"You'll start reciting the incantation immediately," said McGonagall during Lizzy's last scheduled private lesson of the term.
Lizzy, with as much grace as she could manage, spit her mandrake leaf into a phial and handed it to McGonagall. She had been quite relieved when, after stumbling through an explanation of why she thought she might have to start over with the leaf, McGonagall had said she believed restarting was not necessary. If the professor had an amused gleam in her eyes and had to press her lips tightly together after saying as much, it was not mentioned by either of them.
"Should I not wait until after I return from the competition?" Lizzy asked.
"Have I managed to develop a stutter without being aware?" McGonagall asked archly as she corked the phial and set it on her desk. She would bring it to Professor Slughorn after the lesson, and he would add it to the Animagus potion she had asked him to brew.
"No, Professor," Lizzy answered quickly. "But I confess I would rather begin this next phase when I am in closer proximity to you, in the event I have questions or something goes awry."
"It is lucky for you, then, that I will be accompanying you to India," said McGonagall off handedly.
"You will?" Lizzy asked excitedly. She greatly admired McGonagall and would not at all mind the extra guidance.
"Mrs. Daelyn has discovered she is with child," McGonagall explained. "She is determined to still go to act as coach to you and Miss Capulet, but says she is frightfully ill most mornings and advised someone else be brought along to fill in if she finds herself indisposed. Though I have never seriously competed, I am competent enough."
Lizzy smirked at her professor. Such would certainly land her in trouble in class, but she had more flexibility in her private lessons. "Might I ask how you came by the opportunity, Professor?"
McGonagall returned Lizzy's smirk. "Professor Flitwick mentioned the dilemma to me and I suggested a solution that might be agreeable to all."
"Are you sure you are up to the task of keeping me in line for a few more weeks?" Lizzy asked.
"I think I just might manage," McGonagall replied dryly. "I have to check up on how Professor Flitwick has seen to your improvements since the last time I saw you demonstrate, in any case."
Lizzy and McGonagall spoke of the competition for a few more minutes before Lizzy recited the Animagus incantation for the first time under her mentor's careful observation.
Upon finishing her lesson, Lizzy made her way to the library where Darcy was waiting for her.
"Is it done?" Darcy asked without looking up from his book.
"Yes, finally," Lizzy sighed. She swallowed then and enjoyed the fact that she did not have to be concerned for accidentally consuming her mandrake leaf.
"Excellent," said Darcy. He shoved his book aside and made quick work of attaching his lips to Elizabeth's. Despite McGonagall's assurances, Elizabeth had been unwilling to take any chances after the scare in Hogsmeade, and so he had been denied the pleasure of kissing her for a further two weeks. Such had been quite torturous, considering the revelations he had come to last time.
"You really are a wolf," Elizabeth jokingly scolded. She blushed prettily as she dedicated an inordinate amount of attention to unpacking her bag.
"As said, only when it comes to you," Darcy said almost casually.
"You have your Arithmancy exam tomorrow, do you not?" Elizabeth asked.
"You know full well that I do," said Darcy. "Have you nothing else to say about your lesson? You are usually quite verbose. Have I distracted you?" he asked with a suggestive quirk of his eyebrow.
"Only because you surprised me," said Elizabeth flatly.
Darcy's second brow joined his first in rising toward his hairline. "Are you saying I was not thorough enough? Such must be rectified immediately!"
Elizabeth skirted Darcy's attempts to catch her in his arms and quickly set herself on the opposite end of the table. "You need to study for Arithmancy, and I need to prepare for History of Magic!" she said, resolutely unfurling a scroll of notes.
Darcy laughed, but realized in the privacy of his thoughts that Elizabeth relocating across the table was in the best interest of them both. "Truly," he said after sobering somewhat, "how was your lesson with McGonagall?"
"It went very well," Elizabeth answered. "I will have the potion in my possession before we leave for India and will be saying the incantation every morning until I transform."
