This is part of Faranesque's World Building Challenge from r/WorldBuilding. Check out my hub post for details.
Preface: Most of my posts from this point on will likely focus on the crew of the Rōnni and the refugees with them, now I've done some of the cosmic establishment from Day 1.
In today's installment, a brief glimpse at the pet of a merchant.
XII PETS
"Mind your purse and pockets," Etane warned Izzur as they wandered into the shop. "Pacami like Gord Papazian like their thieves."
Izzur eyed one or two of the young children who were scurrying about the store, polishing some of the trinkets and items on display, organizing the shelves, or collecting things into boxes for delivery or pickup. The kids made no sign that they were actually paying attention to them, but that wasn't indicative of anything. He'd lost count of the times he'd been diligently working in the mines, still keeping track of where the supes or Overseer were.
"You wound me, sir, my little workers are not thieves!" Gord Papazian was a wide man dressed in a shiny suit, cut in the typical Pacami fashion, though it was not fastened at the shoulder, to better display the colorful pattern on the lining, the flap folded down crisply. His rich brown hair was trimmed short on top, parted neatly on one side, but his beard was lush and full, braided down to his thick chest. Gleaming white teeth showed as he smiled at them without rancor. "What they may or may not do when not busy in my shop is, of course, another matter, and I cannot be blamed for what children do."
Izzur's eye was drawn, however, to the creature that was curled around the Pacami's shoulder. At first glance, it resembled a snake covered in golden fur, albeit one with two long forelimbs with grasping paws. It lifted a weasel-like head to stare back at him, then made a quizzical chirping noise. Papazian glanced to it, then twitched a shoulder beneath it. The creature suddenly flowed off of his shoulders and hopped down to the counter, then off of this to the floor. Izzur stepped back briefly as it slithered up to his feet, rising up and placing its paws on his leg, where it made another chirping sound.
"No need for alarm, sir!" Papazian folded his arms, still smiling. "My skirrl is harmless to people. We're too big for them to eat, and in any case, they much prefer nuts and fruits."
Izzur glanced at Etane, who shrugged. "He's right, skirrls will eat meat, but prefer the other stuff." The engineer watched as the skirrl, with a nod from the ex-miner, climbed up the young man's leg, until it was able to slither-scrabble around his hips and chest, until it came up to his shoulder. Up close, it blinked its little beady eyes as it peered at Izzur's goggles, and its paws reached out to grasp one lens, tugging faintly. Izzur gave a slight yelp.
"Ah, it seems it likes your goggles," Papazian chuckled. "Skirrl do like gleaming things and pretty baubles." He made a little clicking noise with his tongue, drawing the creature's attention, then gave another as he lifted a hand and gestured. The skirrl chattered back at him, but it let go of Izzur's goggles and started to slither-scrabble back down him, winding around him again.
As it started to scrabble up the counter, however, Etane suddenly lashed out and grasped it by the tail, snatching it back. The skirrl let out a screech, snapping around with sharp teeth, but the engineer's glove was too tough to bite through. He grabbed the little quartz charm from the creature's paw, passing it back to Izzur, and then reached out to drop the skirrl on the counter. It leapt back to Papazian and scurried up to his shoulders, where it hissed at them. The Pacami's smile had dimmed, though he still showed his teeth.
"As I said," Etane remarked, "Pacami like their thieves."
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