Page 91 of Phoenix's Fire

"Pants," he told me. "Yesterday, Rymar bought a pair of loose pants and a shirt that won't rub on your wound."

"But Meri - " I tried.

"Needs to see it's okay," he broke in. "Lessa will probably wear a dress. Jeera and Brielle will dress sedately to keep her from feeling like she's the odd one out. You and Saveah should wear pants, just to show how normal it is."

"I didn't go see her yesterday," I reminded him. "Neither of them!"

"Lessa talked to Saveah," he assured me. "Your sister came over while we were sleeping and asked Kanik what she should bring. He told her the babies, and everything baby-related she could carry, because Meri needs to see how children are raised here."

"She does," I agreed.

"And Jeera knows about the bear," he went on. "Rymar talked to her when he went to the market. In truth, I don't know if he went to tell her or to buy clothes, but he did both. Jeera would've made sure Meri knew."

I nodded, then decided to change the subject slightly. "Are there any more of those pills?"

With a chuckle, he pointed to the pantry. "In there. The white bottle. You can have one every eight hours."

"Thank you," I breathed, heading that way. "Did you need one?"

"Took one the moment I woke up," he promised. "You should also know Kanik is at the school. He said there was something he needed, and I can guess what it is."

"What?" I asked as I poured a single pill into my palm.

Zasen waited for me to swallow it, then said, "English to Vestrian books. They're used for the children to translate the English lessons. Sounds like he's planning to help your friend learn our words."

"Really?" I asked, getting excited. "Oh, he's so good at teaching, and so much nicer than Mr. Cassidy, so Meri will be able to learn faster than if I try to do it on my own."

"And you can finally meet Jeera's boyfriend," he said, adding that as an aside.

"The Reaper?" I asked.

"Not the one with the dogs," Zasen clarified, "although Lansin will be there too."

"And the dogs?" I asked, feeling a little excitement at the idea. "Meri didn't know what they were. Well, or the thing with the cart. I told her it was probably a horse. She called it a beast and a box."

"A horse and cart," he confirmed. "They require a lot of space, so only large businesses use them - well, and Reapers."

I nodded. "So when do we go?"

He chuckled. "You have two hours to bathe, change into your new clothes, and fix your hair. You don't have to do anything special, but you can if you want." He turned back to the table. "Oh, and your new outfit is in my room, on my dresser. We didn't want to wake you."

"May I get it?" I asked.

He glanced over at me. "Ayla, you're always welcome in my room. When I'm in there, when I'm not, and any other time. So yes, go get your outfit. It's orange."

"Okay, thank you!" I said as I hurried to see what Rymar had picked for me.

The market was filled with such bright fabrics, but when I'd first come here, I'd been intimidated by them. Part of me hoped Rymar had picked something vibrant, but I wouldn't blame him if he hadn't. Either way, I was sure it would be pretty.

When I entered Zasen's room, I saw the outfit immediately. Both pieces were folded and resting on the top of the long dresser - and the colors were amazing. Not too bright, though. The shirt was a lovely cream fabric with metallic gold threads running through it. When I picked it up, I realized they were little birds and suns.

The pants were in soft shades of orange, peach, and pink. It reminded me of a sunset. There was cream in that pattern as well, but only enough to make the shirt work with it. They were also soft. Not like the dog, but more supple and lightweight. Hugging the clothes to my chest, I hurried into the bathroom.

"Is the water heating?" I asked, lifting my voice enough to carry into the kitchen.

"Yes!" Zasen called back, but I heard his feet moving on the floor.

Confused, I peeked down the hall to see him heading my way. "What?" I asked. "I was going to have a bath."

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