A New Home Away From Home (Revelations)

[-NekoUke-]

The Sultanate of Ul'dah was bustling with activity; particularly along the Steps of Nald, the main strip that all manner of folk often congregated. Such a place was famous for its traffic and curiosities. One of which included a pair of scantily clad dancing girls that merchants on the Ruby Road Exchange counted on to drive up sales. Interestingly, the crowd there was thin compared to the small mob that had gathered directly outside of the Quicksand. Where another, dare to say exotic curiosity clad in a rather fetching and provocative ensemble charmed the audience with their movements; a lithe frame and smooth skin complimenting and enhancing their dance which seemed to be unique in its own right. This wasn't Thavnairian dancing, but something more primal; wild yet beautiful as their body moved with precision and grace. For as untamed as their movements were, that wasn't what caught peoples attention, but rather the identity of the person performing for them.

A male Viera.

Seeing one of the leporine folk was rare enough but to lay eyes on a male of the species? They were said to be extremely reclusive, even more so than their female counterparts who were decidedly more common. Especially with Garlemalds invasion of Ivalice which included the Golmore Jungle, the homeland of the Rava folk that this male in particular seemed to belong to. A few spectators whispered murmurings that suggested that he was yet another victim, forced to flee because of the Empire.

And they'd be correct.

The twenty year old male, who went only by the name Siar after abandoning his village name, had indeed made a run for it when the Garleans came knocking. Though the boy felt a hint of guilt for leaving his brothers to fend for themselves, he accepted that the life he had there was long gone. Under Viera law; once he left the forest he was essentially exiled, unable to return to his people. As far as he was concerned, Ul'dah was his home now.

And so he danced for a living. Occasionally renting his body out to whatever patron sought to relieve themselves of their lust just so he could rest his head somewhere that wasn't an Inn room or the open air. For the most part however, he was doing fine financially. Enough to keep his belly full anyway for he gave most of his Gil away to the Quicksands owner as thanks for letting him ply his trade outside of her premises. On the whole, he was fairly comfortable.

But he could be so much more. He often thought about turning to adventuring work, or gladiatorial combat but as long as people paid to see him; he'd keep dancing.

 

[Revelations]

Perhaps the mecca of commerce in Eorzea, Ul'dah was teeming with life as usual. While the wealthy clung to their gil and power, this fortune often trickled down in subtle ways to those below, even if the very bottom only ever tasted the barest hint of scraps. Fortune could still be made within the city, and for many it was a place where dreams could come true. Few knew this story as well as (NSFW) Celde, while her parents were not native to the city, she was. With them having fled from Golmore to Thanalan, they could have easily become more of the dregs that scraped out a living within the city were it not for their talents. And while Celde lacked the mercantile talents of her parents, she had business acumen and other tricks up her sleeve – allowing her to live a life of relative luxury.

Celde was eye catching, to say the least. A statuesque beauty, she held a curvy yet athletic figure that she had no issues subtly showing off in a button down shirt of a dark red tone that silhouetted her chest and slim waist. Her more wide hips and thighs were hidden partially by the pants, but even then one could see she held a figure that was the envy of many. And with black hair tinged with ruby, her short hair fell just an edge away from her violet eyes. Of course, one would be remiss to forget the lapine ears that Viera held, adding to the woman's height ever so subtly. While not the type to intentionally dress to impress, she still held a sharp look about her, and her confidence was reflected by her outfit as well as a subtle sway of her hips as she entered the quicksands.

It normally was not her sort of place, but she had an interest in something unique that day. As her heels subtly clicked on the stone floor, her amethyst eyes scanned from table to to table, patron to patron, and even the workers within the bar. Apparently, there was a Viera dancer of some skill who had taken residence within the quicksands, and she wanted to see him personally. Finding an empty table was a bit difficult, but the moment one presented itself, she sat at it readily, sitting as she waited on a server – one who quickly approached as she ordered a drink for herself. The drink was primarily to get the chance to talk to the server about her quarry.

"I'm curious – I've heard of performer here in the quicksands. Is he here?" She asked, her tone soft but far from weak.

"Do you mean Siar?" The Hyur server asked, to which Celde gave a small nod. "He'll be performing shortly, if I understand tonight's schedule correctly."

