Most of the shoppers the group has encountered so far are buyers for restaurants, hotels and upscale markets within the city itself, which makes it seem like everyone has a wagon. Small ones are pulled by feather-covered Drokar and big fluffy Fnerfs, with the larger having sturdy, hexapedal Dromodons. Beyond the produce area, at the very edges of the sprawl are the livestock areas that sell both animals and their accessories.
Within a few minutes, Nicora, Tulani and Mave find themselves at a stall selling tack and saddles. There are riding saddles and pack harnesses and combinations all in various sizes - although the ones for Fnerf's are clearly different, often having a backpack component. That there are riding saddles for the foxtaurs is a bit of a surprise.
The Eeee merchant predictably follows behind them. "We do custom fittings, if you wish to bring your mounts," he promises.
"Er, can we bring our 'mounts'?" Nicora asks both Tulani and Mave. For some reason bringing a dragon into town doesn't seem the wisest course of action, but maybe she's paranoid.
"They're gifts," Mave claims. "We don't have mounts for them. They are adjustable though, are they not?"
"Yes, look at the quality of these leather straps," the merchant says, pointing out the grommets and other features that 'ensure strength at any size' - of course, that's on the more expensive model.
Nicora shrugs at that. Granted, she could return as a dragon, but the screaming and running would not be conducive to purchasing things. To the merchant she notes, "Could you come to a designated location for fitting?" she asks. "The mounts are a bit .... unusual and I am not sure how well any of this might fit."
"My brother handles Rakhtor mounts," the merchant notes at the mention of 'unusual'.
"That's as close," Nicora notes and nods. "As close as anything you're likely familiar with."
Tulani looks away from the packs she was inspecting. "Maybe we should look at those?" she suggests.
"Yes. It's a pity we don't know anyone with Rakhtors we could borrow from," Nicora remarks rather dryly.
The Sphynx sticks her tongue out at Nicora.
"We will look at the Rakhtor harnesses," Mave decides. "If nothing else, they will be lighter."
"Yes, because you're heavy enough," Nicora quips to Mave and flashes fangs.
"I'll make sure to choose the strongest mount then," the Yodhinala teases right back. A minute later they are in another tent, with considerably more complicated looking harnesses and some very noisy giant birds in a pen not far off. "Your brother sent us," Mave tells the merchant.
Tulani looks over the harnesses with the eye of someone who knows how to pack. "They all have saddles," she points out. "None are just pack harnesses."
"Can they be retrofitted to carry just packs?" Nicora asks the merchant as she also goes to 'peruse' the harnesses. The bridles don't look particularly appealing, either, but ... well, not much choice.
"A Rakhtor without a rider?" the merchant asks in surprise. "It must be extremely well trained. Or perhaps a youngster, following its mother, yes?"
"Well, yes. One of them is pretty young," Nicora remarks as she eyes Tulani. "And they're not precisely rahktors, but it's the closest description we can give."
"Ptera's have a very different harness design," the merchant notes. "My cousin runs a stand.."
"These harnesses will work fine," Mave notes. "We just want to be able to attach a pack to one of the saddles."
Nicora rubs her forehead. "It ... what she said," she agrees with Mave.
"Ah!" the merchant says, and starts pointing out the various D-rings around the saddle - for securing a rider, but straps are straps and clips are clips.
"Those remind me of something," Nicora muses as she eyes the rings. Of course her ears feel hot when she remembers exactly what.
"We'd want a third pack then," Tulani notes, pointing to the cargo packs designed to ride behind the saddle along the bird's back.
"We don't have that much stuff, do we?" Nicora asks. She goes to see how much one of those packs will actually hold.
Each pack looks like it could hold a small child. Three would certainly hold their belongings, with room for food. While the Light of Nala can 'maintain' them, once it's sheathed they'll be very hungry.
"And do these need to be custom fitted?" Nicora asks as she pokes at the material and comes away satisfied with the strength.
"Custom? No no, adult Rakhtors are very uniform," the merchant claims. "The difference between males and females is not large enough to require a change in design. You will notice here that the straps are double-buckled, in case one should come undone during flight.."
"But dragons come in various sizes," Nicora thinks. Still, she could probably make minor adjustments. After all she used to mend her own clothing! "Okay, so how much do they cost?" she asks.
"These are the finest harnesses in all of Ashdod," the merchant says, launching into his sales pitch. In the end, however, the total bill would be nearly 1500 shekels.
