I Feel Pretty, Oh So Pretty

Writers: AL, Chelle
Date Posted: 3rd October 2010

Characters: Parale, Briata
Description: Parale and Briata make plans for the ceremony.
Location: River Bluff Weyr
Date: month 10, day 21 of Turn 5

Briata

After speaking with Ioven and resting, Parale got up the next day and had
breakfast. After she saw to the girls, she proceeded with her plans to meet
up with Briata to let her know what they had decided. Ioven had promised to
see to the arrangements, but she had other female things to worry about-like
a dress!

"Did you sleep well?" The young woman asked as she greeted her friend.
Briata embraced Parale in a hug, then pulled away to gaze at her, as if
looking for evidence of a restless night. "It can sometimes be difficult in
a new place."

Parale had been sleeping on a boat for sometime. Compared to that, their
quarters at the Weyr were wonderful. "Oh psh, I'm fine. Listen, though, we
have a lot to do." Almost gushing, she just came out with it. "Ioven and I
spoke and we decided it would be easier to just get married here at the
Weyr. That way, I won't need a chaperone when I arrive at the Hold and we
won't have to make you go there and it'll just be better. He's going to talk
to the harper and that, but..I don't have *anything* to wear!"

Briata stared at her friend a moment as she processed the words that burst
forth from her mouth. Finally she nodded. She wouldn't have to go to the
Hold! To say she was relieved was an understatement. "All right." She
glanced down the hallway, then looked over Parale. "You aren't much shorter
than I am. Perhaps one of my dresses will fit you. I...kept a couple of my
nicer
ones when I came here. If you don't like them, we can see if the Headwoman
has anything in storage."

"Allright but we have two days, Briata." She followed after her, clearly in
a hurry and hoping they could organize this mess.

Briata's mouth twisted and nodded. "Let us go now and look through my
things, see if you find anything suitable." The young woman turned to head
down the hallway and lead her friend to her room. Searching through her
things wouldn't take long, and then they would know whether or not they
would have to approach the Headwoman. "I do have a nice red dress if you
wish the traditional color."

Parale was traditional in many aspects of her life, but clothing was not one
of those. "I will probably sound strange, but I wanted a deep colored gown
in one of the blue colors..like a purple, blue,
violet...something...striking." This
was supposed to be her crowning glory-her one day-and she wanted to be
remembered.

"It's not strange." Briata offered with a gentle smile. "I have a dress
you might like." It didn't take very long to reach Briata's quarters. They
were much smaller than the weyr she had shared with B'lamick, but that
didn't make it feel any less empty. "In here."

She moved to her bed and reached under it, dragging from it a large trunk.
When she opened it, a rainbow of colors greeted them. First she pulled out
a dress of red with off the shoulder short sleeves, embroidery upon the
bodice,
and a half red overskirt that was gathered up toward the right and decorated
with flowers. White skirts plunged from beneath, a stark, but lovely
contrast.
The second dress, however, was of a brilliant teal. Off the shoulder
sleeves puffed
out a bit, and sparkling embroidery covered the bust of the bodice. The
skirt
looked as if it swirled around the waist and was tucked in the back, a sweep
of
more of that same embroidery following the lines, from bottom left to upper
right. She held the dress out for Parale to take. "I haven't worn any of
these in
a while. It will be nice if we can find one that will suit you."

Parale stood there open mouthed. "Oh Briata..." Somewhere, in the back of
her mind, she had forgotten the type of finery Briata had been used to. The
holder had never even felt such fabric before in her life and couldn't
imagine wearing anything like that.

"Do you like this one? If not, I've got a few more." Briata turned to lay
the dress out on the bed, fingers hovering over the fabric a little longer
than necessary. She got back on her knees to reach into the trunk and
pulled out another dress, this one in a brilliant purple, the front of the
corset layered with white lace and the sleeves layered with the the same
lace. The material had a gentle and smooth sheen to it that helped add
to the lustrous look of the dress. "What about this one?"

"That's lovely.." Clearly taken with that one, Parale fingered it, dreaming
of what she might look like. She wanted to knock Ioven dead. **Well not
literally but...**

"Would you like to try it on?" Briata asked, holding the dress out to her
friend. "I'll have to take up the hem a bit, but that won't take long at
all, especially if I just put in a basting stitch."

"Allright let's just see about this.." Parale pulled her things off, stood
there in her undergarments, then she very carefully pulled on the dress
with Briata's help. Afraid to move, lest she rip something, she stood there.
Her chest was a little tight since she had a bit more to boast than the
lithe Briata. Frowning, she fished for a reaction.

"The length is a bit long, but we already knew that. Other than that, it
looks lovely on you. I wish I had a mirror so you could see." Briata
sighed - she'd had one when she was at Garnet Valley and when she
had been at Onyx Peak, but not here, not in the Weyr. They weren't
as easy to come by. "I would love to do your hair, find some flowers
to put into it for the wedding."

"Well if I managed some heeled boots..that'd mean a little less length.."
Considering her hair, she thought about flowers and wreaths which were
very traditional. Seashells wouldn't be the right color. "Flowers are fine,
but I love ribbons."

"Ribbons are easy to acquire. We can just go to the weavers' hallway and
go through what's there. It won't cost much if anything at all." Briata
stepped
around her friend to study her hair. "I could braid ribbons in your hair,
weave them in and out. White ones would do better I think, to stand out in
your
hair."

"That sounds nice.." Parale had a lot of hair, so it would be a job, but the
effect would be nice, she was sure. "What about flowers for a bouquet? Do
any grow here in the jungle?"

"Oh yes, there are all sorts of flowers. I can't tell you their names, but
I'm sure we can find something to compliment your dress." Briata reached
out to caress Parale's hair briefly, imagining what sort of design she could
weave
it into. "If not, I can request a dragonrider to go find some elsewhere.
I...have some friends here who would be willing to help me."

"Ohhh that's too trivial a thing to be asking a rider for.." Parale was of
the school that dragonriders were super-heroic people that one didn't bother
for little things. She had never really known one of them personally. She
looked down at herself, turning the dress this way and that. "Well I think
this is it..Are you sure it'll be ready?"

"Well, not if they're running an errand elsewhere anyway." Briata chuckled
softly and moved to a small desk that contained a drawer. From within she
pulled out a pin cushion impaled with a multitude of pins. "Is that the
dress you want to use? If so, I can go ahead and pin it up for altering."

"Please." Standing still so she could work, Parale thought about the girls.
She wondered if they should have their hair done.

"This won't take long." Briata assured her friend, then got down on the
floor and began to work. It didn't take long at all, her eyes and hands
working together to make fast work of the pinning. But a few minutes passed
and the material was tucked and held into place at the proper length for her
friend. "Well now, I'll set about sewing this, which won't take long
either, and you'll have a dress."

Letting her breath out in a whoosh, the holder looked at herself again.
"It isn't too much?" she asked, looking for reassurance.

"No, not at all. I think it looks lovely on you. The lace suits you."
Briata
reached out to finger one of the ruffles, then let her hand drop back to her
side. "He'll love you in it. You look beautiful!"

"Allright now to stores to find shoes, then I think we'll be all right."
Parale was itching to get out of the dress before she ripped or damaged it.

"Then let's do so. We'll surely be able to find something." Briata assured
her, then prepared to help her out of the dress. Parale would be gorgeous
and that man would drop his jaw when he saw her. Briata would make sure of
it.

Last updated on the October 17th 2010

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I Feel Pretty, Oh So Pretty