Night On The Town (Open, Zantaric Flashback)

[quaggan]

 "Excuse me, have you seen a woman with four scorpion tails?"

The imposing Kulshedra warrior stared at Moryandal as if he grew a second head. "Haven't the foggiest."

Clearly, she was at the limit of how much time she could pay to strangers. Without further words, she pushed past Moryandal, almost shoving him to the ground. He swallowed an apology - she was out of sound range anyway, and the best recourse would be to just let her on her way and continue his search.

He turned around, combing the crowd of the passers-by. There was no sight of Nepaket, and he was still as much at a loss as he was when he began. He hoped that he could find her quick - she could probably escape from most predicaments, but additional caution never hurt. What if someone tried to capture her for their own nefarious gains?!

He had to hurry. As he headed towards the large building, presumably an inn; a dirty-looking elf in tattered leather whistled at him. "You. Yes, you. You're looking for that scorpion creature?"

Finally, a lead! Moryandal breathed a sigh of relief, jogging up to him. "I am! Have you seen her?"

The elf tittered, folding his arms. "That'll cost you, kid. Nothing is free here in Zantaric."

Right. That sounded fair - he was familiar with the work of information brokers. He reached for his purse, but his fingers just grasped at empty air. Confused, he looked down, only to see it missing. Of course. He should have listened to advice and left it at the circus - he couldn't even recall when was it that he could have gotten it stolen.

The broker let out a disappointed sigh at his pathetic scrambling. "Figures. Bye, kid."

Moryandal almost felt bad for taking up his time. He muttered an apology at the elf's back before awkwardly shuffling away. Perhaps he should stop asking locals for help - now he didn't even have anything to offer.

A sudden crash nearby alerted him. He was so startled he almost jumped, but the people passing him by on the street didn't even seem to have noticed. Was it commonplace here in Zantaric?! He couldn't imagine why would Nepaket want to take a stroll around here - or why would anyone choose to live in such a dangerous town!

It could be not related to their runaway, but Moryandal couldn't just let it be - someone could be hurt! He justified it to himself easily; maybe if he helped out, people would be willing to give him some information without payment. He quickly headed in the direction of the sound.

[Yeti]

Nepaket was flat against the wall, hidden by shadow. They had wound up in quite a predicament; Two angry rogues chucking glass into the alley (she supposed that was one way to express one's irritation quite succinctly) and now some of Zantaric's denizens had come across Hadrian. The only way this could get any worse was if-

She spotted someone outside the alley, walking purposefully towards the commotion. Although she wasn't certain if she recognized him from afar, an ugly, crawling paranoia let her know that she needed to flee.

For of course the circus would have sent someone to look for her. She was a runaway currently, even if it was only meant to be temporary. But to have the night end on this note was... depressing to say the least. Nepaket had made up her mind to enjoy the night on her own, free to do as she pleased. If someone was going to attempt to take it away from her now, it would spoil everything.

So she inched across the wall, looking towards Hadrian. Her tails waved, trying to catch the undead's attention and trying to gesture that they needed to go. Meanwhile the rogues upstairs had disappeared from the window, most likely heading on their way down to investigate where their alcohol had spirited away to.

[quaggan]

 It looked like the passers-by have wrung all the entertainment they could from this situation and began to leave. Hadrian waited a moment, registering the movement of Nepaket's tails. They were under a tight time frame - they needed to go before the people upstairs made it outside, but also probably shouldn't arouse suspicion by sudden or furtive movement. At least a skeleton getting up and walking around the town would not be seen as anything out of ordinary.

He rose as soon as he deemed it safe and crossed the alley, heading towards Nepaket. He would not claim to be good enough at reading contemporary body language (let alone of someone with a body so different from others he's encountered so far) but he could suspect she wanted something - and this something probably wasn't for him to leave, otherwise she could just make her exit.

[Yeti]

Yes! Hadrian was heading her way. They could get out of here quickly, before the circus-folk noticed. They had a shot-

The door swung open, followed swiftly by two men that smelled strongly of alcohol and anger. "Alright alright which way did they go ya think?" They seemed to be humans, or at least human-adjacent. By the grime clinging to their clothes and the one fellow's black and yellow teeth, they were probably not the most well off rogues here in Zantaric. Yet the one in front sported a few pieces of dubiously-acquired jewelry.

