"And we are officially... open!"
Janette pulled the entrance curtains open, taking a moment to soak in the incoming sunlight with her arms spread wide and her eyes closed. She sighed and stepped back, shielding her eyes from the rising sun. Farmer's Den seemed calmer today, the traffic was light and the morning dew had settled in with a light, misty fog. She rubbed her hands together, stepping inside and settling into her chair behind the counter table before propping her book on the counter. A familiar pet cat jumped up and settled on her lap, mewing softly before curling into a ball. She smiled and brushed her pets back and side, raking her fingertips behind her ear where the cat enjoyed it best, purring loudly and closing its little green eyes.
She raised her eyes when a figure entered the shop, her cat climbing off her lap just as she stood up to greet her.
"Welcome, welcome!" She raised her arms but her smile soon faded, her expression changed from a greeting to a look of bewilderment. It was not a normal customer that she was used to, this figure was a man covered in metal, wearing a metal cap with a blue veil exposing only his face. He looked human in appearance, his unkept breastplate showed a few dents with a bit of rust forming on the corner, giving it an aged and worn appearance. He was no knight judging by the appearance and a lack of a sword or shield, but he carried a spear in one hand and a rolled up scroll in the other. As soon as he saw Janette, he began to approach her accompanied by the heavy sound of boots as two of his friends appeared behind him. They were dressed in a similar, near matching fashion, with the same blue cloth and aged metal armor, only the man in the front carried a distinct marking on his shoulder piece which distinguished him from the others.
"Miss, we were just passing through on our way to Kershin Market. Me and my mates would like a dozen apples and a watermelon to snack on the way over."
He spoke in a raspy voice, his gloved hand digging into his leather belt which held the blue sash draped around his legs. He dropped a heavy pouch as its contents spilled over onto the counter, the shiny pile of gold coins reflecting from her eyes as she found herself stunned and breathless. Janette swallowed and nodded, slowly walking around the counter with a sack in her hand to count and collect the order he had made. She counted three of these men inside, his two friends standing around guarding the entrance with spears in their hands. When she turned her head slightly, she caught a glimpse outside to find a few more of these soldiers talking to the nearby shop as well.
An apple slipped from her fingers and toppled on the floor. Janette bent down and reached under the aisle until she felt it in her hand, only to hear one of the soldiers whistle at the sight of her ass. She turned red and quickly spun around, glaring at him as he chuckled while scratching his stubbled chin, seemingly entertained by her angry look of embarrassment. His friend shoved his arm roughly, catching his attention.
"Keep those peepers to yourself." He ordered under a growling, deep voice. "We don't need your lechery stirring up more trouble again and giving us a repeat of Gallin's Keep."
"Come off it," The whistler grumbled back, adjusting his cap. "You saw the dress she was wearing, pointy-eared bitch wanted it."
"Quiet." The first man's voice shook the two enough for them to stand in an upright posture, shoulders back and heads turned forward. "Another mishap from you, Larson, and I shall be forced to inform Father about your misdeeds this time."
The lecherous soldier, the one named Larson, kept silent and nodded his head.
Janette looked back and forth between the three men, her hands nervously tying up the sack as she walked backwards to avoid giving him another eyeful. He smirked, knowing the effect he had over her. That smile alone made her fist tighten up while her mind cried out for her to flee, but she composed herself and calmly retreated to the counter. She placed sack of apples down and reached toward the back end of the shop, returning with a large watermelon in both hands. She looked down, nearly stepping over the cat as it kept quiet under the counter, finding the three boys to be equally intimidating as she did.
Once she placed the watermelon down, she counted out the number of coins needed for the purchase. He paid for the expense, tossing the sack back to one of his men while the other came forward to take the melon away. But the leader, the one with the shoulder marking, stayed behind with his fingers tapping on the table, his eyes staring at the market woman as she seemed uneasy. His face scrunched together in a loud snort, turning his head to spit before placing the scroll over the counter.
