I (Don't) Feel Pretty (Rhi)

[Kingfisher]

To say Alexis lacked an eye for fashion would be an understatement.  She had grown up a warrior and such people had no need for frilly things.  Well, that was not entirely true.  Her attire at the moment was quite fine... for a man at least.  Dressed in quilted tunics and jerk leather made her feel secure and safe...but it could very easily lead to people developing the wrong ideas about her.

So it was that the harsh looking mercenary skimmed the wares of some Feirjan tailor whom she had already forgotten the name of.  Mostly it was raw fabrics, strewn about on shelves and tables, but there were a number of display pieces meant to show of the maker's skill.  Alexis could tell they were good work but she questioned whether any of it suited her.

Of all the things not to know, dressing for a given occassion seemed a silly thing to be stumped by.  Glancing toward the door, she silently pleaded for help from the swordsman acting as her bodyguard to help.  He simply shrugged, as clueless as her...the pleb.

It felt like she was just wasting time now.  She still had other chores to complete and waiting for miraculous inspiration was getting her nowhere.  Plucking up a bolt of dark green fabric, she resolved to get something made from that and simply be done, though she had little clue what to ask for.  She may well have to trust his judgement.

[Rhindeer]

"Oh, honey, no. If you want to wear green, go a few shades paler. That's a manly color," came a voice from the other side of the table.

Victoria Heidrich, noblelady of Feirja, was in her element. The marketplace was her favorite, especially the shops and vendors selling fine clothing and fabrics. She came at least once a week, as time allowed, so she could be up to date on all the newest fashions and trends and imports, and today was such a day. There she stood, sifting through bolts of brilliant jewel-toned silks that she assumed were quite expensive. (She never paid for it herself, but rather let her escorts sort that out.) However, the woman's plight had caught her attention.

One didn't need words to understand what was going on. Her body language was just radiating discomfort. But what had drawn Victoria's attention first was the woman herself, because Victoria hadn't even realized she was a woman at first! Not with those clothes! And that hair!

Clicking her tongue and shaking her head ruefully, she bustled around the table, deep indigo skirts swishing. Her own dress was simple but stylish, with a bodice that pushed up her cleavage and pinched in her waist, and long, belled sleeves. A fur cap completed the look, her thick red hair spilling around her shoulders and down her back in wild curls. She'd even painted her face; it may have been a simple errand, but she always liked to look her best in any situation!

She came to a stop in front of the woman, while the two guards escorting her remained near the back of the shop, watching on in amusement. Tilting her head this way and that, Victoria studied the woman's face, then swept a look over her from top to bottom and back. It was an effort to hide her dismay.

"Oh, my. You really have done a number on yourself, ducky," she murmured, tapping her chin. With a shake of her head, she grabbed up a bolt of pale green fabric and held it up next to the woman's face, squinting as she studied her, before she set it down and grabbed a different shade. "But that's okay. We aren't all born with the knowledge of these things, and it's nothing that can't be salvaged. Now tell me, what sort of event are you buying for?"

[Kingfisher]

The mercenary was caught off guard, not expecting anyone to really pay much attention to her comings and goings.  So the well dressed young lady had Alexis at a loss when she called the older woman out.  Still, after the initial surprise, the swordswoman recognised she was harmless.  Being silently critiqued, however, made relaxing difficult though.

Shifting awkwardly, the mercenary marked the two other guards.  Instinct told her she likely held the advantage in a fight but that was simply how a warrior tended to judge the world; she doubted there would be any fighting given how amicable the girl seemed.  Looking back to the redhead, Alexis noted her round features; leisure class she imagined.

Realizing the girl had asked a question, the blonde cleared her thoat to fill the void.  "An audience, I think," she said by way of answer.  "I was hoping to find work for my...company and I thought I might come here to negotiate a contract, either with the duke or the merchants' guild."  Alexis gave a noncommittal shrug, mail clicking under her vest before admitting, "Problem is I haven't had any opportunity to dress up in...oh God, decades now."  It seemed like a near lifetime ago.

Alexis kept getting distracted by the girl's hair, long red locks shifting with every move.  She missed having long hair and unconsciously played with her pale bangs before quickly retracting her hand.  Now was hardly the best time to be nostalgic...

[Rhindeer]

"An audience with the duke, hm?" Victoria said, and bit her bottom lip to try to hide her impish smile. What a coincidence. "Is that so? Well, that does sound important! Definitely something you'd want to look your best for. Fortunately for you, I know a thing or two about that!"

She shifted through a few more bolts of fabric before settling on a jewel-toned blue. "I think this will look lovely on you," she said with a nod. "You'll need to get measured, of course. But I think you'd look wonderful in something sleek and flowing. You'll want to have it high necked if it's for business, to show you're serious, though depending..."

She cocked her head and tapped her chin, expression turning sour though she tried to keep the bitterness from her voice. "There are benefits to something more...showy. A little cleavage, and you can distract the lot whenever things start veering a way you don't like. Yes, even if you're meeting the duke." Especially if she was meeting her father.

Of course, from the looks of this woman and the way she spoke of her company, it wasn't likely that was the sort of company she meant. But Victoria hadn't the slightest idea about soldiers or the like. Her forte was the high life.

[Kingfisher]

Alexis noticed that as the girl spoke, her mood seemed to shift.  It was when the subject shifted toward bare cleavage and its uses in negotiation.  A glance down told the heavily armed woman that her new friend had no shortcomings in that department but the blonde wondered if the girl perhaps found the attention they drew more trouble than they were worth.