Wild eyes roved the alley, but they never did find the skeleton nearby.

Nepaket struck from the shadows immediately. Two stingers hit the front rogue in the back, sending him off-balance and tumbling into the trash next to the door. The second man only realized what had happened a few seconds later.

"Wh-what the hell did you do??"

It didn't seem like her appearance had caught the rogue so much off-guard as her act itself. In response, Nepaket hissed, her faceplates opening up fully and exposing many, many teeth. The rogue backed into the doorway, eyes wide.

The incapacitated rogue appeared to be in some sort of state of shock, unable to move. His back was spasming every so often.

[quaggan]

 Barely did Hadrian reach Nepaket when the two men scaled the steps down. He quickly made a correction on his estimate of their speed as his hand fell to the hilt of his sword. But before he even pulled it out of the scabbard or assumed battle stance, she's struck one of the rogues and her tail was whizzing towards the other. Her speed was truly impressive. He glanced at the twitching man. Was there some sort of venom? She seemed to relax after her attack was complete - clearly, this poison she had at her disposal would either kill the target or at least disable them to a point where they were no longer a threat. He was willing to defer to her expertise in this matter and relax.

"I assume they won't be a problem?" he asked, just out of formality. "Good." He wondered whether they should fear retribution - from what little he saw of Zantaric, a skeleton and a four-tailed scorpion were uncommon enough to make them recognizeable. Then again, so far neither of them have displayed anything that would make them a threat.

He was willing to consider this problem solved. "Now then, I believe we have a dancing place to find."

[Yeti]

She turned to Hadrian, faceplates neatly settling back into place. "N-Not dead. Taken... care of." The scorpion lady's stingers wavered, two of the tips now gleaming dark red.

With an excited step, she began heading off, dreaming of dancing that would certainly take place.

---

...It just so happened that Nepaket hadn't the faintest what the dancing would look like. Her limited pool of knowledge regarding 'parties' and 'social hotspots' being incredibly vague. She had some doubt her partner knew what to look for either. He was something different, not exactly the regular fleshy, blood-filled and endoskeletal creatures she was used to interacting with. Something separate from the circus folk, which made him all the more interesting to her. But as a trade off, he did not seem to be familiar with the area, which made searching for a dancing place a new challenge.

She wouldn't let it impose on her fun though. They would find the dancing and they would find it soon!

Keeping a careful route and avoiding major roads seemed the best idea at the time. Avoiding crowds meant that less people would notice the two of them, less people could point out in case someone was tracking her. Yet she couldn't shake off that somebody was tracking her, and their location was growing narrower and narrower. She'd seen somebody back there during the scuffle with the rogues. She'd sensed that he would have recognized her.

"There must be rrr s-someplace!" Despite the monotonous voice, Nepaket seemed frustrated. The odd clicking, growling noises that punctuated her voice were growing more frequent.

[quaggan]

 Searching for a place to dance was frustrating. Hadrian was shock troops, not a scout, he was never meant to gather information. But failure was not an option - he didn't want one of the first assignments received after the long wait to end badly. Once he found a proper master, he didn't want to have just a string of defeats under his belt. No, he should use this opportunity to learn more about this world.

He was pleased to find out that money remained the universal constant. Little as he had to do with it earlier, he's heard enough to form an impression that coin was as effective a solution as violence was. He really didn't need it for himself - he had no mortal needs such as nourishment or sleep to spend on. Zantaric seemed to be quite a breeding ground for pickpockets, but he wasn't concerned - he kept his pouch safe in the armour, tied to the tibia of his left forearm.

He didn't know how rare dancing places were in this town, so he resolved to just questioning people they passed by on the streets. Nepaket insisted on taking the longer route, and he acquiesced without a word - with the speed and venom she had at her disposal, it was unlikely that anything she wanted to avoid could be vanquished by the strength of arms alone.

Most of the mortals he asked just waited for an opportune moment to try and swipe his money. One took a few coins in exchange for directions to a "well, Madam Irene's has dancers too if you're into it". The establishment she indicated turned out to be populated by scantily clad people, some of whom were indeed dancing. They were, however, less than willing to let Nepaket step onto one of their places, claiming that it was their job and that they cannot until the shift is up.

