They stood there looking at each other for a minute.
"Well…" Edward said at last. "You can stay at least one day, right? You can leave Shiro here when you wake up. He'll have more space to roam around than he would in a room at the Comrade Home."
"One day sounds great." Colin nodded. "I'm sure there's still a lot of work we can do around the farm before we go."
"And you can come stay every time you drop by Sunshine Town, can't you?" Edward added.
"I can."
"And if we happen to need stuff from other towns… seeds, Comrades, small items… you can bring them back for us, right? We'll even pay you." Katrin said at last.
"Why not?" Colin asked.
Katrin took a deep breath then. "Well… why don't you just join then?"
"It's not the same." Colin said. "I'm not sure how to explain it, but it's not the same. If I do favors for you while I travel, it's for you, not for me, even though you're paying me. But if I join the farm, then… well… it's not the same."
"How is it different?" Katrin asked.
"It is." Colin said. "I don't know how to explain, but it is."
"He's right." Edward said suddenly. "It is different."
"How?" Katrin asked once more.
Edward shook his head. "I'm not sure how to explain it either. I think it's a matter of focus, and obligation."
"What's that?" Katrin wondered.
"Obligation? It's… um… responsibility. What you should do." Farmer Edward said. "As a Farmer, he would be more concerned about taking care of the farm. As a Traveler, he'd be more concerned about continuing his Journey."
"Oh." Katrin thought about that. "But I'm joining the farm, and I want to continue my Journey too."
"Maybe you can, Kat." Colin said slowly. "But I can't."
Katrin didn't look happy.
***
Colin turned away and said to Shiro. "Can you catch just one more Lynxmouse?"
"Yip." Shiro nodded, and went sniffing about the hay.
"One more? For what? Isn't that enough money for you?" Katrin asked, frowning.
"That's not it." Colin answered.
A Lynxmouse leapt out of the hay. Shiro pounced on it and had it down in an instant.
Colin went over to it and picked it up. The orange mouse looked at him and sat very still in his hand. Colin held it up in his palm, so that it could jump off and run if it wanted.
It didn't run. It just sniffed at him curiously.
"Hello." Colin said. "What's your name?"
"Mweak." The Lynxmouse said.
"I can't pronounce that." Colin told it. "How about I call you 'Meek'?"
"Meek." The Lynxmouse replied. "Meek. Meek."
Colin smiled. "Let's go register at the Comrade Home."
Katrin stared. "You're bonding a Lynxmouse?! When you have a Wolfcat?! But…"
"Shiro's not going to eat Meek, Katrin. He's not even going to chase Meek unless they're playing." Colin told her. "Lynxmice are good at finding food, right?"
"Yes." Edward agreed. "Their noses and ears are very sharp."
"Then I should bring one along as a Comrade." Colin told them. "To find food or to track things if I need to."
"But it's a {mouse}!" Katrin protested.
Colin smiled at her then. "See? That's one more difference between a Farmer and a Traveler. A Farmer would want to get rid of Lynxmice as much as he could. A Traveler thinks of how it can help him in his Journey."
Katrin said nothing. She didn't say a word as Colin took Shiro and Meek to the gate of Edward's Farm.
"I'll have a room ready for you and your Comrades when you get back later." Edward said. "Just call me before you come back, or if you want more work."
"I will. See you later, Edward." Colin waved. "See you later, Katrin."
Katrin waved, but she still said nothing as Colin left the farm and headed for the Comrade Home.
***
Nami was there when Colin brought Meek in.
She smiled. "Well! It's about time you found a second Comrade! Just follow me and we'll have this Lynxmouse registered right away."
Colin followed her to the Registration Room, exchanging glances with Shiro as they made their way there.
"Yip." Shiro said. He sounded confident in what they were about to do.
Colin agreed. Nami, though, paused as she let them into the room. "Colin, are you sure you want that Lynxmouse? Have you even checked its stats?"
"She'll be fine." Colin answered.
"Are you sure? Why don't you check, just in case?" Nami pressed. With a sigh, Colin tapped his watch and called up Meek's profile.
Meek's image was tagged '(Tamed), Common Lynxmouse Juvenile.' Colin frowned. "What does 'Tamed' and 'Juvenile' mean? Where's Meek's name?"
Nami shook her head. "You can't name her until after you two register. Tamed means that you've touched the Wild and it's willing to bond with you. A Tame animal is willing to follow you as you ask, but it's not officially bonded as a Comrade yet."
"And 'Juvenile'?" Colin asked.
"That's it's growth stage. Comrades start from Cubs or Hatchlings, then go to Juvenile before becoming Adults." Nami explained. "Juvenile means it's still young and not yet fully grown."
"Her." Colin corrected. "Meek is a 'her'. Not an 'it'."
"Her." Nami nodded. "Check her abilities."
Colin tapped the tab.
