Fox's Trip: Castimeria

“Woah…”

 

Fox stepped through the portal, letting it close behind them. They certainly weren’t used to that specific form of travel, preferring to make use of the forests in the area and walking between them, but they decided to use the portals offered by the Paperdemon for authenticity’s sake. They quickly decided they didn’t regret it as they were dropped into a world of flowers they had never seen before.

 

The trees were thin and spindly, all warm colors, spiraling and branching out in a way they adored. They began to walk, and found the grass as more of a petal texture, even taking off their boots and shoving them in a pocket dimension to really feel the world under their feet. They soon were running with a river, up to a rock where they climbed up on it and flipped over the running water. They felt free, and loved every second of it. 

 

Of course, they were sure to keep their influence in check, so as to not taint this beautiful world, so they didn’t completely let loose. They still had fun, though.

 

After a while, they saw a house. Or at least, Fox thought it was a house – it reminded them more of a greenhouse than one that most would consider inhabitable. Then again, they were used to inter-world travel, to where what one world may see as a box to live in another may see as a mansion, so they weren’t quick to judge. They decided to simply walk up and knock on the door – where’s the harm in that? After all, if where they came from is a normal interface for portals, then the people in that house must be used to odd visitors.

 

They stopped at the gate, just to take in the sweet air for one more second, before swinging it open and striding up to the front door. They knocked three times, then found themself second guessing their every action leading up to that point. Should they have been less aggressive? Maybe knocked twice instead of thrice? Maybe the poor person inside thinks that they’re a form of law enforcement, from their actions? Perhaps they sent the person into a panic and-

 

A squeaking, buzzing meow came from the other side of the door.

 

“Jeeni! Jeeni!” A voice called from inside. Fox heard footsteps – perhaps a centaur-like creature, or more than one person – before the door unlocked. The tinted glass swung open, to reveal a woman. At least, Fox thought that they were female. They had slender features, a more feminine body, and their-

 

Fox was suddenly tacked to the ground by a loaf of fuzz and buzz.

 

“Jeeni! Oh, I am so sorry, miss-”

 

“No, no, it’s alright-”

 

“Really-”

 

“Really, it’s fine-”

 

There was some confusion as the ball of fluff was pulled off of Fox, but once they were able to get to their feet and brush themself off, they finally got a good look at their assailant.

 

They found the little thing adorable.

 

Big, bee-like eyes, striped fluff, a long flared tail, six legs with toe beans, pointed antennae, and wings coming out of the back fluttering a mile a minute. Fox couldn’t help but gasp in delight as they reached out to pet the little thing. It let out another one of those squeaky buzzy meows, then the buzzing continued as they pet it, cooing every second. Its owner chuckled.

 

“Yep, Jeeni here is a little tyrant to any visitors, especially ones with that PaperDemon game. Aren’t’cha, Jeeni-baby-girl?” Upon those last words, Jeeni’s owner held her up and spoke directly to her. Jeeni’s only response was a slow blink. Her owner then lowered their hands and tucked Jeeni under one arm before extending the other to Fox.

 

“I’m Inka.”

 

Fox accepted the offered hand gratefully. “Call me Fox.”

 

Inka shrugged. “Not the strangest nickname I’ve heard from an outsider. Welcome to Castimeria.” Her smile was very welcoming and open. Fox couldn’t help but trust her, and return the smile themself.

 

Now that they weren’t being attacked by a fluff cannonball, Fox finally got a good look at Inka. She had long, lavender hair pulled back into a high ponytail, pale skin, and the bottom half of a combination of a wolf and a butterfly – slender and graceful, but clearly powerful and fast. Inka must have noticed Fox staring, because she said, “I’m the first person you’ve met here?”

 

Fox started before responding. “Ah, yes, you are. Apologies, I get nervous easily while talking to people…”

 

Inka chuckled. “Totally fine, darling. Perhaps you could get a Ceebi, they make for very good emotional support animals when they’re actually calm.” She must have seen Fox get confused at the word Ceebi, because she held out Jeeni. It took Fox a minute, but they soon understood that Jeeni was a Ceebi.

