Silver Jungle

Chapter 12

When Dani woke up the next morning, he saw Dra's bare foot coming for his face. "What the fuck!" He screamed, flinching away from her.

"Oh, shit, sorry." She said, and he looked up to see her that she'd caught a pair of fallen tights. "Just puttin' some stuff away."

"I thought we didn't need to pack for the trip." Dani grumbled, standing up.

"We don't, but we still need to wear nice clothes." Dra said, folding a long skirt on the end of her petlatl. "Preferably, traditional clothes." She held up a long, silvery cloak, smirking. "You can wear this over street clothes."

Dani held up the cloak to his body, and made a face. "This is not the most flattering thing I've ever wore." He grimaced, and Dra gave a snort.

"Well, that's the truth." She said, and turned back to her closet. "I've just got to wear a shirt and blouse."

"Lucky you." He muttered.

"Oh! I almost forgot." She ran out to the hall, and Dani blinked, confused. He wasn't expecting anything.

"What are you doing?" He asked when Dra came back, breathing heavily, her face shining with happiness.

"Zaza ordered this for you. Esha's an asshole, but he's a talented metalworking asshole." She held up a golden armband, in the shape of a winged snake, it's wings outstretched. "It's real gold."

Dani didn't doubt it. He could see each little detail of the snake, from each feather to every engraved scale.

"This is really beautiful, Dra."

"Well, don't thank me, silly, thank Zaza." she held up a pin, like the one that Zammi had used only days earlier.

"Maybe later." Dani muttered, and Dra rolled her eyes, but didn't respond. Instead, she walked down the hall, to the bathroom, the one with a bathtub.

"I have my own pin, so, no." Dra nodded to the pin. "It's for my hair."

Dani looked at her shoulder length red-gold hair. "How are you planning on pinning your hair up with that?"

"Magic. Literal magic." Dra deadpanned, waving her hand over her hair, and it swept itself up into a neat twist, and she pinned it up quickly.

"Why doesn't Zammi use magic instead of dealing with her hair?" Dani asked, confused.

"She does. It's just doesn't look like. Her hair is always perfectly braided and never knotted, because of magic." Dra sounded disgruntled, and pulled out the pin, her hair falling back down. She grabbed a small clay pot from her vanity, the rim covered in ridges.

"What's that?" Dani asked as Dra opened the jar. It was full of a silvery material, and Dra took a pinch and rubbed it on her fingers, than ran it over her hair.

"Glitter." She said, and it was. Her hair glittered like the jungle itself once she was done.

"Strange. I thought we were going to leave tomorrow." Dani asked, looking around.

"We are." Dra said. "I'm just seeing what makeup I should use."

"Okay. You good? You seem stressed." Dani noticed.

"I've been better. I'm just so tired of the other Silver Mages who are always so much better looking than I am." Dra said, and searched her vanity for a different ceramic pot of makeup.