Rhy'din's Most Wanted

[Epiphany]

It had to be some type of honor or something to be part of the city's 'Most Wanted' list. People always watching for sightings of said person and larger rewards being offered for their apprehension. Now, usually a person didn't make their way on this list unless they were a wicked bad person who did horrible crimes like mass murder, kidnapping a person of importance, robbing the coffers of the city, things like that. People hardly made the list for petty crimes. Unless, of course, these petty crimes happened on a constant continual basis without any retribution.

That was how Epiphany's name got on the 'Most Wanted' list of the City Guards. It started years ago when she would sneak into the Marketplace in Rhydin and swipe small things from people's pockets. Hey, she had just come back from piracy and old habits died hard. She had always been running around the sewer system of the city (and people wondered why she was always dirty) to escape from those who wanted to make her 'pay for her crimes.'. But it wasn't a crime. She was doing the Robin Hood gig, steal from the rich, give to the poor. Over the years this habit never really stopped, only took on new forms and it was hard to catch her because the people she helped covered her tracks. That and she always dressed as someone different. Most of her 'jobs' were done under the guise of being a boy. Anyway. Years of tracking, chasing, and plotting had helped the City guard to get better at what they do - catch the bad people. It just so happened that Epiphany had wandered into a part of town she didn't often go too - it was too rich for her taste - and had been browsing around in one of the shops. Little did she know that this shop of knick knacks had gone semi modern and they had a list of the 'Most Wanted' along with pictures of them so that, hopefully, they could be brought to justice.

While Epiphany was browsing - she was dressed as a female by the way, in a long a-line green and white stripped short dress, black leggings and ankle boots - one of the shop attendants recognized her from the pictures. Sure, the picture was of a boy, but it looked enough alike. The Clerk had pressed the silent alarm button, the Guards came and, long story short, they took Epiphany away for holding. She wasn't under arrest - they were not sure it was her - but it was enough that they had her in the local jail in a holding cell. A crude place it was with stone walls and thick iron bars. There were a few other people in their own cells doing this, that, and the other - some of them trading stories about how they got there in the first place. Since the Guards had no real evidence on her, they could only hold her for a couple days. So here was Epiphany, in a holding cell in the local jail, surrounded by a couple of people (all who looked a lot more menacing than her) and what was she doing? She was telling a story about her capture.

This was going to be the last time she listened to the tea leaves! Well okay it probably wouldn't be the last time she listened to the tea leaves since she consulted them at least once a day and whenever she swore off of them after they got very rude her curiosity got the best of her and she ended up crawling back to them, which they were always very smug about. But anyway! The tea leaves absolutely insisted that she come back to Rhy'din after being gone from here for nearly two years and going back to boring old New Jersey and working at the free library so that she could be near her Mom. When Zoe asked why she needed to come back to Rhy'din the tea leaves wouldn't answer and the tarot cards were giving her very confusing mixed messages and the scrying mirror was just giving her a whole bunch of gunk.

She waited until the Moon was in Taurs - which was yesterday and today! - a good time to tap into new things to come back here. As Epiphany and the others who were in her cell were about to hear, her return didn't go very well at all. "Nononono that's not it at all you see the goat man - satyr, I'm very very sorry I've been away for a very long time and I'm a little rough on all the, well you know the very different kinds of people who are living h - ow are you...well are you going to really keep pushing me and holding that tightly because it really smarts you know and you're much much bigger than I am I'm barely over five feet and I assure you I'm just human, see that's the whole misunderstanding here I'm just dressed like a Phoenix, and honestly I really wasn't intending to look at all like a Phoenix I just thought it would be very interesting to fashion sleeves that looked like wings and I had a lot of left over gold and yellow and orange and red fabric from a - well that project doesn't really matter really and - ow ow ow ow that really really smarts you know - but the point is I'm not at all that satyr's ex-wife I'm just a human from New Jersey and - Epiphany!" A faint gasp from Zoe as the officer pulled her to a stop in front of the very cell that Epiphany was currently in. Finally something to cut off Zoe's never ending sentence, shock was probably the only think that could have - and did - do the trick. "Epiphany is that you?!"