One of them insisted that their workplace was not the only area in Zantaric where someone could dance, even was willing to give the names of some inns that couldn't afford more tables so they designated the empty space as the dancing floor. It could have been just a ruse to get the annoying two out of their hair, but it was something to go on.

[quaggan]

 The elf he asked just turned around and walked away, clearly unwilling to entertain questions from someone who hasn't paid her. Moryandal wished he could compensate people for bothering him, but even if he went back to take more of his savings, he would probably get robbed again. Wiping the apologetic smile off his face, he hurried after the next person who passed him by.

  "Excuse me, have you seen a scorpion woman with four tails?"

The man's eyes widened in recognition, but he quickly masked it. "What's it to you? Nothing's free."

He expected that, but this flash was all he needed to confirm that she passed through. He almost felt guilty for getting information this way - it was almost cheating. He wasn't reading the man's mind, but he still learned it without his consent and through a suspect means. It didn't feel right.

While he couldn't ask where Nepaket went, that little was enough for him to chart the course just by reading people to check if they've seen her. It was slow, but it was clear to him that his co-worker didn't have an aim in mind that would require him to act quickly. She was just probably enjoying her freedom. He kind of felt bad about having to find her.

"Excuse me, have you seen a scorpion woman with-"

"-With that bonehead in the armour?"

Surprised, Moryandal turned around, only to gasp in shock and quickly look away. Heavens above! How could this woman wear so little in the cold of the night?!

Nonplussed by his reaction, she continued. "Your little friend made quite a scene. She came in, demanded to dance, almost frightened poor little Lisa into unconsciousness... Second weirdest person to come by on this night."

Oh no. What was he going to do?! He couldn't go back and say that Nepaket... attempted to pursue alternative employment! He ardently hoped that she was just playing a trick on him!

[Yeti]

The night felt as though it was slowing to a crawl.

Nepaket had observed quietly while Hadrian asked local after local to point them in the right direction. Many of those locals smelled vaguely of the alcohol she'd taken a whiff of earlier, and their chatter made her ears ring. Probably due to the slowly brewing annoyance rising with each and every minute. Was Zantaric not capable of having anywhere to dance? Had she picked a terrible place to pursue a night of freedom?

Each attempted theft to Hadrian's coin purse didn't leave without the threat of a stinger to their back. Nepaket would hate to see any of their things stolen. She held on to the glittery bottle caps she'd collected with an iron grip. Sure nobody wanted random bottle caps, but these were hers now. They meant something to her.

Eventually they'd arrived at a very strange location. What did those people mean that she couldn't dance while they very well could? Her frustrations had reached a fever point back there, blowing up in a minor temper tantrum that caused one girl to scramble into a corner while the others ordered them out. Nepaket was still scathing over that one.

But there was a ray of hope. It turned out that an inn nearby was hosting a small party of sorts, and perhaps there would be dancing there...

[quaggan]

 Hadrian was never an expert on reading people, but even he could tell that Nepaket was getting frustrated. Their search was starting to drag on, and Hadrian sorely missed the scouting and reconnaissance corps. One of the people he's met told him a proverb from her nation: you will never truly appreciate what you have, until you've lost it; and it was quite fitting for their situation.

He checked the landmarks around twice to make sure they were in the right place - Zantaric was quite a confusing town to try and orient oneself in. The building the scantily dressed woman (Hadrian had to admit that choice had its advantages, letting any prospective general inspect the body for muscle mass, scars and troublesome deformities) pointed them to looked just like another gathering place for the fleshlings. He cautiously approached.

The door swung open and a large orc woman strode through. She was holding a scruffy man by the collar of his jacket, arm stretched comfortably to avoid his drunken flailing. She took a few steps forward before effortlessly tossing him out. The bouncer blocked most of the view inside, but Hadrian managed to see a few people there gibbering in an erratic manner. That suited the description of dancing quite well. He pointed at them to draw Nepaket's attention. "We found it."

[Yeti]

It was a ramshackle joint, as far as taverns went, but that appeared to be the style of Zantaric. Its architecture was not the kind to boast about, but functioned well enough. Nepaket wasn't impressed by it, so used to the colorful patterns of tents and the big top, but it was the energy from inside that piqued her interest immediately. It was not at all like what she'd seen in that place with all the scantily clad humans.

