Doctor Healsong had spent the night at Sunfire's and Skyfire's house. She did that more often, especially when there was a special reason for it. This time was one of the times there was a special reason for it.
Sunfire and Skyfire had spent the previous day at the east beach of the Nezinoma Salis continent, looking for useful items that would have washed ashore following the severe storm that had swept the ocean and the land a day earlier. Their day had been highly successful; not only had they needed to fasten a large wood wagon behind their car to transport all the goods, they even needed to make two extra hauls. Despite the storm warning, which had obviously been heeded by many ships, the violent storm had churned the currents of the ocean in such an unusual way that older wrecks had shifted and torn, releasing whatever cargo they were still holding under the water, and the waves crashing onto the beach, swept up to almost the dunes by the hard wind, had unearthed several more treasures that had washed up in earlier times but had been buried under the sand since.
Of course, among the flotsam was lots of rubbish; seaweed, old, gnarled wood, even branches with strange leaves and some large nuts of some sort that were thought to have come from the vegetation on the small Kotjonok Island, and lots of dead fish. But as much of the debris washed ashore was usable and sometimes even valuable; barrels and vats of spices, foods and liquids, both liquors and volatiles like scent waters and lamp oil, wood chests and crates filled with a variety of items; clothing and fabrics (although a lot of it was torn and tattered), weaponry, jewelry, glass bottles and earthenware bottles and amphoras, one chest filled with books written in a language that Lucinia recognized as Salorian, and a chest filled with books written in a language neither the two Mry nor the young Kattin recognized. And even money; this time it was Sunfire who found a small chest buried in the sand near the shoreline, filled with gold, silver, bronze and copper coins which were easily identified as older, but still valid, currency of the Minnaluna mainland.
One of their stranger finds were five large square wood crates stamped with words in a language that, again, neither Sunfire nor Skyfire nor Lucinia could decipher. The crates were very tough and sturdy, and undamaged, although one could tell they had been submerged for a long time already since the wood had turned green with algae and some of the sides were covered in mussels. They must have been held in place under the water by being inside the hold of a wrecked ship, which had now, after the severe storm, ripped open somehow to release the crates, which turned out to float easily on the water. And that was because of their content. Upon inspection, the two Mry found that the crates were filled with hundreds upon hundreds of small white balls, about the size of a large walnut, and made out of some sort of hard plastic.
Mystified about the purpose of those small white balls, the two Mry nevertheless thought they could most likely sell or trade them on the Mountain City, Oceanside and Viola Town markets as game items. The balls, when facing a hard surface, bounced pretty good, with funny, somewhat hollow, ticking sounds, even though they were so light that they also scattered easily in a breeze.
Having had such a very successful day of beachcombing, even though nearly all of the things they had found had been churned up from old shipwrecks which showed in the quality of a lot of it (or in the state of decay, in some cases), Sunfire and Skyfire had decided to this time take a full stall on the Mountain City market so they could present their wares. However, this meant they would have to be in the town at a quite early time, which in turn meant they would have to leave Viola Town even before Sister Sun would have risen. So they had asked doctor Healsong to spend the night with them. On the day they would have to leave for the market in Mountain City, the white Mry could then take Fleetfire to the communal bath and to school, and look after her until Sunfire and Skyfire were home again. Lucinia, who still was not due in school for a few weeks yet, was coming along with her two large Mry step-sisters and adopters to the market.
It was going to be an awesome experience for the young Kattin. The market in the shoreline town of Oceanside might attract the most varied of visitors, from Mry of all over Nezinoma Salis to Flamelins, both from the few that were living on Nezinoma Salis as from the Minnaluna mainland, to exotic folk that came from other lands. But the market in Mountain City was the largest in the whole land of Nezinoma Salis. Lucinia showed a great deal of excitement about joining her Mry step-sisters in going to this market. And she was not the only one.
"You're going to have so much fun, Lucie!" Fleetfire crooned at the very early breakfast they were having. "It's too bad that the market only lasts one day, because you would need a whole quart-cycle to see all of it! There's just so much to see!"
"That's true. There's merchants from Oceanside, Viola Town, Big Lake Town, Arrow Reef Village, even from Cliff City; they have to travel for almost two days to reach Mountain City, but they still do it! And there's merchants from Minnaluna, and some traveling merchants from other lands, although less than on the market in Oceanside, which is kind of logical because Oceanside is much more reachable for them, with its big harbor," Sunfire summed up.
