Narsa sighed and smiled at the two humans. They were sweet... she wondered if they were intelligent enough to feel love. From the looks of it, they were. She turned to Lynoss. "May I see the male?"

"Can we go?" Culpus demanded, "this is boring!"

"Go find mother," Narsa said.

"But...!"

"Go. Find. Mother."

Culpus went.

Lynoss nodded slowly, and walked over to pick the male up. "No, I can do it..." Narsa said, and gently reached for the male. To her surprise, he growled, glaring at her, and shifted the female closer to himself. After getting over the slight shock of a creature that small trying to threaten her, she smiled and crooned to him, petting his back. He shook his head and buried in the female's fur.

---

"Shhhh, Numair, calm down..." Daine murmured, stroking his shoulder. "That big one won't hurt you, it was gentle with me... shhhh..."

He jerked his head up. "I don't care about me," he hissed, gazing in her eyes. "You're the one who was -" he didn't finish the statement, but told her without words by gently, very, very gently, letting his fingers wander over the aching bruise on her side.

Daine smiled. "Yeah, but it's you it wants to pick up..." Daine nodded to the very large finger of the rat that was petting Numair's back.

He just gave her a soft, slightly pained look. You're hurt; I don't want to leave your side, his eyes said. She hugged him.

"Go on, it's all right, Numair... besides, if it doesn't like you, and likes me, then it may not buy you..." These words, while meant to comfort, seemed to have the opposite effect. Numair's face drained of color. Daine realized what she said, and she went white as well. "You don't think that'll happen, do you...?" She asked, horrified at what she said without thinking, and realizing the logic to it. They were pets... She remember something Zek the marmoset told her, suddenly... that he lived with his mate and three children, and then once they were trapped...

She clung to Numair. "No," she whispered, "no, it won't happen - I won't let it."

"Neither," Numair said, just as fiercely, "will I."

The rat's fingers squeezed between them, and managed to pry them apart. Both tried to get back to the other - there was a flash of black fire as Numair tried to shoot a spell, but nothing happened. The creature picked him up.

---

Both of them were squeaking like mad, and Narsa tried to calm the male. "Quiet," she soothed, "quiet, quiet."

At the sound of her voice, he did stop squeaking, only to turn and look her in the eyes. They gazed at each other, and Narsa realized that his eyes were glazed with fear. She stroked him, trying to calm him, but he shook his head. To her surprise, he waved his arms down at the cage with his mate in it, and she understood. She looked over, and found his mate pressed up against the glass, big blue eyes watching Narsa as well as her mate.

"Whoever said you're stupid is a moron," she said, "you want your mate, don't you?" he obviously didn't understand, but he was giving her a look she couldn't read. Suddenly she threw all caution to the wind.

Forget about what Mother says, she thought, I'm buying them. Both of them, with my allowance. She fished in her pocket, and came up with forty Vias. As she fished, the male wobbled unsteadily on her other hand.

"How much are they?" Narsa asked.

---

Daine was worried.

The larger rat, the one holding Numair, had fished around in its pocket. It had brought up three star-shaped things, that looked like coins. Nervously, she looked over at Numair, who was peering over the creature's thumb. They exchanged glances, and Numair seemed to read her fear off her eyes, for his own eyes rounded, and he looked at the creature.

Shifting her weight, she looked up at the great creature as well.

---

"They?" Lynoss was confused. "Both of them, together?" He wouldn't get his hopes up. He wanted to keep the humans together, and if this girl... young woman, really, she was very close to his age... anyway, if she would buy both of them...

That would just be too good to be true. He decided to encourage her.

"Twenty Vias each, but a discount if you buy the two of them... both of them for thirty."

The girl grinned. "How much for the cages?"

"If you'll buy both of them, I'll throw in the cages for free," Lynoss said urgently. "I really want to keep them together, you see," he told her softly, "it would be...cruel to separate them."

The girl nodded. "I know. I'm going to buy both, here - thirty -"

"NARSA!" A woman, clothed in thick, heavy furs walked into the store. "What are you doing? Have you gotten your father's or my permission to buy that... that creature?"

Lynoss nearly bit his lip in worry for his humans.

"No," Narsa said, petting the male, "but I was planning to take care of them by myself!"

"You didn't take care of your last pet, young lady."

"I WAS FIVE!"

"Very well. What were you planning on buying?"

"These humans," she said, showing her mother the male. He wavered unsteadily on her moving hand, and looked back to the cage with his mate in it. Lynoss saw his mate give him what looked almost like an encouraging smile.

"Both of them?"

"Ye-es..." she elongated the word nervously.

"No. You are only allowed to get one of them."

"One! But - "

"Now, young lady. Choose one."

Lynoss decided to intervene. "Um, excuse me, ma'am, but these creatures are highly social. It would be a bad idea to get only one..."

The girl's mother huffed. "Narsa must then learn to care for only one. The one she chooses can be 'social' with her."

Lynoss decided that he didn't like this woman. "But -"

Her glare shut him up, and Lynoss watched sadly as Narsa placed the male back in the cage, and lifted the female. She purchased a cage, some food, some toys and extra fur for her new human, and walked out of the store with her new pet.

The male gave an anguished cry.