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Barsoom Tales I - COMPLETE
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<blockquote data-quote="barsoomcore" data-source="post: 1206209" data-attributes="member: 812"><p><strong>Bayonne Opera Blues -- Part Three -- Life, Lemons, Lemonade</strong></p><p></p><p>The guard looked up at the brawny fellow sitting on the wagon board, floppy hat shading his features from the weak autumn sun.</p><p></p><p>"Where you from?"</p><p></p><p>Philip shifted in his seat and tried to look casual.</p><p></p><p>"Down from Highpass. Dancers, they're performing at the River Inn."</p><p></p><p>"You been in Bayonne before?"</p><p></p><p>"Sure."</p><p></p><p>"Stick the foreigners' section, Saijadani. Don't cause us any trouble. Move along."</p><p></p><p>Philip yanked at the reins and swore under his breath as the parasaurs heaved forward, hauling the big covered wagons in their wake.</p><p></p><p>Elena stuck her head up from within the wagon. Philip quickly tugged the eyepatch down over his right eye, turned to look, registered the heavily-made-up face of his friend, and tried not to grin.</p><p></p><p>He failed. Elena scowled. She crawled out from under the canvas cover, sat next to her companion and spent some time studying their new home.</p><p></p><p>The streets of Bayonne seethed with a disorderly blur of pedestrians, handcarts, dinosaurs and market stalls. Elena had her usual response to a Gap city -- at first she thought there must be an impending battle, then she recalled that people here always went around dressed in archaic armour and sporting massive swords. The glint of steel plate made the sea of people look like an ocean view, sparkling in the sunshine. Isaac tugged on the reins and guided the parasaurs to the left, past rows of empty pens and away from the high towers near the palace.</p><p></p><p>The palace. Elena didn't know much about this city but she could certainly distinguish the palace. Far and away the largest structure in the city, it hulked at the far end of the main street like a marble gladiator trying to intimidate all around it. She thought about trying to break into that place and decided she didn't want to.</p><p></p><p>"Del Maraviez aren't paying us enough for this."</p><p></p><p>Philip grunted.</p><p></p><p>"How are we supposed to find this document? And what's to stop them from just writing another? This is stupid."</p><p></p><p>Philip added a shrug to his grunt. Elena smacked his shoulder and grinned, the rare expression transforming her face.</p><p></p><p>"You know, you should let somebody else talk for a while. Blab, blab, blab."</p><p></p><p>They sat in silence, comfortably side-by-side, for the rest of the short ride to the River Home.</p><p></p><p>*****</p><p></p><p>As the wagons rolled to a stop, Arrafin was suddenly buffetted by a rush of Hinsuan dancers surging past her out into the fresh air. She spluttered and grabbed at her notes, papers billowing in the air. Nevid caught a few as they whirled out into the inn yard, and handed them back to Arrafin with a stiff smile.</p><p></p><p>"Thanks, Nevid. I am SO glad that's -- "</p><p></p><p>She broke off as the young Saijadani turned and walked away from her. The grin on her face held its position as if frozen for a few seconds then faded into confusion. She turned to find Bel, the dancer who'd been talking with her earlier, holding a few more sheets of paper. Putting Nevid's strange behaviour from her mind, Arrafin set about trying to organize her notes all over again, chatting with Bel as the two young women made their way toward the inn door.</p><p></p><p>*****</p><p></p><p>The arrival of Nitara's troupe always heralded a busy night in the River Inn, as travelling merchants up from Pavairelle or down from Burnoll, Saijadani mercenaries looking to sign up with the King, Yshakan tradesmen in their buckskins and a few Kishaks here and there, red faces hellish in the lamplight, crowded into the common room, jostling for seats near the front.</p><p></p><p>The gallery around the room was crowded also, as spectators leaned on the railings and watched the curtain across the stage sway.</p><p></p><p>Nitara's troupe was well-known for the beauty and grace of its members. Nitara herself had retired from dancing years ago, and sat at the side of the stage waiting for her girls to emerge. Next to her sat her constant companion, the elderly Hinsuan man Kalibar. He, too, watched the stage, oblivious to Elena's stare.</p><p></p><p>Elena, face scrubbed clean, sat with Arrafin and Philip and Nevid at a trestle table on the main floor, squashed next to a chubby woman who drank her beer with noisy satisfaction. The Saijadani woman kept only half an ear on her friends' conversation as she studied the old man by the stage.</p><p></p><p>"The path of the mother. The path of the child."</p><p></p><p>Nevid sat with his back to the stage, watching the crowd.</p><p></p><p>Philip nudged him.</p><p></p><p>"Any idea who this contact of ours is supposed to be?"</p><p></p><p>"No. But I sure hope it isn't Boyce."</p><p></p><p>"Boyce? That thief we met in Chimney? Nevid, he works for the King, he's not going to help us ruin the King's plans. We're trying to pull the rug out on the King's finances, Boyce is going to kill us if he finds out."</p><p></p><p>"Then you'd better shut up, because he's coming over to our table."