Northbound Pilgrimage II

Chapter LXXV - The Fitting

The next couple of days passed all too quickly.

Bishop and Aeyrin didn't have that much to do in Solitude before the ball, but that was surprisingly refreshing. With Casavir and all that poisoning unpleasantness sealed behind the Castle Dour walls for the most part, the city almost seemed... welcoming. And they could actually spend their time there having 'fun', just as Bishop had promised. They spent their time splurging their loot earnings on good meals and spiced wine at the Skeever, although Bishop still hoarded his drakes earned from selling the necklace. He would come back to the jewelry shop again. He just hoped that the fucking tin-head didn't manage to convince that jeweler that Bishop actually wanted to rob him. The man didn't seem convinced of that back then, but Bishop still needed to be wary. And to be wary of having someone watch him hover around the store, apparently.

Aside from that, they mostly wandered around the markets in Solitude or even went outside the city walls for a long hunt with Karnwyr, instead of spending more on meat provisions. Although Aeyrin managed to scare some of the prey with her inability to be subtle, it was still enjoyable. And Karnwyr was very excited about the respite from the enclosed stone walls of the city.

Eventually, one evening, Aeyrin even convinced Bishop to come with her to see a performance at the Bards College, much to her satisfaction. She had been curious about the bards there for a while now and when she heard some people around the city talk about an upcoming public show at the College courtyard, she couldn't resist. Bishop wasn't very pleased about that idea, but she was so excited, it was impossible to say no to her. And in the end, it turned out to be a pretty enjoyable evening. As little thrilled as he was about any bardic performance, except for listening to Aeyrin's beautiful voice, the music was... tolerable. Much better than the same old boring Nordic songs. And the wine and refreshments were definitely good.

Soon enough, the day came when they were supposed to meet with Azshan for that 'fitting' thing. They still didn't really know what it meant. Well... it was obvious that it had to do with making the clothes for the ball fit, but it was a bit baffling as to why. It was one thing to be taking measurements for an armor – that really needed to be precise for combat movement – but for clothes? They've always just... bought clothes. There were always some around that fit, although Aeyrin did have trouble in that area sometimes, but still, wasn't it possible to just grab one of the pieces that would fit them? They did that last year for the ball as well. What was this about?

When they walked out of the inn and headed towards the market streets after their breakfast, Azshan was already waiting there for them. He wasn't alone either. There was a woman waiting there with him, clearly a noble. It was plain to see from the bright red dress adorned with laces and black pearl jewelry all over her. And from the way she stood with her nose upturned and a judgmental look on her face. It was almost comical how much she looked like a mocking portrayal of a noble.

Her expression didn't waver in the slightest when she noticed Aeyrin and Bishop approach, but Azshan's face lit up with a familiar grin at least.

"There you are!" he smiled widely and took a step towards them to greet them. "We've been waiting for a while now."

They weren't exactly late – Azshan said 'after breakfast', but that was a very relative time. Aeyrin and Bishop weren't very used to waking up too early, especially when they were spending their times at inns. The warm beds had to be made good use of after all.

"Sorry, you didn't specify..." Aeyrin shrugged her shoulders at him, but it only earned her a cheerful tussle of her hair.

"It's fine. There's no rush," Azshan nodded while she tried to quickly brush her hair with her fingers to get rid of the tangles that Azshan had just put in it. "In any case, I'd like you to meet lady Gisli," he gestured towards the Nord woman in the red dress. Her face still bore the same expression and it only seemed accentuated by her very straight blonde hair lining her cheeks and excessively dark makeup. It made her look even harsher for some reason. She was a stark contrast to Azshan's cheerful smile. "She will be accompanying me... or us... to the ball."