"I’m not taking these bangles today," she said, her voice calm but resolute. "But I promise... I will co back one day. And I will take them."
The woman’s smile brightened, a quiet joy lighting her features. "Then I will wait for you, child. And when you co... I will have the most beautiful bangle anyone has ever seen, just for you."
Kaya returned the smile, a spark of sothing unspoken flickering in her eyes. She stood, brushing off her hands lightly, and turned to leave the stall.
What Kaya did not know that day... was that this single promise, exchanged quietly amidst colorful bangles and the hum of the market, would one day echo across the history of the Beast World.
As Kaya and Veer returned to the food market, eggs in hand, they stopped dead in their tracks. Just as they were about to grab so roasted rooster, everything around them seed to tilt sideways. Kaya’s mouth hung open, eyes wide. Veer’s face was equally frozen. And Cutie... well, his face had gone completely blank, like a chalkboard wiped clean.
The source of their horror? The vendor. A rooster beastman. And he was—calmly, serenely—roasting another wild rooster. Kaya’s brain short-circuited. A rooster... roasting a rooster? She blinked. Twice. Nope. Still couldn’t wrap her head around it.
The vendor glanced up, tilting his head slightly. "What do you want?" he asked, as if he were selling flowers instead of engaging in interspecies barbecue.
Kaya’s eyes involuntarily went to the crown atop his head. The bright red chicken comb—familiar from every real chicken she’d ever seen—sitting there on his humanoid skull made her want to step back in disbelief. And then her gaze slid down to the display: roasted chickens, roasted ducks... all of them wild, all of them victims of the sa absurd logic.
Her mind was spiraling. Wait... these are chickens roasting other chickens. Wild birds roasting their own kind. Even if they’re beastn now, shouldn’t there be... solidarity? Like so unspoken bird code? How could one bird even think, "Yes, today I shall roast my cousin"?
Her mouth opened before she could stop it. "C-can you... pack four roasted chickens for ?"
The words felt ridiculous even as they left her lips. She half-expected the rooster vendor to cluck indignantly or squawk in protest. But he just nodded, utterly serious, and began wrapping the chickens. Kaya stared, muttering under her breath, I’m buying murderers for dinner.
The chicken beastman practically shoved the wrapped at into their hands and shouted, "Co again!" Veer fumbled with the coins as Kaya and the others nodded numbly. But the second they stepped away, a wave of sheer, ridiculous absurdity hit them like a slap in the face.
They froze. Their eyes t, and for a heartbeat, the world seed to tilt sideways. Then it broke—
"Pfftt... hahahaha... hahhahahaaaa!"
Laughter erupted. Veer snorted, Cutie doubled over, and Kaya... Kaya was a hurricane of hilarity. She grabbed her groceries and toppled to the ground, rolling slightly as tears ran down her cheeks. Her laughter bounced off the walls of the street, carried by the absurd ntal image: a chicken roasting a chicken, with a perfectly serious chicken-beastman as the chef.
Every ti she caught her breath, another rooster’s crow popped into her head, and she exploded into fresh, uncontrollable laughter. She clutched her stomach, gasping between giggles. "Damn it... what’s next? Oh god... this is... so traumatic!" she managed, her words punctuated by tears of joy.
Veer and Cutie watched her, wide-eyed, stunned. Kaya laughing like this? It was... unprecedented. Unthinkable. And yet, utterly infectious.
Kaya scrambled upright, still hiccupping with laughter, when suddenly—a tiny sparrow, who had been snoozing in the corner, suddenly flitted out. Chirp, chirp, chirp. Its little beady eyes fixed on them like a judge at a cody trial. Kaya tilted her head and, without a word, knew exactly what it was asking: Why are you all acting like fools.
Kaya shook her head, taking a deep breath as she tried to control the last remnants of her laughter. Slowly, they made their way back to their hotel room. The new place was a little farther from the bustling marketplace, offering a small reprieve from the chaos outside. Kaya decided she’d wait until they got inside to eat.
When she opened the door, everything looked normal—quiet, orderly, and untouched. After washing their hands and feet, they carefully unwrapped the at. The first bite made Kaya pause. Her eyes widened slightly.
It was... astonishing.
The at was smoky, tender, and juicy—so simple, yet so flavorful, with just enough seasoning to enhance, not overwhelm. Kaya took another bite, and then another, savoring the perfect balance. She couldn’t help but think, Who better to roast a chicken than a chicken itself? A small, amused smile tugged at the corners of her lips.
But along with the surprise and delight ca a flicker of clarity. Thousands of beastn might live here, each with their own quirks and habits. It wasn’t enough to judge soone by their tribe alone. Tigers didn’t automatically hunt humans. Bulls didn’t automatically attack. Personality, attitude, and nature mattered more than any label or category.
Kaya leaned back slightly, the taste of the at lingering on her tongue, and a quiet sense of understanding settled in her chest. The world might be absurd, chaotic, and even ridiculous at tis—but it was also surprisingly nuanced.
Kaya sat by the window, her arms resting lightly on the sill, gazing at the moon as it hung high in the night sky. The darkness around her deepened slowly, wrapping the room in a soft, peaceful quiet. The moonlight spilled across her face, silver and calm, and for a mont, everything else faded away.
Her mind, however, refused to rest. Thoughts drifted like scattered stars—mories, questions, little reflections on the day’s absurdities and surprises. The laughter, the bizarre market, the taste of the perfectly roasted chicken, the curious sparrow—it all spun together in a strange, vivid tapestry.
And still, the moon remained steady, serene, a silent witness to the whirl of thoughts in Kaya’s mind. She let herself simply watch, letting the quiet of the night and the silver glow settle over her, even as a thousand ideas, questions, and reflections moved gently behind her eyes.
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