"I hate to be a bother miss, me and my boys mean well. We only ask for a moment of your time." He explained, rolling out the scroll for her to see. Her eyes grew wide, her heart racing at the drawn image of a familiar face sketched into the paper scroll as his finger tapped at the face. "We come here looking for a beast, a monstrous figure disguised as a wild cat. It's true form looks much like a soft hearted woman, cute face and a slim size, with big paws for hands and feet and two tails sprouting from her backside. A Nekomata if you may, some freakish hybrid beast that's half cat, half woman."
Janette looked up, keeping a straight face as his eyes never wavered from hers. "I see. Well, cats and beast kin aren't native around here,"
"That's unfortunate." He replied, leaning in close. "You don't by chance happen to know where Kershin Market is? I'm not from around her, you see, we came in under orders. Someone had spotted the beast at that location, we're just underway and wanted to ask for directions."
"Of course." Janette nodded, biting her tongue momentarily. She froze on the spot, contemplating her next course of action. Would it be foolish to direct them to a separate route, far away from the route taken to Kershin Market? Doing so would mislead them, assuming that they're not native to these parts, they could get lost and run a course of bad fortune before calling it a day and dropping this pursuit.
But, she argued with herself, what if on the off-chance, this man was toying with her and testing her honesty? It would be short-sighted for them to travel to an unknown city without any direction after all, and if he knew exactly where they were heading then instructing them in a different route would result in suspicion and possible interrogation by these strange men, and the thought of Larson coming near her was enough for her palms to sweat.
Perish the thought of what he would do should he approach her in the shop, alone. That was enough for Janette to make her decision, coming back in her state of mind to respond by pointing him in a certain direction. "Kershin Market, you just the south pathway to leave the Den, then you come across a crossroad and turn that way. It's straight from there, perhaps a few hours on horse but you'll come across Kershin Market if you follow the road."
He shook his head and looked away, puckering his lips as he rolled up the scroll once more. He raised his brow before reaching out, grazing the cover of the book left on the counter table. Janette held her breath and cursed herself in silence, her heart racing as he spun the book around, his eyes fixated on the title.
"Monsters or Something More? Foster's Guide to the Monster Girl of our Land?" He lifted the book and waved it for her to see, giving her a condescending look. "Interesting novel for a woman to set her eyes on. Is this yours or your husbands?"
"I don't have a husband." She answered back, looking up to see the pair of men return back inside.
Oh gods, no.
"Something keep you, Yohan?" Larson asked, his eyes settling on Janette as he calmed walked toward them. "She say something?"
"Perhaps." Yohan answered back, flipping through the pages of the book. "What's the report?"
It was the remaining third soldier who answered. "Couple of them mentioned word of a beast, it matched the description. Seems the girl was here several weeks back, think she's the right one?"
"This far from the outback, a Nekomata like herself?" He closed the book, nodding his head. "I'd wage that she's the one. Take a gander at this, boys."
He tossed the book over his shoulder, caught in the clutches of Larson. He turned it around, glancing at the front and back when he scoffed.
"What's this?" He asked, skimming through some of the pages before settling on the sketch of a naked pair of Nekomata. "Nice, this some sort of erotic novel about Monster Girls?"
The third man snatched it from his hand, reading through it while Larson formed a nasty smile with his gaze on Janette. His armor and chain mail clinked with each heavy step he took as he came closer. "What chu reading about Monster Girls for, got something ya want to share?"
Janette shook her head, seemingly entertaining him when Yohan stopped him with a hand on his chest. He glared at him and shook his head, leaving Larson reluctantly backing off with his hands raised much to her relief.
"William, what do you think?" Yohan called out.
"It's no erotic work, just some notes about beast kin and how they function." The one named William answered back, his eyes scanning the contents of the pages still.
"Now, you care to explain why a widow fancies herself a gawk at a written work like that?" He asked back, his dark eyes growing narrow.
Janette swallowed and sat down, hiding her trembling hands under the table. "It... isn't it obvious?"
She broke into a nervous laugh, brushing her hair away from her face. "A monster girl comes through and you ask why I take interest in reading about it? It's not out of the question for a lady to grow curious, come on now."
"No, but curiosity can lead to devastating consequences." He spoke back in a low voice, with Larson and William stepping forward by his side. "You lied to me, woman, and I don't like being lied to. Takes me for a fool when I'm just doing the Gods' work."
