|
Post by Shogun Liquid© on Nov 17, 2008 22:05:13 GMT -5
You won’t find a more alive Market anywhere else in the world; banter, barter, bidding and dealing goes on all over the square with people shouting and laughing. Exotic foods and items can be found down every path. Just try not to get lost.
|
|
|
Post by .Merios on Jan 24, 2011 3:36:26 GMT -5
"Worst.. Possible time to arrive."
Midday sun, the wind was low and there was a bit of dust lingering in the air permeating with the intense smell of salts, curing chemicals and all sorts of tobacco-like smoke. Matthew had taken a few steps into the start of the marketplace, the subway feet behind him. There was a long strip in front of him, which splintered into other, less miraculous strips filled with stalls and carpets filled with merchandise and screaming vendors. With a sigh, he moved forward into the crowd, hoping Tyson was close behind him. As he walked, he began to speak, clutching his briefcase tight in his right hand. Pickpockets were a big problem.
"The snake should be around here somewhere, I haven't seen him in forever. He.. He sells.. "He thought for a moment before speaking again, "He sells tinctures, trinkets and garbage he calls "medicine". Don't buy any. Odds are it's liable to make you worse than when you showed up."
He continued walking, pushing through the crowds of people, attempting to zone out the constant yelling and speaking all around him in foreign tongue. His eyes darted from stall to stall, carpet to carpet, glancing at all the small items on them. He could probably find a whole new set of equipment here without a problem, as long as he could manage to afford the outlandish prices and taxes that the Trade Princes stick on any of the vendors.
"Keep a lookout for a camel with a large.. Well, lets say there's probably a wooden box on top of the camel's hump, adorned in sh!tty looking jewels."
|
|
|
Post by Mikey on Jan 24, 2011 21:38:44 GMT -5
“Is there a good time?” Tyson asked, looking around the market place. Right off the subway, he held his hands behind his back and laced his fingers together. His hands were blocking any potential effort to take his gun from him. He could give a damn about the cash in his pocket. A couple hundred pounds, that was it. The wad of money was the only thing in his pocket, and it didn’t even add up to ho much the Glock was worth. Not to mention how valuable it would be if a firefight broke out. Something he was waiting for, the kind of luck they were having.
He heard Matt explaining what his contact sold, and he thought for a moment.
“Is that code for guns and drugs, or does he just sell crap?” He asked. Seemed likely that there were a few black market stalls around here. Selling small arms or drugs or pirated DVD’s or some s***. He had a feeling the authorities just stopped worrying about what was sold around here. The impending zombie apocalypse was the bigger worry. Not to mention letting people buy guns out the ass seemed like a good homeland security plot.
“Let’s find him, then we’ll wait for Aya.” He said. The third of their merry little group had been gone for hours. He hoped she had had some luck in solving the riddle.
