Rise of the Demon Forge: A Hidden Danger? (Razgriz x Wingshadow)

Six Years Ago......
The battle was fierce, drawn-out; many called it a war of attrition. They were right; both sides suffered heavy casualties. It was a battle fought on many fronts, but the Moon and Santa Maria Novella Basilica were the two main battlegrounds of the war. Shinigami's son, Kid Death, went to battle along with many other high-ranking Shibusen warriors - Franken Stein, Marie Mjölnir, and others - against the Kishin Asura, former Death Scythe Justin Law, and his army of Black Clowns, abominations crafted from the horrid substance Black Blood. Liquid madness, many would say; they weren't too far off. With the exception of a few, anyone exposed to this substance grew increasingly insane until it was too late.

The witch Medusa Gorgon, however, sought to weaponize it; she succeeded. Her child Crona was her first vessel for Black Blood, giving rise to the construct Ragnarok, a soul-hungry killing machine that often was wielded by Crona in the form of a sword. The influence of Medusa's actions drove Crona over the edge, forcing him to kill her in a bout of madness-induced insanity and making the hardening of the Black Blood within come to completion. This also forced the demented child to abandon Shibusen, throwing all of Maka's efforts to integrate Crona into the group to waste. Crona fled, defeating Maka's Soul Perception for a time by blending in with the madness emanating from Asura himself.

With Kid joining Shibusen's warriors on the Moon to destroy the Kishin, Maka and the rest of Spartoi tried to track down Crona, only to find the insane child flying off to capture the Kishin for purposes unknown. Giving chase, the rest of Spartoi joined up in the fight against the Kishin to press forward and stop Crona. The Kishin Asura, however, absorbed Crona into himself, giving the demonic monster a massive boost in power. This made the battle infinitely tougher; with Stein sidelined due to his sensitivity to madness, it was up to Maka and Spartoi to finish it. After sustaining heavy injury, Asura having put Kid and Black Star out of commission, Maka and Soul performed one final Soul Resonance and cleaved Asura in two with her Kishin Hunter technique, bringing Asura's threatening reign to an end....

However, Medusa's devious mind worked in more than one way, for she foresaw Crona becoming defeated by Asura and used that, along with the sadness it would have caused in Shibusen's finest, to further her ultimate goal: Destroy Death City. For that she had a second child, crafted from her own blood and the genetic material she stole from the man she had once held romantic feelings for and had come to her seeking reprieve from the madness affecting his body: The great Doctor Franken Stein. The experiment this one underwent even more twisted than what she put Crona through, and worse yet...Shibusen and Lord Death had not the slightest clue of this child's existence. She sought to create another ultimate Demon Weapon, but only time would tell if she succeeded.

Present day....
Deep underground in a secluded yet clearly manmade caver, a large glass tube-like chamber held a titan of a man; an eerie blue glow illuminated the subterranean pocket, the human-shaped shadow being the only thing that showed through the thick glass and haze inside the pod. Images played through his head, distorted, rapid and random, yet somehow making perfect sense to him, as if his brain were a blank disk and everything was merely being written to it like some sort of program. This had gone on for the six-year span between the defeat of the Kishin Asura and now, infusing and indoctrinating his mind with basic knowledge of speech, combat tactics and human behavior.

Suddenly, a light flashed from above the chamber, red and glaring as a ruby's shine. Pneumatic pistons pushed the chamber upright, having been tilted back against the wall, and a "Whoosh!" sounded as the heavy door swung open, a white mist pouring forth like a waterfall from the interior of the chamber. The mist cleared, revealing a naked, heavily-muscled man of nearly seven-and-a-half feet height, tanned skin, and shoulder-length platinum locks. His eyes twitched before slowly parting to reveal their navy-blue coloration. the lids blinking to clear the fogginess of his sight; his vision traveled the extent of the cavern, scanning nearly every inch before liberating himself from the strange pod.

