Out Shopping

                            By:

                         Fox Cutter

12/16/98:

Much to my greater surprise, I had in recent days learned
that the city around the Marble Hall actually had a name,
past just that description. Corbin was the official name,
and it was as old as the Hall itself, that is to say, as old
as Prid.

To which Oria and I where out in currently shopping.
Exploring one of the large, open-air markets that was Prid's
answer to the strip mall.

To best describe the market, think of a square mile of a
city, with about a dozen blocks inside of it. Each one paved
in hand-laid stone, some with very intricate designees, made
for solely pedestrian traffic.

Along each street was a series of shops, some large, some
small, some just booths set up in a corner. Each one had a
large open storefront that let in the light, and the
customers. A few of the smaller stores were completely open,
and some of the stall spaces had been left empty, and
cultivated to make little parks all over the market.

There we're so many shops that you couldn't visit them all
in a comfortable day's walk, but it was great for window
shopping.

So many spices were present that I couldn't count them all.
People keep moving, and passing along. It didn't appere to
be crowded, although it really was. There was plenty of room
to move around either by foot, or cart, or how ever else you
could.

"What do you think of this one?" Oria asked, breaking me
from my mussing about the population passing just a few feet
away on the street. Turning around to face her, a smile
crossed my face as soon as I saw how she was dressed.

She was in a fully length, ruby blue, evening gown that
seemed to hug along her hips and chest, the front was
partial open, showing off her pregnancy without actually
revealing to much. Which was the desired effect, considering
we we're in a maternity shop which catered to people who had
options on pregnancy like Oria's world did. That being to
flaunt it.

Damn if it didn't work well, she looked amazinly sexey in
the dress. The slight breze that always filled the market
was sending a slight ripple though the fabric, which only
added to the effect.

"Best of the lot," I answered, pushing off the post I had
been leaning against, and taking three quick steps to close
the distance between us. "I think it looks terrific on you,
buy this, none of the others, just this one."

She smiled, blushing just a bit in her ears. Her tail was
swishing slowly behind her, though the tail tuft was rapidly
snapping back and fourth. Pulling me forward, she gave me a
quick peck on the cheek. "Then I'll be right back," she told
me, before slipping back to the changing room.

I sighed happily, and leaned back against the post, watching
her tail swish as she walked away. It felt good to be in
love with her. I was so happy that we had got everything
worked out and finally got together. It was just so much
nicer to be in love with her then just with her.

I stayed there, a grin plastered over my face for about five
minutes, until Oria returned. She had put back on her normal
clothing, a pair of shorts, the tops rolled down a bit, and
a tee shirt rolled up, showing off all her belly.

She made a quick stop at the cashier to paid for the dress.
The market would have it delivered to the house, along with
the rest of the stuff we had bought today. It was a service
they provided free of charge, and every merchant
perticipated in. It allowed you to shop all day with no
worry about lugging stuff around.

"Where to now?" I asked as we stepped out of the store and
back into the market. The sun was shining down on us through
a very clear sky, but the temperature was only about seventy
degrees. Which it always was here, the weather control
network insured that, so no one ever got rained on while
shopping.

"We've been to all of the maternity stores I like," Oria
said as we walked. One of her arms draped over my shoulders,
her paw against my neck, petting it gently. "We still need a
crib for Romana, so I think we should look for that next.

I laughed, reaching back and tweaking the base of her tail.
"Why don't we get something to eat first. We've been here
over four hours, and I'm starting to get hungry."

She smiled, "Now that you mention it, I could use some food
myself. There's a nice restaurant down the road, maybe we
should go there." She paused, chewing her lip slightly. "And
also now that you mention it, I need to go to the bathroom."
As she said his, she was unwrapping her arm from my shoulder
and already heading off to the closest restroom, which was
just across the street.

"You two have always impressed me," a new voice said from
just behind my ear. I jumped, spinning around on one foot to
address whoever it was.

