Mackenzie watched as Isabella took small steps around the store, admiring the dresses and clothes displayed on shelves and mannequins. Wilson passed in front of the counter to follow her, and suddenly she was startled when, from behind it, a large purple furry animal with a feline face, and 6 legs, appeared silently, walking with a majestic step towards the psychologist. Mac looked at him with some horror, and quickly turned to the elderly shop owner, only to find her smiling at her affably, although with a mocking gleam in her gaze.
Isa's cat jumped off the doctor's shoulders, where it had been until then, and went to meet the large animal, which immediately interacted friendly with little Niki, lying on the ground first to wait for the kitten, and then beginning to play with her. Mac breathed a little calmer, although she still didn't quite understand what that kind of... gigantic purple... cat, with an extra pair of legs was, and why he was there.
"Don't worry Cesar is a friendly guy." Lola, the owner, got up from her chair and walked a little closer, addressing Isabella. "He has been my companion for 40 years now and he never harmed anyone."
Meyer approached the feline, absent of fear, while whispering in a low voice, as if reciting something with concentrated expression. Then her face lit up with happiness, and exclaimed. "Lynx Purpura Gaianus!" Greta looked at Lola. "How curious, it's been a long time since I've seen one alive! I had no idea there was a lynx in Faith Haven. How did he get here?"
Lola made a gesture with her hand, downplaying the importance. "I brought him here, Monsignora, and he was previously in Gran Canaria, with me too. He's a good friend of mine, you shouldn't worry about him."
The clergywoman raised her hands friendly. "Oh, I don't worry my lady, at all. I know the customs and behavior of this species well, I'm a doctor in Biology and I've always been passionate about Zoology." Meyer leaned in to observe Cesar more closely as he played with Saito's cat. "Although I must admit that they are rare to see outside of Gaia, I was very surprised to find one here in the colony, not to mention inside a clothing store."
Mac calmed down completely once she saw that her friend recognized the animal, and that he seemed to be Mrs. Lola's strange pet. She also observed that Niki calmly played with the powerful feline, althoug he was almost three times the kitten size. However, the neurologist had realized that Niki, as Isabella had already commented at some point, was a very perceptive cat about the emotions of the living beings around her. If she wasn't afraid of the lynx, surely his intentions couldn't be bad. Therefore, she watched both animals play for a few seconds, and then she began to walk around the store.
Wilson closely examined some of the dresses, and the shirts. There were some that she found attractive, but only those that had less bright colors, and those whose trimmings and embroidery were less ornate. Mac had a pretty average style of dress, almost always a shirt and jeans, along with sneakers, and she really couldn't remember the last time she had worn something elegant. Not that she normally had much time to socialize, much less to attend any event that required a somewhat formal dress. On the days that she took some time to go to some of the daily ceremonies at the Temple, she used to take out some suit pants that she had in her closet, would put on a jacket, and some pretty but uncomfortable shoes. That was all the elegance in dress that the neurologist used to display.
However Mackenzie had observed how Saito seemed to have a penchant for pretty and elegant clothes. She was also normal, because Isa was certainly good-looking, with really balanced proportions, and practically anything she wore on top of her would look good on her. There were people who were born with the same body structure as an exhibition mannequin, and that allowed them to be elegant even wearing a sack of potatoes. Therefore, Mac thought that if Isabella tended to dress quite refined, and she was going to be her student for at least several months, accompanying at almost all times, it would be better if she also acquired something that she could carry in her suitcase that would was different from the 8 white or light blue shirts and the 8 pairs of jeans that were inside right now, waiting at her house.
Wilson noticed a section at the back of the store where there appeared to be less Cretan versions of some dresses. There were some that were quite plain in color, and others, although they had the usual Cretan polka dots, were more discreet than in the more traditional versions. She chose a long cobalt blue dress with a circular skirt, which she thought was beautiful. It had a gold-colored detail on the V-neckline, and had half sleeves and a zipper on the side, tying with an ornamental belt in the back. Taking it down from its hanger, Mac could sense by touch that the fabric was very soft and comfortable to wear, slightly stretchy. She went to the small dressing room that the store had in the corner to see how it looked on her, and there had to wait for Saito to come out from trying on the clothes she had chosen. When the psychologist finally emerged from the dressing room, she was wearing a beautiful orange and purple dress that fit her as if it had been custom-made. The colors matched perfectly with her tanned skin, and Isa seemed completely happy with it on, judging by the huge smile on her face.