A heavy "Thud!" resounded throughout the cavern as he landed; the strange man looked over himself, his massive hands flexing his fingers and his neck craning in every direction to work out the kinks of being in stasis for so long. A distorted, dark voice played in his head; anyone else wouldn't understand it, but somehow he did. He looked down, seeing a loose-fitting, sleeveless hooded white robe lying on the ground next to the chamber he'd just left. The garbled command spoke to him again, instructing him to don the rob and leave the cavernous holding area.

Putting it on, the voice spoke again; almost mechanically, the man began to walk, his footsteps heavier-sounding than a normal human of his size might sound like. He traversed up a tunnel, coming eventually to a heavy stone blocking his progress. His right hand clenched, and quick as lightning, the fist flew forward, smashing the boulder as if it were Styrofoam and a loud "Boom!" echoing out. His way cleared, he proceeded forward into a large room; stacks of papers, tubes and diagrams covered the walls. This was one of Medusa's labs that Shibusen had raided to gather information on what the witch was planning, but he was not cognizant of that.

He continued forward, eventually stepping out into the blinding desert sunlight, an arm coming up to protect his eyes as they readjusted from the near-complete darkness of his former home. The hood of his robe was pulled up over his head and he began his trek across the desert towards Death City. For days upon days, he walked, never ceasing as the voice guided him towards his objective, not knowing what it was yet somehow understanding what he had to do. On the eigth day of travel, he was within visual distance of Death City itself. However, something went wrong; he paused, his eyes wide as he felt something wash over him in waves. Suddenly, a loud screeching was heard in his head, his hands flying up to cover his ears to no avail in stopping the sound from occurring. His mouth flew open, but only extremely muted choking sounds could be heard as indescribable pain shocked his massive body, his voice quickly faltering to the onslaught of sensation. He fell to his knees, his eyes squinting shut as he bent over before opening again; his irises twitched wildly, the pupils having narrowed to pin-head size as the pressure in his body felt like it was approaching its critical limit.

But as suddenly as it began, it ceased; the man now sat on his knees in the scorching sand, his head craned back and eyes looking up to the sky, blank and lifeless, their once brilliant color dulled to near non-existence. His hands slowly fell to his sides, knuckles resting in the fine desert powder. He remained like this for only a few seconds before his body shut down, causing him to fall over and lay still, lifeless as the rock which had once sheltered him from the harshness of these hot, scorching sandlands.

Some time later...

The man lay neatly tucked into a bed, his head laid down gently on a pillow while thin, clean white sheets were pulled up to his chin. The walls of the room were a orange-pink color, the distinct shade of pink which was somewhat similar to the flesh of an overripe peach. The furnishings were simple yet stylish, with a wooden dresser in the far corner beside the door and the wastebasket. The wooden floor was kept swept, waxed, and spotless, as the housekeeper, however he or she happened to be, was likely very particular about cleanliness. The utter lack of artwork adorning the walls as well as the lack of a distinct flavor in the decor, however, was likely due to the fact that he was staying in a guest room of some sort.

The gentle sound of footsteps walking down the hall just outside his room announced the return of his caretaker, a powerful magic user who sported a black dress, shoes which curled at the toes, and a witch's distinct broad-brimmed hat. She approached his bedside with a tray of potions of various sorts, each bubbling and babbling of their own accord as she sat down beside him and began to chant.

"Pum-pumpkin-pumpkin..." she whispered to the vials as the slowly levitated and mixed together, finally turning into a thin mist which settled down on his body. With a satisfied nod, she stood up and looked him over once again.

"I'm surprised he's been asleep this long... I'm sure I'm using the correct mixtures to help him recover," Blair shrugged, "Oh, no matter... I'm sure he will come around eventually."

The man did not stir once as the woman transported him to her residence, nor when she laid him upon the wide bed to rest his body. His weight was apparently quite impressive, as the frame of the bed creaked and developed a distinct arch when the supporting magic was dispelled; she was lucky to be able to lift him with magic, as she would have had quite the chore otherwise. The whole time the woman treated him, he lay disturbingly still, as if he were already dead. This was an unfortunate side-effect of his creation; something had back-fired within him, forcing his body into a shut-down state.