Lucinia looked up at Sunfire with a faint sparkle in her very large, intensely blue eyes.
"From Saloria too?"
"I... don't know, actually," Sunfire said, slowly running a paw over her whiskers. "I can't remember having ever seen Salorian merchants on the Mountain City market. In fact, you're the very first Salorian anyone here in this land ever saw, for as far as I know." She smiled at Lucinia. "However, there might be goods from Saloria that you might recognize."
"Yeah!" Fleetfire nodded happily. "Remember those big nuts with sweet milk in them you told us about? Golden Gory said she'd seen them on the Oceanside market, and I remember you can find them on the Mountain City market too! So there's probably much more from your land that's sold on the market!"
"I like," Lucinia smiled, nibbling on a slice of bread with butter. "I look for Salorian goods." She smiled at her blind step-sister. "I bring you gift, Fleet Fire, yes?"
"Ohhh, that would be so cool! Thank you so much, Lucie!" Fleetfire crooned with a giggle. "Hey, could you look out for something specific? There's something I'd love you to bring me from the market in Mountain City! Mountain Munchies!"
"What that?" Lucinia asked with a look of surprise.
Fleetfire giggled.
"Snacks! Mountain Munchies are like these special little sausages, rather thin but almost as long as your tail! They're made with two or three different kinds of meat and some special herbs that only grow in the mountains behind Mountain City! Really delicious! They come in packets of five; could you bring me a packet? Please? It's been ages since I last had Mountain Munchies! They cost two copper coins per packet. Here, wait..." She turned away from the breakfast table and with her short white cane, found her way to where she had left her shirt and belt the night before, beginning to feel along her belt with her paws. "Now where is it again... ah! Here!" She located one of the pouches on her belt and opened it, feeling inside and after a moment extricating two copper coins which she offered to Lucinia. "Here, take these, and please buy me a packet of Mountain Munchies with them?"
Lucinia smiled and softly pushed Fleetfire's paw back.
"You keep, Fleet Fire. I buy for you." She giggled softly and patted one of the pouches on her own belt, which was filled with two large pawfuls of silver coins from the chest she had found on the west beach. "I have lots coins here, I buy munchies for you. You no need pay for." She giggled again. "They so good like you say, I buy for me too, I think."
"Ohhh, you're the sweetest, Lucie! Thank you so much!" Fleetfire purred, leaning aside to take the slender feline into a big hug and kissing her cheek. "Yes, you should totally bring a packet for yourself too! You'll love them! They're so totally delicious! Myum myum!"
Lucinia giggled cheerily about Fleetfire's enthusiasm, hugging her flame-tabby step-sister back. The three adult Mry around the table chuckled softly as well.
"While we're on the subject of bringing things from Mountain City," Healsong said, taking a small bottle of ink, a dip pen and a small notebook from a pouch on her belt. "If you have the time, could you look out for a couple of things for me as well while you're there? There are several things I need or simply could use." She started scribbling things on a page of the small notebook. "You don't have to bring all of it, and I can even understand when you don't have the time to look out for any of it at all, because you will be busy enough selling your own wares. But if you could have a look around, I would be much obliged."
"No problem, Healsong," Sunfire smiled, taking the list. "Most likely, we'll be manning the stall in shifts, so one of us can take the kiddo around the market in turns and have a look around for ourselves as well."
"Thank you, I appreciate that."
"Like I said, no problem at all." Sunfire rose to her four feet. "Well, we'd better get going, it's a long ride. You got everything you need, kiddo?" she asked Lucinia.
The small Kattin checked herself. She was wearing the purple satin dress Skyfire had made for her; it was the fanciest item of clothing she had. Around her waist, she was wearing a broad white leather belt with several pouches hanging from it, most of them empty but two of them filled with the silver coins. Next to the thick cushion that was her seat at the table, her white leather backpack was lying, and she shouldered it.
"Yes, I have all." She looked at Sunfire questionably. "I need bring bow?"
"No, why?" Sunfire said with a soft chuckle. "This is market, not a hunt."
"Yes, at the most, you'll be hunting for bargains," Skyfire added, giggling.
"Oh," Lucinia said. "I thought I need. On market in Saloria, you need have bow or sword. Some folk, they rob."