Tame
Abilities:
HP: 0/11
MP: 13/13
Str: 1
Sta: 5
Spd: 5
Int: 3
Wis: 5
Wit: 6
Total: 25
Traits:
Feline Finesse
Hiding Sense
Packrat
Stealthy
"Uhoh." Nami pointed to the 'Str 1' bar. "This is the weakest creature I've ever seen."
"She's only level 2." Colin replied. "And there's no reason to worry about strength."
He pointed to 'Spd 5' and 'Feline Finesse' trait. "I think Meek might actually be useful in a fight."
When Meek reached level 7, she'd be only half as fast as Shiro, but then, Katrin said nothing was as fast as Shiro.
Still, there were other things he didn't understand. Colin pointed "What's this?"
"Packrat…" Nami read. "This girl knows how to store more things in less space."
"And these two?" Colin pointed to the other two Traits.
" 'Hiding Sense' means it can find hiding places more quickly than others… whether it's a place to hide, or whether it's the hiding place of something else." Nami told him. " 'Stealthy' means she can move in ways that are not so noticeable. More quietly, and less obviously, so people might miss seeing her."
"That's good." Colin said. "I'd rather not let her get attacked in the first place. I want to bring her along to find things, not get into fights."
"Well, then, I'd say you have what you're looking for." Nami said. "Place your foot next to hers on the plate, please."
***
The next time Colin opened Meek's profile, her image was tagged 'Meek, Common Lynxmouse Juvenile'.
"Welcome to the Journey, Meek." Colin told the Lynxmouse.
"Meek." She replied. "Meweek. Mik, mik, mik, mik."
"Don't worry about being useful." Colin reassured her. "I picked you for a reason, and I know you'll do the job well."
"Mik." She said, and scurried up to Colin's right shoulder.
Now with a wolfcat on one shoulder and a Lynxmouse on the other, Colin entered Town once more that night.
Dani was talking to Henry when Colin arrived back at the Gym. Colin eyed Henry and noted his progress.
Henry had two Lynxmice and a Redbit. He also wore a brown leather backpack, and a red cap which seemed to have a flip-down magnifier scope built in on one side.
{I have to go and get those.} Colin thought.
The wall behind him opened again, and a sharp voice asked, "Henry! How long are you going to take? Are you ready?"
Colin and Henry turned at the same time to see Rita standing there with her own Comrades and travel gear.
"Rita! I'm almost done…" Henry began.
Rita, though, had seen Colin and seemed to have forgotten about Henry entirely. "Colin? What happened to Katrin? Weren't you two Travelling together?"
"Um…" Colin began.
Rita talked so fast, Colin couldn't get a word in. "I mean, that's what we do, right? Jonah, Alicia and Larry are going all over the place together, and you and Katrin were going south, so I paired up with Henry, because I couldn't find Phillip and… Colin? Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Actually…"
Rita fired out words like a machine gun. "Well, whatever it is, I don't see her anywhere, and you seem to be alone now. You know, if Jonah, Alicia and Larry can get along like that and do so well, we should band together as a trio also!"
"Rita…"
Rita went on like a train. "The first thing you need to do is get travel gear! Get a backpack, and a cap with a mag-scope! And buy food for your Comrades… you've brought two… another Lynxmouse?! Oh dear…. But better than nothing. Is that your Starter Comrade, by the way?"
"My…"
"Fancy that, you and Henry both starting with Lynxmice! You know, I was thinking of starting with one myself, but the thing is…"
Colin stopped listening to Rita for a moment and glanced at Henry. "Is she always like this?"
"Always." Henry said gloomily. "I can't get more than a word in edgewise. She can go on like that all night, I think."
"And did you know, I heard of someone who managed to raise a Lynxmouse so strong, it could defeat lions?!" Rita was saying. "I can't remember the name of that thing… what was it…? Let me think. Oh, forget it. I'm never very good with names. You know, my mom's brilliant at names, but I…"
"Are you really going to Travel with her?" Colin asked Henry.
"I already said I would." Henry said. "Before I found out she was a chatterbox."
"Where are you guys going, anyway?" Colin asked.
"North, to Riverside Town, using the road that follows the river. They're holding a Treasure Hunt tonight, something simple enough for beginners." Henry said. "Lynxmice, remember?"
"Sounds good." Colin agreed. "But… {Rita}?"
"She offered to help me out all the way to Hot Sands Village." Henry told him. "My elder brother's based there. He wants me to get there on my own before he teaches me how to raise really strong Comrades."
"So you're really heading to Hot Sands, and this Riverside Town is on the way." Colin thought about it. "Well, I think I'll go with you as far as Riverside, at least. I'm curious about the Treasure Hunt."
"Sure. Get your stuff together and meet us back here. I don't think she's going to stop talking any time soon." Henry said.
Colin nodded and said to Rita, "I'm off to the market to get some gear."
