The idea of people singing his praises made Howl wince. High regard had gotten him in a load of trouble before, particularly with a certain king. The mention of a reward from Odin's treasury -- of his choice, no less -- was appealing, and he was sure he could find some interesting magical item. And fresh clothes were a godsend, in this case literally. But while the feast was a nice thought, all Howl really wanted was to go home to Sophie and his castle. He was so very done with being a hero.

At least for the time being.

Nightowls

Alanna was just happy to be finally taking a bath after who knows how long. It felt great to wash away all the dirt and grime of the long journey that had now come to an end. She sighed blissfully in the water and was reluctant to get out when the servant came in with her clothes. When she finally did leave the bath, she stood in front of the dressing screen going through the selection of clothing the servant offered her.

"No no..." She waved them away. "No gowns." She told the servant in a firm voice. It took ten minutes of arguing back and forth as Alanna explained that she did not need or want to wear gowns and no, not even in the presence of the Allfather. She wanted to wear something more functional and comfortable that wasn't gaudy. Something more to her taste.

It took a while but Alanna and the servant were finally able to come to an understanding about her wardrobe choice. Standing in front of the mirror, she nodded approvingly. Not too flashy but not too understated either. She was ready.

Knocking on the door to Mal's room, Alanna frowned. "Mal? Are you done yet?" Knowing Mal, the prospect of going to the treasure room would be too exciting for her not be ready yet.

Mal turned around and looked at the door then turned and looked at herself in the mirror again. She'd never worn anything like this in her entire life! It was a dress. And not just a dress, but there was pink on it and ruffles and everything! Mal might be a tough girl but she also had a girly side and it was like this dress was made for her. It had a bodice that was reminiscent of armor in a pale shade of blue and sheer opal fabric over the chest. The bottom was layered in light blue, a sheer black skirt and of course, the pink ruffles and bustle.

Her hair had been washed until it was squeaky clean in a luxurious bath. The servants had been very nice and taken her measurements and brought her many different clothing choices once she was out and tucked into a furry cream night robe. She'd heard Alanna scolding them in the next room and it'd made her chuckle. She didn't mind a dress as long as she got to pick it out and it was still a little, tiny bit edgy. They'd even done her hair up with a pair of light beautiful horns made out of wax and paper. Then they had braided in fluffy, soft blooms in lavender and lilac to accentuate her pastel violet hair color. The only concession that they frowned at her for had been wearing a pair of boots under her dress. Girly is good but she'd learned long ago that you never knew when you might have to get somewhere fast.

She heard another knock and did a quick twirl in front of the mirror before she swung the door open.

"Alanna, you look so amazing! That tunic is gorgeous! Is that real gold?!" She grabbed her friend by the hands and pulled her into the room. They stood in front of the mirror looking at themselves.

"I can't believe we've come so far."

Alanna's eyes widened as she looked at her friend. "Whoa... You look stunning!" The style of her outfit definitely screamed Mal. Nobody else would be able to pull off all those colours and still look so put together.

"It is unbelievable. We've been through so many challenges on this quest and now we're being rewarded for it." They both reflected on their long journey for a quiet moment. A servant knocking on the door jolted them out of their reverie to announce that it was time.

"I do believe that the treasure room awaits." Alanna teased Mal gently as they straightened themselves up one more time.

Mal found it hard to contain her excitement. She jumped up and clapped her hands together.

"Eeee! Let's go, let's go!" She said gently pushing her friend out the door.

Nightowls Heroic Attire

Sparkle sparkle!