The First Age

Giovanni smiled as he entered the large open air market. He liked open markets. There were vendors everywhere, a lot of food, and, most importantly, a lot of people he could hide around. It was a lot easier to steal your next meal if there were people you could bump into.

The question foremost in Giovanni's mind was should he pickpocket some cash, steal from a vendor, or cause a little chaos. Giovanni never really understood why he liked seeing all the structure in a particular place fall apart, but he did. He often found himself looking for opportunities to cause chaos. Given his history, however, he had to be careful not to draw attention to himself.

Giovanni looked around at the shops in the market, and decided food was more important at this time. He had been traveling for a long time before eventually arriving in Moscow and was very hungry.

What brought me here
, thought Giovanni. To the center of CCD power.


Giovanni approached a fruit stand surrounded by several people and suddenly stopped.

Am I being watched? Did they find me? Did HE find me?
, he thought looking behind him.

Giovanni sighed. He didn't see an ouroboros following him anywhere. Calmly he approached the fruit stand, working his way through the crowd of people. He waited with a practiced patience, staying far enough away from the stand not to draw the attention of the man selling fruit. As the man, turned away, Giovanni drew closer to the stand slowly. As he reached the front, he looked at the fruit as if examining them to determine which ones were worthy of purchase. He kept in the crowd, blending in as much as possible. Taking another glance at the shopkeeper, Giovanni grabbed a couple of fruits and put them in his pocket. He slowly worked his back through the crowd and continued through the market.


Edited by Giovanni Cavelli, Jul 31 2013, 11:41 PM.

Torri's wandering of inner Moscow eventually landed her in the famous open air markets of the city. She was no tourist, but she was still drawn to the antiquity of such a place.

It was a nice day out. Thin clouds made way for a bit of Moscow sun. Enough to warm the skin on her face and make her randomly turn skyward to enjoy the moment. Through Torri's sunglasses, she scanned the area around her, looking beyond the nearest stands and makeshift tents to get an idea of where to browse next. She had a hard-core look to her despite the civilian's clothing - standard snug jeans and a plain, knit shirt. Ignoring the beckoning of sellers without a second glance, she flicked a gaze at the passing tables of knick-knacks and moved on, disinterested.

In Rio she bought a little box carved into the shape of a cat. Like a jigsaw puzzle the pieces came apart in a specific order and a secret chamber was revealed. She'd had it mailed to her mother for her birthday.

In Mexico City's open air market she bought a doll with black hair and a hand woven, colorful dress. A flower was sewn into its hair. She'd had it shipped home also, for her mother to give to one of her younger cousins who at the time was only seven years old.

Here, she didn't know what she was looking for, only that she'd know it when she saw it. She stopped at a table which was boasting relics from the Cold War long enough to roll her eyes. Yet she didn't immediately move on.

Giovanni moved towards the edge of the market and sat next to a wall. There he pulled out his prize. A shiny red apple was in his hand, and he bit into it. He took some time to survey the crowd and get a feel for Moscow. Most people seemed to be normal, everyday people just shopping for some trinkets or food for their homes. Some were clearly tourists as their clothing did not match the normal customs. At this, Giovanni made a mental note to "acquire" some new clothes.

Giovanni's eyes turned to a woman. She was wearing a knit shirt, sunglasses and jeans. Something about her caught his attention. The years of Atharim training began to come back, and Giovanni began to assess the woman.

Her posture was what made her stand out to him. She had a look to her that made him think she had some type of training. To him, she was trying to disguise that by being in civilian clothing.

Military, or ex-military,
Giovanni thought. She'd be a tough one to steal from. Soldiers have that weird sixth sense thing about them.


Women in general were hard to steal from. Their clothes fit tighter, and that meant they could often feel pickpockets digging for loose change. Giovanni thought back to the first time he attempted to steal from a woman. He ended up getting back handed because his target thought he was trying to cop-a-feel. Since then, Giovanni had mostly stuck with pickpocketing males.

Giovanni kept his eyes on the woman as she eyed some tables and then stopped in front of a table with Cold War relics on it. Giovanni began to think that he might be up for a challenge, but decided to wait and see what this new stranger was up to.

Torri placed a trinket back on the table, half convinced it was actually authentic, but she wasn't in the mood to deal with the worker currently giving her the spiel for why she should buy something. Between the thick accent and her mood, she pretty much only heard a buzzing. A sound she could tone out. Still, she went ahead and bought it. She slipped a card from her front jean's pocket, swiped it across a reader, lips flat with disinterest and boredom and patiently waited while the man wrapped the relic up. She slipped the cash card back in her pocket and meandered to the adjacent set of stands.

It was a series of wrought-iron stands nestled into the side of a building over which hung individual overhangs that provided shade and delineated one stand from the next. Behind each were brightly lit coolers filled with drinks, samples and displays were available to those passing by.