Those thoughts aside, the Captain traced and invisible line about her shoulder.  It was hidden under under three layers of light armor but old powder burns reached some of her right breast.  "Maybe," Alexis mused.  "Ideally, I could do with both.  Definitely need something with full coverage but maybe using a little skin could prove useful at the right negotiating table..."  It came to the potential client, and being a warrior, she enjoyed giving herself options.

This thought brought Alexis' mind to her next concern.  "Would it be possible-" she wondered, "-to have slits in the sides of the skirt?"  She gestured to her baldric, from which hung two pistols.  "I feel naked when I'm disarmed so I'd like to hide a weapon or two close at hand."  Even if there was really no risk, it offered her peace of mind.

It was clear the girl had a sense of what looked good but could she pair form with function in a way to suit the Mercenary's needs.  Alexis concealed a smile at the thought of the young woman accepting the challenge but faltered.  A thumb traced the scars upon her face.  "I'd also like a chance at hiding these.  They can be quite intimidating at a glance so some way to look less...threatening might be necessary."

[Rhindeer]

"Slits in the skirt?" Victoria repeated, lips pursed as she mused it over. "To strap your pistols to your legs, I take it? Hmmm...I would say one would be possible--and practical! But two might be risque. One would be easy enough to conceal, but one on each side and you'll be flashing thigh with every step. And while it's okay to strategically use your assets, you don't want your 'look' to scream 'lady of the night'. As for the scars..."

She clicked her tongue in thought. "I may have something for that. I've never tried to cover up such a large swathe of skin with it, but I do have something that will whiten your face and perhaps conceal the scar. Or at least lessen it. Then if we add a little rouge to your cheeks..."

Suddenly, she clapped her hands together and beamed up at the woman. "Why don't you just accompany me to my home? I'm headed there shortly. We can experiment! Showing is far easier than telling, after all! It's not far from here."

[Kingfisher]

Alexis might have corrected the fashionista but found it made little difference which weapons she wore.  The girl had a point anyway.  She was a warrior, not a whore, and offering too much, even as a suggestion, would be more counter productive than anything else.  She would defer to her sudden benefactor's judgement.

At the suggestion of accompany the young lady, Alexis smiled and nodded.  "I would be glad for the chance to learn.  Not much need for such things behind a sheet of steel, but out..."  The woman shrugged.  Hopefully a few lesson would teach her to hide the angry red web that flanked her eye.

Signalling her guard, the gunner nodded for him to follow.  "Lead the way, miss..." Her eyes went wide for a moment as she realized.  "We haven't introduced ourselves.  I'm Alexis Mandel, Captain of th Ash Guard."  She offered an arm in official greeting.

[Rhindeer]

Oh, what a manly greeting! Which made sense, she supposed; this woman was rougher than the women she was used to, and considering her profession, of course she would be! She spent her time among men! Victoria stared down at the woman's offered arm, but then smiled in amusement and clasped her wrist, using it to draw the woman in closer and touch her cheek to Alexis's in a sort of hybrid greeting.

"Well met, Captain Mandel!" she said, stepping back. "I'm Victoria Heidrich." Might as well spill the beans now and see if the woman put two and two together!

[Kingfisher]

Before the warrior had a chance to correct her erroneous greeting, the curvy young lady adopted it into he own and introduced herself.  Few would not recognize the surname of Duke Matthias Heidrich.  It seemed almost an act of Providence, though Alexis was too caught off-guard to to acknowledge the thought.

She recovered quickly, fully willing to join Victoria.  "It would be an honor, Mistress Heidrich."  Alexis herself was of noble birth and knew first hand how quickly that could come to mean nothing before personal whims.  The older woman may have even been a prostitute so long as she proved an interesting project.  That aside, it earned her a new outfit and maybe a meeting with an employer; playing dress-up for the child was hardly a sacrifice.

The Captain signalled to her man and he prepared to fall in behind the two woman, a safe distance back should the Lady's escort prove territorial...wherever they happened to be.  Alexis did wonder about how the city militia might react to a pair of heavily armed outsiders entering the citadel, but that was a concern for later.

[Rhindeer]

"Very well, then! Let's be off. Oh!"

Victoria paused, turning to one of her escorts. "Purchase a bolt of that blue we were looking at and have it delivered to the estate. We'll need it."

With a nod, the soldier stayed behind to haggle with the merchant while her other escort joined her, leading her and her new entourage back to her carriage. What he thought of their company was anyone's guess; the man's expression only seemed to shift between shades of "neutral". But he held the carriage door open for her to board, and as soon as Victoria was seated, she smiled and motioned fervently to Alexis. "You, too! Come join me!"

[Kingfisher]

Alexis smiled at the gesture, planting a black boot on the foot board as she rose to join her new host, slipping into a seat opposite the girl.  What little hight advantage she had vanished as the door closed after her.

The Colonel's own bodyguards (as one had been mostly out of sight) fell into step with those protection the Duke's scion as the party prepared to depart.  Despite her family wealth and standing, Alexis had remarkably little experience when dealing with actual nobility.  She did not let a hint of her trepidation show however as she remarked, "So, Your Grace...Is there anything I should keep in mind as we approach your home?  I would hate to offend such a...pedigreed family."  It was hard to say if she was being cautious with her relatively formal wording...

(OoC: Retconned rank to "Colonel" rather than 'captain')