Xanadu moved purposefully through the late morning crowd. She knew which stall she was looking for and exactly where it stood. Eidetic memories were great for remembering locations, although she was sometimes confused when the stalls moved around and her memory was no longer accurate. She relied on her perfect recall too much at times.

She was seeking a certain stall that sold animals. When she had gone shopping the day before yesterday, she had noticed some adorable winged creatures for sale. She had wanted to stop and look at them then, but she had been busy buying costume fabric and ordering replacement parts for her jewelry. The afternoon had been taken up by weapons practice with some of her friends and former mentors at the Black Hand camp. Yesterday had been extremely busy as well.

This morning, though, she had plenty of time. Although she'd tried, she had been unable to get the exquisite animals off her mind. She knew she had to see them again, and possibly acquire one for herself. She didn't know much about them; she'd seen them only a few times on her travels. She didn't even know what they were called, if they could show affection, or if they were capable of being trained. But she intended to find out.

Smiling at the thought of finding a small companion, she strode toward the area where she had seen the stall that sold them.

The stall was more of a shop front. It was a table with a pretty colored cloth and a sign that said; Miraan For Sale, See Inside. Just behind it was a large cart, with open barred sides. Inside the wooden travelling cage, little flying creatures sat on perches or walked around on the floor of the cart. Some even flew. Vivid colors of all hues, they made little noise, occasionally a hiss or a little chirps. A few of the drake-like creatures even held onto the cage bars, sticking out long necks and curling tails around to look out at the festival. Here and there a metallic skinned female would swoop through the cage. There seemed to be at least three. A gold, a silver and a copper. Some of the brightly colored males chased them, chirping and curving their necks in an elegant sort of courtship display. But the shining females seemed uninterested in them, it wasn't quite mating season yet.

Off to the side, a tall olive skinned man stood with a bright yellow miraan on his shoulder. It was munching on something happily, occasionally turning its head to chirp at him. The man held a finger to it, stroking the little creature. His hair was a vibrant red and all done in tight corn rows, coming together in a sort of thick dreadlock at the back. Dressed in a leather vest and breeches, his arms showed quite a few scars from what appeared to be small claws. Some not so small claws too.

Ahh, so they are called miraan, Xanadu thought as she approached the table. She had not noticed the sign earlier, probably because she had been so entranced by what was sold there. Well, at least I know what to call them now.

Smiling at the man standing beside the cart, she walked over to it and watched the antics of the brightly-colored creatures inside. They were even more adorable up close than they were from a distance. She loved the graceful way they flew, even if they could only glide a short distance while confined to the cage. Each one also seemed to have its own special personality. If she did decide to buy one ... and she was quite certain that she would ... she would have to find one with a temperament that suited her own.

The miraan sticking their necks out between the bars made her laugh. She reached one hand toward them, making certain she kept her fingers out of their reach. They craned their necks toward her, which made her laugh again. Oh yes, I want one. Most definitely. She knew she couldn't look too eager, though, or she would wind up paying twice what they were worth. And it would help to know more about them before she jumped into something she might later regret.

She turned her head toward the man with the yellow miraan on his shoulder. He did have quite a few claw marks on him. Ugh. Maybe she didn't want one after all if they were going to scar her up like that. Hmmmm .... she could probably get around that by making a padded arm protector. It might not look all that good, but it would keep claws from digging into flesh. It was something to think about if she did decide to take one home.

“Your miraan are lovely, sir,” she said. “Could you tell me a bit about them, such as how difficult they are to care for? Are they very intelligent? What do they eat? Are they loyal or will they fly off when they get the chance?” The young dancer smiled a bit sheepishly, looking far more innocent and less worldly than she actually was. “I have to confess I know very little about these adorable creatures of yours.”

The red haired wick turned to Xanadu with a broad grin, slate blue eyes twinkling. The yellow miraan on his shoulder chirped and dropped the piece of food it had been munching. Leaping off his shoulder, it swooped over to Xanadu, flapping in front of her face, making inquisitive little noises. The wick laughed and let out a quick high pitched whistle. Quick as a flash the yellow creature returned to him, perching on the leather front of his vest and looking back at her.

"Junta chip! Well..thats a lot of questions! Usually most people start with a hesta." He winked and walked over to the cage. The flock of small creatures crowded towards him, chirping and hissing, heads and necks reaching out of the cage. The wick laughed again, shaking his open hands.

"I got nothing to eat for you yet!" Looking at Xanadu, he chuckled.

"Just like bochi, i tell ye! Right! Firstly, they are pretty easy to care for, ye chen? Like whice almost. They are extraordinarily smart little things, keep an eye on your pretty jewelery coz they love shineys. Good for using as messengers if you need them to. Great homing skills. They eat insects mostly and small diced pieces of meat. And they are faithfully loyal. Ent that right Koskie?" He coo'ed to the little miraan. It chirped and weaved its head, twinkling eyes looking up at him.