"Not here in Nezinoma Salis, sweetie," Skyfire smiled. "You don't need to worry about that."
"No, that's true," Sunfire nodded. "But if it makes you feel safer, here, take this."
She rummaged through a small pile of weapons they had found and cleaned, pulling out a short iron dagger with an ornate brass hilt and a strangely waved blade, sheathed in a simple but elegant white leather scabbard. Bending over, Sunfire fixed the sheathed dagger to Lucinia's belt, at her right hip.
"There, now you look like a very capable little princess," she smiled.
"Thank you!" Lucinia said happily. She turned to hug and nuzzle Fleetfire. "Bye Fleet Fire. You have good day in school. I bring you lots gifts."
"Hee hee! Just the Mountain Munchies would be awesome already, Lucie!" Fleetfire giggled. "But of course, more gifts is even more awesome!" She laughed. "Hey, if you're going on a shopping spree anyway, you might want to bring something for Cloudchaser; it's her birthday next quart-cycle."
"Oh!" Lucinia smiled. "That nice! Yes, I bring gift for her too!"
"She'll love you to pieces for that!" Fleetfire predicted with a giggle, giving Lucinia a big hug and a smooch. "Mwwah! You have a totally awesome day on the market, Lucie! I'll see you tonight! Can't wait to see what you bring for me!"
Lucinia giggled and returned both the hug and the big slopper of a smooch before following Skyfire outside. Sunfire was already there, on the road in front of their house, checking over the car which was loaded to capacity, and then some. A couple of large chests and crates were tied to the roof, the lid of the trunk was leaning on a couple of wood boxes that were sticking out of the trunk, secured with rope, and behind the car was a very large wood wagon, as large as the car itself, and also fully loaded with crates, chests, barrels and whatnot. It looked like a nineteenth century hooded cart, except that the large wood wheels had been replaced for the same kind of wheels that were under the car, and the shafts where normally a horse was strapped between had been replaced for some kind of hitch that connected to a similar hitch on the back of the car.
Inside, the car was also stuffed to capacity, leaving barely any room for Sunfire behind the wheel and Skyfire next to her. Lucinia couldn't even sit in the back since all space was occupied; she had to sit on Skyfire's feral lower back. The young Kattin looked out the window as Sunfire drove the car down the main road past the town and out of the valley, but there was not much to see since it was still so dark. So instead, Lucinia talked with Skyfire about the market, asking lots of enthused questions which were answered by the large storm-gray Mry with soft giggles. Sunfire wasn't speaking very much, as she had to concentrate three times as hard as usual to drive the car over as good as invisible trails, in the darkness, and with the large wagon behind it.
It was, like Sunfire had said, a long ride, but Lucinia didn't notice much of it, bustling with energy and excitement as she was. Their arrival at Mountain City was perfectly timed; just as they pulled up to the main road into the town, the sun rose over the mountains, showering golden and orange beams over the landscape and the buildings. Lucinia gazed at it with her eyes wide and her mouth hanging a bit open. If she was already impressed by the sight of Oceanside, this was even ten times as impressive! Mountain City was the largest city in all Nezinoma Salis, its most prominent feature being an enormous cluster of huge buildings at the side of the city, with an enormous yard filled with row after row of the 1940 Chevrolet Master Deluxe cars in all kinds of colors.
Skyfire giggled again when Lucinia smooshed her nose against the side window of the car to gawp at the enormous group of large buildings and the endless rows of cars.
"That's the autocart factory," she explained. "All the autocarts you see in Nezinoma Salis are made here. In that factory alone, more Mry work than there are Mry living in Viola Town."
"Two or three hundred, I believe," Sunfire nodded. "And there's almost three thousand Mry living in Mountain City."
Lucinia just nodded, with soft gasps as she took in all the incredible sights when Sunfire slowly drove the car through the town gates. From all directions, cars were approaching, pulling wagons loaded with wood boxes and crates, although some of the cars were merely transporting one or two Mry, sometimes more than two; early market-goers. It was stop-and-go for a while as each car stopped near a large black male Mry dressed in something green that looked a bit like a uniform, who was carrying a wood board with papers on them. Eventually, also Sunfire stopped by this Mry, rolling down the window in the door to speak with him.
"Your names, please?"
