The Shadow of Beauty

Ch 33: Dressing for the Occasion

"Wow. This place is so luxurious. It's like we're guests of the king himself!" Sig remarked with no shortage of excitement as Twillow led them up to the second story of the huge mansion.

Kendrick eyed the hallway they were traversing, noting the elaborately sewn tapestries, beautiful figurative sculptures, and large paintings decorating it. He'd never seen such a thing before. His mountain home bore decorative carvings he'd made, but it was mere amateurish scratches compared to the literal gallery they were passing.

At last, they came to a hallway with a few doors and she gestured, "You three can each have your own room. Just choose a door. I'll have someone come to bring you guys clothes for the party tonight."

"Where is your room?" Kendrick asked curiously.

Twillow pointed, "A hallway over from this one. My door is green with floral patterns surrounding it."

Kendrick nodded as Sig and Helia chose their rooms and went inside. Their gasps were enough to tell him the rooms were as amazing as the hallways.

Twillow bat her wings, "I'll see you in a bit. You just get settled for now and I'll be back."

He watched her leave and round the corner before approaching the door to his room. When he opened it, his eyebrows went up. A large bed accompanied by several dressers, a wardrobe, and a large, glass window with heavy brocaded curtains that went all the way to the ceiling as well as several paintings of flowers and nature scenes filled the room. Expensive. Fancy.

Kendrick glanced around a moment before approaching the bed. He touched it experimentally and was astounded by its plushness. He sat on the edge of his bed and it sank softly under his weight. His eyes wandered around at it, stroking the soft sheets; the softest bedding he'd ever felt. At his normal size, finding comfortable things was a constant challenge: clothes, bedding, and the like. He had to make almost everything he had by cobbling together various small pieces of things of human craft-work. (One thing he could compliment humans for.)

This place was so...nice. He sighed. How shabby his home must've seemed to Twillow if she lived in opulence such as this? No wonder she was homesick. Now it was his turn to feel out of place.

Kendrick laid back in the soft bed for about a half hour just staring at the room and thinking when a knock made him sit up. With careful, stalking movement he crept to the door, smelling to see who was there. It wasn't a scent he recognized. Slowly but with abruptness he opened the door to startle whomever was snooping around.

In an instant a small being only three feet tall and a tall slender goblin with olive green skin, styled purple hair, and tiny gold capped tusks entered. The smaller man looked like a gnome but had funny shaped ears, darker skin, a fancy hat, and most notably he had an outlandish mustache that curled out beyond his face and was dyed blue.

Kendrick blinked at the odd pair then asked, "Who are you? What do you want?"

In a funny accent the blue mustached being clapped his hands and bowed shortly, "Allo, I am Chezzi. Thees ees Rii. Miss Twillow says yo need clothes. We bring. We measure yo."

Kendrick quirked his head at the funny manner of speech, but remembered Twillow had mentioned such people, "Um...fine...I guess?"

The gnome straightened his hat, stared at Kendrick with his little eyes a moment, and then said something in a foreign language to his purple haired partner. The goblin nodded and went out the door again. He returned pushing a cart of clothes into the room.

Chezzi nodded and clapped his hands again, "Come! Come! We measure."

Kendrick held still as the purple-haired Rii marched forward with a length of what looked like thin rope with a blue crystal tied to the end. Rii swung the rope slightly and then, as if given life, it wrapped around Kendrick's waist. The large man jumped slightly and grabbed the length of rope.