As the strange mist settled over his muscular form, it coated him like a blanket before seeming to disappear as it was absorbed into his skin. It would take more time than she was used to for her concoction to take effect, as his body was not entirely human. After a while, however, his eyelids twitched before parting once again, revealing their nature color. His vision was hazy and naturally he was confused; however, he did not seem to panic. Whether it was his feeling safe or a lack of understanding in proper reactions, no one could say. The strange man blinked a few times, the haze over his sight gradually disappearing.

He then slowly sat up, his eyes wandering the room, taking in the details of this strange new environment. "Where.....am I?" the man said aloud, unaware that there was another in the house with him.

"Oh wonderful!" Blair bent down toward the man with a distinctly cat-like grin on her face, "I was hoping you would wake up soon... You were in pretty bad shape back there, but you are even tougher than you look."

"Welcome to my humble abode," she gestured toward the room around them, "You are in a cute little house on the outskirts of Death City. I found you wayyyyy out in the desert all by yourself... At first I thought you were dead, but when I looked a bit closer I noticed that you were not dead."

She clapped her hands together once then placed them on her wide, curved hips, "Say, you must be starving! How about I fix you up something nice to eat, alright? Just let me know if you are hurting anywhere and I'll get right to it."

The magician patted him on the head before hopping out the door to bring him some food, most likely leaving him speechless. Technically speaking, she was simply freeloading in Maka's house and had even brought him inside without clearing it with her first. This wasn't that odd considering that Blair acted like she owned the place, taking baths and streaking about the house as she saw fit. Thankfully, Maka was not in-town at the time so she was still unaware of her unanticipated guest.

Bliar returned a short while later with some breakfast laid out on a tray, with toast, juice, scrambled eggs, and some sausage links. It wasn't entirely clear whether she had actually cooked the meal herself or created it via magic, but however she got her hands on it, there it was before him.

"Eat up... But don't forget, this means you owe me a debt of a bed and a meal," Blair laughed, intending to convey her words as a joke, "What were you doing out there in the desert anyway?"

The strange man turned his head to see a woman's face merely inches from his own; he could only blink as she referred to 'back there'. Before he could even respond, she pointed out the room around them and then told him he was out in the desert. Why was he out there? He was dead? No, she thought he was dead. But why would she think that? He was clearly alive; but before he could ask for clarification, she mentioned making breakfast for him and told him to tell her if he hurt anywhere. And once again, before he could so much as bat an eyelash, she patted him on the head and scampered out of the room. He could only blink in confusion, leaving him indeed speechless.

He of course was unaware that this woman was not the owner of the house, that the actual owner was not here currently. But that was not the foremost issue on the man's mind, it was his situation. All of this made the man terribly confused. Why was he in the desert? Why was he here? Who was this woman? So many questions ran through his head, it almost overwhelmed him. But before he could have a freak-out, a sizable tray of food was laid before him rather abruptly, snapping him out of his thoughts. He stared at it for a few seconds, then turned to the woman as she told him that he was in debt to her of a meal and a bed. His expression was one of being hopelessly lost, slow even; even if it wasn't the case, it was the image he presented forward.

He finally spoke, a strangely soft tone for one so large, "Ummm.....OK, I can do that". He clearly missed that her words were intended as humor rather than an actual command. He didn't eat just yet, but continued to look at her, like she was the strangest thing he'd ever seen. And for the moment, that was the truth. When she asked him about why he was out there, he gave her a blank look; it was clear that he had no clue either. However, he then asked, "Who are you?"

"You really must be new around here," Blair's smile curved upward and a mischievous glint sparkled in her eye as she spoke, "I am Blair the Great, one of the most powerful magicians this world has ever seen! Who else would be able to bring you back from the brink of death like that?"

She gave him a smack on the back, "I mean, look at you! After only three days of intense care, and you are back on your feet... You can just call me Blair for short. No title really fits me well enough and they make my shoulders stiff if I keep them too long. They sort of remind me of moisturizers. They are nice for a while but by the time you get used to them its just the same thing over and over again. My skin is naturally soft and smooth anyway, so its not like I really need them... Do you know what I mean?"

Blair sat down next to him on the bed and poked his cheek, "You are the real mystery... No matter who I asked, no one seemed to know anything about you. Can you really not remember a single thing?"