|
|
|
Post by Lunapocalypse on Jan 24, 2011 23:49:25 GMT -5
One slow, steady inhale while staring into the eye of the bull. Dust from the limestone canopy had gathered on the arrow shaft signified the passage of time passed as Aya held the broad head back, full archery stance applied. From a distance for half a second all that was were the whistle of the arrow as it plunged into the target 30 metres away, "It's good," the ivory girl looked down at the compound. She had come here looking for a grenade launcher replacement but had instead found something a little more catering to her style. "So you like it?"The Arabic man stepped forwards from the balcony, the owner of the yard hidden within the city; surrounded by huge limestone buildings blocking out noise giving the serene impression you're standing in the middle of the countryside. "Nobody else has really has the stamina for a bow such as that. Been a pain to sell,""Yeah. It's powerful. Doesn't feel like it's going to break under the sort of stress someone like me would put it under. Odd of the manufacturer to be so inconsiderate towards everyone else, but I'll just call it lucky," Aya turned to her contact and friend, both covered from the shade of the balcony canopy. Akbar Abdul-Aleser, a conspicuous dealer handle; he merely asked those who knew him well enough to call him Abdul, "Consider it sold. I'll grab 100 regular arrows, 35 hellrazors, 15 of those explosive caps and 5 of those... detaching ones - with the wire connecting-""I just call them Splitters.""Right," Aya mused in stupidity, holding her fringe up to look over the gear, "Wonder why I hadn't though of that,"With the arrows came a leather quiver and a case for the bow. The case of which looked surprisingly out of size and shape with what Aya held in her hands; she pointed an accusing finger at it in a lazy quizzical fashion while looking at Abdul. "You'll be surprised to find the bow is a lot more compact than you think. Both the limbs fold in against the bow riser, the the upper and lower half of the riser folds in symetrically from just above the cable rod and just below the grip. Flick that lever there to give it a try,"Holding the compound out in front of herself, Aya hit the lever at the side of the grip. Immediately the bow began to deconstruct itself, the cable winching in to the idler wheel and all of its parts folded into a snug little package, "Very cool," pressing the lever to undo it all and putting the bow down on the table. "Sling is in the case so you can just let it hang when you don't need it. That all?""Mhmm," Aya handed him the cash, "You considered my deal yet?" she suddenly asked the black market man. "You know me. You'll only know my answer if I do or don't turn up."________________________________________________________________ "Guess I can't count on him," Aya clicked her tongue as she pulled the quiver over her shoulder, bow in its case hanging down her back. She stepped back out into the narrow alley, the level of the place on a harsh slope and incense filling the air. As hostile and dangerous as it were she couldn't help but see it as a peaceful and cosy backstreet out of fuss' way. Matthew and Tyson weren't at the meeting point she had planned. Aya had taken a fair amount of time back at the Citadel to look around so she didn't exactly blame them; it let her do a little window shopping by herself anyway. The girl couldn't shake the urge to feel like she was on vacation, such an exotic place simply fueled that. Exiting out onto the main street back to the hustle and bustle. More time passed as Aya moved from one stall to another, observing the items people had on offer and savoring Egyptian cuisine.
|
|
|
Post by .Merios on Jan 25, 2011 1:28:06 GMT -5
Matthew stopped at a stall, bringing his hands to the table and rapping his fingers on the counter. There was an Arabic man, leaning to one side and talking to a customer who was eying some of the antique weaponry on the wall behind him. The customer pointed to a broadsword, which the man pulled off the wall and handed to the customer. Matthew could tell the small arc-weld bubbles near the handle as the customer began swirling it through the air like they knew what to do with it. He heard the customer remark how great it was and asked what the price is in perfect English- must've been a tourist. He rolled his eyes, knowing it was a blatant and horrible knockoff of an actual blade. His eyes darted to the shopkeep as he spouted an exaggerated amount of money for it, which the American tourist easily paid and walked away with the weapon in a sheath.
Matthew sighed and cleared his throat, leaning on the table a bit with his elbows. "Let me see your Scimitar."
The shopkeep perked up and snatched the curved sword from behind the counter and set it down. He noticed the man said something in Arabic, but he ignored him and grasped the weapon. He lifted it up, eying it and seeing the small welds along the surface and near the grip.
"So.. This is authentic?"
"Ah, yes. 16th Century! One of a kind!"
Man didn't even have his timeframes right. Matthew gripped the end of the blade with his left hand with the grip in the right and brought it downward, bending the sword and snapping it in half easily, flecks of metal dust fluttering into the air. The shopkeeper's eyes widened and he gasped.
"It's a piece of sh!t."
He tossed the scimitar back onto the counter.
"B-But sir! You broke it, you must buy it!
Matthew leaned close to the man, his eyes locking with the shopkeep's as the man pulled away.
"Let me see your actual wares."
The shopkeep backed up a bit and sighed, nodding and crouching down. Matthew turned to Tyson as he approached, giving a late answer to his question.