Mac couldn't avoid to look at her in admiration. "Wow, Isa, it's... really beautiful. It really looks like this dress has been waiting here for you all this time." Wilson looked at the rest of the clothes that Isabella was carrying in her hands, on the way to the counter, and smiled. "I'm glad we finally came here, I see it was a productive visit for you." She lifted the dress she was wearing in her own hands, showing it to Isa. "And I hope it's equally productive for me. I think this one might suit me well. I've decided that I should add at least one elegant outfit to my closet, jeans and sneakers are great for every day, but now that I'm going out there with you, I would be very embarrassed if a situation arose in which it's expected of me go a little more... formal, and I had nothing to wear."
Mac entered the dressing room, took off her shirt and jeans and dressed in the blue dress. Once she had it properly adjusted to her body, she had to admit that really liked how it looked on her. She had chosen the size well, and its color was perfect, matching her blue eyes and her golden hair. She took a couple of turns to look at herself from all angles in the mirror, and finally took a quick turn to see how the skirt of the dress fluttered, smiling happy. Then she took off the dress again and put her jeans and shirt back on to leave the fitting room. When she approached the counter to pay, Niki and Cesar were still playing, and Isabella and Meyer were watching them, while Lola told them how she and the lynx had ended up being partners in life, and about her family.
Lola turned towards her when saw Mac approaching with the cloth in her hand. "Oh, you finally got that one. I imagined it, darling, as soon as I saw you walk through the door I imagined exactly that same dress for you." Lola took the garment from Wilson and spread it on the counter. "This blue is unusual in a Cretan dress, and it also doesn't have too many trims or ruffles. Although I like to maintain the Hispanic style in my creations, sometimes I allow myself to do things like this, more... exotic. I'm particularly proud of this dress, and I'm so glad you found it." The elderly ex-corsair looked Mac up and down and pointed to her neck and ears. "If you add a gold choker and some sapphire earrings, I think there won't be a place in Sirius where the doors don't open by themselves when you walk by."
Wilson blushed like a ripe pomegranate. She was not used to receiving praise about her appearance, since normally her style was quite sloppy and functional. She stammered a few words of thanks and hurried to pay the bill for her dress. Then she focused her attention on the pair of felines that were currently snuggling together happily, after having exhausted all their games. Isa had crouched down next to the lynx and was scratching him behind the ears while the big cat purred gratefully.
"An animal clinic... very interesting." Meyer scratched her chin, while looking at Mrs. Lola. "I think it will be quite successful, there are a few settlers with pets, it's time someone takes care of them properly."
Mackenzie chimed in, glad to be able to talk about something different than her new dress and how it looked on her. "Oh yes, of course it's necessary. On more than one occasion, someone has shown up at the Medical Center with a sick or injured pet. Normally we find a time to treat them, but anyway, a hospital isn't the most appropriate place to treat this type of patient, and doctors aren't veterinarians, we aren't specialized in treating animals. Many times the physiology of an animal is totally different from that of a human, and our treatments can even be harmful to the patient."
Once all the purchases had been made, the three women said goodbye to Mrs. Lola and Cesar. Niki seemed a little reluctant to abandon her new friend, but she immediately realized that they had to go, so she gave the old lynx a last loving lick on the snout and jumped onto Isabella's shoulders, who was crouching waiting for her. They all left the store together, carrying their bags with the newly acquired clothes.
Once outside Greta turned to Saito. "Well, dear friend. Today has been a pretty full day... maybe too much so." The monsignora smiled a little nervously as she remembered the inconveniences that had occurred during the visit. "I think it would be a good idea for us to retire to the Palace and rest. A good room with all your things is waiting for you there, and you can order dinner when you're hungry. The Palace service will bring you whatever you want to your room."
