Kassi and the Legend of Arceus
By: DMDrewDragon
Copyright 02/02/2022 by DMDrewDragon

Chapter 5 - Well, This Was Awkward

"U-uhm…" Kassi said eloquently. Why do I feel so embarrassed. Having sex with your Pokemon is completely normal and healthy. That was the whole point of Galar having the Pokephile Challenge in the first place. It makes for the deepest bonds and the strongest teams. But, why the hell am I so scared to tell Akari about it. I mean, just look at her eyes…they look so…concerned. Wonder if she'll let me change the subject?

"Wow, the walls in those dormitories must be really thin, huh? Heh, heh, heee…" her words bled off into a nervous and forced laughter. Kassi rubbed at the back of her neck and glanced away from Akari's inky dark eyes.

"Yes, they are. So imagine my shock when I heard moaning and then you," Akari paused and turned a deep shade of scarlet, "a-ask one of your Pokemon for a litter of kittens…" She buried her face in her hands after forcing out the statement.

Well, guess the Shinx is out of the bag. Might as well be open and honest.

"Yeah…I totally did do that. It's pretty common back where I'm from to bond with Pokemon through sex. The whole kitten thing was just some dirty talk for Storm." Kassi waved a hand in the air nonchalantly as she spoke.

Akari, face still buried in her hands, let out a squeal of pure embarrassment, then dunked herself under the water. She stayed down for several seconds before erupting from the water with a mighty gasp for air.

"Kassi! This sort of thing…it is not done! It's so taboo most people fear to even speak of it." Akari was talking in a shouted whisper, even though it was just the two of them in the bathhouse at the moment. "Pokemon are dangerous creatures! You could get hurt…or defiled…or-or-or-or any number of things." She locked her black eyes onto Kassi, deep concern plain on her face.

"Look, Akari. I don't just do it with random Pokemon. Just with my partner Pokemon. My team." She reached out to try and put a reassuring hand on Akari's shoulder, but the thin beauty recoiled backwards at her touch. Kassi felt a stab of pain at that reaction and let the hand fall back into the water. Softly, she continued, "now, they're closer to me than I could have managed in months of simply battling alongside them. Now, we have an unbreakable bond."

Akari shook her head, not believing a word of what she was hearing. "No, Kassi! That can't be true. How can it be correct for people and Pokemon to mate? They try to kill us every time we go into the field! You will see, the next time we go into the wilds." She stood up fully and quickly exited the tub. "Come, I will show you how to wrap yourself effectively, then…I think it best we part ways for a bit. I-I need to think."

Saying nothing more she wrapped herself in a towel that the bathhouse had provided and walked back into the changing room.

Kassi sank below the water to give her hair a final rinse and to cool the burning in her cheeks. Well that went about as well as a Snorlax on a diet. Damn me, if fucking Pokemon really is as taboo as she says…am I gonna get run out of town?

Mind buzzing with those thoughts, she got herself out and wrapped herself in a towel to join Akari. By the time she'd made it to the changing room. Akari had already managed to get herself back into her yukata, though Kassi did notice her Sarashi was still in her basket of clothes.

Both of them blushed as Kassi walked in and started to pull out her clothes.

The silence was palpable, only the light swish of cloth as Kassi let her towel drop and attempted to start tying her undergarment silk in place.

"No no. Do not start from the end, that gives a greater chance that the important part will come loose. Start with a quarter of it in your front and the rest behind." Akari said, voice business-like. Kassi did as she was instructed. "Now, you want to hold the front length flat to your body and pass the back section over it while it passes around your torso, good. Once more. Good, now let that flap fall down and wind two loops into the belt portion. No not like that, here let me show you."

Kassi had been working on following her instructions while she spoke, but it was tricky. Akari stepped over to Kassi and started to slowly wind the bands of cloth around themselves, almost braiding them to form secure holds. Her hands were calloused, but gentle, and deft in their movements. Her being so close made Kassi realize that she was a couple of inches taller than Akari, which made her excited, because Kassi was so rarely taller than anyone who wasn't a child.

"The final step is to roll the top so all the braids come together. Like this." Akari grabbed Kassi by the waist and rolled the silk down so it coiled on itself; the blonde feeling very keenly every small touch of hands as they slid across her skin. Akari's face was focused and she refused to look Kassi in the eyes. When she was done, she stepped back and inspected the work. "There, now take it off and repeat it without my assistance."