"That's really strange," she shook her head, not even giving him enough time to respond, "But don't worry, I'm sure it will start to come back to you in time. Just take it easy."

Brink of death? Was he really that close to dying? The smack on his back didn't really register to him; his mind was still trying to process everything, and the fact that she was talking so quickly made it difficult to take it all in. He cocked his head in confusion after she told him to just call her Blair; how did a title stiffen one's shoulders? A title was just a word, wasn't it? Her comparison of titles to moisturizers confused him even more; not only did he not know what a 'moisturizer' was, but he failed to make the connection between them. He inferred that moisturizers somehow softened one's skin.

Before he could ask her to explain what she meant, her finger pressed into his cheek, telling him that no one here knew who he was. She was talking so fast, he couldn't even give an answer to her questions. Her speech was so confusing; first she equated words with being physiological stressors, then compared to something that made skin softer and smoother. Now she told him to 'take it easy'. Did she mean take something with no difficulty? No, she would have said 'take it easily'. His next question would likely floor her, "Um...If I could ask you a question....How exactly does a word make your shoulders stiff?"

Blair reeled back as if he had jabbed her with a fork, "Wait... I didn't mean it that way..."

She didn't realize that she was overwhelming him with both her convoluted speech patterns and the speed at which she skirted from one topic to another without a single clear train of thought. She also probably didn't realize the extent to which the poor man was completely lost at what to make of her, taking it for granted that he understood enough about social interactions to understand.

She sighed and shrugged her shoulders, "Don't worry about it, alright? The important thing to remember is that my name is Blair and... Well..."

She swayed back and forth a bit, her eyes wandering about the room while she patted him on the back a few more times. The situation had certainly become awkward rather quickly, and it was mostly her own fault for not slowing down and carefully explaining herself. Yet, her lack of clarity was not at the forefront of her mind at the time.

Rather, Blair was having some difficulty coming up with something else worth remembering from her little monologue, "Just focus on that for now, since you seem to be having some troubles remembering things. We wouldn't want to put too much stress on the ol' noggin, now do we?"

Sadly the awkwardness was only felt on Blair's end; for the man, it was confusion. His blank look persisted as she told him her statement wasn't meant to be perceived that way. If she didn't mean that a title made her shoulders stiff, then why say it did? That didn't make any sense at all; his eyes just watched her as he tried to understand this 'Blair' woman. The important thing was that her name was Blair? That appeared to be easy enough; though he was unsure why she continued to pat him on the back, he had to admit it felt oddly soothing. The tray of food continued to go untouched as the stranger's rather-muddled thought processes and cognitive faculties continued attempting to make sense of the new environment he was in.

Though it was her speech mannerisms that confused him, he found more solace when she explained to him that since he was having trouble remembering things. Indeed he was; in fact, waking up here was the first memory his mind could recall. Though apparently he'd been brought in from the desert; why he was out there, he had no clue. But if he truly was in danger, then he felt it necessary to somehow show his appreciation. Well, she did say that he was indebted to her in the form of a meal and a bed, so what if he gave her the meal and let her sleep in the bed? If she'd been taking care of him for three days, then surely she needed it more than he did. In his mind it made perfect sense; though to Blair she'd likely think him very strange.

And the truth was, he didn't feel hungry in the slightest; odd considering how big he was and the fact that he was out for three days. What happened next would likely surprise Blair even more; he took the tray of food and stood up as if nothing was wrong whatsoever, then set it back down on top of the bed. The frame creaked as it was relieved of the rather sizable load it was being subjected to up until now. He then pointed at it and said, "Here. Hopefully this shows my gratitude; you did say I was in debt to you for a meal and bed, correct?" His actions and words would clearly indicate that the meal was now for her to eat and she could use the bed for herself. This would also serve another purpose: Blair would also get a good look at just how big he really was because of this, and probably be thankful in her ability to use magic.

