Market District

Cardista awoke to a jab of pain in her arm, from how she had seemingly passed out on the dirty market ground. All she could slightly remember before that sudden darkness was the sound of chickens and some weird lightning coming down from the sky. It seemed to hit everywhere all at once and then everyone including herself dropped over like limp dolls. She had no recollection of how she had came to this place, or where she was for that matter, or anything else other than her name and trade. She was afraid to move and laid still for a long time just listening for signs of any other movement beginning again.

Slowly she pulled herself up off from the ground, her spine popped in protest as she heaved herself upright, squinting as the ever-irritating light tried to pry its way in between her eyelids as well. How long had she been asleep for? Why did she feel so stiff? She looked down at the cobble and dirt road, littered with chicken feathers, next to the knocked over market stand with it trinkets laying where she had been asleep, and found her answer. With a slight groan she ran a hand up through her thick scarlet hair, horrified to find random feathers caught in knots and tangles. Her feline ears laid flat on her head as she furiously began to pick out the knots and try to regain some order to her tresses, ignoring the now rather annoyed looking merchant that had walked up in front of her.

His hands were placed on his round chubby hips as he glared down at what had once had been his fine jewelry stand. Now it was broken wood and his goods were spilled all upon the ground where this Neko woman was now sitting fussing over her hair, like a dragon sitting on it's pile of gold. He growled as in one quick movement the merchant grabbed the little woman up by the back of her shirt. Card froze much in the manner a cat would when picked up by the scruff of their neck, as this man, who was a giant in comparison to herself, lifted her with such an angry force up off the ground to her feet, roughly turning her to look at the wreckage that was his meager shop stall. "What have you done? Do they think it is okay to go around breaking things and just taking what suits your fancy? Your kind is nothing but a nuisance to all hard working folk like myself!"

Panic began to set in as the merchant then shoved Card towards the debris, causing her fall with a great force down on to her hands and kneels on to the ground. She tried to scurry back up on to her feet, but the man in his rage caught hold of her tail pulling her back down to the ground. With her off colored blue and green eyes wide, Card looked over her should at the merchant with a mixture of anger and confusion. She had just woken up there how dare he accuse her of petty theft. She surely would of remembered pocketing something worth while.

"Please it was not me! It was broke before I awoke!" Though worded simply and spoke slowly so they could understand her heavily accented words, her pleas seemed to fall on death ears. A small crowd was now emerging around the activity. Other angry voices shouted about their own carts and stands being found in the same manner and of course the Neko was to blame. They had a nasty habit of causing trouble like this!

Nyaryaaa stretched as she sat up, one tarot card stuck to her face from having fallen asleep on her table in the market. She gazed around sleepily for a moment, taking in the carnage around her.

"What the..." she began, before a thought occured to her and she jumped to her feet, causing the table to rock a bit as she did so. She looked over everything on the table and around it, making sure everything was as it should be. Her tarot deck had been knocked askew, but nothing seemed to be missing. Good.

Her ears picked up the sound of discord not far away, and she looked over to see the fat jeweler manhandling some girl. She let out a soft "heh" under her breath, about ready to settle down and take some of the sweets that had fallen off the neighboring stall (because what's a show without snacks?) when something else caught her eye.

A tail. The girl had a tail. And... ears. Not people ears, but her ears. That girl was a neko. And the merchant was yelling slurs at her, which meant he was also insulting Nyaryssa, and that just wasn't done.

She snatched up all her cards, stuffed them into her sack, and sauntered over, picking out her favorite, least condescending sneer, the kind that might be mistaken for a smile of sympathy.

Now Card was starting to get irritated at these uncalled for threats. She caused a lot of accidental damage in her day but never a whole market place...and what about all the feathers? Was she going to be blamed for plucking all their chickens too, while they were at? "And what did you do to all our chickens?!" A woman shrieked as if on cue.

"I do not know where the chickens have gone!? Just woke up and the market was destroyed!" As fun as she found mob vigilantes, it was about time to leave and quickly. With a swift backward kick, much like a mule, the heel of her boot made contact with the chubby jeweler's "family jewels". The man's eyes nearly bulged out of his red swollen face, as he let his hold to her tail go as he fell down onto his knees grabbing his crotch. He had let out a sound that could of been described as a cry of pain, but it sounded more like the scream of a little girl. Since she was already in trouble she scooped up a handful of trinkets as she made a less than graceful dash forward away from the angry mob.

She couldn't help but chuckle as she dashed around the toppled stand at the big scary man's baby cry. "Sorry about crotch!" She looked over her shoulder giving a cocky wave to the crowd. Grinning wide, she set her sight forward once more and just in time to avoid knocking into the other neko woman, that appeared to be coming to her aid. Since they seemed to be on a kill the nekos mission in the market today, she didn't give any warning to the girl before grabbed her wrist to pull her along with her. It wasn't her style to fight with the common folk. And even though this girl looked ready for a fight, she would hate to see these nice folk die at her hands. Who would bring in such fun wares to snoop through when this all died down?

"RUN!" Cardista yelled at the girl in a half plead, as she dragged her down the street leaping over the occasional cart and stand that lay thrown in the way. On the other hand she would hate to of seen if this girl was just going to tell their fortunes and they hung her up her tail for something, Card may or may not of done. In all honesty she couldn't remember anything before awaking and she did just swipe a handful of trinkets. This did not make her look all that innocent. Feeling there was enough distance between them and the mob, she shoved the girl into a little alley. Once close enough she pressed poor Nyaryssa up into a shadowy corner of one of the time worn timber building towering on both sides of the narrow alleyway. She raised a finger to her lips to jester to stay silent as the idiots ran past. Hoping to all the gods they did not see them duck back there.