Kassi felt her cheeks burn as she complied. Akari was blushing too, but it seemed having a task to focus on was keeping her from shying away. Kassi started back over and tried to repeat what Akari had shown her. When she was done, the dark-eyed woman nodded.

"Now to chest binding. This can be done in a number of ways, though I will show you the one most suitable to keeping your chest from moving too much. It is important that you not wear this for more than eight hours in a day, however, or you risk damage to your body." She held up the Sarashi, a white band of cheesecloth-like fabric, to Kassi.

"Is there a way that it can be tied so I can still get to my breasts when needed?" Kassi had meant to think that, but her head was still spinning from how close Akari had been just moments ago.

Akari blushed a deep scarlet and one of her feet moved towards the door, but she stopped and took a second to gather her nerves.

"Fashion or function, Kassi. Not both. For the former, I suggest you go see Azure. I'm sure she can teach you chest binding with…easy access." She didn't say anything more. Stepping up to Kassi she showed the busty blonde how to bind her chest in a was so the sarashi covered both breasts, lifted them, and flattened them to reduce movement. Then she had Kassi remove it once more and rebind it herself so she knew that it could be a repeatable action.

"Well done. You should be good to go now. We leave for the Fieldlands tomorrow to finish your training. Get what supplies you need and I'll see you in the morning." Akari turned to leave.

"Wait!" Kassi yelled, holding out a hand, Akari turned and looked at her, face red with embarrassment.

"I will not divulge your secret, if that is what you are going to ask."

"No. I just...I just wanted to…" Kassi took a deep breath and steadied herself, "thank you Akari. This helps, and this was nice. Despite all that's happened to me in the last day, it...it was nice to feel like I had a friend." She felt her frustration reach a boiling point, a single tear rolling down her cheek.

Why are my eyes burning? Are those tears? Why the hell am I crying?

Akari stood there for a few seconds, contemplating as she watched Kassi try to hold herself together. She finally nodded.

"Of course, Kassi. I'm happy to help and my home is next to yours if you need anything." She smiled, "and I agree, it was nice to have another girl my age around." She left.

Kassi waited a few seconds after Akari departed, trying to calm herself down. After she heard the front door to the baths slide shut picked up her towel, wadded it up, and yelled into it, "Bloody fucking hell that was awkward. Kassi you stupid cunt, of course the walls are thin, the windows and doors are made of bloody paper! AHHHHH!" For the next several minutes, as she got dressed once more, (this time tying her satchel in place properly) she muttered insults to herself, about herself.

The first thing Kassi did once she'd left the bathhouse, was to return home and pick up her bundle of silks to sell or barter for some better clothes. That should have been a quick errand, but when she reentered the room, the Arc Phone was sitting atop the chest where the silks were stored.

Kassi looked around for anything else out of place, had someone come into her dormitory and moved the device. It's not like there was a lock on the door that she was aware of. But if someone had been in here, why didn't they try to take the device. Everything else seemed to be where she'd left them. Only the Arc Phone had moved.

Reaching out, she tried to touch the phone as little as possible to get it out of her way. As soon as she'd touched it, the screen lit up and a series of notification boxes caught her eye…they matched the ones she'd seen yesterday.

Bloody hell, here we go again. Best just get it over with. She started to read.

New Achievement Towards Goal: Stated Desire for Pokemon Conception - Complete. Reward: Unlock Chance of Human/Pokemon Conception

New Achievement Towards Goal: First Insemination by a Pokemon - (1) Complete. Reward: Current chance of conception set at 0.01%

New Achievement Towards Goal: Introduce Human/Pokemon Copulation to Community - (1) Complete. Reward: Taboo-Index Decreased: Current level of acceptance set at 1%

Special Achievement Complete: Voyeur: Be Seen Copulating with a Pokemon - Reward: Sixth-sense unlocked: Detection awareness.