"I can't seem to communicate with him..." Blair sighed and stood up from the bed, letting the breakfast and bed issue slide for now, "So, what are you going to do n-"

Her eyes scanned his body from the top of his head down to the soles of his feet. Sure, she had seen him for all of the three days she had cared for him, but he looked so much bigger when he stood fully upright before her. He wasn't just a man, he was a fragment of a mountain, as tall and strong as a block of solid marble. His presence alone was that much more imposing, although he had not done or said a single thing that could be considered even remotely aggressive. It was as if the aura around him had awakened, and it caught Blair off-guard... Granted, there were other things about him that also resulted in her prolonged state of shock.

First and foremost, calling him ripped did not do him proper justice. He looked like he had enough raw strength to grab a lion by the jaws and tear it in half. His broad shoulders and tall stature also added to the effect of making him appear strong, although he had also not done a single thing that proved him to be. Her eyes trailed lower, resting on his well-formed thighs and... He seemed to be quite well endowed, too. He was the model of male dominance, a masterpiece worthy of a bronze statue being cast in his honor.

Blair tried to clear her head by shaking herself from side to side a bit before continuing her question, "I mean, what are you going to do now?"

The man merely watched Blair, his expression quickly turning to one of mild puzzlement; naturally, Blair had disrobed him in order to properly treat any wounds he may have had. However, this man would seem to not remember even wearing a robe at all, as he merely stood in the nude before her, completely non-flustered by his current lack of proper garments. He could see her eyes were looking him over; this prompted him to look over himself as well, thinking there was something wrong with him. Upon seeing nothing that could be considered problematic, and possessing no knowledge that it was himself that was the 'problem', he cocked his head in mild confusion at her.

The awkward silence between them persisted for a short while before she posed her question of what it was he was going to do. Quite the question indeed; she said that no one here knew anything about him, so he doubted they would be able to answer why he was out in the desert. And she didn't seem to know anything either. This presented quite the problem, as he had nothing to go on. Come to think of it, he didn't tell her his name. "Well, I could start by saying my name is...." he then paused; what was his name?

"My name is......What is my name?" he then said, more to himself than to her, though she certainly was in earshot to hear it. A hand came to his chin as he tried to recall what his name was; nothing. His brows furrowed as he tried harder to remember, making no effort whatsoever to cover himself from his shame.

"How am I supposed to know your name? Its not like you had a name tag on when I picked you up," Blair managed to regain her usual cool and collected demeanor. To her, nudity was just another part of her life and it didn't matter much to her if she was clothed or unclothed even in the presence of others. Heck, she wasn't particularly flustered about his state of undress either, it was more a combination of how different he appeared when standing than when he was flat on his back and hardly even breathing.

"I can't just go around calling you 'that big hunk' forever, so why don't we just give you a name for now?" Blair suggested, "You can use your old one again once you remember it."

She placed her chin in the palm of her hand and tried to think of a fitting name for a short while until her eyes lit up, "I know! Lets call you Alexander the Great, or Alex for short. Alexander the Great was a mighty warrior in his time, and even managed to conquer the entire known world before he even turned forty... Apparently he had some health problems and died shortly afterward, but that's another story."

Blair pressed her breasts together slightly with her arms as she smiled up at the tall man, "So, how about it, Alex?"

The man's eyes were on the ground as he tried to think of his name; however, he tilted his head back up when Blair replied in a rather snappy tone about how she wasn't supposed to know his name. Of course he didn't expect her to know it; it'd only been a few minutes since they met. He didn't understand, therefore, why she sounded so distressed. But he noticed she calmed herself down; however, the ever-blank look returned to his face when she commented about his name being 'that big hunk'. "She's a strange one" he thought to himself, not really sure what to do with the current scenario. The poor man didn't know what 'hunk' meant, missing the complimentary connotation of the term completely.

He was about to ask what that meant when he saw that meant when she suggesting giving him a temporary name she suggested calling him Alexander the Great, but shortening it to Alex. Even though he didn't see the relevance in the short history lesson behind the name itself, he thought about being called Alex. Somehow, it didn't feel right; however, given the fact that his real name was hidden from him, it would be best to accept a label. "Alex........That sounds interesting. Very well, I am now Alex" he then replied, his navy-blue hues gazing at her as he made the soft-toned declaration.

