Vocatia handles some business with a pet shop owner late on his rent. Thankfully, he has a new product to show her in an effort to appease the thrallmother.

======

Careful not to knock the bars of its cage with her horns, Vocatia inspected the impressively long-beaked bird as it fluffed its feathers and blinked its ten eyes. All manners of beeps, whistles, and chitters sprinkled the air from every direction from birds, lizards, and other assorted creatures from every direction. “So… you’ve been shippin’ these in, yeah?” She glanced over her shawl covered shoulder at the beaming petshop owner.

He held his head high, showing the greying along the edges and tip of his horns. “Yes, I ‘ave, mum. I got thin’s from all over.” He waved his hand to show off more of his stock to her, hoping to impress her to earn an extension on his late loan payment. When the perfect exibit came to mind, he gasped and tapped her arm to draw her towards his newest product. “Lemme show you some'in’ sure to please ya, mum.”

Gritting her teeth has his gnarled hooves scraped against the floor with a harsh screech, she watched as he shuffled to a massive cage covered with a blanket. “Wot is–” With a finger over the end of his chin, he interrupted Vocatia. He pulled off the blanket from the cage. Hundreds of tiny budgies woke up from the sudden light and started beeping and singing. The gold rings on Vocatia's back plates rattled as they shivered. “Oh, these’re darlin’…” she gasped in breathless joy as she leaned forward for a better look. A couple of the birds flapped to hang off of the bars of the cage as she drew close. Wiggling a finger in their direction, she asked, “why’re these not on display? I’d think they sell well. Listen to them.”

“I thought so too. That’s why I bought them from the elves.” He nodded as he rubbed at the back of his neck. “But, they seem to like Thrall.”

“Wot?”

“Lemme show ya, mum.” Flipping the latch, the petshop owner stepped back to let the birds finish undoing the latch. A swarm of blues, greens and purples surrounded the creamy grey lady, eventually settling across her golden horns, crest, shoulders and outstretched arms. The chorus of happy clicks and whistles elicited joyful squeaks and songs from the rest of the menagerie.

Stunned at the hundred tiny feathered jewels across her body, Vocatia brought her budgie-beset hand to her face to get a better look. The bird on her finger puffed out its cheek feathers and bobbed its whole body at her. “This doesn’t seem so bad, mate.” She moved her hand a little to get the bird dancing again. “I think some'a your brothers n’ sisters’d like somethin’ that likes them.” Nodding her head, the birds that had perched across it flapped their wings to stay put. “I’ll even give ya a little extra credits and cut a bit of your rent to make them cheaper, okay?”

“Oh, yes. Anythin’ you say, mum.”