I wasn't much of a barfly, and usually I just wore a well-fitting pair of pants for an outing like this, but Shovia had told me to put on something nice, so I figured I might as well show off one of my designs.
"What do you think, girl?" I twirled for Chicha's benefit.
She tilted her head, ears perking forward, and thumped her tail against the bed in what I chose to interpret as approval.
As I opened the door and walked toward our common room with Chicha padding faithfully at my heels, I heard Shovia's animated chatter mixing with my grandmother's laughter.
"There you are!" Shovia's eyes widened as she took in my appearance. "Oh, Kailin, please tell me you're not wearing that to the pub."
I glanced down at my skirt. "Why? You said that you liked it."
"Not for a night out, and it's not just the skirt, it's also your hair." She waved a hand over me. "You look like such a village girl with that braid."
I glared at her. "Iama village girl."
Gran chuckled, her eyes twinkling with amusement. "Now, now, Shovia. Our Kailin looks lovely as always."
"Thank you, Gran." I shot her a grateful smile.
Shovia rolled her eyes. "Did you even look at the fashion magazine you borrowed from me?"
"I did, but I looked at the latest trends in clothing, not hairstyles."
"Come on." Shovia threaded her arm through mine. "You can't meet the Elurians looking so provincial." She started leading me back to my room.
"Elurians?" My mother's voice was pitched high, tinged with alarm. "I didn't know that you were meeting Elurians."
"We are not meeting them." Shovia assumed an innocent expression, but her eyes sparkled with mischief. "We are not meeting anyone. But in case we bump into Elurian pilgrims, I want us to look sophisticated."
I could see the concern etching itself across my mother's face. "Kailin, are you sure it's wise to go out tonight? The pilgrimage is in just a few days. You should be resting and preparing yourself."
Before I could respond, my father's deep voice rumbled from the doorway. "Stop fretting, Milly. It will be good for Kailin to talk to Elurians. Broaden her horizons a bit."
I shot him a grateful look, but my mother wasn't done. "I just worry, Jayron. You know how difficult the pilgrimage is. I want Kailin to be well prepared."
Like me, my mother secretly hoped I wouldn't get selected. She could barely sleep at night, worrying about Dylon. I didn't want to imagine what a nervous wreck she would be if I turned out to be a dragon rider as well.
My father walked over to me and put his hand on my shoulder. "Kailin is tough." He winked at me. "She's gonna make it, and she's gonna make us proud."
My mother snorted, but I had a feeling it was to hide a sob. "I just want our daughter to come back down from that mountain in one piece. I don't care about pride."
"She will," Shovia said. "She's got me and Morek watching her back." She cast my mother a reassuring smile before pulling me by the hand to my room.
Chicha followed us, settling into her favorite spot by the dresser where she could keep watch on both me and the door.
Closing the door behind us, Shovia walked over to my wardrobe and started rummaging through it. "Honestly, Kailin, don't you have anything a little more daring than this ankle-length skirt? Why is everything you make so modest?"
I flopped onto my bed. "We live in the mountains, Shovia. Daring isn't exactly a priority when it comes to clothing. My aim is practicality with a little flair."
There had been a time I wanted to become a clothing designer, but it had never become more than a hobby. I enjoyed the imagining and drawing parts, but I did not like sewing.
She turned back to the wardrobe and pulled out a deep blue dress I hadn't worn in ages. It was a bit too formal for the bar. "This is much better. It'll bring out your eyes, and your golden hair will look fabulous draped over it." She tossed me the dress. "After I free it from that awful braid and curl it. Where is your curler?"
"In the drawer." I held up the dress.
It wasn't one of my designs, and it wasn't daring, but Shovia was right about it making me look good.
I put on the dress, released my hair from the braid, and let Shovia go at it with the curling iron.