Rita nodded and went on talking to Henry and Dani, not even slowing down. "But then, she said 'Oh, no, I'm Daisy. {That's} Jasmine!', and I was so embarrassed…"
The last thing Colin heard before the wall closed behind him was Dani's groan.
***
Colin stopped by a shop at the Market called "Traveling Gear" and asked the shopkeeper what he'd need for a trip to Riverside.
"Just your Comrades, really." The man said. "You can get there in a couple of hours if you take the road by the river."
"But I'm Traveling with two other Travelers, and they both have backpacks and caps with mag-scopes." Colin protested.
"Backpacks are useful to carry things around. Everybody could use one, not just Travelers. Caps too." The man shrugged. "You should get those even if you're not planning to leave town any time soon."
Colin sighed. "What else should I get? I'm aiming to go for a Treasure Hunt."
"The Golden Watch hunt in Riverside?" the man said knowingly. "I think your Lynxmouse is really all you're going to need. But for everything else…"
The shopkeeper brought Colin around his store. "Do you intend to travel far, and through rough terrain?"
"Uh… everywhere." Colin replied.
"{Everywhere}…?" He stared. "You're new, right? White badge and all?"
"Uh… yeah."
He shook his head, thinking hard. "How much money are you willing to spend on all your gear today?"
"Three hundred Clira." Colin replied easily enough. He wanted the other 40 for food.
"300cr…" the shopkeeper grunted. "I think this would be best."
He handed Colin a padded backpack made of thick gray material that looked like stone but felt like plastic. "That's 100cr by itself, but it's padded for long journeys, made of strong waterproof material, and could be mistaken for a stone from far."
Then he brought Colin to the headwear section, but ignored the caps and hats. He handed Colin a straw hat with a wide brim and a light strap.
"There's no mag-scope." Colin protested. "It's just a simple straw hat."
"That's the best for shade." The man told him. "Look, there are better things to put over your eyes if you want scopes and sensors. Hats are for shelter or shade, and there are better things for shelter. What I'm offering you here is good for shade and lacks the biggest problem caps have."
"What's that?" Colin wanted to know.
"Heat." He replied. "Caps get hot if you wear them too long. This hat won't."
"And how much does this hat cost?"
"5cr." The man told him.
"That's cheap." Colin nodded. "I'll take it."
The shopkeeper handed Colin something else. "This isn't so cheap, but if I'm Traveling to dangerous places and I want to see stuff, this is what I'd take."
Colin looked at it curiously. It seemed like a silver frame around clear blue glass. It looked a lot like Michi's visor.
"Put it on over your eyes. That triangular part goes over your nose." The shopkeeper advised.
Colin put it on and felt it stick to his face the way his badge stuck to his vest. He looked at the shopkeeper through the blue glass. "Now what?"
"Tap it and think of magnifying."
Colin did just that, and the visor presented him with options – 2x, 5x, 10x, 50x, 100x. "Which one do I pick?"
"Try 2x. That's two times magnification."
Colin grinned. "So, 100x should mean…"
He suddenly found himself looking at a huge black pillar over a brown background. "Whoa!"
That pillar vanished and he was suddenly looking at a liquid white surface. "Colin?"
White faded and the surface turned dark brown. {That's his eye…} Colin realized. {That black pillar was a hair… Cool!}
Colin tapped the frame again and switched back to normal. "What do you call this?"
"It's a Lina Visor." The shopkeeper said. "It's got tinted shading, mag-scope, thermal vision, nightvision, recording and playback."
"{Very cool}." Colin said.
"It's also a bit expensive." The guy said. "It's 160cr."
"Wow…" Colin whistled. But… but… the things it could do! And it even looked cool!
"And you should get a utility belt." The shopkeeper added. "Climbing gear, raincoat, gloves and multitool."
The raincoat went into the left side pocket. Most of the climbing gear went into the backpack itself, except one length of thin rope which went to the utility belt. The gloves (strong leather) and the multitool went onto the belt too.
"All these together should cost about 400cr." The shopkeeper said. "But since you're buying it all, I'll sell the whole set at 350. What do you say?"
Colin winced. "Sorry. I can't afford that."
"Come on! It's a worthwhile deal! Everything here should last you a long time!"
"But I really don't have enough money." Colin said. "And I need to buy food for my Comrades too."
"340, then? I'm practically giving you the gloves free…"
Colin took out the climbing gear. "I don't think I'll be needing this today." He took out the raincoat. "This can only shelter me. My Comrades would be soaking meanwhile. I'd rather find a place to shelter with them or get soaked with them." Then, he looked at the gloves and multitool. "You know, I don't think I really need those either…"
"290!" the shopkeeper cut in. "Backpack, visor, hat, belt, gloves and multitool, worth 320cr. I'll sell the set at 290."
Colin thought about it a while more.
"Okay."