Well. Crap.
Nicely done, Hazel. You’ve scared her off. He knew he should’ve waited for the tea. Maybe gotten some snacks too or something. If he had to apologize for overstepping, maybe he could’ve, oh, I don’t know, not overstepped?!
He should’ve known better. After weeks of living under her tent, he should’ve known her better.
Lucky him, he’s got plenty of time to replay the scene in his head before Keli and Seli get back. He’ll need it to figure out what he’ll say to them. But somewhere along the way, another thought strikes him, and he reaches for his tablet.
>[.snowkitten]
>Hey Yuki, could I ask you a favor?
>I’m worried about Olesya. It’s a long story, but the short version is: She stopped by my room, she was acting really strange, and it looked like she’d been crying.
>I tried asking her about it, but she wouldn’t talk to me.
>Just said she was fine and left.
>I know you’re probably busy with the ball, but if you can, could you keep an eye on her?
>Maybe also check on Juniper? She’s here somewhere, right?
>I could be wrong, but it kind of felt like Olesya went to see me because she was being forced to? And Juniper might know more. Or…she could be in trouble herself.
>Sorry I don’t have anything more concrete to go off of. Just worried about them.
***************************************************
Keli and Seli pull the silk curtain from the mirror in one fluid, twirling motion, that by some Fox Trick ends with them flanking him on either side.
Hazel stares at his outfit.
They stare at him. In the mirror. Smiling.
(It’s hidden behind the veils, but he knows. It’s a second Fox Trick they do with their eyes.)
He’s pretty sure that’s tinsel in his antlers. Not star-tinsel. Not gem-tinsel. Not any kind of magic-tinsel. Just. Tinsel. From a christmas tree. It doesn’t match the golden cape. Which does match how he doesn’t match the golden cape. It’s too big to hide, too small to hide in, and too cape to hide from him. Every step he takes, he’s going to be aware of and fretting over the giant cloth fluttering behind him. The only thing worse than how much of his chest is exposed is that any moment now, this structurally unsound neckline is going to fail catastrophically, and the world will see him naked from the waist up. And speaking of the waist? He’s seen boxers longer than these glittering shorts. Come to think of it, he can barely see the glittering shorts. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said of his legs. All of his leg. Right down to the booties - no, different booties - that were made to glide across the dancefloor, in dances that are certainly never performed at proper balls.
It is worse than he could’ve ever thought to imagine.
“Oh. Wow.” What do we say to relatives when they give you a spirograph kit and several thoughtfully printed-out articles for Christmas, Hazel? “Thank you, for picking all this out. Goodness. I-”
“We chose you the very best!”
“Nothing but the finest!”
They circle him in a swirl of spices, silks, and tails, darting in to make little finishing touches to their masterpiece.
“All eyes will be on you–”
“--you musn’t be outshone at your own ball–”
(He doesn’t realize how their fingers always linger on his bare skin. He doesn’t catch them craning their necks to drink him in at every angle. At every angle.)
“--what lucky girls, to dance with such a handsome Fawn–”
“--the pictures will wish they could’ve captured your beauty–”
He cannot go out there like this.
“Don’t you think?~”
“Don’t you agree?~”
Oh heavens above, he cannot go out there like this.
“Um.” They are being nice, Hazel. They have been so nice these last few weeks. “Gosh. I really do appreciate the help…” Let them down easy. You can’t disappoint them. “Do you think, well, do we have anything, or, could we make a few…changes? Here and there? There’s things here to like, this is a good starting point-”
“Oh, but of course!”
“Oh, say no more!”
-huh?
“You should look exactly how you like on your special night. Don’t you agree?”
“Yah, you should get everything you want tonight. Your wish is our command.”
Huh. Well, that’s a relief-
“So what do you want?”
“Just tell us what you like, yah?~”
-huh?!
“What you wish for–”
“--what you long for–”
“--what your heart aches for–”
“--what you’ve only dreamed about–”
“Tell us.”
“Tell us.”
“We’ll make your wish come true–”
“--if you’ll only tell us–”
“--won’t you tell us?”
“We live to serve–”
”Master~”
“Master~”
“Um!” Aaaaaaaaaaaaa??? “Could. You. Both of you. Give, me….a minute to think about it?”
Keli and Seli fall silent. Keli and Seli fall still. Squishing him close on either side.
“.....................................................alone?”
Miss Yaz herself could find no flaw in their graceful bows.
“Of course!”
“It would be our pleasure.”
“Just don’t take too long.”
“You’re on in two, Master~”
-click!-
He is alone.
He is alone, with The Outfit.
He is alone, with The Outfit, and if he does not think of something better to wear, he is going to have to go out. Wearing The Outfit.
He is going to die.
What else did they have? What were his options? What were clothes?! He’s no fashion expert! He can’t become one in two minutes! They probably don’t have just a plain suit in his size! And, no, they probably wouldn’t let him go out in just a plain suit either! He doesn’t know! It just…doesn’t feel right? For a ball? For some reason???
Yuki. Maybe Yuki texted him back? Did she know what clothing was? He all but tears his bag apart to fetch his tablet, but no such luck. No messages at all. What about his other friends? You know, all his other friends. Who are waiting just outside. For him to appear. At the ball. And who probably aren’t checking their tablets right now aughhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
…unless.
Unless?
Unless there was one friend who might be free…
>[.eclairespoirviolet]
>Heyo Eclair! Sorry I haven’t been able to chat since coming here. Things have been really busy, and I haven’t had a lot of time to myself.
>Is there any chance you have a few minutes right now? I have some fashion questions.
>If that’s not something you can help with, no worries. I remembered you mentioned disguises as a part of your work, so I thought you might have some pointers. Like I said, no worries if I’m off-base there.
>I can send some pictures too if it’ll help.
