Really Good Stew
It was rare for the snowy lady to make her way to the city. As usual, the excursion included the ever-welcome company of her dear friend Kohu, whose presence alone helped to keep others from lingering too closely in Noel's personal space. The dark, hulking Zhong Shu was the very definition of intimidating as the pair walked the road toward the city gates. "I still don't understand why you have to come here today. What's so important? You don't usually stray into Tianshu in the winter months." The male's voice was husky and gruff, his words always blunt but never purposely sharp. Noel's lips curled into a soft smile as she gave a gentle sigh at her companion. "I need to visit Shòu at her shop, The Friendly Familiar. I found a lonely familiar egg out in the cold and need to hatch it before its magic fades altogether. It's persistent, but not eternal you know." Her violet eyes gleamed at the Zhong Shu softly, her musical voice alive with a teasing tone. "Besides, I know you enjoy any chance you can get to visit The Thirsty Dragon, you roguish degenerate you." She raised a brow, flashing Kohu a gleaming, fanged grin full of mischief and humor. The male blinked, his cheeks flushing hot beneath his smooth, dark fur. He cleared his throat loudly, clearly caught offguard. "Excuse me? I mean, there are certainly plenty of, um, attractive staff there and they have very good stew...HEY WAIT, you're not shy about being there too you hussy!" Noel simply shrugged her shoulders, neither confirming nor denying that a lady like her would happily indulge in such mischievous business. "I mean, they DO have such delicious stew."
The banter continued between the old friends as they made their way through the gates and into the city proper. Noel's ears went back instinctively as she was bombarded with the typical energy of the thrumming crowd. Kohu, ever aware, reached his hand out just to steady her arm with his touch. The warmth of his gesture calmed the Shiji's nerves and she took a deep breath, steeling herself before they continued on their way. Noel focused on the lingering scents of the bakery, the tea shop and of course the beefy aromas wafting through the air from the very establishment they'd been discussing earlier. Noel would definitely need to stop by for a bowl of their stew, a nice mug of mulled wine and maybe something else to relax her after the seething vibrations of the crowded Tianshu streets.
Before too long, the pair happened to pass by an adorable cafe emanating the comforting smells of fresh pastries, coffee and hot cocoa. Noel perked up at the last one hit her nose, and her eyes sparkled as she grinned up at Kohu. "Fancy a quick hot cocoa break? The Friendly Familiar is still a few blocks down, more then enough time to finish a mug!" Before the Zhong Shu could even answer, the snowy woman was headed for the door of an adorable little bakery she had no idea the name of. She also didn't know that she was lucky enough to catch the place open, as its benefactor and head baker usually spent the winter months outside of the city, in a cabin not terribly far from where Noel herself called home. Smiling warmly at the soft, autumn-colored Shiji behind the counter, Noel joyfully asked for two large mugs of hot cocoa for the road. Leaving her coins (plus a generous tip) in the hands of the delightful baker, she waved and headed back out to the streets with Kohu closely in tow.
"That place was wonderful, we need to visit them again! I'm so glad we caught her open!" Noel nearly purred as she swallowed her first sip of the cocoa, its comforting sweetness warming her chest and belly as they walked. Kohu grinned down at her as they walked, happy to see his companion was in a much better mood than when they'd first entered the busy city streets. "I'm not usually a sweets person, but you're right. This is really good, especially on a cold winter's day." Yes, he was well aware his friend actually PREFERRED said cold season to his favorite weather of summer.
About 20 minutes later, the pair found themselves entering the welcoming surroundings of The Friendly Familiar. Placing her empty mug in her satchel for return to the bakery on their way out of town, Noel pulled out the gem-encrusted familiar egg she'd found in the cold, snowy landscape of the woods in winter. "Good afternoon, I'm looking to get some items to hatch this egg I found. I know it's a familiar egg, but I'm not sure what type or how many items I might need. Can you tell me?" She held the egg up to Shòu for inspection, fully confidant that the familiar expert would be able to guide her along. Shòu took the egg in her hand, inspecting it and closing her eyes as she reached out with her innate magic to "feel" its nature. "Oh, this one's a bit rarer than the regular eggs! You're going to need more than one item to coax this one out into the world, but I can't tell you which ones. You're the only one who'll be able to feel which ones are right. Go ahead and take a look, and make sure you take your time and really trust your instincts on this. I'm excited to see what you pick! You should be good with two." She handed the little egg back to Noel gently, inclining her head toward the item shelves and waiting to see where the snowy Shiji wandered.
"Two huh?" Noel looked up at Kohu and the big male shrugged his shoulders. This was the first time he'd come along for a familiar hatching, so he was NO help at all in this. "Thank you, I'll see what I can find." The woman held the egg warmly in her hand as she made her way over to the first set of shelves, their layers full of scrolls and books of every sort. As much as Noel herself loved to read, she just didn't feel like they were pulling her toward them in any way. The same was said of the shelves with familiar snacks, the ones with tools and the shelves with artifacts that hummed with their own innate magic. The last set of shelves was littered with sparkling gems of every kind, from iridescent ones resembling moonstone or labradorite to the more muted tones of obsidian and jasper. As she drew closer to the gemstones, she swore she felt a pull and a distinct hum of energy from the quiet little egg in her hand: this was definitely it. Closing her eyes and focusing on what she felt, Noel ran the fingers of her free hand over the gems until she felt an instinct to stop. Opening her eyes, her fingertips rested on the glimmering surface of a gem resembling moonstone, with flashing hues of wintry blues and teals dancing across its base of white. Picking up the gem, she repeated the sequence until she found a second stone, this one a mixture of dark and light greens akin to malachite. Confident she'd found the right items, Noel grinned as she headed back to the shopkeep.
"Ahh, these are beautiful choices. Now the last part is to figure out where to go to coax this little one out. Simply do the same as you did for the items: FEEL your way through the choice and let your intuition lead you to the right place." Noel nodded in understanding at Shòu's words, eagerly paying for her items and tucking the gemstones safely into her satchel as she and Kohu exited the shop. The big male chuckled as he looked down at the gentle Shiji, her hands clutched lovingly around the unassuming little egg. "Well, where to my lady?" He raised a brow as she looked up at him, then patiently waited as she closed her eyes and breathed deep, settling her mind against the chaos of the city's energy. After a few moments, she opened them and turned to start down the street. "The tree in the sanctuary of town, that's where we go." Kohu blinked a bit, surprised that Noel wanted to remain in the city any longer than necessary but trusting her instincts. "Ok, if you're sure. But you definitely owe me a trip to the Dragon after this." Noel looked over her shoulder at him, her brow raised as he teased her. As they walked, his voice drifted out over the bustle of the city again: "Any idea how long this is gonna take? I'm seriously STARVING." Noel just laughed, rolling her violet eyes at her friend as they made their way toward their destination, its branches looming out ahead of them invitingly as they drifted through the crowds.