It was late in the afternoon when Minna called the quits to the training, and I was a little tired from all the exploring and seeking, so I sprawled out on her shoulder and took in the city as she walked. We passed other Kymari along the way, and a few waved or greeted Minna, but for the most part they didn't bother us.
I kept a close watch on the cleaning robots that we passed, but they stayed well away from us. Good.
The scents of various foods began to tickle my nose as we walked. I perked up when I smelled the faint scent of shia fruit in the mix, and sat up to sniff the air to be sure.
Minna noticed my sudden alertness and stopped walking. "Stay..." Her hand came up to rest on my back. I fidgeted in place and leaned towards the smell... but I didn't leave Minna's shoulder.
After several long seconds I grew used enough to the scent to relax. Minna took her hand away and passed me an entire sunburst berry. I felt a bit of pride at overcoming the powerful hunger instinct that drove me to go after the delicious fruits, and rewarded myself by tearing into the delicious berry.
It still counted as progress.
Minna started walking again. She stopped every few minutes to repeat the 'stay' command and rest her hand on my back, countering the growing urge to seek out the scent that was becoming clearer with each step. It helped. By the time the market came into sight I had convinced myself that I was the master of these frustratingly strong dragonet instincts, and that I would be able to sit calmly on Minna's shoulder for as long as it took her to wander through the marketplace.
Then I caught sight of the stall with the shia fruits. Dozens of them, arranged in a bin on the side of the table, as if they were an afterthought to the other bins of fruit more prominently displayed on the table. Sunlight shown down on them, a spotlight causing their smooth surfaces to gleam alluringly. Beads of water dotted the blue and peach skin and seemed to suggest exactly where my teeth should sink in. A choir began singing from somewhere in the background as the plump, juicy treats filled my vision. I could taste the rich nectar on my tongue, and could feel my teeth sinking into the tender flesh that was all that separated me from the pure, undiluted deliciousness that was inside...
I felt the leash snap me back through the air as I ran out of slack.
I flapped my wings a few times in surprise and determination, but the leash tethered me to Minna and kept me from getting any closer. I dropped to the ground and hissed in frustration as I folded my wings against my back. I couldn't even remember jumping off Minna's shoulder. One minute I was sitting there, well behaved and obedient, and the next I was being held back by this stupid leash that was keeping me away from the delicious treats that were begging for a dragonet to come along and devour them.
Stupid leash. Stupid harness. Stupid instincts.
I turned back and chewed on the leash, but that was still just as useless, and was a poor replacement to taste buds that had been yearning for a shia fruit. I tugged on it, but Minna had wrapped some of the leash around her arm and it refused to budge. The harness applied pressure against my chest and made sure I was unable to take a single step closer to the source of that irresistible scent.
I stared longingly at the stand that held the blue fruits on the far side of the market plaza for several long seconds before I realized there were other Kymari around. I doubted they would have much influence on Minna's decision to keep me away from the treats... but it wasn't like anything else was working. I angled towards one of the strangers and then went completely limp, collapsing to the side. "Haaaaaaalllllllppppppp...."
Minna sighed behind me. "And you had been doing so well."
I felt a twinge of guilt at the disappointment in Minna's voice.
The Kymari were starting to glance at the commotion I was making. None of them turned to outright stare, but I could tell they were watching me. Attendants at the stalls adjusted their posture slightly so that I was in their field of vision while they continued their work. Customers glanced over their shoulders or peeked quickly out of the corner of their eyes. The background sound of conversation grew quieter as the dozens of voices paused in their discussions.
The leash tugged a little as Minna tensed up. I couldn't blame her - the sudden attention was making me nervous, too. Maybe this hadn't been such a good idea after all.
"Hello there!" A vaguely familiar voice called out from somewhere in the crowd. "I see my singing partner is eager to provide some vocal accompaniment once more, but I must confess I am not familiar with that particular song. Since I don't have quite the same knack for picking up new tunes as he does, perhaps he would permit me to pick a different song to entertain these good shoppers with?"
A Kymari approached us. I stared up at him from the corner of my eye and tried to place him. He seemed familiar, but Kymari were hard to tell apart, at least until I had been around one for long enough. I was pretty sure the stranger wasn't Loreena, but beyond that I wasn't sure - and I still wasn't familiar enough with Loreena to be certain she wasn't one of the Kymari shopping in the crowd.
He came to a stop a few steps from us and smiled at Minna. Oh! That's who it is - the musician, the one who was playing the last time I was here.
Minna picked me up from the ground and dropped me on her shoulder. She seemed relieved and grateful - the attention of the crowd had shifted away from us and towards the singer, and most people were going back to whatever they had been doing. I decided to keep up the act for another minute or two and stayed in a limp pile on Minna's shoulder. The fear of the crowd had been enough to dull the pull of the shia fruits, and I managed to stay put in spite of the smell still teasing my nose.
"Hello again. Thank you." Minna smiled back at the musician and walked over to him. She used one hand to hold me steady on her shoulder as she walked, and wrapped up the slack on the leash with the other.
"It was nothing; I know the attention of the stage can be a scary thing. And I would hate to see you scared off, after the performance he gave last time." He glanced back at us with that same reassuring grin. "I was only partially joking, by the way. If you would like to let him sing, it would be my pleasure to play for him."
"Oh?" Minna smirked back at the musician. "He was that much fun to play for?"
"It was a rare treat." His grin shifted to a wry smirk. "The tips the merchants gave me for the increased sales he attracted had absolutely nothing to do with it, I assure you."
"Oh, of course." Minna's voice was filled with amusement. "I need to do some shopping but I think I can make time after. I'm trying to get him accustomed to being around us as part of his training, so spending some time singing could be good practice."
The musician glanced back at where I was still lying limp on Minna's shoulder. "Oh? Does that mean he isn't going to be released soon?"
"No. His recovery ended a few days ago and I released him, but he came back." Minna's hand came up to stroke over my neck. I figured that was enough time pretending to be helpless so I sat up and nudged my head against her hand. "I'm officially a bond handler now. I'm hoping to have him trained enough to begin patrols in a week or two. He's made a lot of progress... at least when there aren't any treats around."