He then looked down towards the unattended tray of food; his hands reached down and picked it up, holding it out to her as he proclaimed "Here". It would seem he didn't quite get that she made the food for him; he thought that by giving her food, he was expressing his gratitude for her stopping him from dying.

"I already ate breakfast, silly," Blair laughed and waved her hand in the air, "I made that for you... If you don't want it, then I suppose I could find someone else to eat it, but I have a hard time believing that you aren't hungry. I mean, you DO eat, don't you?"

Granted, she didn't really know enough about him to say one way or another. She assumed he was more or less a normal human, despite his large size and girth, as she had not seen any direct evidence to the contrary. He had fallen into a dormant state by the time she found him, but she figured he would still need some form of nourishment following such a long sleep and recovery.

"I thought you might be able to tell me something about where you came from when you woke up, but I guess that's not the case..." she sighed and tapped her right forefinger on her cat-like lips, "Say, I could ask around to see if anyone knows any good ways of getting your memories back. We really can't do much of anything until we at least know who you are, now can we, Alex?"

"I see" was all he said; to say he was one of few words would be a fairly accurate description "Uh....." Alex replied; what kind of question was that? He looked at the food, clearly recognizing at as edible but at the same time, appearing to be unsure about what to do with it. It was as if his coma-like period of slumber had completely erased his self-awareness, preserving only basic speech capability and knowledge, like the use of utensils. However, the truth was he just wasn't hungry "It's not that I don't want it.....I thank you for going through the trouble of making this" was his next statement; he was blissfully unaware of how slow he might be perceived by others.

He set the tray of food back down on the table, as it seemed it he wouldn't be eating it just yet. He then looked back at Blair as she suggested asking around to help get his memory back. "Yes.........But, didn't you say no one knows who I am?" Alex then replied, not really sure how that would help. If no one knew who he was, how would they know how to get his memories back? What if he had no memories to begin with? Well, that wouldn't make any sense; his being out in the desert would implicitly suggest he would have memories.

"It shouldn't matter if the person knows you or not," Blair shrugged, "I mean, there should be at least one person around here who knows something about how to recover lost memories... I'm not bad at magic myself, but I'm not into all that mind stuff. I just stick with making stuff float and blowing stuff up. Its nice and simple that way."

She began to consider how amusing it would be to see a man in a lab coat swinging a coin tied to the end of a piece of string in front of Alex's face, bending his will and making him become his loyal slave using his skill in hypnosis. Blair really didn't know anything about the validity of such techniques, but it tickled her to consider the possibility of it working. Even if it didn't work on normal humans, this man seemed gullible and slow enough to fall for hypnosis even if other people were immune to such weak suggestions. In fact, Blair felt confident that she would be able to manipulate the man to do just about anything if she wanted to. Thankfully, however, she wasn't that sort of person.

"Come on," Blair reached out and took his hand, forgetting about the breakfast for the time being, "Lets go! It will be fun, too... Its been a while since someone's gone shopping with me."

Alex still didn't really understand how someone could retrieve a memory if they didn't know who he was; however, she seemed to know more about this sort of thing so he would follow Blair's lead. "Alright.....I'll trust your judgment" he replied; in truth it was all he could do. Right now he was extremely vulnerable, both physically (even if his body structure suggested otherwise) and mentally. He should be so lucky Blair wasn't the type to take advantage of people, as she could have do things that others would most certainly frown upon. Alex was completely unknowing of her devious thoughts, even if she took no action to make them a reality.

However, those thoughts were cut off as his was grabbed, telling him to follow her and commenting about how much time it had been since someone went 'shopping' with her. "Shopping? What do you do with this 'shopping'?" he then asked, honestly having no idea what the act entailed. Thankfully, this would likely stop them before she dragged him outside naked; he was still in his birthday suit from Blair's medical treatment of his unconscious body, having no self-awareness to the fact that it was a social taboo to go outside unclothed. Even if there were a few that might enjoy the 'uncensored' view.

"You buy stuff, of course," Blair replied with a giggle, pulling out a simple coat and pants from one of the drawers in the dresser, "Haven't you ever bought something before? You sure are a strange fellow."

