The Night Bazaar

"That natural beauty of yours leaves me speechless every time I see you," Joseph complimented Seànn, "As you can see, I too did some work out recently," he swept his partially greyed hair backward while making some sort of an appealing pose.

"I appreciate your compliment, you look great too..." Seànn replied from the other side of the stand.

"She got the eye!" He complimented himself with a big smile on his face. "It's been a long while I haven't seen you around here! When did you come back?"

"Just yesterday, but I won't stay long," she responded distantly as she began to pick up fruits into her basket.

"Are you still working for that asshole? What's his name again?"

"The Emperor Aleksithimia?" Seànn corrected.

"Yes, him!" He clapped his hands. "Stupid people always have stupid names right?!"

Seànn was about to reply something, but after a short reflection, she decided to stay quiet.

.

While waiting for Seànn to finish her business, Nion removed a small bottle of water from her pocket and started drinking while concealing her presence behind her friend's back.

"You should quit your job, and come back here, where you belong!" Joseph rambled, as his face radiated with enthusiasm.

"Unfortunately, I have too many responsibilities, so I cannot just quit from one day to another..."

After hearing Seànn's response Nion choked with water and her face blushed as red as a tomato.

The sudden noise attracted Seànn's attention, but Nion successfully managed to mystify her little accident, and just smiled as if nothing happened.

.

"Arrgh! You are such a hard worker, the whole village keeps talking about how proud we are of you!" He winked, then put some fruits into Seànn's basket.

"Thank you..."

"There is something important I need to know before I let you go!" He forcefully grabbed Seànn's hand.

"Which is...?" Seànn asked with an uncomfortable look as she fixated at her hand.

"Don't tell me that you don't remember?" He asked as some tension had slowly established between both of them. "I can see it in your eyes... You don't remember don't you?!"

"I am not sure to understand what you talking about Joseph..."

As Joseph leaned over the stand Nion's nose flooded by the stench of distilled spirits. "I smell alcohol from him," Nion carefully warned her friend from behind.

"I will be very... Very disappointed in you if you don't remember what I told you last time!" He said as he slowly crept over Seànn face trying to pull her closer.

"Get any closer and I will kill you..." Seànn politely announced as she finally made eye contact with Joseph who desperately waited for her to look at him.

"Let's get married!!" Joseph said in all seriousness.

Nion gasped out of words in shock at what she just overheard.

.

"I remember you mentioned something like that," Seànn removed his hand away, and handed the basket instead. "Joseph, I share the same age as both of your grandchildren, and also happen to know your dear wife Leila, so, unfortunately..."

Joseph grimaced then took the basked and started counting the items, "Who cares about that old hag?" He laughed complacently.

Seànn politely smiled, "A woman like myself is too young and immature for a man like yourself Joseph," she advised in a disinterested yet polite fashion.

"Man, as cold as ever! Although that's what I like about you" Joseph burst into laughs, "I guess, my dream will never come true!"

.

"For Christ's sake, can you shut up, and work already!?" Another male voice shouted from the stall just next to his.

"DID I JUST HEARD SOMEONE TELLING ME TO SHUT UP?!" Joseph yelled back.

"Yes, because you talk too much!" The other man replied. "Nobody cares about your damn dreams of how you are trying to get laid!"

"What is wrong with these people..." Nion mumbled to herself.

"WHY DON'T YOU COME AND SAY THAT IN MY FACE, YOU BASTARD?" Joseph yelled once more.

Nion who found herself in the middle of the scene, whispered to Seànn, "Are they going to fight?"

"No, that how these two communicate..." Seànn replied.

.

Seconds later the other figure arrived at the scene. The stranger was exceptionally tall, almost twice Nion's size which was very unusual for her to see as the majority of the people of the Grey City looked and dressed in the same and unique way which was defined by the Mitera system accordingly on each individuals occupation. His dark brown eyes looked almost black, both of his hands were covered in Polynesian tattoos which gave him a genuinely intimidating look. Joseph went quiet and stepped back, impressed by the man he intended to kill just seconds ago.

"Matha tureed..." Mumbled Joseph.

The smell of blood was coming from the other man, yet he seemed more calmer and composed than his opponent. Probably the most intimidating part about the stranger was that he held a large cleaver full of stains of fresh blood that dripped on the ground.

