The City of Twelve

[xLulie]

Marzia
'I don't want to be alone'


Marzia had been wondering for what felt like forever, she arrived at the City of Twelve a couple of hours ago and was still looking for food. Marzia walked through the crowds of people and heard lots of words she had never come to understand, shrugging them off as she observed people talking, she noticed that the people were always looking around them, nervous of who was in close proximity.

Walking up to a stall at the marketplace, Marzia noticed some tasty looking fruit, which almost made her drool. She eyed up a very juicy looking apple and moved her face closer to it, before she was pushed backwards by what must have been the shop owner, "Aint no little brat like you stealing from me!! Away with you, scum!! he shouted at her, she pulled herself together and looked at the man with such fear, she had never been accused of stealing before and wanted to give him a piece of her mind, but she left it and walked away.

Marzia signed heavily and looked up into the sky, she felt very lonely. Stopping in her tracks, she looked around her at the city and her surroundings. "Everyone seems to have a reason for being on this world.." she said, pulling her sleeve down over her augmented arm. "What's mine?" she added, feeling a bit sorry for herself. This was short lived however, as someone raced past her, pushing her to the side with their arm. Marzia let out a shout, and pulled herself together again, feeling around her however, she realised that the person had ran off with her backpack.

"HEY!!! THAT'S MINE!!! she yelled, chasing after the thief. Marzia continue to shout, trying to tell people to stop him, but nobody wanted to help, Marzia was so confused and almost hurt by this as she kept running for what felt like hours. "Please!! STOP!!" she yelled at the top of her lungs. This thief was a good runner, and Marzia slowly but surely fell behind and almost lost sight of him. "Why is nobody stopping him?!

Marzia didn't want to have to use her power, but she had to get her bag back, and would run after him for a few more minutes before she wouldn't have any other choice.

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Crossroad Meeting

 

[Crossroad Meeting]

With his business done and a meal in his belly there had been little else to keep him in the city. Well almost nothing. Strolling through the city he had been approaching people on their own to ask them if they were interested in work. Thus far it had not really gone well and he was getting tired of ending up in a fight. With that in mind he had wondered if he could bribe some of the stupid ones into his service, because he honestly needed more bandits.

Thinking on these things is when he first heard the shouting. Tilting his head slightly he listened intently for the sound and found it getting closer to him. It was a child, perhaps a girl? What was a kid doing in a place like this? Ah. The last thing he heard shouted made sense. She was obviously alone here. If she was someone's offspring she wouldn't be out in the open alone, nor shouting like she was. And she would have known that this was a town of thieves.

When said thief came running in his direction he thought he might just let him go. But getting a good look at the kid falling behind he made a strange choice. Right hand faintly glowing he took a powerful stance, using his little bit of magical ability to pull a root just enough out of the ground to trip the thief. Not seeing his intervention the thief tripped over it, sprawling face first in front of Nyvolan.

Smirking a bit he put a booted foot on his back and took the backpack from him. "Tsk. Stealing from a kid? That's just low." Not that he was any better really, but it really was something he wasn't sure he would do. Kids were different. Keeping the thief down he looked up to where the kid was. Closer anyway. She seemed to definitely be here alone. Was she a runaway slave, or just some random stray? "Hey kid...what're you doin' here alone?"


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xLulie

 

[xLulie]

Marzia
'I don't want to be alone'


Marzia watched as the thief ran around a corner and thought that she had lost him, she came to a crowd of people and tried to fit through quickly but was pushed around enough to lose his tracks. As she came to the end of the crowd, she stopped in her tracks and looked around, not seeing him anywhere she stomped her foot in a bit of a tantrum. "Oh no! she shouted, as she continue to run and make a right turn.

Thinking that she had made the wrong turn and it was all over, Marzia was both shocked and excited that someone had stopped the thief. She made her way over to them and stopped a few yards away, looked from the thief, to the backpack, and then to the man that had stopped him. Marzia was out of breath, but through each long huff, she responded to his question. "I was just passing by to try and find some food! she said, looking at the thief, she pointed at him, making more of a childish 'huffy' face than showing anger - she had never really experienced anger before. "And then this big meanie took my backpack!!" she yelled, looking at the guys foot on his back.

Marzia smiled and did a peace sign at them both, "But mission complete! We won the chase and now you can just let him go!! she said, laughing with such happiness, forgetting the fact that she would have actually lost the thief were it not for this new individual. The thief stopped panicking and almost looked at Nyvolan with a 'what the hell is she?' look on his face, Marzia was only a young child, her bubbly personality always threw people off and was the only way she knew how to cope with any situation... as strange as some might find it.

