The trading post was pretty much like I'd imagined a medieval general store would be, based on the numerous webnovels I'd read. They seemed to carry practically anything you could think of, but while they seemed to carry a little bit of everything, there weren't a lot of options or variety in any given category.

At least the place was actually organized somewhat, so it wasn't impossible to find things. To the right was an entire wall dedicated to weapons. There were a half dozen different swords, like they had a short sword, a longsword, broad sword, but only one of each thing. There was more variety in their selection of knives and daggers. They had two bows, one long and one short. And a crossbow. They had a decent stock of 'consumables' though, like arrows and crossbow bolts, and they had some smaller projectile weapons that were vaguely like daggers but smaller and meant to be thrown. Somehow I knew they were called darts, even though they looked nothing like the darts people played games with in bars back in my last life.

On the left side of the store they had a small stock of clothing, along with a bigger inventory of fabric in different styles and thicknesses for people who'd rather make their own clothes. For someone used to getting t-shirts and jeans off the rack at a discount mart the thought of making my own clothes was pretty foreign to me, but it didn't take long to figure it out. There was a big difference in price between the raw material and the finished product. And they had a very limited selection when it came to different sizes. Basically you weren't going to find the same design in six different size options. You went with what fit, and whatever style that came in is what you got.

Finally, there were a few small aisles and tables with other wares. Like wooden bowls and plates, metal utensils, bundles of rope, backpacks, bedrolls, blankets, candles, and so on. Across the back was a counter, and behind that stood a heavyset man in his early thirties, presumably the shopkeeper. There were more shelves behind him, I figured that was either more inventory or maybe it was special stuff that was too valuable to leave out front where it might get stolen.

It took me a few minutes to take all this in, and by that point Clara had already began to shop. Her first stop was the weapons, where she picked up a bundle of arrows and began to inspect the quality.

"Not great but these will do," she decided. There were only three bundles on the shelf and she took all three. Then she pointed at the solitary short sword, "See if that suits you Fiona. It looks a similar size to your old one, but check the weight and feel. And the build quality."

"Ok," I nodded as I moved to pick it up. I honestly didn't know if I could tell quality from crap when it came to this sort of thing, but apparently my limited skills were at least good enough to make some basic assessments.

The rusty old sword I started with had straight edges for most of its length then the tip was just straight angles that converged to a point. It was shaped more like what you'd imagine Roman gladiators would use, and while it seemed sturdy and good for chopping or stabbing it was hardly what I'd call elegant. This sword was everything that first one wasn't.

I could tell it wasn't top quality, but it was all delicate curves and smooth lines. Instead of something out of ancient Rome this sword looked like it came out of a high fantasy movie. From the smoothly rounded pommel to the wooden grip, to the oval-shaped guard and finally the blade itself it was all gentle curves. It started wide at the guard, then narrowed slightly about ten centimetres up, before growing wider again. Then it narrowed once more, to a much sharper point. The weight distribution meant it was lighter to carry and easier to swing, but could still delivery a powerful chopping blow. And the finer point meant thrusts would penetrate deeper and do more damage too.

"What do you think?" Clara asked as she returned from placing the arrows on the counter. "The wagging tail tells me you like it."

I blushed, "Yeah it's perfect for me."

The ranger smiled, "Good. Pick out a couple daggers, and anything else you like. Then leave it on the counter with the arrows, and we'll see if there's any clothes here to fit you."

After another couple minutes inspecting the options I selected three smallish daggers and one small knife. The knife was the opposite of a weapon, it was for literally everything else. Eating, cutting, carving, basically it was the tool that replaced scissors kitchen knives and utility knives in my old life. I also grabbed a half dozen of those throwing darts, because something told me I'd be able to use them.

All that was added to the pile on the counter, then I joined Clara on the opposite side of the building.

"Not much selection here," she sighed. "See what you can find, but I have a feeling we're out of luck on this. I'm going to go stock up on everything else."

I nodded, "All right Clara, thanks."