Seànn found herself at the front stage as she was less than two meters away.

"So, how much is it going to be Joseph?" She put an uncomfortable smile.

.

As soon the stranger heard her voice he immediately changed his facial tone, "A-Io! No way! Isn't that my little Seànn?!" With a single move of his hand, he moved Joseph away. "How long has it been?!"

"Good evening, uncle Kamaka," She nodded. "I've been told to buy some groceries for tomorrow, but then this happened..." She looked at Joseph.

"Groceries! That's good my girl, how are mothers doing?" Kamaka asked. "I haven't seen them lately because of the festival preparations mess."

"They are both doing very well, everyone is doing their best for the festival indeed."

.

Fed up of being ignored by both Kamaka and Seànn, Joseph put himself in the middle, "Piss off giant! She came to me first! So get out of my stand and go hunt some birds!" He shouted sarcastically.

"Calm your boiling balls! Your horniness made you lose your mind old man," Kamaka replied.

Joseph continued rambling random incomprehensible words as he was getting angrier.

"Look around, can't you see that you are making everyone uncomfortable?" He showed the queue of people behind Seànn.

"I DON'T CARE!!" Joseph yelled so hard that his voice sounded like a pig squeal, "GO AWAY OR I WILL KILL YOU!"

"You are not going to kill anyone at all..." Kamaka approached Joseph and took a pinch of snuff, "Don't tell me that..." He frowned. "Again?!"

Joseph was on the edge, as he tried to weaponize and protect himself from his menace, but since his stand had only fruits and vegetables, he grabbed the largest radish he had and smashed it against the table as a sign of intimidation. "Don't play with me!" Joseph pointed the broken half of the radish to Kamaka's face as if that was a sword that could match the cleaver. Everyone who witnessed the scene burst in laughs.

Kamaka desperately sighed, "You're drunk... Again..."

.

"I am not drunk," Joseph said uncomfortably as he realized that everyone looked at him trying to fight a man with a broken piece of radish. "I am not..." Joseph tried to remove the smell away from his shirt with his hands.

"Man... I don't know if I should be angry or to pity you at this point..." Kamaka crossed his arms.

"I had some beers okay... So what?!" Joseph complained. "I do whatever I want for fuck sake!"

.

An old woman shouted from the queue, "You two, enough already!"

The middle-aged woman had recognized Seànn and slowly walked her way through the crowded queue.

"Mother Inzali? You are back?" Seànn said as they both hugged each other.

"Mother?! They do not look alike at all," Nion mumbled as she looked at the old woman.

Inzali stopped just next to Nion, lavender fragrance filled up her nose. Despite her old age, Inzali looked young and beautiful, she wore a dark green robe that looked very simple yet elegant as it perfectly matched her green amber eyes that were like limpid pools of pale gold, long dark hair that tumbled over her shoulders like a fountain.

.

"Oh my, oh my! It's been soo long I haven't touched your face. How have you been? Oh my, I am so happy to finally see you after all this time," Inzali hugged Seànn.

"I am sorry, I could not come earlier because of work."

"That's okay my child, you should hurry back home to announce that you are finally back, I bet Ilona is dying to see you!" Inzali said.

"I came back yesterday so I already had a chance to speak with mother Ilona."

"What... Another mother?!" Nion mumbled.

"I know that Ilona was always hard on you, but you should know that she loves you more than anything in this world," Inzali shook Seànn's hands.

"Yes... I know."

"Besides that, what are you doing here at such a late hour?" Inzali asked.

"Mother Ilona said that this evening's dinner is going to be late because of the festival's preparations, and asked me to buy some fruits and vegetables for tomorrow morning..." Seànn got interrupted by Inzali.

"What?! You haven't eaten anything yet?!" Inzali looked at her wrist. "It is almost 23h, is she out of her mind? What about the other kids?"

"She said that they would wait until we come back."

"We?" Inzali frowned.

"Yes mother, I brought a friend with me," Seànn stepped aside then put a hand on Nion's back and pushed her forward. "This is Nion, we work together," she announced.

"That's unusual from you to bringing friends," Inzali wowed.

Nion shocked by the sudden change of the circumstances made her blush like a bouquet of roses.

"Good... Evening..."