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Crossroad Meeting

 

[Crossroad Meeting]

Big meanie? A smile twitched at his lips and he managed to stifle a laugh. This kid was absolutely clueless as to where she was. She was actually really lucky the guy hadn't grabbed both her and the bag. Slaves were a lucrative profit here, and they didn't ask any question about where a person got said person to sell. With this kid being here alone she could have been in a much worse strait than she was now. Which made Nyvolan think a moment, watching her.

"Well. I have your backpack now." Not that he was going to keep it, likely there was nothing of worth in it after all. What puzzled him was the peace signs and happy demeanor. She was adorable. Almost immediately his mind locked into that, gears turning and beginning to wonder if the child would be helpful in getting strangers led into traps set by him, so he could take everything they had. It was definitely an idea of how to boost his incoming goods with just himself and a kid.

Grinning at her he kept the thief pinned. "How about I help you get some food, huh? You shouldn't wander around here alone after all." Looking down at the thief and glaring. Hopefully his reputation was enough to make the thief think better of starting a fight here. "And you...you had better get lost. And quite picking on kids, that's disgusting." Taking his foot off of him and approaching her he squatted down in front of her, handing her the pack. "So, what's your name kid?"


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xLulie

 

[xLulie]

Marzia
'I don't want to be alone'


Marzia wondered why he stated he had her backpack, of course he did - she was never too quick to catch on to a joke. She moved her head a little in confusion, and watched as he let go of the thief, who instantly bolted away, she noticed the fear on his face... was this man well know around these parts?

"Well... I'd love to get some food, I just unfortunately don't have any of this 'money' that everyone keeps talking about..." she said, sheepishly scratching her head, she had never earned any money in her life, and didn't really understand full well how it worked, it had only been about a fortnight since she escaped from the research facility where she had spent all her days.

Marzia let out a very girly squeal and had a huge grin on her face as he handed her backpack bag, she cuddled it so tightly, almost like a teddy bear. "Thank you so much mr!" she said, as she rummaged through it, making sure her things were still in there, but most of all, her sticker book. Taking it out of her bag the grin remained on her face as she sighed in relief, "You see, this is why he couldn't get away, my sticker book!! See?!" she said, holding it to show him, as if he would have the same interest in it as her... which he most certainly wouldn't.

She placed it back in her backpack and wrapped it back around her back, putting out her left hand, making sure not her right, she held it to shake. "This is what I've seen everyone do when they say hello!" she really was letting away how much of the world she knew, nothing. "My name is Marzia, pleasure to meet you! she said, laughing as she already felt like she had made a new friend.

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Crossroad Meeting

 

[Crossroad Meeting]

No money? And it sounded like she had no idea what that even meant. Huh, strange kid. Maybe she'd been a slave? Who knew really. His own people had never heard of currency until they had left their wild forests themselves so it wasn't unheard of. The little girl didn't strike him as a wild tribe type however, which is what confused him even more. Where exactly had this kid grown up? Scanning the area around him he tried to be sure he wasn't being scammed before looking back at her.

The squeal made him wince a little, ears twitching at the awful sound. That would be something he hoped he wouldn't hear again. It was strange to watch her cuddle the bag and he was greatly puzzled as she rummaged through it. Sticker book? "Eh?" Obviously confused as she pulled it out, glancing over the book and not fully understanding what she meant. He'd never run into such a thing and had no idea what she meant. But he also didn't ask, not sure he wanted to.

Such an enthusiastic child. Without realizing it he had been wearing a half smile as she talked, listening to her with amusement. When she stuck out her hand he chuckled a little and took her hand, his own engulfing hers almost completely. "It is nice to meet you to. I'm Nyvolan, you can call me Nyvo if you like. Would you like to go eat now?" This little girl needed someone to take care of her, he knew that, and he wondered if she would stick by him or not. It would be advantageous to have an innocent child as bait for well-meaning travelers.


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xLulie

 

[xLulie]

Marzia
'I don't want to be alone'


Marzia could tell that Nyvolan had a lot of thoughts going through his head, her situation must have been baffling to anyone who listened. She noticed his confusion when she showed him her sticker book, but smiled through it, she would probably bore him for hours in the near future showing him all of her stickers.. and if he was nice to her, she would maybe even gift him with a sticker, which made her very excited. 'Oh I wonder what sticker I could give him, what about the cool knife one.. or the flower!!?' - all of these rather childish thoughts ran through her mind.

The noise of her stomach growling drowned out her thoughts, and she was brought back round. Marzia went a bit red from embarrassment and nodded to Nyvo, "Yes please... I'm really hungry.." she said, as she looked at their surroundings. Marzia shrugged, "What's your favourite food in the whole wide world Nyvo - I'd like to get you it!" she said, smiling at him, not really thinking that it would be with his money anyway.

