Two days passed before the rain finally let up.
By then, I was about to go crazy. Xavier was constantly jumpy and distant around me, Ahi was getting a little clingy at times wanting to mate.
However, there was no way I was doing that with Xavier in the house. Thankfully, he didn't push it to more than a few kisses here and there, but I knew he was going to need some loving once we were alone.
The humidity also didn't help matters, making me feel sticky all the time. I didn't even want to think about the mess that was my hair. All in all, I was ready to celebrate the sun coming out.
And it seemed the rest of the village had the same idea.
Apparently, they were going to have a market day earlier than normal and I was a little excited to see what it had to offer. Maybe get some information for my guidebook quest because I was starting to run low on things to write about.
Xavier and Ahi had to go back to hunting ferals, so I was going to go to the market with Freya. It was a little disappointing because I wanted to go with Ahi, but they needed to get back on schedule.
Still, I was excited to see Freya again. It would be nice to spend some time with the other female and learn about the world.
Once William came by, Ahi planted a kiss on my forehead and handed me a small animal pouch. "Some crystals in case you find anything you want."
"Oh… thanks." I blushed, making a note to only use it for important things.
Maybe it was the independent part of me, but I felt a little guilty using all Ahi's crystals for myself. I knew customs here had anything belonging to males landing up their mate's procession, but it wasn't something easy to accept.
Ahi smiled and headed off to meet Xavier, who had gone off earlier to scout the jungle. I climbed onto William's jaguar form and we set off to Freya's house.
When we got there, I immediately had to resist the urge to show everyone my breakfast as I got off William. I don't think I would ever get used to riding a beast.
Freya was already outside, one of her males holding her. However, the moment she spotted me, she jumped out of his arms and into mine.
"Elisa! I missed you so much." Freya exclaimed as I was barely able to catch her.
"I missed you too." I hugged the smaller female back. "But maybe don't jump like that. You could get hurt." Or give me or one of your males a heart attack.
"Sorry…" Freya murmured, taking a step back to glance at me. "Is that snakeskin you're wearing?"
"Oh yeah…. Ahi made it for me." I blushed, looking down at the dress I was wearing.
Over the course of two days, Ahi had made me four dresses of similar style as well as some underwear and a swimsuit since the snakeskin was waterproof.
"It's quite pretty." Freya clapped her hands. "Speaking of which, we should get moving. The pretty things get sold very fast here."
Before I could reply, Freya linked arms with me and pulled me towards the village center. Her males silently trailed behind her.
As we walked, Freya explained things around the village, sometimes pointing out people. Most of whose names I forgot because there were just so many around.
Eventually we got to the bustling village center. Street stalls lined up either side of the walking path with lots of beastmen and jaguars walking around. I even spotted a panther or two among the crowd.
However, there were no other females around and eyes were constantly staring at us. Freya's males growled a few times, coming closer to us to keep other males away.
Yet, Freya acted like it was nothing.
Well, it probably nothing to her considering she had grown up in this kind of environment. Still, it was kind of terrifying to have people staring so openly at me. I felt like a piece of meat and some of my earlier excitement died.
But Freya didn't give me a chance to dwell too deeply on it. She swiftly dragged me over to a stall with tons of furs. A jaguar beastman sat lazily by the goods, but upon seeing us straightened up.
"Hello females!" The jaguar exclaimed excitedly. "Do you see anything you like?"
I glanced around the furs, noticing a silky black fur. It was so pretty and would make for a great gift. Perhaps I could try to make Ahi a fur skirt to thank him for all the clothes he made me.
The seller noticed my interest in the fur. "I see you like that black fur. It's a rare fox fur hunted in far away lands. Took a lot to get here. Normally, I'd sell it for three clear crystals, but for such a pretty female I'll sell it for two."
I smiled knowing a sales pitch when I heard one. Guess salesmen were the same in every universe. Still, I did want the fur.
"Two crystals… " I glanced at Freya dumbly. "That's a lot, don't you think?"
Freya smirked, catching my drift. "Hmm… I think I saw another stall selling cheaper furs."
"Really?" I started.
But the seller interrupted us. "Wait! I'm happy to throw in a cheaper fur for free… Anything more and it'll be a loss for me."
"Alright." I nodded in understanding. "I'll take that fur over there."
I pointed at a brown fur that looks to be some kind of deer skin. It wasn't in the best shape, but would work great as a storage bag. Maybe make it into a cover for my backpack.
The seller nodded in agreement and I handed him two crystals. Before I had a chance to move William grabbed my chosen furs while Freya brought a few more furs from the seller.
Once we were done buying the furs, Freya and I continued going through the market, sometimes stopping at stalls that looked interesting.