Washed Ashore Part 7

"How about you come by my house next week for dinner. Probably on Sunday since the market is closed and we only have to do chores that day." Lydia suggested. "If your friend Kai is still around he can come too." She added with a smile.

Elana nodded. "That sounds wonderful. I will see you then Lydia." She said as the two women hugged and said their goodbyes. Elana gained Kai's attention and lead him back through the other venders. Boy seems a little odd, but seems like he is strong and has a good heart. I hope he is the one for her... Lydia thought to herself as the pair walked away.

Kai was slowly going out of his mind from questions he had about everything he saw. Elana allowed him to stop and look at every stand to view their goods. "He had a nasty fall and hit his head and lost most of his memories." She explained as the vender glared at Kai in annoyance from his constant stream of questions. While she was tired of making false excuses to the venders Elana was amused by Kai's interest in everything he saw. He picked up a brown cylinder, "What's this?" He asked.

Elana looked over. "It's a cigar.. you light one end on fire and breath in the smoke from the other end. Some people like it. I'm not fond of it at all." Kai looked at it puzzled. "But why would you want to breathe smoke." He said and put it down as he looked at the other items the merchant was selling. He moved on to the next stand and recognized an array of the small objects Elana had called pocket watches. He saw many that were simple and plain like the one he saw before. A handful were very elegant, the edging had various designs carved in ornate patterns. The numbers on the clock appeared different than the ones he had seen on Elana's watch. "How come this looks different than yours?" He asked, she looked over to the watch he was holding. "The numbers are a formal script while mine has a simple script." Kai nodded and put the watch down.

They finally finished looking through the marketplace just before dusk. "Kai we should head back it'll be dark by the time we get home." He nodded. "Alright."She lead him out of town with a few interruptions by new things he noticed. Just as the last rays of sunlight set they reached Elana's house, she opened the door only to be jumped on by Calli excited to see her owner home.

"We didn't forget about you Calli." Elana said as she stroked the dog's head. Calli barked in response and wagged her tail, she then turned her attention to Kai and started sniffing him before jumping up on him nearly knocking him over.

"Whoa!" Kai stammered taking a step backwards to prevent himself from falling over. "Calli down!" Elana commanded and the dog obeyed sitting down in front of Kai her tail still wagging.

Elana looked at Kai her brow raised. "I'm amazed how much balance you have... I thought you were going to fall over. Especially since you are used to a tail and not legs." Kai smiled. "It takes me a little bit of time to get used to walking. It isn't the first time I've come on land, but the last time was long ago." Elana started to question him, but he simply shook his head.

They walked inside, Calli stayed outside to sniff around the yard. Elana began to put away the vegetables Lydia had given her, she sighed and began to cook dinner. Kai sat down on the floor, he peeled off his shoes and began to rub his sore feet. Elana looked over to him. "Would you rather relax in the tub while I cook dinner?" He nodded. "That would be wonderful."

She smiled and silently prepared the bath. Kai waited next to the tub as water slowly filled it. "It's all set." She said turning off the water to return to preparing the meal. Kai nodded and waited for her to turn around before he stripped and stepped into the tub. He sighed in relief as his legs fused back into his tail.

"Kai can you do something for me?" Elana asked as she went to the cupboards and pulled out a bowl. "Hmm?" He asked shifting his position so he could look at her.

"If there are strange men who show up wearing black clothing with red trim, and armor..." She paused. "No matter what happens promise me you'll slip out the window and run back to the ocean and don't look back."

"What?" Kai asked unsure of her odd request. "Just get away from here and don't let them see you. If they found you..." She placed the bowl on the table and looked over to him. "They would capture you and would force you to be a slave for their Lord."

Kai looked down at his tail. "Because of what I am?" Elana nodded. "Yes. Lord Alados is quite fond of collecting rare creatures... he is a tyrant and once he finds something he desires he will use all of his resources until he obtains them."