Sigil: City of Doors

((I will only be writing from perspective of what Meli can feel, smell, sense or see. However anyone whom interacts with her and knows what happens outside her, feel more than free to write your characters side of story either here or in your own biographies, or even both! :wub:

This character will have a lot of blanks in the story and occasional revelations here and there that may slowly bring out answers to the questions everyone has and good questions as well as talents of observation can help far too. :) And hopefully I am able to provide a good enough quality mystery via in game or in forums. Apologies if I also take liberties of depicting the sound of your characters ^,^ but I only have my imagination to go with on those! Feel free to correct me if you feel it's wrong!))

[align=center]Prologue

"[incomprehensible sounds followed by consciousness mid-sentence] ...don' buy inta tha mumbo jumbo." voiced in an thick accent of more elderly female. All she knew at the moment was that she wasn't alone and that she was lying on her on something solid and that smell... that putrid smell of something burning. She tried to look around, but her eye lids felt heavy. Acting blind she tried to move, but once more everything felt too heavy. Something wet and warm poked on her cheek.

She opened her mouth and was barely able to make a sound until a sharp and intense sensation started to spread, a sensation that could not be ignored. Her entire right side from leg to arm spread a message of sheer agony numbing all of her other senses of surrounding. She could feel moist right below her eyes running rampant and hear a wordless and constant scream.

The pain was only getting worse and forced her to try to cover it, she knew there were people around her and could hear noises, feel them trying to press and hold her still yet she fought against it as it hurt so much. She could only focus on the pain, then a new sharp brief source of pain tingled on her leg from which a blissful numbness spread all over and she started to lose sense of her surroundings. The sound of the scream faded with it and only now she realized it had emitted out of herself.

"[incomprehensible sounds] ...dangerous when she so baydly burnt... [faded to incomprehensible sounds again]" it as the same voice she heard when she woke up and then spoke something else, a deeper and more male sound with slight metallic echo. "..is that woman okay?"

...

Then she felt her surroundings again, it wasn't clear how long had passed since the last time. However her surroundings felt different there were less sounds, lying on something softer, the smell was different and more pure. She could hear a soft melodical hum that sound soothening.

"Heyah boy! Yoo hoo!" spoke the elderly female loudly. "Easy miss! It's alright" continued a more cooing sounding male. "She still 'n pain!" from her right side came audible shrilling whimper. She felt something touch her lips and a bitter tasting liquid poured down her throat which caused her to cough once. She knew her eyes were open, yet she couldn't see anything. Another man spoke in a more blaring sound after a exhaled sigh "Blind, as well. Truly, the payment we receive in this world is naught but suffering."

She tried to speak, but her throat felt dry despite the bitter liquid poured down her throat and it hurt, but the pain was nothing like it had been before. Her raspy dry words came out as a whisper "Where... is...", it was less said than she had wanted, but she still felt weak, her side still hurt. Despite the mans words about blindness she hadn't understood she was being addressed, she wasn't in real state to make such cognitive deduction of herself or her surrounding, for now she only thought that it was a very dark place.

"Theya theya dahlin. S' gonnae be okay naow. Ya tayke some o' this heya, 'kay?" spoke the elderly woman, her left hand started to feel her surroundings. What she was lying on was something soft and fabric so perhaps a bed? Oh her right came a constant breathing sound as well as seeming shifting of weight on whatever she was lying on. On her left spoke the elderly woman, somewhere at her feets direction spoke all the other sounds. Her left hand which seemed to be the working one felt around her right side, more fabric, but this was rough and multi-layered, also batches of some kind of thick, sticky yet slippery liquid with a dull neutral odor to it. Then something made of a fur touched her hand which she pulled away promptly, uncertain what had it been and caught her off-guard.

"Shh, shh! Ain't a word honneh. Ye ain't gottah 'xplain nothin' jest yet. Gatha ya strength, we'll talk awll 'bout it when ya feelin bettah." despite the calming voice she wasn't content as she knew nothing of her surrounding. She couldn't feel, all the odors were new, none of the sounds were familiar and worst of all... she couldn't remember a thing, it terrified her. Then another small batch of liquid was brought to her lips and poured to her mouth, she had been unprepared this time and some of it found its way to wrong way causing her to cough wildly. Then she heard the sound of the man that was there when she first woke up. "Er... apologies for the intrusion" spoke a man with a hint of an metallic echo to the sound? "She is awake now I see." she tried to speak again, but once more her words barely audible "What... why..." and too weak to make proper sentences.

