She was delighted that Sankara came along quickly, for she had been overjoyed at the thought of having someone to tutor. She flew through the woods and into Thornbury, not bothering to wonder if Sankara had already been to the town or if this was her first visit. The small woman hurried through one of the residential areas and led Sankara into the shopping district. There was a horseshoe of old stores, most of which at this point had been partially cleared of vegetation and explored by several members of Cercatori D’Arte, including Orin herself.
It was not long until Orin stood at the threshold of the bookstore she had found, near the end of the U-shaped district, though before opening the door and flying inside she stopped abruptly and spun around, arms splayed at her sides as she suddenly remembered the fiasco that had gone on the day she claimed the store as her own. She thought it was only fair to give Sankara a warning.
“So uhm...” she said sheepishly for a moment, deciding how she was going to break it to her. “I almost forgot to tell you. There was a little... well... accident the day I found this place so it doesn’t smell too fresh. But I’ve been working hard to get it cleaned up and it’s not half as bad as it was!”
With that, she turned and opened the door and upon the little gust was carried the aged scent of skunk. She looked at Kara, slightly embarrassed. “There was a skunk and Shawchert scared it and made it spray. We ran it off, but not before some of the walls in here got a bit funky. But I scrub them every morning and night and I’m trying to find a salve that will help. I might try slapping on a fresh coat of paint. But really most of the books are okay...”
She slipped inside the bookstore, wondering if Sankara would follow or if the woman found the shop too repulsive to enter. Well, if she did, Orin silently promised not to take offense. After all, she was just now barely getting the smell out of her own fur!
“First we should find you a journal if we can, or if not at least some blank paper so you can practice your letters. Do you have some? I think there’s an old box of paper in the office upstairs that you can have some leaflets of, or we can look around the other shops. Do you know anything about reading and writing? The letters?” She peered back over her shoulder to Kara. “If not, it’s okay, I can teach it all to you. I just need to know where to start.”
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