Special Achievement Complete: A Prick of Barbs - Reward: Increased Damage Resistance from Penile Barbs: 25%

Daily Achievements:

Ride the Lightning - Physically bond with an electric type: (1) Experience Gained: Damage Resistance to Electric Based Attacks increased to 1%

Tap for Sap - Physically bond with a grass type: (2) Experience Gained: Damage Resistance to Grass Based Attacks increased to 2%

Fan the Flame - Physically bond with a fire type: (2) Experience Gained: Damage Resistance to Fire Based Attacks increased to 2%

Splash that Ass - Physically bond with a water type: (2) Experience Gained: Damage Resistance to Water Based Attacks increased to 2%

Insemination by Pokemon - total count 2 - Experience Gained: Chance of Viable Conception Increased to 0.5%

New Pokemon Bonded - total count 4 - Experience Gained: Pokemon Empathy Increased by 4%

As soon as she was done reading, Kassi felt like her entire body caught fire for a brief second. Her skin felt like it was shoved under the broiler and her head felt like it was ripped open, stuffed with a book that was on fire, then shut back closed. She dropped to her knees from the sudden onslaught, the Arc Phone tumbling to the ground beside her. It only lasted for a second, but it had been one second of pure , she could feel them, all the changes that had just overwhelmed her. She felt stronger, she felt her mind expand to be more aware of her surroundings, and worst of all she could feel the burning desire for her Pokemon screaming in her womb.

*GRRR!* Kassi growled, looking to the stupid phone. "You absolute bloody tosser! Why the bloody hell would I want to have Pokemon babies right now?! Don't you know what bedroom talk is? I wasn't being serious!" She tried to pick up the phone to throw it, but when she went to pick it up a small arc of electricity shot out from the device and zapped her. "Ow!" She screamed then and started to storm around her room launching every insult and slur she could think of towards the device.

When she was done hurling insults at a phone, Kassi found herself out of breath and panting from exhaustion. She slumped to the ground next to the now cold fire pit. For the second time today she felt the hot burning in her eyes and tears staining her cheeks.

"I'm so tired of crying. So tired of Arceus deciding to turn my bloody life over to serve its own desires. Fine! I'm done crying. He wants me to try getting pregnant with Pokemon. Fuck him. Mothersbane should exist back in this time. We'll just go find some." She tried her best to gather her resolve and pull herself back together. Checking herself in the mirror and giving her face a splash with the cool water from her drinking jug, she got ready to face the public. As she gathered up the silks, however, she left the Arc Phone lying where it had fallen on the floor.

The warm sun greeted Kassi as she stepped out of her dorm and back into the sunshine. Lucky for her, the house she'd been assigned was directly across the road from the general store, clothing shop, and some building that was marked with just a single word, Pynk.

Vowing to herself that she'd investigate the last one soon, she made her way over to the clothing shop. Anthe, the shop owner, was outside, bent over a table folding some colorful bolts of cloth carefully onto a table out front. She wore the same dark purple kimono and precision crafted hair bun as yesterday. While she worked she hummed a tune to herself, the voice husky but warm.

"Good morning Miss Anthe, I brought those silks for you to look over." Kassi said as she approached. She'd tried and failed to not stare at Anthe's ass as she approached. The woman had a mature figure that showed even through the layers of fabric.

"Oh my! Kassi, you startled me." The older woman jumped a bit with surprise as she turned to face her new customer. "My my! That certainly is a lot of raw silk! I could do so much with that much!" She held out her hands for the bundle, Kassi happily handing it over. They were still very raw and varied in shades from a pure white to a very light pink, but were so soft and smooth to the touch they'd make for excellent silk once spun.

"I'm not really sure what they're worth." Kassi said. It seemed that the coins she was given were still called Pokedollars, but she had no idea what their value was here.

"Well sweetie. I could buy them off you…or we could barter for something." Anthe said, looking her newest customer up and down. Standard issue gear from the Galaxy Expedition Team. She knew from experience that the white cotton Yukata were dreadfully easy to stain and this poor girl wouldn't probably know the proper methods of cleaning the garment if she wasn't from here.

"Barter for what? Exactly? I would prefer to find a different change of clothes if possible. Especially if you've got something that could replace that awful frumpy uniform."

"Ah! Perfect! A woman of style at last! You and I will be fast friends. Come into the shop dear. Let me pour some tea and we'll see about getting you a new outfit. I'm willing to trade you one new outfit and dye those cotton robes of yours for all these silks." She slid open the door to her shop, showing the tatami matted showroom that held racks of pre-made clothing hanging and folded neatly along the walls.

"Deal!" Kassi said, walking happily into the building and over to a wall showing several kimonos in basic patterns on display.