Darcy furrowed his brows in confusion. "I thought you wanted to wait to take those next steps until we returned."
Elizabeth smirked at Darcy. "Mrs. Daelyn may be indisposed for parts of the trip. Professor McGonagall is coming along to fill in when necessary."
Darcy groaned and threw his weight back in his chair. Ever since Elizabeth had told McGonagall of what had passed between them in Hogsmeade, the professor had been rather harsher with and more demanding of Darcy than her other students. He was not the only one to notice that the professor most noted for her just and equal treatment of students had singled him out as needing extra discipline, but he was not about to explain to his classmates why Professor McGonagall had done so, and she knew it, which only gave her all the more power.
"Why did it have to be her?" he asked dismally.
"Have you some reason to be upset with Professor McGonagall, Mr. Darcy?" Elizabeth asked lightly.
"She is determined to make me miserable," Darcy pouted. "Or have you forgotten the twenty points she managed to find flimsy reasons to take from me only two days ago?"
"Well, it was abominably rude of you to fail to hold the door for Jo as well as for me," Elizabeth said, somehow managing to sound reasonable. "And I cannot approve of your book dropping off the desk in the middle of McGonagall's lecture."
"My book fell," said Darcy irritably, "because you pushed it."
"Details," Elizabeth said dismissively.
"Oh, just you wait, Elizabeth Bennet," Darcy said darkly. "One day, I'll make you answer for all your merciless teasing."
Elizabeth only laughed at the idea before determinedly focusing on her notes.
"You are sure you have everything you'll need?" Jane asked worriedly. She had come down to the entrance hall to see her sister and Darcy off. Exams finished just that day and the students would start heading for their homes on the morrow. "I can stuff what I absolutely need into Kitty's trunk, leave the rest here, and you can take mine to put anything else in it that you might need."
"Jane, I shall be perfectly fine," Lizzy said with an affectionate pat of her sister's cheek. In the past month, the pair had succeeded in coming to a new understanding, with both of them aware of the terms of such. They would never be quite as close as they once were, since Jane, especially, had a new partner in life. Such did not mean that they no longer loved each other, nor that one could not depend on the other. Each now had clear expectations of the other and knew what was expected of them, in turn.
"You will make sure she does not overly tax herself?" Jane asked of Felicia, who had come to the grounds to collect Lizzy and Darcy.
"She will be well taken care of, Miss Bennet," Felicia soothed.
"Well, Lizzy, I wish you the very best of luck," said Bingley, offering his hand. "Remember details well, for I shall be exceedingly interested to hear them upon your return! I can't count on Darcy to give a faithful accounting at all."
"I will do my very best," Lizzy laughingly answered. "It would not do to disappoint my future brother so!"
"Bingley can do with some disappointment, Elizabeth," said Darcy drily. "Feel no obligation to oblige him."
"At least try to get him to enjoy himself," said Bingley to Lizzy at a stage whisper, causing his friend to roll his eyes good naturedly.
"Oh, I should like to travel to some far-off land," Lydia said wistfully. "Perhaps you should take Jane's trunk, Lizzy. Then I can stow away in it."
"I most certainly will not be taking you anywhere," said Lizzy. "Not until you can remember the proper charm for use of chopping fruit, anyway."
Lydia rolled her eyes. "It was just a tiny mistake in spelling, Lizzy!" she whined. "Must you bring it up at every opportunity?"
"That may be so, but if you had actually used the charm you'd written on your exam, you would likely have sent the knife you were working with into the chest of the person nearest you," said Lizzy evenly.
"Will you bring us something back, Lizzy?" Kitty asked eagerly. "I've heard such interesting things about the fashions in India."
"Of course I shall bring you something back, Kitty," Lizzy easily answered. "When I shall give it to you is another matter, entirely. You'd better be on your best behavior, as receiving your gift just might be entirely dependent on the report Mary gives me once I return."
