As we walked with Thalia leading the way we all glanced between each other. We had been attending our different activities for almost a week now, and in that time several things had happened.
I ended up teaching about forest herbs and their applications for two days in the class. Thalia learned more about brewing and successfully brewed a batch of 5 healing potions.
Kaelen had been set to run the recruitment stand and their volunteer count skyrocketed to the point that the home construction had finished by the end of the week.
Jax has set the record in escape attempts at 126 attempts, to the point that even criminals knew his name.
Selene had commissioned a special set of armor, and even tried a bit of forging and learning about the process.
Liora ended up getting a full body massage for 7 days straight.
So we were all a bit surprised that Thalia had insisted on one final stop before we left Rosepebble.
"From what I have researched, a party mascot has assisted many parties in utility, mental health, and more. It is almost a guarantee that higher level parties have one. If we are truly going to succeed at adventuring, we simply must have a mascot."
We looked between each other before I asked.
"Does Jax count?"
Jax next to me nodded and struck what he must have assumed was a majestic pose.
"Yes, I am in fact very shiny and fashionable."
"Your only shiny because you drenched yourself in olive oil so I couldn't grab you when you ran!"
Kaelen said, a vein bulging on his forehead as he shot Jax a dark look.
"Kaelen, it has a name you know, why must you blame my craft for the applications of its creator."
"I AM NOT CALLING IT THE SLIPPERY ESCAPE YOU MANGY MUTT!"
Kaelen yelled as he smacked Jax on the back of the head with his staff. Thalia continued to lead us on as we stopped before a larger building. Inside several pins sat sunken into the floor, and as we walked in a small walkway allowed us to move between the pins as the animals stared up at us from below.
They ranged in size, from simple foxes that seemed to be playing by creating little wind blasts, to large tigers that lazed in the sun. Walking in we came across a dwarven woman who looked to be younger, a set of large circular glasses covered her face as she seemed to be moving a small cage around with what looked to be a chest the size of a fist inside of it.
The woman turned as we approached as she gave a warm smile.
"Welcome to the Starlight menagerie, I am the owner, Amy; what are you looking for today?"
Walking over everyone scattered to look at various things as Thalia and I made our way over to Amy where Thalia said.
"Greetings, we are looking for a smaller pet, not for combat, but a companion for our party."
Amy nodded along as she pulled out a small notepad from the front pocket of her dress as she nodded along mumbling to herself as she turned to the back wall.
"We have 8 available that may fit what you're looking for, let me pull them out."
As we waited, I noticed that Thalia seemed to be almost humming with an unnatural excitement.
"You seem rather excited."
I said leaning in to speak so only Thalia and myself could hear. She nodded as she turned to me.
"Growing up I was denied the ability to have a pet, so to say I am enjoying the prospects of raising a party mascot is accurate."
I smiled but before I could say anything else Amy returned with a small cart, on it several shelves sat as she placed the small pins on a large table. I took a moment to look them over and walk down the row.
In the first pin, a small lizard-like creature covered in black scales with stripe like patterns of yellow scales, a set of tiny wings on its back that seemed to be too small to fly with. It seemed to be staring out of his glass pin with a haughty expression, his tail snapped in a strange rythm as Amy handed me a chart with letters and marks with the words morse code at the top. Amy explained how to use it as I realized the tail snaps were this creature communicating.
"I see one with eyes that require augmentation dares to gaze upon my form, while I do not blame thee, I would insist that you not stare, for it is rude and I will be tempted to burn your face off."
As if making a point it snapped its jaw as a small spark of electricity cracked from its mouth. Looking down at the nameplate this was Sparky the pseudodragon.
In the second pin, was that small chest from before, it sat almost like a decoration before Amy pulled out a small gold coin. The bottom of the chest rose as a set of crab like legs sprouted as the chest opened, and a set of teeth emerged at the rim. It walked over and grabbed the coin seeming to eat it before scuttling back to where it had been and returning to its chest form. This one was named Mim Mim the baby mimic.
I turned to the third pin where there was a strange sight. There seemed to be a small brown fur covered boar with a set of twin white stripes running down its back, and while thats not the strange thing, what was strange was the dented old tin cup it seemed to be wearing on its head. The small hog strutted around its enclosure like a horse at a show presenting itself before judges. In the enclosure there seemed to be a small replica of a castle that the small boar seemed to be defending like a miniature knight. The nametag had the name Sir Oinks-a-lot.
Turning to the fourth pin this one seemed to have two creatures in it. One looked to be a small napping black kitten, a strange eye was on its forehead as behind it the ground seemed very hazy, Amy reached in to where the haziness was as the kitten seemed to distort as the haziness cleared up to reveal the real form of the kitten, its third eye closing as it stretched. The nametag was marked with Button, the haze kitten.
Looking at the fifth pin there seemed to be a floating iron lantern. From inside it a small ball of fire seemed to turn to me and stretch a small nub that wiggled at me like a waving hand. Turning to the nametag this one was Gram the phantom flame.
The sixth pin was much larger than the other two. Inside of it seemed to be a small bear cub with white fur and streaks of what looked to be lines made of ice running along its back. It seemed to have an extra set of forearms under the main two as it stretched. The nametag called it Cricket, the frost bearcub.
I Looked to the next pin where unlike the others, a bunch of gears, and springs and sprockets seemed to be sitting, a small lizard like creature that stood on two legs and was currently squatting in front of a pile of parts as it seemed to be fidgeting with a small device it seemed to be assembling in its hands. The nametag said this was Tock-Tock the kobold.
Turning to the last one there seemed to be a rainbow colored blob, a bubble of air seemed to make up two eyes and a mouth as it turned to me its eyes and mouth become circles as its eyes turned into upward lines as the mouth smiles and it bubbled at me. I turned down to the nametag to see this was Moon jelly the faerie slime.
The others had gathered at this point as we all looked over the 8 pins, each seemed to be gravitating towards different ones, Jax seemed to be looking at sparky with fascination, Liora seemed to be stuck to the glass looking at button, Kaelen seemed to be looking at Tock-Tock with fascination, Selene seemed to be looking Cricket over mumbling about armor sizing, I found that Moon jelly was kind of adorable, its almost cartoonish face switching to different expressions as Thalia seemed to be giving sir Oinks a Lot a look like a kid getting their first class.
We all gathered together to discuss what we wanted to get.
"I'm in favor for Moon jelly, they can eat anything and they are kind of fun with their faced."
I said nodding.
"Well I say that anything with the word dragon in its name is badass, plus it can breath electricity, how cool is that!"
Jax said jumping around excitedly.
"Have you seen buttons little face, they are just so little and so adorable."
Liora said squishing her cheeks with her hands.
"W-Well Frost bears as well known to grow super big and strong over the years, imagine walking around with an armored bear."
Selene said with a wistful expression on her face.
"Tock-Tock seemed to be making something, what if they eventually learned how to fix the vehicle if its damaged."
Kaelen said nodding along.
"Knight pig"
Thalia said matter of factly. We continued to discuss for another minute or so before we turned back and made our selection.