I wasn’t sure what awaited me tonight in the company of gargoyles.But as I watched Karim leave with a final look my way, I was sure thatlater tonightcouldn’t come soon enough.
– 20 –
Fashion Magic
By the time Karim returned, Deidre had done wonders with my looks.
First, she took me to hisbathing chamber.The room was equipped with a pool carved into the stone floor, filled by a spring in the wall and heated by blue crystals underwater.After I enjoyed my first proper bath in months, Deidre wrapped me in a towel made of vegetation so thick it resembled fabric.That was what Tisvali had been wearing at our first meeting, but his had been much smaller.
Afterward, Deidre helped me style my hair while we sat on a moss-covered stone bench opposite the pool.She kept marveling at how my locks looked curlier when wet, and how her silver comb made the curls straighten a bit.
I myself still marveled at the properties of the water and soap in the Kingdom, because without my conditioners, my hair still felt moisturized and free of tangles and frizz.Thanks to that, Deidre had no trouble finger-combing my curls as a finishing touch once I showed her how.
At some point after I’d told her what had happened while she was gone, I brought up the fact that she’d left me to explain everything to Karim on my own.
Deidre just shrugged.“I knew he wouldn’t be too angry when you were the one explaining the screw-up.Trust me, my presence wouldn’t have helped matters,” she told me cheerfully.“I wouldn’t have left you otherwise, silly.”
I supposed she had a point.However, I also had the impression that she would rather face Karim in battle than have a serious conversation with him about feelings.She’d made a quick escape at the prospect of an emotional talk, rather than the calculated exit she was presenting to me.
But I was not one to rub that in her face.What would I do in her place if I knew a battle was coming?I’d surely make a quick escape of my own, trusting she could handle that situation.Me, I could talk and prune.Hopefully, gargoyles appreciated that.
Next, Deidre got me into one of her dresses.She called it formal attire, but that didn’t do justice to the marvelous pale-gray fabric that hugged my figure.The sleeveless, ankle-length dress went with a silver chain belt that made my hourglass figure stand out more.
Finally, Deidre changed the bandage on my forearm after having placed fresh herbs on my bite wound.These plants had to be magical, because the skin lacerations were already closing and I wasn’t in any pain.She hid the bandage under pieces of gray fabric that she skillfully weaved together along my entire forearm.She repeated the process on my other arm, her fingers moving too fast for my eyes to follow.
“No need for the gargoyles to know you’ve been injured inour care,” Deidre explained as she worked her fashion magic.“They are overly protective of human females, who they perceive as their Gods-sent braid partners.Or mates, as they call them.I wouldn’t be surprised if at the sight of your bandage, some winged brute impulsively decides you need saving and takes you up to their home on a cloud.”
Her mouth tilted in a smirk.“Gargoyles are rumored to be skilled in moss interactions.Which, just so you know, I think is a myth.How can you properly roll on the moss with someone who has wings on their back, for Underground’s sake?”She shook her head.
“Skilled or not, you don’t want to end up on one of their clouds, Jasmine.According to the reports of our diplomats back in the very distant past, when our two kinds used to have trade relations, those clouds are bathed in sunlight all day as they fly across the sky.There’s not a single climbable tree in sight.Just puny fruit trees, clouds, and sun.Ugh!”
I hid a smile.“Sounds awful.”Awfully intriguing.These creatures lived on clouds!I’d thought gargoyles were stone statues on buildings during the day and came to life at night, but cartoons I’d loved as a kid were not a reliable source of information.
“I still can’t believe we’re all safe, despite that meddling tramp,” Deidre noted when we moved to the sofa as we waited for my hair to dry.“Now everyone will think I’ve become Karim’s moss partner.Cool, right?”
“Hm.”I adjusted the cushion under my ankle.Hopping around Karim’s home on one leg had tired me a bit, but I’d insisted on moving on my own.“Won’t that affect your chances of finding a moss or braid partner?”
“Nah.”She waved a hand dismissively.“You are sweet to worry about my moss life, but don’t.It’s a lost cause.I find no one here who is both worthy and willing to share my moss.And despite the curse I carry in my blood, I haven’t yet met a human male who I don’t find disgusting.”
“Maybe you just haven’t met the right one?”I certainly hadn’t perceived elves as men until I’d encountered Karim.
Deidre laughed.“Maybe I met the right one but shot him full of arrows before I could feel the connection?”
We both laughed, me rather awkwardly at the reminder of our kinds being enemies.I wished humans and elves could coexist peacefully, but had no idea how the gap could be bridged as the war for Earth raged on.
That was when Karim walked in.
Deidre’s laughter died out upon seeing him.In a flash, she was up, head down, hands clasped behind her back like a child obediently awaiting punishment.
I rose carefully, keeping most of my weight on my good foot.
Karim took me in first, his dark gaze heating as it slid down my figure.Did he enjoy the sight of my curves, so different from a she-elf’s figure?
Then, as he switched his focus to Deidre, his look hardened.When he moved to stand way into her personal space, I knew another dominance display was coming.
“You did well by Jasmine today,” he told her.“I find her in better health and spirits, thanks to you.And you have done well assisting her for tonight, just as I knew you would.Graciem.”
“You’re always welcome.”She sounded as if she was speaking through a smile, but I couldn’t be sure, not with her loose hair hiding her face from me.“I can never repay you for what you did in my defense today.Graciem.”