Stopping in mid-grope of the faun's horns, Card stared down at Munti's lips blankly. Memorized by the speed in which the nervous stuttered words seemed to pour from his lips, she cautiously pulled her hands away from his head, and took a half step backwards. She was puzzled as she tried to follow what exactly Nyaryssa had just said about manners, though she still was confused as to why she kept saying mew...and why the little man seemed put off by her touching his horns. If she had horns she'd be happy if someone touched them, but then again she didn't seem to have the issue with personal space others seemed to harbor. With a small pat to his head, Card took a half step back and nodded at least understanding it was not okay to grab people's horns without asking. This will be mentally noted. Though she folded her hands in a fidgeting manner trying hard to fight the new urge to snatch the glasses from his face.

With a heavy sigh, her ears flattened, her tail drooped and her eyes lower to the ground as she kicked at the dirt in a way as if she had just been scolded like a naughty child."Sorry, I...Will not touch the horns with not asking." Her apology seemed rather forced and robotic, as if she has used to saying it a million times before. Still holding her head low, she peeked up through viewed ashen lashes, to see if this was suitable to the proper faun. Her idle hands now began to look less folded and more as though one death gripping the other to keep a now pointed finger from reaching forward to touch something else.

"It is quite alright, Miss... What is your name?" Munti was more than pleased with this apology. It wasn't very often that people would even apologize to him, even for far worse transgressions. In school, others who were several feet taller and several hundred pounds heavier would trample him without so much as a thought to the little faun below their feet.

Wait, perhaps asking for a name could seem too straightforward. He better fix it quickly. "S-since I told you my name, I thought I could be allowed to know yours, but it's alright if you won't tell me! Honestly, miss!" He shot her an awkward, uncomfortable smile. A few seconds after he bared his teeth, he realized how bad he looked and shut his trap. "I cannot smile, so sorry..." Munti shot a quick glance towards the blonde neko to try and gauge her reaction to all of this. She scared him the most. She was clearly condescending, thoughts of disgust and dislike running through her brain, mean things she may eventually voice. Munti's self esteem was very low and weak, and he needed the approval of everyone. Yes, even strangers who had just been chased by an angry mob.

Seeing how flustered Munti seemed with just by asking their names was enough to cause a silvery little chuckle to come from Card. She covered her mouth to try to hide her smile when replying, "I am Cardista, and nice to meet Munti." Paying little mind to the bullying words of Nyaryssa from behind her as she sauntered closer.
Hooking her thumbs at the straps of her backpack, Card rocked back and forth for a moment on the heels of her boots. Her eyes moved from Munti back in the direction of the main market street, her ears standing high in attention. Trying hard to remember what exactly she doing prior to her recent blackout spell, her smile faded away to a hard line. Was she headed somewhere...? Maybe an inn? She stared perplexed as she took a long moment to ponder this. In defeat she shook her head, knowing that probably wasn't here she had been heading. The longer she had thought about it, though a warm meal and a bed to take a quick nap in didn't sound all so bad right now either though.

Cardista's eyes lingered on Ryss for a moment, something about this neko woman seemed off, but she just shrugged her shoulders in defeat. She was the one who dragged her back here, even if she thought it was to keep her out of harm's way. Apparently she was tagging along. She only hoped she didn't get her into more trouble. Forgetting Munti's social phobia, she leaned forward and laid a gentle hand upon the faun's shoulder while offering a genuine smile as she spoke, "Thank you Munti. Let us go now?"

She drew back her hand quickly not wanting to frazzle the poor man, and once more retiring her hands to hooking to the straps of her pack. She was starting to feel restless just standing in this alley for what felt like an eternity, even if it was a few minutes. Card was quite antsy and having now thought of food her stomach growled quite audibly for all to hear. Her ears twitched high on her head as if looking for the source of that odd sound. She looked about as if seeking the sound as she walked around the other two. Stopping Card leaning close to the wall of one of the buildings that walled the side of the narrow alley way an peeked out around the corner to make sure the angry mob was not to found out in the market way. She have heavy sigh of relief only seeing some rather normal merchants practicing their trade, a few common looking travelers and some stray chickens bucking and pecking at random findings along their way.

"Clear now!" She called back over to Munit and Ryss. "Hurry!"

Card followed not far from behind, peeking over her shoulders from time to time to make sure that delightful mob wasn't coming back after her. She gave Ryss a small poke to the back hearing the click-ity sounds, shaking her head in disapproval at the younger girl. She stopped rather abruptly while in the midst of sticking her tongue out at a random person giving the trio the stink eye, upon learning Munti didn't eat meat...
"So...no meat...? Okay we go to an inn then Munti!" Unlike Ryss, there was no concern in her voice other than the no meat thing. This girl liked her meat and in her recent daydream she was making a big ol'chicken her biotch and no froo froo salad was going to cut it. She looked over to an other stray chicken and grinned thinking if the inn was not an option she could just grab up one of those little guys and bring her own. She held back until their faun guide to give a definite answer. If he said no it was going to become a blood bath on this market road.