Nicora's eyes are huge and she looks at Mave and Tulani. "Ah, hm. That is rather pricy," she remarks. "Far too much for a trio of traveling women," she continues. "Of course we are also open to trading things other than money. Do you have other needs? Unusual items collected? Rare materials?"
Mave hmmms, looking over the harnesses critically. "I'm sure we can come to an accommodation," the Yodhinala says, smiling at the merchant - who suddenly has the look of an animal facing a predator.
"What are you thinking?" Nicora asks Mave.
"Ugh, well.. umm," the man fumbles.
"He is unmarried," Mave tells Nicora, although how she knows is a mystery. "An offering to Inala will help to remedy that. We will purchase one harness, he will donate the other."
Nicora eyes Mave critically. "You cheat," she mutters at the white Eeee.
"Inala would not see it that way," the Yodh notes, and takes the merchant's hand to lead him towards the back of the tent.
"It's a good deal," Tulani whispers to Nicora. "If we don't keep the harnesses, we can sell them for nearly full price in Babel."
"She's terrible," Nicora remarks to Tulani, then rolls her eyes. "She's using her body to get what she wants! Would you do that?"
"I've never had to," Tulani notes proudly. "But she's done that all her life. It's her skill and her religion. What about you? Never had to seduce someone to get what you want?"
"Not that I can remember, no," Nicora claims. "I'm still worried about the cost, too. what if they don't fit right?"
"Well.. I'm sure they will," Tulani says, and shrugs. "You can change your size, and I probably can too, if needed. Now.. which one of us gets Mave and which gets the food?"
"I guess I'll carry Mave. If you carry her, she'll treat you even more like a little serving girl," Nicora points out.
"But if you want to be her servant, I'll carry the food," she adds.
"Hey, she doesn't treat me like that.. does she?" Tulani asks, looking thoughtful. "But you can carry her anyway. I'll need some way to strap the Light to my harness anyway. Going to remove your rings beforehand?"
"You were complaining about it for nearly the entire airship ride," Nicora reminds. "And yes, yes I am. Flying a lot with those would be a bit much. It'll be several long says, after all."
"Can I hold onto them for you?" Tulani asks in a playful purr.
"No, you would go crazy," Nicora claims. "And probably not give them back."
"You think I'd be that greedy and possessive?" Tulani asks, feigning a gasp. "Are you really worried about me spending so much time as a dragon?" she then asks, a bit more seriously. "It doesn't seem to be affecting you as much."
"I spend time in lots of forms, which probably helps. Well, scrambles my brain," Nicora points out and shrugs a bit. "But yes, I am a little worried about you. After the incident with the bandits, well ... you could use a little restraint."
"Restraint is hard," Tulani notes. "All my life, I've had to restrain myself because I'm stronger than I look. Around Rhians it's okay, they're all built solid, and so is their furniture and everything. It's just so.. liberating to not feel afraid of anything."
"And dangerous. You end up doing stuff you might regret later. I have some experience with that," Nicora points out. "While fun at the time ... well." She shrugs. "I'm around to keep an eye on you. If you go really crazy I'll just sit on you," she promises.
"Oh, so even without the rings, I can get you to.." Tulani starts to say, then blushes in her ears and stops. "Okay, maybe I do act like a drunken sailor as a dragon, sometimes."
There are many interesting sounds coming from the other side of the tent-wall, but at least no other customers have come in yet.
"If you're really nice and admit I'm the best dragon, sure," Nicora claims with a grin. She also eyes the tent wall and just shakes her head. "It's not fair that neither of us can get stuff so easily that way."
"Well, if we have to get stuff from a Fnerf or a Skreek or a Human or a Lapi, then it will be your turn," Tulani claims with a grin.
"Or a savanite," Nicora notes with a bemused smirk. "But that's all pretty unlikely. I'd do better being sold for more cash as one of those, probably."
"That'd be illegal then, since we know you'd be escaping," Tulani points out. "Killing bandits is one thing, but contract fraud.. that's serious."
"What if you sold me to bandits?" Nicora points out, smirking.
"Bandits don't pay for things; that's the whole point of banditry," the Sphynx claims, and taps Nicora on the nose. "What will you do with the rings then? Would you trust Mave to hold them?"
"In a small pouch around my neck," Nicora explains simply after trying to bite that finger. "Easy transport."
"I guess that would be harmless enough," Tulani says. "Instead of on Mave's fingers, so that she could give us gold-rubs.."
