"But, Watcher, I don't think that'd be very proper,
even if she did come under suspicious terms." Once again Gheai's hazel
eyes flicked toward Cece, though this time her gaze held more concern than disapproval.
Loyie smiled slightly. It was strange to see such a
small, child-like woman hold such power in her voice and have her make anyone
stammer and obey as if she truly were a Queen commanding her servants.
Cece shook her head. This
dream keeps getting stranger and stranger by the moment!
"Do not worry, Gheai. The dress she is wearing now
is no more proper than the one you are going to make her. At least give her a
proper neckline so the men will not stare at her as if she were prey to a
panther. I'm afraid she is a little more full in that area than myself,"
Loyie said wryly, looking at Cece out of the corner of her eye.
Gheai slowly stooped down and picked up the pants she was
working on and absent-mindedly brushed them off. "I, well, I suppose I can
make it shorter, but I'll have to see what I can spare for her before we decide
how short it'll have to be."
Loyie only nodded and turned toward the door. "I'll
leave Cece with you, then, until her dress is made. If you could spare enough
to at least make her slippers as well, I'll make sure to compensate you for
them."
Without waiting for a reply, the small woman left the
hut, leaving Cece shifting on the stool in sudden nervousness. Gheai- even
pronouncing the name in her mind proved awkward- certainly didn't seem to like
the fact that she was even there, let alone having to make a dress and slippers
for her right away. However, Cece knew she'd be glad for something to fit
better, even if it meant apparently looking strange by having a shorter dress. Yes, it was common to find a woman in a knee-length dress back in the waking world, but not every woman enjoyed actually wearing them like Cece did. How did Loyie know that I liked wearing
shorter dresses? Immediately she dismissed the question. It was her dream, after all, so why wouldn't
her mind tell one of the characters what she liked wearing?
However, remembering back to the other women she had
seen, they all wore long dresses that touched their toes. Loyie's dress was too
short for Cece, so had not reached her toes, but it was still longer than most
dresses women wore nowadays. I feel as if
this dream is in the medieval period! Weapons and women in long dresses…
sheesh! She wished Patrick were there. His presence would at least keep her
from feeling so uncomfortable. She still couldn't understand why Patrick didn't just show up in this dream, considering the amount of times she tried to think him into it, but finally dismissed the thought. Obviously her subconscious was not cooperating.
"Well," Gheai said suddenly, planting a fist on
her hips, "I guess what the Watcher wants, the Watcher gets."
The woman turned toward the table and grabbed two lengths
of cloth before turning back to Cece. The two were eye-jarring. The first was a
length of cloth with swirls of orange, green, and a salmon color interwoven
together in the strangest pattern Cece had ever seen that vaguely reminded her of tye-dye. The second cloth was a
painfully bright green color with small eagles stitched in red all down the
length of it.
"I was going to make these into door coverings for
some of the unlucky ones without doors, but they will just have to wait until
we can get more fabric in," Gheai said, holding them out so Cece could see
them more closely.
Trying to keep the wince from her face, Cece quickly
chose the cloth with the red eagles stitched into the fabric, deciding that it
was the least offensive of the two choices. She also remembered the signets on
the men's armor of the eagle flying in the sun. Cece supposed it had to do with
someone's family crest. Probably Prince
Bramaad's. Maybe if I wear his eagles he won't look at me as if I am such a
threat.
Gheai tossed the other length of cloth on the table and
motioned for Cece to stand. "I barely have enough fabric to make patches
for people and now I have to waste a whole one on a stranger we don't even know
if we can trust," Gheai mumbled to herself, as if not realizing that Cece
could clearly hear her. Or just not
caring. Sheesh, my mind comes up with a lot of cruel people!
"Gheai," Cece said, fumbling over the woman's
name, "I really appreciate you doing this. I know it's not easy to waste
something like this on me, but it means a lot. I don't like being here any more
than you and your camp probably does."
Gheai's eyebrow rose and her tone suddenly became
conversational. "So, Cece," this time it was Gheai's turn to fumble
over the pronunciation of her name, "did you really wake up in Sa'dei'Feyier?"
Cece stared at the tall woman blankly. "Sa'dei-what?"
Gheai frowned. "Sa'dei'Feyier.
The Cursed One's Sea. Everyone in the land knows the name. Even the hermits in
Dessert Josic."
Cece only blinked in reply. She had no idea what any of
it meant other than what Loyie had barely mentioned to her before. She felt so
clueless in her own dream, though she supposed with such a strange dream that
decided to continue itself, she shouldn't expect much less. It was just
becoming far more complicated than she would ever want from a dream.
Sighing in exasperation, Gheai pulled out a long leather
cord with small notches out of it and started wrapping it around Cece, as if
measuring her for the dress. "I don't like it when people lie to me, but
maybe you really don't know…"
"Gheai, I am not lying. I do not know what is going on.
All I know is I woke up with my legs in a supposedly cursed sea and red as a
lobster. And naked." She felt her cheeks flush at that, finally feeling
some form of shame for walking boldly around without clothes on. Even if this is a dream, I can't believe I actually did that!
Gheai threw her head back and laughed, finally showing
some friendliness toward Cece. "I heard some of the men saying they saw
Prince Bramaad sneaking around with a naked woman, but I didn't think they were
actually telling the truth. Men bored of their surroundings tend to make up
stories to spice things up a bit."
Cece's cheeks reddened even more and shifted her feet
uncomfortably. "I wish it weren't true."
Gheai patted her shoulder and turned to the table and picked
up something Cece could not quite see. "Do not worry, Cece. I will get
this dress made, and although it'll be too short, at least you will have some
of your dignity!"
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