“Why hello, little one,” she said with a chuckle. “Looks like you are as curious about me as I am about your friends.” When it returned to its master in response to his whistle, an idea formed in her mind. Obviously they were trainable. Suppose she could use one in her juggling act? She could just see it flying around and stealing her balls as she juggled. It would add a bit of humor to her performance. She might also be able to incorporate it into an acrobatic dance. The ideas were flying around in her head much like the miraan flew around in their cage.

She listened intently as the vendor answered her questions. Yes, so she had asked quite a few at one time, but she liked to get straight to the point. If it turned out adopting a miraan would not suit her, she wanted to find out before she became so entranced she disregarded her doubts and purchased one anyway. The mercenary was not normally prone to such rash decisions, but in this case, she wasn't so sure her head would win out over her heart. She was falling more in love with the miraan every minute.

“Are they destructive?” she asked when he had finished speaking. She held her hand out to Koskie, not sure if it would let her touch it or not. “I wouldn't want a pet that tears up everything I own.” The fact that they liked jewelry was a bit disconcerting, since some of hers was filled with snake venom, but she was certain she could keep it out of reach. It was only dangerous when the teardrop darts were pulled off, and she had made that deliberately difficult, so that it couldn't be used against her if she was captured. No matter how smart miraan were, they could probably not figure out exactly how the darts had to be twisted in order to separate them from the piece that held the venom.

“Do they get lonely for other miraan? Would it be better to get two?” Dumb question, Xanadu. Of course he'll say it's better to get two. He's trying to sell them, after all. And if you want a good price, you'd better ask now. The longer you wait, the more money he'll think you have. Most people would probably asked the price right away.

She didn't really care how much they cost. Money was not a problem for Xanadu, and she really didn't like to put a price on pets. It was almost like putting a price on children. But this noble part of her warred with the part of her that had been raised as a wick and didn't like to be hoodwinked.

“And, oh,” she said, almost as an afterthought, throwing him an innocently disarming smile expressly designed to get him to look on her favorably. It was one of her best haggling tools, although it didn't work on everyone. “How much do they cost? I would hate to waste your time if I can't afford to buy one.”

The vendor scratched his head, looking at the cage of tiny drake-like animals. He moved to scratch his chin, to which the yellow miraan burst out with almost angry chittering, climbing up to bite his fingers playfully, head darting in and out like a snake. The redhead laughed and turned his hand to play with the creature.

"They ent really destructive as such chip, more just...inquisitive. Sometimes if something real benny gets their attention and its hard to access, they will make their own entrance." Walking closer to the cage, he motioned her over.

"The hatchlings are the worst for it, but I can't sell you one of those, sorry. As for loneliness, that depends. If ye don't buy a mated one, it'll be fine. But the ones who have met a lifemate, ye can't separate them, or they will die of grief, ye chen?" As he spoke, one of the females had landed on the bars closest to Xanadu, chirping at her and sticking a long neck out. Her scales glittered a rich copper as she moved and it seemed she was trying to get the mugrobi's attention. A little paw stretched out and the would would feel a tugging at her necklace. The coppery creature cooed, almost a purring sound. Looking over, the man chuckled.

"She seems to like your shinies chip."

Hatchlings .... hmmm. Perhaps that was why he was all scratched up. Xanadu had raised and trained most of her snakes from hatchlings and they bit quite often when they were just becoming accustomed to being handled. The poisonous ones were the worst. Even though she was immune, too much venom could still make her ill. Perhaps baby miraan had to be trained not to use their claws.



She was startled when the copper miraan tugged at her necklace, but she showed nothing but a slight widening of her eyes. Luckily she had left her poison jewelry under lock and key in her cart, not that anyone would attempt to steal it with Seferu loose inside. Not many thieves would dare to try robbing a place guarded by a six-foot-long python.

Today she was wearing one of her festival finds ... a large round collar woven of colorful beads and fake gems held together by golden links. One of the miraan's claws had slipped between two of the links, enabling her to pull at it. Xanadu's initial surprise turned to enchantment as the creature crooned. Oh, she is just so sweet!



Xanadu laughed. “Indeed she does.” She gently untangled the claw and reached out to stroke the little head and neck sticking out through the bars. She loved the feel of the drake-like creature's scales. The were quite different from those of a snake. Although she loved all animals, the dark-skinned dancer was a reptile person at heart.

She turned toward the dreadlocked man and smiled. “May I hold her?”