"Is not right to lie," William added. "Some places punish liars by snipping their tongue, make sure they aren't telling any more lies."
"Bit of a waste of a good tongue, better to put it to some use." Larson snickered, only to have Yohan push him back.
"Another word from you and I will be ripping off that filthy tongue of yours myself." He hissed, placing his hand on the counter before leaning closer to her. "Now miss, you best be on your best behavior, or I may have my boys and I teach you how to be an honest dame."
"I didn't lie." Janette stammered, keeping the cat tucked under the shelf with her foot away from their sights. "I recall telling you that cats and beast kin aren't native here. I never explicitly stated that I did not see or know of any monster girls around here."
Yohan raised his brow and pulled away. "Cheeky, but then you wouldn't be helping much if you failed to mention that matter to me. What's your reason for that, miss?"
"C-Come now, just a tad bit forgetful I suppose. I'm just a silly young lass after all, running a little shop on her own to keep from begging on the street. Y-you can't blame me for that." Her lips quivered as the three large men eyed her with suspicion, their size and proximity making her feel puny in comparison. In her mind, she was frantically begging for them to leave away, satisfied with her humiliation. Who cares if they took her for a forgetful fool, so long as they left her shop and she never saw them again. Now she was really wondering where her employees were this day, feeling that their presence would help calm her nerves a bit.
"Hm, suit yourself. What's your name, are you Janette?" She nodded as he stepped back. "Grand. I'll keep you in mind, Janette. We heading off to Kershin Market, but if we don't find nothing, you'll be finding us again soon. Enjoy your day."
She sat back, watching them walk off the shop with Larson giving her one final glance followed by a sneer. She shivered and collapsed to her knees, hugging herself when the white cat slowly approached her. She raised her furry head, watching her before climbing on her shoulder and rubbing her head against Janette's cheek for comfort. Janette took the cat in her arms and cradled her, taking caution to look back over the counter, feeling that eerie chill tickling her spine every time she looked even when it had been an hour in their absence.
Oh gods, she thought, what just happened?
"And we are officially... open!"
Janette pulled the entrance curtains open, taking a moment to soak in the incoming sunlight with her arms spread wide and her eyes closed. She sighed and stepped back, shielding her eyes from the rising sun. Farmer's Den seemed calmer today, the traffic was light and the morning dew had settled in with a light, misty fog. She rubbed her hands together, stepping inside and settling into her chair behind the counter table before propping her book on the counter. A familiar pet cat jumped up and settled on her lap, mewing softly before curling into a ball. She smiled and brushed her pets back and side, raking her fingertips behind her ear where the cat enjoyed it best, purring loudly and closing its little green eyes.
She raised her eyes when a figure entered the shop, her cat climbing off her lap just as she stood up to greet her.
"Welcome, welcome!" She raised her arms but her smile soon faded, her expression changed from a greeting to a look of bewilderment. It was not a normal customer that she was used to, this figure was a man covered in metal, wearing a metal cap with a blue veil exposing only his face. He looked human in appearance, his unkept breastplate showed a few dents with a bit of rust forming on the corner, giving it an aged and worn appearance. He was no knight judging by the appearance and a lack of a sword or shield, but he carried a spear in one hand and a rolled up scroll in the other. As soon as he saw Janette, he began to approach her accompanied by the heavy sound of boots as two of his friends appeared behind him. They were dressed in a similar, near matching fashion, with the same blue cloth and aged metal armor, only the man in the front carried a distinct marking on his shoulder piece which distinguished him from the others.
"Miss, we were just passing through on our way to Kershin Market. Me and my mates would like a dozen apples and a watermelon to snack on the way over."
He spoke in a raspy voice, his gloved hand digging into his leather belt which held the blue sash draped around his legs. He dropped a heavy pouch as its contents spilled over onto the counter, the shiny pile of gold coins reflecting from her eyes as she found herself stunned and breathless. Janette swallowed and nodded, slowly walking around the counter with a sack in her hand to count and collect the order he had made. She counted three of these men inside, his two friends standing around guarding the entrance with spears in their hands. When she turned her head slightly, she caught a glimpse outside to find a few more of these soldiers talking to the nearby shop as well.
