Chivarosa - Chapter 1

	It was early summer and the farmer's market was full of produce such as peppers, beans and onions. Here in the desert one could pretty much grow crops all year round. The sweeter fruits and vegetables wouldn't be available for another month. I found myself walking among the stalls searching for something nice to make dinner out of. Several farmers raised their own animals and there was the tantalizing scent of grease and meat grilling. The cooking was spiced with a different scent that was lighter and made my mouth water. A few stalls down from the grills was an enormous drum like the kind you'd see in a washing machine. It had holes through it and a hatch. I could see light green vegetables tumbling inside while they were roasted over a charcoal fire. The scent was spicy and sweet as well as entirely enticing.

	There was a Satyr turning the drum by a crank on the side. He'd do a few rotations then stop it and let the vegetables sit for a moment before turning them again. From the smell they had to be peppers and the stall had raw, roasted and seasoned available as well as other produce. Beside the Satyr was a younger girl that was sorting through the bins. The two of them had dark hair and skin.  Their horns were brown, the same color as their eyes. As I approached a third Satyr stood up from behind the table and sat down packets of freshly roasted peppers. I stopped for a moment and my heart skipped a beat. I'd always seen these people as rough and unkempt. The Satyr at the drum was scruffy and had a goat beard. This third one though was gorgeous.

	Sun kissed skin was a contrast to her long white hair that had been pulled back into a ponytail. Deep blue eyes enhanced her smile as I approached. Her horns curled in a circle before the points faced forward again. They were colored like fresh cream. I stood in front of the stall for a few moments trying to think of something to say. She gestured towards the packets of peppers and a small silver bracelet glittered on her right wrist. I couldn't be entirely sure what was said. I'd selected a packet of peppers and fumbled for my wallet. After handing her a five dollar bill I slipped a pepper out of the packet and bit into it while she turned around to make change.

	It was oily and light at first with a strong flavor. Not bad at all but then the heat kicked in. The pepper burned in my mouth with such intensity that I ran to the next stall and grabbed a pitcher of lemonade. I downed it as quickly as possible while the stall owner was shouting at me. The lemonade did nothing to help the heat as it continued scorching my tongue. I rushed towards an ice cream vendor and tripped over a bag that had been set down. My head cracked against the bricks of the market square and I could feel blood coming down the side of my face. Several people rushed to my side and I slipped into unconsciousness.

	When woke my head was fuzzy. It took a bit before I my mind started to clear and I noticed that I was in a hospital bed. I couldn't feel any pain but my vision on my right was obscured. I raised my hand up and felt the bandages wound around my head. For a second I panicked that my eye had been damaged and fumbled with the wrappings. A pair of hands encircled mine and the warmth from them calmed me. Those fingers lifted the bandage off my eye just enough for me to see under it. I couldn't turn my head enough to see whom they belonged to. After adjusting them the owner walked around to the other side of the bed and I saw it was the goat girl from the stall. She smiled and patted my arm. I slowly sat up then laid back down when I became dizzy.

  “Careful,” She spoke with Latin accent. “They said as soon as the medication wore off you'd be fine.”
  “They?” I blinked.
  “The doctor and nurse. You caused quite a scene and I wanted to make sure you were ok.”
  “What happened?” I struggled to sit up again.
  “I gave you the wrong peppers by mistake. I'm sorry about that. I had to make sure you were alright after eating one.” She looked down at her hands.
  “The wrong peppers? I'm not even sure what peppers I wanted.” I leaned back in the bed again.
  “The ones you bought were Ghost Peppers. Not the hottest we had but plenty painful a Human. I'm really deeply sorry about all of this. I already paid the lemonade stand for the damages.”
  “Damages? Wait what happened to my head?” I touched the bandages again.
  “You took a bad fall. The doctor assured me you'll be fine but they had to put stitches in. I'm so sorry about all of this. I'll make it up to you, anything I can do you just name it.”

	She took my hands in hers and her eyes were wet on the edge of tears. I wanted to tell her that she had no obligation to me and it was an honest mistake. I almost started saying such but then I stopped before the words came. She had said anything she could do. I was not thinking entirely clearly but in that moment my mind went several places. I could invite her to my apartment and have her clean  it. I kept a decent place but it would be interesting to see her in a maid outfit dusting the blinds. Or I could have her climb up on the hospital bed and slowly start to undress... I shook my head to clear the thoughts and noticed a bunch of plant stems sitting in a vase on the counter. There were no flowers just the stems and she followed my gaze then looked back at me embarrassed. It was cute the way she blushed.

  “I... I brought you flowers but you were out for awhile and I did not want to leave your side in case you woke up. I was hungry.” Her voice lowered to a whisper when she admitted to eating the flowers.
  “Will you go to dinner with me?” I asked.
  “Dinner?” She blinked in surprise.
  “Well not right now since I'm in bed but tomorrow or the day after?”
  “You want to take me to dinner?” She was still surprised and let go of my hands.
  “If you don't want to I understand.”
  “After everything I thought you'd not want to see me again. Of course I'll go to dinner with you!” She grasped my hands and gave them a squeeze.
  “Perfect... uh... I don't know your name.” I smiled.
  “Chivarosa. Everyone calls me Chiva.”