"I saw this really round juicy bit of food at one of the stalls, oh and I also saw some people sitting down at tables eating some long brown thing!! Oh I also saw people making their own food, do you do that too?! Oh I'm so excited to try this out!! she said, doing a little dance of excitement.

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Crossroad Meeting

 

[Crossroad Meeting]

The growling of the kids stomach was really all he'd needed to hear to know she was hungry so he grinned a little. Poor kid, he wondered how long she'd been wandering on her own. It was obvious she didn't have parents here, and no one was seemingly looking for her, so she wasn't a slave. This was good. If she was a free person that meant he didn't have to fight anyone to have her follow him. That would be one person less he'd have to find to aid him as a bandit. The kid could bring in more money.

Ha! The kid wanted to get his favorite food? He supposed he'd have to explain the concept of money at some point, but for now it really wasn't a priority. "Eh? My favorite? Strawberries. They're the best fruits." Though he wasn't sure if they would be on the market or not right now he would at least look later if that made her happy. For now he would bring her to the closest place to eat. Long brown thing...bread maybe? Sausage? He would have to get her to point it out.

"Mm...you'll have to show me, and I can tell you what its called." Nyvolan decided, that would certainly simplify the situation rather than trying to guess. The market might be best if that was the case. Was she asking if he could cook? That was something he could teach her, among many things. This was looking to be more like he had gained an apprentice than a worker. But maybe it would pay off in the end. "Do I cook? I can. If you stick with me I can teach you how to as well. Now c'mon, follow me."

Heading back into the town center, where the marketplace was, he kept a close eye on others as well as her. If she was someone else's bait he'd rather not be caught off guard. Sometimes innocence was just a ploy, it had been the first thing he had thought of himself so it was likely it could be that way. If the thief was someone she was working for he'd find out shortly. "Do you have any favorites?" Hoping she'd be able to point out foods she knew and liked.


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xLulie

 

[xLulie]

Marzia
'I don't want to be alone'


Marzia listened happily to Nyvolan, "Strawberries, they sound lovely! What do they look like?" she asked him, nodding in agreement that she would let him know what she liked the look of from before. She remained quiet as she took in their surroundings once more, as this was the first time things were looking up for Marzia, which made her both relieved and overjoyed.

Following behind Nyvolan, she could still sense a tension from him, was he on the run? was he not sure what any of this food was too? Marzia couldn't quite figure it out, so she decided to ignore it, she knew he wasn't scared of her anyway. Catching up with him, Marzia walked with both hands behind her back, smelling all the delicious food. "Where are you from, Nyvo, here?" she asked, wanting to find out more about her new friend. She returned back to the stall from before where she had seen the round, red apple and glared at it again. "That looks wonderful, please can I try it?" she asked Nyvolan, looking at him with a bright smile, how apples could excite someone so much would be baffling.

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Crossroad Meeting

 

[Crossroad Meeting]

How did one go about describing strawberries to someone who had never seen one? "Well." Thinking on it a moment longer as his eyes scanned the area to see if he could find some. "They're small, red in color with tiny black seeds that dot them. They even have a green leaf that grows flat on its top." Well that would have to do because he couldn't see any of his favorite treat anywhere nearby. He supposed if he ever took her to his home village that he could get them there to show her.

Unaware that the kid could sense his tension he hummed a little under his breath at her question. "From here? Nah. I'm from very far north and west from here." Keeping it simple and vague in case anyone was listening in. It wouldn't do to have his people attacked needlessly. There were fine warriors there, but he'd rather not egg on a situation. "And you? Where are you from?" Maybe it was good that the child was so chatty, the more he knew the more he could anticipate. Ah, an apple. "Sure, go ahead and pick one." Looking to the vendor who was eyeing him and digging out enough to buy it, handing it over.


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xLulie

 

[xLulie]

Marzia
'I don't want to be alone'


Marzia nodded, she liked his description of strawberries, and couldn't wait to try them. "They sound amazing!" she said, wondering why Narvo was so far away from his home, she was about to reply and ask more questions about his home when she winced a bit at him asking her back. Marzia had never really been asked to explain where she was from, and didn't really know how to reply if she was honest. "Me? I uh, I don't really remember where my home is, I was uh..." she paused, and took a big gulp. "I think I'm the only one left.." she said.

Marzia stared into space a little, she had never really taken the time to think about her past or anything from her life before, it actually made her a bit sad, confused, and experience emotions she wasn't really used to, she took a quick glance at her right arm and pulled her sleeve to make sure it was covered up. However, she shrugged it off and put on a smile, she was a lot stronger than she made out sometimes. Marzia reached for the apple, taking a bite out of it she smiled brightly, "This is amazing! Thank you some much Nyvo!" she said, already feeling more like herself again.

