13 - Glitter and cold

Michela had to shortly bring her phone away from her ear, startled when Carleen's voice pitch raised in excitement. "Y-yeah, I'm dating Hypnos. I think I'm going to see basically everyone at that dinner, grandparent, mother, brothers, significant others. Maybe even a couple other guests, even though I sure hope not", she confirmed a little cautiously. "Wait- what do you mean your father dresses half of them? Seriously?" Oh my God. What even were the chances of so many stars aligning like that! "Well- it's exactly one week away", she added, feeling a little dizzy. "But I don't want you to overwork yourself-"

"Oh, we usually plan for a couple of weeks in the middle of June, after schools close up", Ariadne added with an apologetic smile. "August is too pricey of a month for us to move around and go all the way to Italy, so you don't have to worry!" She was sure Asterius would have never wanted to sadden his boyfriend again and refuse his invitation anyway.

"Michi, that's my one chance at getting Lady Nyx' attention. I'll work day and night if I have to. Come at my apartment at 4 sharp, we'll agree on the final sketch and I'll take all of your measurements. Gotta go now, I'll have to start drawing." Carleen's voice was still gentle, but she was definitely betraying some nervousness. "I'll catch you later, alright? You should be free for dinner. Have a nice day!" She turned off the call and let out the scream she couldn't contain anymore.

"Perfect, then! I'm sure my sister would love to go there as well." Theseus grinned at both of his future in-laws. "So! My apologies, but I'll have to cut this meeting short. I told Asterius I would get out for groceries, and I fear he might grow suspicious if our fridge is still empty by the time he gets back to the apartment."

"A-alright. Later, then", Michela had barely the time to say before the call was cut short. She stared at her phone with a puzzled look before finally deciding to shrug it off and get back at work. She'd talk to Carleen later anyway, it was fine.
And by four she was indeed at Carleen's place, ringing the doorbell, waiting for her to open up.

"Oh! You'd better be off, then", Ariadne answered with a smile. She preceded him to the door, followed closely by her husband. "And don't worry, your secret is safe with us." She smiled. "I look at my son, and I can see just how happy you make him. I can't do anything but root for you from the sidelines."

Carleen had successfully thrown everyone out of her apartment - yes, even Horknath. She had looked at him in the eye and told him 'honey, I love you but I'm going to be terrible with anyone interrupting me, and I don't want you to call our engagement off'.
She took a deep breath when the doorbell rang, and ran to open the door. "Michi! Hey!" She grinned at her friend and hugged her briefly. "First of all - congrats on getting your hands on a Cthonia. There are very few decent bachelors out there, and trust me, I grew up with a brother." She grinned at her friend. "Come in, I've got a bunch of sketches to show you, then we'll take some measurements and agree on the fabrics I'll use!" She grabbed her arm and dragged her all the way to her studio, leaving her very little time to breathe.
She was perhaps getting a little too excited.

Theseus grinned at Ariadne. "Well. Thank you, Madam. I'm glad I have your full support." He waved at both of them and bid them a good day, before he'd get home to find Asterius again, his heart a little lighter now that this trial - that he literally brought upon himself - was over.

Horknath, no lie, hadn't really understood what was going on nor why Carleen was so nervous - but she was nothing but respectful of her wishes, and even though he sworn he would have never called the engagement off for any reason, he obediently left her to her own devices and to her projects. He'd probably organize a men night out with Theseus and Asterius (provided they wouldn't keep on smooching each other all the time and they could have some good fun all together in a bowling alley or something).

Michela let Carleen lead her away, completely at the mercy of her enthusiasm. "I, uh, thank you", she answered awkwardly. "It all happened kinda out of nowhere, honestly. I've met him while I was taking Lucia around for her cookie selling business and all. We became friends and... one thing pulls another, I guess. Now I have a boyfriend and I am guiding his older brother down the path of less smoking. So there's that, I guess."

Theseus would definitely smooch Asterius anytime he scored a strike at the bowling alley but thankfully he now valued Horknath as a friend so he wouldn't make him too uncomfortable.

