The golden eyes of the Malachite Hunter narrowed as they compared the address on this building's nameplate to the memory of the one on the ticket. The destinations matched, unfortunately. What kind of reward would be found in a destination as shabby looking as this? The Hunter felt it was within its rights to be a little suspicious, and gave the building another long, hard look. Since the old brick structure neither confessed its secrets nor gave any indication of being a hideout for thieves and scoundrels, the Hunter was forced to resort to other methods. "Mistress, we're here," it rumbled and the lump on its stone back stirred.
A Hunter's back, being made of stone and rather hard, was an unforgiving and decidedly uncomfortable place to sleep. Whoever the human companion of the Hunter was didn't seem to notice, and instead appeared quite comfortable as they poked their head out of the blankets. The female human made a serious of muttered sounds and the Hunter by some miracle must have understood, because it moved forward while the human settled back into sleep. The female remained comatose and oblivious while the Hunter dealt with the shopkeeper and barely fit itself through the door of the tiny room with the trap door. The great beast waited for the shopkeeper to make it to the bottom and clear out of the way before ignoring the ladder entirely and descending in one great leap to the basement room.
The lights flicker on and the stone cat is stunned for a moment by this room's vast size and the onslaught of noise on its sensitive ears. Wishing to be out of here as soon as possible, it tries a second time to rouse the human on its back. The Hunter is rewarded with a loud groan and a muffled plea for the noise to stop. "Feeling any better?" the cat inquires politely. Without receiving a response it continues, "You would have been better by now if you had gone to see a doctor when you first got sick. You really must get over this ridiculous dislike of such things, or your health will suffer for it." Banded green stone flashes in the weak artificial lighting as the Hunter crouches down so its belly touches the floor. "Now, you need to get up for a bit. Go find someone to take home with us, and I promise you can go back to sleep and we'll go home."
When it is clear the Hunter will keep pestering until its orders are obeyed, the human half-slides, half-falls off and huddles in a pile of blankets at its side. Humor with a tinge of sympathy in golden eyes, the Malachite Hunter nudges the human female with a cold stone nose and the human obediently rises, leaning against the Hunter's side for support. Glazed, bloodshot eyes gaze with little interest from a fever-flushed face at the surrounding cages. The Hunter clears its throat meaningfully and the female throws it a very dirty look before unsteadily moving around the room's perimeter. Very quickly a suitable match is found - a
Squeaker is their first purchase. The female totes it around like a beloved plush toy and the little animal seems grateful enough to be let out of its cage to allow her. She pauses in front of another cage, letting out a few sniffles as she considers. Yes, Murcielago will appreciate a female
Merkuhna as a mate. The kuhna is released by the shopkeeper and waits by the Hunter's side for the human to finish, tails waving merrily. When the human starts to droop and give the occasional sneeze, the Hunter indicates to the shopkeeper that they are done for the day. It turns back to collect its charge and her purchases, but stops short out of momentary shock. The Hunter sighs, and knows somehow that this will end up being its fault. "One
Obsidian Hunter also, sir."