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Crossroad Meeting

 

[Crossroad Meeting]

If she thought they sounded amazing she would be amazed by how they tasted. It was already decided that he'd have to find some for her at some point, just to see how she would react to them. The question about where she was from, however, seemed to bring the conversation to awkward ground. She didn't remember where her home was? Maybe she had been a slave, if only for a little while. And she might be the only one left? Nyvo had tensed at that, knowing how it felt to feel alone. Even though some of his people survived the disaster it was not nearly as many as there had been.

Deciding to move past the topic rather than dig himself deeper he asked about food. "So, we know now that you like apples. Let's see about other things." She had pulled at her sleeve and he wondered if maybe she was hurt. She hadn't seem like it before but she had been acting all cheerful too. When she smiled again he decided to just not bring it back up. "So. You said long brown thing. Do you remember what it looked like?" Food was a safe topic for now, since he knew nothing about 'stickers'.


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xLulie

 

[xLulie]

Marzia
'I don't want to be alone'


Marzia felt bad for not really telling Nyvo the truth about her past, she just wasn't really ready to even talk about it to herself yet. She decided that maybe later on she would tell him her story, but for now she was simply just enjoying the juices from the apple, it was a taste she had never experienced in her life before and she loved it. It made her wonder however, how did she survive in that tank without food for so many years, it made her cringe slightly at the thought.

She smiled at Nyvo, looking around the stalls she saw what she had been talking about the whole time. Pointing to it, she walked over and look at them, reading the sign that said, sausages. "Are these things nice? This is what those people were eating sitting down!" she said, still munching away at her apple. "Aren't you going to get something to eat Nyvo?" she asked, not wanting her new friend to be hungry.

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Crossroad Meeting

 

[Crossroad Meeting]

Unaware about the girl's inner thoughts Nyvo had been picking out other foods he thought she would like. There wasn't much right now, but it would do good to have some for later too. Honestly the fresh fruit here was less than fresh. Some of it looked bruised as if it had come a long way and been mishandled. That was fine though, so long as it still tasted good. Not much grew here in the Skaglands after all. His own people had, at first, had trouble but had adapted to the unique clime after a little bit. His main concern was now he, if he could convince her to stay with him, another mouth to feed.

"Eh?" Peering over at what she was pointing at he grinned a little, revealing rather sharp incisors. Sausage. She had a good eye at least. Bread was okay, but sausage was better. "Those sausages? Yeah they're good. Hey, gimme one'a those. Cooked." Talking to the stall vendor. The steaming sausage was handed over on a short stick, easier than trying to handle it by hand and cheaper than wrapping it. Besides the kid was likely to eat it right away. "Don't eat it right off, its still hot, give it some time to cool down alright? As for me, nah. I ate just a bit ago, I'm not hungry anymore."


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xLulie

 

[xLulie]

Marzia
'I don't want to be alone'


Marzia looked at the smile creep up on his face, which also made her smile. "Oh I can't wait to try one! she said, as she was handed it. Marzia went to eat it straight away and heard his words, telling her to let it cool down first. She let out a little chuckle in relief, "I almost burnt my tongue if you hadn't said that, silly me!" she said, still chuckling.

Hearing that Nyvo wasn't hungry anymore made Marzia wonder what he had eaten before, and where. Marzia wondered if Nyvo had a family, a partner, and did he have kids? He seemed to be very kind towards Marzia, so she decided to herself that he must have kids of his own. She nodded to herself in agreement with her thoughts, and then began to wonder other thoughts, a bit more to her style. "I wonder what sticker his kid would like, I wonder if she's a girl? Oh it would be so amazing to have another friend like me! she said, getting excited at her thoughts for a good few minutes before she came back to reality.

Marzia took a chomp of her sausage, just a little bit to begin with. "Nyvo..." she said, taking a pause as she finished what was in her mouth. "THIS IS INCREDIBLE!!! she shouted at the top of her lungs, she almost inhaled the rest of the sausage she enjoyed it that much, it made her feel nice and warm inside, a feeling she had not really felt before. But it also reminded her that the sun would not stay up forever, and she would have to find somewhere to stay the night. Marzia turned to her new friend and tilted her head to the side, expressing a bit of concern.

Marzia let out a sigh, she was a bit upset because she was really enjoying the company of someone else, and liked how generous Nyvo had been to her so far. "I'm so sorry Nyvo, but I really have to find somewhere to sleep tonight, but how about I walk you to your house and then I'll try and find somewhere close so we can get some breakfast tomorrow?!!" she said, Marzia was absolutely terrified of the dark, and always liked to find a place to settle herself down for the night, even though she put on a brave face, you would be able to see right through it. "I mean, only little kids are scared of the dark... but not me!! she said, laughing a little bit to try and hide the sheer fear in her tone.

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Crossroad Meeting