An apple slipped from her fingers and toppled on the floor. Janette bent down and reached under the aisle until she felt it in her hand, only to hear one of the soldiers whistle at the sight of her ass. She turned red and quickly spun around, glaring at him as he chuckled while scratching his stubbled chin, seemingly entertained by her angry look of embarrassment. His friend shoved his arm roughly, catching his attention.
"Keep those peepers to yourself." He ordered under a growling, deep voice. "We don't need your lechery stirring up more trouble again and giving us a repeat of Gallin's Keep."
"Come off it," The whistler grumbled back, adjusting his cap. "You saw the dress she was wearing, pointy-eared bitch wanted it."
"Quiet." The first man's voice shook the two enough for them to stand in an upright posture, shoulders back and heads turned forward. "Another mishap from you, Larson, and I shall be forced to inform Father about your misdeeds this time."
The lecherous soldier, the one named Larson, kept silent and nodded his head.
Janette looked back and forth between the three men, her hands nervously tying up the sack as she walked backwards to avoid giving him another eyeful. He smirked, knowing the effect he had over her. That smile alone made her fist tighten up while her mind cried out for her to flee, but she composed herself and calmly retreated to the counter. She placed sack of apples down and reached toward the back end of the shop, returning with a large watermelon in both hands. She looked down, nearly stepping over the cat as it kept quiet under the counter, finding the three boys to be equally intimidating as she did.
Once she placed the watermelon down, she counted out the number of coins needed for the purchase. He paid for the expense, tossing the sack back to one of his men while the other came forward to take the melon away. But the leader, the one with the shoulder marking, stayed behind with his fingers tapping on the table, his eyes staring at the market woman as she seemed uneasy. His face scrunched together in a loud snort, turning his head to spit before placing the scroll over the counter.
"I hate to be a bother miss, me and my boys mean well. We only ask for a moment of your time." He explained, rolling out the scroll for her to see. Her eyes grew wide, her heart racing at the drawn image of a familiar face sketched into the paper scroll as his finger tapped at the face. "We come here looking for a beast, a monstrous figure disguised as a wild cat. It's true form looks much like a soft hearted woman, cute face and a slim size, with big paws for hands and feet and two tails sprouting from her backside. A Nekomata if you may, some freakish hybrid beast that's half cat, half woman."
Janette looked up, keeping a straight face as his eyes never wavered from hers. "I see. Well, cats and beast kin aren't native around here,"
"That's unfortunate." He replied, leaning in close. "You don't by chance happen to know where Kershin Market is? I'm not from around her, you see, we came in under orders. Someone had spotted the beast at that location, we're just underway and wanted to ask for directions."
"Of course." Janette nodded, biting her tongue momentarily. She froze on the spot, contemplating her next course of action. Would it be foolish to direct them to a separate route, far away from the route taken to Kershin Market? Doing so would mislead them, assuming that they're not native to these parts, they could get lost and run a course of bad fortune before calling it a day and dropping this pursuit.
But, she argued with herself, what if on the off-chance, this man was toying with her and testing her honesty? It would be short-sighted for them to travel to an unknown city without any direction after all, and if he knew exactly where they were heading then instructing them in a different route would result in suspicion and possible interrogation by these strange men, and the thought of Larson coming near her was enough for her palms to sweat.
Perish the thought of what he would do should he approach her in the shop, alone. That was enough for Janette to make her decision, coming back in her state of mind to respond by pointing him in a certain direction. "Kershin Market, you just the south pathway to leave the Den, then you come across a crossroad and turn that way. It's straight from there, perhaps a few hours on horse but you'll come across Kershin Market if you follow the road."
He shook his head and looked away, puckering his lips as he rolled up the scroll once more. He raised his brow before reaching out, grazing the cover of the book left on the counter table. Janette held her breath and cursed herself in silence, her heart racing as he spun the book around, his eyes fixated on the title.
"Monsters or Something More? Foster's Guide to the Monster Girl of our Land?" He lifted the book and waved it for her to see, giving her a condescending look. "Interesting novel for a woman to set her eyes on. Is this yours or your husbands?"