Mary smirked at Lizzy while Kitty and Lydia looked horrified. She knew full well that Lizzy intended to give her youngest sisters some trinket or other regardless of their behavior, but the threat would likely prove very effective and gave Mary a great deal of power over the youngest Bennets.
"Final goodbyes," said Felicia. "Come along, now! We can't keep the others waiting."
Lizzy hugged each of her sisters fiercely and shook Bingley's hand again before making her way to the door with Felicia. Darcy shook hands with Jane, Mary, and Bingley, and the latter also clapped him impressively on the back. He patted Kitty and Lydia somewhat awkwardly on the head, but the gesture was appreciated.
"Are we to pick up Josiah and Sophia, also?" Lizzy asked after climbing into the large thestral drawn carriage with Felicia and Darcy.
"Flitwick and McGonagall set out to meet them a few hours ago," said Felicia. "You would have gone with them, if not for your Defense exams being so ridiculously late. We will all gather in London, and then the four of you will take one carriage while I get into the other with the professors."
"We are to be trusted with being unsupervised?" Lizzy asked teasingly. "Are you sure that is a wise decision? We just might steal the Ministry carriage and ride off, never to be heard from again!"
"Oh?" Felicia asked lightly. "Would you prefer we all cram into one carriage?"
"Certainly not," said Darcy flatly.
Lizzy stifled a laugh. She knew Darcy simply did not want to be shut in with McGonagall for hours on end.
"When we stop to meet up with the other champions, you will both change into your Ministry robes," said Felicia, beginning to settle into the squabs. "Ridgeway and Capulet will do the same."
"Must we wear them the entire trip?" Lizzy asked unenthusiastically. The purple robes with green accents and the Ministry seal printed near the left shoulder were, by far, her least favorite.
"I've made sure you have three sets, so you'll not smell too terribly," Felicia quipped.
"That is not the issue I have," Lizzy half mumbled.
Felicia's eyes danced with amusement. "Yes, Bennet, you must wear the Ministry robes while we travel. I told you there'd be pageantry involved. Everyone we come across must see that you are out to represent your country."
Soon, Felicia declared her intention to take a nap, leaving Lizzy and Darcy completely to their own devices. The pair chatted for a while, then pulled out books on magical anthropology that had been recommended to them, frequently sharing observations.
When the carriage landed in London after a shorter time than Lizzy expected, she hopped out and cheerfully greeted Josiah and Sophia.
Flitwick brought out a small chest which when opened revealed the Ministry robes the champions were to wear for the duration of their journey. Lizzy and Sophia exchanged an unenthused look, but took their sets, nonetheless, and followed their coaches into the Ministry itself. They were immediately shunted into rooms to change.
"These are completely ridiculous," said Sophia flatly as she looked at herself in the mirror. "At least the ones Mrs. Daelyn designed for us will not be so embarrassing to be seen in."
Lizzy sighed and nodded her head in agreement. "We will simply have to suffer together, Sophia, and be content with the knowledge that we are not alone." She suddenly brightened dramatically. "Shall we go see the spectacle that must be Darcy and Josiah?"
Sophia eagerly agreed, and the pair scurried out of their room.
Upon sighting Darcy in the gaudy purple and horribly clashing green, Lizzy had to fight very hard not to burst out laughing. So much for not looking like a dandy!
"Those robes turned out very well!" Fudge said delightedly when the champions were presented to him. "Very well indeed!"
Lizzy very nearly snorted despite the fact that she was a focal point at a very formal gathering of Ministry employees. They were to be seen off in style.
The champions were seated on a raised platform, then Fudge proceeded to give a very long-winded speech of how proud they should be to participate in such a competition and, in turn, how proud he was to have them represent England. Lizzy listened politely, but gave no credence to a single word said by the Minister. After all, he had not seen any of them duel, so how could he possibly know they would do England any credit?