The female grasped the end of Xanadu's finger and pressed her chin against it, eyes half closing in delight, cooing all the while. The vendor grinned and nodded, moving to open a hatch in the side of the cart, a small piece of meat suddenly in his fingers. He made small tsking noises and reached towards the copper female. She pulled away from Xanadu's caress and hopped across the bars, gliding to his fingers. Withdrawing his hand carefully, the man closed the hatch. The female perched on his fingers, nibbling the meat between her front paws. As he moved her over to Xanadu, she chirped and put the food in her mouth, swooping off to land elegantly on the mugrobi's shoulder, where she continued to eat. The vendor smiled.

"Cost is...negotiable, but with females I usually start at five shills."

The petite dancer was afraid to move once the little female landed on her shoulder. She did like her sitting there, even though she could feel the miraan's claws digging slightly into her flesh. It didn't really hurt, but a padded shoulder guard was definitely in order. She would look for some appropriate fabric this afternoon and start sewing on it tonight. It was too bad her sewing machine was back home in Vienda. It would have been much faster than sewing by hand.

Xanadu turned her head very slowly to look at the little creature. The sun glinted off her scales, turning them a glowing coppery pink. She looked so cute with her food held so delicately in her forepaws. The smell of the meat was a bit ... raw ... but the dancer supposed she could get used to it. It was certainly no worse than feeding live rats to her pythons.



Xanadu had expected to be shocked at the price. Instead, she was pleasantly surprised. She had paid more than that for each of her poisonous snakes. She was tempted to simply hand over the money, but the wick-raised part of her demanded that she at least attempt to talk him down.

“I would love to take her home,” she began, “but your price is a bit steep. I'm not a wealthy woman.” That much was true. She simply declined to mention that she wasn't exactly poor, either. For a human, she supposed, she was quite well-off, although she didn't like to call attention to it. “I will give her a wonderful home and love her like I would my own child.” Ahh, how Glorie would have loved a miraan of her own!

Her wistful voice was carefully concocted to get a favorable reaction, as was the hopeful look on her pretty face. Her dark eyes, as usual, remained expressionless. “Could you find it in your heart to let me have her for three and a half?”

The red head made an whistling sound as he drew in a speculative breath. The yellow miraan rushed to examine his mouth with a cocked head and little hands on his lip, chirping curiously. Cupping a hand gently over the male and softly roughing him with a laugh, the vendor nodded a bit.

"I see how it is. Maybe...four. I would do four shills." A sudden panicked chirp caught his attention. A little white male sat on the floor of the cage, head out between the bars, peering up at Xanadu with an almost heartbroken little keening noise. The copper female chirped and swooped off her roost on Xanadu's shoulder to the cage bars, holding them with ease. The two little creatures nuzzled their heads together affectionately, making almost purring sort of chirps. The man made a face and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Aahh...it seems she has a mate. I ent able to sell one without the other rosh."

Xanadu's heart went out to the poor forlorn little male. She hadn't really planned on buying two, but she wasn't adverse to the idea. She had known before she arrived that there was a possibility they may be lonely without the company of their own kind, and in the case of these two, it appeared to be true.

She watched them for a bit, considering her options. How many people at this festival could actually afford two of them? Were they more difficult to sell in pairs? If so, she could probably get the second one for nearly free. Shame on you! she berated herself. It doesn't matter how much they cost. So why is that the first thing you think about? You already know you're going to take them home anyway. Besides, you should be more concerned with something else.

Her eyes widened again as she considered the implications of that “something else.” She turned back towards the vendor. “May I hold the white one, to see if he gets along with me as well as his mate? And If I do take them both ... how often do they mate? Do they always lay eggs? How many? I don't want to become a breeder, and ...” she smiled. “... I'm sure you don't want any competition.”

Laughing, the vendor reached into the hatch, pulling out the white male. Instantly the copper miraan circled them, chirping excitedly. Turning to Xanadu, he held the small creature out to her. The male cocked his head at her, leaning out to smell cautiously. There was the unfamiliar smell of the woman herself, but then it was mingled with the slight scent of his mate. Making a little hop, he lept from the man's hand to her dress, chirping inquisitively. Climbing up her dress, he settled on her shoulder, picking up her necklace and making small interested sounds. The female landed beside him and they squabbled briefly over the jewelry, before he relinquished the shiny to her. The red haired wick smirked and shrugged.

"Well he likes ye. As for eggs and breeding. It's about once every half year and they lay a brood of two. Females are rare."

The little male latching onto her dress startled Xanadu enough that she involuntarily took a small step back. She recovered her composure quickly and stroked his long neck as he moved to her shoulder. He had probably torn a few holes in the dress. Luckily, it was an old one.

She caressed the little female's head and then gently disentangled her necklace from the little creature's claws. Her jewelry would have to be kept in a miraan-proof place from now on. She wondered what else they would take a fancy to once she got them home.

