[closed post: shadow and bone]

[ravkanwitch]

Nina is back in the library but with a different task in mind today. She has a couple books on weaponry spread out on the table in front of her this time and she's flipping through them idly, glancing at some designs. Weapons have never been her forte; who needs them when all you need to do is think and squeeze a hand and be able to incapacitate a man that way? But death - death is more fickle than life. She can't just defend herself with the concept of death, especially in a place that seems to lack it. No bodies to control, no graves with secrets to collect. She needs something more substantial.

And yet, it's a slow process. She finds herself distracted, thinking about the day of visitors. Seeing Kaz Brekker in the flesh again. Liu Mingyan. Speaking with Baghra about the Darkling. She's thinking about the long, long life that must have led to lead him to who he is now. She's not necessarily sad, just -- pensive. Lost in thought.

Comments

[sagramore]

"Aye, I'm glad thou didst not see him only to lose him again. That would have been a hard thing."

[ravkanwitch]

"How about you? I never asked... but only if you want to talk about it."

[sagramore]

It's a bit less sore now, and he's trying to be more transparent with his friends, so he says, "Oh, it was someone I wanted to see, but he was from the wrong time, so-- we didn't have the conversation I'd dreamt of. It's all right."

[ravkanwitch]

"Sometimes you run through the perfect conversation in your mind thousands of times -- and the real thing is nothing like it," Nina nods, understanding. She's not going to press any further than that and gives him a smile instead. "What did you want to talk to me about?"

[sagramore]

"I wanted thine advice on dresses, actually. I'd like to wear a gown for at least part of the dance -- I like well the way it feels to dance in a skirt."

[ravkanwitch]

Her smile widens. "It does feel great to dance in a skirt, doesn't it? Do you have any options in mind? Can I see them? Or-- or are we starting from scratch?"

[sagramore]

"I know it must be red, and I know the shade of red -- it's Laertes' favorite color. And I'd like to have stays, I think that will give me more shape in the hips. Other than that, it's starting from scratch -- hast thou time now to look in closets?"

[ravkanwitch]

Before he's even done asking, Nina's up on her feet already. "I have all the time in the world for this," she tells him.

[sagramore]

"Thou art the best of women," he tells her. "Laertes hath made me a pendant, too, that'd I'd show off, so the bodice cut low, I think."

[ravkanwitch]

"You also have nice shoulders," Nina tells him frankly, as they walk. "You should show those off as well."

[sagramore]

"Do I?" He grins -- he knows he's handsome, but he's not sure anyone has ever complimented his shoulders before. "What would show them off to advantage? A gown with straps and not sleeves?"

[ravkanwitch]

"Or an off the shoulder affair? We'll have to take a look!"

[sagramore]

"What other considerations? Given thy vast experience with dresses and dances, thou hast surely opinions."

[ravkanwitch]

"Well, you're tall, for one thing. I'm tall too and all of the dress shops would try and sell me clothes that would make me look more demure and lady-like... Is that something you want emphasized or something you don't care about? I don't particularly care because if people are intimidated by my height, they're intimidated," she says with a shrug.

[sagramore]

"Oh, sensible. No, I like my height too."

[ravkanwitch]

"Great, then we don't have to do anything to downplay it," Nina beams. She takes a step back to scrutinize Sagramore now, trying to imagine him in a variety of gowns to get a better sense of what they're looking for. She does miss this; opening random closets in the mansion doesn't have the same thrill as window shopping in Ketterdam or seeing a tailor in Os Alta to try on different dresses (though she normally wore a kefta when she was in Ravka).

[sagramore]

He makes a slow turn for her so she can get a full picture. "I'll try on anything thou wouldst have me try, to get an idea of how things look. I do realize I have very little shape to work with."

[ravkanwitch]

By now, they’ve made it to one of Nina’s favorite wardrobes. It makes sense that they’re all pulling random clothes from somewhere — maybe the same somewhere — but for some reason, she feels like this particular one has the most flattering pieces.

“Well, let’s see…” She says, starting to pull out a few gowns, looking for ones with the neckline and straps she’s been thinking of and the bodice that Sagramore wants. She hands a few to him. “Do you want to try these on and see how they feel?”

[sagramore]

Sagramore takes the gowns as she hands them to him, and puts them down on the unused bed while he unbuttons his shirt. "I think that's an excellent idea." And in short order he's slipping into the first one, a dark green off-the-shoulder affair with a sweetheart neckline and a full skirt. His chest is too flat for the bodice to be displayed to best effect, and his waist and hips too narrow for it to have much shape, but when he spins experimentally the skirt does an excellent flare.

[ravkanwitch]

"That," Nina says, pointing to the flare. "That's what you want when you dance. That's fun. I think I like the neckline on that one, too."

[sagramore]

"Yes," his eyes lighting with pleasure as he twirls again for good measure. "I think I need one with more structure, otherwise?" He glances at her for confirmation. "Something that makes a shape for me?"

[ravkanwitch]

"Yes, especially on the top and around the waist," she agrees, though she grins at him jokingly. "If I could share, I would."

[sagramore]

"Bite thy tongue. Thou art perfectly formed, I'd take no single part of thy bounty." Sagramore unzips the dress and shimmies out of it before reaching for the next-- it has a fit and flared shape, narrowing at the waist and then flouncing outward, and it creates some of the shape he's looking for, more of the impression of hips and backside.

[ravkanwitch]

"Oooh," Nina says, admiring. "I think I like the fit of that a lot better. Didn't you say you wanted something with stays as well? That'll also create more shape. But -- with something closer to the collar of the first one, I think."

[sagramore]

"I like frivolous things like laces." And Laertes undoing those laces. "But yes, I like the neckline thou first chosest. Let's try again."