Aelfheim – page 23

a TranscriptFlicking away an imagined piece of lint, Seidr said, "We'll discuss later why you were thinking of Gni while you were doing what you were doing."
"Um, what happened to my clothes, by the way?"
Seidr actually shuddered. "Sorry, they were a real mess. Beyond my ability to repair. And they reeked. Treating you was more important, so I had to," she choked on the words, "burn them. But, try this on."
She tossed him the cloth he'd thought was an oversize towel. It was a mostly green plaid, a tartan he finally realized. She also produced his original belt, it was lightly stained and still somewhat damp and stiff with water.
Wrapping the cloth about himself, Hans chuckled. "This wasn't quite the reaction I was expecting."
He fumbled a bit, so she took the cloth and belt back and laid them out on the bed.
"Yes you were, you just thought you were hoping I'd take it so well. Now lie down with your knees even with the edge," she directed.
As he did, Seidr went on saying, "We truly love each other, Silly Man. I can't explain why, but it surely means we can, we must, trust one another, even in the face of doubt."
aOh, that's deep.a
Seidr glared at Bast as she flipped the cloth about him and fastened the belt. "Now stand."
Hans stood and the upper half of the tartan draped down over his belt.
"Sort of a double skirt," he remarked. "Not what I'm used to calling a kilt, actually."
Seidr shrugged. "Well, it's missing the pleats, but this actually is more like the 'belted plaid' worn by Highlanders in the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries. In cooler or wet weather you can pull the outer part of the 'skirt' up over your shoulders and even your head."
"Wow," Hans remarked. "That seems real practical."
She smiled. "Its normally worn with a tunic, but the best I could do for you is my old robe."
Still grinning Seidr added. "I'll make a li(C)ina for you later; sort of an oversize tunic. In the meantime, you take care of this tartan. It's my favorite tablecloth."
He laughed aloud as she tied a pouch to his waist. She might have burned his clothes, but had known to save him his wallet, class ring, and even his pocket change. He seemed to appreciate that.
She'd wondered why he didn't have a watch or phone, but that question would have lead to more. Not that anything electrical would work here anyway. She needed to be careful to control the order he learned things. Her original intentions would be hard enough to explain as it was.
"A little breezy, but I can get used to it," was his only complaint.
"Ready?" she asked.
"I guess. Where are we going?"
All she offered him was a musical, "You'll see."
Turning away from him, Seidr faced the wall and began to chant:

Light's end, edge of night,
Betwixt event horizons.
Tesseract, unfold.

A large, black circle took shape in front of her.