Last-minute gifts

Alis was awoken by a knock on her door. She groaned, shading her eyes against the harsh morning light streaming in through the window, and rolled over. There was another knock, this time accompanied by her mother's voice.

"Sweetie, are you awake yet?"

"M'yeah," she called back, sitting up with a sigh. Sedainaris cracked the door open and slipped into the room, nude as always and holding a small wooden box. She caught sight of her daughter, squinting blearily out from under a rat's nest of green hair with her oversized nightgown hanging off one shoulder, and chuckled.

"Rough night? I did try to warn you after your fourth tankard."

"Guh."

"You really shouldn't let Rosalinde goad you into a drinking contest like that. Elves are just as affected by **** as humans, you know?"

"Bluh."

"Though the other patrons certainly seemed to appreciate your strip contest afterwards."

"Du- h-huh? Wait, what?!"

Sedainaris giggled. "Kidding! Though now that you're really awake, I have something important to tell you."

"Not funny," Alis glared without any real heat, squirming to sit up properly in her bed. "What is it, Mum?" she asked.

"Well, you know how I've said that sorcerers can't channel while wearing clothes? That's not entirely accurate."

"Y-yeah?" That got her attention. She could still use magic without being naked? Had all of that just been another one of her mother's jokes? Her spirits started to rise as the older woman set the box down on her dresser and opened it... only to plummet again as she beheld the contents.

"Skilled sorcerers can work around a small amount of fabric or jewelry with minimal side effects," she continued. "Furthermore, by far the strongest mana currents in the body flow through the core, while the extremities can be safely covered without issues. It will be difficult to adjust, but if you truly wish to stay covered up then any outfit similar to this should still allow you to channel."

The 'outfit' Sedainaris was holding up consisted of long stockings and gloves plus two tiny scraps of fabric that each consisted of little more than small triangles held together by strings, all done in a purple silk so thin that it was almost sheer. There was jewelry too, a silver necklace and several bangles, as well as some tiny bronze bells seemingly designed to be tied to the silk bands. A pair of strappy shoes with high, thin heels completed the outfit. All told, it looked more like something straight out of one of Rosa's dirtiest stories than clothing meant to preserve Alis' modestly.

Sedainaris smiled proudly. "Your grandmother gave me this for my fiftieth birthday, when I mastered channeling enough that it wouldn't disrupt my magic. The brassiere might be a bit big on you, but you still have time to grow into it."

Alis was certain wearing that outfit in front of her friends would somehow be even more embarrassing than going nude. Sedainaris looked so happy though, so she **** a smile as she accepted the box of lingerie, standing to tuck it into the bottom of her pack. "T-thanks, Mum!"

Her mother's smile turned wistful. "You'll accomplish great things, Æleisanor... my little starlight, we're both so proud of the woman you've grown into," she said, brushing her cheek softly. "You'll always have a place here, but please, don't worry about us. Go live your life, we'll be keeping you in our hearts always."

"M-Mum..." Alis embraced her tearfully. They held each other tightly for a long moment, parting slowly and with ****.

"Now, wash up and go get something to eat. Sigrid and Fendis are already waiting downstairs, I'll wake Rosalinde."

Alis quickly went about her morning routine and tromped downstairs, spotting the other two girls looking a bit downcast. While Rosa had already gotten what goodbyes she intended to make out of the way yesterday and spent the night in a room here at the inn, they were likely feeling just as torn about leaving Maplewald as Alis was. Sigrid had only just reunited with her own parents and younger brother after more than two years away, and Fendis' adopted father was the only family the wolfkin had even known. Still, all of them had been looking forward to this for years, and as Rosa joined them the mood quickly lifted. Ready to leave, Alis shared one last farewell with her mother and father before heading out to the stable with the others.

Sigrid grabbed a trio of engraved and varnished wooden cases, ranging from a few feet long to about a hand-length for the smallest. She handed the largest over to Fendis, who opened it to reveal a flintlock hunting rifle and a stack of paper cartridges. She pulled out the former, running a hand along the smooth finish before sighting down it.

"It's a breech-loader, like they use in the Königliche Schützen. That's what the artificer said at least, I don't know much about weapons."

Fendis took a moment to familiarize herself with the mechanisms, looking Sigrid in the eye and giving her a sharp nod. "It's good, thanks," she said in her usual laconic manner. Rosalinde received an elegant pistol of a similar design, ooh-ing over the flower motif carved into the grip as she strapped the soft leather holster on opposite her rapier.

While they were distracted, Sigrid stepped closer to Alis and slipped her the smallest box. Bemused by the mage's furtive behavior, she carefully opened it and was left blinking at a plain cylinder, no more than five inches long and perhaps an inch and a half in diameter. It was made of some strange material, colored light pink and soft and yielding to the touch, while the only decoration was a small purple gem affixed to the end that didn't taper off into a round point. Brushing the gem with a finger caused the whole device to start vibrating, the sound muffled slightly by the velvet pillow it lay on. Sigrid quickly reached over to turn it off, cheeks red.

"Um... what is it?" Alis asked.

"It's to help with your spellcasting," she said, still blushing. At Alis' blank look, she hesitated before adding, "You use it to, you know, increase your magical abilities?"

Alis examined the strange device, humming skeptically. "Like your focus? Mum never mentioned anything like this... maybe it's another difference between mages and sorcerers?"

The color slowly drained from Sigrid's face, and she reached out to take the box back. "Y-yeah, you're probably right. I guess it wasn't a very good gift, sorry. I'll just keep that then, I can get something else for you later."

"No, no, I appreciate the gesture, this must have cost a fortune! I'll try it out later and see if I feel anything. Maybe you can show me how to use it?"

Sigrid's blush came back with a vengeance. "O-kay," she choked out, eyes darting over to Rosa. Her shoulders relaxed minutely as she saw the noble was still absorbed with her new firearm, and she quickly moved to start hitching their two horses up to the rickety cart Albrecht had gotten for them.

Alis shrugged off the odd encounter, stuffing the box into her pack and helping with the preparations. Soon enough the four of them were sitting in the cart as it shook and jolted down the road towards Drachensturz, Maplewald--home--shrinking behind them.