sandy backwater, and where he'd go, were both open questions. He sighed, knowing he had a tremendous task ahead of him, then smiled faintly as he determined to make the best of it and enjoy the ride.

<<That's the spirit.>> Ilaelis chimed in, aware of Kassom's thoughts. <<Well, no use standing around here. Let's go.>>

'You're the boss.' Kassom thought in reply, turning and heading for the other end of the alley. It turned in a sharp corner which, as he rounded it, revealed a surprise.

A woman stood roughly a dozen feet away... a woman with pink hair and fair skin. Kassom raised one eyebrow in curiosity, realizing that this person most likely wasn't from around here. 'And that means...' he mused, deciding to see where this stroke of fortune would lead him.

"Pardon me, miss." He spoke as he approached, trying to seem casual and non-threatening. "I'm new in town, and I was wondering if you could direct me to a local vendor. You see, I'm a tad short of funds and was hoping to sell off some items I have on me. Although... -no offense, of course-... but you don't seem to be from here either."