- Owww... Why did you do this?! - Light took his tail fast from under Aria's shoe.

- Because you yelled at me on a mental line that I show him things too fast!

- And what are you doing now?

- Eh... Doing the same thing?

- Yess!

- He looks promising... I got a good feeling about him - Light keeps his tail in his hands just in case she does this again and her look confirms his fears.

_____

There is not much traffic outside yet. I look curiously around the surroundings, sometimes I watch the creatures passing here. Now I mostly see elves, they seem to be early risers. The others don't seem to pay much attention to me. It is a relief.

I decided to take a look at the products that local retailers offer. Some fruits and vegetables look familiar, some don't... For example. Huge violet vegetable with corn structure. One weighs about 3 kg. Or this spiky orange fruit. I am convinced that the juice I had the occasion to drink was from this one. It smells similar.

- You are new here? - I heard a question.

Who said that? I looked around and didn't notice the owner of the voice until I looked down.

- Um... Yes, hello? - I said surprised.

He was about 120 cm tall. He had the characteristics of a rat. Literally. Elongated face, rat whiskers, incisors... And a small cute looking hat, apart from the fact that the face is quite ugly.

- Looking at your expression, you are surely new here. - he nodded. - Let me introduce myself. I'm Brian - he raised his hand to me in greeting.

I shook hands with him. But I won't deny that all the reports from Earth I know about rats as carriers of diseases have crossed my mind.

- Nice to meet you, I'm William.

- So... Have you something interesting from your country? Earth, right? I can buy them - he seems excited. - I like collecting stuff from worlds forbidden to visit - he explained, seeing my face.

- I have a few things... I took my backpack... Let me think about this, ok?

- Sure sure. Come when you want. I'm here every day. I can pay a good price - he encouraged me.

- Are you pestering the new one with your weird business again? - young Exceed girl came here suddenly.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

If looks could kill, hers definitely would. The ratman took a step back.

- My business is not weird! I'm a collector! I will gain fortune someday! - he said in a firm but squeaky voice and he ran away from her.

- Uh... Thank you? - I looked at her. - He was... Strange...

- For sure, don't worry about this. He is not dangerous... He is a pain in the butt sometimes - she laughed.

She looks quite friendly. Again interesting fur colors and markings. Dark green fur with pink dots. Kinda cute. She looks like she is my age but I'm not sure. How to determine the age of the Exceed?

- If you are looking for something interesting, come with me - she grabbed my hand and just pulled me to one of the stalls.

- Uh... I have no money right now? - I said hesitantly, a little afraid of her reaction.

She paused for a moment and her ear twitched slightly.

- That's the problem... Or not? You will come back when you get money! - she sounds like she DECIDED this.

After a moment, we are there. Very nice fruits... And some meat in plastic bags? No... Not plastic. This is a different material, again something that looks familiar but it is not it. There are also spices in containers. And something that looks like candy. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't interested in anything here.

- Lily... Did you drag some poor stranger here again? That's not how you get customers... - seller sighed miserably.

- It's not a problem... Actually, Lily helped me with a strange... Rodent - I said embarrassed.

- Oh, him again. Don't worry. Just make your boundaries clear - he advised me.

Lily wagged her tail vigorously.

- And? Something here catches your eye? - she asked me.

- Lily!

- Sorry daddy... Um... But if you are interested in something here, I can help you - she looked at me again.

- Maybe another day? When I get the money? Don't worry... I will come for sure - I assured her, she helped me a bit though, so a little gratitude won't hurt.

- All right, I'll hold you to your word... - she fluffed the fur on her cheeks and stared at me for a while.

Her father shook his head resignedly but didn't say anything else. I think they have a really nice relationship with each other, even though they don't agree on everything. I felt a slight pang of jealousy. I never got along with my parents. I was too different from them. What can a dentist mom and a policeman father say about a son who always had his head in the clouds? My parents wanted me to achieve something... But I just wanted to enjoy life...

- Hey, are you ok? - Lily asked me and interrupted my thoughts.

- Yes, sorry. In fact, can you tell me about the stuff your father sells here?

I immediately saw a twinkle in her eyes and she began to tell me everything in detail... I managed to direct her lecture on how to cook these things. This girl is a mine of knowledge. Maybe even if I can afford it soon, I'll tip her?

Soon there was more traffic here, and more and more goods were disappearing from the stalls. Lily's dad is also very successful in sales here. Everything began to calm down after an hour and the traders were also packing up.

"Thank you for getting her attention... She is overzealous sometimes" - I heard this man's voice in my head. I got the biggest headache ever.

The man looked at me in surprise, then his expression turned apologetic. Lily didn't notice anything and went to get some juice at the request of her father. Couldn't have he done it earlier?

- Sorry, was that your first mental contact? At begin it is not a nice experience... Later you will get used to it - he assures me.

I even got some fruits from him as an apology. This is nice, but the headache will stay with me today for sure. First times are rough... With magic this applies to almost everything.

- Ok, now run before she gets back - he warned me with a serious face.

He didn't have to tell me this second time, I got back to the office building as fast as I could. There were no big problems! Can I be proud of myself? Of course, I can!

I went back to the apartment and took the fruits I had received out of the package. Good thing, I can eat them without any special preparation, which I did.