Shadows Over Arcadia Chapter 40: 40. Having Options

Read chapter 40 of Shadows Over Arcadia by Zacheas on NovelPedia.

40. Having Options I am Willow of the fae, 5095 years of age and the bound guardian of Prince Ren Drakemore. https://shadowsoverarcadia.com/api/storage/objects/uploads/e36e5201-b5f5-4e9c-bdf0-03b5ea1f4af9 "Alright, sweetheart. Take these into the changing room," Tessa says with a beaming grin, practically vibrating with excitement as she places a towering stack of garments into Jade’s arms. The pile reaches well over the kobold's head, and the weight of it nearly topples her as she stumbles into the changing booth with a yelp. "Isn’t this too much?" comes Jade’s muffled voice from behind the curtain, as does the unmistakable sound of a neatly folded stack collapsing into chaos on the floor. Lady Silfy, Master Ren, and I are seated on a modest bench in the back of Rosita’s Fashions , Stonebrook’s most unremarkable tailor’s boutique. We’re here to purchase additional outfits for Ren’s pet lizard. The single robe she arrived in is no longer sufficient. After just two days of magic training with Ren, it has been thoroughly soiled, torn in multiple places, and set on fire. Twice . The garment is now in such a state of disrepair that it gives the unfortunate impression she’s been mistreated. Her bursting into flames was entirely her own doing. And if he truly wanted a talking pet, the spider I gave him would’ve been perfectly adequate by now. It didn’t even need clothes! "Nonsense, darling! You need to try on plenty of things so we can find the perfect fit for you!" Tessa calls back cheerfully. She’s the owner of Rosita’s Fashions—named after her daughter—and seemed oddly thrilled to discover we were shopping for Jade. "But I’m not sure about these ..." Jade squeaks, her voice strained like she’s wrestling a horned rabbit rather than getting dressed. “How has she been adjusting?” Silfy asks, her gaze fixed on the rippling curtain with a concerned expression that suggests she’s bracing for the answer to be ‘not well’. “She’s doing a lot better than her first night,” I reply with a casual shrug. “You sure? I saw her sleeping under the bed last night,” Silfy says, raising an eyebrow at me. Her concern isn’t unfounded. On Jade’s first night at Griswald’s estate, she attempted to sleep in the second bed in Ren’s room. Unfortunately, Jade is a rather... animated sleeper. That wouldn’t normally be a problem—if she didn’t have horns, spines down her back, and claws on both hands and feet. As it was, her tossing and turning shredded the sheets, tore open the mattress, and left her waking up on the floor wrapped in what was left of the bedding and surrounded by a flurry of goose down. Ren has since asked me to enchant her with a restful sleep spell while she’s with us. It wasn’t hard to get her to trade for a little blood. It's been a while since I’ve had kobold blood. Whereas human blood has a savory-sweetness to it, kobold blood is somewhat sour. Not bad sour, but a distinct flavor nonetheless. “She has a leather mat now that can handle her spines,” I add. No sooner do I speak than we hear a distinct rip from behind the curtain. Tessa and Silfy both wince, while Ren lets out a heavy sigh and plants his face in his palm. “Which is more than I can say for that garment,” I finish dryly. “Help,” comes a pitiful cry from behind the curtain. Tessa swiftly pulls it open to reveal Jade tangled in an expensive-looking frilly pink dress, hopelessly ensnared. She appears to have attempted to pull it over her head, but only succeeded in trapping her head and one arm. The rest of the garments are scattered around the changing room, with a white blouse caught on the spines of her tail—now waving behind her like a tiny, tattered flag of surrender. “Oh dear,” Tessa gasps, hurrying inside to extricate the kobold from her frilly pink straightjacket. “Ma’am, she doesn’t need a dress. She needs something durable—something she can actually adventure in,” Ren protests. To be fair, it might seem odd that we’re shopping for adventuring gear at a boutique. But we a