Anthe stepped in and shut the door behind her. The paper screen helped light the showroom, along with the help of well placed mirrors, giving everything a warm pleasant glow. "First Kassi, what color would you like your yukata to be?"

"Uh, if it's just a single color, pink I guess." Kassi said, not giving it too much thought.

"Ah! Such a vibrant color. Yes, that will be easy enough. Please remove your outfit, I'll get it into the dye bath and take your measurements while it soaks."

Kassi shrugged and immediately started to remove her clothing, finding herself in just the sarashi and underwear silk a few seconds later.

"Such a lovely body you have. I'll need the sarashi off too dear, unless you plan to wear it constantly." Anthe let her eyes roll over the young woman. Such curves and yet still on a clearly fit frame, it's not something anyone else in the village possessed.

"Oh! Would it be ok to throw the sarashi in with the rest of the clothes then? Would be so much better than just boring white." Kassi started to remove the thin cloth binding.

"No trouble at all dear. We could work out a…deal, for the added cost of the dye. No worries"

"Sounds…reasonable." Kassi wasn't sure why the woman was being so awkward, but it didn't really matter to her. Anything was better than her modern clothing or the basic outfits she'd been given by the Galaxy Team so far. She let the chest binding fall to the ground and added it to the pile of her clothing. The shop was chilly and she felt her skin break out all over into Swanna flesh.

Anthe scooped up the clothing and took it into the back of her shop where the pungent dye tanks stood. She found the one with the pinkish dye and opened it, getting blasted by the smell of Tauros dung mixed with crushed roses. She tossed the clothing inside, pushing it down below the surface with a color-dedicated stick and quickly replaced the lid. It would take 30 minutes of soaking and just as much drying time to let the color set into the fabric. Beyond that would be drying time for her newest client…she intended to take advantage of the situation if possible. She went to start the tea.

Kassi perused the clothing. Everything was so different from what she was used to so she wasn't sure what would work or what wouldn't. The room was still chilly in the early morning and she found herself rubbing at her skin to try and banish the worst of it away.

"Oh dear! I am so sorry about the chill. Didn't expect a client so early. Here, drink some of this tea, it should warm you up." Anthe had returned and held a cup of tea out to Kassi. It smelled wonderfully fragrant and a solid stream of steam rolled off its surface.

The first few sips did indeed warm Kassi up and she smiled at the older woman. "Thank you Miss Anthe."

"Please dear, just Anthe will do. Now let's get your measurements and then we'll see to an outfit." She pulled out her measuring tape and indicated that she'd like to begin, getting a nod to proceed. The work was fairly automatic for Anthe as she worked along, she carefully wrote down each measurement on a small bit of paper. She did try to enjoy touching such smooth skin and soaked in the sights of Kassi's full figure. This was one of the favorite parts about her job.

Kassi could feel Anthe's eyes rolling over her, and it was hard to ignore the lingering touches and small comments about her body as the older woman worked. All the touching was and attention had started to make her excited and she found herself leaning into some of the touches as Anthe measured her inseam and bust point.

Anthe stopped when her finger hovered above Kassi's breasts. One of them had been pierced with a bar of metal, something she'd only ever heard of. She found herself staring at the strange little balls on either side of the bud of flesh.

"That's fairly new." Kassi saw Anthe was still transfixed by her pierced tit.

"Ah, goodness me. I'm so sorry for staring. Here, lemme go get your clothes out of the dye and out to dry. Be right back." Anthe quickly gave Kassi a bow and hustled away, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment at having been caught. She fished out the clothing, wrung it using a roller, and hung them up to dry trying to take a little bit of extra time to cool her raging emotions.

~'~,~

Anthe could feel her slickness down below and found her hand wondering to rub at her mound through her clothing as she stood and watched the now pink garments dripping slowly. As she did, images of the buxom blonde flooded her mind. It's wrong for women to lust after other women like so, but…she was so beautiful. Her finger rubbed over her hooded pearl through the fabric and Anthe couldn't stop the small moan that escaped her lips.

Kassi had snuck over to the door where Anthe had disappeared. In her haste the woman had failed to shut the screen all the way. She watched as the older woman teased at the front of her Kimono with fingers that had now been dyed a light pink from handling the clothes. Kassi found herself growing more and more excited as her spying continued. Her fingers slid down her body and pushed aside the soft fabric of her underwear wrap, instantly sliding into her sopping slit.

