Between the worlds, Saturalia preparations continue…
___
Jerric set the pitcher down and reached back into his pocket. “Take a look at this,” he said to Lildereth.
She watched warily until he placed a velvet bag on the table. Then she opened it.
“Is this an anklet? Pretty.” She gave it a shake, and their ears were tickled by the tinkling of tiny bells. “Who is it for?”
“Maxical.” Jerric leaned back with a grin.
Lildereth looked appalled. “You’re giving her
cat bells?!”
“Gods, no! At least I hope that’s not how she’ll see it.” He ran a hand through his hair. “She likes Eyja’s laugh so much,” he explained. “Now she can make that sound too.”
“She might not like to make noise when she walks,” Lildereth pointed out. She jingled the bells again. A small smile tugged the corner of her mouth.
“I thought of that,” said Jerric. “You know Maxical likes a prank as much as I do, and there’s a reason they say ‘as curious as a Khajiit.’ So when folk get used to hearing bells when she walks, they won’t even think it could have been her when she
doesn’t wear them.”
“An usually devious idea,” Darnand remarked.
Jerric flushed. “All right, someone else thought of that part for me. I just thought it would look nice on her little, uh, foot.”
“How will you enchant it?” Lildereth slipped the anklet back into the pouch.
“A charm to fortify her resistance to diseases.”
Darnand shot Lildereth a look. The elf snorted. “Are you planning to put the moves on her, Nord?”
“What? No! I doubt she’d be interested. I mean, I may have some skills and possibly a slight dose of the pox, but I sure don’t have any Mysteries. Besides, with the— Wait, do you think I would have a chance with her?”
Lildereth shook her head. “The pox? Don’t you know sixteen ways to cure diseases?”
Jerric winked and reached for his belt. “I need a second opinion. Say, Breton…”
“Not in one thousand eras,” Darnand said without looking up. “Get some poor healer to examine it for you.”
Lildereth filled her goblet and passed the bottle to Jerric.
He took a swig. “What are you getting her, elf?”
“Spa weekend. Abiene and I are organizing it. We hope that all of the girls will come.”
Jerric’s jaw went slack and his eyes glazed over. “You just gave me
my present.”
Darnand closed his book. “I have written a spell for our Maxical,” he announced.
Jerric was still incapable of speech.
Lildereth asked with a slanted eyebrow.
Darnand reached for his goblet. “Summon Shirt,” he said.