 

“Well, maybe,” Fox told her while giving Jeeni some more little pets, “Depends on how my… roommates would react, I suppose. Then again, I do own the house, so-”

 

Inka cut them off with another laugh, this one much more hearty than before. “I’m sure they would approve. Jeeni seems to be helping you some, so you’d probably do well with another Ceebi.”

 

Fox found themself thinking it over, then they noticed the bag slung over Inka’s shoulder. They tilted their head.

 

“What’s with the bag?” 

 

Inka blinked herself before looking down at it, then making a sound of understanding. “I was just getting ready to head out to the market.” She must have noticed Fox get a little downfallen at that, because she was quick to add, “You’re more than free to come along if you’d like.”

 

Fox lit up. “Really?”

 

“Yeah! You haven’t been to Castimeria if you haven’t been to a market or a festival, anyways.”

 

Fox squealed in happiness, bouncing in place. Jeeni seemed to reciprocate the energy, because she tackled them again, though Fox managed to stay upright this time. Inka merely laughed at the two of them.

 

“It’s settled, then! Off we go!” Fox then found themself following their new friend with her pet on their shoulders.

 

~^~

 

The market was beautiful, more so than Fox had imagined. They couldn’t help but reach out and touch the flowers blooming from every vine, every stall, every building in the area. Inka simply chuckled as they explored the area, taking in the scents, the sights, the colors, the feelings…

 

“Woah,” Inka’s statement of surprise caught Fox off guard, too, and they turned to look at her.

 

“What? What is it?”

 

“Flowers just started growing in your hair.”

 

“Huh?” They reached up and touched the top of their head. Lo and behold, flowers were there, and they felt just like the ones around them. Fox let out a guilty chuckle as they rubbed the back of their head. “I tend to do that. Basically, I love the world around me so much that I want to carry a piece with me, and that piece tends to get woven into my hair.”

 

Inka made a noise of understanding again before continuing. Fox was quick to follow.

 

After a minute of wandering the stalls, Inka lightly tapped their shoulder and pointed. A rather large house, with blobs zipping all around inside. Fox couldn’t tell what the blobs were from the distance, but the sign out front got them excited.

 

“Ceebi Adoption Center,” the sign read, with a Ceebi in a heart as the logo. Inka led Fox up to the door and held it open for them to walk through.

 

The initial room was nice and cozy. Another inhabitant of Castimeria, a male, came out with another Ceebi in tow. He slipped behind the desk before speaking. The Ceebi he came out with curled up in a bed on the counter.

 

“Ah, Inka! Wasn’t expecting to see you again so soon! What brings you? And who is this foreigner?”

 

Inka chuckled before leading Fox right up to the counter, much to the dismay of their growing anxiety. “Well, Roqo, this is Fox, the reason that I’m here. They want to adopt a Ceebi – or at least, I think they do.” Inka’s words got more uncertain as she spoke. She then gently wrapped an arm around Fox’s shoulders. “Hey, Fox, are you alright?”

 

Fox couldn’t speak. They didn’t know what to say. They were meeting all sorts of new people, and this world was so beautiful, but so foreign, and they wanted a Ceebi, but they weren’t sure how to ask, but it should be easy to ask, but they were also sure it would cost Inka money and they didn’t want her to spend a lot on them, and to top it all off they weren’t sure how to tell them all that without stuttering over their words and making a fool of themself. 

 

Why not write it down, then? Dumbass.

 

They pulled out their prized journal, flicked to an open page, and started writing. They caught Inka giving Roqo an odd look and shrugging out of the corner of their eye, but paid it no mind as they scribbled down their conclusion. Eventually, they tore out the page and gave it to Inka, for her to read aloud.

 

“Oh, alright, then,” she cleared her throat before continuing, “‘It’s a pleasure to meet you, Roqo. Sorry that I’m not talking, I get very socially anxious easily. That’s why I’m here for a Ceebi – Inka’s Ceebi Jeeni seemed to help me talk to her, so maybe having a Ceebi of my own for emotional support would help me talk to people. My only issue with that is the cost. I don’t’- aww- ‘I don’t want Inka to spend a lot of money on me, since I have none of my own in this world.’” Inka then looked down at Fox. “Fox, dear, it’s free to adopt a Ceebi.”

