Chapter XII
Their second day in Nora, Fred was getting a tad restless. He had tired of the lead about five minutes after she had fastened it around his thick neck, and was growing ever more annoyed at its chaffing insistency as he followed her around. Really, any man can agree that following a girl around while she shops and ogles shiny things is a fairly irritating bore. Add a collar and lead to that and you have downright displeasure.
Saure was much fonder of the fireweaver get-up than she was of the floofy duchess' dress. The boots which accompanied this were of a sort she had never worn- a yellow-tan leather with dark brown trim and half a hand's height heels. Striking, and they matched the gloves as well! The chest piece was made from faded light red and yellow dyed leather, with a dull yellow-cast brass plate etched with runes at the breast. She was amazed when- upon donning this- the brass melded itself to accommodate her body's curves. She watched as the runes flashed a light blue and faded back to their prior black cast. A metal spell, obviously. She vowed then to study her runes more carefully. Fascinating things they could be.
After she had donned her unique greaves (they poofed out at the thighs, but clung tightly to her calves), she set about perfecting her hair in the room's beaten-copper mirror. A good portion of the jewelry she had bought the day previous had been hair clips and decorative hairpins. Fred sighed heavily from a dusty corner.
"What's on your mind, dear cat?"
"You are, indeed, a woman. You take ages to ready yourself. Who do you expect to meet out there? The queen?"
Saure smirked and lightly flipped her hair, fastening another gold bauble. "You never know."
As I have mentioned, Nora had many large and extravagant gardens. These were often in their own juxts, surrounded by high marble walls and flanked with shady overhangs
