EPISODE 39

I was ready, or as ready as I could be.

"So, today is a short day?" I asked the cat. "And it’s fine that Indigo is flying around?"

"It is," he replied.

I sipped my coffee from my blue mug with stars on it, while looking out over the store. Indigo had woken up a few days ago, but she'd been taking it easy, resting in my room in her new cave until I was done each day. Today was her first day back in the shop, and I couldn't help but worry.

The little purple dragon sat in one of the coffee mugs, her head just sticking out the top. I'd filled it with hot water to make myself some tea, but she’d plopped inside, chirping.

"Alright, then. I think I'm ready." The shop was in the basic bookstore formation with shelves along the back wall, but the large table stood in the center of the room. It had stacks of books on it, but I couldn't read the titles. My guess was it wouldn't be Earth, given the strange language.

The bells on the door jingled as someone walked inside. I forced myself to relax as I glanced at the cat and then the person. It was a cat person; they looked almost like a human, but they had pointed ears on the top of their head and fur completely covered their exposed skin. It seemed as though it continued under the clothing. The nose was a cat's nose, and short whiskers shot out from it to either side. Their eyes widened as they entered and they went to one of the bookshelves immediately. Large yellow eyes darted around as they reached out with paw-like hands.

"Welcome to Meow, let me know if I can help you with anything," I said. The cat added nothing, just stayed sitting on the counter by the register.

The customer’s head snapped to me and its eyes widened before it took a step in my direction. "Oh, it's a human!" It moved quickly toward me and I resisted taking a step back.

"Yes, I am human, and the Shopkeeper here," I added.

It's eyes flickered to the cat, and stared at him for several minutes. "That's... a cat!" It took a step back, but then straightened itself before bowing to the cat. "Your highness!" It bowed again at the waist, its tail flicking up behind it. "I apologize for not seeing you." It stayed in that awkward position.

"You should tell him to get up," said the cat. "Otherwise, he’ll stay there all day." Indigo chirped twice.

I blurted, "You can rise." This was officially weird. "Can I help you find anything in the shop? Or, maybe some coffee with cream?" This person had to be here for a reason. Everything in the shop happened for a reason.

Its eyes flickered to me as it rose from the bow. "You speak to the cat?" He bowed his head toward me with respect, but only his head, not his full body like he had with the cat.. "I would be honored for your help, Shopkeeper." The cat-creature’s eyes glossed over Indigo, who still basked in her mug. "I'm a painter, and I'm looking for books on the topic."

I didn’t know what was on the shelves, or where. They changed too often and according to who would be visiting.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"Tell him to search the table," said the cat. "He should find what he's looking for there."

I nodded at the cat, then turned to the painter before motioning to the table. "The table behind you is your best bet. The cat said you should be able to find what you’re looking for."

He was moving before I finished my last sentence, but he wouldn't turn his back to the cat. He walked backward instead, positioning himself to look over the titles.

The cat quietly sighed and laid his head on his front paws. A shiver went through the painter, but he said nothing.

"This place always ruffles my fur," said the cat. "At least this is a quick one."

The painter reached out, making a sound of joy and snapping up a book larger than a normal hardback. He was so excited he almost bounced back to the counter. "This, please."

"Tell him it’s five blue gems." I repeated the message to the painter.

He nodded and quickly set five blue gems on the counter. "Thank you for your help. I won't forget this!" Another blue gem was placed next to my coffee cup before I could say anything. The painter moved quickly to the door, this time dashing away from us without a concern. The bells on the door rang softly as it closed.

"That was weird. Weirder than usual. What’s the deal?" Both Indigo and I glanced at the cat, who rolled his eyes. "Come on, that was weird, your Highness."

"Don't call me that," he grumbled. "Fine. They worship cats, like to the extreme, and eventually used magic to become more cat-like. It was probably the first time he’d seen someone not changed."

I didn't know what to say and blinked instead. Indigo chirped a few times, and the cat nodded.

"Yes, they consider cats to be their ruling class. I don't know how the whole place is still standing." He saw the look on my face. "You can read about them, I have better things to do."

"Wait, was that it for today?" I asked, then pointed at the extra gem. "What about that?"

The cat flicked his tail. "It's yours. He tipped you."

I picked up the first five and put them inside the register. The other I held up. "What is it even worth? Like, at home?"

"Around a thousand dollars, if not a little more," said the cat, jumping off the counter. "I wouldn't lose it."

I clutched it to my chest, eyes suddenly wide. This little stone was worth a thousand dollars? I couldn't believe it, and it was mine because I talked for the cat. Normally, I wasn't someone money-driven. Beside the fact that I was watching my loan balance get paid down each week, which was amazing enough, I basically didn’t pay attention to my bank balance. I didn’t need anything more than the shop provided, but this on top of that? I could buy so many holiday presents with this. For the first time, I could be the person who gave the really amazing gifts. My mind started racing, but I pushed that to the side. We had a few months until the holiday season back on Earth.

Indigo chirped in a way that felt like a question.

"Of course you can look at it." I held it up closer to her face. She bumped it with her nose, still not climbing out of the water. "Was that what you asked?"

She chirped twice. I was learning, though it was mostly by whatever my gut thought she was saying. "Hmmm, so what do you want to do today? We can read?" Something that the cat said came to me. He said we could read more about them. I bet the Primer for Beings on the Tree would have more information on the strange cat people.

Indigo chirped once.

"What about baking? I can make cookies." Was it really baking if I used pre-made cookie dough? I said yes, it was still baking.

#

Sable kept talking to Indigo as I padded up the stairs toward my workshop. My to-do list was still longer than I would like, and I'd been monitoring the prisoner to see what he would do. So far, nothing, but enough time had gone by I needed to see if any information would come to light. He had something to do with the book, and that other man that had brought Indigo here.

Everything inside me said it was connected, and important. I had to figure out what was going on; it was the only way to keep Sable safe. First, I had to see if my instincts were correct and if he really was after the book. I knew how to do that, and then we’d see what was next.