"Oh!" Nali exclaimed. "It's a..." She trailed off, speechless.
"Chilapi," Mabenti finished for her. "And so young," marvelled Saril. "No more than four or five weeks."
The chilapi murmured and peered at its surroundings. It was perhaps 10 inches long, deep brown, with soft fur and and a long bushy tail. It squeaked. The trio cooed in unison. The shiny black eyes darted nervously.
"Perhaps it's hungry," Nali suggested. "We should take it home, it can't be left in a crowded place like this. Someone might hurt it."
"I don't know," Saril replied doubtfully. "Its mother might be around. We shouldn't pick up a wild animal. Besides, it might have a disease."
"Sari..." Nali said, a gleam in her eyes. "You told me you'd get me a chilapi. You said you'd buy one for me. Well, here's one for free!"
Saril attempted a stern manner. "Amah would kill us if we brought home an abandoned creature. Its parents probably aren't far off. And when I told you I'd get you a chilapi, I meant a tame one, from a breeder. It would bite if we got anywheres near it."
Nali crouched near the small animal, and offered her outstretched hand to it. The chilapi sniffed curiously. "See?" Nali beamed. "It likes me."
Mabenti crouched next to her and examined the chilapi more closely. "She, actually," she proclaimed. "It's a female."
By now the chilapi was licking Nali's fingers with a rough little pink tongue. She picked it up. It licked her ear. She fell in love on the spot. "Sari, please? It's tame enough!"
"Oh, all right" Saril relented uncertainly. "Ai-ya. Amah's going to kill me." She shook her head, and Mabenti rolled her eyes. Nali reflected on how often they did that together.
Nali tenderly wrapped the squirming chilapi up in the cloth it had been hiding under, and attempted to hold it flipped on its back. The chilapi would have none of it. It wriggled onto its belly and squeaked in displeasure. Saril turned to look. "Nali, you holding it wrong?"
"Nali, you have to support the feet and let its front paws rest on your arm," Mabenti advised. Nali altered her position, juggling chilapi and cloth while trying to be gentle.
She paused in her efforts. "I think I'll name it Alu." Saril smiled down at her younger sister. "That's a nice name."
Mabenti joined them. "Um, not to break up the party or anything but...the time?" She pointed to the sand-glass in one of the stalls. "I'm on a bit of a schedule." Saril and Nali looked at her blankly. "Kiril's wedding?"
They snapped to attention. "Oh, right...Nali, if we're going to cart that animal around while shopping all day, we need a carry-case," Saril advised. "Right!" Nali exclaimed, saluting--or rather, tried to salute; it was difficult with the chilapi.
"Can I hold her?" asked Mabenti. Nali nodded in assent. Mabenti gently removed the small furry creature from Nali's arms, still wrapped in cloth. "Ooh, isn't you just the most pwecious widdle teeny fing?" she cooed to the chilapi. It purred in return. "Oh, widdle itsy-bee Alu, widdle Lu-Lu."
Saril cracked up at the sight of her friend talking cradle-talk to the chilapi. "Oh, Mab," she sighed, wiping tears from her eyes. "I never knew you liked the little critters so much."
"Yeah, well, they kinda grow on you. Actually," Mabento admitted sheepishly, "my aunt Pruce used to raise chilapis. She always had chilapi kine around for me and Kiril to play with."
"Really! I never knew that," Saril mused. She cocked an eyebrow. "Anything else about you I should know?" "Well," Mabenti replied with a smirk," I was born with six toes on my left foot." "Huh," replied Saril, glancing seemingly to the floor.
"Hey! It's not there anymore!" protested Mabenti. The chilapi whimpered and snuggled up to her. "Oh, you'sa just wants some wuvin', doesn't oo?"
"Alu likes you," remarked Nali. "And I wikes widdle Lu-Lu," Mabenti said to the chilapi, dropping a kiss on its velvety head.
Saril dragged them back to the original subject Mabenti had brought up. "Mab, we're running out of time."
"Right," Mabenti replied in a business-like manner. Where else do we need to go? What do you guys need to buy?"
Nali chewed on her lip and thought for a moment. "Well...we need chilapi food. Plus toys and a cage."
