Nowhere To Go (Open)

[Xowie Evil]

Xowie was lost. She had wandered off into the marketplace, hoping to find something to pique her interest for a few hours... and she did. In fact, everything she saw she found fascination in. The problem now was that the area was getting a little too crowded, and she didn't know how to get back to the streets. The small woman made an effort to reach out to several passersby, however, no one would pay the pour soul the time of day. 

And so, the floral clothed woman roamed about the crowded walkways, panic and fear crossing her face as she attempted to swim through the sea of people. 

[Carson Addler]

Maintaining ones drip required two things. Time and money, and though Carson had plenty of time.....
He rarely had himself any money.
Not that he ever allowed THAT to stop him before.
Marketplaces were the PERFECT environment to practice some five finger discount and Carson had certainly arrived with a grocery list in mind.
Already he managed to pinch himself a new pair of sneakers and a stolen backback full of various electronics. He figured he could probably make a decent buck hocking everything but the shoes at one of the Pawnshops he knew about.

And considering how many people were beginning to eyeball him, NOW might be a good time to dip. Noticing someone pointing him out, Carson sunk into the sea of bodies that clogged the market, working his way through

And right into the path of a certain floral clothed young woman.
He was able to single her out from within the crowd due to how terrified she looked just to be there. He shook his head, poor girl stuck out like a sore thumb.
'Oh well, not like that's MY problem.'
he thought to himself. Still, he DID have eyes on him, and he could use a good cover......

Taking a deep breath to psych himself up, Carson began to saunter his way over to the red eyed girl in the strange outfit, aiming to 'accidentally' bump into her.

[Xowie Evil]

Xowie continued turning from person to person, mouthing a simple question, yet it was almost as if she didn't exist. She frowned, tying her fingers together in front of her, and began to walk in a random direction with her head lowered, and then-- she hit the ground with a thud.

The stranger than ran into her didn't hit her particularly hard, but between the impact, the surprise, and her anxiety, and completely lost her balance and far from gracefully hit the ground.

She looked up to the stranger with wide, red eyes, her pale face flushed and her lips quivering in embarrassment.

"I'm sorry..." She murmured, averting her gaze from him as she picked herself off the ground.

[Carson Addler]

Carson would move in to help the young lady up, using that moment to whisper in her ear.
"Yo, just play along."

Taking a step back, his entire demeanor would change as a relieved smile plastered on his face.
"Haaaay! There you are! Glad I finally found ya, the other's are so worried!"
He said, gesturing for her to follow him.
"Common, I know the way out."
He would add, lowering his head slightly to level an earnest gaze at her.
It was about then that he noticed she was about his own age, give or take a year or so.

[Xowie Evil]

Xowie flinched at the stranger's touch but accepted his help with a smile, though her head tilted slightly at his unorthodox request. Play along? What did that mean?

She dusted her knees off as he took a step back, and she returned to her typical proper posture with a flushed face as he pretended to know her. Little did he know, Xowie actually didn't know if she knew him or not, due to the fact that she couldn't remember anything past a few weeks ago.

Much to her confusion and curiosity, Xowie followed the stranger closely through the crowd, contemplating that very thought. Did they actually know each other?

[Carson Addler]

Well, she wasn't trying to fight him off, that was a good start. God only knows that would just blow the whole charade wide open right then and there.
A single hoodrat looking boy attracted alot of unwanted attention, as did a confused and scared young girl.

Put them together though, and they suddenly become below everyone's notice. Just another part of the Background
THAT was what Carson was banking on, and so far it seemed to be working when suddenly his sharp eyes spotted something worth pinching. It would seem one of the Market stall owners had just got themselves a pair of Hot Dogs with the works and unfortunately for him, had left them untouched and unattended on a table near the back of his stall.

Carson held a hand up, motioning for his 'friend' to stop.
"Ayyo, hold up here, I'll be just a sec."
Breaking off, Carson would use one parts Legerdemain and one parts stealth to snatch the two Hot dogs and quietly make his way back.
Upon his return, hotdogs in hand, he would immediately offer one up to the young woman in the flower print outfit with a pointed look that demanded that she not dawdle.
"Common, not good to pass up a meal. Never know when the next one will be yeah?"

[Xowie Evil]

Xowie halted when instructed, and she leaned over curiously, her eyes following the strange man as he took two hot dogs off of a random cart. She was uncomfortable witnessing a theft, and opened her mouth to say something, but quickly closed it as he popped back over and offered her one. She stared at it blankly for a moment, and extended a hand to grab it. She wasn't sure if she even wanted it, but she felt pressured by the look on his face.

"Um, thank you," She murmured, smiling sweetly as she took a bite of it. She was uncomfortable, but she was grateful that he had led her away from the bulk of people.

[Carson Addler]

"Hoamph Mphtphm eught" ( "Don't mention it.")
Carson somehow managed to say with a mouth muffled by a whole ass hotdog. Nearly choking the whole thing down in one bite and wiping the mustard off his chin with a quick swipe of his thumb, he turned his attention fully on the fancy dressed lost girl.

"So, now that we managed to squeeze out of the crush, I gotta ask. You ever been to a Street Market before? Cause you be wandering around like a kid who's parents just ditched them at the carnival ya know what I mean?"
He gave his chest a quick series of thumps to help the meal go down before letting out a rather throaty belch into his fist.

"You someone else's lost puppy or something?"

[Xowie Evil]

Xowie frowned at that, giving a shake of her head and holding the hot dog in front of her quest, squeezing it softly in her hands like it were a stuffed animal. She averted her gaze from his and murmured.

"I'm not a puppy..."

[Carson Addler]

Carson would respond to her sullen declaration with a dismissive sound using his tongue to suck on his upper front teeth. For a moment he would remain silent, his attention drifting to their surroundings as he kept an eye out for danger or opportunities despite how causal the action looked. Life in the rougher parts of Pallisade City ensured you grew up always on guard.

"You gonna be alright on you're own?" He would eventually ask, making it pretty clear he doubted she would be. There was just something about her that screamed 'Helpless!'. She seemed Sheltered and confused like some little Yakuza Princess.

And those types tended to carry money.......

He felt confident that if he hung around her long enough he could probably suss out where in her robes she kept her hand purse. Or at least he assumed either that or a wallet considering she carried no bag on her.