"Down boay!" a sudden gentle scolding from her left side at her general direction and from her right side emited another whimper and an telling shift of weight. "Ye play wif her aftah she done gathered some o' her senses." [a pause] "Shh dahlin, shh. Ya doin' okay." but she wasn't content, she wanted answers still and tried to speak for the last time.. "dark..." she felt her eyes watering again, perhaps it was the pain, perhaps it was the despair, whichever it was she started to slowly fade back to the darkness.

"Daymnashun! I need somefin moah potent."

...

"Do you regret yet what you've done?" voiced a loud yet shrilling male sound and she snapped back to awareness, trying to take a look around. "Hello?" she voiced a wary question in a more audible tone, but received no reply and heard no sound. Again she wasn't aware how long had passed, but it was still dark... [/align]

((And I'll continue in game from this.))

[align=center]Finding Answers

The voice forced her to get up from her bed, it was difficult to orientate to stand without any visual aid and balancing only by feeling her own weight. Her right side still ached. She still decided it was best to get out, the source of the last voice might wish some harm. It took only couple steps until she already hit her right hand to something solid, grimacing a bit. It was only a small impact but she acknowledged she wasn't yet fully healed. The obstacle was made of wood and it connected to something solid behind it...a wall maybe she thought and followed its path.

Loud bang as she stumbled to another wooden object, she froze to her position, but as she heard nothing she continued, hand now running to a flat surface, and now hit to something fabric. A glassy shattering sound, she grimaced again, not because she had hurt herself or anything, but because she made a lot of noise and likely broke something that might've been valuable. She followed this practise until she reached to an end of the room where she found a knob and some kind of metal contraption. A lock. She yanked the door open, it was a bit effort for having to do with one hand only, but she managed. The door creaked and finally she was free.

Stumbled outside to the unknown, it was even more so while she couldn't hear anything. She could hear fiddling of pages to her right and soft mumblings of an older man. A crackling sound as well as pleasant warmth of fire to her front left. There were sounds all around, but most notable ones came from below, beyond the creaking floor. She started to feel claustrophobic, her world was so very small currently. The air felt thicker and older, she needed to get outside. It took a long time for her to find anything that could take her outside or even to an window, and she got utterly lost even before getting downstairs. Then she bumped to something furry and heard audible snarl, it was at least human sized! Some kind of beast?!

She quickly turned to left and started to head that way, but then floor suddenly wasn't there anymore, or so she thought the split second it took longer for her feet to hit the solid floor, it was already too late as the momentum set her to stumble onward quick to maintain her balance. Either by blessing of deities or through sheer luck she managed to avoid falling over on the stairs as she hit the door on the middle, yanked it open which spread a new wave of odors and sounds to her direction.

Cooked beef, the stale odor of beverages and sharp and striking smell of many spices. Many languages and too many mouths speaking to discern any particular talking at her. She kept moving, her arms flailing in front her trying to feel her way, at times succesful, at other times she still managed to hit obstacle and push over an chair. Then she heard a familiar creak on her right, a door creak and headed that way, feeling her way through the solid wall and yanked the same door... perhaps same door open. Finally what she had saught a burst of fresh air blew at her direction. Well as fresh as it could get within the Cage.

However the smells and the sounds overwhelming, at times she even felt the vibrations on her feet as something large passed by. She was a stranger to the crowd she couldn't see and got pushed on and off on her journey. This was first time she started to regret having left the room, she had no idea where she had come form or where she was going to. She found her way finally to something solid, some kind of stone and took a breather... then a voice spoke from the crowd.