"A bit like this fraud. He sells garbage, but off and on they usually have the good stuff behind the covers."
The shopkeeper set a odd looking box on the table and opened it, gesturing for Matthew to look inside. Matthew obliged, turning around and pulling back the velvet fabric to reveal two Khopesh's, cris-crossed in matching white-and-black ornate sheaths. One had a cobra on the pommel and the other a scorpion, almost seemed to be miniaturized and frozen in amber. He reached in and withdrew them, with the blades each around 25 inches in length, holding each by the grip with the blades still within the sheathes. He set the white one down and withdrew the blade from the black, snake sheath. The sword was viciously hooked like a sickle yet had the cutting edge on the outside, much like a sabre. His eyes followed the blades as the shopkeeper explained.
"The Cobra's fang and the Scorpion's pincer. Both made during the 18th Dynasty and reforged many centuries later. Electrum-laid inscriptions in the grip dictate their history. Painstakingly repaired and restored. Each sword is in full battle condition, eager to spill more blood. Each were used by a pair of brothers of Royalty, their names unknown and their dynasty lost to the ages. Only the symbols remain."
Matthew finished examining both blades and set them down on the counter.
"Price?"
The shopkeeper shook his head.
"Not for sale, unfortunately."
"Well.."
Matthew reached down to his briefcase and opened it, bringing out a small piece of paper and a pen and hastily wrote something down, passing it to the man and shutting his briefcase back, stuffing his pen into his pocket. The shopkeeper took the note, read it and looked up at Matthew.
"Is.. Is he good for it? Will they really?"
"Yes. Tomorrow you'll get the payment."
The shopkeeper nodded, taking the weapons back and sliding the sheaths back onto the blades, fastening the straps and handing them over to Matthew with a nod, wrapping them both in a velvet cloth. He nodded and bowed a bit, taking the swords from the man and gripping them under his right arm, glancing at Tyson then further on down the street, squinting at a vision in the distance.
"Is.. Is that Aya?"
He took a step forward, nodding as she appeared in his vision with a large piece of food stuffed into one of her cheeks.
|
|
|
Post by Mikey on Jan 27, 2011 6:32:59 GMT -5
Tyson stayed silent as he watched the exchange between Matt and the shopkeeper. He could only roll his eyes when he watched Matt break the sword in half. And then the cloak and dagger bullcrap with the note, before they were on their way.
“Ok, guy is peddling s***. Everyone does it around here. You really gotta go and break his s***?” He asked Matt. It seemed like a total dick move to him. And he was a bit of a dick. Must have made Matt and even bigger one.
“Plus, shouldn’t we be keeping low key? The thing was still made of metal, I doubt that tourist could have snapped it in half like a stick.” He said. And now he was acting like a f**king chaperone. Great. Ah, f**k it. If Matt wanted to get in a shoot out or a foot chase with the cops, more power to him. Tyson would get a cold drink and wish him the best of luck.
Squinting and looking to where Matt nodded, he saw Aya at a booth that was selling food. Again, not remembering how long it had been since he had a real meal, he took off in that direction and let Matt trail behind him. He took up a stool next to her and looked at her plate, stealing something or other off of it and taking a bite.
“Not bad.” He said, looking her up and down. Something was new, he could tell that right now.
“Shopping trip?” He asked her.
|
|
|
Post by Lunapocalypse on Jan 27, 2011 9:48:44 GMT -5
"Yeah, couldn't find you guys so I just figured I'd look around," Aya replied, pushing her entire plate over to Tyson for him to clean up; she hoisted the case onto the bench for display, "Picked up a compound bow. Figured something different would be nice for a change; plus a GL doesn't really settle well in public space," patting the quiver on her back, rather inconspicuous in appearance; one could assume it was a courier bag, "You know me, always looking for a challenge," she mumbled before taking a sip from a small soup bowl.
