The Dead Forest (Increased Orc activity due to skirmish)

[Hogosha No Juunikyuu]

eek

Juuni blinked as they landed and let herself drop up off John's back, a little giddy from the ride but grinning all the same.

"Cool!" She beamed up at Tomorrow.

4laugh  

[Tomorrow]

He smiled down to the little girl, reaching down to pick her up into his arms, tousling her hair before pointing to the town. "Do you want to go shopping, baby-cakes?"  

[Hogosha No Juunikyuu]

Juuni giggled and batted playfully at John's hands as he fussed her before cocking her head to the side and following his gaze towards the town.

"But Juunish did no bring a lot of money's with her..."  

[Tomorrow]

"Oh, thats what big-brothers are for, baby!" He explained. "I've got plenty of money, and besides, you deserve a treat for being such a cutey." He giggled and rubbed his nose against hers. "I'll buy you anything you want, okay?"  

[Hogosha No Juunikyuu]

Juuni blushed slightly and brushed a piece of stray hair back behind her ear, clasping hold of John's hand tightly and nodding.

"Okies Oniisama" 3nodding  

[Tomorrow]

"Okies." He said, placing her to the ground and keeping a hold on her hand, tiny in his massive grip as he led her into the town and into the marketplace.

theb town was a small one, but it seemed like there was some kind of bizarre on today - the town was filled the merchant stores, selling all kinds of various trinkets from all over Gaia, some like jewels, animals, weapons - all kinds.  

[Hogosha No Juunikyuu]

Juuni kept close to John, clutching at his hand tightly as they wondered through the crowds. Her ears flickered excitedly at all the noise while she sniffed the air and sneezed as they passed a stall selling spices.  

[Tomorrow]

Tomorrow smiled down to her as she sneezed, enjoying the anonimity of the crowd.

He blinked suddenly as a greasy-looking man, sweating profusely from the heat of the crowd, came up to him, seeming to materialise from a store. "Pixies for sale my big friend, speciall bargin, three for 250 gold, still glowing, fresh from the forest"

The man revealed a hand-ful of small jars, the jars sealed with lids with holes poked in them - and each containing a tiny, winged woman, each one glowing mysteriously. The little women beat their tiny fists against the glass of the jars, obviously unable to get out and looking scared trapped within the glass.

Another person, a woman this time, ran up to Juuni, grabbing her tiny hand and holding a small, shiny bracelet to it. "Oh, this would look adoreable on you sweetheart - why not ask your father there to buy it for you, hmmm?"  

[Hogosha No Juunikyuu]

Juuni blinked up at the woman, then look at the necklace then at John before cocking her head and looking at the woman.

"But Juunish Papa isn't here..."

The small neko-jin looked up at John with a confused look on her face as if requesting him to explain what was going on.  

[Tomorrow]

John smiled nervously at the woman. "I'm not her father." He looked down to Juuni. "This lady thinks i'm your papa, sweetpea."

The man with the pixies began to become insistant. "If not pixies, then why not faireis? Special offer, just for men your size, five for 100 gold. It is a bargan, my friend, my rival down the street try to sell the same fairies for 100 a piece, here i am giving you five for the same price!"

The woman besides Juuni smiled at John with a fake grin, obviously not giving a s**t about who the girls father was as she kneels beside her again, holding a different bracelet to her tiny wrist, showing her a small tray of jewelery as she did so. "Do you like pretty jewels, little girl? Tell you what, you ask your big man to buy something and i'll show you some pretty dresses as well, okay?"  

[Hogosha No Juunikyuu]

Juuni blinked at the lady and pulled her hand away from her, pressing herself close to John as her ears flattened against her head and the Neko began to look for a way out.

"Juunish has her own shineys..."

The small girl dug into her pocket and pulled out the pearl from when she and Tomorrow had gone diving for pearls. She showed it briefly to the woman before clasping it tightly in her spare hand.

"Juunish does no need and pretty dresses either..."  

[Tomorrow]

John relented and bought one pixie and one fairy, the two jars fitting easily into his hand as he looked down to see Juuni being harrassed by some old lady.

Picking the girl up he scowled at the woman, who retreated, before John smiled to Juuni, lifting the pink and green pixies and fairy. "Look at these." He said softly, looking into the jars as the little winged women beat their tiny fists against the glass of their jars.  

[Hogosha No Juunikyuu]

Juuni gave a sigh of relief as she was lifted away from the woman before cockin her head to the side and stroking a finger tip up and down the glass jar containin the fairy.

"What do you use them for...? They sure are pretty looking but they look scared..."  

[Tomorrow]

"It's said that if you free them and you die, they can bring you back to life." John said, looking into the jars as he began to walk down the marketplace, becoming lost to the two poachers behind them. "But perhaps, if they're scared, we'll just let them go, yeah?"

Walking to the centre of town, where a large fountain lay, he sat down on the edge of the fountain, placing one of the jars down beside Juuni as he placed her down on the edge too. "We'll release them together, okay?"  

[Hogosha No Juunikyuu]

Juuni nodded and scooted along the fountain edge slightly, holding her tail up so as not to drag it through the water and clasped the jar lid. The pixie seemed to know what was happening and fluttered around the jar hysterically.