"Sunfire, my sister Skyfire, and our step-sister Lucinia."
The male black Mry concealed his surprise as he caught sight of Lucinia, merely continuing his questions and scribbling Sunfire's answers on a sheet of paper.
"Your wares?"
"Miscellaneous."
"Do you sell edibles?"
"No, no edibles. We do have some drinkables, though."
"Where are you coming from?"
"Viola Town."
"Regular merchant?"
"No, occasional."
"Right. Full stall, half stall or shared stall?"
"Full stall, if possible, please."
"Right." The male black Mry beckoned another Mry, a smallish tiger-striped female in a similar green jacket, then turned back to Sunfire with a friendly smile. "Follow miss Dawnbright, she will show you to a vacant stall. Have a good day, ladies."
"Thank you," Sunfire smiled back.
She started following the tiger-colored female Mry, who led the way with a lantern. As she was driving at walking pace now, Lucinia got the perfect opportunity to gaze at the streets and the buildings with awe, taking everything in with her mouth hanging open and her eyes wide and round. Everything was so big in this city! The streets were much broader, the buildings were much larger and much higher, and there were so many more Mry walking and driving around. The tiger-striped Mry led them through a couple of streets, in a half-circle around the giant market square in the centre of the city, so that they approached a long row of wood stalls from the rear. Holding up the paw in which she held the lantern, she stopped Sunfire and pointed.
"There is your stall. You can turn around here so you can drive your autocart to it backwards for easy unloading. Have a successful day, ladies," she smiled.
"Thank you very much," Sunfire smiled. She turned to her sister. "Skyfire, can you get out and direct me? I can't see out the back window very well with that wagon behind the autocart."
"Sure thing," Skyfire nodded, getting out of the car.
She stepped away while Sunfire swung it around, walking behind it while waving her arms to show her sister how to drive backwards towards the stall they were designated. It were large stalls consisting of long wood boards on legs, with a plank canopy above it supported on four poles on each corner of the stall. Oil lamps were hanging from a cross-beam under the wood canopy for illumination, although the light of the rising sun was gradually growing stronger, pouring warmth and golden light over an enormously busy bustle of Mry merchants unloading cars and wagons and setting up their stalls with the most varied of goods.
Lucinia found herself having a couple of pairs of eyes and ears too few to take everything in. Voices both male and female filled the air with cheerful talking and shouts, here and there even with song. There was music and the calls and screeches of different animals. Smells too many to name, and some even completely unfamiliar, drifted up all over the gigantic market square over which their stall was looking out. A vast crowd of Mry was milling about on the market square, walking around the stalls to display their wares in appealing manners or looking at the displayed goods and talking to the merchants. Lucinia also noticed a few creatures that clearly were not Mry; they looked similar, walking on four feline feet, but instead of the anthro upper torso, these creatures simply had a feline head on their feral shoulders. She pointed at one while looking up at Skyfire.
"What they, Sky Fire?"
The wildly patterned dark gray Mry looked up and smiled.
"Those are Flamelins, sweetie," she smiled. "Remember we told you about them? There's a number of them living here in Mountain City, and that's what they look like."
"Oh yes," Lucinia nodded, looking at the pair of Flamelins again. "They look nice."
Skyfire nodded with a smile while she helped Sunfire loading all their goods onto the stall and sorting them out. Even while they were busy with that, there were already Mry coming to their stall to look at their goods and buy some. Curious glances were, of course, given to Lucinia, but there were much less questions of stunned surprise; the folk of Mountain City apparently was more used to seeing unfamiliar creatures.
The sun had risen fully over the mountains when they were done with putting their goods on the stall. Sunfire blew out the oil lamps and turned to her sister with a smile.
"Well, that's that. I can handle things here for a while by myself, if you want to take the kiddo out onto the market."
"Yes! Can we go, Sky Fire? Please?" Lucinia begged.
Skyfire giggled.
"How could I say no to those begging kitten eyes?" She took Lucinia by a paw and stepped around their stall. "Come on, let's go and have a look around, alright? But first..." She turned to face their stall and pointed out a few landmarks, "...take a good look at this; this is where our stall is. One of us will always be here, so if we get separated on the market, or you go to look at something by yourself, you'll know where to find our stall back."
Lucinia nodded eagerly, tugging slightly on Skyfire's paw. Sunfire grinned lightly at it.