Epiphany had been at a high point in her storytelling and was probably easy to be seen because she was standing on one of the benches, using board and elaborate gestures. Zoe's entrance was actually on good timing, for just as she said "The Guards busted into the store shouting - - - - " That was when Zoe's question of 'is that you" came through. Her story was paused for a moment, only a moment as she looked over and saw the phoenix that wasn't enter. "Yes! That's what they said. What happened next?" She looked down to her audience before jumping down off the bench and heading over to the winged one. "What happened next is not for the feint of heart." Though hardly any of them looked to be the queasy sort. Truth be known she half thought that if she did a horrible job one of them might consider making her pay for it in a not-so-nice way. Careful and small steps, surely she was drawing attention to Zoe, whether the other wanted the attention or not. "Everyone with weak consitiutions may want to over their ears and go running home with their tails between their legs. No offense.." one of them actually did have a tail. Go figure. "Because what's next... what's next is that I tell you, 'To be Continued!'" that was always bad to hear.

A story pausing at a climatic point. She hated when that happened. Now to see what people would do about it! Oil on fire maybe.... She cleared her throat and smiled at Zoe. "I didn't know word of my play had gotten that far out. Hi!" So maybe she was going for humor... strange one.

Poor Zoe was in such a state because really for all the trouble she'd been in before never had it ended up being pushed into a jail cell while there was 'further investigation' happening, so she really wasn't the sharpest knife in the drawer right now. Her eyes wider than the rabbit hole Alice fell through she stared in bewilderment at Epiphany until she took the girl literally. "Oh ohmigosh you do plays for people in jail, wow that's very brave of you - I mean nice of you," she corrected herself as quickly as she could as her eyes glanced at the rougher and tougher people in the cell and she grimaced just a little bit. "I mean I've heard about things like that, community groups that make plays or do plays with people in um less than good situations but I've never known anyone before who's done that, that's...."

Another glance to the rougher and tougher people in the group as the officer opened the cell door and escorted her rather not-so-nicely inside, and Zoe gulped before finishing her sentence in a tone that was nearing a squeak it was so high, "very nice, it's very very nice of you very nice I wish I - well no, no I don't wish that I'm really very terrible at anything that has to do with acting, I get such terrible stage fright the last time I was in a play it wasn't really a play at all, we had to pretend to be a figure in early American history and I was Molly Pitcher and we had to do it in front of the whole tenth grade and I threw up into the pitcher I was holding, it was terribly embarrassing and come to think of it probably not the best story to tell, but I promise it was a misunderstanding. Why I'm here, not...throwing up into the pitcher when I was acting in tenth grade." Whew. Typical Zoe, babbling to no end, and it was even worse now because she was so nervous to be here. She winced when the officer shut the cell door with a clatter, and felt a bit weak in the knees. She might even be turning a bit green.

Yes, yes.. performer? That was strange and Epiphany was following Zoe as best as she could while still keeping an eye on the other people in the cell. Since they were not being entertained by the story anymore they were looking for other things to do and a pair of cute girls seemed like pretty fair game to a couple of them! The bald headed dude, built like a brick wall with so many piercing in his head he looked like a pin cushion was giving them both an eye over. Creepy. Very creepy and Pip as trying to ignore him and not be nervous. She told stories when she got nervous. "Community Group? Me? Um.. well No. I'm actually in here for committing a crime." Proclaimed loud and strong.

She did have an image to uphold here. If they thought she wasn't dangerous . . . "I possessed the body of a crazed man and went on a wet and wild killing spree. Arg. Yes, it was a harrowing venture I tell ya." Getting back into semi- character. "These people here all heard the tale. I bet you did something dastardly too." Trying to give Zoe a bit of a wink. you know, one of those 'play along' winks. "And the only reason you're staying over here, instead of being over there, is because if you go near them you'll let out some type of frantic power." This may not work as well as she thought it would because Zoe has just said that she was a terrible actor. Did that mean she was a terrible liar too? True, Epiphany wasn't the best liar - good thing right - but she could act, so maybe that made up for it? "Whoa, I mean. I'm even taking a risk by being this close to you...."

