xp_logs | Buzkkashi: In the Market

It's morning in Asadabad, and Nate heads out to the market. Not too surprisingly, his attention is caught by one of Afghanistan's less-than-legal goods, and he makes an offer the seller can't refuse.

The traders had set up in the village market, just as Ashraf had said. Clearly, they were trading things other than human beings, too, which didn't surprise Nathan. He fingered the carpets laid out on the makeshift table, ignoring the keen attention being shown to him by a gap-toothed man who looked very much like he thought he was an easy mark. Right...

"Hundred dollar," the man said in broken English, grinning widely.

Nathan raised an eyebrow. "~High price for poor quality,~" he said in somewhat stilted but basically good Pashtun, and the man looked shocked. Maybe he was still a precog, Nathan reflected wryly. All the time he'd spent practicing his Pashtun the last couple of months, and look, here he was needing it.

"~I see you have fine taste,~" the old man eventually managed, once again pasting a large smile on his face. "~Perhaps you would be interested in some of our other goods. I have a rug set aside for someone such as yourself, allow me to show you.~" Without waiting for Nathan's assent the old man turned away from the table and barked "~Sooraya!~"

A flutter of motion caught the corner of Nathan's eye, and a moment later a dark-robed figure detached itself from the makeshift tents set up behind the tables. As it neared the two men he could see that it was a young girl, no more than fifteen, who moved with quick steps and downcast eyes. When she reached the table the old man instructed her quickly to retrieve the item from its storage place and bring it back for this "gentleman of excellent taste." The girl nodded obediantly and turned to go, though not before her eyes flickered up to Nathan's for a split second.

And he felt something. Just for an instant. It wasn't quite sensing her thoughts, he didn't get anything coherent, but there was something there. The girl's eyes met his with a steadiness that struck him as unusual for a girl her age in this place, and there was something... Angelo was right.

"~Get moving!~" the man said, giving her a shove. The girl stumbled off, and Nathan had to endure several minutes filled with the old man's attempts to sell him various mud-brown bowls and decorations before she returned.

"~Ah, here it is,~" the vendor said, reverently unrolling the small carpet in front of Nathan. "~I am sure you will agree, this is more deserving of your attentions.~"

Nathan was watching the girl as she moved away again, however, and was barely paying attention to the trader's spiel. "~Yes, it's very nice,~" he said, and then nearly jumped out of his skin as a truck coming in suddenly backfired. Gunfire-like sounds in Afghanistan of all places made him particularly nervous.

Apparently he wasn't the only one. The girl, who had been there a moment before, was nowhere to be seen. The trader, who hadn't paused in his listing of the carpet's various assets, finally noticed Nathan's distracted gaze. Glancing over his shoulder, his expression grew darker as he noticed the distinct absence of his 'assistant'. "~Not again,~" he muttered in a low voice, shaking his head.

... disappearing girl? was Nathan's thought, until he looked down and saw the pile of dark robes on the ground... and the dust spilling out around it. "Holy shit," he murmured, gray eyes widening as he realized.

The girl. The girl was one of the young mutants.

Even if the meaning of Nathan's words weren't immediately apparent, his tone and expression were. "~Please, sir, do not be alarmed. She is no harm to you,~" the old man assured him.

The sudden rush of deja vu was almost overwhelming, and Nathan blinked rapidly, looking from the pile of dust back to the trader, Dom's face as she'd been ten years ago floating in front of his eyes. "~I don't want a carpet,~" he said, abruptly, almost harshly. "~Is she your daughter? Your niece? Part of your clan?~"

"~No. She is nothing,~" the man said dismissively. Beside him, the grains of sand and dust began to stir slightly, as if blown by a nonexistant breeze.

"~Is she,~" Nathan said, very clearly and precisely, "~for sale?~"

The old man gave him a shrewd look, then shook his head. "~No. She is too much trouble for you, I think. If you wish to make a purchase, I can help you.~"

"~How much?~" Below the edge of the table, Nathan's good hand clenched into a fist, shaking slightly. Everything he'd said to Angelo about taking it slow, gathering information, not rushing in where angels fear to tread was all out the window, all at once. "~Name the price. I don't care what it is.~"

By now the pile of dust was definitely agitated, though there was little coherence to its movement as it began to form itself into small peaks and mounds under the cloth. "~Two thousand dollars,~" the man stated, obviously expecting the figure to cause Nathan to turn and leave in outrage.

"~Done,~" Nathan said flatly. It would be everything the four of them had on them - he'd have to ask Ashraf for a temporary loan when they got back to Asadabad, until he could get a wire transfer of more funds. He suspected his friend would understand.

Now it was the vendor's turn to look surprised. "~When I have the money, you can have the girl. Not until then.~" He was caught between greed and wariness, obviously unsure about Nathan's intentions.

"~I'll be back. Ten minutes,~" Nathan said, his expression tight but his eyes almost wild as he saw the pile of dust stirring again. "~No more.~" He turned and headed away at an overly brisk walk, his heart pounding. They'd still be here. Surely they would. The trader wouldn't risk the payday.