Vicious Serpents & Deceitful Poisons

Chapter Eight

"Come on, don't just stand there gaping like a hungry goblin! Follow! " Reina laughed and weaved in between the strange passersby and across the streets where a bundle of colorful shops stood side to side, embellished with fairy and lantern lights, glowing symbols and colorful paints that added to the already festive mood.

Kauvara glanced around once more, at this strange mystical place, and then moved to hurry after Reina and Asyris who had already entered one of the open doored shops.

As soon as she entered, the smell of vanilla fragrance and another, more floral smell, welcomed her in. Pastel colors surrounded and enveloped her as patrons of all kinds looked and shifted through the selection of clothing and fabrics that adorned the racks spread out around the space.

She stared in awe at a fox eared and tailed girl that walked past her in a skimpy and slightly translucent dress.

Kauvara felt out of place here. She had never been to a dress shop before, often times when she needed or particularly felt like a new dress, she would call the royal tailor up to her room to get precise measurements and together collaborate on the color and style of the gown.

But here she was, no personal assistant in sight. And the styles were very much not what she was used to. Tastefully dyed leather trousers and jackets, large knit sweaters and short, one layer skirts that came up shorter than midthigh and hugged the body tightly.

At Kauvara's befuddled expression, Reina laughed and then took a blouse from one of the racks holding it up to the princess's chest and narrowing her eyes.

"I've forgotten how strict things were in the world above," she pulled a long sweater from the rack and held it up to Kauvara and nodded, pleased at her choice, "Wearing pants as a woman in Keeves is akin to wanting a scandal! Not to mention the number of short dresses and other clothing we have here! Remind me of the trend right now? Stiff collars and coma impelling bodices." Already zoned out to Reina's continued talk of the stupidity of some of Keeves societal norms, out of the corner of her eye, Kauvara could see little Asyris land on the floor, her socked feet slipping on the hardwood.

She crouched low and pulled a pair of laced up boots from a bottom rack. Joyfully, she ran up to Kauvara and gleamed, proudly holding up the shoes.

Reina paused in her one sided discussion to take the boots Asyris had brought over.

"Ah, good find Asyris," Reina looked over to see Kauvara's less than enthusiastic expression.

"I promise you'll get used to everything. Trust me, you'll love pants," she said. Kauvara rolled her eyes at that. She had worn pants before. Just not in public.

Unless you considered war campaigns as public.

Kauvara was turned around by her shoulder so that she was facing a round mirror. She looked shabby in a simple white dress that was much too short for her, compared to the leather pants, boots and jacket Reina wore.

Her brows furrowed even more than they already had. What happened to her own clothes?

Reina guessed what Kauvara was thinking about and wiggled her eyebrows, "Yeah, you kind of had no clothes when you arrived. I guess you shifted back into your human form as soon as you entered. Luckily, it was in a secluded area and I found you before anyone else did! Hopefully."

Kauvara turned her face away from Reina, hiding her furiously red cheeks behind her hands. Only her handmaidens had ever seen her naked!

"Don't bring that up in public," she snapped out of humiliation.

Reina laughed and pulled Kauvara's hands away from her face, delighting in her embarrassment. "Finally! This is like, the first sentence you've spoken since waking up. I was starting to think you didn't talk! I guess embarrassing you witless is one way to make you!"