Zoe stared at Epiphany like the woman had just burst into flames or spontaenously combusted or something very incredible and unlikely like that! And then her brows closed down into a very deep furrow and there was this general sense of 'does not compute' about the pint-sized eccentric as she started to say slowly - yes for once in her life she wasn't speaking mile a minute! - "Me...frantic power....but I'm just a hu - " Ding. There went the lightbulb, Epiphany could practically see it go off above her head as Zoe finally realized what Epiphany was trying to do. Maybe it was the fact that she'd looked away from the woman and noticed that all the criminals in here were listening very very closely to everything she said and looking less than pleased about their...well their general situations.

She was a terrible actor, but she was about to try her very best and that's all that could be asked for right? Right! "a hu....ge! Yes I'm just a huge risk to stand next to, you and I know that but um, but um them!" A jerk of her hand to point outside the cell towards the officer who stood guard in this hall. "They don't know that, no nope no they don't because you see I'm...dressed under cover and they've mistaken me for someone else and will let me go when they find out I'm not that person so...so...so all those really very very mean and nasty things that I can do well you just better um....you just better zip your lip missy before I have to zip it for you!" Oh Zoe. Trying to look tall an intimidating when she was a short clumsy not very intimidating looking type at all, especially in her phoenix-looking down and matching satin slippers.

Maybe it was the outfit that did it? Epiphany, in all her acting, might find it a bit hard to act rough, tough, and scary when dressed like that too. It was all about the outfits you know. Then again, it could have been the pauses that got it, but they were convincing! Ever here the story about the guy with a stutter? Every time he stuttered he killed another person. Who's to say that Zoe wasn't the same way? And, since she was pumping up Zoe to be this awesomely powered person, when that threat was made about zipping lips, Epiphany took a step to the right and slide away from her. "Oh please don't! I really didn't mean to. Don't take away my voice. I shall use it to proclaim o your terror to all."

Hey, Zoe did a pretty good job, She gave her something to go on that she could work with. That's what mattered. She turned around to face the criminals that were about the cell and spread her hands and arms out wide. "Back everyone. Back! Especially you..." Chancing it to point to the pin cushioned guy. He really was creepy looking and had been inching ever so much closer to the two of them. "Yeah.. You better just stop right there or else she'll see into your soul. And then you'll die." Maybe that hint was too subtle? Epiphany didn't have a good way of hinting at things when it came to some people. Others were easy because she could use actions or gestures to get a point across.
And most of the time it wasn't in a setting that could get the people involved maimed in some way. She was hinting that Zoe could do a prediction - she did do that, right? Still? The criminals were not the only ones watching, those Guards were as well. Hey, they had to know what type o creatures they had in their bars. But they were pretty arrogant in their ways. They were the City Guard and they always got their 'man' and hardly anyone ever escaped. In a city where there were all types of people, with all types of abilities, they had to have some safe guards right? One of them being that 'magic' didn't work when you were in jail. Other wise people would probably poof in and out all the time.

[Epiphany]

Ohhhhhhh heck and toast. Everything about Zoe's expression when Epiphany mentioned seeing into people's souls said "Shoot". The good thing about that was that at least Epiphany would know that Zoe had understood what she was trying to imply that she could do in order to prove her power? The not so good thing about what Epiphany was implying she could to in order to prove her power was that Zoe, well....Zoe needed things to see with, granted she could use a great many things but the problem with jails especially jails in this area where people had so many rare and special objects was that they made sure you were put in a cell without any of those things on you. So scrying mirrors, tarot cards, tea leaves, runes even candles she had none of those things with her to work with and the more odd ways that she used to make predictions sometimes well those needed fire and pumpkin seed or chestnuts or all sort of ingredients of which there were none in here.

She looked very much like a deer in the headlights, opening and closing her mouth like a fish as she tried to think wildly of some way, any way that she could make a - ah ha! "YES!" exclaimed with all the relief and power of a eureka as she forgot herself for a moment and pointed straight at pin cushion man with a whole lot more bravery and arrogance than she actually hand right now, "you keep your hands to yourself or else I will give them the evil eyes. Yes that's right both my eyes are evil and they'll see right into those hands and you'll be in a lot of trouble then!" Palm reading. She could do palm reading without anything but her own eyes.

