Chapter Three #2
She walked out of the change room and looked at Fen, who suddenly lifted her leg in a standing split, whirled, and then stepped gracefully with little hops. Pandora’s eyes were bright. “I know a little girl who would love to watch that and then learn how to dance.”
“It starts slow, and then you get into it. That’s how you learn. The formalities are just formalities. The love of movement comes first.” Fen kept stepping and twirling around the shop then stopped at the change room. “This one works.”
Eudora nodded. “It does. Den is going to try his hand at being a cameraman.”
Pandora grinned. “Sern and Den?”
“Don’t be weird. Den is a hugger, but we are not right for each other. I also would never mess with brothers.”
Pandora blinked. “Whoa. That I did not know.”
“You can see it if they are side by side.”
Fen smiled. “You look amazing, Dori.”
“Thank you, Fen. We can’t all be dancing goddesses like you, but I make do.” Eudora turned and looked at herself in the mirror. She needed to do something with her hair, and it would be better with a necklace to break up all the bare skin, but she would just have to improvise or deal with it.
Fen looked at her. “Dori, don’t you have a gold and jet necklace?”
“No. It belongs to Likon. All of my jewellery did, and he got me to dump my costume stuff, so I will just look like a bare canvas.”
Pandora snorted. “Like fun you will. I have something to match every outfit, and if I don’t, I can get someone to make you something.”
“No fuss. I don’t want to take advantage of Sern’s generosity.”
Pandora laughed. “Please. Take advantage. Some of the elves have been around for decades, and a few for hundreds of years. They all have focused on gathering wealth and are very good at their little hobby.”
“That makes me feel marginally better.” Eudora smiled.
Fen blinked. “I can’t believe you don’t have anything from the marriage. You had some lovely pieces.”
“They were never mine. We had a prenup, and all items purchased for events remained Likon’s possession. I don’t know what he will do with the dresses, but that is his business.” She looked down. “I am going to try something else.”
She put on something with a standard V-neck and a wrapped feel. It was in a lovely midnight blue.
The neckline was high with just a hint of cleavage. It was less than a hint; it was more of a whisper. “This is more for church.”
Pandora nodded. “The wrap-style is good on you, though. Try the black.”
She returned to the change room and tried the black. “It’s a little dark for a Sunday afternoon.”
“The amethyst then.”
She nodded and tried the amethyst. It didn’t particularly suit her.
Pandora nodded. “Right, burgundy, yes, midnight colour, yes. Cuts low and wrapped. Embroidery for accent. Let’s do this.”
Fen watched as Pandora locked the door, draped burgundy fabric around a dummy that looked like it had Eudora’s body, and then there was touching and tugging, and a square-necked wrap dress with a heavily embroidered stomacher took form.
When Pandora finished, she went behind the counter and got a box from a display case. The necklace had huge, chunky, deep-red stones set in gold, and the design would work well with the neckline.
Pandora grinned. “Put it on. Oh. Shoes.” She grabbed a pair of shoes that turned burgundy and gold in her hand. “There we go. Now get dressed.”
Eudora took the dress she was handed and enjoyed the soft, slippery feel. When she was changed, she stepped into the shoes and put the necklace on. “Wow. Pandora, you do good work.”
Pandora chuckled. “I know. Now come on out, so I can bask in my magnificence.”
Eudora walked out, and Fen whistled softly. “Heck, I would date you in that.”
“Yeah, but you couldn’t afford it.”
Fen grinned. “Says you.”
Pandora looked stunned. “That is perfect. Nice. Sern is going to pay for this through the nose.”
Eudora froze. “Then, I don’t want it.”
Pandora blinked. “What?”
“Sern is actually being nice and generous, and I don’t want to take advantage of that. He’s straightening out my divorce from the marriage that wasn’t and only asking me to accompany him to this kind of event in return, so he doesn’t have to field ladies throwing themselves at him.”
Pandora paused. “I think I have grossly misjudged him. You still look spectacular, but I thought he was after you as a mate.”
“We have six dates to go through before that is an issue.”
Pandora blinked. “What?”
“That is how I am paying for his assistance. Six society events with him. I don’t know his logic, but it might be so no one jumps him at the end of it.”
Pandora nodded. “Right. Sorry. Well, let me make a call, and we can downgrade the outfit a little.”
Fen tutted. “Downgrading any part of it will diminish it. Right now, you look spectacular.”
“I am to be a spectacle. I think that was the idea.”
Pandora spoke softly into a phone and then leaned away as a male voice grew emphatic.
She nodded and agreed. “Right. Do you have a list of where you are taking her? Right. Send it to me so that I can get a jump on it. I already made a mannequin for her, so this will give me some time. No, no pastels. She’s good in gem tones.
She will make a mark when she walks in. Got it. Ta.”
Pandora smiled as she returned. “No downgrades, or he pinches my pointy ears. My mates won’t like it, but he will deal with them.”