Carleen chuckled. "Wow! looks like you've already been welcome by the family!" She grinned at Michela. "That's good news- so, I tried not to design outfits that would look too much like the ones they already all wear, but-" She sat Michela on a chair in her studio and handed her her sketchbook. "I went for black-and-blue tones, and. Well. I tried to find a middle ground between what wouldn't make you stand out too much but would still have people going 'waw, Hypnos' girlfriend really is cute' without making you uncomfortable."
She had been dying to design dresses with a night-sky-like vibe, and so most of them were in that theme. They were mostly simple dresses in design, some looking more plain, or a little quirky and elegant.

Michela studied carefully the designs Carleen had spread out in front of her, feeling almost overwhelmed with all the different models she could choose from. She gently put aside the ones that were too 'out there' for her tastes, going for simpler-looking ones. As said, her first wish was really not to stand out too much. She put on the side the ones that would be more on the short side too. She remained with still a good handful of drawings. "... oh", she finally said, pointing at one. "I think I prefer this one." It would tie around her neck, leaving her back naked - but she could allow that to herself, she had small breasts, so it wouldn't probably bother her not to wear a bra. It was on the longer side (but not too much), flowy, with that night sky motive Carleen had sprinkled a little everywhere.
All in all, simple and elegant.

Carleen grinned. "Perfect! Oh, that one is going to look so good on you! Alright, get up now, I'll take your measurements and we'll discuss the fabric!" She proceeded to to just that- she probably had Michela take off her bra so that she could properly take the best measurements from her back, and kept on scribbling in her sketchbook on the side. "I should be done on the day of the event I think, tops- oh, wait, did you think about what shoes you would wear? If not, we might have to go shop for some!" She seemed a bit nervous still, but she was clearly having a lot of fun.

"I haven't", Michela confirmed to her as she got dressed back up again. "If you'd like to come with me for the shopping bit, I'd be happy. I honestly haven't got the slightest idea of what I am doing anyway", she added, shaking her head as she buttoned her blouse. Not that she wasn't also having a little bit of fun, but she was still quite nervous as well, let's be honest. Even though knowing that Carleen would help her made her feel a bit better.

Carleen actually calmed down a little after that affirmation, and smiled at Michela. "Alright, then let's go shop for those now, if you still have some time ahead of you! That'll force me to slow down and actually warn Horknath that I want to work on a big project for a whole week." She tidied her notes and invited Michela to get out of the room with her. "Still! I'm so glad you're allowing me to make that dress for you! I hope you'll love it!"

And they probably happily went on shopping, and Carleen did warn both Horknath and Asterius that she'd have to turn the latter's bedroom into an actual temporary workshop if her brother still intended on switching roommate for a while. And of course Theseus wouldn't let go of Asterius so soon.

On the morning of Hypnos' birthday, Carleen had dark circles under her eyes, had barely slept on that last night, and her hair was just up in a messy bun, but she welcomed Michela again with a wide grin. "Hey! The dress is ready. I can't wait to see you try it on for good, now." She had Michela try bits and pieces of the work-in-progress already- but never the finished product, not yet.

Asterius gave his blessings for his room to be - temporarily - transformed to better suit Carleen's needs, even though he did ask to please mind his things or put them on the side if they were occupying vital space, and to be mindful of them.

On that morning, when Horknath's apartment door was opened, Michela found herself staring worryingly at her friend's state of complete disarray. "Oh, Carleen, you look so tired", she said, sounding worried - before she could mind herself, because maybe it wasn't a very nice thing to say. She stepped inside, though. "I am sorry I had you work so much."

"Oh, please, it's alright! I loved doing it," Carleen told her as she brought her into her temporary workshop. She probably let her greet Horknath on their way too, of course! Horknath, who she loved very, very much and had supported her through that one hell of a week. Oh, she couldn't wait to collapse by his side on the couch for the rest of the day!

She proudly make a 'tadaaa' when she revealed the dress that stood on her sewing dummy for Michela to see. "What do you think?"
The dress looked quite dark, but had a lot of highlights that did remind of a night sky. It looked elegant, almost like something some star would wear on the red carpet.
She'd definitely tear up the moment she'd see it on Michela, to be honest. Both from exhaustion and relief upon seeing how good it would look on her.