Unfortunately she was right, and the next ten or fifteen minutes were an exercise in frustration. Tops were either too big or not big enough for my boobs. Pants were all too big, and wouldn't work anyways because of my tail. The only skirts they had were long heavy woollen things that felt itchy, and wouldn't work with my tail.

Eventually the ranger returned to my side, she gave me a sympathetic look as she asked "Anything?"

"Nothing," I sighed as I shook my head.

"Figured," she shrugged. "Bigger villages or towns will have better options. Or we can grab some fabric and try making something, but that'll take time and we won't be able to travel as fast while we're making clothes."

I glanced down at what I was wearing now, then blushed again "I think this is fine for now? I know it's a little revealing, but..."

Clara grinned, "Trust me Fiona, me and Avril both appreciate the view."

That only made my cheeks brighter, while the ranger continued smiling at my reaction.

"All right c'mon," she finally said. "Time to try and negotiate a good deal."

I grimaced and whispered, "I'll leave that up to you."

That was partially because I still had no idea how money worked here, but also because I had no idea how to haggle. So I kept my mouth shut and just watched and listened while the tall strong ranger handled everything.

The negotiations actually took a lot longer than I expected. I figured the guy would just give us a price for the lot then he and Clara would argue over that. Instead they went through almost every item one by one, arguing the quality or lack thereof along with the price. And when it came to the weapons I'd picked out Clara also wanted scabbards or sheaths for everything.

At one point I was surprised when she pulled out Roderick's rapier. Not to threaten the guy with, but she actually started negotiating the value of that too. I realized a moment later she was offering it in trade.

In the end I never did get a feel for how money worked. The haggling and stuff went over my head, all I knew was by the time the negotiations were complete Clara had turned over Roderick's sword and some unknown quantity of coin, and in return we'd walked away with a bunch of new stuff. Most of which was for me.

A lot of it ended up in a small but sturdy canvas pack which was also mine, and I slung that over one shoulder while carrying my new sword in hand for the time being. The two of us headed off to the east, then we found a nice spot just outside the hamlet to sit down and sort through all our new purchases.

"I'm surprised you gave up the rapier," I commented. "I thought you'd keep that."

Clara shrugged, "Like I said, I can use it but it's not my preferred weapon. I'm a lot more comfortable with my bow and a fresh supply of arrows."

On the other hand she did ask for her big dagger back, now that I had an assortment of weapons to call my own.

It took us another fifteen or twenty minutes to get everything all sorted out, but by the end of it I actually felt almost like a real adventurer. My makeshift rope belt was replaced with a leather belt, and I had two small daggers and a knife hanging from that. The third dagger and my half dozen darts were in my new pack, along with a small blanket, a couple skins for holding water or wine or whatever, a bowl and a spoon.

My new sword came with a scabbard, but instead of going on my belt it also came with a longer strap that went up and across then over my opposite shoulder. Clara explained that hanging it on my belt wouldn't work due to my small size, the belt would dig into my hips or something. This way the sword hung by my left hip while the weight was spread to my right shoulder. I just had to make sure the strap fit comfortably into my deep cleavage, but hopefully I'd get used to that.

So I felt good about being armed, in my mind I was now an official adventurer with my sword and daggers and backpack. On the other hand I was still barely dressed, I was barefoot, and I was tiny and cute. And my ears and tail kept betraying my emotions to everyone around me.

Or in other words, I was pretty happy with how things worked out so far. Clara seemed pleased too, she had at least twenty arrows in her quiver, while two more bundles were strapped to the outside of her pack.

Then Avril came into view around the side of a hill a few hundred meters to the east of us. She waved as soon as she noticed us, and even at this distance I could see the playful smile on her face.

I gulped slightly while my treacherous tail started wagging again. I just knew she had a collar for me, and as much as I wanted to deny it I was maybe looking forward to that a little too much.

"Looks like you two did all right?" Avril asked as she approached. "I hope there wasn't any trouble with the outpost?"

Clara shrugged, "No trouble. No clothes though, nothing that would fit our little foxgirl."

The ranger added, "I didn't buy any food yet, I figured we could do that in the morning. Assuming we end up staying the night. How about you, I take it your mission was a success?"

