Pretty in Pink

It was pink.

Elize stared. Sharilton was always a shopping metropolis, filled to capacity with traveling vendors and talented artisans. Upon moving in with Driselle, she'd seen the wonders of retail in the city and enjoyed the Girls Only trips into the main plaza, but she'd never once before felt such a desire for a material possession as she did now.

The top hat was pink. It was small and pink with white feathers and lace pressed into it. It was a true lady's hat, fit for Driselle. The older girl would surely look great in it. Driselle's elegance was quickly becoming something of a sore point for Elize, whom was developing a despairing feeling of jealousy. The Girls Only trips were fun, always unimaginably fun, but they also served as a reminder of how much more her surrogate sister was.

Driselle had long legs that led to a shapely waist. Elize was tiny, pigeon-toed, and shapeless as a lump. Driselle could wear the finely cut dresses, yet when Elize tried them they were much too loose in the front and felt like rags on her skinny limbs.

And this hat was small and pink and decorated and refined and for people that weren't built like Elize.

"I think you'll be so pretty in it, Elize!" cheered Teepo from the cradle of Elize's arms. His bulbous eyes stared up at her with a brightness she had to wonder at.

"What makes you so sure?" Elize asked, trying desperately not to stare at the hat on the vendor's cart. "I bet it looks goofy just like all the other things."

"Goofy? That's not right! I think you look like a princess!"

A princess. A princess dressed all in a beautiful tint of rose. There it was again, the stirring desire for the hat letting itself be known. "Wouldn't it be nice if I was a princess? Then everything would look good on me, like Driselle. But I don't think I was born into even nobility, Teepo. It's a lost cause."

"You're still growing! Don't be so hard on yourself."

"Teepo, I—"

"Elize. Buy. The hat."

Elize pointed her miserable face down to Teepo. A moment later she considered the hat, taunting her upon a blank-faced mannequin's head. Biting her lip, she considered the price. Normally the amount of gald asked for would have left her shrinking away like a dog with its tail between its legs, but living in House Sharil gave her something of a stipend made for people of importance ("For use at your leisure," Rowen had told her when he'd handed her the tiny purple coin purse.) and the hat was easily affordable. But should she buy it…?

Memories of full length mirrors and clothes that fit wrong flashed behind her eyes. Biting her lip and clutching her purse in shaking hands, Elize turned from the cart of hats and headed, dejected, back to the manor house.

Sometimes Driselle held parties. They were always small, friendly gatherings of people she knew and liked. Sometimes Elize heard people in town lamenting the loss of the grand balls the late Lord Cline would throw. She was kind of sad for them, but Driselle had explained it to her as she had nervously clasped a bangle around her wrist during the preparations for the lady's first gathering. Chances could not be taken, not after what happened to her brother. It was acceptable, then, that the parties were small affairs and invitation-only.

Elize was still uncomfortable with them. Her body envy aside (why couldn't she look so nice in that gown, and that jewelry was glimmering!), Elize was not a lady of high society. She tried, had even asked Driselle and Rowen for tips, and while they had been accommodating they had also been quick to assure that Elize needn't push the etiquette onto herself. She hadn't understood fully, and Teepo had blown a raspberry. Elize hadn't chided him until later that night.

Tonight was one of those little parties. Scents of various foodstuffs floated up to the top floor and made her stomach grumble, a most unladylike function of the body. Elize groaned as she folded into herself on the floor, pastel gown clasped in her hands. The dress had been a gift from Driselle, pink with a skirt that required a petticoat, white tights, and absolutely a necklace (so said the note attached). Refusing the dress would be the worst kind of idea, but with the reminder that it would look unforgivably ridiculous on her and that she desperately wished she'd bought that stupid, gorgeous hat, she was feeling less than ready to smile at Driselle's friends when all she wanted was to stuff her face and feel sorry for herself.

"The dress is soooo pretty, Elize! Put it on!" Teepo hovered above her with before thrusting his little stub of a body towards the gown. "I bet it's beautiful on you. Like a princess!"

"Again with the princess stuff," she mumbled as she hugged the dress close. She was probably creasing it. "You're just trying to make me feel less like a clown."

"That's not true," Teepo argued, confidence swelling in his voice. "Just put it on and enjoy the party, you'll outshine even Driselle! Even that little snooty girl that thinks she outshines Driselle."

"…That girl is mean," acknowledged Elize, and a huff of a chuckle released a fragment of a built up rock of dread that had been forming inside her. "And she can't coordinate colors very well."

"She's also not a super cute, super strong spirit channeler!"

"But I am!"

Elize tore open the dresser drawer and pulled out her white tights.

Conversation wasn't the easiest to follow in Driselle's circle of friends. They all knew people she didn't, so the gossip wasn't even nearly as appetizing as the food. She spent most of the gathering smiling at Driselle's side before stealthily making her way to the table set up at the side and sneaking in a few bites. She knew the leftovers would be there tomorrow and she could indulge with Teepo, but Elize didn't mind going the extra mile to skip out on a little bit of the chatter.