Michela did have the time indeed to wave at Horknath and exchange a couple of words with him before going to Carleen's impromptu laboratory. Horknath - who had indeed supported Carleen all throughout the long, long week she'd been working for this project, understanding whenever she couldn't hang out with him and trying hard not to get in her way. But still making sure to look after her, remind her to take breaks and have her take some little cuddle breaks from time to time.

Michela gaped when she saw the finished product. "It's- wow, it looks... wow", was all she could say, too speechless to say something that could make sense. She briefly wondered how something that elegant and beautiful could actually fit on someone like her- but she didn't have time for questions, because of course Carleen wanted to see how it looked when she would wear it, just as much as Michela herself.
She didn't immediately looked at herself in the mirror, preferring first to have her friend's honest impression. "How... how do I look?", she asked, hesitantly. Even more hesitantly if Carleen would actually start to tear up.

Carleen did tear up, alright- she was exhausted, so the emotions that came from seeing Michela in the dress she had made specifically for her just spilled out of her. She waved her had when she noticed the concern and hesitation on Michela's face. "Oh, Michi- I'm so happy it turned out this good! Come-" she guided her into the corridor, which was the only place where they had managed to fit her tall mirror, so that she might look at herself.
The fabric used to mimic start-like patterns twinkled under the light as Michela would look around, and that alone got Carleen's face to lit up. "Oh, look at you! Your boyfriend better shower you in compliments, or I'll drive over to his place tomorrow and pull on his ears!"

After having been properly reassured by Carleen that she was indeed alright, Michela was even more speechless now than before when she could finally see all of herself. She turned around a couple of times, to see the dress follow her movement  the starry details shining as the light hit them. "I'm... I think I've never looked better in my entire life", she muttered, honestly struck. She shot a timid smile at her friend. "You did a spectacular job. Thank you. I... I mean, I know I have paid for the cloth, but I really want to give you something for your own work-"

Carleen laughed, and shook her head. "No, Michi, you're a friend! I'd just like to be able to take studio photos of you in the dress sometime soon, if you don't mind. And-" she fidgeted for a bit. "If by any chance Lady Nyx says she likes the dress... drop my name? Believe me, that alone could boost up my future career."

"Sure, whenever you want", Michela reassured her when she asked about taking pictures of her in the dress. She guessed she would have added it to her own portfolio maybe. She held back a little smile when Carleen added the hope for Lady Nyx to notice her work. "Of course. If she even barely mentions something about my dress, I'll immediately say that I have an amazingly talented friend who just happens to be the daughter of their family tailor", she promised. "I'll have Lucia dressed up with one of the little dresses you made up for her too. We'll all be wearing Mishra tonight."

Carleen chuckled, but she was definitely quite moved. "Oh, just go get changed again so that I might hug you- no, wait, show yourself to Horknath first!" She called for her boyfriend to come an admire her hard work, and then she'd definitely hug Michela tight once she'd have changed back into her everyday clothes. Better not ruin the dress before the big event!

Hypnos and Michela had agreed on the fact that both her and Lucia would sleep over at his place, so they'd bring bags along. Initially, Hypnos was supposed to come with his driver to fetch both of them and bring them over to the mansion, but he had written a text to Michela just 30 minutes earlier to excuse himself; he had just been woken up from an impromptu nap, and would need to squeeze in his shower before the guests would arrive.

He was however waiting for them in front of the mansion's doors, chatting with the butler positioned there. He wore a fancier version of his headband, to go along with a bright red suit, that looked both a bit big and fitting on him. He looked tired, as per his usual, but his face lit up when he saw the car parking in front of him. He walked to the door of the car, to help the girls out, one after the other. "Hey, Lucia! Oh wow, you're so pretty!" He hadn't seen Michi yet, no- but the sight of her in that stunning dress would definitely leave him speechless.

"Thank you! I know!", Lucia gleefully chirped, eagerly jumping down from the car with Hypnos' aid, little elegant black shoes tapping on the floor. She threw a grin up at Hypnos from under orderly blonde hair, another ribbon placed carefully on the top of her head. She looked like a miniature Alice in Wonderland going to some party, with her poofy white and blue dress, ribbons and tulle alike all over her gown. Someone groaned from inside the car. 