Anthe fished her hand through the front flap of her kimono and had started to rub excitedly at her mound through her undergarment silk. The fabric was soaked and the heady smell of her excitement was pungent enough to find her nose even over the smells of her dye room.

Kassi plunged another finger into her eager pussy, it felt so good as the soreness from her mating with Storm last night mixed with her excitement at peeping on Anthe. Too good, she couldn't stop the moan from escaping her lips as a fingertip found a particularly tender spot in her love tunnel where the penile spikes had dug in.

Anthe heard the moan and snapped back to attention, hand flying out of her kimono and head whipping towards the sound. She heard a thump, then a squeak as Kassi fell backwards. Face burning with embarrassment, she rushed over and threw the sliding door open. The younger woman was sprawled on the ground before her, two fingers buried deep in a mostly smooth slit. Only short blonde hairs sat atop them.

Kassi stared up at Anthe, looking into the woman's eyes. They were a deep black, almost to the point of having a purple tint to them, and they looked both shocked and hungry. Fuck it, let's try.

"Well, don't just stand there gaping. Come have a taste," Kassi said, pulling out her sopping wet fingers and using them to spread herself wide.

Anthe warred with herself in her mind. She'd always had more of an interest in women, but such relationships were taboo back in her homeland. The entire reason she'd started to sell clothing was because it tended to be a way to steal glances at other women while measuring and fitting them. So many times she'd wished for this exact scenario…yet was it ok to indulge?

Kassi could see the woman's conflicted emotions flashing across her face. A mixture of anxiety, lust, and fear. This town must be more close minded than I thought. Let's take the initiative. She got up and reached towards the older woman with her clean hand. Anthe stiffened at her touch, but did not pull away.

"Back where I'm from, this is normal. In fact, I have two girlfriends and have been with several other women." She leaned in close to Anthe's ear and whispered, "let me show you. Here, have a little sample." Kassi reached up and offered the still dripping fingers to Anthe.

Anthe hesitated. She could smell the nectar from Kassi and it was intoxicating. Slowly, she parted her lips and let the wet digits slide in. The taste was salty, yet sweet. Its texture was slick and coated her tongue. Kassi's love juice was so much thinner and nearly odorless compared to Anthe's; she wanted more.

Kassi felt the desire overtake Anthe and the woman melted into her. The passion was high and their lips slammed into each other's. They fell to the ground there in the doorway, on the tatami mats, hands desperately yanking at Anthe's clothes as they tried to get her underdressed together.

Anthe was hungry to experience more. She found herself lost with desperate passion to finally enjoy so many of the fantasies she'd built up over the years. Kassi was tugging at her clothing with wild abandon, she didn't even care when she heard a few stitches pop when there was a particularly strong yank on her chest. Taking the pierced nipple that had fascinated her so much into her mouth felt like a long time dream come true. Her own breasts were too small for her to be able to lick them and the sensation of the metal bead flicking under her tongue was wondrous.

Kassi finally managed to get Anthe out of the top layer of her Kimono and now had her underclothes exposed. Small in the bust, but with a full set of womanly hips, her body was a sight to behold. She wore a tunic style shirt for a top and dark purple silk for her undergarment wrap. The thin bit of silk wasn't able to fully contain the black straight haired bush that now had soaked the garment entirely. Fun.

"Do you know what 69 is?" Kassi asked.

"No. It's just a number, is it not?" Anthe said her mouth made a loud pop and she stopped sucking on Kassi's nipple to answer.

"Nevermind, here." Kassi simply moved. She tugged at her undercloth until it came free, then did the same to Anthe's. She shifted, turning so her rear hovered over the older woman's face.

"Kassi I've never, mmpfh" Anthe's protests were cut off as the blonde pushed her wet flower into her mouth. Anthe breathed in the sweet smell of her womanhood, then carefully started to explore it with her tongue. She got more of the salty sweet nectar and found herself desperate to get more.

Not bad for a first timer. Might even be able to make me cum if she keeps up that enthusiasm. Now, time to return the favor.

Kassi put her face into Anthe's crotch. The older woman had a much heavier smell to her pussy than Kassi was used to. It was thick, and pungent, but rich and exciting at the same time. It reminded her of the girls locker room back in high school, especially on those days after a long practice of some sort. She'd always found the scent enjoyable, and dove in to enjoy her meal.

