Shopping. Shopping used to be a word that filled Celia with some measure of glee. A chance to spend what funds she had managed to save up and get herself something nice. Like a treat for her ego rather than her mouth. But this, going shopping with Haet, was anything but. It was more akin to walking into a market with a bull that could talk, was rich, and was still a bull.
Haet moved in rapid fashion, dragging her along with one claw going from stall to table to stall. Each one he appraised with an almost terrifying amount of intensity. Gauging their quality, price, and actual usefulness with the air of an expert in the art. As if he spent far too much time doing exactly this.
And that honestly reminded Celia of an old - friend was too strong a word - acquaintance of hers named Brittney. Sharp, quick witted, and absolutely addicted to shopping.
Haet seemed to be pulled from similar stripes. Made all the more evident in how all the vendors seemed to recognize him on sight. A few straightening at his approach, while the rest adopted a more dejected stance. Faces falling even further when Haet finally reached them. Grand claw gesturing at all the wares they had on offer while he nudged her just a little closer to get a look herself.
"Good place to begin, yes?" He said, offering her an arachnoid smile.
Celia, unsure if she was making the right decision, offered a hesitant nod.
"I think so?"
And then, without any further ado, Celia bent down, eyeing the products presented before her with as critical an eye she could muster. Measuring the length and girth of the varied swords, spears, and various pieces of armor against one another. Only for her to quickly realize, she had no idea what she was doing.
Like at all.
Celia had never used a weapon before. Much less learned to discern between a good and a bad one. So, not only was she a proverbial fish out of water, but she was also embarrassing herself. And not for her lack of knowledge. But rather by how much her butt now stuck out. She could feel it hovering behind her like a separate entity. One she was pointing at just about everyone south of her.
Which was mortifying, and only made moreso by how little she knew about any of the things she was supposed to be looking at. To the point that - and she was quite certain of this - it made her look like a fool. And that bit of self conscious revelation hit her like a-
Haet sweeped her off her feet. Clawed arm wrapping around her middle as he dragged her away with a huff.
"Not here, wares mediocre." He said, before depositing her at another vendor. "Better goods here."
Celia said nothing. Instead, taking a moment to recover from the whiplash of having been picked up like she was a child. A small child. Which was an entirely new experience for her that she was quite certain she hated and never wished to experience again. Least of which because having her - less than inconsiderable - gut get squeezed was easily one of the most embarrassing things she had ever experienced before. Leaving her cheeks red as she pretended to look at the new set of weapons and apparel on display.
Eventually settling on a sword made of bone and lined with jagged teeth. It was a thin, or at least thinner, thing. Blade no thicker than her arm, curved, and about just as long. The handle a thing of thick dry leather wrapped about a broken hook. There was a hint of hunger to it as well. An imprint left behind by whatever beast, or beasts, it was made from. And it called out to her. The taste wet and familiar on her tongue. Drawing her eyes like fresh meat on the prairie.
Her stomach growled it’s agreement. Hand reaching for the blade for closer inspection almost without thought. The way it felt in her hands. How it screamed in ever hungering union with her, it felt right.
"This one."
"No. Cheap, bad. Salesman trick little one. Deceives with false quality."
"It is no deception." The 'salesman' in question said. Serpentine body rising from his seat. "All my goods are good. And I deceive none. Simply sell wares for more… discerning eyes. Or eye."
"Lie. You sell shield that broke on first expedition. Goods not decent. Quality bad, middling at best."
"Shield was not for you. Was for one who resonated. You resonate with nothing but claws. Claws not fit for weapon true. Carapace not fit for armor true."
Haet leaned forward at that. Bringing his immense size to bear, shadow falling over the salesman as he stared him down.
He laughed.
"Have point. Have point. Hm. We buy, but we see if quality ring true. If not rumors spread, maybe?"
"Hmph. Meat feed now, threats later." The serpentine merchant said, stretching out a thin hand.
And Haet stretched out a claw in turn, depositing a few chunks of meat into the serpents hand. Chunks of meat that smelled better than anything Celia had ever smelled before. Senses sharpening, single eye dilating. Her every nerve screaming at her, Food. And it took a disconcerting amount of will on her part to not jump at it.
Even still, her body reacted in other ways. The metal that had infested her maw spreading out. Coating the skin of her face, sharpening it, hardening it. Heightening all her senses and giving her a distractingly clear idea of where exactly the merchant put the meat away at. Almost like she could see it through the stone slab of a table that separated them. And what she saw left her tempted. Stomach begging her to give into her instincts and pounce. To do anything and everything within her power to get even a little nibble.
A suggestion she resisted, albeit poorly. Drooling as she looked away.
Sadly, without any level of discretion.
"Okay, maybe friend? You are… drooling." Haet pointed out, a concerned eye turned her way.
And Celia swallowed. Wiping her mouth as she turned to face him, and wrestled control of herself once again.
"Thank you, but I’m fine. Just, uh…"
"More shopping?"
"Yeah, that." She agreed, only to mentally remind herself of who she was dealing with a second after and regretting it. But it was too late, Haet already had a claw over her shoulder and was pulling her along to the next venue. Wildly gesticulating at a piece of equipment that Celia had no idea what it even was.
A pattern that repeated itself several times over the course of the next few hours. Before they eventually finished. Leaving Celia equipped with her new sword -which she swore was whispering to her - a few pieces of armor made from bone, and a throwing net covered in crisscrossing symbols she couldn’t make heads or tails of.
And then, the next thing she knew, she was being walked over to the giant dragon half corpse Haet had arrived in.
And was only a few feet away when her senses came back to her. Prompting her to turn around and come to a complete stop as she stared up at the giant arachnoid.
"Haet?"
"Hm?"
"Uh, I didn’t agree to go hunting with you. You know that, right? And while it’s nice that you got me all this stuff, I still don’t think I’m ready to go with you yet." She said, in as gentle a voice as possible. Silently awed at how strange her life had become where she found herself needing to gently tell a giant scorpionoid monster no.
And it had barely been even a week since her biggest worry had been being late to work too many times in a row.
Regardless, Haet took the rejection better than she expected. In the sense that he didn’t immediately turn to violence, that is. What he did instead though, was only slightly better.
He hit with puppy eyes.
"But Haet buy? Haet pay? Look nice and strong for hunt, yes?"
Celia looked down at the pieces of thick bone woven together hanging off her hip. Judged it by what was left of her fashion sense, and reluctantly admitted to herself that she could actually see herself rocking a set of bone armor. If anything it highlighted her figure in a rather complimenting way. Really sold the idea of her being a big lady predator, which she wasn’t really sure how to feel about. Especially considering that if she was back home, all of her clothes would need to be drastically resized. Her most of all, as she wasn’t sure she even owned a pair that would get past her thighs now. So if she was home this bone armor would probably be better than noth-
Celia pinched her nose with a frown at the realization of how easily sidetracked she’d gotten.
"Yes. Thank you for that Haet. But I’m willing to give you this stuff back. I’m more of a solo hunter, y'know? Way less to share that way." She said, only feeling somewhat guilty about how honest the statement was.
"Haet understand. Haet also bribe. Pay in food, give company, give skill?"
"… How much food?"
He smiled. Claw at her back as he led Celia over to the dragon. Both of them stepping into its hollowed out head as he gestured toward a pile of meat within its, as it were, hollowed out insides. A pile of meat that was taller than she was, taller than even Haet was. And it wasn’t the only pile within.
Secondary to the immense amount of food on display - which practically made Celia’s willpower all but evaporate - was another familiar face.
A very tiny familiar face.