Welcome to Gaia! ::

Kalani was determined to find more of those glittering star fragments, after her original encounter with the strange merchant. The medallion had been an okay deal, though she hadn't yet found a buyer for it, and thus had given it to Rune to hold onto for the moment, since the kitten seemed to be strangely attracted to it for some reason. The merchant was, arguably, probably long gone at this point, but Kalani didn't really care- she could ask around to see if anyone knew anything, if it came to it.

Although she didn't normally involve Rune in her plans, two sets of eyes were better than one, and Rune's closer proximity to the ground meant she may spot things sooner than Lani would. Of course, Kalani couldn't possibly be seen just walking around with some random cat, and thus she had made clear her conditions that Rune would be allowed to accompany her... if she wore a leash.

It was easier to pretend she was doing pet sitting for someone, or that she had gotten a new cat, than to have to explain why she was walking around with some random cat.

"Alright, we're looking for shiny gemstones, so you'd better keep an eye out for anything glittery or sparkling," she told the Mauvian.

“Like gemstones?” Kalani said pointedly, only just barely restraining from adding a ‘duh’. How many times had she gone over this already? Maybe she shouldn’t have taken Rune with her after all, but on the other hand, well, again, lower proximity to the ground and all. If she wanted to do another deal with the merchant, she would have to find another one of those star gems.

“Gemstone shaped kinda like a star, sparkles like it’s got some kinda light in it? Maybe it comes in other colors other than the one I found, but mine was green. Do you understand now?”

Hopefully it did, and the little cat would stop asking questions.

Could it be? Could Rune actually have done something useful for once? Kalani briefly got her hopes up as she came over to inspect what the Mauvian had discovered, eager to get her hands on another one of those rocks that she could give to the merchant for something else that was hopefully valuable. Oh sure, he was probably long gone by now, but Kalani had dismissed that information far into the back of her head, into that section of her brain where she stored all the stuff she preferred to ignore the existence of, like her cousins.

"Let me see," Kalani said, almost demandingly, as she knelt down beside the kitten. If this was it, and they had truly found another of those stones-

"... This isn't it," the teen said, after a brief inspection. Ugh, this was what she got for trusting in Rune, she supposed. Still, she picked up the stone, holding it up to the light. It was no star fragment thing, but it looked like it could hold some value, either way. A gemstone, perhaps one that had fallen out of an earring or a ring, and hopefully real and not artificial?

At least Rune hadn't mistaken a shiny piece of foil for a rock, at least.

"We need to keep searching," Kalani told Rune, pocketing the gem for now. Perhaps the little cat would implore her to try to reunite the piece of jewelry with its owner, but surely whoever had lost it had long since declared it a loss.

"Let me see," Lani said again, and once again, she was disappointed to find... it was just a piece of shiny foil or something. Thus set the mood as they continued with their search, with Rune calling out to Lani whenever she thought she found something that resembled those coveted 'star fragments', and Lani only finding disappointment (and regret, at involving Rune) each and every time. In the end, nothing of interest was found, save for the gemstone and a bit of loose change, and Kalani ultimately decided to call it quits, citing something about how being out in the summer sun for too long was bad for her health or something like that.

Maybe... she should think twice before involving Rune in these things in the future.