She held up the clothes and waved her hand in the air, citing her usual incantation and magically re-sizing them to fit Alex so he wouldn't have to wander around town with her and draw undue attention. After all, the last thing she wanted for someone to take an interest in her new friend in the wrong sort of way. She helped dress him then led him toward the door, eager to show him around town.

"Say, would you like to head down to the market as well? A nice man there gives me free fish sometimes," Blair tugged on his arm with excitement, "While we are out, we should stop by the academy as well. There are some really big wigs there that might know what to do in this sort of situation."

Alex could only blink as she told him that shopping implied buying things; the real kicker, however, was when she asked him if he ever bought anything. He didn't even know what 'buying' things was, how could he know? "Well......" he started to say but stopped when he noticed her taking articles of clothing from a nearby storage.....thing. Everything was so alien to him......words that didn't mean what they originally did, shopping, he was feeling a bit of information overload. Little did he realize that he was in for a real surprise once he got outside, and so was Blair; she would see that he wasn't anything remotely close to stupid, more like...completely unfamiliar...with modern society.

He watched as the clothing she picked out for him seemed to wrap itself around his body. He had to admit, seeing this was extremely unnerving; however, once it was done, he found himself relatively comfortable. Little did he know he was borrowing the coat and pants of one of the most powerful figures around; the thought didn't even get a chance to cross his mind (not that it would have anyway) as Blair once again started leading him like a dog on a leash, even if that wasn't her intent.

"Market? And a man gives you fish that aren't imprisoned?" he said as she led him towards the door, misinterpreting her use of the word 'free' as he possessed no understanding of prices. "What's a 'big wig'? Are they large people?" he then asked; it would become increasingly obvious to that he had no knowledge of idiomatic expressions or slang, only a literal understanding of English

---

(Lol, this should be interesting for her to deal with XD)

"A market... Its a place where people sell stuff like food and clothes," Blair sighed, not sure how much more of his lack of common knowledge she could take, "And I didn't mean that sort of free. I meant he didn't charge me any money. You know what money is, right?"

She decided against even dipping into the subject of idiomatic expressions, as she figured it would only serve to confuse the poor man further if she tried to explain them to him. He would most likely just glean yet more strange misconceptions of her words anyway. Instead, she led him outside and made sure to lock the door behind them before heading out into the streets.

It was a relatively peaceful day, with only a few others wandering the streets as the two made their way toward the before-mentioned marketplace. Taking a few turns, they soon arrived at a wide street lined with stalls and merchants presenting their wares. There were several produce stalls, a fishmonger, and a great number of other sellers who were busily bartering with the crowds which milled about from one stall to another. Many of the sellers recognized Blair and called out to her, but she merely waved tot hem as she passed by as she made her way toward the fishmonger.

"What will it be today, Blair?" the plump yet friendly-looking man asked, "Who's your friend? I don't think I've ever seen someone quite so large before."

"Oh, I just found him in the desert and took care of him for the past few days. I really don't know anything about him," the cat-woman replied with upfront honesty, "Could I have a tuna?"

"I see......." Alex replied, missing the increased exasperation of her tone. "Uh......" was his reply before she led him outside, making him forget about the subject altogether. He had to shelter his eyes as he went into the streets; the sun shone brightly on everything, revealing to the strange man the city she brought him to. He was astounded; what was this place? Tall buildings lined the streets, crowds of people traveled past, talking on strange little squares they held up to their ears. Alex thought those people were crazy; were they listening to their own voice, basically talking to themselves? Who does that?

As they traveled to their first destination, Alex also saw that there were other buildings that had see-through glass. People were inside of these places, some appearing to be deep in thought while others sat with people they obviously were familiar with and talked. Once they reached the market, it became a bit more chaotic. The place was full of people, browsing what appeared to be displays of goods: food mostly, but some sold other things Alex couldn't readily identify. Is this what 'shopping' was? Looking over items and trying to decide what it is you desired?