Standing a few feet behind me, leaning up against her staff,
was Romana. She was dressed in some causal, yet still a bit
tight clothing, that was just a few shades darker in color
then her fur.

I gave her a wary smile. "What brings you to this time?" I
asked my soon to be born daughter.

She laughed softly, her tail twisting around the base of her
staff as her ears twitched. "A social visit."

I crossed my arms, giving her my best stern look. "You
wouldn't come back just for that," I stated.

She laughed again, a bit harder this time. "You need to work
on that face, it makes you look about as stubborn as
pudding."

With a short sigh, I rolled my eyes, but was still smiling.
"So what exactly are you here for?" I asked again.

"Just to talk," she insisted, "I have no secret message, no
dire prophecy, or any special advice. I'm just her to talk
to Oriana for a while, so you can take care of some things."
She waved one paw in a slight circle as she spoke the last
part.

Oh, that explained it, she had been sent back to distract
Oria for me. This would be great, if I needed it, but I
didn't. Somehow though I suspect that in a very short time I
would be needing it, which didn't sit well with me.

"Fox," Oria said, now back at my side. "Is this Romana?" her
voice was kind of quite as she pointed to the other lioness.

"Yes," I answered, nodding my head, "this is Romana."

Oriana's face broke into a wide smile, her ears perking up
strait and high, her tail starting to swish so much that it
seemed like it should tie itself in a knot. "I've never had
the chance to thank you for saving Fox's life," she said,
sounding very excited.

Romana blushed deeply, bowing her head, her muzzle almost
touch her chest, but she still had on a large smile. "It was
the least I could do. I've heard so much about him, I had to
do something. I'm glad I found him at just the right time."

Oria nodded, not even suspecting that she was addressing her
own daughter. Information, which I had reluctantly, keep
from her, but I knew that I had no choice in the matter.
Time paradoxes suck.

"So what brings you back to this time?" I asked, faking a
smile, my eyes searching the passing crowds from whatever
bad thing I was sure was about to happen.

She returned my smiled, but her's was real. "Oh, I was sent
to pick up a certain item from this time. I already gotten
it taken care of, so I thought I would stop in and see how
you are doing."

Oria looked extremely surprised, her ears going up even
straighter, if that was passable. "You mean, there's no bad
news? No one is attacking us, or trying to kill us?"

"No," she said with a wide smile.

"That's a present surprise," Oria said, relaxing slightly.
"If you have some time, you're invite to come to lunch with
us."

Romana shook her head. "I would want to impose," she said,
though the way her tail was moving I knew that this was a
lie. She wanted to spend some time with us.

"Oh, come on," I said, grinning slightly. "I want to grill
you how the stock market will do over the next few years."

She laughed softly, pulling her staff close to her body,
from which position it vanished into the air. "So be it,
you've convinced me. I'll have lunch with you two, but I'm
not going to give away anything," she said this last part to
me, still with a smile.

"Ok then," I said, rubbing the back of my neck. "Why don't
the pair of you go on head and get settle. I want to take
care of some stuff first."

"Like what?" Oria asked, putting her paws on her hips, and
striking a defiant pose. I think she suspected I was trying
to duck out of talking to Romana. Which wasn't true, I just
wanted to find out why I had to be away from her for a
while.

"You'll find out later," I answered, kissing her on the top
of one ear. "I'll catch up with you in a few minutes."

Oria looked concerned, but I guess she decided to take me at
my word for right now. "Be quick about it Fox," she told me,
kissing my back on my nose before she and Romana started
towards the restaurant.

I sighed, watching them go, mother and daughter, side by
side. Romana was nervous, the tuff of her tail frizzed out,
though it didn't show on the rest of her. Of course, if I
went back in time to have a talk over dinner with my
parents, I would be nervous as well.

Taking a deep breath, I started walking towards the closest
of the little parks, indending to wait out whatever was
going to happen. I got about two thirds of the way there
when I felt a hand drop on my shoulder.

