Creativity is Required

The Never Ending Quest - Episode 42451

Astra very much hoped that she could get away before the post from Corona arrived, for it was almost sure to contain a message stating that she was on the run and describing her appearance. So she told Zari: "Please don't go to too much trouble on my account, Zari. The minimum to make me decent will be fine."

"It's no trouble, I assure you, khanomam. And to have you leave here looking ill-dressed would reflect badly on me. Hmm... there doesn't seem to anything that would fit you in this wardrobe. Please come into the next room. That's where most of our spare clothing is stored. You can help me search."

Next door had several shelves piled with underwear, hosiery and shoes. Additionally, depending from a wire that crossed the room at about head height, there were hangers from which hung dresses, shirts, breeches, jerkins, jackets and cloaks.

Zari and Astra both began searching through the items. As they did so, Zari asked: "Where are you from, khanomam? Not from Hespan, I'd guess."

"I'm from Gana."

Zari's brow furrowed. "I think I've heard of it," she said after a moment. "Is it north of here?"

"No. It's many hundreds of miles west of here." That provoked a further volley of questions from the inquisitive Zari, which Astra did her best to answer as non-committally as possible without appearing rude.

Meanwhile she had tried on a number of items of clothing. She managed to find a pair of knickers that fit her quite well, but everything else was much too short on her, or almost impossibly tight, or both.

After a few minutes, Astra held up a pair of breeches. "These look as if they might fit," she said.

Zari looked scandalised. "Those are men's attire!" she said. "You can't possibly wear them."

"Why ever not? We'd think nothing of it in Aqua- in Gana."

"Well you must be strange folks, is all I can say. Meaning no offence by it, khanomam Astra. In Hespan you would probably get yourself arrested." Inwardly sighing, Astra put the breeches back on their hanger.

After fifteen minutes they had finished searching through everything, without success. "I am going to have to run you up something," Zari said. "A dress, or perhaps skirt and blouse, and a pair of shoes at a minimum."

"Will there be time for that?" Astra asked. "I think that Gorbeh is keen that we should depart as soon as possible."

"I told him that you would be ready within an hour or so, and so you shall. It's true that it will have to be something very simple, though."

  1. Zari sets to work whilst Astra watches.
  2. Gorbeh re-enters, to say that Safid Ali has just received the post from Corona and as a result wishes to talk to Astra some more once she is properly dressed.

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JH

5/31/2004 10:49:32 AM

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