Jared praised her, and Talia couldn't be happier. He rarely showed affection to anyone, and she cherished each and every time he displayed it for her. She nodded and scooped up as many of the bags as she can carry. Talia and Jared went deeper down the alley until they came out the other side. Already, some of the people gossiped about the fire at the docks.

She always enjoyed coming into town. There were always things to see and stuff to do. "Oooh, those breads smell good!" Talia commented. But she wasn't going to let herself be distracted from visiting her favorite store owner. Sometimes, when she was out in town, Mrs. Jeriston would allow Talia to come inside and loiter, playing with the safer animals on display. When they got to the store, Mrs. Jeriston greeted them jovially.

"Why, if it isn't my favorite window shoppers! What brings you two turtle doves into my shop today. Got some feed, I see." Talia nodded enthusiastically as she placed the food by the counter. "I got some new friends today, Mrs. Jeriston. We came to buy toys." "Is that so? Well, what kind of friends do you have, Taliana?" "A kitty, three puppies and a butterfly!"

Jared picked up the rest of the feed and walked by his little sister's side.He could hear the gossip pour into his ears but ignored it. Still, he was wary. They weren't seen but he never wanted to be caught off guard. Talia mentioned how the bread smelled good but they focused on getting to the shop. The shop was medium sized and filled to the brim with supplies and pets. There was a back room with a kitchen and an upstairs where the woman slept. The shop was part home, part work. The majority of the downstairs part was the shop. As they entered, Mrs.Jeriston greeted them. Talia enthusiastically explained why they were here and what the friends were. 

"I see." Mrs Jeriston said with a pause, "For the butterfly I can only recommend one of my butterfly habitats. Its a glass container with a branch and a nectar feeder." 

"Maybe something a little more fireproof for that one Mrs. Jeriston." Jared lightly suggested. 

The shopkeeper's face looked confused for a moment until she realized that it was an elemental creature. Jared wasn't too concerned about the shopkeeper going out and telling people about that. The lady didn't know about their thievery and even if she did, he knew she wouldn't tell on them. The shopkeeper reached up and found a glass container with a metal branch and fireproof habitat. 

"This should work then!" The woman said putting the buterfly habitat on the counter, "Now for that cat and the doggies." 

The woman found some toys for the cat first. She had chosen a string with a fake mouse attached, a bowl to feed it in, and a collar in case it got lost. For the doggies, she grabbed three collars, each of a different color. The shopkeeper grabbed three dog bowls and three leashes along with plenty of dog toys. Placing it all on the counter, she began to count up the price of each. 

"That'll be 50 silver." 

The price was a bit higher than he would of liked but he knew that the items he was buying would last long. Jared paid for the toys and items then looked over to Talia to see if she was excited to have all this new stuff. The shopkeeper put the items in a cheap bag and handed it over to them. He took the bag, along with the bags of feed and nodded his thanks to the shopkeeper. 

"Time to go home Talia." He said, "We've got everything we need for your friends. So, what are you going to name them?" 

He began to head for the door of the shop and to get back home. 

Talia watched as Mrs. Jeriston gathered the required items. ”Ooooh!” she marveled at the metallic butterfly habitat as the woman set it on the counter. Her eyes followed the beautiful silver branch, the realistic appearance, complete with a few leaves. It was perfect for her new friend! The shopkeeper kept adding more items on the counter. With each toy, the child picked it up and examined it with approval. Three sets of everything seemed a bit excessive for just one puppy… But it did have three heads…

She eagerly bounced between the balls of her feet as she watched Jared hand over the requested payment. ”Thank you, Mrs. Jeriston! And if you need a helper, I will work for pet food too!” Mrs. Jeriston smiled down at Talia. “What a lovely offer. I might just take you up on that, Talia. Oh, before you go…” The shopkeeper licked her thumb and began wiping away at the soot on the girl’s nose. “There, much better. I bet your fluttery friend kissed your nose.” With a wave, Talia picked up the rest of the food and caught up with Jared.

”I don’t know yet. I haven’t really thought about that. Jared, did I really have soot on my nose?” She began bouncing name ideas off of Jared as they walked home, listing close to a hundred. ”So, I have Bob, Frank, and Joe for the puppy heads, Lily for the kitty… But what about the butterfly?” Those four names were easier to come up with than something for the elemental. When she got home, she began unpacking the bag. The bowls were placed on the floor along the wall where they would be out of the way. ”Jared, they need one for water. Do we have a big bowl?” Talia asked as she grabbed the habitat to take upstairs.

The door was carefully opened, so as to not be rushed by the puppy. But all three heads were snoozing. Her room was about as she expected. Toys she had collected were now strewn across the floor, some of them half destroyed, the rest soaked with drool. Lily remained on her pillow where she had curled up, large fiery eyes now gazing at the child. What amazed Talia the most were the plethora scorched and sooty spots that covered quite a bit of furniture and the walls. She smiled. ”Hey, Soot, ready for your new home?” Once the butterfly was nestled in the jar and set it on the edge of the desk closest to her bed, Talia woke the puppy, grabbed the kitty and raced Bob, Frank and Joe downstairs to show off the new purchases.

Jared slightly regretted asking about the names but he listened to every single one, helping her figure out the names. He didn't know much about naming things but he did his best. The final names were Bob, Frank, Joe, and Lily. Talia still had to figure out the butterfly's name but there was time for that. Meanwhile, Jared had to think about how to pay for these new animals. Things like working for pet food would help but there was the issue of vet checks and other stuff. He might have to build a savings specifically for her animals. There were plenty of thievery opportunities but he might as well look for an official job. Thievery could only carry them so far before they were caught. There was a rumor about the god of wrath building a court of vampires. That was something he would look into later. 

As they approached home, he grabbed the keys and opened the door with his free hand. After dumping the feed in the kitchen and placing the bag of items on the table, Jared sat down on the kitchen chair. He felt like he was forgetting about something. Something for the animals He scratched his head, trying to remember what they had forgotten to get. It couldn't have been something too important, could it? Then Talia spoke up asking for a water bowl. That's what he missed!

"Right! Let me get one real quick. I'll put it in the kitchen with the other bowls." He said. 

After filling a bowl full of water, he placed it next to the bowls. Then he made his way upstairs with Talia to see how her room was. He knew that pushing the animals into one room would result in disaster. He was right. The second the doors had opened, the room was a wreck. Jared sighed and went back downstairs to get a broom and trash bin. Once he returned, he began dumping the chewed up toys away and keeping the ones that could be washed. However, the damage wasn't half as bad as the times when Talia's fire magic got out of control. After cleaning up the soot from the walls and furniture, he walked back downstairs and tossed out the trash. Jared cleaned the toys that could be saved then cleaned himself up. Jared gave Talia back her toys then began to work on dinner. 

Today had been a long day. But seeing that hopeful smile on Talia's face made it all worth it.