"Will you go already, you weirdo? Look at the poor kit; she's almost hopping to go exploring!"
"Alright, alright, we're gone," Skyfire chuckled. "I'll look out for something for us to eat for lunch too, since we'll be here all day."
Sunfire nodded and turned her attention to a customer who expressed interest in one of the swords on their stall. With a smile, Skyfire took Lucinia's paw again and started walking along the rows of stalls with her. Lucinia happily trotted along, her somewhat wedge-shaped head whipping left and right as she tried to look at everything at once; the stalls with all the varied goods on them, the large buildings of the town, the many, many Mry milling about, talking, laughing, praising their wares and discussing prices. She noticed how there were also a lot of obviously young Mry out and about.
"They no go school here, Sky Fire?"
"Not on market day, no," Skyfire smiled. "They do have schools here, several different schools even, but on market day, the schools are closed. You'll see that's the same in our town; no school on market day."
"That nice!" Lucinia smiled. She suddenly whipped her head around again, her whiskers twitching as she sniffed the air, and she started tugging on Skyfire's paw again. "Oh! Sky Fire, look! Munchies! I buy for Fleet Fire!"
Indeed, a little way furtheron was a large stall in front of a butcher shop on which several kinds of meats and sausages and such were displayed, and there even was a large sign on the front of the stall saying "Here the real Mountain Munchies!" in bold lettering. Skyfire giggled softly, letting herself be pulled over to the stall by Lucinia, who looked over all the food on the stall eagerly, sniffing with happily twitching whiskers. Behind the stall were two Mry, a red tabby male and a white with red tabby patches female, both wearing red-stained aprons. The male was tending to a customer, but the female turned to Skyfire and Lucinia with a smile.
"Can I help you, miss?"
"Yes! I buy munchies!" Lucinia said with quite some enthusiasm.
The female Mry behind the stall let out a soft giggle as she looked Lucinia over with a slight expression of wonder.
"Well well, seems like there's already folk from outside Nezinoma Salis coming for our treats," she chortled. "We're getting famous, I see. Have you had our Mountain Munchies before?"
"No," Lucinia shook her head. "I buy for Fleet Fire. She my walk sister, she say is yum!"
"I daresay your sister is correct," the female Mry behind the stall smiled. She did send Skyfire a questioning look. "Walk sister?"
"She means step-sister," Skyfire giggled. "Fleetfire is our younger sister, and Lucinia here is our step-sister. We found the poor girl washed ashore on the west Sand Shore after that big storm about a half-cycle ago, and we adopted her as our step-sister. She's from Saloria, and although she does speak our language rather well, every now and then she mixes something up."
"Ohh, I see," the female Mry giggled, turning back to Lucinia. "Well then, miss Lucinia, if you have never had our Mountain Munchies before, would you like to try them?"
She took a tray which was filled with small chunks of thin sausage and held it out. Lucinia happily took one of the small chunks and stuck it in her mouth, chewing with an expression of rapture.
"Ohh! Mmh! Oh!" she mumbled with her mouth full. "Fleet Fire say is yum, I not know is so yum!"
"Seems like we converted another one," the female Mry giggled. "So I can safely assume you'll want a packet, miss Lucinia?" She set down the tray and took a long, narrow packet from a stack. It held five of the sausages, which were only an inch thick, but almost two feet long. "Five in a packet, two coppers per packet."
Lucinia nodded eagerly, slowly swallowing her mouthful of sausage.
"I not have copper coins, I have silver. Is worth ten copper coins. See?"
She reached into one of the pouches on her belt and took one of the silver coins from it, holding it out to the female Mry behind the stall. The female took it and looked at it from both sides.
"Oh yes, I have seen these. Well, then you can either buy one packet and get eight coppers back, or you can buy more than one packet, up to five of them. What will it be?"
"I buy ten!" Lucinia smiled, taking another silver coin and handing it over. "Fleet Fire five, I five. Is fair divide."
"Very well," the white and red Mry smiled. "Do you want a sack to carry them in?"
"Uhm... yes, is good," Lucinia nodded.
With a smile, the female Mry took a fairly large bag made of cotton, which had a long strap on it. She packed ten of the packets of sausages into it and leaned over the stall to hand it to Lucinia, who happily took it.
"I thank you!"