Perhaps it was because she wasn't engulfed in the girls' talk that she noticed the kindly maid that helped Elize get ready for school when the semester started silently make her way over to Rowen at the left wall, blending in as only good house service seemed able. The old man's face lit up with curiosity before he took a few meandering strides to Driselle and whispered something in her ear.

"Really?" Driselle seemed eager. Clapping her hands in delight she turned to give Elize a dazzling smile. "Oh, that's wonderful. Show him in Rowen!"

The other girls should have bowled poor Driselle over with their anxious queries and Elize was awestruck with Driselle's well of patience, at her inability to be cowed. It was another thing to be envious of.

The doors to the hall opened by Rowen's hand a moment later and Elize hid a gasp behind her hands. Excitement and a smile soon took over her and Elize ran up to the unexpected guest before Driselle could begin to stand to play her role as Lady.

"Alvin!"

"Hey, princess," the man said warmly before sparing a lazy wave to the gathered guests. "Hey, Driselle. Am I interrupting something here?"

And gosh, did he ever look like he was interrupting. There were no men in attendance besides house staff. Not only was that a factor, but Elize couldn't even place the amount of dirt and grime clinging to him. Alvin looked like he'd fought hard and won, and that certainly wasn't the look for a high class party.

"It's just a party for friends," Driselle told him kindly. "And since you're a friend, I'm inviting you to join us." The other girls began a soft protest, but Elize saw that firm determination slide onto Driselle's face and she was never more thankful for it. "You look like you've had a rough time. Please, stay a while. Make yourself comfortable as a guest of House Sharil."

Alvin stretched, a loud pop echoing in the suddenly silent hall. It was boorish and Elize loved the relaxed, easy grin that took over his face. "Now that is an offer I will most definitely accept for the next few days."

Elize was going to explode. Alvin had come back to Sharilton, he'd come back and he was here and he was likely going to be around for days. It was Alvin, who didn't care if he stank like the road while standing in a manor, who didn't care for high society behavior and would rip both an awful joke or an awful fart because he felt like it.

Alvin was like a refreshing glass of water and Elize hadn't realized she'd been dying of thirst.

"C'mon, Teepo will be so excited to see you! He's up in my room." she cheered, grasping his hand. "I can show you to the guest room, too."

He nodded. "Sounds good, princess. Say, if you're the princess, does that make Teepo the beast?"

Elize rather thought Alvin was more beastly than Teepo, but she held that thought in check as she puffed out her cheeks and protested, "No way! Teepo's a perfect gentleman!"

"You don't believe that. You're way too smart to believe that, princess."

Princess. Princess, princess, princess. He'd been calling her that all night. "Why 'princess'? I'm not royalty."

Alvin stopped. They'd reached the landing on the upper floor. Extracting his hand from hers, he shoved his fingers into her hair and ruffled it. She cried out a tiny sound of distress, but he just laughed. "Isn't it obvious? It's 'cause you look like a princess!"

Elize's futile fighting paused and she let him continue to ravage her hair (that she'd worked on with Driselle for at least an hour!) "R-really? You mean that?"

"Ah? Why wouldn't I say what I mean?"

"Alvin!"

"Of course I meant it," he said boldly. "But of course, what lumbering dolt comes to see his princess without offering tribute? I got you something I saw in town today, reminded me of you. Figured I might as well buy it."

Elize looked up at him in surprise. "A present? For me?"

"It's only the right thing to do when visiting a lady! Just, uh…don't tell Lady Driselle I cheaped out on her and…forgot, okay?" He was looking at her so imploringly that it reminded Elize of a puppy. She laughed.

"It's a secret."

"Great!" Alvin cheered as he began rummaging around in a travel-weary rucksack. It had seen some usage on their way to Sharilton the first time, Elize recalled, and had likely been with him for even longer. Jude had a similar bag that seemed much newer, and Milla had foregone the idea of inventory storage out of ignorance. Alvin was the only one that could call his bag a companion, and she was a little sad she couldn't travel with him more. Finally, he pulled a little white box out of the bag's confines and presented it to Elize with a flourish. "Dear princess, please accept this gift!"

He was a silly man, Elize thought, and she took the gift box with gentle hands. "You're embarrassing me," she murmured even as she smiled.

"Yeah, well, it's what I do."

With a tiny laugh Elize pulled the top off the box. Immediately after the whole thing nearly tumbled from her hands as she fumbled it in shock. Nestled in tissue paper as white as snow was the same little pink top hat, ornamented with the feathers and lace, she'd seen within the vendor's cart. Overwhelmed by the rush of gratitude , she was struck silent and only gaped at Alvin.

"W-what's wrong? Hey, princess?"

Slowly, agonizingly slowly, Elize lifted the hat from the box. Discarding its packaging, she placed it upon her head, mussed up hair forgotten, and then clasped her hands together to hide their quivering. "D-does it look good?"

Alvin looked surprised for a moment before he broke out in a grin. "Of course. How could you think otherwise? You're a—Hey!"

Elize didn't remember rushing forward to hug Alvin, but she knew she could hide her teary eyes and wide smile in his chest (that still smelled of sleeping in the grass and monster gloop and whatever else could attach to a human body in the wilderness) and so she didn't move. Alvin was still as a statue before he relaxed and gave her back a soft pat.

"You look like a real princess."