Gulping, I turned my head to see who it was that had stopped
me. A large white tiger, dressed casually, greeted me, but
still he had the stiffness of a bodyguard of some sort.

"Mister Cutter," he stated.

I nodded slowly.

"Your presence is requested inside," he told me, pointing
with his free paw inside of an open clothing shop.

"Ok," I answered with a slight sigh. "Who should I go talk
to inside?"

"He's the only other human inside the store," he answered,
letting go of my arm.

I shrugged, to say the least, this was not what I had
expected. Casually I walked though the store, looking at the
racks and bolts of fabric, sometimes my eye catching the
play of the sunlight off the highlights.

All the way in the back I found him, looking over a bin of a
silk like fabric and finishing off a snow cone. He was in
about sixty I think, a few streaks of black in his mostly
gray hair. Dressed streat clothing and wearing a pair of
sunglasses, he didn't look out of place from anyone else in
the market.

"Excuse me," I said.

He smiled to me, looking over the top of his glasses as he
pulled up a large swath of green fabric. "Hello Mister
Cutter, it's a pleasure to meet you in such an informal
fashion."

"All yours I presume," I answered, I did not know who this
man was. Maybe it was this Cain Elena had warned me about.

"Don't worry to much," he told me, replacing the fabric in
the bin. "People don't recognize me very often. I run the
company your wife to be works for."

I blinked. Company Oria worked for? She didn't have a job,
at least not one that I was aware of. She had been talking
about getting one, but hadn't even gone out looking yet.
Then it hit me, he was one of the Guild Elders. It was a
surprise to see him in person, let alone have him call me
instead of Oriana.

"You wanted to talk to me, so what do you want to talk
about?" I asked, felling somewhat nervous.

"Many things," he answered, pulling a smaller swath of a
light red fabric from the bin. He held it up to the light
to examine it as he spoke. "Many months back Miss Shripon
requested that the company keep a watch out for a second
copy of you. A rather evil one if memory serves."

Oh yes, that. I had mostly forgotten about what little Fox
had told us about the evil version of me. When the Guild
seemed to have found nothing on him, I assumed it was
because he wasn't around, or dead. "What have you found
out?" I asked.

"Not as much as we would like," he answered, folding the
cloth up and hanging it over his arm. "We know that he's
killed at least two of my employees, and taken out three of
our targets. He slips though shadows in many ways, just at
the edge of the know multi-verse."

"So your pretty much at a dead end with him," I asked,
walking beside him as he started towards the front counter.

"Not as such," he answered, "but we're finding that
information on him is hard to come by. We will attempt to
keep watch on what is going on, but he is a very tricky man
to follow."

I nodded. "Thanks for the information then."

He smiled. "My pleasure," he had a very wide and friendly
smile. If I hadn't already know it, I would never suspect
that he helped run the Assassins Guild. He paid for his
purchase with cash, a rare thing to see on Prid, and started
back for the street.

"One more thing," I said, walking beside him. "Any idea who
paid Marn to put Oriana in the Guild?"

"The man who did that is even more of a shadow then your
dark self is," he answered, frowning, his eyes glancing over
the street. The tiger was already beside us, standing just a
few feet away.

"Well, if you find him, tell me. I want to ring his neck
personally."

He smiled again, nodding his head. "I'll hold him down for
you. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get back to my wife
and son."

I blinked, surprised again. Watching him as he walked away,
towards a young human women, and a boy about ten years old.
I never though of someone like him as having a son.

Then again, I suspect that will be something people will say
about me in ten years.

Breaking into a wide smile, I started back down the street.
Heading to a nice long lunch with my fiancee, and my yet to
be born daughter. It should prove to be an interesting meal.

-----

This story is (c) 1999 by Fox Cutter, hardcopy reprints
limited to one a person, all other rights reserved. This
story may not be distributed for a fee except by permission
of the author, and this copyright notice may not be removed.