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~Hardbeat Market~

Many of my holes have now been filled and I've returned with a clearer mind at hand. Curiousity's burden lifted from my shoulders and I am now free to chase after what had evaded me for so long. How long had it been, though? Five years? Ten? Twenty even? Just as I thought the cat went missing, it came scratching my leg once again for an answer.
The entire apartment seemed to be in the same amount of cleanliness as I last remembered, save for a few breadcrumbs and knocked over fittings. The radio, which had still been on, blared nothing but white static in its stead of Legato's music. The programme had ended sometime during the night, which disturbed my desire to be enticed to his music once again on this morning. The phone handset had been off its stand for the night and nothing could come through. Everything had been moved from the norm in some way or another, whether living or inanimate. Reality's antics seemed to pique the cat once again.
Hunger began to make its advance on my stomach. Who wouldn't be famished after hallucinating within a span of one night? And with an empty fridge to show, things did not seem to begin well for the day. Even the cupboards and the condiments had been raided and pilfered by invisible hands at work. Absolutely no food or drink to feast upon.
After a quick shower and a hasty prepartion of casual clothes, I headed out of my apartment and down the corridor to the elevators. The metal "13" plate relected part of what was the dim buzzing light swaying in the middle. The elevator took its time arriving but there wasn't the mass of people I usually would expect on a day like today.
The "13" light on the elevator illuminated and so was the floor button corrisponding to it. Pressing the "7" button, the lift slammed shut and dropped down to its destination. There was actually space to move around in the amount of time taking to get to the seventh floor. The faded and worn white tiles that lined the bottom of the lift had marked prints of shoes all over and no amount of physical action would scratch it clean off. It felt slower than usual during the descent towards level seven, yet the entire lift was lighter in the same respect. Maybe because those empty shells for a body pulled it down towards the entire world below me.
Ding. The doors gave way to show a corridor and a multitude of overhead signs just a little way at the end. The walls and floors were lined with white, with red lines stretching the length of the corridor and wrapping around both sides of the walls. The scent of diluted detergent filled the air and invited reactions of conformity to my senses once more. Past all of this, fragrances of food cooking around the corner drew me in to walk down the aisles.
The supermarket was lined with with many shelves and containers filled with food and necessities placed in bulk packs. Nothing was spared. Clothes, utensils, meats, fruits, vegetables and even the kitchen sinks for some ungodly known reason.
The food being cooked didn't look appealing although the smell was almost unresistable. Grey botches of something unrecognisable being squeezed out of the tubes and onto the frying pan.
I rushed towards the nearest exit, shoving aside towering boxes blocking my escape. All my life that I was living was being handed out by The Man in boxes being payed for with my soul in equal installments, with no free bonuses given afterwards. The staff in their greyed out uniforms jumped out at every gap between aisles just to stop me reaching my exit - or to stop me making a ruckus, whichever applied them. Yet there was no possible way to stop me. I considered myself to be free and I did not want to be put away into a box again in my life.
Out of the automatic doors was a new world for me. The area was open and full of lively people that could welcome you with open hearts and arms if you wanted to. The roads had few cars driving in and out of the busy area without delay. The crowds of people hussled and bussled just to move around the stalls and booths of endless services and goods. This is want I wanted, things not bounded in boxes and processes - just interaction with the entire world, one person by one.
The livelihood was just astounding, with every person trying to gather what they wanted and need with just a volley of words and money. There wasn't one person that submitted to the other that easily. They all fought for something that benefitted them. I hastened my own ego to do the same, for I would've gone hungry if I did not.
HEY! How much for these potatoes? What? A special on beef? You're kidding me. This much for a rack of ribs? I won't go any lower!
Amongst all of the bartering, my ears caught the notes of a violin playing nearby. It was one of the very songs she played. It was Viola and she was here amongst the ruffians of the market. A search for her began and it was a matter of time before she would stop playing and walk away once more from my life. The crowds kept appearing in front of me as I swerved and swayed through the stalls. Stray chickens flew in my face at one point, leaving a flurry of feathers in its wake of escape. A crowd larger than all the rest blocked the way to the last area of the market that I haven't searched. The violin's melody was drawing to a close and the crowd roared with applause and acceptance. She was playing for the public in the middle. My desire to reach out to her hit its climax.
In a span of a few seconds, I managed to catch her face in my view. Crystal clear and white as ever. Her hair just flowed within the air like it was gracefully dropping to Earth from the heavens. Her choice in dresses was astounding - a short purple dress that fanned out at the back giving the allusion of a cape of sorts. The father of time did not allow this to freeze in place and kept everything going as it was. After those few seconds, the crowd obscured my vision in a mad flash flood and as soon as it settled, Viola was gone again.
The fountain was just nearby the place she had played her performance. Water sprouted from the jars of the angel crafted from marble and stone. Her smile seemed to bring some sort of relief to my weary mind. The plaque on the stone stand in front mentions the inscription impinted onto it. "Amielle - A deity of water and skies for the city". I dropped a silver coin into the fountain waters and gazed into the ripples of the waters. I spoke under my breath, with no eavesdroppers nearby.
We're not so different. We both are named for things that were meant to be free from our confines.
Slowly thereafter I walked away and back onto the road, on the way to my home atop the thirteenth floor.