"OK then," Saril responded brightly. "To the animal market then!"
"And I should get some sort of pendant to go with my gown," added Mabenti. "For Kiril's wedding."
"Mab, by the time this wedding is over, you'll have spent enough runes for a lifespan," joked Saril.
The three girls, with chilapi in tow, continued to make their way through the market. Nali found a large, reasonably-priced cage for their newest treasure, and purchased a few moons' worth of food, along with an exercise platform and hollow runners. Saril paid.
Nali trotted behind Saril during the entire shopping spree, thanking her relentlessly for her sister's generosity. The latter kept protesting how gratitude was unnecessary, how glad she was to help, but secretly she was pleased at Analia's newfound appreciation.
After they were certain they had purchased every conceivable chilapi luxury possible, with Nali checking and double-checking for any items they might have missed--for Haldi help the chilapi without a burrowing hut and climbing stake!--the small party resumed their search for Mabenti's all-important ceremonial pendant. The gown, they were informed several times, was cream in color, with a sandy-light sash. That and the matching cream slippers was the sum of the bridesmaid's gown as yet.
Stopping at store after store, not finding the right pendant, Saril nearly went mad. She finally offered to lend her own new pendant--the one Nali had given her so recently. She figured it was the right shade--after all, what doesn't go with white? But Mabenti declined her offer. As she put it, "How would it look?"
Finally, finally, they reached an open-airstall with various pendants, cuffs and bracers displayed on colorful scraps of fine cloth. Mabenti browsed over each item, occassionally picking one or the other up and inquiring in loud tones as to the price.
"How much for this one?" she shouted to the peddler, a thin, nervous man, with a nose that vaguely reminded Saril of a predatory bird. "Mmm..." he whistled, pondering the item, a delicately hued amber amulet on a silken cord. He grasped for a price. "I can go no lower than six hundred runes." He smiled, satisfied with his offer.
"Six hundred! Are you insane?" Mabenti shrieked. The peddler affected a puzzled, slightly wounded ambience. "Of course! Such fine workmanship, the carvings etched into pure amber...you'll never find such a good bargain."
Mabenti snorted. "I've seen finer things crafted by the blind monks of Arrachon," she replied. The peddler bristled. She continued, "I wouldn't pay that much for this little trinket. I'll give you no more than one fifty runes. Or no sale."
"Cha!" spat the peddler. "Fine, be gone with you, he hissed."
Mabenti paused. "Of course, I might be willing to purchase on of those silver cuffs. Very nice that is."
The peddler switched tactics. "Yes, very nice, fine best silver, only two hundred runes, special sale today." He smiled, turning his face into all sharp corners and narrow ridges.
The girl considered this. Two hundred runes wasn't bad, within her budget. She could afford it. And if she reconsidered Saril's offer of the pendant, it would be a very decent ceremonial dress. "Hmmm," she mused, pursing her lips. "I think I'll take them." "Excellent," replied the peddler.
Saril raised her eyebrows. "Both of them?" she said aside to her friend. "Maybe we shouldn't give him business after his harsh manner."
Mabenti waved doubts away with her hand. "Nonsense, it's fine." She narrowed her eyes at Saril. "What, you think I don't know a good bargain?" she muttered angrily. Saril was taken aback. "Pardon?" she exclaimed.
Confusion clouded Mabenti's features, then realkization settled over her face. "By Haldi," she whispered, and choked. "I'm so sorry, I don't know what came over me." Suddenly she looked wary. She slowly turned towards the peddler, and motioned for Saril to ready her staff, a quick signal they had made up in their youth, known only to each other. Nali hugged the chilapi tighter to her, glancing back and forth between the older girls, worried and wondering what was going on.
The peddler licked his lips nervously and gave a thin smile. In the same reedy, whistling voice he stuttered, "Slight tax today on the cuffs...still a bargain, only fifteen runes."
Saril eyed him suspiciously. "What do you mean, 'slight tax?' None of the other stalls..." Here she shifted her staff pointedly, "...told us anything about tax." The peddler's smile vanished. He glanced towards the shorter girl, and blanched, swallowing hard when he noticed her fingering a small blade. Beads of sweat pricked out on his forehead.
