As the others exclaimed over performers and examined the wares of the marketplace, Zeo tried to ignore the curious stares she was receiving. "Okay, so a silver fuku isn't exactly normal attire," she grumbled, resisting the urge to tug her miniskirt lower. "But they're acting like they've never seen legs before!"She tried to focus straight ahead and hurry through the marketplace. In her mind, the sooner they got to the palace, the better. Something sparkled in the corner of her vision, and she paused to see what it was.
A booth was set up, displaying rainbow-hued jewellry. She gasped over some of the more exotic pieces, and when she looked back up, the group had vanished into the crowd. "Uh-oh," she murmured.
Walking away from the booth, she tried not to look worried. "Okay, I can see the palace from here," she reasoned. "I'll just go there, and...what? Say, 'Excuse me, Mr Angry-Looking Guard, but I'm with a group of people sent here by DungeonMaster to stop Queen Diana from handing your fair city over to Venger,'?" She shook her head, hitching her bag over her shoulder. "Yeah, like that's gonna fly." She sighed. "Still, if I keep heading towards the palace, maybe I'll meet up with them on the way."
Zeo hurried through the crowd, hoping to spot anyone she knew, a flash of plaid, a bright yellow smiley face, or even a tiny faerie floating above the mass of humani--well, the mass of bodies. She was so intent on this she didn't notice the three large, amused-looking men approaching her from behind.
"Hey!" she exclaimed as she was roughly turned around. Her bag was yanked off her shoulders, and she found herself face-to-face with who she supposed was the leader of the men.
"What do we have here? A girlie who looks like she forgot something when she got dressed this morning," he sneered. "A lady would never leave her house like this, would she, boys?"
The other two men sniggered heartily, agreeing with the leader. Zeo felt a curl of dread tightening in her stomach.
"And if she isn't a lady, then she must be a whore," the leader concluded. His face was close enough to Zeo's that she could smell the onions on his breath.
Zeo widly cast about, but her bag was beyond her reach, so she used the only other weapon she had available--her voice. "HELP!!!" she screamed, hoping her voice carried enough that someone from her group would hear her. "Bubbles, Kryschenn, Cole, Tommy, Faira, ANYONE!!!! HELP!!!"