She was pondering her options, a whey protein drink or a coca-cola, when a commotion started up behind her. "No! No!" A woman screeched followed by requests to call emergency services.

Instinct kicked in and she had no trouble pushing her way through the small crowd which gathered. "Step aside, sir." She said to a random man, placing a hand on his shoulder to guide him from her path then threw the satchel from her purchase across her shoulders to free up her hands.

A middle-aged woman was holding the head of an adolescent girl. Torri knelt alongside, more to comfort the mother than the child, who was seizing.
"Ma'am, I'm a doctor," she explained curtly. "Does she have a history...." and went on to gather some information about what was going on.

She easily divided her attention between the mother, who was not as frazzled as she could have been...apparently this was not the first time something like this had happened...and dialing up local medics from her Wallet.
"You, sir," she looked to the closest, most capable-seeming man nearby. He had a European look about him, hard but confident. Despite the half-eaten apple. At least he gets his vitamins. "Could you see that people don't hover. There's nothing to see here."
It was over in about thirty seconds, but Torri stayed with them for the next ten minutes or so until EMTs arrived. The girl was regaining her senses, and moved to a more comfortable position despite being stretched out on the pavement.

The small crowd did indeed disperse, especially after the girl regained consciousness. She was taken away on a stretcher and Torri was left alone, swiping her hands against her thighs and wishing she had some sanitizer nearby.


Edited by Torri, Aug 12 2013, 09:14 AM.

Giovanni watched as the woman purchased an item and then moved away from the stand. She stepped up to another stand and seemed to be looking at drinks when noise began to erupt. A brief grin crossed Giovanni's lips as he was being made aware of the commotion that would be ensuing soon. Giovanni didn't have to create chaos to enjoy it.

Giovanni looked over and saw that a girl was seizing in the street causing a lot of commotion and was surprised when the woman he had been watching immediately came over and began assessing the situation.

"Oh, yes,"
Giovanni thought. "She does indeed have some training."


Giovanni was snapped out of his thoughts when the woman called out to him. "You, sir! Could you see that people don't hover? There is nothing to see here."

Giovanni was actually taken aback. He had never been asked to help before. He dropped his half-eaten apple in surprise, but before he could do anything, the situation was over.

Giovanni felt a sort of unease about him. Someone had called out to him, and Giovanni hated nothing more than being in the limelight. As the crowd dispersed Giovanni tried to disappear into the crowd, hoping the woman wouldn't see him trying to hide.

Torri seemed to be left alone in the aftermath of a storm nobody else seemed to realized was ever there but a few short minutes ago. Anyone who had been around to witness the initial commotion was long gone, drawn away by the siren call of hawkers, pulled off by the scent of freshly grilled food, or trailing after the groups with whom they originally came.

It was then, turning around in a slow circle, feeling the cold sting of sudden loneliness, that Torri discovered the discarded apple and she remembered the man which once snacked upon it. What had happened to him?

Torri was not an overly tall woman, even if she were to stand on her tip-toes, which she did not do, but it was clear she was searching for him. At least for the few moments her curiosity lingered.

He seemed to have disappeared. Speaking of, she could not recall him even attempting to do the one thing she asked: corral people away from the sick girl and give the family some fucking privacy. She chose to ask him because he'd held himself so confidently, was solidly built, and looked like he could easily accomplish the task. So why chuck the apple and ditch? Asshole. Torri sighed. Maybe he didn't know English?

This time she completely bypassed the coolers of pre-bottled drinks and went straight for someone with a bar, where she ordered a shot to drown the bitter taste in her mouth.

Giovanni stuck around the market, keeping himself hidden in the crowds, when suddenly a thought occurred to him. He hadn't purchased some clothing. Giovanni had already had attention drawn to him, so he figured stealing wouldn't be something he would want to do at this point. Giovanni checked his pockets and he had some money left over from his last thieving trip. Upon counting it, Giovanni realized he should have enough to get a functional cloak. Giovanni moved out of the crowd and approached a booth.

This vendor had several cloaks available and Giovanni picked a brown one. It was cheap, but functional. He knew that when winter came around, he would need it, and it never hurt to be prepared. Giovanni paid for his purchase and wrapped the cloak around himself. He kept the hood down. It was summer after all.

Looking around, Giovanni saw the woman who had helped the seizing girl. She had called out to him and asked him to help and Giovanni wondered if he would have actually helped had he expected it. The woman had caught him completely off guard and he not known how to respond.

Part of him said that he wanted to help. He wanted at least to be something more than what he was. The other part of him found the commotion around him to be fascinating.

"Or maybe you want someone to help you."


The thought suddenly came into his mind, and Giovanni wasn't sure what to make of it. For three years, he had known that he was an abomination. He should have accepted his own fate the day his brother came after him, but he didn't. He fought for his life and wanted to live.

Giovanni frowned and leaned against the wall. He had a lot to think about.