"I'll walk you there before I go home, if you don't mind." Mac looked at Isabella and winked. "After everything that has happened today I want to make sure that my future teacher gets to her room safely."
The group of women headed back towards the Pontifical elevator by which they had descended to the underground colony. In less than 15 minutes they had returned to the square in front of the Medical Center and then turned down another street until they reached the elevator access. The atrium with the counter and the security checkpoint was still there, and the process was repeated by which the three women passed through the detector arches without stopping, ignoring their beeps, while the Guard soldiers present stood at attention and saluted Meyer. The elevator picked them up and began its climb to the surface, while the walls became transparent again and allowed them a last aerial view of the underground urban core. Mackenzie looked up at the ceiling of the cavern just before the elevator walls went opaque again, and could see in the projection how the light in Pygar's sky began to turn an orange color, which heralded the fall of the afternoon.
The elevator doors opened again and the group found themselves once again inside the Pontifical Palace, on the ground floor. They walked down the hallway they had traveled through in the morning until they reached the main atrium, from which the large renaissance style stairs led up to the upper floors. However, Meyer didn't go up them but went to a side elevator with bronze doors, which she called and in which everyone got on, to ascend to the second floor. Once there, they headed towards the left wing of the Palace, crossing wooden double doors guarded by another pair of Pontifical Guards who were wearing ornamental complete power armors, very well cared and polished, although quite old looking.
Meyer pointed to the hallway they had just entered, with a carpeted faux wood floor and white-painted walls with Renaissance-style plaster moldings, and flanked by several white lacquered doors. "This is the residential and guest wing, all these doors lead to private rooms where live some of the clergy who work directly here, in the Palace offices, like me."
They continued walking through the hallway and crossed two more double doors giving way to a large living room, with a certain luxury but quite sober. There were large windows with drawn red velvet curtains that let in the increasingly orange light from outside, and that faced the square allowing to see the Temple on the other side, right in front. The living room had an ornate dining table made of dark faux wood, treated to look antique, with several chairs around it of the same style and material upholstered in red velvet. Scattered throughout the living room, but grouped in certain areas, there were coffee tables similar in construction to the rest of the furniture, surrounded by armchairs and sofas. On the opposite side of the windows, attached to the wall, there was a large library of looking old books, and on another wall was placed a bar cabinet through whose display case it could be seen dozens of bottles of different liquors. Adorning the empty spaces on the walls were some paintings of what looked like scenes from Gran Canaria and Pygar, although there were also serious portraits of some people in ecclesiastical uniforms, and tapestries with emblems related to the Church.
Mac already knew that place, although she didn't usually frequent the Pontifical Palace. However, she had been there in a couple of work meetings that she had had with Greta, related to some matter at the Medical Center, or to ask for funds. Meyer stopped walking a little so she could explain the layout of the room to Saito a little. "This is the lounge of the residential area, a recreation space for those of us who live in the Palace. The large windows open onto an exterior balcony that runs along the entire exterior of the living room, and from which you can see the square very well, and a large part of our small surface urban center. You can also see some of the fields of Biodome 1 in the distance. They are beautiful views, but don't worry Isa, because the windows in your room have the same orientation." The monsignora gestured with her arm toward the rest of the room. "This is a place to rest, meditate, read... There is a good library with physical copies of classic old books, from many literary categories. Of course we have an Internal Neural Network with access throughout the Palace for our much larger digital library, but there are many people who like the feel of paper, when possible." The clergywoman looked towards the bar cabinet. "It's also a good place to have a drink after dinner, if you wish, in the minibar we've here. There is a wide variety of spirits from almost all of Sirius."
Meyer waited a few seconds so that the psychologist could appreciate the place, and then began to walk again, while making a slight gesture for them to follow her. "This living room separates the two parts of the residential and guest wing on this floor." Greta pointed to two more double wooden doors on the other side of the room, which they were heading towards. "Now we'll continue towards the next hallway, where the rest of the residential rooms are."
