DWC - 31 May - Day I - Gloom / Allure
"Hm..."
She turned every which way in front of the full-length body mirror at the tailor's. Belidrae had gone shopping there on a weekly basis for just about her entire life. Up until her most unfortunate change, anyway. Down in Elwynn, her experiences with other people had been considerably less than kind and thus visiting a tailor there had been out of the question. Perhaps that was, in part, a reason for why she had begun to design her own apparel.
That certainly wasn't going to be happening again anytime soon. As long as she had a satchel of Valerron's coin, she was going to be using it. On every. Little. Thing. That her heart desired.
Some people called that retail therapy. She could have agreed. She didn't have another outlet, despite visiting plenty of parties she wasn't invited to and staying out until all hours of the night. There were social circles she'd been a part of, which were great for... exactly that. Being social. Sharing hot gossip about who was having affairs, who had acquired boy toys (or girl toys as sometimes the case was), who was waiting for their partner to pass for the sake of inheritance.
The kinds of groups where the conversation is surface level, artificial, and lacking any real depth. In short, social groups didn't equate to friendship or real connections with people. Although it had occurred to her that even in Elwynn that the only connections she had made were the ones where coin pressed to palm and eventually thighs were spread.
All to say, not much of a connection at all. Not when transaction was involved, anyway.
Since her return, she had been asked to bedroom arrangements exactly once, which, didn't exactly turn her away, but at the same time, it didn't thrill her either. Maybe it was the method. Or it was that the man who'd inquired it of her, had been none too shy about boasting and bragging of his other paramours, leaving Belidrae with the kind of squirming discomfort that she simply couldn't shake.
He should have had the good sense to know that one didn't do that, even with the most casual of situations. People were still people, after all. Not things to be a part of some competitive collective. Belidrae would permit no one to treat her as though she were a thing.
"What do you think?" she finally asked to the tailor at her feet, a young woman who definitely hadn't been working there before her exile to the south. But she seemed nice enough.
She'd given her name as Syna Dae'Yla, which struck little recognition with her until she realised that the Dae'Yla family had largely been involved with archaeological affairs. Syna working in the tailoring field struck her as a little strange as a result, but she'd not bothered to inquire any further. Poking and prodding could always wait until later.
"Wellβ" Syna began as she rose to her feet, motioning for Belidrae to turn this way and that. When she did so, her head tilted and her face scrunched up a bit, like she wasn't really sure how she felt about the whole ensemble.
It was pretty enough. A floor length gown in very soft satin. It caught the light well, but wasn't overbearing in its reflection. It hugged Belidrae well, wrapped tightly about each and every curve. It was a generous piece in a deep red, which Syna felt offered appropriate contrast. Belidrae looked like she'd been kissed by the sun all over, so it was important to design things for her that were eye-catching and would make her stand out. It helped that she knew Belidrae liked attention.
But something still felt off. It was gorgeous. Glamorous. Stunning, even. It would draw the eye to it. It didn't feel like enough, though. Eyeing the way the straps fell and the neckline, Syna snapped her fingers.
"Let's try this instead, Miss Soulveil."
Pausing at Belidrae's back, her hands lifted and with tailoring shears in hand, she abruptly snipped the back straps, down by where the cut dipped low. Catching each, she carefully guided Belidrae's hair over one shoulder, so she could fasten the straps at the back of her neck. Then she gathered up that sunny blonde and let it drape down over, hiding the impromptu bow.
"Okay. We're... going to dip this down very low back here. Small of your back," Syna continued, tracing the shape of the cut she'd make with a finger before going in with a rather fine marking pencil to make the occasional mark.
"Turn."
At the pat on her hip, Belidrae shifted, skirts of her dress twirling about her ankles. It was a constricting piece, to be sure, but that was part of the appeal. She could have opted for high slits and exposing thigh, which she sometimes did, but she had very specifically requested something different this time.
As Syna gave her best scrutiny, she nodded. "Yes. That's the way. I like that style more for this piece. But, we're doing to have to alter all this up here." She gestured to the bunching of the deep red fabric over Belidrae's collarbone.
There were a few ways to handle it. Could have left it bunched up. Could have made it very business-in-the-front and pure sensuality in the back, but that wasn't Belidrae's style and Syna knew it. If she was making a statement, she was going to be making a very bold and brazen statement.
"I'm going to remove all of this," she decided, using the same method as before, a forefinger first to envision the idea and then the subtle markings in various places to solidify the concept. "Lots to show in the front and plenty more to show in the back. And, it'll still look expensive." Because that was important, too. The line between sensuality and tawdry could sometimes get blurred and Belidrae was not a tawdry woman by any means.
Continuing, she smiled, "We'll get you something to make sure your... pieces don't get out of control." She lifted both of her hands indicatively. "Tape, maybe. I can build something into the inside, I think. And we'll put something over your front, so you don't accidentally give someone an eyeful. Of course, if it's on purpose, that's another matter entirely."
Belidrae rolled her eyes with a coy smile. "That won't be happening." Probably.
"What are you wanting to wear this to, anyway?" Syna asked as she stepped back, picking up a notebook that she was fiercely scribbling notes into. "This was a pretty specific request, so if you need this for something upcoming soon, you should let me know, so I can have it done in time."
Belidrae lifted a hand and waved it dismissively, not inclined to move again until Syna could help her out of the lovely contraption in development. "I don't have anything specific in mind. I don't think I could wear it to just anything. And I don't have a soiree specifically in mind right now. I guess it's a just-in-case piece at the moment. You can take your time with it. If something comes up where I'd need it sooner, I'll tell you."
But the tailoring shop had more than its fair share of customers. Belidrae was spoiled, but not to the point where she felt like the rest of the world needed to move at her fingertips.
"You know what they say, you can't rush perfection," she added helpfully. "It looks great so far. I know it'll only get better. I can't wait to try it on again once it's done."
And maybe by then, she'd have something to wear it to. It'd be nice to go to something and be the mysterious beauty in the crowd.
β @daily-writing-challenge