Unfortunately, Fudge's speech proved to be just about the most tolerable thing about the evening. It kicked off a very elaborate ball.
"At least we were permitted to open with each other," Lizzy said to Darcy during the first dance. He looked every bit as surly and disagreeable as he had when she had first seen him at the Meryton assembly.
Darcy grunted in agreement.
"I know you are not looking forward to the evening, Darcy, but could you perhaps stir yourself to at least be pleasant through this set?" Lizzy asked. "It is likely to be the highlight for us, in any event."
Darcy recognized the truth of Lizzy's words quickly enough and proceeded to, for the rest of the set, behave as though they were dancing casually at Madam Puddifoot's. The levity and joy they found in each other, however, was quickly crushed once the set finished. In fact, they were hardly able to so much as glance at each other the rest of the ball.
Even Lizzy, as outgoing as she was, felt remarkably irritated by the time she was permitted to climb back into the carriage. She had not been allowed a single set out to rest. Her feet ached and her cheeks were sore from forcing herself to smile so much. Her only genuine smile had happened when Lord Matlock found her after her dance with the Minister.
"A little tired, are you, Miss Bennet?" Matlock had asked.
"I have only just finished my exams, my lord," Lizzy had replied gaily.
"And here I was thinking you found the company trying."
"Not presently, at least."
Matlock had laughed at Lizzy's wit and offered to scare off any persons she thought to be enormously annoying. Tempted though she was, Lizzy had declined the offer and faced her fate.
Once the ball was over, the champions piled into their carriage. Sophia fell into the seat beside Lizzy, forcing Darcy to sit opposite her, instead. He looked decidedly put out by such.
"Would you all be terribly offended if I took off my slippers?" Sophia asked as the carriage took to the sky. "I can hardly feel my toes."
"I think it a fine suggestion for us all," said Josiah tiredly. "Who is going to scold us for it, anyway?"
Lizzy gave a weak chuckle. She had just been preparing to reach down to remove her shoes when, instead, Darcy grabbed her feet and pulled the slippers off, himself, before settling her feet on the bench between him and the carriage wall. She smiled appreciatively at him as he then tended his own footwear.
All four champions were so very exhausted they hardly did more than say goodnight before contorting themselves into strange shapes to settle to sleep as best as they possibly could in the unyielding carriage.
"Are you happy, my dear?" Darcy asked lowly.
The carriages had stopped in Vienna to give the passengers a well-earned break from the confines. Darcy had been quick to suggest finding somewhere to eat that afforded a good view of the city. Felicia was able to recommend a place thanks to the many stories her well-travelled husband had told her. It took nearly an hour to walk to their destination, but no one was ready to complain after spending a full day and a half in the carriage.
"It is all so very beautiful and fascinating," Elizabeth said breathlessly, taking in the view from their table.
Darcy agreed whole heartedly, though his eyes were focused on what was, to him, even more agreeable than the scenery. "Should you like to come back here someday?"
"Oh, that would be wonderful," Elizabeth said unthinkingly. "I would enjoy a chance to roam about and see some things I have read about. If only we had the time now!"
Darcy stowed this information away carefully in his mind for use at a later time. "Did you ever learn the language?"
"No," Elizabeth replied. "We never had the opportunity for tutors in foreign languages. I can read some Ancient Greek, though."
Darcy fought off the bitter thoughts of how negligent Mr. and Mrs. Bennet had been regarding the education of their children. His efforts were aided by Josiah.
"I've been told the concert halls here are exceptional," Josiah said.
"You're quite right, Mr. Ridgeway," said Flitwick. "I've only managed to get to a few in my travels, but it is not an opportunity I recommend passing on."
Conversation flowed easily between the party with Flitwick and Felicia taking responsibility for speaking with the natives. Neither had the best pronunciation, but could manage well enough to communicate the wishes of the table. The sun had begun to set by the time Flitwick suggested they head back for the carriages.