"And modest", Michela added grumpily, rolling her eyes at her sister (who stuck her tongue out at her) as she made her way out of the car after accepting her boyfriend's hand.
She was wearing heeled shoes, so she was trying her best to be careful about where she stepped - and had gone through the effort of clipping her hair so that it would stay out of her way and not hanging in front of her face as usual. Her black-painted mouth looked a little tense as she stood in silence in front of Hypnos. "... nice suit", she awkwardly commented in the end, gesturing to it with the hand occupied with her and Lucia's nightbags. "It... fits you."

Hypnos had chuckled when Lucia showed indeed no ounce of honesty. He had then helped Michela out and, as said, remained completely speechless. Only the comment she made on his outfit got him out of his transe, and he let out a small chuckle. "Me? Look at you! Waw. Just- waw, Michi. I love that dress on you." He was trying not to grin too much, but his girlfriend just looked so stunning, he couldn't help himself. He even forgot to greet her with a kiss, completely lost in his admiration.

Michela was regretting not to have her protective hair curtain to hide herself and her fluster. She even instinctively looked for it, raising her hand to her face, only to curse herself when of course she couldn't find it with her fingers. "Thanks", she answered. Thankfully enough, Lucia was merciful enough to break the awkwardness by pulling - very carefully - at her arm.
"Our gift! Give him our gift!", she insisted, stage-whispering at her. "... right", Michela exclaimed, grateful for the distraction. She clumsily managed to open her own nightbag and extract a soft, large package. "We've picked it together, me and Lucia. I don't know when you'll want to open it, but... happy birthday."

Hypnos' grin was still plastered on his lips. "Aww! Well it'd be a shame to wait, don't you think?" He quickly opened a package. After all, this would definitely give him an excuse to kiss Michela, and let's be honest, he couldn't wait anymore.
He was also a bit excited to know that the girls found him something for his birthday, let's be honest.

Hypnos would find, all wrapped in gift paper, a very soft, comfortable-looking pajama. It was red, and on the shirt there was a chubby, cute cat sleeping on a crescent moon. "It says 'Good nyaight' in the back!", Lucia exclaimed excitedly, pointing at the shirt. It was clear that she found it incredibly funny.
"If it's not the right size, we'll be able to change it", Michela added quickly. It was kind of a silly gift, but on such a short notice it had been the very first thing that had come to her mind.

Hypnos actually laughed when he unfolded the pyjamas, and looked fondly at the both of them. He knelt first to hug Lucia, and then stood up in front of Michela to gently wrap an atm around her hips and kiss her on the lips. "Thanks. Also- hi," he added with a goofy grin, before he pecked her lips once more.
Damn, his girlfriend was so dashing he felt a little underdressed.
"Y'know what, I'll wear it tonight! Come on in, I'll introduce you to my mom while we wait for my brothers!" He guided them inside the mansion, and gave the pajamas to a staff member as soon as he could, asking them to put it into his bedroom.

Nyx was... intimidatingly beautiful, per her usual. Her hair was up in an intricate, elegant hairdo, and she wore a long, layered dress. A transparent cloth was thrown across her shoulders, covering most of her arms. She was patiently waiting in the living room where Hypnos brought them, quietly waiting by the window.
She turned around and let out a small smile when she saw them all entering the room.
"Girls, this is my mother, Nyx. Mom- this is Michela, and Lucia. Who you've heard much about!" Hypnos excitedly said, glad to finally be able to make proper introductions. Despite coming regularly at Hypnos' place, Michela had had no chance to meet Nyx in person yet.
"I am sorry it took us so long to meet, but pleased nonetheless to finally meet you both."

Michela smiled when Hypnos hunged to hug her sister - and blinked, caught by surprise by the sudden kiss. She held back a smile. "Hello", she answered, pecking him back. She then followed him inside, taking advantage of the staff member her boyfriend had grabbed to ask for her things and Lucia's to be brought in Hypnos' bedroom too. 

'Intimidating' was definitely the right word to describe Nyx, what with her imposing presence and height and statuary beauty. Michela would have gaped in front of her, if only she hadn't been preparing for this meeting for the whole week. "It's a pleasure to meet you as well, Lady Nyx", she greeted her back, with a little curtsy.
Which Lucia replied, only in a much more exaggerated fashion. "I am pleased too!", she chirped.