Ask Coruscant Above the Coruscating Lights

[Billie Bonheur]

Billie nodded as Ro'vana finished her story, then let her eyes flick over to where Aliss was investigating what her Twi'lek client claimed to be a Rancor skull. It certainly looked like it could be one, and she had no reason to doubt her. Unfortunately, Billie was quite unfamiliar with the skeletal remains of animals. She was perfectly fine keeping things that way, too. The Sephi woman had no desire to familiarize herself with the dead, though she would not shun Ro'vana for her fascination with it.

"Of course." The designer stood, pulling up the garment bag with her. "We will give you some privacy for a moment while you put on the dress. Then I will return to mark adjustments and such," she explained. Billie would then hand the garment bag to Ro'vana to hold and motion for Aliss to follow her while they briefly stepped out of the room.

"Do you find her collections strange?" Aliss asked of Billie once the two of them had shut the door behind them. For a moment, the Sephi woman didn't respond. The pause lasted a moment longer than her assistant expected, but she did give an answer. "In a good way, yes."

"I know it's not uncommon to collect skulls - as far as weird collections go - but I still find it unsettling," Aliss commented with a shudder. "Death - and the idea of it - makes me shudder."

"The thought of it can be unsettling," Billie affirmed. Truth be told, minus the preserved dead, she found Ro'vana's collections fascinating. Even when things were not to her particular taste, she liked seeing the things that people found important. Clearly, Ro'vana thought the skulls, the crystals, and the bugs were important; otherwise, she would not collect them. "What a person keeps around them can be telling, though. Sometimes in a superficial way, but sometimes not."

The pair would continue to wait outside until Ro'vana called them back in.

tag: @moobuddy2424

 

[Ro'vana]

Ro'vana unzipped the dress from its bag, moving quickly into her room to try it on. removing her original dress, she carefully slid on the wondrous fabric created by Billie. Looking into her mirror, she saw her raven-esque figure reflected in the metal before her. The dress was made of a silky black fabric with feather-looking sequin prints sewn up the skirt and enveloping the chest of the piece. A black cape was attached to the left shoulder, hanging down to drag on the floor. She looked...

"Stunning..." Ro'vana whispered to herself, turning around to see the dress from different angles. She felt the seams of the dress hug her body tightly, giving her figure a nice silhouette. Ro'vana was amazed at how beautiful Billie could make a simple sheet of black fabric, and even more astounded at how beautiful she would look in her own creation. The Sephi woman usually chose lighter clothing options, but Ro'vana would love to bring her to the gothic side for once. Her manicured fingers caressed the fabric, thinking of all the hard work that was put into making the dress.

"I'll have to properly thank her." Ro'vana mumbled to herself, moving toward the living room once more, "More than just money. She deserves something better..." What that was, though, wasn't very clear in Ro'vana's mind at that moment. All she knew is that she wanted Billie to see how beautiful her dress looked- how beautiful she looked.

Moving to the door, Ro'vana took a deep and opened the door.

"So how do I look, darling?"

@lizziie

 

[Billie Bonheur]

Billie lowered her eyes as Ro'vana re-entered the room and let them wander all over the Twi'lek's body. She was studying the dress - searching for anything that might be off about the garment. This was only supposed to be a fitting after all, but her inspection was coming back fruitless. It seemed that the measurements Ro'vana sent her had been accurate; Billie had sewn accordingly, and the dress fit perfectly.

"The dress fits you perfectly," she said with an approving nod. The Sephi woman reached forward, slid her fingers under the fabric of the cape, and slowly pulled it away from the other woman. She then let it fall back into place, and her eyes followed. "Draping is well."

Her eyes traveled up to meet Ro'vana's green ones. "How do you feel about the dress?" she asked. The two of them were standing quite close now, as the Sephi had not moved away after testing the fabric.

tag: @moobuddy2424

 

[Ro'vana]

Ro'vana hadn't felt this way in a long, long time. The woman towering in front of her studied her figure, her eyes moving up and down her body. She felt the burning heat of a blush cascade over her cheeks causing her to tilt her head away from the Sephi before her. "It's perfect," She said, savoring the moment between them, "almost as if the fabric was destined to be mine."

Ro'vana looked into the eyes of the taller woman, studying them deeply. Her silver eyes pierced through Ro'vana, trailing into the deepest part of her soul. It was her eyes she thought of ever since that day they met. Every time she sings a sappy love song, a breakup ballad- it was always Billie's eyes she saw. "You're taking this too far," Ro'vana thought, chastising herself, "this woman knows nothing about you! You don't even know if she considers herself a friend like you do her." She had to say something, something to make the situation either less awkward or diffuse the tension between them. Ro'vana searched her mind for something to ask her about. She had to spend more time with her, she couldn't just let her go! "Perhaps invite her to stay for coffee? No, no- she obviously was weirded out by the décor."

Then it hit her.

She was recently invited to perform for a ball. Specifically, a masquerade. Originally, she declined because she would have felt awkward going without a dance partner for afterwards. But now...

"Look," Ro'vana said, tilting her head down to hide the deep purple blush on her face, "I really appreciate you for doing this. I want to repay you- more than just money, darling." She looked up to meet Billie's eyes once more, not caring to hide her blush. "Would you please accompany me to one of my performances? It's a ball, so I wouldn't get to wear this dress the entire time..." Ro'vana trailed off, motioning to her body, "But! You would see me perform in it! And, The man hosting the event has a collection of gowns and antique masks, so we could go pick out our dancing dresses and facewear together! No need to worry about scrambling to find the perfect outfit!"

It was a lot, and it all came out at the same time, but Ro'vana was happy that she piped up to ask Billie this. Sure, it wasn't technically a date, but it could turn into one! She looked up at the Sephi expectantly, awaiting her answer.

@lizziie

 

[Billie Bonheur]

Billie held Ro'vana's gaze as long as the woman stared upward into hers, unwavering in her poised expression. Closed lips presented in a ghost of a smile, brows completely relaxed, and eyelids lowered as she looked downward said nothing at all. On the other hand, Ro'vana's face told an entire story. There was a twinkle in her eyes like a million thoughts were cascading behind them, and her bright skin was darkened to a deeper shade of violet. Then, she spoke, and a tiny, subtle look of surprise briefly flashed across Billie's face (she blinked, twice).

"Does she fancy me?"

There were several moments of silence before the Sephi decided to answer. "You know, that does sound fun," came her response. A few more moments passed before she made her decision. "I will have Aliss put it into my schedule," she said, turning to glance at her assistant as she did. She turned back to Ro'vana. "I will look forward to seeing you there."

And with that, Billie would gather up her things, make one more quick check of the dress, then bid Ro'vana farewell and take her leave. For once, she was looking forward to seeing a client outside of work.

// Thread exit.

tag: @moobuddy2424