"Thank you." Celde then spoke, her painted lips in a smile. "I look forward to seeing him." Given how rare Viera were in the city, she might stick out just a little, but perhaps that was part of her plan.

 

[-NekoUke-]

Indeed. While Ul'dah looked like a bustling, shining city of gold where one could make their fortune on the surface, if one looked a little more closely they would see the grime that was hidden underneath the glamour. Money talked and those that held the gil, held the reins. The way Siar was made to disgrace himself just to make a living in this city proved that point. It could have been worse however, he could have been among the refugees forced to beg in the streets. Perhaps he could have moved to Gridania instead? Though they had their own share of problems; their extreme distrust of outsiders for one. Nonetheless, this was the life he had chosen for himself and right now, Dancing was its own lucrative venture.

What the audience was witnessing outside of the Quicksand was merely a warm-up, a prelude before the main event as it were where he'd head inside the premises itself and perform there. As far as venues went, it was small but it was comfortable. Momodi paid him fairly and the patrons weren't so easily 'hands-on' as they would be in the more seedy establishments. Who knows? Maybe he'd be fortunate enough one day to be noticed by the Sultana herself.

Well, he was about to be noticed. Just not by the Sultana but by someone else with quite a reputation.

Eventually, he would enter the Quicksand proper as he proceeded to take his place on the temporary stage set up in front of where the Leveboard would usually be; the Bards making ready to play the music that would accompany his performance. He never bothered to scan the crowd, opting to start the performance immediately. He began with a slower pace at first, his footsteps deliberate as he moved elegantly in time. He may have been dressed for a more erotic routine but the dance he was performing was intended to lift the spirits and fill one with vigor. If one paid attention; or if they had the knowledge of such a thing they'd quickly realise his dance was of a more tribal nature, with the music being typical of the Golmore Jungle. Perhaps this choice was part of the reason his dancing was more sought after as opposed to what one would typically find in Radz-at-Han; or maybe it was his lithe and youthful form?

Whatever it was, the one unifying element to his uniqueness was his identity. A female Viera was rare enough but a male? Almost unheard of. Most swore they didn't exist.

This fact would not be lost on him the more he continued dancing. In the corner of his eye, he'd see a person that would assuredly stick out among the typical gathered races such as Hyurs, Elezens, Lalafell and Miqo'te. He could have sworn the person he spotted had lapine ears much like his own. So much so he almost lost focus but he quickly held fast to his composure. It wasn't like he had not seen a female Viera before though. But he assumed they'd mostly would have flocked to more familiar surroundings like Gridania, not the sands of Ul'dah.

 

[Revelations]

Ul'dah as a whole was a city of opportunity where fortune favored the bold. The Quicksand itself was a microcosm of the city in that way – those who put themselves at the center of attention could readily find themselves (in)famous. That was the entire reason Celde was here even – someone had made themselves famous enough to catch her attention and now she was here to see it for herself. By the time that Siar began to perform on the impromptu stage, Celde was more than interested. Male Viera felt so rare as to be ghosts, and with one in front of her, she had to admit her curiosity grew as the dance continued from a slow pace to a more elegant and rapid crescendo.

The throngs inside the quicksand might have made it hard to focus on any one member of the crowd for some time, but for Celde she made no attempt to obfuscate her presence. She wanted to let him know she was there, her sitting stance a bit more postured so her ears stuck out all the more in the crowds. Of course, she assumed just the hint of ears alone would not be enough to garner his favor or presence, so she had another idea. By the time the dance was starting to slow down, she was soon moving through the crowd – not to the stage, but to the proprietor of the sands – Momodi. The more petite Lalafell could be seen across the bar, and as Celde moved to sit there for a moment, pleasantries were exchanged as well as the promise of coin. Naturally Celde carried little with her when it came to walking through Ul'dah, but names carries power and influence, and Celde had no scruples when it came to getting what she wanted (In reason). The gil she offered was very real even if not present, and Celde was good on her word.

To that end, Momodi soon got one of the servers, and as Siar's dance ended, a Miqo'te woman would be waiting for him at the edge of the stage, offering a wave to get his attention. "Siar, good show as always." She'd say when he approached, her voice soft. "There's someone very interested in you personally, I think they're at the bar – Momodi seemed rather enthused for you two to meet."