Hard to imagine how an insectoid face could articulate joy, but she managed it. Nepaket could hear music, a band playing a mixture of violin and steady drum. It was unlike the music played during her performance practices, but it rang well in her ears. A familiar feeling despite an unfamiliar source.

We found it.

Nepaket was already drifting inside.

The music grew louder, and an eclectic bunch of faces greeted her. Humans, dwarves, gnomes and an assortment of unidentifiable peoples were dancing to the music. Mugs clattered as groups toasted one after the other. They might not have been the typical folk that Nepaket danced in front of, but they were happy and it was all that mattered. Those exuberant faces, punched red with drink, laughing and talking and smiling...

This is what she had searched for. She was already starting to sway, beginning to go through the motions even without fans.

She turned to Hadrian. "Dance?"

[quaggan]

 Hadrian quickly got out of the way as his companion headed inside. It was more of a courtesy - he's seen several times that she clearly had him beat in speed. He wasn't the only one - a few of the establishment's patrons noticed the scorpion creature charging through and had the common sense to move away.

While Hadrian was definitely glad to see their search for a dancing spot come an end, he could not call it a satisfying victory. The way he heard that woman speak of the place, it didn't sound like a secret, and wasn't hard to reach by any means. It was more likely common knowledge, one that he lacked due to being out of time. While it meant that there was a solution he could easily implement, it would also cast shadow on all his attempts to understand the world around him.

He followed inside, taking a moment to close the door behind him. There wasn't a lot of free chairs, and practically no free tables, but he had no need for rest, and only leaned against the wall to mimic what he's seen others do. There was a lot to learn from observation.

Nepaket's question took him by surprise - but it shouldn't have, it sounded like a natural progression. "I've never danced before" he admitted.

[Yeti]

Her swaying paused for a moment, a little caught off-guard by his answer. Never danced before? Surely once he had danced, if only for a minute at least. Perhaps he just didn't remember it. Nepaket had never met anyone who didn't enjoy dancing. Well, she'd rarely asked anyone to join her. Usually she simply performed. But she wanted Hadrian to be happy too, having helped her like this.

Nepaket's dancing was slowly attracting a crowd. Her tails incorporated into the routine, undulating like extra arms and moving to the rhythm. It was a natural talent. Despite her mutation, they served well as both defense mechanism and performance pieces.

Outstretching a hand towards the skeleton, Nepaket clipped a little closer. "Try?."

[quaggan]

 Moments like this made Hadrian glad for the awareness enchantment that managed his senses. He could keep tabs on the patrons while observing Nepaket. The amount of coordination between her tails couldn't have been just idle waving - it spoke of practice and skill.

She paused at his words, but he couldn't tell whether it was surprise or wariness that gave her pause. Was dancing so common in the contemporary world that his ignorance made him suspicious? If so, he should take this chance to learn. It couldn't be too difficult - while his listening sense was tuned to searching for quiet enemies rather than following musical cues, most of the patrons were content to wriggle in drunken confusion.

"Very well. Dancing is... moving to the music?" Like marching? That he could do.

[Yeti]

It was a rare event for Nepaket to dance with a partner. If she'd had spare fans available (or any fans at all really) she'd have handed him a pair. But as it were, they would merely mimic the motions of fan-dancing. A better turnout than the inebriated locals bobbing around them.

"Ss-something like that. Little mrr involved." Nepaket nodded. How would somebody without skin or muscle navigate dancing? She wondered, taking his hand.

She lead him into the 'dance floor', dancing light steps so that he'd have an easier time following her. "Enjoy m-music and rrr... Think... moving with it. Beat, sss-rhythm... Move with that. Sway first, then a-add limbs on top."

One-step, two-step, the scorpion bowed and watched to see what he'd do.

[quaggan]

 Hadrian did his best to follow her movements, at least as much as it was possible. He had no tails or equivalents thereof, but could match her step. His experience marching was of use; she did not make use of her unparalleled speed and instead moved slower, and he could follow. He wasn't sure if he could hear this music Nepaket was speaking of, at least the way she could; but nevertheless tried to move his arms to match what his legs were doing, and what she was.

Just when Hadrian thought he almost had a hang of it, something changed. He focused his senses, trying to catch the subtle change - it was Zantaric, after all, someone might be trying to ambush them for a suitable reason. But one glance at Nepaket was enough to find the cause: the musicians simply began to play the next song. And now he had to start all over again! He could not fathom what was it about dancing that she found so appealing, it was a most puzzling endeavour.

