She tapped one claw against it with interest.
“Yeah, it is pretty handy to have,” Terri replied, watchful as an expression of desire swept over the other female’s face. “Worth the buttload of pain, but only one of a kind.”
“A pity,” Navesha rasped quietly. Eyes lifting to Terri’s face, her lips quirked. “Do not look so frightened, human. I have no interest in murdering you for your toy. I am self-serving but not petty.”
With a firm pat on Terri’s arm, the Argurma turned away to duck into a shop on their left. Terri blew out a relieved breath as she hurried through the doorway after her before she risked getting swept up in the surging crowd once more.
The cooler air inside of the shop was shocking at first after being outside in the intense heat, but it didn’t take more than a second for it become wonderfully soothing. If not for the skin protection cream that Veral had provided for her upon their arrival, she was certain she would be sporting vivid sunburns. The intense heat and heavier gravity were both things that she still struggled to adapt to. Half the struggle walking through the market was how much more effort it took just to walk a short distance. Even worse when trying to walk fast. The cool interior, however, was worth the exertion even if she had to wait for her eyes to adjust to dimmer lighting.
Once Terri’s eyes adjusted, she was pleased to find it filled with all manner of plants. They filled every inch of the shop with narrow paths carved out going different directions among the rows. Terri bit her lip as she looked for some sign of a pick-up station that were usually conveniently placed in shops within the space stations so that travelers could quickly pick up supplies. That did not seem to be case here.
Terri picked a direction and began to follow it deeper into the shop. Deeper within the vast space, she could hear a trickle of water, but she was completely fixated on the sectioned interior filled with all manner of plants of various sizes, structures, colors, and textures. A vine with bell-shaped mauve leaves trembled lightly around the decorative poles upon which it climbed. Beside it was a tall standing plant with enormous, frilled turquoise leaves that looked softer than feathers. Ruby flowers with many tiny petals bloomed in a long, spiked cluster from the center of the plant. There were orange plants, familiar and unfamiliar shades of green, yellow, and blood red, even some plants that appeared to be a flat gray.
She frowned at that one. She had never seen a gray plant before.
A willowy emerald green alien who appeared astonishingly delicate for the harsh planet giggled from where she stood just off to the side with a watering can.
“You cannot see it, can you?” the alien trilled softly. Terri didn’t bother answering since the alien bobbed her head without waiting for a reply. “Yes, yes. I know that look well. Very few species are able to see enough of the color spectrum to see the colors of the Abrinax Cenfola, the heart of dawn flower. Shame. You would not be able to see the dulcet hues of the sunsets on my world for which this flower is named.”
The female hummed to herself in a high, buzzing pitch as she watered the plant. Terri eyed the plant skeptically. She had never imagined that there would be something so simple as the color of a plant that she would be unable to see. Curious, she stretched out a hand to touch one of the long, heart-shaped leaves only to have her hand caught by thin fingers tipped with delicate thorn-shaped claws.
“Careful. The sap of the Abrinax causes a terrible reaction for many species with delicate skin.” She released Terri’s hand and patted it soothingly. “A shame you do not have an exoskeleton like my people do.” She sighed as she gestured at her skinny green body. “Worse, you appear more delicate than most. Best to leave it alone.”
“I see,” Terri murmured, uncertain if she should take offense at being referred to once again in some variation of delicate and weak.
She scowled slightly at the implication, but the alien beside her didn’t seem to note it. Or perhaps she didn’t register Terri’s facial expression as she had a perfectly smooth forehead with the luster not unlike a beetle. On closer examination, tiny joints in the exoskeleton became more visible, creating a peculiar segmentation to her long, thin limbs that should have been stranger to her than it was considering that it was her first time meeting a species with an exoskeleton. Instead, despite the alien’s words about Terri’s delicacy, it just enhanced the other female’s appearance of fragility, one she knew was deceptive given the strength of an exoskeleton.
The lithe alien tipped her head to the side in an insectoid fashion, almond-shaped eyes staring unblinkingly at her. “You see? Do you really? Odd, I did not think you could see it.”
“No. I mean that I understand. I will be sure not to touch it,” Terri amended. The alien bobbed her head again, and Terri glanced around helplessly. “Actually, I am just looking for my Argurma companion I followed in…”
“A female?”
“Yes…”
The alien’s pupils moved as her eyes seemed to complete rotate in their sockets at an odd angle. It was more than little creepy. “Over there around that bend. She is speaking with my sire at the counter.” A minuscule flexible joint in the exoskeleton on the bridge of her nose lifted to give the impression of a nose wrinkling in distaste. “A regular client who never ceases to complain how humid we keep the air. Truly unpleasant. We explain to her again and again that Ragirsi cannot survive in that dry heat out there, or even spend prolonged time at the front. Customers must always come in, but this just displeases her more. This is your friend?”
Terri grimaced at the censure in her tone. Why didn’t it surprise her that Navesha, even as regular client, wasn’t on friendly terms with the merchants?
“More like a relative,” she answered.
She would have a difficult time of claiming Navesha as a friend. She was Veral’s cousin and one who had promised her aid upon their arrival. That was good enough for Terri to accept the female’s presence, but she couldn’t deny that the female could be unpleasant at times with her cutting comments and observations. She was belligerent, but at least she was an ally, which made her a bit easier to tolerate.
The Ragirsi beside her sighed. “Oh, yes. Woe to the fates that we cannot choose our family. My sire is gathering her order, so you will have no trouble catching up to your kin.”
“Thank you,” Terri replied as she hurried off in along the path the female indicated.
Walking along the twisting path between rows of potted plants, Terri finally stepped out in a small alcove that was dominated by a large counter. A very tall green male made an impatient clicking sound as he slid a sealed UV protected bag across the counter to Navesha. The female had her hands braced against the countertop and was leaning her weight on them as she spoke quietly. Not for the first time, Terri wished she had the sort of enhanced hearing that her mate had. Whatever Navesha said seemed to make the male increasingly agitated but he handed over a clear packet with two capsules in it which the female tucked into a pocket with a small smile.
“You have finally arrived,” Navesha greeted her as she scooped up the package. “I thought I would need to search for you once more. I am pleased to see that is not the case.” She inclined her head toward the merchant. “I will be certain to report on today’s service to Featha. I am certain she will reward your shop with future purchases for her little garden, despite its inadequacies. I am not pleased to have to wade through this wet pit only to find a partial order ready.”
The male bobbed his head, the tiny joints along his jaw tightening. “The rarer plants take time to acquire, even more so those that will survive Argurumal. Your courtyards are set up with barrier technology, which helps, but her requests take time to fill.”
Navesha lifted a hand and tapped on her comm device on her forearm. “I shall relay those exact words and let her decide how to proceed. I have transferred the credits for the dantha olara and the capsules. Perhaps you will remain in her favor to see more credits in the near future,” she said with a hard smile.
Tucking the package under one arm, she peered down at Terri with a frown.
“You are leaking water.”