 

[-NekoUke-]

The right - or wrong person could make themselves famous in Ul'dah. All it took was a combination of the correct skills; mostly in manipulation and enough coin to loosen lips and influence people. This was something Celde would use to her advantage soon enough as the dance came to an end; not that Siar would know it in the moment. Right now, even though he for a few split seconds had noticed her; he remained focused on his dance. Which was indeed one recognisable as a traditional Viera dance that rightfully showed off the grace and beauty of the laprine eared race.

Once his performance finished, the gathered crowd gave him a well-earned round of applause. Adventurers, patrons all were pleased with him as they always were. It was clear then that this boy was popular and well-liked in the Quicksand. A dark day it would be when he eventually was taken away by a patron rich enough to 'buy' him so to speak. Such a manner of speech had some validity to it as Momodi technically was his owner, buying him from the Madam that ran Ul'dahs house of ill repute to work in the Quicksand as entertainment as an employee rather than an indentured servant. She wasn't unfair to him either, offering him free food and board on top of a decently full coin purse.

He watched the Moon Seeker Miqo'te wave him over. In his mind she was going to applaud his performance which was what she did, but he was surprised to hear that somebody wanted to meet him. "I hope they aren't looking for an autograph." He said dryly in a soft tone of voice; hinting a tone of aloofness but also a good sense of humor. His accent reminiscent to real world Icelandic which was typical among Viera. Nevertheless, he cast his eyes toward the bar, noticing the Viera woman that he spotted in the crowd seated there. He could already guess what this was about, seeing as the way she dressed - the way she carried herself was indecisive of someone of high standing.

"Thank you for letting me know, I shan't keep them waiting." Siar said and composed himself before slowly approaching the bar where Celde sat waiting for his presence; giving a light, courteous bow in the process.

"You wished to speak with me, my Lady?"

 

[Revelations]

As the male viera approached her, Celde offered a warm smile to Siar. "Evening. Please take a seat." She spoke with confidence to her words, and as her ears flicked ever so slightly her attention seemed purely focused upon Siar as she waited to see what he would do. "I'm certain that it must feel nice to get off your feet after such a wonderful performance." Her compliments came both freely and sincerely, and as she continued her words came out smoothly, a slight huskiness to them. "And if you'd like a drink, I am sure you know your preference, no? Consider it on me. But while I do have your attention… I wanted to make a rather interesting proposal to you that I feel only comes once in someone's lifetime." She was in no particular rush to get directly to it, but she figured that if she had Siar's attention it was best to let him know why she had summoned for him personally.

With her legs crossed, Celde turned to face Siar more directly. "My name is Celde, by the way." Offering out her hand to him after a moment, it would be up to him to react and she was most certainly happy to wait for his reaction, but the woman did not lack in a more vivacious personality by any means.

"Anyway, I will admit that it's quite unusual to see someone of such skill in Ul'dah, I had heard rumors of your dancing prowess but now that I've seen it myself, I must admit they were wrong about you. They undersold just how well you compose yourself." Around them, the quicksand remained somewhat busy, but the two were still able to hear one another and hold a more casual conversation, which Celde was certainly keen on.

 

[-NekoUke-]

If she wanted his attention, she certainly got it. Indeed it would be nice to take a load off after an intense performance; showcasing a style of dance that was unheard of even in the home of the art. Maybe his form, which was rooted in Viera culture drove people to him. That or his looks, it was hard to say. Regardless he sat down when instructed, tensing up at the offer of a drink and while she never gave him any reason to not trust her, he didn't make it this far after leaving the woods by just blindly taking people at their word. Especially in a city like Ul'dah where coin ruled over decency.

Still, he felt like they had common ground with each other. Being fellow Viera even though unbeknownst to him she was city born rather than being a child of the woods as he was. Actually, he had a gut feeling she did not know much of her culture. Considering she never said anything regarding the way he danced, and only about the skill he showed. Did she not recognise it as being of her people? Then again he accepted that he had discarded his heritage completely. No more being bound to the woods laws, as if he was reborn.

"I'm Siar, it's my pleasure, Ma'am." Siar said as he took the offer of a handshake, looking at her in the eyes. "And I'm honored to hear you enjoyed my performance. It might be unbecoming of me but I'm surprised that you didn't recognise it as our cultures dance."

"You mentioned something of a proposal?"