Abbernathy and the Cat Kingdom

(23) - Catillian's Finery -

Lanterns hung in each corner of the large store. Hundreds of well-made silks lined the walls and hung from racks. Abby unconsciously scratched at her arms, the trauma of so many well-made itchy dresses creeping up on her and making her frown. Though, she hated to admit, these didn't look quite as horrid. Everything looked smooth and soft and collarless.

It seemed that Aelurians valued comfort above all else and that was something Abby could get behind. A stand to Abby's left held a few pairs of gloves, each with slits in the fingers perfect for  a cat's claws. Hats sat beside the rack, each constructed with a cat in mind, slits in the brims allowing for a pair of pointy ears to stick through. 

Margo perused a rack underneath a sign that had a big, red slash painted across it. "Bargains," she whispered, eyeing the rack with delight. She plucked a collarless tunic from the rack, and noticing the dull grey and white coloring, frowned, shook her head, and hastily put it back.  

Just like with my clothes, Abby thought, remembering the day Margo had become a part of her life. That time had only been a few days ago, right? Goodness, it seemed longer than that. How many steps had she taken between that day and now? Thousands? Hundreds of thousands? Abby's hand grazed a pair of trousers and the feel of soft fabric against her fingers brought her out of her reverie. She noticed a hole in the backside of the trousers, ideal for a cat's tail. 

An older Aelurian woman pushed through a pair of swinging doors to greet them.

"My, my," she said, her voice raspy from age. Her eyes were blue, soft and kind. She smiled and wrinkles formed around her mouth. "Such a rare sight. You're from the Cloude, aren't you dear?"

Margo nodded. "Yes, ma'am," she said, her voice returned to its normal chipper tone. "Here for studies."

The cat-woman nodded, the few bangles wrapped around her ears, jingling. They sounded like bells. "How nice. And with such handsome, young kits."

Lucy beamed. "You have excellent eyesight," he said and the Aelurian smiled.

"I see well enough," she said, resting her hands the smooth stone counter top. Her hands were decorated in rings and bracelets and connective chains. She wore more jewelry than all the women in Abby's lifetime combined. If there had been more light in the room, the Aelurian would have been blinding.

Lucy nodded and plucked a rather luxurious satin cape from off the rack. "Are you the proprietress of this store?"

"Tabitha," she said. "Everyone calls me Tabs," she continued tapping a jeweled finger against the counter. "Feel free to do the same."

Lucy nodded and mouth half open was about to give the Aelurian his name but Margo whooshed by, a tornado of clothes and wire hangers and plopped them onto the counter top.

"We'll take these," she said. The old cat woman nodded and smiled, taking the clothes and folding them gently after reading each of their price tags. They all stood there, silently waiting for the total except for Sebbi. He stood next to a rack of jewelry similar to the ones Tabs wore on almost every inch of her. She must have noticed him eyeing the jewelry because she said, "Those are for the tail, unisex. All the rage right now from Espenn to Eithradall."

Sebbi nodded and plucked deep crimson one off the rack and tossed on to the counter. Margo shot him a sideways look. "We don't need that..."

Sebbi hissed. "Just get it. I'll pay you back later."

Margo shrugged and let Tabs add it into the total. Abby thought the piece was beautiful. Dark black and red stones were threaded together by a crimson ribbon. Each of them caught the light and sparkled. Though, given Sebbi's hatred of ribbons, it was odd that he would want something to put around his tail.