Waiting until the cook tended to customers towards the other end of the bench; Aya supplied three clean Polaroid snapshots from her pocket and pushed them over to Tyson, "First one is the mechanism inside the main mosque within the Citadel. Second is the well topside. Third is what I found beneath the mosque," she tapped her finger on the gleaming blue hatch surrounded by darkness, "Didn't have time to check it out... I got jumped by a group of men in the cavern,"
"Don't know whether they followed me, of if they were there the entire time, or if they're with Medusa at all," she rolled her head forwards to pull the band out from around her pony tail and letting her hair hang loose, "Couldn't see any immediate way to open it. C4'd do the trick, can't say nobody would hear it though," Aya wrapped the band to her wrist, arm snaking almost as she rolled it up past her elbow, "I was thinking of finding somebody who knows their ancient Egyptian artifacts to take a look at it," her voice grinding out in monotone from her last sentence, realizing the credibility of caring; it all lead back to her principal of being prepared, "Maybe we can find out what would be beneath it instead of going about it all trial and error. Just gotta find a damn historian," resting her mouth on her fist as she looked into the crowd.
"N'transport," the girl murmured, "We should find some temporary wheels for our stay. I wouldn't mind looking for a bike," Aya shrugged, returning to her soup, "Might get on that tomorrow," she shifted on her stool facing her back to the counter, "So what have you two been up to?"
|
|
|
Post by .Merios on Jan 27, 2011 11:46:39 GMT -5
Ignoring the comment made by his beastly companion, Matthew continued to walk towards Aya, still feeling a bit of adrenaline from what he had done earlier. He approached Tyson as he was talking with Aya, stopping for a moment to set his weapons on the table and unravel them as she spoke. He withdrew the black Khopesh and fastened it around his torso- an odd fitting sheath, it dropped past his shoulders and rested near his waist, upside down with the grip facing out and down towards his right hip. He fastened the white Khpoesh in a similar fashion, letting it face out and down towards his left hip, grip pointing downward. He listened to Aya speak about the hatches within the Citadel as he bunched up the velvet cloth he had used to wrap his weapons in. Every other person around the area had some sort of weapon strapped to them- it wasn't odd to see a sword here and there. Let alone two with a handcannon on his side.
"Getting some equipment.. Pretty much."
His stomach growled rather loudly. Matthew turned his head towards the man peddling the food and held up a finger, getting his attention. With a quick gesture, he ordered whatever Aya was having and continued the conversation.
"Transportation should be quite easy, but I'd say we meet with my contact sooner rather than later. He knows the area, hell he could probably point us towards a dealer or two.."
His food arrived and he quickly turned towards it and snatched a nearby fork, digging in.
|
|
|
Post by Mikey on Jan 27, 2011 16:50:51 GMT -5
“He’s been breaking s***, that’s about it.” Tyson answered her question, polishing off what was left on her plate. He watched Matt order up his own dish, and he thought for a moment. She mentioned trying to find someone who knew their way around Egyptian artifacts, and it sealed the deal. He’d have to talk to her now, tell her about Nancy.
“Enjoy, man. We’ll be over here for a moment.” He said, giving Aya a quick pat on the shoulder and jerking his thumb to the entrance of an alley across the street. Away from prying ears, for the most part. They walked across the street through the crowd, and Tyson took a look around before he spoke. Her talk of being attacked at the Citadel put him back into a state of paranoia.
“Well, I kind of lied when I said I didn’t know anyone.” He said. Not so much of a lie… He didn’t know she would be useful to their mission until just now.
“Remember the good samaritan I told you about, and her daughter? Well… When she went to college, she picked up an interest in archeology. Specifically, Egyptian type stuff.” He said. He knew she was going to ask, at some point, how he had known this about her so he cut off the question.