"You are welcome, miss Lucinia," the female Mry smiled. "Anything else?"
"I'll have two packets as well," Skyfire smiled. "And two of those fried Clucker legs, if you please."
The white and red Mry nodded and filled Skyfire's order as well.
"That'll be six coppers, please, miss."
Skyfire paid with one of the regular silver coins that were worth five copper ones, and one copper coin, sliding the packets she was handed into one of her side bags.
"Thank you, and have a nice day."
"Likewise," the female Mry smiled. "And to you too, miss Lucinia. Hope to see you back again sometime."
"Yes!" Lucinia smiled, giving a wave. "Bye miss!"
She started happily trotting along with Skyfire again, holding the large strap of the cotton bag over her shoulder. They walked across the market calmly, halting by a stall every now and then to look at the wares that were sold. At a stall selling weaponry, Skyfire remarked with a giggle that the found swords and daggers they had on their stall looked better. Somewhere on the middle of the square, near the front of a large town house, they stopped again to look at two Mry dressed in funny hats and brightly colored coats who were entertaining; one was juggling no less than eight colored glass balls while dancing this way and that on the rhythm of a musical tune the other was piping on a flute. Lots of other Mry and a few Flamelins were looking at them as well, cheering and applauding when the two Mry were done and tossing coins into the hat of one of them as she went around. Lucinia also clapped her paws and dropped some of her silver coins in the Mry's hat.
Looking up, the young Kattin noticed Skyfire was talking to a female clouded leopard Mry she seemed to know quite well. For a while, Lucinia waited patiently, but when it took too long for the enthused little feline, she stepped up to Skyfire and gently tugged on a slip of the storm-gray Mry's vest.
"Sky Fire, I go look market, yes?"
Skyfire looked down and nodded with a smile.
"Of course, sweetie, have fun. Don't stray too far, okay? Stay on the square. I'll call for you when I go back to our stall."
Lucinia also nodded and gave Skyfire a soft hug before beginning to slowly step across the large market square, stopping by each and every stall to look at what kind of things were displayed on them. A lot of the things, she had never seen before, although at some stalls, she also found items she did recognize as coming from Saloria. She bought some of them; small, sticky nuts and strange star-shaped apple-like fruits at a fruit stall, and at a book stall she bought two books, one a story book containing bedtime stories and folk stories for children, and one a book on the history and landscape and cities of Saloria, with many quality lithographs in between the pages of text. She bought two of those books; one for herself, and she figured to give the other one to the blue-point Siamese-patterned Mry Cloudchaser for a birthday present, since Cloudchaser seemed to have a lot of interest in Saloria, always asking Lucinia lots of questions about her homeland.
Beaming with excitement, Lucinia kept drifting from one stall to the next, letting herself be beguiled by the scents of baked goods or other foods (and tasting samples offered to her by the proprietors), gazing open-mouthed at some very fine silver and gold filigree jewelry, flickering and flagging her ears at the squeaking and screeching and squawking of many different kinds of birds fluttering around in twig cages.
Just as the slender little feline was standing by a stall that sold fishing wares, wondering about the strange combination of fishing poles, hooks and nets for fishing, and colorful glass balls for playing that were sold on the stall - she did not know the actual purpose of the colorful glass balls, apparently - and paying the male Mry behind the stall for a small shrimp net she was buying, she suddenly perked her large ears at a shout coming from somewhere behind her.
"Oh! A Salorian! I say, girl! Girl! Nena!"
It was the word 'Salorian', and mostly the word in her own language, that made Lucinia wheel around to look at who it was who said that. She saw it a moment later; a tall, slender female Mry with a magnificent cornflower blue fur that was dotted with spots of a lighter blue color, sitting between a few crates against and upon which paintings were displayed; paintings of landscapes and seascapes, paintings of Mry and of Flamelins, and also of other creatures. The woman was beckoning Lucinia, who slowly stepped over to her.
"You call me?"
"Yes!" the blue Mry said with some excitement. "Oh, I can't believe it! You're from Saloria, aren't you?"
"Yes? You know Saloria?" Lucinia asked, tilting her head a bit.
"Well, I've never been there, but I've heard of it! I've seen pictures, and once I was lucky enough to meet someone from there. I can't believe I'm now seeing another Salorian! And such a pretty one, too!" The blue female Mry cleared some space on one of the crates. "Would you pose for me, girl? Would you let me paint you? Please?"