For the next hour, Kassi and Anthe rolled around the floor of her shop, exploring each other's bodies in various positions. Eventually out of frustration of not having been able to cum while Anthe had climaxed several times, Kassi started to give gentle direction in how to please another woman. Anthe had been an enthusiastic student and after some guidance, had managed to bring the young blonde to two Earthquake level orgasms.

Finally, they collapsed onto the floor next to each other. Both women were panting and coated in sweat. The tight bun that Anthe had kept her hair in was long gone and now Kassi could see that the blonde stripe that covered the top of her head when up, was just a dyed stripe of long hair in the front.

"That…was incredible…Kassi," Anthe said between puffing gasps of air. Her small b-cup breasts bobbing softly with each rise of her chest.

"Mmm…best tailor appointment I've ever been to. That's for sure." Kassi said, fanning her face.

~'~,~

"Ah yes. We need to get you outfitted, don't we. I have just the thing in mind that will flatter your body and offer protection, at least in the fieldlands." Anthe took another few seconds to gather herself, then stepped naked over to the racks of clothing.

Damn, what an ass. Kassi thought as she walked the woman strut around the shop, gathering materials. Anthe's pillowy ass giggled as she walked around the showroom, picking more bolts of cloth and then finally a pair of cloth boots with a solid leather heel. She found a cloth and some water and started to clean herself up.

"Here sugar plum. Try these on. Oh! And let me show you another way to bind your chest. Won't hold them down as tight and might even show off a bit of that amazing cleavage of yours." Anthe said, handing over the new clothes and then proceeding to the promised lesson on chest binding. This way would come lower across the chest, allowing for some skin to show. It was popular with the courtesans and dancers back home both for its utility, as well for its showiness. The only problem was it was the most complex wrap and difficult to remove.

Kassi took the lesson to heart and this time had to be shown several times how to do the wrap. She liked the bit of cleavage it did show, but soon realized it wouldn't be practical for the field work. Then she moved to getting dressed in the new outfit that she'd been given.

The new outfit was a Kimono and trouser combo that was meant to be shorter in the sleeves and leg. They covered about the same amount of skin as a tshirt and trainer shorts back home, but when paired with the split toe cloth boots, her entire legs were covered. The cloth itself was dyed a deep navy blue with accents of a lighter blue along the edges.

Kassi saw why Anthe had taught her the new method for chest binding, this new outfit included extra ties to keep the chest exposed during hot weather and to show off the now colorful sarashi she'd obtained.

"Ah! Wonderful to see this finally put to good use. I had it made especially for Azure, but she had hated it the moment she saw it. Something about the color not being appealing enough. Should serve you well both here and in the field, however." Anthe said, clapping happily as she surveyed her new client.

"Thank you Anthe," Kassi was having a hard time focusing while the clothier was clapping naked, "it's wonderful. Is it sturdy enough to hold up in the field?"

"Should be dear. Now. Lemme pack up your other things for you. Would you," Anthe looked back, hunger still in her eyes, "be interested in staying longer?"

The offer was tempting, very tempting; but Kassi had other items she needed to get before she was forced to leave town.

"Actually, I needed to purchase some herbs and supplies. I'm sorry Anthe, rain check?"

Anthe cocked her head at the strange phrase, but implied its meaning quickly. She smiled, though sadly about not being able to enjoy more of the young woman's company.

"No worries at all, sugar plum. If it's herbs you're needing then it's best you go see Naomi. She runs the village bakery, but also has a good supply of herbs on hand for various uses. Her shop is up by the fields, you can't miss it, there is a large chimney for the ovens." The older woman grabbed the now dry clothing she'd dyed for Kassi, then started to wipe herself down.

"Thank you Anthe, do I owe you anything?"

"Just…keep this a secret between us for now, okay? Don't want something like what just happened to go around town. Okay?" She felt her concern grow. If word got around town that she and Kassi had slept together…

"No worries. Lips are sealed," Kassi leaned in and planted a kiss on Anthe's, "unless they're parting for either pair of yours."

Anthe blushed deeply at that and started to feverishly scrub the smell of sex away.

Kassi slipped out of the shop, enjoying the late morning sun and turned toward the edge of town where a small stream of smoke rose into the air.