Chapter 81 81 Waiting
Reiko chose a high-collared, long-sleeved gown that she insisted was her family\'s usual way of dressing for formal functions. It looked very noble and stuffy, but it did look good on her, so Wolfe didn\'t argue even when she spent fifteen minutes making him alter the lace to match her family\'s exclusive pattern.
"Now that everyone is fully dressed for the party, I will bring dinner to the room. That way, you don\'t have to change back into regular clothes, and you can get used to the armour spell being active. The book said it can feel strange, but I don\'t know what they meant by that." Wolfe explained.
"You can\'t feel an armour spell because the inside doesn\'t actually touch you. So, you know."
Ella\'s explanation left a lot of details out, but since they were all wearing nothing but the armour spell close to their body, it would feel like they were wearing nothing at all, even though they could reach down and touch their outfit to feel the texture in their hands.
"I think we\'ve all had a dream with a feeling like that before." Wolfe chuckled, then went out to get a trolley full of food.
"Wolfe. I\'ve got an outfit for Reiko tonight. Is she in your room?" Her butler asked when the two met in the hallway.
"Yeah, the Witches are making custom outfits with their armour spells. You can go see how they\'re doing, but I\'m not sure she will need that one you\'ve brought tonight unless there is an outfit change in the middle." Wolfe replied, waving the man toward the dorm room.
"Thanks. I\'ll go see how she\'s doing."
When Wolfe returned with all the food, there was a cluster of Witches waiting outside his room with the door open and a lot of laughter inside.
"Wolfe, they look amazing. I\'m told that you helped shape those outfits for them, and they\'re perfect for tonight\'s event. Thanks for keeping the details a surprise as well. It\'s going to be incredible." The event organizer greeted him when she heard the food service cart coming down the hall.
"It was my pleasure. Making Armor Talismans was easier than expected. It seems that my mind has a knack for fashion." Wolfe agreed.
"Because the trick is to envision what they would look like in and out of it instead of focusing on the dress itself. The first years will learn that later this year so that they can wear armour in public without being suspicious looking.
You might have to wait before you enter, though, the butler guy opened the door when a whole group was walking by, and now everyone knows they\'ve got awesome gowns. The first years were all going to wear what they had or could make in a night since the supply room didn\'t bring in any premade gowns, and they\'re flocking here to see."
"They should calm down once the second and third years start coming out. If I\'m not wrong, they\'ll be dressed the same way." Wolfe suggested.
"Probably, but a lot of them prefer simple." She agreed.
"Food Service, coming through," Wolfe called, and the crowd in the hall made space for him to pass, reluctantly clearing a path through to the door, then laughing when they realized it was him.
"Good work, Wolfe. The designs are fantastic. Don\'t be surprised if the Professor calls on you to demonstrate the next time you\'re in Practical Magic." One of the Witches called as they all backed away, preparing to leave so that the group could eat before the party.
"I appreciate your consideration. You can catch up with them tonight at the big event." Wolfe assured them all, then gently closed the door.
"Are you going to tell us what the event is? We tried getting it from that senior you were talking to, but she said that anything you picked for us would be perfect."
Wolfe smirked as he imagined their reaction to the event but answered the question. "It would ruin the surprise if you found out so early. But everyone will be there, so just be yourself."
The group spent the rest of the afternoon watching a movie and resting in preparation for what they had been told was going to be an all-night party.
"Aren\'t you feeling left out? I mean, there are lots of guys, but the midterm party is strictly Witches only." Mary asked as she double-checked her outfit for wrinkles caused by an afternoon of wear.
"It will make sense once you get there, but the guys are throwing a party of their own in the staff dorms since even the Witches on staff are invited to the main party. No need to worry about me." Wolfe assured her.
"Well, alright. Have a good night, and don\'t wait up." She giggled, then spun around to make her frilly layers of skirts and petticoats fly out. Mary might actually be enjoying that outfit as much as she would enjoy the party.
Once they were gone, Wolfe gave them a few minutes to make their way down the crowded hallways, with every Witch in the school heading the same way, then headed for the upper floors so he could make his way to the waiting room set up for the intelligent Familiars who would be assisting the ceremony.
Halfway to the Familiar\'s waiting room, he came across one lone Witch sitting in a chair by a window, reading a textbook.
"Aren\'t you going out tonight?" Wolfe asked, stopping beside her.
"I don\'t do parties. Besides, I\'m at the bottom of the first-year class. The Bullies have taken all my credits and everything else but my uniform. I can\'t go to a party like this." She nearly whispered.
"You don\'t need any of that for this party. Come with me for a moment, and I will tell you a secret once we are away from curious ears."
The quiet Witch took her book and meekly followed Wolfe to the Familiar waiting room where Professor Miranda was on duty, keeping any males from coming near the event.
"And what do you think you\'re doing, young man?" She asked as he approached with a Witch and a horde of Familiars.
"Us Familiars are going to the waiting room. But this unfortunate soul needs an alternate entry point into the auditorium when the main event starts." Wolfe explained.
"Oh, I see. There is a service stairwell in the waiting room. I will escort her down after the event starts. The Familiars will be locked in, so be aware that once you\'re in, you won\'t leave for the evening." The wiry Professor informed him very seriously.
"Perfect. We do actually have the range, but spending time with the other Demons sounded like more fun." Wolfe replied with a wink.
He had a lot of questions to ask, and he could only hope that they could answer. The Demons didn\'t seem to have much of a memory of anything before they were summoned.