"My my, what a fighter..." the voice was that of a female, a playful and promising. Meli aligned her head to listen in if she was addressed, but there came no immediate reply and she continued to focus on trying to solve how she'd get outof this mess, but the voice spoke agan. "Nothing, how adorable... you'd think the city was a little more conversational but its... to be expected I suppose. [A snicker] Oh you cute mortals." she again aligned her head to listen the voice better, then another spoke. This one a male and had no real accent to it, though this time slightly judgemental. "People might be more conversational if you didn't sound so cliche. Haughty fiends are a Xaos turd a dozen hereabouts." Meli wasn't entirely sure still if she was being addressed and instead she asked in an uncertain tone "Are you.. are you talking to me?"

"Oh yes, I am, and this poor fellow likes to think he knows people, so sweet [tut-tut with her tongue] but I suppose again, if we're talking cliches master dark and drab, you're the king of the kingdom right now, so mysterious and all knowing." The voice remained playful and perhaps a bit theatrical. "Try not to think predictability a weapon for the wise, you might yet find the multiverse does notinfact revolve around your.. humbled logic." The tone curved to a downlooking playful. "[Snicker] Heh, I'd have to hand it to you if I had any reason to assume you haev half a clue how right you are." Meli wasn't aware what was going on so rather than keep listening to these two fighting she spoke out "I.. I don't know where I am - can you - help me?"

The following care-free chuckle set the hair on her back rise "[Chuckles] Why yes, I was infact talking to you [A cooing hum] nawww, how adorable, a clueless, it's like a dream come true- yes, I can help you find your way little newcomer." but she was interrupted by the more practical sounding male "[a sigh] You're between a rock and a hard place, if you mean you don't even know you're in Sigil." but the female soon continued "By the way you gaze staringly I can only assume you're blind as a bat or completely unguided, which given the narrow limit of options - I like the former more, you seem so... airy. [A chuckle]" during the female speaking she heard steps approaching and felt around with her left arm "Sigil? - What's Sigil?" her left wrist hit softly at something warm and soft, but she withdrew her hand which was then taken a hold off. "Sorry!"

"Lady is a bit of a fiend, by the way. Literally, I mean." to which reaction Meli withdrew her hand the other female chuckled melodically at that and Meli felt her hand being held again, but in manner that the back of her hand touched the palm of the others, it was a supportive touch. "You're safe wih me - a little safe perhaps even - very safe." came the alluring voice. "She's a - fiend?.." Meli considered a moment. "Then - what are you?" She felt something curling closer to her and it caused her to tense and get alarmed when a voice whispered to her ear. "That fellow is wearing a hood, a tall humanoid. He appears to be far more omnious than little old me could ever be..." the voice promising and poisonous. However the man spoke for himself out loud. "I'm tall, dark and mysterious for all anyone can tell, and this ain't a spot to change that just yet. But last I checked, I was human."

Meli felt the presence withdrew from her immediate surrounding "Human enough, I suppose." the tone carried a bit dismissive hint. "Right, where are you from, kid? Might help figure out what's up." then it struct to Neli, she didn't really remember a thing "I - I don't know." she sighed feeling helpless again. "You don't know where you're from? As in you can't rightly remember?" Meli bit her lower lip, she really couldn't remember, but how much did she dare to tell to these? On other hand... what did she have to lose?

"I - guess I don't know anyone else to ask from... No. Last I recall was in agony - then some strange sounds and then I woke up in some place." she couldn't help but sigh "That really doesn't tell much." then she felt a pat on her shoulder, which caused her jump in her skittish state. Followed by soft feminine tut. "What you need dear is someone that can look after you n the long run - I would advise the Mercykillers, I'm told they have fantastic methods of protecting those around them." again the tone alluring and mischievous in nature, then a sigh. "Oh sweet sweet wine, try not to fall too stale on your first night in this little bottle you've fallen into."

"Eh - The Mercykillers might just as likely try and figure out how your predicament is your fault and then proceed to punish you for it." deduced the man to which the female would answer surprisingly protectively "Such a sweet thing you are - do look after herhuman - it would be boring if she got hurt." though only one question really ran through Melis head at the current moment. "What are... Mercykillers?" it was followed by a rhytmical bemused laughter of the female "Welcome to City of Doors girl." She didn't answer the question but Meli could hear the steps going away of her.[/align]

*to be continued*

[align=center]Moving On

It had already been days she knew, days spent mostly lying down asleep, resting and tending to her wounds. She hated being able to do nothing and depend only in the good will of others, it felt like abusing others achievements. She was sitting by a desk back at the inn, she knew that much as this room had been where she had spent most of her time in the passing week, it was really the only place she did know and could visualize. Right side was still in pain, several people had looked at the wound and attempted to treat it, at times it only felt like a measure of challenge and expertise in the field which others hoped to achieve and less like being treated as a wounded person.