"Behave," Nicora chides. "If you like them this much, maybe you should get some..."
"I have enough trouble without them," Tulani claims. There's a loud squeak from behind the tent-wall.
"But I think you would like them. It only hurts for the first couple days. After that they do feel pretty nice to have in," Nicora continues to prod. The squeak makes her blink, though, and she eyes the tent wall.
A few moments later, Mave comes through the slit in the wall, and looks at the pair. "Why are you just standing around? Did you see if we could carry the harnesses easily or if we need to get a cart?" she asks.
"We can carry them," Tulani claims.
"We were taking bets on how long he would last," Nicora claims. "And Tulani here could carry ten if she had to."
"I gave him Inala's blessing of Confidence," Mave notes. "Our cost for the harnesses is 750 Shekels. I've already paid him, so we can take our gear now. He.. should be on his feet again in a few minutes."
"Is it the full harness for each, including bridles?" Nicora asks as she starts collecting the bits for one set into a pile ... and making creative use of the straps and clips to hold it all together and make it easy to carry.
"Of course," Mave notes. "Not having the bridles would raise too many questions."
Tulani hefts the bound-together pile Nicora produces. "Now we just have to fill them up," she notes.
"Oh good. It'll keep Tulani quiet," Nicora teases and pauses to inspect a bridle to see if they have a bit like a rhian one does, or not. "So ... now we just need food and such as supplies. I suppose hunting is out of the question."
"Hunting would eat up valuable time," Mave notes. "It will be easier to sustain the dragons with the Light, then revert to your normal forms to eat, would it not?"
"Yes, but it's more fun to remain a dragon," Nicora points out. "But I suspect you're afraid we'll spirit you away and hoard you like a princess."
"Or decide to eat me," Mave notes. "Which you would be doing in your normal form anyway, really."
"I only eat you in fun ways," Nicora points out and flicks a be-studded tongue poignantly. "Still, then we need food for three people. We can manage that."
"Two people and a vampire you mean," Tulani points out with a grin, as she slings the packed up harnesses and saddles over her shoulder.
"Three people. Vampires are people too," Nicora insists. "Anyway, lets get finish getting supplies and pack. I'm ready to hit the road soon. I keep getting into trouble in this town."
Back at her room in the Temple of Inala, Nicora has some time to herself (even though she's supposed to be packing and removing her rings and such).
And for the most part Nicora does pack and sort her small collection of belongings. She even uses the silly stuffed toys she bought in Rephidim to pad things in her pack. It's not until she reaches the part she has to remove her jewelry that she gets a little distracted. She ends up standing naked in her room and rubbing the lower part of her abdomen. Then in perhaps a fit of insanity she slides her dagger into her arm-slot and. "Kaira ... do me a favor and turn me into Snowcora? I want to check something before we get on the road," she thinks.
"Be sure to top off your tank with the Light later," Kaira notes, before the dark limbo of the shadow covers her. When she once again emerges, it's pale white skin that shows between the colorful tattoos in the mirror. The green designs on her left hand look normal, but the light blue that outlines her reproductive zone is glowing lightly here in the Temple. She can feel her aura building as well.
Snowcora draws in a deep breath and tries to keep that aura from leaving her and exciting anyone in the vicinity. "Now lets see..." Snowcora thinks as she carefully and quickly prods around her blue tattoo, looking for the gem that shows up in dreams, or feeling if there is anything inside that hints at the gem.
Oddly, there's nothing there at first, but the more she touches the area the more it seems to harden - until there's a teardrop shaped glowing orb shining right through the nearly translucent skin. And like in the dream, it's causing both an internal and external pressure, making it hard to want to keep the aura contained.
"Calm, calm, keep it contained. You need to learn how to do this," Snowcora thinks to herself. She even kneels down on the floor and sets one hand in her lap and the other over the tattoo of the flower and the gem within it. There she tries to 'meditate' to control the building sensation.
It doesn't help that she can feel the people around her. There's a woman giving birth just a few rooms around the curve of the garden, and.. someone walking along the corridor within easy 'grabbing' range of the aura, if it could be 'aimed' at all.
Snowcora really tries to contain it. But desires always seem to win out in the end, don't they? So, in spite of herself, she does seem to try and aim it ... and the target she seeks is none other than the Barinala.
It's tricky. There are lots of males - the closest being a Lapi and a Savanite, from the feel of them. She has to weave past them before she finds the Temple's Barinala. Now it's just a decision on whether to apply the aura to him or not.