“I kind of… Kept tabs on her. More a… A watchful eye than anything.” He said. Well, this was awkward…
|
|
|
Post by Lunapocalypse on Jan 28, 2011 2:05:27 GMT -5
Checking where Tyson had designated; Aya nodded slipping a bill out of her pocket and leaving it under her plate, taking the bowl of soup with her, "What's this all about, man?" Aya asked with intermittent sips in between speech. “Well, I kind of lied when I said I didn’t know anyone.” Raising an eyebrow in curiosity, feeling like oblivion on why this had to be spoken in private. Tyson continued on to explain he had taken the role of an invisible surrogate father over the Samaritans daughter, vindicating the secrecy, "'Fraid of getting soft about it, big guy?" Aya smiled, "I wouldn't have thought any different about you had you told me back in Nevada. This is good anyway. After we've caught up with Matt's contact we'll take a hike over to the Uni and see if any of the lecturers can point us in her direction."Standing rather proud in the entrance arch to the alley; that was a problem quickly solved, "You certain you're comfortable with it," Aya suddenly said while observing the crowd, "She could help us out, but it's your decision in the end. You need to be sure whether you want to bring her into this, Ty."
|
|
|
Post by .Merios on Jan 28, 2011 13:39:17 GMT -5
Matthew continued eating, his voracious appetite for some actual, cooked food might come back to bite him due to the "foreign food in foreign body" sort of issue that might arise in the future. In the meantime, it filled him up and he was relatively tasty. He gestured for another bowl, this time pointing at a drink selection on the menu. He was pretty sure this man spoke Arabic, so he couldn't really make conversation without the language barrier getting in the way. Once the bowl and tea arrived, he took a swig of the soda and sighed, relaxing a bit on the stool. It's been a long time since he's actually sat down and relaxed.
He took a look around, spinning in his stool with his drink in his right hand. There was a snake merchant a few blocks down which drew quite a crowd- some sort of entertainment or demonstration. His eyes also found a lonely shop keep selling jewelry, carpets and scarves. He turned back to his foot and smiled, slipping a bit of cash onto the table and downing his drink, taking the last few bites of his food and setting down the bowl, nodding to the shop keep and pushing away, heading over to the merchant that he noticed last. He stopped, being the only person there, he admired the carpets, intricate jewelry and the scarves and- now that he was close, the man sold clothing as well.
"I see Hijab's and Abaya's.. Would you have any Shemaghs?"
He said in plain english, hoping the man would understand. He tilted his head to the side in a questioning manner, pointing to a stack of scarves that were slightly hidden. Matthew stepped over and crouched down, rifling through them momentarily before he found one. Dark, almost black but closer to a chocolate brown with stripes of gray and small symbols. He stood up, fishing around in his pocket and lifting up the scarf.
"How much?"
"25."
Matthew scrunched his face.
"20?"
"23?"
"21."
The shopkeeper smiled and grasped the scarf once more, pulling off a small tag on the corner and accepting the cash from Matthew. He bowed slightly and turned away, looking off on the direction of Tyson and Aya. Without a second thought, he folded it into a long triangle pulled it around his mouth and nose and then over his head, much like a Muslim, but then pulled it down to rest around his neck, much like Marines did in the desert heat. He took a few steps towards the alleyway and stopped, sighing. He didn't like waiting. He turned and headed off down the strip past the alleyway, looking for his contact.
|
|
|
Post by Mikey on Jan 29, 2011 11:36:17 GMT -5
Tyson listened to Aya’s words, thinking it over for a moment. True, she could be in danger if they brought her into this, but Tyson was confident that he could protect her. All they’d need to do was go and get some information from her, and they could leave her alone he figured. She wouldn’t even need to know who he was. But then the feelings he had came in, and he found that half of this was for a simpler reason. He wanted to meet her, after all these years. To see her face, not a picture. Interact with her, the only one left of the people who could have been a family to him.
“She’ll be fine with m… Us.” He corrected. Aya knew him, knew what he meant. He’d kill for just about anyone, and die for the same reason. A woman that meant as much to him as her, he’d die in an instant if it meant she could live.
