Fifthday after school, Frannie Abbie and Amalie, who took quite a bit of convincing to come along and not just go to You Are Art with the other girls, met in Ginny’s room to hit the salon for a refreshing before the Caller’s Ball in Old Sanctville Sixthday. They appeared outside a spa Francine had never been to or even heard of. The windows in front were fogged over with blue painted clouds, “Touched by Angel Spa and Salon.”

Ginny opened the door without waiting for any response.

Francine put her foot in front of the door so Abbie couldn’t go in yet.

Amalie, who was even less aware of her surroundings than Francine, tried to push past Frannie.

Abbie rolled her eyes behind Amalie’s back, but under her breath, as Frannie let the door open, she said,

Amalie stopped in her tracks when the door swung open, causing a three-girl pile-up.

She absent-mindedly shuffled to the side, allowing Frannie and Abbie in, giving them a view of the salon and the elven woman gesturing them inside. The shop was set up in a typical L pattern, with chairs for Mani-Pedis against one wall and chairs for Haircuts stuck out into the room, facing a long copper-framed mirror. It wasn’t a big salon, so Mazy had booked it out for the couple-hour slot of their appointments. Lady Adrema’s Wife made it early, and they were sitting in chairs next to each other, holding hands.

This was the first time most of them had seen Lady Adrema without her veil on, so only Francine recognized the fact that her hair was without the silver effect she regularly applied. She was completely un-made up, and as such, she was entirely monotonally black. There were whites to her now inky black eyes, and her teeth were glowingly white against even lips black as a moonless night. She had just finished addressing Ginny and leaned back over to kiss Raina, her partner whose coloration was all silver, much like Lady Adrema’s hair and eyes when she Affected them under her veil.

When their lips touched, they heard Amalie make a slight disapproving noise. Everyone, every single guest, cast a sharp eye towards Amalie. Francine was worried they would be kicked out before they even sat down, or worse, the fight that had just settled would be instantly reignited. Frannie tried to jump in and start a conversation to break the tension.

That seemed to break the spell; a half-elf woman hurried out of the back and escorted Francine to a chair a few feet away from Ginny and right next to Azure, who was getting her hair cut and a manicure done simultaneously. They started mixing up Frannie’s potion and brought out a pallet of colors for her to choose from. Azure wore her hair, a mid-length cut, with fringe bangs and long layers. It was in a bun at the nape of her neck most of the time, something Francine thought she Must have started doing in school, but the color made it stand out.

Francine decided on Turquoise since this would be a Patriotic weekend.

Abbie settled on a manicure and pedicure. She chose red lacquer, as she almost always did, and was ushered into a reclining chair on the other side of Giny, who was already seated next to her mother and close to Frannie. Cinnamon was lying on a table getting a massage out in the middle of the room, the occasional sound of pleasure emanating from her general vicinity.

Francine was set up next to Azure. They mixed up her hair-tinting potion and grabbed a nail lacquer to match it. Amalie had planned to get her nails done. She grabbed a shimmering white lacquer to match the dress Tabulain sent her to have fitted and wear to the Ball, but the only open nail chair was now next to Neisha’s Wife, Raina; though from her accent, you could tell she came from Plinthon, not Didian like Neisha.

Raina smiled sweetly at Amalie and patted the chair next to her while Neisha glowered at her every step of the way. As if her disrespect toward Ginny weren’t enough, Neisha could feel her disrespect oozing across the room. The war had only just begun, and Neisha had no upper limits. Every slight deserved a retaliation empowered ten-fold.

Neisha, Ginny, Raina, and Azure spoke in Elven most of the time, with the wait staff and Cinnamon chiming in occasionally.

Ginny and Azure jumped into the conversation with Frannie and Abbie, but Amalie was on the other end of the line and was having trouble keeping up. All she could hear was a stream of speech in Elven and a word here or there in Eidruian Standard supplied by Frannie or Ginny.

At one point, Amalie realized the talk had turned to Ginny’s upcoming Birthday. She took her chance and tried to jump in. Instead of yelling down the line, she tried to engage Raina, sitting beside her.

Amalie couldn’t help but note that Raina seemed to have a completely different temperament from Lady Adrema. Her voice was soft and gentle, and she was much easier to like.

Amalie had never considered it. Living a hundred years seemed almost endless to her, but contemplating the extended scale of life on such a timeline was genuinely mind-boggling.

This was about the time Neisha decided to chip into their conversation. Remind Amalie she was paying attention to her, too.

Neisha looked at her much longer than was comfortable, then took Raina’s face in her hand, turned it toward her, and started kissing her with fervor and passion. They spent a good deal of time and energy on that while the conversation resumed.

That was the first time Francine had heard Abbie compliment Ginny’s designs.

Francine was happy her suggestion seemed to be taken so well.

The tone of Azure’s voice said Francine better have a good answer.

Francine was relieved, thinking this didn’t sound such a big deal.

Francine was getting nervous but was trying not to move under the potion brushes.

She heard Cinnamon mumble in the background.

Francine had taken to only wearing it when she was going to Cobalt Coda or training with Peony and Lara. She wondered when Azure had seen her.

Frannie had no rebuttal to that, and hoped to herself if anyone would get taken, that it would be Priscy Princewater.

There was Abbie, with her knack for speaking the mind of at least one other person in the room. Frannie, Ginny, and Amalie laughed. Lady Adrema and her wife were still quietly engaging their mouths so Amalie could hear the current conversation. She tried with all her might to focus on it and not what was happening next to her. Satisfied, Neisha relinquished Raina’s soft, shiny visage and turned to Ginny. Instead of speaking in Elven, as she had before, she said in Eidruain standard so all present could hear and take her meaning.

This was the first time Amalie heard that the Hyporthians were staying at a resort. She had assumed her brother would invite them to stay at their house, especially since Lady Adrema had said she wouldn’t be staying. They had the whole cottage available for Tabulain’s parents.

Abbie couldn’t resist a good dig. Amalie looked shocked at this revelation.

Abbie was sick and tired of Amalie’s constant pot-stirring and homophobic insinuations. She rapidly became Abbie’s second least favorite person, right behind Priscy.

Amalie, who knew most, if not all, of what Abbie said was true, leaped out of the chair, splashing the water out of her foot soak as she struggled to stay upright on the tiled floor. She tearfully spat out an indignant–

Neisha sat back and watched the facts fly.

CH19~ Touched by an Angel

An Imperial Education

Fifthday after school, Frannie Abbie and Amalie, who took quite a bit of convincing to come along and not just go to You Are Art with the other girls, met in Ginny’s room to hit the salon for a refreshing before the Caller’s Ball in Old Sanctville Sixthday. They appeared outside a spa Francine had never been to or even heard of. The windows in front were fogged over with blue painted clouds, “Touched by Angel Spa and Salon.”



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CH19~ Touched by an Angel

An Imperial Education

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CH19~ Touched by an Angel

An Imperial Education

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