It's an aura of Inala, from a blessing of Inala ... so surely this can't be a bad thing. Nicora's lips twitch into a small smile as she tries to apply the aura to him.
There's something like a charge that flows back along the line and seems to connect to the orb in her lower tummy. It's... nice. And soon the handsome Eeee is there at her door.
"Enter," Snowcora says, knowing the Eeee should be able to hear her. She feels good. Not only from the charge that came back, but that she was able to control the aura to the point she targeted it successfully.
Hands fall on Snowcora's shoulders, and the Eeee nuzzles at the shrine maiden's throat. "You summoned me, mistress?" he whispers.
"Of course. I wish you to serve me and worship at Inala's altar," Snowcora murmurs, "And betow your gifts upon me." Her hands come up to touch his, then she slowly rises.
The Eeee kisses Snowcora.. well, everywhere. Especially on the glowing orb (which feels amazing). And since he's the Barinala, he's able to work the combination on the chain lock with his tongue.
And of course Snowcora gives him the combination so he can do just that. "Very good," she encourages him as she relaxes into the sensation of it all. Every now and then her hand traces over that gem, feeling if it changes any more, or just remains below the skin. "You have opened Inala's Gate," she murmurs as her feet rub his back, " "Show her your devotion..."
And show it he does! Inala's blessing reacts powerfully to a trained Barinala, even moreso than in Abu Dhabi. Snowcora feels like she's filling up with light that needs to be released - but she knows what that would result in, if she let it happen.
Snowcora enjoys it. Boy does she enjoy it. It's incredible and amazingly satisfying. Not only did she control this Eeee, she got exactly what she wanted. That light she fills building ... part of her decides to try something. She tries to channel it into the gem. It's worship of Inala ... and perhaps this is a way to channel to Her!
The all-over glowing sensation focuses down into a white-hot flame centered on the orb. But.. it does seem to be staying there, just as energy absorbed with the shadow stays in that orb.
"Good, good," Snowcora coos to the Eeee. "You are a true servant of Her." She continues to try and channel that light into the orb ... and slowly ease her aura off the Eeee. Of course she feels just amazing where she lies on her bed ... so she lets her eyes droop closed as she concentrates.
Without the aura driving him.. well, it doesn't really seem to make a difference, other than that the Barinala isn't driven beyond his normal stamina.
And with the aura contained, Snowcora just continues to enjoy. It doesn't help that he's white and an Eeee, so at least makes her think of Mordecai a bit. Particularly since that albino Eeee sure had stamina too! "It's no so bad to be Inala's Shrine Maiden," she decides.
One thing that's different is that this body sweats.. from everywhere. The Barinala's fur soaks up quite a bit, but it causes a shock of cold when the man finally passes out and slides off. The orb is still glowing, but now the glow is concentrated there and not spread across the rest of the Inala tattoo.
And Snowcora lays in her bed for a bit, cold and shivering. Her right hand traces over the blue tattoo and the gem beneath the skin, seeing if her fingertips can feel it in her flesh or not. "Thank you for giving me this mark, Mordecai," the human thinks, eyes closed for the moment, "If you can hear me, it was worth the pain."
There are still the gold rings to deal with, but the orb seems to.. recede into Snowcora's abdomen, until the glow is just a faint shimmer. Not unlike the shadow orb, really, when Nicora covered or reveals it.
Snowcora feels ... satisfied enough, that it's time to finally remove her rings. So she lays there, relaxed, and eases each one out, one by one, careful to not lose any of the closure balls that go with each one.
There's some tenderness of course, but the blessings keep things from getting too messy. While working on the final ring, a Lapi head pokes into the room and asks, "Is there anything.. uh.." The buck just stares.
"Care to worship?" Snowcora teases the lapi buck as her fingers deliberately play with the last ring, the one in Inala's orb. "If not, then I could use a towel."
Lapi fur is also good for soaking up the remaining sweat. With the 'energy' contained though, it's less mind-blowing and more.. dessert. Snowcora also finds herself wondering what the Lapi would taste like to Nicora.
"If you fall asleep, I might just enjoy you in a different way," Snowcora thinks a bit evilly as she enjoys the 'lighter' experience with the Lapi where she's currently on her knees with her face resting on its side on a pillow. And because of her 'darker' desires to taste, well, she's trying to wear the Lapi out!