The three women went to the next hallway, which was an exact copy of the one they had followed until they reached the living room, and they walked following Meyer until they reached one of the doors on the left side. The monsignora smiled and made a gesture with her arm, as if inviting Saito to enter, while looking at a small terminal located on the wall to the left of the frame. "Well, this is your room. To enter you just have to bring the electronic card that I gave you a few hours ago to this terminal."
Mac and Meyer waited for Isabella to open and come inside, and they followed her in. The room was more than just a bedroom, it was an apartment. However, it made sense given that it was designed so that a member of the clergy could live making it his regular home. A short hall led directly to a small living room-study, which overlooked the plaza outside through large windows with a balcony. The parlor was tastefully decorated, but in a much more modern and functional style than the rest of the Palace. Attached to one wall was a synthetic plywood desk with a large leather office chair, on which was a Neural Net terminal. A sofa in front of a holographic playback device, a bar cabinet, and a small size wooden dining table, surrounded by four chairs, completed the rest of the furniture in the place. At the back of the room there was a door that led to the bedroom, and another door to the left allowed access to a tiny kitchen, in which there was a refrigerator, a kitchen automat, and a professional coffee maker.
The bedroom had another large window that overlooked a balcony, which communicated with the small living room's balcony, where a round forged iron table with a built-in ashtray and two chairs of the same material were placed. Inside there was a large double bed about two meters wide, a built-in wall closet with light synthetic wood doors, and another holographic player hanging in front of the bed. The suitcases and other luggage that Isabella had brought were placed unopened neatly in a line on the carpeted floor, in front of the closet.
Finally, another door inside the chamber led to the bathroom, of considerable size and completely covered in a type of black marble and bronze metal details. It had a big mirror with a double sink, an interactive toilet, a gigantic shower with a large upper ceiling that could throw water in the form of rain, and, separately, a whirlpool bathtub.
Greta smiled at the psychologist. "I hope you feel comfortable here and can relax and rest well, it's a fairly well-equipped apartment, after all. If you need anything you can contact the Palace service through any of the communication terminals in all the rooms of this apartment." Meyer looked into the small living room and pointed to the desk. "For when you're hungry, I've left the Palace kitchens' menu on that desk. You can ask the service to bring dinner directly to your room." The monsignora glanced outside through the window. "Of course you can walk through the Palace without problem, although I'm afraid that the offices wing, as well as the apartments of His Holiness, are restricted to Church personnel. I've sent you an interactive map of the Palace to your personal communications device, anyway, in case you get lost. But you can also ask any clergy member that you see in the hallways, or any Guard. Everyone is aware that you're here visiting, so don't worry, no one will be surprised of your presence." Greta began to take a few steps towards the exit, preparing to leave. "If you need me for something, my apartment is exactly next to this one. Still, I have quite a bit of work to do yet so I don't think I'll retire to it until the evening, but you've my contact. Feel free to call me if necessary."
The three women reached the door and Greta looked at Saito and Wilson. "If we don't meet before, tomorrow, before you both leave, I will be there to say goodbye to you on the landing pad." Meyer turned to Saito. "For tonight, I recommend a short walk through the main square after dinner, so you can see the small urban center of the surface at night. The Great Temple and the Pontifical Palace have very beautiful exterior lighting. I also suggest that you visit the private garden of the Palace, as I told you before. It's very likely that you will meet His Holiness there, he usually walks there every night, but he's informed. He will not feel bothered in any case." The monsignora made a farewell gesture and smiled again. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I must go. Otherwise I think that when morning dawns tomorrow I still won't have been able to go to bed."
Meyer walked away down the hallway and Mac prepared to leave as well. "Rest well Isa, I hope you enjoyed the day and the visit. The truth is that I loved accompanying you and being able to teach you all this. I don't know what time you want us to leave tomorrow, but keep me informed of what you're going to do." The neurologist made a gesture like making a call with her hand. "You've my contact on your communications device, too."