I watched as he walked away and wondered if he might be expecting something from me in return for his generosity. A thought that only served to deepen the redness in my cheeks. A thought that quickly made me wonder if I actually wanted to. I couldn’t deny my reaction to him, nor the fact that it was growing.
Nodding at Ida, I went to the counter where the seamstress waited, stopping half way and doubling back to the door. "Kane? How long will I be here? Will I be able to wash this to re-wear it if I'm here for more than couple days? Or should I get more than one outfit?"
He chuckled. "I can have my servants wash anything you need. I can have things delivered as well." He pointed out some fur lined coats just inside the doorway. "Perhaps your stay will be a week.”
I nervously took a breath. A week. I wasn’t expecting that. But I wasn’t expecting to be in a different world either. "May I get two outfits and two things to sleep in then? Just to be sure? Then one can be washed while I wear the other."
He looked at me with an amused expression, but instead of saying what might have been on his mind, his expression returned to his regular, stoic one. Kane stepped back inside and waved to the Doshanesh. "This coat and help her decide on the rest.”
Ida smiled and nodded to him. She walked me all around before taking me back to a private room to try things on. Kane waited back outside in the marketplace where the stalls were, letting us work on my small wardrobe.
As instructed, I tried on several items, settling on two outfits, shoes, undergarments and sleepwear, one more of a lounge style that I may be able to relax in to read if I could find some books. I wasn’t sure if that would be possible, but I was hoping to see what his world offered for literature. The clothing was a bit more versatile and comfortable than I anticipated considering that so much of it was leather.
Ida made a comment about my traveling companion that puzzled me as she tossed in a few extra items of clothing into my bag, "You must be in his favor. A lucky thing. Just be cautious of being a stranger in north lands. Not everyone will approve."
“Thanks for the advice,” I replied and took the bags, struggling with their weight as I walked outside to find Kane.
Kane set down the dagger he had been examining and watched as I walked across the stone path toward him. "Why have you not changed into the warmer clothes? Do you dislike them?" He eyed me over curiously as I tried to handle the bags and not trip on his coat.
I dropped a couple items as I fumbled. "I just figured... I mean she was so... She said..." I bent down, failing to balance everything as I tried to pick up what I had dropped. But the awkwardness of not only the items and my own inability to balance caused me to topple down. Finally, I let go of the bags, pulled his coat up and started picking up things one by one. "I didn't want to make you wait longer."
"Oh nonsense. Go get some clothes on or I am carrying you wrapped in that coat like a child," he playfully barked as he picked up the bags for me and pointed me back to the shop and followed.
With a huff, hiding a smile as best as I could, I bundled the coat up into my arms and went back inside. "Okay. Okay." I looked over the bags, unsure what was in what or where to start.
He walked into the room with me and set the bags down. "What all did you get?"
I peeked into one of the bags and sighed. Looking defeated, I dumped each of them over and let their contents fall onto the ground. Waving my hand over the pile of outerware, shoes, undergarments and clothing, I now wondered if I had picked out the right things.
Kane smirked and picked out an outfit for me, selecting the warmest items including my undergarments. "Did you check for size?"
My head bobbed, nodding a yes. Before taking the items from him, I scooped the rest back into the bags, sliding my own satchel with my earthly belongings aside. Finally, I retrieved the items he chose. "Looks good. And yes. I did. Or at least, Ida did."
Kane looked at me as if he wanted to take me on the fur bench right behind us right then. His desire so obvious that I paused and waited to see what he may do, unsure if I would even want to try to stop him if he tried. Something about the way he eyed me made me shiver in both a good and scared way.
"Mmm… I should hope so. I shall leave you some privacy then." He bit his lip and turned to the door. And to my disappointment, he turned and kept going, leaving me to change alone.
"Thanks." Realizing my reaction to him, I chanced his temperance and started to change before he was completely out of the room.
He was pulling the curtain closed when he caught a glimpse of me, half disrobed. He stopped, hand gripping the fabric of the curtain tight. His nostrils flared, and he let out a low growl. “Be quick. We still have a ways to go.” With that, he yanked the curtain the rest of the way closed.
Once finished, I tucked the lighter articles I had just shed into the store bags and joined him, holding his large coat out. "Better?"
Kane unfolded his arms and turned to look at me. "I think I
