Room 207, Saturday Afternoon

[raisedbybooklice]

For all that the carnival was handwavily fun, Elisabeth didn't really understand Homecoming or what it was about. She knew there was a dance later, but she was naively thinking would be something like a village festival dance. She'd never been to one of those, either, but she had a rough idea what they were like, at least. Surely Homecoming couldn't be that different?

Not that she was sure she was going to that anyway. She didn't know how to dance. And she still really only had her apprentice robes to wear.

And she did have a new book she'd borrowed from the Library. Hopefully it would help explain all the weird stuff going on. The other weird stuff - the stuff everyone thought was weird, as opposed to the things that were just weird to her.

[Open!]

Comments

[bookbeltof_love]

Nina tended to leave people doing that.

"Prompto and I found it while we were out shopping on his birthday," Nina said, smiling. "I knew, like, as soon as I set eyes on it that it was made for you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

[raisedbybooklice]

"For me?" Elisabeth squeaked. "Oh no! It's far too fancy for the likes of me! I'm just an apprentice!"

[bookbeltof_love]

"An apprentice going to a dance dressed as a princess is, like, one of the most suitable ways to go to this dance," Nina said lightly. "Like, the whole theme is about fairytales!!!!!!!!!!!!!" And cyberpunk. But Nina had looked at those clothes and gone 'nope, nope, nope' for both her an Elizabeth. School girl goth was the closest Nina was going to that.

"And," she continued, "it's almost Halloween!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Which is a holiday here where everyone dresses up as things they aren't!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

A beat.

"Also you'll look perfect in the dress and, like, it would never fit me............"

[raisedbybooklice]

"I don't know what Halloween is," Elisabeth admitted, still fingering the pretty dress. It was far too long for Nina, true. "We all dress up?"

She glanced away from the dress - reluctantly - and over to Nina. "Oh! Your hair is so cute! I only know how to put mine in regular braids."

[bookbeltof_love]

"Youtube," Nina said fervently, "is a blessing..........."

Because that was precisely where Nina had found all the tutorials she'd needed for this world's makeup and how to style her hair using their products.

"But, like, thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" She beamed. "I'll do your hair for you too, if you'd like?????????????? Would you rather up or down?????????? Annnnnnnd I can explain about Halloween while I do your hair!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

[raisedbybooklice]

"Do you know how to do any fancy updos?" Elisabeth asked, a little wistfully. "I don't, but they all sound so pretty when you hear about them."

And not anything like herself, but she was gathering that was kind of the point of the dance?

[bookbeltof_love]

"I absolutely know a few fancy up-dos," Nina promised, hopping out of her (stolen) chair. "And I'd be delighted to put your hair up into one--any time you want, really, not just today!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

[raisedbybooklice]

"Oh, they're far too much work for day-to-day," Elisabeth said, matter-of-factly. "It would be like using silk cloth to dust the bookcases! Getting one now is plenty."

[bookbeltof_love]

"We could make it a holiday thing???????????????" Nina suggested easily because, sure, not everyone spent as much time as she did on her hair every day. "There's a few coming up, but the only one I really understand is where everyone rings in the new year............."

Because ringing in the new year was a fairly simple one to grasp.

"Come on, sit, sit!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'll get started on your hair and make-up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You'll be Princess Elizabeth in no time!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

[raisedbybooklice]

"That's just silly," Elisabeth said, giggling, as she took her seat. "Whoever heard of an orphan raised in a library being a princess."

[bookbeltof_love]

"I can name at least three books with that plot off the top of my head," Nina said cheerfully, picking up the hair brush as she rattled off titles and authors for Elizabeth. She named four, just so she wasn't a liar.

What?

Unexpectedly royalty made for fantastic romance plots!

"I mean, like, I know life doesn't usually work that way, but some days..........., well, it'd be nice???????????????" Nina shrugged a little as she picked up Elizabeth's hair, starting to comb out the ends.

[raisedbybooklice]

"I don't know anything about being a princess," Elisabeth admitted. "I'm more at home with a broom than...anything really princess-y." Considering she couldn't even come up with a princess accessory, that was probably true.

"I bet you'd be a good one though."

[bookbeltof_love]

"No way," Nina sighed, smiling as she continued brushing Elizabeth's hair out. "I mean, like, sure, I've dreamed of it but, really, any sort of noble manners I've got are all just, like, a sham.............. not the real thing at all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Besides, like, no one really misplaces a princess, I shouldn't think............"

Though a girl could, and did, dream.