Lucinia looked at the paintings that were resting against the crates or standing on top of them in holders. They were very nice paintings, very lifelike.
"I Lucinia," she said, looking back at the blue Mry. "You paint these?"
"An enormous pleasure to meet you, Lucinia," the blue Mry said. "Such a lovely name, too! My name is Bluehour." She nodded. "Yes, I'm a painter, I make all these paintings. Will you please let me make one of you, Lucinia? Will you sit for me for an hour so I can paint you?"
The slender Kattin tilted her head a bit again while running a paw over her whiskers and muzzle as she thought.
"Is... much gold?" she asked softly, almost apprehensively.
"Oh! Yes! Anything, dear, anything you want! Just tell me, and I'll get it for you, if you just will let me make a painting of you!"
For a moment, Lucinia blinked at the blue Mry's reply to her question. She ran her paw over her muzzle and whiskers again, tilting her head to the other side. Very slowly, a sparkle appeared in her large, deep blue eyes as she realized she would not have to pay the blue Mry to paint her, but the blue Mry would pay her. Lowering her paw, she nodded and stepped over to the collection of crates.
"Is good," she said. "Is few things I want. You get me things, I sit for you."
"Anything!" Bluehour said. "Just let me know what you want, and I'll get it for you."
"Come. I show," Lucinia said with a smile, taking the blue Mry by a paw. She led the way to a stall a few steps furtheron, where musical instruments were sold; harps, lyres, lutes, things that looked like trumpets, wood and silver flutes, and more the like. "Is lute, see?" she said, pointing at two fine lutes that were displayed on top of their soft leather carrying bags. "Is this lute, and that, I want. You get, yes?"
"Sure! No problem," Bluehour said. "I wonder, though... why two?"
"Is for sister," Lucinia said. "Fleet Fire, my sister, she blind. She get music lessons, need lute. I want take music lessons too, I need lute too. So, is two."
"Oh, that's so sweet of you! Thinking of your poor sister like that!" Bluehour purchased both lutes Lucinia had indicated, including their carrying cases, and handed them to the Kattin. "Is there anything more you'd want?"
"Is one thing," Lucinia nodded. "For Fleet Fire. Come." She took Bluehour by a paw again and walked back to the bird merchant where she had been looking at all the birds a little while earlier, pointing at one of the cages. "That cage, is orange Jorble in. I want for Fleet Fire. She say, she like orange best."
"You are such a sweetie!" the blue Mry said. "Most girls I know, they would have asked for things only for themselves!"
"I have something for self," Lucinia stated simply as Bluehour purchased the cage with the orange Jorble in it. "I have lute."
"Well, you're still a sweetie," Bluehour smiled. "Is this all? Or did you want anything else?"
"No, is all. I sit for you now."
"Alright! Thank you! Just sit here, upright, okay?" Bluehour smiled as she walked back to the collection of crates and paintings, and parked Lucinia on one of the crates. "Sit like that? Look at me. Your paws in your lap, like that, yes. Your legs crossed, maybe? Oh, yes, yes, that's perfect! Hold that pose!"
She grabbed an empty canvas and quickly laid down a sketch with a thin stick of charcoal, every now and then looking up at Lucinia, who sat as still as she could. Setting the canvas on a low easel, the blue Mry then took a palette and some tubes of paint, squeezing several colors onto her palette and taking a brush to begin painting. She worked fast and concentrated, looking past the canvas to Lucinia from time to time. The young Kattin kept sitting as still as she could, smiling, moving only her ears which flagged and swiveled to the many sounds around her, and the voice of the blue Mry constantly talking to her.
Gradually, the painting began taking shape. The blobs and streaks of color flowed into one another to form a picture of a cute slender Kattin with pale cinnamon-colored fur and a deep dark brown face, ears, tail, arms and legs, wearing a purple dress, sitting on a rock, against a background of trees and flowers. Bluehour worked with the tip of her tongue sticking past her lips, looking past the canvas, then diving back behind it, hunched over a bit, mumbling to herself or speaking to Lucinia.
"I sit long more?" Lucinia asked after a little more than an hour. "Leg tingle."
"Almost done, dearie, almost done," Bluehour said from behind the easel. "Just a little while longer. Oh, this is beautiful! My best work yet!"
