Total pages in book: 192
Estimated words: 192810 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 964(@200wpm)___ 771(@250wpm)___ 643(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 192810 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 964(@200wpm)___ 771(@250wpm)___ 643(@300wpm)
“No you don’t,” Lancet returned. “I know you. I knew you’d be loyal to me. Do you think I’ve been twiddling my thumbs the last week?”
I sensed something from Aleksei and looked down at him.
His eyes were on his book, but his lips were tipped up.
He liked I had good friends.
It was safe to say, I did too.
“I’m sending you my thoughts. I’ve designed three looks,” Lancet said, then warned, “The first one is my favorite, so you better pick that.”
The little screen he was on in the corner of my tablet shifted to the pic of a gown, so I said, “Enlarge,” and it filled my display.
I gasped.
“I knew you’d love it!” I heard Lancet’s voice crow over the vision of the gown.
I didn’t love it.
I’d begun living for it.
A massive skirt of impossibly rich amethyst ombréed up to the strapless bodice of crystal-encrusted lilac. The precisely corrugated folds of the skirt, as well as the front of the bodice, were adorned by spikes of intricate, sparkling silver filigree. There was a narrow crystal belt at the nipped-in waist. But the showstopper was the dozens upon dozens of little butterfly appliqués that danced along the hem and up the skirt in every hue from the deepest amethyst to softest lilac.
It was ridiculously feminine. Utterly fantastical.
It was the fantasy dream dress of every little girl who grew up not expecting much, but in the end she found her prince and became a princess.
Best part, the theme for this year’s Masque was “Soaring,” and Lancet’s take on that with the butterflies was genius.
“Look at the mask,” Lancet said, and my display changed to a mask that appeared like he intended it to be made of actual silver.
One side was an elaborate butterfly wing adorned with amethyst jewels. The other side was just the eye mask, but it was covered in shimmery purple scrollwork, save for a swirl of latticework that burst out of a corner.
“This gown needs to be handmade, Laura,” Lancet warned. “No Seam-Stitch could do it justice. So it’s going to take weeks.”
With that elaborate of a gown, I didn’t doubt it.
A Seam-Stitch could usually pump out any number of items of apparel in just hours, depending on the difficulty of the pattern and the capacity of the unit.
The studio had an industrial level Seam-Stitch.
I had a mid-level business unit at my studio (and I was probably going to need to use it as backup to get some of my costumes done).
Lancet, I knew, had an artisan level, which was slower, but not that slow.
All that said, nothing beat handmade. Not ever.
“And then there are fittings,” Lancet went on. “I need to start immediately. And the metalwork on the mask also needs to be handmade. I’ve made inquiries, and the craftsbeing I want says it’ll take at least two weeks, but probably longer.”
“Get started,” I gushed. “We’re done. I love you. It’s perfect. I don’t know where you got the butterfly idea, but it’s life. I’m actually living for those butterflies right now. I’d marry you if you weren’t mated, and I wasn’t too. I can’t believe you pulled my fat out of the fryer on this one. I’ll never forget it.”
The gown disappeared and Lancet’s face came back on my display.
“You’ll never forget it when it comes to your wedding gown?” he hinted.
Aleksei grunted.
Hmm.
“Aleksei kind of wants me to design that.”
I watched Lancet frown.
“In a couple of days, I have to stand in a garden or somewhere for our engagement announcement and do an interview after. You have anything for that?” I offered.
“Dearest Laura,” Lancet sighed. “Did you miss the fact that my staff and I will be busy making your Midnight Masque gown? You really cannot throw these things at me at the last minute.”
Aleksei grunted again.
I fought laughing.
“I have a new aide, Lance. So you’ll get far more notice in the future,” I assured him.
“I’ll re-jig the queue on my Seam-Stitch. What color are you thinking?” he asked.
“You can use the one at my studio,” I told him.
That unit was going to be busy, but my engagement photo/interview ensemble was definitely a priority.
It seemed like everything was a priority.
“And it should definitely be purple,” I continued. Then got to the tough part. “It has to be—”
“If you think I can’t do classic and understated, but divine, watch me,” he declared.
And then without saying goodbye, the screen went blank.
He tended to be fanciful and embellished, or willowy and mysterious (yes, he could be both, that was why he was so talented), so if he didn’t tone those down, things were going to get real.
But I couldn’t think on that now. I’d worry about it later.
I had other things to worry about presently.
I switched gears to focus to the costume and returned to work, thinking I hated to admit it, but I couldn’t wait for Nata to get a handle on my life.