What a relief. Epiphany could really do anything - well she could, but that would probably make things worse than they already were and then who knows what would have happened - therefore other methods of survival were needed and Zoe was playing right along! The great sigh of relief that she made was covered by a gasp of surprise, hand hitting against her chest and everything. Okay, so she could be a bit over dramatic at times, but who wasn't? "Yes! The mighty evil eye. Why, the tale of that goes all the way back to the city of Cheeri-O. No one has seen anyone from there in years and you know why...?"

She asked the 'audience in a dramatic way, creeping around to the other side of Zoe and casting her eyes about at all of them. She had heard that was a good way to get people's attention. Eye contact and, hey, it's worked many times before! "Because they're all dead!" Yeah, so.., maybe that was a bit much, but it did get the people's attention! The thought of having someone in the cell with them that could give an evil eye that was powerful enough to kill a village - even a made up one (though they didn't know this) - was intriguing to them. Besides, give a shy girl like Zoe a wicked powerful rep, and it might cause her to come out of her shell a bit right? It was working so far? "You.. you right there, the guy she pointed at. Come and test your fate for you have angered her. If you come she may yet show you pity." Maybe? The pin cushioned headed guy pursed his lips and knocked his big ham hands together, looking like a guy who was ready to pound someone's head in. You see, he didn't take all too kindly for being pointed out in the group of people. And though he was a bit wary of them, he had a reputation to uphold as well and rough and tough guys didn't act like wimps and turn tale just because of fa few sayings. No. This guy stood up and this knees popped and he cracked his shoulders along with his neck before baring his teeth and making a rather loud gruffing noise. He was in jeans and a wife-beater. Both torn and dirty. Biker dude maybe, with tattoos covering his arms and chains around his waist. Could he talk? He took a few heavy steps towards them and the only thing he did was gruff.

Inside Zoe's mind it went something like this: oh gosh ohgosh ohgoshohgoshohgoshohgosh!!! The large scary man with all the pins needles and tattoos was coming towards them, and Epiphany had asked him to do it! She really really hoped that Epiphany knew what she was doing because Zoe was certain that she was soon going to be in danger of her knees giving out her teeth chattering or peeing her pants, or all three, out of just plain fear. Right now she was thinking to herself that maybe it would have actually been better to go along with the very angry little satyr man and agree that she was his ex-wife who'd run off with a centaur and that yes according to saytr law she should be his lawful servant and clean his toilets until she saw the error of her ways, because at least toilets couldn't reach out with their scary tattoo hands and smush you like a bug!

That was all on the inside, though. On the outside all that panic just manifested in a very low shakey, "Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh - " which slowly grew in volume as the man got closer. It was when she felt her knees start to quake under their hiding place of her long ornate skirt that she remembered she had a part to play, and she swallowed thickly wishing she had that pitcher to throw up into but she reached deep down inside and squared her shoulders and yelped out maybe a bit too loudly, " – hhhhhh you will stop right there! Yes! Right there! And you will present the palm of the stronger of your hands out to me and I will use my evil eyes to prove to you my power by speaking your deepest of secrets and....and....trembling!" she silently thanked her quaking knees for giving her that word to use, "yes trembling you shall tell them all that my powers are true or else I shall pull out your soul through your nostrils and suck it down like my soup!" Suck it down like her soup? Thank goodness that she read so many books, that it helped her come up with lines like that.

Like. . . .soup? That was a new one for her. She hadn't heard that one! It was defiantly one she was going to put in her books. Apparently the big guy thought it was strange too for he almost missed a step. It just happened that he missed this step when she told him to not move anymore. That way it fit. Epiphany? Through all of this she was looking at the two of them and backed towards them before she looked at the group.

"Bare witness and be amazed, sit back back everyone and no one but the chosen step forward." Wouldn't this be the perfect time for music? The dark and foreboding type. She could imagine the music, and wondered if anyone else could. If this was a story, the music would be in narrative. Now, Zoe was asking the big man to offer his hand, but she wanted the stronger hand. How was he suppose to know which hand was the stronger on? Holding them both out the man looked at one and then at the other. Stronger hand.. He offered out the left one. It was a bit more grimmer then the right with torn nails and red knuckles. Did Epiphany have a plan? Who knew.

T. B. C.