Nicely done, Hazel. You’ve scared her off. He knew he should’ve waited for the tea. Maybe gotten some snacks too or something. If he had to apologize for overstepping, maybe he could’ve, oh, I don’t know, not overstepped?!
He should’ve known better. After weeks of living under her tent, he should’ve known her better.
Lucky him, he’s got plenty of time to replay the scene in his head before Keli and Seli get back. He’ll need it to figure out what he’ll say to them. But somewhere along the way, another thought strikes him, and he reaches for his tablet.
>[.snowkitten]
>Hey Yuki, could I ask you a favor?
>I’m worried about Olesya. It’s a long story, but the short version is: She stopped by my room, she was acting really strange, and it looked like she’d been crying.
>I tried asking her about it, but she wouldn’t talk to me.
>Just said she was fine and left.
>I know you’re probably busy with the ball, but if you can, could you keep an eye on her?
>Maybe also check on Juniper? She’s here somewhere, right?
>I could be wrong, but it kind of felt like Olesya went to see me because she was being forced to? And Juniper might know more. Or…she could be in trouble herself.
>Sorry I don’t have anything more concrete to go off of. Just worried about them.
***************************************************
Keli and Seli pull the silk curtain from the mirror in one fluid, twirling motion, that by some Fox Trick ends with them flanking him on either side.
Hazel stares at his outfit.
They stare at him. In the mirror. Smiling.
(It’s hidden behind the veils, but he knows. It’s a second Fox Trick they do with their eyes.)
He’s pretty sure that’s tinsel in his antlers. Not star-tinsel. Not gem-tinsel. Not any kind of magic-tinsel. Just. Tinsel. From a christmas tree. It doesn’t match the golden cape. Which does match how he doesn’t match the golden cape. It’s too big to hide, too small to hide in, and too cape to hide from him. Every step he takes, he’s going to be aware of and fretting over the giant cloth fluttering behind him. The only thing worse than how much of his chest is exposed is that any moment now, this structurally unsound neckline is going to fail catastrophically, and the world will see him naked from the waist up. And speaking of the waist? He’s seen boxers longer than these glittering shorts. Come to think of it, he can barely see the glittering shorts. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said of his legs. All of his leg. Right down to the booties - no, different booties - that were made to glide across the dancefloor, in dances that are certainly never performed at proper balls.
It is worse than he could’ve ever thought to imagine.
“Oh. Wow.” What do we say to relatives when they give you a spirograph kit and several thoughtfully printed-out articles for Christmas, Hazel? “Thank you, for picking all this out. Goodness. I-”
“We chose you the very best!”
“Nothing but the finest!”
They circle him in a swirl of spices, silks, and tails, darting in to make little finishing touches to their masterpiece.
“All eyes will be on you–”
“--you musn’t be outshone at your own ball–”
(He doesn’t realize how their fingers always linger on his bare skin. He doesn’t catch them craning their necks to drink him in at every angle. At every angle.)
“--what lucky girls, to dance with such a handsome Fawn–”
“--the pictures will wish they could’ve captured your beauty–”
He cannot go out there like this.
“Don’t you think?~”
“Don’t you agree?~”
Oh heavens above, he cannot go out there like this.
“Um.” They are being nice, Hazel. They have been so nice these last few weeks. “Gosh. I really do appreciate the help…” Let them down easy. You can’t disappoint them. “Do you think, well, do we have anything, or, could we make a few…changes? Here and there? There’s things here to like, this is a good starting point-”
“Oh, but of course!”
“Oh, say no more!”
-huh?
“You should look exactly how you like on your special night. Don’t you agree?”
“Yah, you should get everything you want tonight. Your wish is our command.”
Huh. Well, that’s a relief-
“So what do you want?”
“Just tell us what you like, yah?~”
-huh?!
“What you wish for–”
“--what you long for–”
“--what your heart aches for–”
“--what you’ve only dreamed about–”
“Tell us.”
“Tell us.”
“We’ll make your wish come true–”
“--if you’ll only tell us–”
“--won’t you tell us?”
“We live to serve–”
”Master~”
“Master~”
“Um!” Aaaaaaaaaaaaa??? “Could. You. Both of you. Give, me….a minute to think about it?”
Keli and Seli fall silent. Keli and Seli fall still. Squishing him close on either side.
“.....................................................alone?”
Miss Yaz herself could find no flaw in their graceful bows.
“Of course!”
“It would be our pleasure.”
“Just don’t take too long.”
“You’re on in two, Master~”
-click!-
He is alone.
He is alone, with The Outfit.
He is alone, with The Outfit, and if he does not think of something better to wear, he is going to have to go out. Wearing The Outfit.
He is going to die.
What else did they have? What were his options? What were clothes?! He’s no fashion expert! He can’t become one in two minutes! They probably don’t have just a plain suit in his size! And, no, they probably wouldn’t let him go out in just a plain suit either! He doesn’t know! It just…doesn’t feel right? For a ball? For some reason???
Yuki. Maybe Yuki texted him back? Did she know what clothing was? He all but tears his bag apart to fetch his tablet, but no such luck. No messages at all. What about his other friends? You know, all his other friends. Who are waiting just outside. For him to appear. At the ball. And who probably aren’t checking their tablets right now aughhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
…unless.
Unless?
Unless there was one friend who might be free…
>[.eclairespoirviolet]
>Heyo Eclair! Sorry I haven’t been able to chat since coming here. Things have been really busy, and I haven’t had a lot of time to myself.
>Is there any chance you have a few minutes right now? I have some fashion questions.
>If that’s not something you can help with, no worries. I remembered you mentioned disguises as a part of your work, so I thought you might have some pointers. Like I said, no worries if I’m off-base there.
>I can send some pictures too if it’ll help.