He broke into sudden laughter, startling the chilapi. "Hey, why argue with such smart customers? I see you are excellent bargainers. Ok, Ok, for you? I drop the price. One fifty runes apiece, no tax. First time offer, I'll go broke making it a habit."
Saril eased her grip on her staff. They'd gotten their bargain, and hadn't resorted to "persuading" the peddler. She'd noticed the feral gleam in Mabenti's eyes upon removing her dagger, and wondered what her friend might have done had the peddler not given in. She smiled at the vision of her petite companion flying to expose injustice.
Her reverie was broken by a hand on her shoulder. She jumped.
"Ai!" Mabenti's voice exclaimed. "What's with you today?"
Saril turned to gaze into her companion's eyes for a few brief moments, then hugged her, pulling Nali into the embrace. The peddler sat close by on his stool, mumbling incoherantly. "Nothing," she replied warmly. "Nothing at all."
Mabenti was confused and slightly concerned, but Saril seemed to be functioning Ok. She toyed with the idea of testing her reflexes, but decided against it. She'd had that staff come down on her before, and she wasn't eager to repeat the experience.
Mabenti finished paying for the cuffs (the peddler still grumbling about being swindled), and returned to the sisters. "Anything else you need, Mab?" asked Saril.
"Mmnope, that just about covers it," Mabenti replied. She turned to Nali. "What about you? Anything else you need for the tiny darwing widdle Lu-Lu?" Saril snickered as Mab chucked the contented chilapi behind the ears. It purred.
"I don't think so," replied Nali, pleased with the attention, "unless you want to drop more runes Saril."
"No, no," Saril answered hastily, "I think that's quite enough shopping for one day. Lady Mab," she gestured towards her friend, "shall be the best-dressed female at the wedding, and" she pointed to the chilapi, "that little thing shall never want for creature comforts. I think we're all set."
They made their way back home without incident, save brief of rest to allow Mabenti to fuss over the chilapi--Saril mused that her friend held her nearly as often as Nali--and were withing view of Saril and Nali's hostel. Saril expected a bit of an altercation over the presence of the chilapi--and was not disappointed. Isha threw a fit.
"Get that animal out of my house!" she exclaimed. Saril inwardly heaved a deep sigh and set to work on calming her mother.
"Amah, it's only one small chilapi. We found it abandoned in the town square. It was cold and hungry, so Nali insisted--"
"I don't care if that animal saved your life. It's not to be on my brand-new woven mats!" Saril could see Nali wince out of the corner of her eyes, and sympathized.
"Amah, we've got a cage and food. If Nali wants to keep it in her room, I don't see why--"
Her mother cut her off. "I'm not having dirty wold animals you picked up in the streets from Haldi-knows-where, in my house. Why, for all you know it could have a disease," she sniffed.
Mabenti broke in, much to Saril's relief. "My aunt raised chilapis for years. I could take it to her to check for disease and a general once-over."
Isha grumbled, "I'm sure it's swimming with disease," but Saril could see her start to break down. She moved in for the kill.
"Besides, owning an animal will be good for Analia," she added, using her sister's formal name, "It'll teach her responsibility and respect for life." Nali shot Saril a look of pure gratitude, then riveted her eyes back on their mother.
"Hmph. Well..." their mother began, eyeing Mabenti thoughtfully, "Your aunt's an expert on those things, eh?"
Saril did a silent victory dance in her head. "Her aunt's very knowledgable, Amah." Mabenti and Nali nodded their heads vigorously.
"Well...all right." Isha paused, then stated firmly, "If I so much as smell one dropping, that animal's going back on the streets. And Analia, this will be yourrepsonsibility. Saril, you're not to 'take over' for her when she neglects that responsibility."
"Certainly not," Saril agreed cheerfully. "'Sides, I'm sure Nali's up to it." Nali's eyes glowed with happiness, as she nodded in assent.
"All right," Isha said reluctantly. "It can stay."
And on that note, Alu's life with her new family began.
--Stay tuned! More Saril Aga coming up SOON!