However, he was soon greeted with a strange scent; he turned his head to see a canopy of sorts blocking his view. Leaning down a bit, he could see Blair talking with a man while browsing over a selection of fish. Some were big, some were small and they all rested on a bed of ice; Alex guessed it was to stop them from spoiling. Then he heard her ask for a tuna; that must be one type of fish.

The portly man smiled, "Sure". He then took a rather sizable bluefin and after punching in some numbers, placed it on the scale to weigh it. "That'll be three-hundred and sixty dollars" he then said. He'd given Blair freebies before, and he was happy to do so, but with the price of tuna going up, he was becoming less and less willing to continue the little charity event. He had to turn a profit after all, else his stand wouldn't make it. "Dollars? Is this the 'money' you mentioned, Blair?" Alex then asked; the fish man sweat-dropped, asking Blair herself, "Is he.....alright?"

"Y-yeah, I think he was out in the desert so long that the heat got to his head, if you know what I mean," Blair counted out some bills from her purse and cringed when she realized how much of it was going toward that single fish. She would have to cut back on her spending for the week if she wanted to buy herself much else until she procured more funds.

"Mhm, Dollars, simoleons, mula, clams, yen," Blair decided to give him a wide range of slang words mixed in with the names of actual currency, "Its all money. Its just something everyone puts value in for one reason or another... I know, its such a pain, isn't it?"

(Someone else familiar with 'simoleon'. I never thought I would see that word used, ever; color me impressed)

---

The fish-stand owner shook his head, "Poor soul; the desert is a harsh and unforgiving mistress". He then looked at Alex and smiled, adding, "Well, don't you worry, good sir; you're in good hands with Blair". But, upon seeing Blair's cringing at how expensive it was, he decided to cut her a break. After all, her periodic visits to his stand did wonders for bringing in customers. "Tell you what, Blair; I can't give it to you for free, but I'll give you a nice discount. A hundred dollars and it's yours. How's that?"

As he and Blair discussed the new price of the fish, Alex cocked his head as Blair listed off a small number of different words for money; though the one that got him was 'clams'. He then stood back up, his head turned to one side and peering off into the distance as he tried to wrap his head around the concept. People traded clams for products? "Why would someone name a shellfish after money? Or is it name money after shellfish? Either way, that doesn't make any sense at all" he then said, not to anyone in particular, but more of a self-musing.

(Really? I didn't think it was that uncommon...)
----------------------------------------------------
"Hm, I don't like hundreds, so I'll give you ninety-nine and a kiss on the cheek for good measure," Blair bent forward and gave him the pack in advance. She wasn't one to push her luck too far, but she knew well enough that he would not likely still insist on the one dollar extra. After all, the two of them had known each other for quite some time, and she had most likely drawn more net profit than he had lost in handouts.

In either case, Blair procured one bluefin tuna and carefully packed it away before waving to the fishmonger and leading Alex along to the next stall of interest. It was highly likely that she had completely forgotten about the original purpose of the outing, as she was quite absorbed in her shopping.

(Well, where I'm from, slang is usually of the 'rap' variety, especially when it comes to money. Paper, scrilla, and the most popular, "All that green". F**kin' annoying :dodgy: You don't see any of the 'classy' slang around here. To me, that's the coolest kind, lol)

---

"That seems like a fair deal. You've got yourself a fish" the fishmonger replied as he wrapped the fish in brown paper and gave it to her, happily accepting the little peck. With that bit of business concluded, Blair was soon leading the giant away from the stand; the portly man merely thought to himself "She's going to need a lot of patience to deal with that one"

As they traversed from stand to stand, Alex was quite intrigued about everything. He'd never seen anything like this; well, he didn't remember seeing anything like this, but that was no fault of his own. The items that each stand possessed intrigued him enough to where questions were limited; it was as if he were a new-born child, exploring the world around him by touching. A small number of stands didn't appreciate his over-inquisitive nature and even told him to go bother someone else on a few occasions, some more rudely than others. But Alex didn't catch the inflections, only the words themselves, and bade them good day.

Their shopping trip continued uneventfully, Alex seeming to have forgotten the original purpose of coming out here as well. He then had a question pop through his head and asked "Um...Blair? This place is so large. All these buildings, all these people, all these things. Where are we exactly?"