Most of her snakes were bigger than the miraan and not at all shiny, so she didn't think they would be very interested in them. She often let the snakes out when she left the house, both to cut down on possible robberies and to rid the place of rats. The poisonous ones would probably have to remain caged now, although the miraan might be quick enough to dodge their strikes. She didn't want to take that chance, though, not until she was certain there would be no danger to the adorable winged creatures.

She stroked both of them in turn, enjoying the feel of their scales under her hand and their cute little chirps in her ear. The petite dancer was utterly smitten by the pair of them.



Four hatchlings a year didn't sound too bad. She had thought they would be more like her pythons and lay up to three dozen eggs at a time. That many would have been difficult to handle. But four ... most likely, she'd be able to find homes for them easily, especially as she did not like to sell animals. Who wouldn't jump at the chance for a free miraan?

“I like him too,” she said. “I'd love to have them both, but like I said before, I'm not a wealthy woman. Would you be willing to part with the pair of them for ...” she gulped, as if the price she was about to name would hurt her tremendously, “ ... five shills? I might have to eat sparingly for a while, but the two of them are worth the sacrifice.” Eat sparingly, indeed! How easily the lies trip from my tongue, she thought with a mental chuckle.

The vendor hissed, pulling a painful grimace. He rubbed his chin, patted the little miraan on his vest and generally stalled. Finally making a large sigh, he rolled his eyes.

"Fine. Five shills it is. But I tell ye rosh, ye are killin' me!" A twinkle in his eyes said otherwise. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a small hood and a thin leash. Coming towards her, he took the copper female up with a little chirping protest and slipped the hood over her head. Tying the leash to one of her back legs, he put her gently back on the womans shoulder and handed her the end of the leash.

"Ye will need to keep her like this for the trip to your home rosh, so she doesn't come back. The white one won't leave her side, so it ent needed for him. When you get to where your going, keep her indoors for a bit, ye chen? Let her get used to being with you. Oh, and get some jerky for a treat, to keep her interested in ye. After about four days she should be attached enough to go out without the leash or the hood."

It seemed a bit cruel to keep the poor thing leashed and hooded, but Xanadu did understand the need to keep her from flying away. She had the feeling that the long trip to Vienda would definitely help bond the creature to her. She would be away from everything she had ever known. It was actually a good thing she had a mate.

She reached into her pouch for the five shills he owed the red-headed vendor. She had the feeling that he had been playing her all along and that the price she had named could possibly be more than he usually obtained. No matter really. She'd been willing to pay a lot more for one than she was giving for two. All that really mattered is that she now had her miraan.

Just so he knew what he could have received, she pulled out all of the coins she had brought along, nonchalantly tossing the two concords and the other five shills back in her pouch, followed by the smaller coins. She knew she had brought far too much money with her, but it was always better to be safe than sorry. She also had a few more stops to make. At least four of those remaining shills would be going to the jeweler she had commissioned to make her poison darts. She had to buy meat for her two new companions. And it was always good to have some extra coin in case she got hungry or found something she just couldn't live without. She was always looking for unique pieces of art and sculpture to decorate her house with.

“Here you go, sir,” she said, handing over the coins. “Thank you very much for allowing me to buy two of your exquisite creatures. They will have a wonderful home, I can assure you of that. Is there anything else I need to know before I take them home?”

The vendor didn't seem in the slightest impressed by the show of coin, taking his payment with a friendly smile and closing tightly in his fist as the yellow miraan moved towards the shiny disks.

"Ne my little Koskie, ye can't have these." He laughed. Tucking them away, he scratched the thwarted drake-like creature.

"Not really rosh, I think I've told you it all. When they start mating, she will automatically sort herself out. And you'll know when its coming, she'll be a lot shinier and he'll start singing to her. It's all very serious. They'll make a nest somewhere warm and hole up for about a whole two months. Then when the eggs hatch, the hatchlings will be sufficient on these two for at least another two months." Nodding to himself, he shrugged.

"Thats it!"

She smiled at him. “Well, thank you, then, and I hope you sell a lot more of these exquisite creatures. I will be certain to tell anyone who asks where I bought them. Hopefully, it will bring you more business.”

She turned around and walked toward the jeweler's stall where she had commissioned her new jewelry. The little female's claws dug into her shoulders a bit as she adjusted her balance to the way her new mistress walked. Those shoulder pads would have to be made tonight. Who knows? Perhaps she could sell some to other miraan owners. Even if she wasn't a true wick, she certainly thought like one.

The white male winged around her head a few times before settling on her other shoulder. Xanadu reached up and stroked his little head. His scales shone nearly iridescent in the late morning sun. She was quite pleased with her new companions and hoped that eventually they would be pleased with her as well. Smiling softly, she continued on her way, possible names for them flying around in her head.

It was turning out to be a wonderful day.

*finis*