</p><p></p><p>Elena turned at that, twisted to follow Nevid's gaze, and hurriedly smoothed back her dark hair, brushed at the beer stain on her jerkin and then completely failed to look nonchalant.</p><p></p><p>Arrafin looked up in delighted surprise as the handsome Gap rogue joined their table.</p><p></p><p>"Boyce! How are you?"</p><p></p><p>"Look at you lot! You finally decided to come to the greatest city in all Barsoom, did you?" Boyce grinned and winked down at Arrafin, who immediately blushed. He thumped Philip on the shoulder. "Good to see you, di Guzma. Shove over there and let me sit next to your lovely friend."</p><p></p><p>Elena smiled politely as Boyce squeezed in between her and Philip.</p><p></p><p>There was an uncomfortable couple of seconds as nobody spoke. Boyce smiled around at everyone, waiting for some response.</p><p></p><p>Nevid kept watching the crowd. Philip swirled the beer in his mug and stared at the bubbles. Elena pursed her lips and continued to watch Kalibar, who was doing nothing.</p><p></p><p>Arrafin smiled brightly.</p><p></p><p>"You're not here for some sort of secret meeting with enemies of the King, are you?"</p><p></p><p>Everyone else at the table suddenly seemed struck with respiratory problems as Boyce turned to the thin Naridic girl, a confused expression on his chiseled face.</p><p></p><p>"What?"</p><p></p><p>Arrafin's sudden laugh was tinged with hysteria.</p><p></p><p>"Joke. Ha. Ha. Ooh, look, dancing girls."</p><p></p><p>She slumped as the men all turned in unison to watch the curtain pull back and lithe young brown-skinned girls leapt onto the stage to roar of general approval.</p><p></p><p>They really were very good. Arrafin nodded, impressed, as the dancers went through their show. Bel had explained to her how the dances were really stories, like epic plays, and she'd written copious notes as the Hinsuan girl had recited one long, involved tale of familial betrayal and revenge after another. It was hard to pick them out under their elaborate costumes, but Arrafin recognized Bel's lanky stance in the gold-faced swordsman just then twirling about in frantic pirouettes.</p><p></p><p>Conversation halted as the performance went on, most of the men (and many of the women) in the audience struck silent as if intensely concentrating. When the clashing, herky-jerky music stopped and the girls bowed, there was a second of silence and then a sudden rush of applause.</p><p></p><p>Boyce leaned back and eyed his friends.</p><p></p><p>"Now what are you lot up to in the glorious metropolis of Bayonne? Surely you didn't come all this way just to see me?"</p><p></p><p>He grinned at Elena.</p><p></p><p>"Or did you?"</p><p></p><p>Elena rolled her eyes.</p><p></p><p>"No, Boyce, we're just working with Nitara for a while. A way to travel around a bit, is all."</p><p></p><p>Boyce studied the others, serious for just a moment. He grinned and leaned forward on the table.</p><p></p><p>"Well, here you are now, in my very own home town. Drinks are on me, and I won't take "No" for an answer."</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="barsoomcore, post: 1206209, member: 812"] [b]Bayonne Opera Blues -- Part Three -- Life, Lemons, Lemonade[/b] The guard looked up at the brawny fellow sitting on the wagon board, floppy hat shading his features from the weak autumn sun. "Where you from?" Philip shifted in his seat and tried to look casual. "Down from Highpass. Dancers, they're performing at the River Inn." "You been in Bayonne before?" "Sure." "Stick the foreigners' section, Saijadani. Don't cause us any trouble. Move along." Philip yanked at the reins and swore under his breath as the parasaurs heaved forward, hauling the big covered wagons in their wake. Elena stuck her head up from within the wagon. Philip quickly tugged the eyepatch down over his right eye, turned to look, registered the heavily-made-up face of his friend, and tried not to grin. He failed. Elena scowled. She crawled out from under the canvas cover, sat next to her companion and spent some time studying their new home. The streets of Bayonne seethed with a disorderly blur of pedestrians, handcarts, dinosaurs and market stalls. Elena had her usual response to a Gap city -- at first she thought there must be an impending battle, then she recalled that people here always went around dressed in archaic armour and sporting massive swords. The glint of steel plate made the sea of people look like an ocean view, sparkling in the sunshine. Isaac tugged on the reins and guided the parasaurs to the left, past rows of empty pens and away from the high towers near the palace. The palace. Elena didn't know much about this city but she could certainly distinguish the palace. Far and away the largest structure in the city, it hulked at the far end of the main street like a marble gladiator trying to intimidate all around it. She thought about trying to break into that place and decided she didn't want to. "Del Maraviez aren't paying us enough for this." Philip grunted. "How are we supposed to find this document? And what's to stop them from just writing another? This is stupid." Philip added a shrug to his grunt. Elena smacked his shoulder and grinned, the rare expression transforming her face. "You know, you should let somebody else talk for a