 

“Wh- huh?” Fox lit up at those words. Roqo chuckled from behind the counter.

 

“Completely free. All they need is flowers, so if you have a nice garden, you’ve got one!”

 

Fox blinked, incredulous.

 

“But why? Why have them be free?”

 

Roqo chucked again before responding, “Simply put, the litters are 5 to 20 generally, so more often than not there’s too many for any one place to hold. We have around 350 adults in this building alone, and since they live for 25 years at the bare minimum, they tend to stick around if they don’t get adopted. The average lifespan of a Ceebi is 35 to 45 years, just so you know.”

 

“Ah…” Fox didn’t know what to say again. Luckily, they didn’t need to write this time.

 

“You want a Ceebi still?”

 

Fox nodded in response.

 

“Then let’s get you one. Come on back,” Roqo then reached a hand over the counter and took Fox’s, using it to guide them into a back room. Said back room turned out to be a Ceebi paradise.

 

Ceebis fluttering and playing chase, Ceebis eating from the flowers on the walls, Ceebis nestled together sleeping, Ceebis waddling on the ground, Ceebis playing in a small river, Ceebis everywhere, all over. Fox saw it as a utopia.

 

“Wander around, see if any catch your eye,” Roqo gently pushed their back as he spoke, “You may just catch one of theirs, as well.” 

 

Fox moved deeper in, letting their eyes widen like a child’s as they watched the Ceebis play and fly and be themselves. Some were wrestling on the soft ground, others perched in trees and watched Fox back. They saw purple ones, yes, but they didn’t really catch their eye. There were plenty of purple Ceebis out there. If Fox was really to choose one as a pet, they wanted to choose one that most wouldn’t. They wanted one unique to put it gently, and a freak to put it blatantly.

 

They eventually found one. Mostly white, with black stripes. Most probably wouldn’t have chosen that one because it was so different. It was that exact same reason that Fox came trotting back with that exact Ceebi in their arms. Roqo masked his surprise rather well, though Inka looked straight-up confused.

 

“You’re sure you want that one?” She asked them.

 

“Yep!”

 

“Not one of the more colorful ones?”

 

“Yep.”

 

“Why that one?”

 

“She’s different.”

 

“Yeah, but most would pass her up because of that.”

 

“Well, if everyone passes her up because she’s different, who would be left to take her in? I love the different, because I’m used to being different. So, I choose the different.”

 

Inka looked at Roqo, who was now more openly surprised. He laughed again.

 

“Well, she seems to be helping you already. Come on, let’s get the papers done.”

 

They went by in a flash. The only real thing that Fox remembered from them was choosing the name for their new friend.

 

“Mm… Nadia.”

 

“Glorious, honey,” Roqo said. Fox was starting to get the feeling that he was gay, but they weren’t going to say anything aloud.

 

Once the papers were safely stored away, Fox found themself bouncing down the street to another shop. They were guaranteed a free collar and leash from another shop for Nadia, so that was exactly where they were going. Inka had to speed up in order to not lose them.

 

The young woman behind the counter tried to pick out a collar that would look good on Nadia, and while Fox agreed, they let Nadia decide. She pushed it away, so Fox said, “Nope. Not this one.”

 

“Well, which one then?” the girl asked. Fox picked up Nadia again and placed her on the ground, for her to pad around and decide for herself. She came across a collar after a while, the same dark red as an apple, and when Fox tried it on her, she definitely liked it. They then picked her up and brought her back up to the counter. 

 

“You got a matching leash?”

 

Fox didn’t care that the light purple would’ve looked better. They made a promise to themself before entering that Nadia would decide, and Nadia decided on a dark red. Thus, Nadia got a dark red collar and leash, and a simple metal tag with her name on one side and Fox’s on the other.

 

Lizzie’s glare was worth stomaching when Pumpkin immediately doted on Nadia when they got home.