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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Sialia" data-source="post: 804334" data-attributes="member: 1025">Dyl & Tea & AniceThe two priestesses walked down the dim corridor holding hands.It was late, and the Temple of Alianna, Goddess of Beauty, was still, apart from the sound of their silk slippers on the smooth marble floor, and the swish of their skirts. Anice carried a small scented oil lamp. Tea held the bundle of sweaty scarves and fans from their dance rehearsal. Both priestesses were lost in faraway thoughts. Anice was deciding whether to wear her blue dress to the Festival, or the green one. Tea wondered how the merciless old crone who reigned over the dance rehearsals managed to remain limber enough to shame every one of the younger priestesses. And then, suddenly, "Hi, guys!" A voice appeared behind them.Startled, Anice shrieked and dropped the lamp. It went out as it fell, and the corridor went dark."Master Birdhouse," Tea said. "A surprise, as usual.""Especially considering that worship hours ended some time ago, while the sun was still up." Anice added, peering around in the darkness. "And that you are several months in arrears for your tithes.""I'm sorry, Anice, Tea, I didn't mean to startle you.""Manticore poo. You always do." Dylrath could tell Anice's pretty face was pouting, even though he couldn't see her. And then, after a pause, she added, "Where are you?""Here," Dylrath said placing a hand gently on her shoulder and a foot into the spilled lamp oil. At least she presumed that was what happened from the speed, force and direction with which the hand was removed from her shoulder. There was a thump and then a long scraping noise in the darkness. "Whoa," he said. And then, another thump from somewhere further down the corridor, and then a muffled "I'm all right.""Careful. There's lamp oil on the floor," Tea commented."Ah. I'll bear that in mind." Dylrath replied, sounding closer. "Here, which one of you is this?"An oily, leather-gloved hand clumsily gripped the side of Tea's face and then her shoulder, trapping one of her braids and pulling uncomfortably. "You are getting lamp oil in my hair," she said."Ah. I'm really not getting any points for style here, am I?""None whatsoever.""Is it a bad time for me to ask a Favor, then?" he said, removing his hand."Probably." There was a long pause while they waited for him to proceed anyway.  When he didn't, they began to wonder if he had left as suddenly as he had arrived. "I might perhaps entertain a petition, if you were very abject and humbly apologetic for the proper things," Anice volunteered."Such as my existence?""That would be an acceptable place to start," Tea said encouragingly."Ah, sorry. Too short on time. I figure I've only got about 80 years left to live, and if I start apologizing now, I'll never make it in time. Can't I just sum up? Or can we skip to the part where I give you nice presents and you forgive me?" "What kind of presents?" Anice said, sounding happier."Cool ones -- souvenirs from my most recent trip." Anice felt something being placed around her neck and fervently hoped it was a piece of jewelry. With Dylrath, it was hard to be certain."I fervently hope this is a piece of jewelry," she said."Could be," he replied cheerfully, sounding pleased with himself. Now she was really worried about what was wrapped around her neck. It was slightly heavy and warm. She considered putting up a hand up to feel what it was, and then paused. A snake would not be beyond the man's sense of humor. A pretty little green garden snake, he'd assure her, completely harmless. Or worse, a . . .  she decided she didn't want to speculate anymore.Maybe it really is a nice gold rope that's just warm from being in his pocket. He did come to ask a favor, so a nice present would be in order. She reached her hand up again, and then paused, again. Definitely a snake, she thought. Dylrath would think a pet snake is a terrific gift. She stood very still. "Here, Tea, where are you? I have one for you, too.""One what?""A present, silly.""How about some light, first?" Tea's voice had moved a few feet to the left, and then a few feet to the right, evasively. And then there was a gasp as she hit the lamp oil and a small slapping noise as her hands caught the wall of the corridor. Tea was perfectly graceful on bright winter afternoon on a frozen pond, but in the dark it was hard to remember just where the slick spot was."Right. Right on it." There was another noise and some murmuring and then, at last, they could see him."Alianna's tangled tresses, what is that?" Anice blurted, startled into forgetting about the present."That has got to be the stupidest suit of leather armor I have ever seen," Tea added.From a tactical point of view, it was.A normal suit of leather armor protected a man's privates and stomach and chest and throat. This suit had ordinary soft leather over most of that territory, although the codpiece was, at least, respectable. Even optimistic, according to their recollection.  But the rest of the reinforcing and padding was all bulged up around his limbs in odd places."Right.  