Strange Clothing

Astra looked at the pile of clothing left for her. It would not serve for battle, and it was too odd to be conventional dress. The items left for her included a slip, a blouse, a knee length skirt, some thick hose, and a pair of leather boots that resembled calvary boots. The blouse, skirt and boots were of a glossy white. The top half of the blouse was studded with little purple sequins, sewn in such a way that none of the white cloth was exposed. Now apparently in civilized society once again, Astra decided that wearing this strange clothing would be better than appearing naked, or in nothing but the slip, which at least was not odd. "Fortunately, it fits rather well," Astra noticed as she buttoned the blouse. The boots were sturdy, but not as heavy as they looked, and were warm and comfortable. Astra noticed a cylindrical black baton, which was a little longer than her forearm, and no thicker than her thumb. As she lifted it, she noticed that the baton itself felt light, as if it were wood, but that it was heavily weighted on one end. "This is potentially an effective and inconspicuous weapon," she concluded, much to her satisfaction. Although it was not what she was hoping for, she had reconciled herself to accepting the odd clothing.

Fred had more trouble accepting what he got with his bundle. The design and colour of the clothing made him appear ridiculous. The cloth was not of a type he had seen before. It appeared to be a wool, dyed a bright, lightly coloured orange. The being who supplied Fred with these clothes must have liked that shade of orange - the union suit, button-down shirt, belt, trousers, hose, oxfords, vest, and coat were all that shade. He was also given a long strip of cloth that was wider at one end than the other, whose purpose he could not discover. Nor could he discover the purpose of an object that looked like a cane, about half as long as Fred, and with its end covered in a silk of the strange orange hue. There appeared to be thin metal ribs radiating from its end. At the top of the cane there were two buttons that one could press. On top of the pile was an odd sort of hat, that would be recognized in later ages as a bowler. Fred grudgingly dressed himself in the amazing outfit, shoving the strip of cloth in a pocket, and carrying the weird cane with him. "At least the clothes fit", her reasoned.

1. Fred presses one of the buttons on the cane.
2. Fred and Astra return to the castle, hoping for no further surprises at dinner.

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