"Cards, anyone?" Josiah asked after loading back up into the carriage.
The group stopped again at Constantinople, then at Cairo.
"Anyone happen to speak any Arabic?" Felicia asked amusedly upon disembarking from the carriage.
"Not a single lick of it," McGonagall answered. "Filius, you've been given instructions on getting to their building of government, haven't you? My understanding is that someone is to meet us there."
Flitwick cheerfully started an explanation of how the magical populace of Egypt was still ruled by a monarchy while he led the group out across the sands in which they had landed.
Darcy watched delightedly as Elizabeth took in the environment.
"I've read of deserts, but nothing could have primed me for this," Elizabeth said with breathless excitement. She kicked up a bit of sand and laughed at it. "How very interesting the lives of the people who live here must be! Why, there's not a drop of water in sight! Oh, what I take for granted!"
Darcy hoped and prayed he would never take Elizabeth's pleasure at seeing new things for granted.
"What are those, Professor Flitwick?" Sophia asked, pointing to monstrous triangles in the distance.
"Those, Miss Capulet, are pyramids, and our destination," said Flitwick with a grin. He suddenly lit up entirely and called out to someone in a foreign language.
Soon, a man with dark skin and even darker curly hair floated before the group on a carpet. "Filius!" the new man said jovially, in a thick accent. He hopped off the carpet, which then flopped to the ground, lifeless, and shook hands heartily with Flitwick.
"This is an old dueling friend of mine, Ibrahim," Flitwick told his party. "I wrote him some time ago asking for his help. He never did write me back, however," he continued with an accusatory tone as he turned back to Ibrahim, "so I was not sure whether to expect him or not!"
Ibrahim gave a hearty belly laugh and said something in his native tongue that made Flitwick join him.
Darcy found it absolutely fascinating how the two men communicated. Neither seemed to speak much of the other's language, and yet they managed to understand each other very well. Before long, everyone had boarded Ibrahim's carpet and they were streaking off towards the pyramids.
"These should be the norm in England!" Elizabeth declared as she held her arm off the side of the carpet, nearly touching the sands below. "This is surely preferable to being cooped up in a carriage!"
"Don't presume your opinion is shared by everyone," said Felicia with tightly closed eyes.
Elizabeth was immediately completely occupied with trying to see to Felicia's comfort.
When Ibrahim escorted the group off his carpet on top of the tallest of the pyramids, Felicia quickly regained composure and seemed entirely relieved to be able to sit on a solid surface.
"Have you ever seen something so magnificent?" Elizabeth demanded of the other champions as she looked out over the great expanse laid out before them. She positively beamed with excitement.
After Felicia declared herself ready to continue, Ibrahim rolled up his carpet and stuffed it into a bag on his back. He then drew his wand, set it to the topmost stone, and said something in what Darcy assumed to be his own ancient language, for it certainly was not the Latin he was used to hearing, nor quite what Ibrahim had been using before. The stone melted away, revealing an excruciatingly long spiraling staircase that descended into darkness.
Ibrahim said something to Flitwick that made the small man's eyes glow with anticipation.
"Ibrahim says there are two ways we can get to our destination," Flitwick said excitedly. "We can take the stairs, or we can slide."
"Slide?" Josiah asked interestedly.
Ibrahim began waving his wand before him in ornate circles. Sand came from all around him and began to follow the path of his wand. With a final incantation, the sand hardened into an unyielding disk, which Ibrahim offered to Josiah.
"You're sure about this?" Josiah asked nervously.
Ibrahim smiled and nodded. "Much fun," he said.
Josiah took the disk and exhaled very carefully as he approached the stairs. He looked back to Ibrahim again, who nodded encouragingly, and then sat upon the disk. He was clearly bracing himself and building fortitude when Ibrahim rushed forward and shoved him.
"Too long," Ibrahim said by way of explanation.