“Ya, lets go find out who Matt knows.” He said, eager to get things underway. A stop was meeting Nancy, and it instantly sucked away and desire he may have had to dally.
|
|
|
Post by Lunapocalypse on Jan 29, 2011 16:02:38 GMT -5
"I'll catch up with you guys in a sec," Aya sealed their private chat, watching Tyson's back as he headed off in the direction Matthew had gone. She couldn't shrug her preconception that he would regret his choice. If it were an operation her old commanding ethic would have stood in the way of the idea for he benefit of his psychology, 'Things're different now,' telling herself as she cleaned up the rest of the soup.
Returning the bowl to the bench and grabbing her bow, Aya took off at a jog to catch up with Matthew, "So how do you know this acquaintance of yours?" her pitch raised in curiosity.
|
|
|
Post by .Merios on Jan 30, 2011 2:01:38 GMT -5
He shrugged as she trotted up next to him, reminding him how his daughter used to, "Met him in Jersey, of all places. 'Said he had a stall out here, and how he made a fortune off of tourists. He mentioned he even had a home and a family."
Matthew sighed, glancing from left to right, then nodding and taking a right, branching off into a different path and a different strip.
"Should be down this way. I haven't seen him in a few years, so we may not be on the best of terms..."
He stopped at a stall, looking up at the large, stuffed Camel with a huge box between it's humps adorned with jewels. His eyes wandered around all the trinkets and tinctures, seeing small vials of "cure-all" and most importantly, a huge section on "the cure". He stopped there for a moment, recollecting himself before looking up at the shopkeep who was turned around, fiddling with something in the back of his stall. Matthew leaned back to Aya, whispering.
"We.. Sort of had a falling out..."
The shopkeeper turned around with a large smile on his face but when his eyes met Matthew's, it turned to an angry scowl. "Get out! I told you I never wanted to see you again!"He brandished what looked like a long knife, stepping over a carpet and inching towards Matthew, holding it like an amateur. He stepped back, complying a bit, letting the shopkeeper get some ground. He held up his hands, motioning for the probably-ready-to-kill Aya with his hand to stand down as he backed up another foot.
"I just want information, Snake."
He inched closer."Ha! After what you put me through?! Why should I not kill you where you stand?!"
Matthew stood his ground, letting the man put the knife near his chest. "Because you needed me. It was either leave your sh!thole of an apartment and go to Johannesburg or stay behind and perish with your trash."
The man snapped and lunged forward. Matthew quickly brought his left hand down and scooped his hand around Snake's hand, twisting the wrist and consequently, the knife as he spun around the man, bringing his right arm up and around his neck, squeezing as he lifted the man's own arm upwards and bringing the knife to his throat, almost breaking the man's hand in the process.
"Be nice."
Matthew let go after the man quit squirming, taking the knife from him and sticking it in his waistband, covering it up with the back of his shirt. The shopkeeper shrugged and rubbed his neck, stepping back into the stall. Matthew noticed there was a bit of a crowd forming, and he knew he had to act fast and get out before anyone called the authorities. He stepped forward.
"Where's Harriet? I.. I mean I know they're near.. But, where? Why Cairo?"
Snake sighed, leaning against his counter.
"Ace mentioned they were on a treasure hunt.. Some ancient mythological staff or something. Look, I don't know. Why don't you ask for yourself? I'm sure they're looking for you, too."
|
|
|
Post by Lunapocalypse on Jan 30, 2011 3:23:16 GMT -5
"Might explain what I found at the Citadel," Aya quickly interjected, voice a little horse after just getting over her bout of adrenalin; once Matthew had disarmed Snake it didn't appear the man would be anymore of a threat, "Although it would seem they've already discovered what they're looking for considering the resistance I met there," looking between Matthew and his contact, "You sure you don't have the name of the artifact?" Aya then asked Snake; the info would likely help out when they enlisted Nancy's knowledge of ancient historics.
|
|