Ixion, with his heavy chest full of gold, sauntered toward the frightened beastwoman.
Her reason for fear was quite obvious…
It didn't take a genius to realize who Ixion was. His reputation preceded him, as did his regal attire — the crimson coat trimmed in gold, its fabric thick; the polished boots; the white gloves, immaculate and free of grime.
Sure, he wore no crown, but he was one who didn't need a crown to define his authority.
Ixion finally approached the woman who stared down at his feet, then he spoke in Praxian:
"Hello."
The beastwoman's pointed ears stiffened as she knelt, obviously not expecting the king to either greet her or know her home language.
Yet, the beastwoman reined in her fears and swallowed her doubts. She was a merchant, after all, and merchants were kin to pressure.
"Hello, Your Majesty."
While facing a king wasn't what one would call a typical happening, merchants were always prepared to deal with difficult clients, for it was the difficult clients from whom the best rewards could be reaped…
Ixion smiled gleefully as he set the chest down.
"I'm interested in purchasing a pet… is any in your convoy selling?"
The citizens of Catatran, although most were unable to understand, watched the king with bated breath while pretending not to.
They knew not what his intentions were in coming out, but each knew very well that none of his outings ended well for any party involved.
Perfectly hiding her nerves, the trader responded evenly:
"Yes, a beast trader who goes by Cha Hon."
The King proudly shouted after a self-induced fit of laughter.
"Very well, take me to them!"
The beastwoman trader replied with courtesy.
"Of course, Your Majesty."
The woman turned her back to Ixion and began her march down the line of caravans. While her shoulders and gait betrayed no fear, her black cat's tail stood rigid, every hair bristling.
Ixion picked up the chest and followed after.
He was led to one larger than all the rest, and within the darkness hidden by the canopy, he spotted a number of fabric-covered boxes.
Or, more likely, cages…
As each mound made noise that blended together in discordance.
A moment later, a fox lady peeled back the canvas and acted surprised, letting her narrow eyes widen. Then she gave Ixion a warm smile and bowed, a few strands of her golden hair escaping the clip that held it back and falling onto her face.
"Cha Hon, I'm guessing."
A little surprised by the king's informality, the fox's shoulders went still for a moment. After she gathered her bearings, she replied:
"I greet you, Your Majesty. What brings you to my humble shop?"
Ixion scratched his chin as he listened to the constant chirping and screaming behind the woman.
"A pet… I'm looking for a pet."
Cha Hon rose slightly and looked Ixion in the eyes. Her mouth split into a guileful grin.
"You came to the right place, Your Majesty. Come on in."
The fox lady turned and peeled back each side of the canopy, pinning the entrance open. Then, stepped to the side and motioned for Ixion to follow.
Ixion set the heavy chest down and began to approach. As he did, he noticed the original woman he'd addressed try to slink away.
With a languid tone, he ordered her:
"You, come in too."
The cat woman shivered before turning around, her defeated look evident. Her long black hair fell in her face, and her tunic sagged.
She wasn't going to escape a tyrant that easily.
Ixion stepped up and into Cha Hon's large wagon and shuffled aside as the fox woman began ripping off the veil covering the cages.
The moment light shone upon the captive beasts, their screeches and screams intensified.
Ixion's gaze quickly bounced between the menagerie of animals — seeing beings he'd never seen before.
There was something that looked like a furless rabbit with horns. A grey bird with big eyes and a smushed beak.
There was a half-dog, half-rat monstrosity with misshapen claws, white fur, and hollow red eyes. On the cage atop that beast was a cute overgrown brown rodent that looked like the thought of a thought was beyond any realm of possibility.
There were also a few beasts he was familiar with, like the common cat, squarnch, lichten, and a baby anuran.
'Perfect…'
Truly, these were beasts only an idiotic noble would purchase. The question was… which one?
The fox lady smiled and asked:
"Any of these beasts catch your fancy?"
Ixion stepped around and inspected each cage.
"Hmmm…"
Then, he stopped by the baby anuran, a frog-human hybrid. He stuck his hand through the iron bars and petted its slimy skin a few times before reeling back
'Not ugly enough to justify…'
Then, he turned and faced the bird with the snubbed beak.
He reached in and ruffled its feathers a few times, but the bird gave no reaction, making him question if it was even alive.
'This would be much easier if they'd just shut up.'
The horned rabbit was squawking so loudly that Ixion was ready to blow it to smithereens.
Ixion took a step to his right, then crouched in front of the horned rabbit and decided to put his [Noble] Trait to good use.
"Quiet."
The moment he spoke with his Trait invoked, all noises from the animals ceased…
'Ah… much better.'
"Fuck you!"
Ixion, crouched down, let his mouth hang wide as he slowly cocked his head toward Cha Hon and the cat woman.
The two woman, who'd been so calm before, looked as if their lives were about to abruptly end…
Well, that's because of Ixion's reputation.
Ixion glowered and then stood up.
"Would you mind repeating that?"
Once again, he heard a screech.
"Fuck you!"
Yet neither of the women's lips moved.
Ixion grew a little confused until his gaze snapped to the idiotic bird, which didn't seem to know it could breathe.
The bird's head twisted and snapped to Ixion, then it opened its beak.
"Fuck you!"