As Rosanna entered the bustling marketplace, she inhaled deeply and opened her mind. She was on the hunt for something, although she didn't quite know what that was yet. She passed stalls full of brightly coloured clothes and stalls selling exotic foods with rich and enticing scents. But those weren't what she needed.
And then she caught a trail. Just a hint, a whiff of joy lingering in the air. She'd found her fix.
People often thought that Rosanna was a hoarder. She let them think that, because in a way, she was. And while she did indeed keep a massive collection of items, her real hoard was the memories attached to those items. People didn't often realize that they could leave emotional imprints on items... but some, like Rosanna, knew this and had found a way to read the imprints.
While she could sense an imprinted object from a distance, she didn't get the full effect until she was physically touching the item. Once she had it in her paws, she could get lost in a good memory for hours on end. It was addictive, these emotions.
Rosanna was a junkie, and this was her drug.
She continued to follow her trail through the market, so intent on her final destination that she didn't notice all the people jostling around her.
And then she found it. It was a beautiful seashell, but she didn't care. She reverently picked it up, slapped some cash down in front of the stall keeper and began her search for a place to safely enjoy her emotional high.
She eventually found an empty corner in the market and settled herself down hidden from view. She opened her mind once again and drifted away into a memory of beaches, sunshine and laughter.
Credits
Art by WerenissProfile by Sunrise
Background by Sunrise
Story by Trithie