Lucinia nodded a little bit and shifted slightly to stretch her sleeping leg, but she made sure to return to her original pose. However, a few moments later she perked and swiveled one of her large ears when a voice rang out above all the hubbub of the market.
"Lucinia! Where are you, sweetie? Lucinia!"
"Is Sky Fire!" Lucinia said. "She call me. I got go. You finished?"
"Almost, almost!" Bluehour said. "A few more minutes."
"Oh," Lucinia said. "I sit. I call Sky Fire, yes?" Bluehour nodded, and without altering her position, Lucinia called out. "Sky Fire! I here! I sit for Mry, she paint me!"
"Really, now?" Skyfire's voice sounded out. "That's nice. Where are... oh! There you are." Skyfire stepped into view and smiled as she saw Lucinia sitting on one of the crates while Bluehour was working with high concentration to make the finishing touches to the painting. "Getting your portrait done, are you?"
"She ask me," Lucinia said without moving. "She want paint me, she give me things, I sit for her."
"That's nice," Skyfire smiled, stepping around the easel. "Mind if I take a look? Oh! Oh my, that is very good! Beautiful!"
"Thank you," Bluehour smiled, brushing a few last little strokes onto the painting to add a little light. Then she sat up and wiped her forehead with a small cloth. "There! I'm done, you can move now, Lucinia."
"Okay," Lucinia smiled, stretching and sliding off of the crate. "I look, yes?"
"Yes, come and have a look, sweetie," Skyfire smiled. "This is really looking beautiful!" She noticed how Lucinia stumbled a bit as she stepped closer. "Are you alright?"
"Leg tingle," Lucinia said, rubbing her left leg. "I sit still long."
Skyfire giggled.
"I see. Yes, that happens sometimes. Here, let me help you."
She helped Lucinia step over to the other side of the easel and softly rubbed her leg while the Kattin looked at the painting with a happy smile.
"That me! Is very good, miss Blue Hour! I like lots!"
"Thank you so much, dearie!" Bluehour smiled. "I'm very very happy with how it came out, too! Definitely my best work ever! You're a fantastic model! I sure wouldn't mind making more paintings of you."
"Mmm." Skyfire ran a paw over her whiskers. "Say... Bluehour, is it? Right. Are you coming to the market in Viola Town, by any chance?"
"Viola Town? I've never been there before, but I heard of it," Bluehour said, putting her brushes in a jar. "Isn't that a small town inside Viola Valley? What's it like?"
"Is nice town! I live there, with Fleet Fire and Sky Fire and Sun Fire," Lucinia smiled. "Lots friends too! All girl Mry!"
"That's right," Skyfire chuckled. "Viola Town is a female community. We're having our market in a half-cycle from today. If you'd come there too, I think we'd like you to stay for an extra day and paint a portrait of the four of us; my older sister Sunfire, our little sister Fleetfire, Lucinia here, and myself."
"That sounds very good," Bluehour nodded. "A female community, huh? I like the sound of that. Is there a good place to stay there after the market?"
"There's rooms at "The Last Leg Inn", and we have a fairly large and luxurious hotel," Skyfire smiled. "But you could stay with us as our guest too, if you'd like."
"That sounds even better." Bluehour wiped paint off her fingers with a soft chortle. "I like that. Yes, I like that a lot. I think I'll be there. And if you let me paint another portrait or two of Lucinia, I'll do the one of all four of you free of charge. When exactly is your market? At what day, I mean?"
"It's on Threeday, a half-cycle from now. So that's the second Threeday after today. Do you know where to find Viola Valley?"
"Yes, I passed by there several times during my travels between Big Lake Town or Cliff City, and Oceanside or Mountain City. Is it a big market? Many out of town merchants?"
"Well, Viola Town is not a very large town, so the market is not that large in comparison. It's not like the market in Oceanside, or this one. But yes, we get several out of town merchants, some from other towns, and a couple of traveling merchants."
"Right. Well, that sounds really good to me. I'll be there, and I'll certainly be looking forward to doing more paintings of Lucinia."
"She is a lovely girl, isn't she?"
"That she is! And such a sweetie!"
All the while, as Skyfire and Bluehour were talking with each other, Lucinia was standing behind the easel, looking at the painting Bluehour had made. Happiness and some pride were beaming off her face. She was in a real painting!