The buck seems happy to help out, and may have been 'working' earlier, since he only lasts for a few rounds (but then, they can't all be Galen). He does seem to be a cuddler though.
"Close your eyes and rest. It's all a dream anyway," Snowcora murmurs to the Lapi and runs her fingers gently down his eyelids. "And when you wake, I will be gone of course ... but you will always have the memory of the dream..."
"Mmmm-mmmm-mmm," the buck mutters, and closes his eyes. It's probably not the first time he 'had' this dream, since Snowcora probably got everyone the first time she changed here and had no control over the aura.
Snora waits until she's sure they're both asleep before she removes that remaining ring. The chest barbells come out too ... but the tongue stud stays. She can't bear to part with everything. She feels naked enough as it is. That's also when she contacts Kaira and thinks, "Time to shift be back to normal."
"Did you learn anything?" the dragon asks during the limbo-phase of the transformation.
"I learned how to control Snow's aura! I also learned that the gem in my, well, reproductive system can absorb the energy released during acts of love," Nicora thinks as she floats in limbo.
"Interesting, but.. not surprising," Kaira notes. "It does raise a question though: What does it take to charge up Gorphat's orb?"
"I'm not sure I want to know, but it's probably suffering. And knowing Gorphat, probably my suffering so I become a stronger Maiden for her," Nicora now thinks a bit glumly. "She's never going to remove those curses from me. That's becoming more and more clear. Excuse me, her blessings."
"Well, her blessings are not supposed to last forever," Kaira notes, and then Nicora opens her eyes.
"No, it will just feel like it. Or you get used to it and learn to live with it," Nicora thinks as she sits up. She stretches a bit and looks around for the sleeping lapi and Eeee.
The Eeee is sprawled out on his back, while the Lapi is curled up into a fluffy ball. The Barinala has a weird expression on his face, likely due to his long tongue hanging out the side of his mouth.
As much as Nicora would like to kiss that tongue ... she has other needs she wants to satisfy first. Namely she sits down next to the Lapi and lightly places her right hand on him. A smile of enjoyment creeps over her lips as her shadow oozes out so that she can ken the sleeping Lapi. Just thinking about the pleasure to come gives her a shiver!
There's something calm and comforting about kenning a Lapi.. especially one that's content. It's a warm feeling that Nicora can almost feel in her chest. And the docile buck doesn't even stir from his sleep (but is probably having a heck of a dream).
Nicora's expression is relaxed with a content smile and half-closed eyes as she tastes the lapi from the inside out. Sure, it doesn't take too long for safety's reason, but it is still quite enjoyable. It's after she's done with the Lapi she eyes the Barinala. That body could be ... useful.
There's still a bit of a buzz from the Lapi when Nicora turns her attentions to the Eeee. Even asleep, there's something fizzy about the Barinala. A pent up aggression, almost. Nicora and really taste the maleness of this one, as if it were his very physical definition. Then again, it could be due to the bat likely being a father dozens or even hundreds of times over. He tastes confident.
"I liked you," Nicora thinks with a very predatory grin. "If I was female, I would surely seek you out to get me pregnant." Still, the back of her mind knows she cannot linger too long. So ... she draws the shadow through him, tasting him completely and memorizing that body. And once that is done ... she must finish packing and then dragons will take to the air!
"If you try to stick one of those guys into a pack, then you can carry him and Mave," Tulani whispers from the doorway, where she leans against in that boneless feline manner.
"Oh if I could, I would. Tulani, he's amazing," Nicora whispers towards the sphynx and waves at the Barinala. "But alas my days of physical indulgence must come to a close. We need to get into the air."
"Well, who knows what Mave will want along the way," the Sphynx notes. "Be sure to dress in something easy to get off. And.. you look odd without the jewelry now."
"I feel odd without it. I actually feel naked," Nicora explains as she finishes up her packing, including looping the pouch around her neck that contains her jewelry. "I'm putting them back in as soon as I can."
"Your tail is making eyes at me," Tulani notes, and tip-toes through the sleeping men to gather Nicora's pack. "Soon as you're ready, we can leave."
Nicora pulls on her robe. "Everything is packed, so lets get going. Once we're out a mile or so, we'll shift and take to the air," she says as she does one final room check to make sure she has everything. And ... on a lark, she sneaks over and kisses the Barinala, on the lips. "Until next time," she whispers to him. With that, she and Tulani head out the door to ... less fun pastures.