Still there were people with genuine best interest in mind, and those with extreme enthusiasm to correct the wrong. She grimaced at that thought still remembering the ache produced by the man carrying her around like a sack of food, but she knew it was her best interest in the mind of this man. She exhaled a sigh and her left hand slided to the desk to again decipher the coins granted by the kindness of Roland, and she knew Roland was right about one thing. She had to learn to deal with the troubles on her own. Her current trouble, discerning the difference between silver coin and gold coin without visual aid or trying to decipher differences of gems by feel, odor, taste and sound alone.

It was painstaking work to discern the tiny differences in the weight fluctuations of different matter, and the different odors they emitted, trying how the sound vibrated for different chords and - well she wasn't intent to taste them! Who knows where they had been. The separation of gold and silver was easy enough, and by that it means gold is heavier and holds no distinct strong odor to it and the sound it emits is a bit more dull compared to the silver having a rather strong metallic smell while being lighter and more bright sound. In either case it wasn't fast to make the distinction in the heat of haggling and quickly shifting quantities of coins.

If only the shape of the coins gave more of a visual clue she thought. Perhaps she could get a smith to make the separation in shape while keeping the quantity? That was worthy of a serious thought. The gems however - for all I knew they could all be diamonds, although unlikely, but they didn't have a uniform shape or size by the types. Maybe someone knew more about gems than she did, if so - she'd have to find them first.

The next two issues were also troublesome, although perhaps less imminent. First was learning to navigate around without visual aid and gain the confidence to her steps to not fall over slightest of surface level alteration. She was given a staff by quite lively and friendly female, Kasia, but the more the staff was attempted the more it came clear that she likely wasn't left handed, still it was an improvement to trying to find her way in zombie-like fashion. Just the thought of how petty she must've looked doing so made her lips shift to a bemused smirk.

And lastly was the matter of getting some proper outfit and perhaps some work she was able to do. She really did need an income to pay back for all the help she was given or work to help them. However she couldn't just go around looking like a beggar anymore either, while she couldn't see, she knew her outfit was full of holes, especially on the right side. Only thing she could really hope was that none of them were in inappropriate places. Still, guess it was best to try to get someone with working eyes to help her to choose some fitting outfit.[/align]

((I've skipped some events in between because I haven't thought even a remotely interesting way to tell them, but they might come later :) also it's still a possibility to chime in to tell your side of it! It might be much more interesting than what Meli sometimes experiences over the play since she's intended to miss out a lot of the sensations :D ))

[align=center]Life of Routines

The life of a blind woman was revolving around daily routines and remembering the number of steps, trusting your sense of direction and immersing yourself to the faintest clues that you would miss when you could see. Like a gong in the distance, it wasn't a loud one and she couldn't possibly know why it rang, but she knew it came in regular intervals and always from the same direction. Perhaps she couldn't see the landmarks, but it didn't mean she was forced to give up and instead come up with her own.

Her own inn room she knew throughout, where everything was and it felt to be in neat order, of course she didn't entirely know if it looked to be in good order, but everything seemed to be in her mind. If she bought anything and gained new changes, she could take her time to analyze the coins and categorize them to their own jars then if she required any money, she could put them to their own respectful pockets at the begin of the day.

Food she had bought were all categorized to dry supplies and fresh supplies. She made sure to move the fresh supplies around when she bought new as to make sure she knew where the older fresh supplies were in comparison to new to prevent wasteful spending. While the begin had been difficult, painful and incredibly slow. Things were starting to look up for her as she got more familiar to being blind and inventing ways to manage.

At the end of day, it was all about trust. Trust for your own senses and trust for those around you.[/align]


[align=center]Employed!

