Page 127 of I Ran Away to Evil 2
Mimi nodded.
“Said goodnight?”
Mimi nodded.
“And have you picked a song?”
“Can I pick a song too?” Dennis shoved his face in front of them.
Mimi stuck her tongue out at her brother and hugged Brownie around the neck. “Mimi first!”
“Yes, yes,” Brownie soothed. “Dennis, I’m going to go put your sister to bed; I’ll be there shortly.”
“Awesome! I’ll go tell Mom!” The boy shot off down the hall in a hurry, bumping a table at the end of the hall.
It, of course, didn’t even rattle.
“I want ‘Wings of Ash,’” Mimi requested, cuddling into her arms. “Peas?”
“Of course, sweet.”
She waved goodbye to her mother, who followed after Dennis. Uncle Graham was supposed to be playing a game of chess with Julep before bed. He was the lead administrative authority in the family. Between her mother, who was Uncle Derek’s personal assistant, and Uncle Graham, the lead paper shuffler, they’d get everything ready for Rufus in short order. Even if Brownie couldn’t do anything to help the beastman in his quest personally, she could at least make it easier!
Brownie hoped the dinner tonight went well.
CHAPTER 77
Take Off Your Clothes
Rufus
“Alright,” Linden slapped his knee the second his wife and daughter were clear of the house. “Let’s get you ready for the dinner party. Is that all you have to wear?”
That … wasn’t what I was expecting. The fierce stare and gruff demeanor made me ready to catch a fist at any second, not suddenly prepare for a change of wardrobe.
“I have formal attire in my storage?”
“Bring it out,” Linden ordered. He took a swig of his wine and placed it to the side, then reached forward and moved my own drink to make space. “Let’s see what you have.”
While strange, I accepted this sudden turn of events with my usual outwardly laid-back self. Inside, I was confused and concerned …
“These are the clothes I was going to wear to meet Guild Master Derek tomorrow,” I said, laying out a dark-blue silk tunic with golden thread running in swirls along the cuffs, neckline, and buttonholes. I brought out matching britches with a tie at the calf so the pants fit snug, also with golden embroidering at the ankle and the sides. I had a golden brooch in the shape of a shield with a green tree and four drops of green blood, one in each corner, that I would wear as a symbol of the Dark Enchanted Forest army, and I’d planned to sweep my hair back into a low ponytail.
“This is perfect for your meeting, but not good enough for dinner,” Linden stated, matter-of-factly. He eyed me intently, his gaze trailing from the crown of my head to my toes. Finally, the half giant stood up and marched toward the back of the house. “Come with me.”
I obliged.
The house was a combination of wood and paper walls, with long hallways and sliding doors. After a few turns, Bronwynn’s father led me into a storage room. There were some boxes, a wardrobe, a few chests, and a ceiling-high shelf covered with enchanted knickknacks.
Linden threw open the wardrobe and rummaged inside. He and I weren’t of a height, since the half giant was even taller than his daughter, but presumably he had been my height at one point in time in his life. He pulled out a black silk robe with block-printed red blossoms. The flowers weren’t too pronounced, and they reminded me of the color of Brownie’s hair.
“Let me show you how to wear this, and then you can help me into my own,” the half giant said, seeing that I was appreciating the high-quality clothing.
“What do I do?” I knew that King Keith had servants to help him dress when he saw fit, but I’d rarely made use of the privilege.
“Simple,” he said. “Take off your clothes.”
The banquet hall was in the main building, and Linden led me there while we talked. We’d spent a surprisingly long time getting to this point.
