Choose Thy Quest (Part 4)....

Chiana (ala "Unrealized Reality")

Somehow, John's frellup to my body (though it had only been cosmetic . . . and very minor when compared to some of the others of Moya) has been undone!

Well, things are a bit jumbled up here, eh?

This particular Chiana's life has gone a bit differently than many of the other Chianas of Farscape encountered before now. However, several things remain consistent. She's a survivor. Knows how to run. Knows how to hide, disappear. She has a talent for procuring other peoples stuff, especially if they're valuable. Always helps to have a bit stashed away for those times when Hezmana breaks loose, as she'd put it. Also, in line with all that, she has a way of being able to blend in . . . sort of. Meaning she's as comfortable in a back alley as a penthouse . . . . which the later she happened to find herself in, really. A penthouse suite located on an Earth, in the 1970s as found in one of the Dark Tower books by Stephen King. Namely, it just happens to be the penthouse of Jack Chamber's parents, who still are rather upset that their son has gone missing. Not to say that is a normal upset, like normal caring parents. More like it's a upset as the loss of a valuable possession. Yeah, not a very functional family, this.

So, when Chiana here figures out that these are human beings (they speak the same langauge as she had picked up from her John Crichton in passing) and by extension she somehow has ended up on Earth, she knows she's in trouble. Nothing in her pouches would suffice for currency, so it stood to reason to do a bit of "borrowing" . . . and knocking out the drugged out father (cocaine) and liquored up mother when they come across her snurching!

That done (satisfied that they'd live and hadn't gotten a good look at her), she decided to do something to better blend in! Some of the clothing that the female human had was a close match (and probably fit much better than what she had on). She remembers one trick she'd used to blend in amongst Sebacians. With enough makeup, her gray skin would look "normal" enough to pass amongst these pink skinned humans out there. That and a bit of hair dye (found for Jake's father, if you must know) should do it.

Now was time to run. She had what passed as credits (dollars John called them) and had some idea what it was worth, she hoped. Time to . . . get away to somewhere dark but relatively safe. Here would be too hot soon for her tastes.

Never failed. Even though those she snurched form like these had more than enough to spare, they always objected and just had to get the frelling Enforcers after her to get her well earned funds back!

Slipping out the back, this Chiana made her way through the dark New York night, wrinkling her nose at the smell of auto exhaust (and other pleasant odors New York alleys are gifted with).

Well, she'd been in worse. Not much worse than some Commerce Planets she'd visited, really.

Managed to find a cheap, run down hotel who had a habit of not asking questions . . . . here in the heart of the city....

Chiana

"Circus mime," I mutter to myself, shaking my head and sighing.

After the others had explained what that kid was asking about, you better believe that I got the joke! Only....

I'm kinda not . . . thrilled, shall we say.

"Well . . . about that," Inquirer coughs, frowning over at Jake (who has the good grace of blushing in embarrassment of this misunderstanding). "I'm pretty sure that unless you actually want to be confused as a mime, at best, perhaps some kind of disguise would be in order? For all of us?"

She goes onto explain. Besides the fact that Jake tells me, like on John's Earth, his world hasn't had any real contact with non-human species. Meaning that I rather . . . stand out. There is also the fact that except for Betty and Ragan, we're all rather out of step with local fashion on his world! Even Jake here isn't dressed for the part. Oh, he still has some clothing from his old home, but a lot of it is worn out from hard travel back upon Mid-world or had been replaced with clothing fashioned from deerskin and such by Roland the Gunslinger, replacing what had been lost or worn out.

Well, as for the Doctor and Sigin, nothing but top of the line for contemporary wear (though they complain it doesn't suit them). Sort of have to agree.... These business suits (straight copies from the top of the line of European fashion) will do, but . . . it doesn't seem to fit them. Character showing through, really.

As for me, I get drad enough stuff but . . . .as for what to look like as a "normal" human being I figure that I'll just follow Betty's chuckled suggestion.

A look in a mirror and I finally see what this Gigi Edgley looks like.

Not bad, but . . . rather like the elegant gray of my human seeming.

"True but then again you'd look elegant dressed in nothing but ashes and sackcloth," Sigin whispers to me, softly, after I'd muttered that.

....

Ah, see something else about this disguise. Before, the blood rushing to my face whenever one of Sigin's . . . . Oh my, he always know just the right thing to say....

Fear I now show a rather obvious blush of pleasure!

Frell, that's hasn't happened in a LONG time to me. Not since I took up the adventuring . . .er . . . life back in the Uncharted. Blushing. Been a long time...and first time it's ever shown....

Well, they step through a Beam door into Jake's old place. Jake, having a case of cold feet, decides to have Artizza zap him into a block so he doesn't have to try to explain his long absence from home.

Quietly, knowing that after THIS, they'll have to get to Central Park (home of all sort of weirdoes at night) to get to the next leg of this Quest (this part on some parallel Terra, then onto the steps of the Dark Tower itself for delivery), to collect others who'd eaten that Forbidden Fruit.

1. First, they've got to get OUT of here, undetected. Easier than thought, when they see that the owners are STILL out cold, on the floor. . . . . stuff obviously looted if one looks....

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