Much like every other day this had began with daily routines, combing and making her hair to a couple tight knots, she did it so that the hair wouldn't get stuck or in the way and to ensure it remained in good health. A bath to clean the wounds and avoid diseases, this portion was always a bit tricky as it did hurt, however she had got a bit more numbed to the pain by now, there wasn't much point to complain about it now. Sannish and redflower which Nicha had provided helped to dull the pain and sharpen her senses, she'd feel a bit dizzy over the strong drugs, but overall they helped a good bit and the redflowers in the end worked well as tea.

Still each day she went out to find out small bits of the new world she had entered, and each day failed to disappoint her as indeed there came new revelations either help from an unexpected source, learning about a faction she had never heard of or just a casual conversation with new voices that sometimes never gained a name. Today however a pleasant surprise came with initially disembodied voice that carried a distinct sound that seemed to be lack of concern, yet a faintest hint of an enthusiasm over some subjects and a genuine caring tone. It felt like she had lost faith, yet had a glimpse of hope for better, somewhere very deep and perhaps deliberately kept concealed. But guess she might've just analyzing the tone of a voice a bit too much.

The voice introduced herself as Nienna, what was different in her is that she wasn't trying to solve her problems, she really appreciated it, yet was willing to hear her rambling and concerns that had come out the span of time she had spent there. It felt better when she could simply get it out and not need to get the matter handled for her, they were her problems and she'd need to overcome them, but it didn't mean she didn't want to talk about them. Even the thought of it brought a frustrated sigh out of Meli, herself had difficulty of expressing it, but Nienna seemed to understand. Nienna even had a proposition for employing her, finally a chance to prove that she wasn't just a burden or utterly useless while being carried and dragged around.

Nienna lead her away from the bar, slightly toward the inn, she recognized the way that far, but then they turned to the left to path that was entirely unknown to her. She followed the distinct clinking sounds that emit before her, perhaps the boots or then some kind of cane or staff. Her own cane tapped before her to ensure the elevation alterations didn't produce herself much difficulty as well as the soil type. The walk was a bit quiet for most parts, but she could hear the shift changes as the jumbled mass of noises and odors started to change to more quiet and sophisticated sounds. Occasional steady marching sounds and even a couple rhytmic musical sounds as they passed. Air seemed to carry much more refined odors, the street seemed to become far less bumpy. The rich part of the city, she didn't really feel at home here.

Though she didn't know for real, her imagination ensured that she felt like she was looked down upon as she had no real idea how the outfit Scarlet had picked her would fit to the rich urban parts of town. Running water and fresher air diverted her thoughts away of the self-flagellation to curiosity, the steady steps before her disappeared after a slight turn to left, instead it was now soft thumps as the ground type had changed to something soft. Hurriedly she followed and felt the ground beneath her become much softer. She leaned down and passed the cane to her wounded hand and felt the grassy surface, it was a positive change from the industrialistic and thick pretentious odors and stale ale of the bar definitely.

A strong and fresh odor of flowers was imminent and she felt much more brisk. Now the more enthusiastic side of Nienna became apparent as she spoke of the flowers with a distinct compassion. She offered a job to water the flowers twice a day during morning and evening, but also with a note that the flowers from Beastlands only really survived here because they were given attention, it felt bizarre, but then a lot of things felt odd in this city, she understood. Nienna explained the task in great detail and offered even more aid, it came clear that she had a great affection to the flowers, Meli didn't need more encouragement as it was at least equally important to her. Change of scenery and a possibility to be useful.

Only real issue was getting used to the small garden and the path to the pond and there all the way to the inn. The night she was showed the place she spent a good hour or two to familiarize herself with the place, then tried to find her way back, she had to ask directions a couple of times, but found her way back to the Bazaar and from there to the inn. In the morning she was up early and tried to find her way back to the gardens, it was difficult and she was late, but remained determined and worked hard even if it was just a small task. Filling the bucket in the pond and getting it back to the garden, pouring a little to the flower sortments and each time trying with her left hand around the soil to see that it is wet, but not soaking in the water. She was utterly exhausted over the tiny task, yet seemingly very brisk about it... and she'd continue doing it, it was just the start of the routines and from this point it would get only easier.[/align]

((Sorry for lack of dialog OneNameManyFaces, but I forgot to save the conversations! x)