The druid grinned as she held up her prize.

It was a standard-looking leather collar, a sort of reddish brown colour that I thought would go well with my hair and fur. The closure was an unfamiliar design, but I took it to be some kind of medieval buckle alternative. It also had a small metal ring attached, which looked suspiciously like it was designed for a leash. Or maybe a tag.

Avril sat down on the ground next to me and Clara then offered me the collar. "Here you go cutie, this is for you. I want to be clear though, you don't have to do this. We can find someplace else to spend the night. Or we can just finish stocking up on supplies then move on."

I bit my lower lip as I accepted it, then slowly turned it around in my hand. It wasn't hard or rough, it felt more like a well-worn belt. It seemed strong, but I was sure it wouldn't chafe at my neck. It was long enough it would fit without being uncomfortably tight, and narrower than I'd expected, like only about a centimetre across. I could almost imagine it was more like jewelry, like a loose choker or something. Except for the metal ring at the front.

The closure part still baffled me, it definitely wasn't a buckle but some kind of metal clasp. There weren't any sharp or rough edges though, that and the ring were both all filed and sanded smooth.

"I honestly don't think it's that big a deal?" I finally shrugged. I was trying not to sound too eager, but once again my traitorous tail was wagging in excitement as I continued, "I think it'll be ok to pretend to be your pet for a while."

Then I held the collar back out to Avril, "I don't know how the buckle works though so one of you will have to put it on me?"

My companions exchanged a look, then the druid smiled as she suggested "Why don't we do it together?"

"Good idea," Clara agreed.

I shifted so I was on my knees while my two companions stood next to me. They carefully lifted my hair out of the way and wrapped the collar around, then I heard a little click as they snapped the closure shut.

"There you go Fiona," Avril announced. "Now stand up, let me get a look at you. Seems like you and Clara did ok in terms of equipment?"

My tail was wagging even faster as I got to my feet. I nodded, "Yeah! We found me a sword that's even better than the old one, plus I got some daggers and things. If we get into another fight, I'll be ready to help out."

"That's so cute," the druid responded with a grin, which wasn't exactly the reaction I expected. It still made me happy though, or at least it kept my tail flapping back and forth.

Clara suggested, "Why don't we head back to the tavern and see about that room? We can get some food too, then figure out our next move."

As the three of us started walking back towards the hamlet the tall strong ranger glanced at me then commented with a smile, "You never even asked if that collar was enchanted in any way Fiona. I can't help wonder if you actually understand the significance of wearing it."

"She was too eager for us to put it on her. I'm not surprised it didn't occur to her to question anything like that," Avril added. "Her tail kept wagging at the mere idea."

That was enough to get my tail to suddenly stop its wagging, while my eyes widened as I looked back and forth at my two companions.

"Uh, what?" I asked. "What's the significance? And is it enchanted?"

"Wait can it even come off again?" I added a moment later, as I realized I had no idea how that closure worked.

Considering I couldn't figure out how to use it when I could see it, now that I couldn't see it I had even less chance of taking the thing off. Assuming it wasn't enchanted to stay locked or something.

The gorgeous druid reached out and gave me a few head pats and ear scritches as she replied, "It means you're our pet fox. Me and Clara are your owners, you're our cute little obedient foxgirl."

Sure enough that actually got my tail wagging again. I wanted to protest or complain, or at least insist I wasn't really their pet. I couldn't quite bring myself to say it though, because honestly the idea was just a little too compelling.

Then Clara stifled a laugh, "You really like that don't you Fiona? Anyways Avril's just teasing. That's what the collar tells folks around here, but it doesn't mean that to us and it's definitely not enchanted. You're our girlfriend, silly fox. Not our pet."

"Unless you want to be?" the druid teased again as she delivered more ear scritches.

I closed my eyes and smiled as I leaned into the pets and scritches while my tail wagged up a storm. My cheeks were still beet-red, but rather than try and protest I just accepted my fate. They could easily see how happy I was at the idea of being their pet, so there was no point trying to deny it.

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