Darcy had been prepared to be very cross with Ibrahim on Josiah's behalf, but then he heard his companion's hearty laugh as he spiraled down the center of the pyramid.
"Professor, I am allowed use of my wand so long as I am supervised by you, Professor McGonagall, or Mrs. Daelyn, correct?" Elizabeth eagerly inquired.
"You are," Flitwick answered with a knowing smile.
In the blink of an eye, Elizabeth had drawn her wand from her sleeve. As Ibrahim began constructing a second disk, she mimicked the movements of his wand.
Ibrahim smiled as he realized what Elizabeth was about. After handing his second disk to Sophia, who showed much less hesitation than Josiah, he began coaching Elizabeth through the required spell. The results of her endeavors were significantly less refined than Ibrahim's. In fact, the sand she had summoned burst apart when she tried to harden it. Nonetheless, she was absolutely delighted with her efforts.
"Smart girl," Ibrahim observed after Elizabeth began her journey down the stairs on his latest sand sled. He added something more in his own language, but Darcy had not a single hope of understanding him.
"You're entirely correct, Ibrahim," said Flitwick. He turned to the last champion. "Well, Mr. Darcy, will it be stairs or slide for you?"
Inspired by his beloved, Darcy tried following Ibrahim's spellcasting, himself. His efforts were no better than Elizabeth's, but he enjoyed the exercise entirely and felt not the slightest bit of shame as he accepted the disc offered him and took the exhilarating journey down the stairs. He was somewhat dizzy when he disembarked from the tight wind of the trajectory he had taken.
"Do you think I would be allowed to go again?" Elizabeth asked, staring up toward the top of the stairs.
"You wish to climb up all those stairs?" Sophia asked disbelievingly.
"We shall all have to, at some point, if we are to get back to the carriages," Josiah said reasonably.
"That is actually not the case, Mr. Ridgeway."
Darcy, Elizabeth, Sophia, and Josiah all whipped around to see that Professor Flitwick, along with Professor McGonagall, Felicia, and Ibrahim had already joined them.
"You mean there was another way to get here?" Josiah asked with some amount of outrage.
"Taking the stairs in some fashion is considered a sort of rite of initiation," said Flitwick with mischief in his eyes. "They have not been used consistently in nearly two centuries."
Elizabeth's eyes lit up. "Then I can go down them several more times, since there is a quick way to the top!"
"Certainly not, Bennet," McGonagall chided with good enough humor. "We have other things that must be done."
As they progressed through some ancient looking tunnels, Josiah took in stride the teasing of Ibrahim with an easy smile.
"It would be fascinating to learn more about hieroglyphics," Darcy said to Elizabeth when she paused to examine the paintings on a wall. "It's a shame we only spent two weeks on them in Ancient Runes."
"Kitty would be so utterly delighted to see this," Elizabeth said longingly.
"Do you miss your sisters very much?" Darcy asked concernedly.
"I am quite removed from them, presently," Elizabeth said somewhat reluctantly. "It is a strange feeling to be completely apart from all of them. I'm used to being able to share experiences with at least one."
Darcy took advantage of the fact that he and Elizabeth were at the back of the group to grab her hand and kiss it. "I am not one of your sisters, but I hope I can serve the office of sharing experiences with well enough."
"You most certainly are not," Elizabeth said with a smile. "I suppose you will do, however."
Darcy set Lizzy's hand on his arm and patted it comfortingly.
They were shown the series of chambers that made up the home of the Egyptian magical government, and even met the princess who was next in line for the throne. Samia, as she was called, spoke enough English to be able to communicate with the guests Ibrahim brought before her. She invited them to dine with her. Darcy found it difficult to stomach some of the foods put before him, but managed creditably.
Samia was reluctant to discuss the competition at all, which Darcy could readily understand. She could not be faulted for wanting to keep the capabilities of Egypt's champions a mystery. Despite her reluctance on that subject, not a dull moment passed and there was a great deal of disappointment when Flitwick said they must be on their way.