"I don't have a husband." She answered back, looking up to see the pair of men return back inside.
Oh gods, no.
"Something keep you, Yohan?" Larson asked, his eyes settling on Janette as he calmed walked toward them. "She say something?"
"Perhaps." Yohan answered back, flipping through the pages of the book. "What's the report?"
It was the remaining third soldier who answered. "Couple of them mentioned word of a beast, it matched the description. Seems the girl was here several weeks back, think she's the right one?"
"This far from the outback, a Nekomata like herself?" He closed the book, nodding his head. "I'd wage that she's the one. Take a gander at this, boys."
He tossed the book over his shoulder, caught in the clutches of Larson. He turned it around, glancing at the front and back when he scoffed.
"What's this?" He asked, skimming through some of the pages before settling on the sketch of a naked pair of Nekomata. "Nice, this some sort of erotic novel about Monster Girls?"
The third man snatched it from his hand, reading through it while Larson formed a nasty smile with his gaze on Janette. His armor and chain mail clinked with each heavy step he took as he came closer. "What chu reading about Monster Girls for, got something ya want to share?"
Janette shook her head, seemingly entertaining him when Yohan stopped him with a hand on his chest. He glared at him and shook his head, leaving Larson reluctantly backing off with his hands raised much to her relief.
"William, what do you think?" Yohan called out.
"It's no erotic work, just some notes about beast kin and how they function." The one named William answered back, his eyes scanning the contents of the pages still.
"Now, you care to explain why a widow fancies herself a gawk at a written work like that?" He asked back, his dark eyes growing narrow.
Janette swallowed and sat down, hiding her trembling hands under the table. "It... isn't it obvious?"
She broke into a nervous laugh, brushing her hair away from her face. "A monster girl comes through and you ask why I take interest in reading about it? It's not out of the question for a lady to grow curious, come on now."
"No, but curiosity can lead to devastating consequences." He spoke back in a low voice, with Larson and William stepping forward by his side. "You lied to me, woman, and I don't like being lied to. Takes me for a fool when I'm just doing the Gods' work."
"Is not right to lie," William added. "Some places punish liars by snipping their tongue, make sure they aren't telling any more lies."
"Bit of a waste of a good tongue, better to put it to some use." Larson snickered, only to have Yohan push him back.
"Another word from you and I will be ripping off that filthy tongue of yours myself." He hissed, placing his hand on the counter before leaning closer to her. "Now miss, you best be on your best behavior, or I may have my boys and I teach you how to be an honest dame."
"I didn't lie." Janette stammered, keeping the cat tucked under the shelf with her foot away from their sights. "I recall telling you that cats and beast kin aren't native here. I never explicitly stated that I did not see or know of any monster girls around here."
Yohan raised his brow and pulled away. "Cheeky, but then you wouldn't be helping much if you failed to mention that matter to me. What's your reason for that, miss?"
"C-Come now, just a tad bit forgetful I suppose. I'm just a silly young lass after all, running a little shop on her own to keep from begging on the street. Y-you can't blame me for that." Her lips quivered as the three large men eyed her with suspicion, their size and proximity making her feel puny in comparison. In her mind, she was frantically begging for them to leave away, satisfied with her humiliation. Who cares if they took her for a forgetful fool, so long as they left her shop and she never saw them again. Now she was really wondering where her employees were this day, feeling that their presence would help calm her nerves a bit.
"Hm, suit yourself. What's your name, are you Janette?" She nodded as he stepped back. "Grand. I'll keep you in mind, Janette. We heading off to Kershin Market, but if we don't find nothing, you'll be finding us again soon. Enjoy your day."
She sat back, watching them walk off the shop with Larson giving her one final glance followed by a sneer. She shivered and collapsed to her knees, hugging herself when the white cat slowly approached her. She raised her furry head, watching her before climbing on her shoulder and rubbing her head against Janette's cheek for comfort. Janette took the cat in her arms and cradled her, taking caution to look back over the counter, feeling that eerie chill tickling her spine every time she looked even when it had been an hour in their absence.
Oh gods, she thought, what just happened?