That was what I wanted to ask you about. Whatdyathink? Is it cool looking?""You are expecting an assault by elbow eating monsters," Tea said."Perhaps a league of very short goblins?" Anice inquired, looking at his knees. "Something like that," he said. "But is it cool looking?""It doesn't fit," Tea said. "Your tailor, quite apart from being insane, needs a new tape.""It wasn't built for me. The guy it was built for's taller and wider.""Apparently.""But is it cool?" Dylrath repeated. And he seemed very concerned about the answer. He wasn't looking for a reassurance about whether he looked good. He was asking their professional opinion."May as well show us the hat, so we get the full effect," Tea sighed.Dylrath put on the helmet and secured the chin strap. And then he lowered the face shield. An odd design, that. It had no noseguard. It was made of soft leather, with breathing holes punctured in the usual spots. A small slab of some sort of transparent crystal covered his eyes. Fully dressed, nothing of Dylrath was exposed. And the effect was, well, it would have been a little creepy if it wasn't Dylrath's familiar gawky frame and bashful slouch under all that."Stand up straight," Anice said, and tipped her head to the side, considering. Apart from the tailoring, and the body inside the suit, and the unusual purpose of the suit -- Dylrath's purposes were always unusual - was the armor, overall, aesthetically pleasing? Nope. Was there any redeeming feature to begin the critique with? The leather was nice quality and didn't look as though it had seen much wear. Whoever the suit's former owner was, Dylrath hadn't damaged the suit getting him out of it.It was basic black, which avoided most of the usual stylistic problems Dylrath had learned from his sartorial tutors, Tomtom Badgerclaw and Alix Loial. There wasn't a hint of motley or cloth of gold about the thing. No ruby buttons, no plaid whatsoever. A relief."The fringe has got to go," Tea announced. Anice nodded agreement."But it moves when I'm on the Outgrabe," he said."Like wings." He lifted his arms and waggled them about as if he were flying. The fringe flapped from his wrists to his shoulders."You asked my opinion. The fringe lacks coolth.""The fringe goes. What else?""The gauntlets are all right." Anice said. They were bulky around the wrists, but again, had soft thin leather over the fingertips. "Fold the cuffs back over the bulky part. Like that.""The boots are . . . interesting . . ." Tea said in a noncommittal way."Stuck with the boots, I'm afraid. I need the reinforced soles and toes for stopping. I'm tired of ripping holes in my other pair.""Ah," Tea said. "I imagined it might be something like that. The outfit is for riding, then, not combat?""Exactly."Anice and Tea looked at each other and shook their heads as the pieces fell into place.  The outfit was not designed to protect Dylrath from anyone other than himself. In that light, it sort of made sense and maybe wasn't quite as goofy looking. "The facemask is to keep flying debris out of your eyes and nose?" Tea said."Naturally," Dylrath said, sounded muffled but proud.Sidestepping the puddle, Anice took a few steps towards Dylrath and placed a hand on his chest, feeling the quality of the leather. It was buttery soft, and, apart from the bulky padding at the shoulder, fairly thin. "And why now, after years of careening around on that bedpost, do you suddenly need a cool looking outfit that protects you from colliding with things?""Got a bet on," he replied, putting up the face shield. "Anything else?""Anything else what?""Anything else I can do to make it look cool? I sussed out the crash protection myself, but I'm guessing I didn't get the cool part quite right."Anice picked up his arm and examined the bulky elbow protector as if it were a dead fish."Add a normal breastplate to draw attention away from the knobbly knees?" Tea suggested.He shook his head. "I need the flexibility.""Puffy sleeves, then." Anice said. "Add some bulk above the elbow that goes smoothly into the shoulder, here. And a high collar would help smooth out the line.""No," Tea corrected, "Bring the puff to just below the elbow, that'll disguise the lump better.  Bring the boot cuff over the knee padding and that won't show so awfully either. Mid-thigh would be about right.""Mmm," Anice agreed. "When the tailor changes the sleeve, pick one color to inset in the slashing. Just one, mind you, something bright, but not garish. Line the inside of the collar with it, too.""And the plume. The helmet needs a plume, same color as the slashing." Tea added. "That should about do it.""Got it.  You two are the best." He gave Anice a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek."We aim to please," she replied, and rotated her head to catch his lips full on her mouth. Damned if he didn't sound like after three months absence he was about to ask them one stupid question and then take off without having even properly apologized for being gone. She was determined to make him rethink that. She closed her eyes and leaned in close. The leather felt nice, she decided. Not like armor at all, really. Just soft leather clothes with some extra details worked in. Like cuddling a lizardman, she imagined. A really clumsy lizardman standing on a marble floor in an oil slick, she corrected herself as she fell. For the second time, the corridor was plunged into darkness.At least he was soft when she landed on him. "Oops," he said, giving her a hand up.She was grateful for the darkness, actually, because her oil soaked slippers didn't give her much purchase on the slick marble. After three unladylike scrambles, even with his assistance, and some groping around that they both suspected was spurious, she couldn't seem to get upright and stay upright. She thought she heard Tea chuckling. "Lose the slippers," he said at last.  "Tea, where are you? I never gave you your gift.""Same as Anice's?" she asked. "Nope, something else.""Here," she said reaching down a hand, losing her footing and landing on top of Dylrath and Anice.And then he sighed, "If Nolin ever hears about this, I'm never going to hear the end of it. Two oiled Aliannite priestesses in the temple in the dark trumps Arcade's dryad any day." Anice giggled and disentangled herself, bending over to pull off her slippers and hose. "Alright. Give me a hand again," she called when they were off. The smooth tiles were cold under her bare feet, and the corridor was quiet again."Dylrath?" she called, "Dylrath?"  And then, "Tea?" There was no reply. "Manticore poo," she said, blowing her hair out her face. "I just hate it when they do that."</blockquote>

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