Ibrahim delivered the travelers directly to their carriages. With the thestrals now well rested, the party took to the skies again.
Finally, the carriages landed in the final destination of Mumbai. The champions had been told explicitly that, no matter what they had been taught in England, they were to refer to the city exclusively as Mumbai, not Bombay, for the duration of their stay, lest they offend their hosts. The magical populace did not bow to the whims of a foreign government.
Upon exiting the carriage, Lizzy found herself unable to pick something to focus on. Bright colors were everywhere. Animals she had never seen roamed about. The people looked so very different from anything she had seen before. The language was utterly fascinating. The strangest looking statues dominated the scenery.
"I know not what to make of all this," said Darcy.
"I don't know that I ever want to leave!" Lizzy said as reply. "I could surely spend the entirety of each of my remaining days exploring this area alone and never know it all!"
"We will have plenty of time for exploring in a bit," said Felicia. "Let us go check in at the tent over there. The sooner we do that, the sooner the lot of you can change out of those vile Ministry robes."
"Felicia," McGonagall hissed.
"I'll not hide from the truth, Minerva," said Felicia unapologetically.
"I do not disagree with the sentiment, merely the time and place it was expressed," said McGonagall, glancing at the people milling about them.
"I'm not saying anything they haven't already thought," Felicia stated.
The champions went with their chaperones and carefully followed each instruction given to them to the letter until they were completely checked in and their wands weighed.
After being shown to the room Lizzy would share with Sophia for the duration of the tournament and being introduced to Bavishni, who would be their guide, the girls were delighted to shed the ugly robes they had decided must have been designed by Fudge himself.
"Merlin's beard, I don't think I'll ever wear purple again!" Sophia declared as she balled up the hideous robes and stuffed them into the corner of her trunk.
"How are we to decide which robes to wear first?" Lizzy asked hopelessly as she began hanging her new clothing in her half of the closet. She was surprised to find the furnishings of the room remarkably similar to that which she might have expected back home, though with very different colorings. Then again, in her brief time outside, she had seen a wide variety of dwellings that, she supposed, must represent the varying peoples that would attend. The hosts, it seemed, had gone through a great deal of effort to make their guests feel as much at home as possible.
"Well, luckily, we have someone that can aid us in choosing the most appropriate set," said Sophia. She went to the door of their suite and asked Bavishni to come inside. "Perhaps you would be willing to help us, Bavishni. We want to make a good first impression, you see. Or second, since we've already assaulted everyone's eyes with that mess we showed up in."
Bavishni grinned in response to Sophia's humor. "This will be good for you," she said in her delightful accent to Sophia, grabbing a pink robe with yellow embroidery. "And for you, this," Bavishni added, handing Lizzy a set that was not quite green or blue with silvery threading along the hem and cuffs.
As Lizzy changed into her new robes, she asked after Bavishni's outfit. The young woman patiently explained that she wore a sari and told Lizzy and Sophia about its different components enthusiastically and with great detail.
"It is beautiful," Lizzy said after asking for and being given permission to touch the fabric that swooped gracefully over Bavishni's shoulder.
Bavishni responded in her language before translating it as "thank you" and then suggested they grab the rest of the party to begin their tour.
The rest of the day passed in a blissful blur for Lizzy. Bavishni saw to it that any and all questions any member of the British delegation about Indian culture were answered, and Lizzy found delight in nearly everything she had seen of the foreign land so far. She saw those that were unmistakably champions from other countries as she went about, but decided there would be time enough to interact with them later. She was entirely content to learn about the soil on which she stood.
Author's Note
Wooohoo! Dueling competition, let's gooooo! With the different cultures that have been and will be shown, I tried my best, but I am not an anthropologist, nor am I the greatest researcher in the world so... just be nice and kindly let me know if there's something super screwy?
Hope you enjoyed the update!