[Yeti]

With that musical change, Nepaket followed suit, adjusting to the new tempo. For such a different style of music, she found herself reminded of the circus once more. The melodies used for her dances exemplified what little she knew of Essyrn. Although lacking the authenticity, it painted what she imagined her first home to have looked like, so the dance came naturally to her. Her kind she knew were meant to perform, if only for a while before striking... The first times she had practiced dancing for the circus had ended in disaster because of that.

This music was friendly, and it required a partner. People around them never moved alone. Small groups of friends, the odd duo who circled around the room. Happy and heady with drink.

The both of them were being swallowed by a crowd of onlookers. It wasn't easy to tell if their intentions were favorable or not. Some of the rougher Zantaric citizens chewed slowly, eyeing her tails and Hadrian's armor. Some still seemed punch-drunk, sitting and clapping their hands for more. But still a few seemed more coherent.

Nepaket watched Hadrian's attempts to follow her lead. An odd chittering sound escaped her, like a dry, dusty rattling - her equivalent to a laugh. "You rrr doing fine. See?"

[quaggan]

 With little else to do, Hadrian once again tried to adjust to the new dance and follow Nepaket's movements. The scorpion's patience was truly impressive, with her speed and grace she could probably achieve more, but it looked like she was holding back for him to be able to match. He kept at it until he got into enough of an acceptable rhythm to hopefully satisfy Nepaket.

Dancing was no excuse for foregoing his vigilance, and so even as he moved, he sharpened his senses, keeping watch on the room. Some of the patrons were engaging in acts of maintenance and sustenance, namely partaking of the food and drink. A few were resting on the tables in a manner that implied fatigue, an all-too-common flaw of living bodies. And there were of course other dancers, whom Hadrian could not properly classify. Perhaps he should view it as some form of exercise or sport that they engaged in to keep themselves ready for battle? Truly, the ways of this contemporary world were bizarre.

[Yeti]

Time flowed by as the two continued to dance. Many of the patrons were leaving or passed out on the floor, with only a couple of eyes on the bizarre arachnid and skeleton duo. The event was in its closing stages, though Nepaket seemed content to simply continue dancing the night away.

Across the room, someone tipped his head, red eyes on the dancing with a smug look on his face. A dark elf dressed in expensive clothes seemed rare in Zantaric, but there may have been good reason for that. None had managed to take them away from him, or pry the jeweled sword at his hip.

Nepaket may have glanced in his direction, but without a sound the elf seemed to disappear through the wall. She never noticed the odd visitor.

The music slipped slower, perhaps a final piece. A few members of the band were beginning to pack their instruments.

[quaggan]

 "Excuse me? Have you seen a woman with scorpion-like tails?"

Moryandal has all but accepted the futility of his search. He had hoped that Nepaket's unusual appearance - one of the very aspects  that made her such a good fit for the troupe - would make her stand out more, but Zantaric was a host to far stranger beings. Some of the people he questioned mistook him for some kind of a hunter of exotic creatures and tried to sell him information on certain truly bizarre beasts: a scaled serpent with four muscular legs, seven snakes growing out of its neck and a mass of feathered wings bearing it in the air; a monster covered by bone carapace whose arms were transformed into rays longer than its entire body; a massive insect whose lower body was that of a fat snake, covered in carapace of pure glittering diamonds and shaped like spring leaves... Perhaps he should have memorized their names to later make suggestions to the Ringmaster!

For now, he was just asking for his own sake. Once he's made peace with being laughed at by the others in the troupe, he would be content to return- wait, what was it that this man said?

The dark elf advanced on him, red eyes shining dangerously. Moryandal instinctively took a step back, but the man seemed undaunted. "You seek her too?!" he whispered, grabbing the human by the shoulders. "She who walks in side with the harbinger of death?"

That was quite a flowery manner of speaking, but Moryandal understood, or at least he thought he did. Scorpions were always known for their venom; most people upon seeing Nepaket would consider her deadly. "I do" he confessed. It was likely they meant the same person; how many scorpion people could have visited Zantaric today?

The elf's face split into a glorious smile. "Never have I lain my eyes upon you before, but by your words I know that we are brothers, united in faith and purpose. Come with me."