“Oh. Right.”
“Yeah, I’ve got a set. They take me to work, take me to lunch, pick me up afterward, we go out with friends, I go out with the ladies. It’s a nicer life than just floating around the world looking for what I was supposed to be doing.”
Pandora touched the dress, and pleats appeared and smoothed out in turn. “Right, since I have you here, we are going to do a blank for the evening gowns.”
“What does that involve?”
“Putting a muslin on you and fitting it to you so the mannequin doesn’t have to do all the heavy lifting. Sern’s sending me the list of events he has in mind. He’s on a ton of charities and committees, so he has to show up at a lot of things.”
“Right. That explains him wanting someone with him as a distraction.”
“Right. It must be boring to be on that many committees, but apparently, he likes being busy.” Pandora smiled. “Okay, I will get the muslin, you take this off, and it will be in in a moment.”
The rest of the visit was quick. Pandora was good at her chosen occupation and got her a muslin with an invisible zip in the back and labelled it for her.
Pandora nodded. “I have billed him, and he’s sent payment already, so I am going to bag the dress and stuff up, and you can continue your afternoon. Where are you headed?”
She checked her new phone and smiled. “The Aquilar Ballet. Fen gets to see how well she can improvise, and Den is already en route.”
“Good thing you sent me the music already,” Fen smirked.
Another chirp to her phone and Eudora nearly danced in place. “This is cool. Bertie is going to do a gym shoot tonight at the new one her boss is about to open. So, I will have the extra footage tomorrow morning. She has cameras and is ready to go.”
Den was all for it. He was already at the ballet, checking the lighting for the stage.
She smiled and summoned the car. Fen had her garment bag, and she danced barefoot, so shoes weren’t an issue.
Pandora held up a small clutch that would fit a phone and a lipstick and not much else. “Almost forgot.” She slipped it into Eudora’s garment bag and smiled. “You are so frigging cute, it isn’t even funny.”
“Cute?”
“As you are currently dressed. You are all round with soft edges, but I know that you are steel and stone under silk, and it is a hard contrast to take on.”
Eudora nodded. “Yeah, that is why all of my previous gowns were a little concealing. No one knew what to do once the bust line was crossed, and they were all off the rack, so I got what I got.”
Pandora tutted. “Well, I am giving Sern the family and friends’ discount.”
The car pulled up, and the driver got out to take their garment bags. He hung them up inside the car and helped the ladies one by one. He spoke calmly, “Next stop, Aquilar Ballet.”
“Thank you,” Eudora said.
Fen grinned. “I thought we would cram into your car.”
“I had to sell it for money to live on until the divorce was settled. Likon’s lawyer froze my personal account.”
“Shit.”
“Yeah, so I have the funds from the car sale and a borrowed apartment and the same clothing that I had before the marriage.”
“Geez.”
“Yeah, so I am waiting until the audit finishes, throwing myself into work. This project is fun, and I am trying to highlight aspects of women’s lives where they have to pull on their own strength when no one else is available. Some women also forget what we can do.”
They chatted, and Eudora showed some of the existing clips synced to the song.
Fen grinned. “Thanks, it lets me know what to do. I am going to start small, then go really big. There will be jumps.”
“Excellent.”
The car stopped, and they were let out with their garment bags, walking toward the main doors.
Den was waiting for them and grinning. “You are the dancer?”
Fen nodded. “Yup. Do you want to do this inside?”
He froze and then thought. “They do have an amphitheatre. Mr. Aquilar said we could use the entire facility.”
Fen grinned. “We can start indoors while I figure out the movement and do one more outside. I brought my ear buds so I can go over and over, but you will need to give me a hand signal.”
Den smiled. “Got it.”
They went into the building and met Mr. Aquilar, who was making the effort for Sern as a friend.
Den grinned. “Sern knows everyone. He’s surprisingly well-liked for a lawyer.”
Etienne Aquilar snorted. “My father fell over himself when he heard who was asking. Thankfully, he wasn’t in surgery.”
“I won’t mess things up. I should be able to work with whatever is on the stage.” Fen smiled. “This performance is going to be chopped into sections anyway.”
Den nodded. “Okay, get changed, and let’s do this.”
Etienne asked, “May I watch?”
Fen nodded. “Sure.”
“May my fiancé watch?”
“Is she here?”
“She is, she’s peeking around the corner. Dex, come on. Bring Tosh if he is lurking.”
A woman with pearly skin and jagged, pointed ears came out hauling a dark elf.
Den laughed. “Hey, Tosh.”
He nodded. “Den. Things good?”
“Yup.”
They moved through the building to the main stage.
Dex showed Fen where she could change, and when Den had set up his equipment, she took centre stage and began to stretch.
When she was ready, she nodded. Eudora started the music, turned it up, and got it to the right level for her, and then Fen began to move, and Den got it all.