while. Blab, blab, blab." They sat in silence, comfortably side-by-side, for the rest of the short ride to the River Home. ***** As the wagons rolled to a stop, Arrafin was suddenly buffetted by a rush of Hinsuan dancers surging past her out into the fresh air. She spluttered and grabbed at her notes, papers billowing in the air. Nevid caught a few as they whirled out into the inn yard, and handed them back to Arrafin with a stiff smile. "Thanks, Nevid. I am SO glad that's -- " She broke off as the young Saijadani turned and walked away from her. The grin on her face held its position as if frozen for a few seconds then faded into confusion. She turned to find Bel, the dancer who'd been talking with her earlier, holding a few more sheets of paper. Putting Nevid's strange behaviour from her mind, Arrafin set about trying to organize her notes all over again, chatting with Bel as the two young women made their way toward the inn door. ***** The arrival of Nitara's troupe always heralded a busy night in the River Inn, as travelling merchants up from Pavairelle or down from Burnoll, Saijadani mercenaries looking to sign up with the King, Yshakan tradesmen in their buckskins and a few Kishaks here and there, red faces hellish in the lamplight, crowded into the common room, jostling for seats near the front. The gallery around the room was crowded also, as spectators leaned on the railings and watched the curtain across the stage sway. Nitara's troupe was well-known for the beauty and grace of its members. Nitara herself had retired from dancing years ago, and sat at the side of the stage waiting for her girls to emerge. Next to her sat her constant companion, the elderly Hinsuan man Kalibar. He, too, watched the stage, oblivious to Elena's stare. Elena, face scrubbed clean, sat with Arrafin and Philip and Nevid at a trestle table on the main floor, squashed next to a chubby woman who drank her beer with noisy satisfaction. The Saijadani woman kept only half an ear on her friends' conversation as she studied the old man by the stage. "The path of the mother. The path of the child." Nevid sat with his back to the stage, watching the crowd. Philip nudged him. "Any idea who this contact of ours is supposed to be?" "No. But I sure hope it isn't Boyce." "Boyce? That thief we met in Chimney? Nevid, he works for the King, he's not going to help us ruin the King's plans. We're trying to pull the rug out on the King's finances, Boyce is going to kill us if he finds out." "Then you'd better shut up, because he's coming over to our table." Elena turned at that, twisted to follow Nevid's gaze, and hurriedly smoothed back her dark hair, brushed at the beer stain on her jerkin and then completely failed to look nonchalant. Arrafin looked up in delighted surprise as the handsome Gap rogue joined their table. "Boyce! How are you?" "Look at you lot! You finally decided to come to the greatest city in all Barsoom, did you?" Boyce grinned and winked down at Arrafin, who immediately blushed. He thumped Philip on the shoulder. "Good to see you, di Guzma. Shove over there and let me sit next to your lovely friend." Elena smiled politely as Boyce squeezed in between her and Philip. There was an uncomfortable couple of seconds as nobody spoke. Boyce smiled around at everyone, waiting for some response. Nevid kept watching the crowd. Philip swirled the beer in his mug and stared at the bubbles. Elena pursed her lips and continued to watch Kalibar, who was doing nothing. Arrafin smiled brightly. "You're not here for some sort of secret meeting with enemies of the King, are you?" Everyone else at the table suddenly seemed struck with respiratory problems as Boyce turned to the thin Naridic girl, a confused expression on his chiseled face. "What?" Arrafin's sudden laugh was tinged with hysteria. "Joke. Ha. Ha. Ooh, look, dancing girls." She slumped as the men all turned in unison to watch the curtain pull back and lithe young brown-skinned girls leapt onto the stage to roar of general approval. They really were very good. Arrafin nodded, impressed, as the dancers went through their show. Bel had explained to her how the dances were really stories, like epic plays, and she'd written copious notes as the Hinsuan girl had recited one long, involved tale of familial betrayal and revenge after another. It was hard to pick them out under their elaborate costumes, but Arrafin recognized Bel's lanky stance in the gold-faced swordsman just then twirling about in frantic pirouettes. Conversation halted as the performance went on, most of the men (and many of the women) in the audience struck silent as if intensely concentrating. When the clashing, herky-jerky music stopped and the girls bowed, there was a second of silence and then a sudden rush of applause. Boyce leaned back and eyed his friends. "Now what are you lot up to in the glorious metropolis of Bayonne? Surely you didn't come all this way just to see me?" He grinned at Elena. "Or did you?" Elena rolled her eyes. "No, Boyce, we're just working with Nitara for a while. A way to travel around a bit, is all." Boyce studied the others, serious for just a moment. He grinned and leaned forward on the table. "Well, here you are now, in my very own home town. Drinks are on me, and I won't take "No" for an answer." [/QUOTE]
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