After satisfying their bellies with sandwiches, Lumina and Elli wiped their mouths and rose from their seats.
"Well, that was a good lunch." Lumina cried happily.
Elli nodded. "It was a pleasant surprise, too. I wasn't sure what to expect for a fruit sandwich, but Sebastian is a genius! Such a luscious of fruits" she cheered.
"That's to be expected of Sebastian. He tends to make the best of is asked of him." Lumina explained.
Elli then faced the butler with her cheerful smile. "Thanks again, Sebastian! IT was delicious!"
The humble Sebastian merely grinned and bowed his head. "It was a pleasure to serve you young ladies." He answered back.
At that moment, Elli felt a tug on her arm. She then noticed a vigorous Lumina right at her side.
"Alright. Since Grandma is so adamant on turning you into a proper lady for the recital, we better get started right away!" Lumina insisted.
"L-Lumina.! You mean you're going to help me out?" Elli uttered.
"Of course! You're my favorite cousin! And besides, all this fancy etiquette stuff isn't easy. I'm thankful to Grandma for raising me and everything, but I can't let her run your life, too. No offense, but I REALLY don't think you'll be able to learn all of this by yourself." Lumina explain.
"Lumina… thank you, but… I'm your only cousin. A distant cousin. Neither of us really knew of this relation until my Grandma took me here all those years ago and explained everything." Elli answered in a soft, uneasy tone.
"That doesn't mean you can't be my favorite cousin!" Lumina refuted "And I don't care how distant a relation we share! We know each other, and we enjoy each other's company, right? But even if we aren't related in any way, you're a great friend! Isn't that what matters most?"
Elli nodded slowly as a small tear ran down her cheek. "Really?"
"Yes, really." Lumina said in a matter-of-fact tone. "But seriously. Let's get started. I don't want Grandma hounding you for being "lazy and negligent" or something like that."
And so, Lumina dragged an awkward Elli all the way upstairs, where she would continue her training to become a proper lady.
After satisfying their bellies with sandwiches, Lumina and Elli wiped their mouths and rose from their seats.
"Well, that was a good lunch." Lumina cried happily.
Elli nodded. "It was a pleasant surprise, too. I wasn't sure what to expect for a fruit sandwich, but Sebastian is a genius! Such a luscious of fruits" she cheered.
"That's to be expected of Sebastian. He tends to make the best of is asked of him." Lumina explained.
Elli then faced the butler with her cheerful smile. "Thanks again, Sebastian! IT was delicious!"
The humble Sebastian merely grinned and bowed his head. "It was a pleasure to serve you young ladies." He answered back.
At that moment, Elli felt a tug on her arm. She then noticed a vigorous Lumina right at her side.
"Alright. Since Grandma is so adamant on turning you into a proper lady for the recital, we better get started right away!" Lumina insisted.
"L-Lumina.! You mean you're going to help me out?" Elli uttered.
"Of course! You're my favorite cousin! And besides, all this fancy etiquette stuff isn't easy. I'm thankful to Grandma for raising me and everything, but I can't let her run your life, too. No offense, but I REALLY don't think you'll be able to learn all of this by yourself." Lumina explain.
"Lumina… thank you, but… I'm your only cousin. A distant cousin. Neither of us really knew of this relation until my Grandma took me here all those years ago and explained everything." Elli answered in a soft, uneasy tone.
"That doesn't mean you can't be my favorite cousin!" Lumina refuted "And I don't care how distant a relation we share! We know each other, and we enjoy each other's company, right? But even if we aren't related in any way, you're a great friend! Isn't that what matters most?"
Elli nodded slowly as a small tear ran down her cheek. "Really?"
"Yes, really." Lumina said in a matter-of-fact tone. "But seriously. Let's get started. I don't want Grandma hounding you for being "lazy and negligent" or something like that."
And so, Lumina dragged an awkward Elli all the way upstairs, where she would continue her training to become a proper lady.
The first step in the long list of stereotypes involved proper posture which involved the "book" test.
As with most cases, this first workshop proved the easiest, especially for Elli. Apparently, she was blessed with enough natural posture to balance both a lightweight and heavy book on her head while walking with little difficulty, only to remark how Stu would love to hear the adorable tale of "The Best Chicken In The World" and how the Bookworm Mary would enjoy the Encyclopedia of Arthropods texts she had just used a moment before.
Next, she was trained in the art of proper speech, which, once again, she aced rather easily. Apparently, the innocent country maiden was already an expert of grammar and such, and the need to speak like one of high society was a rare occasion for her. Even more shocking was the revelation that she is also quite fluent of such various other dialects like "gangsta" talk and the seemingly incoherent online text pattern known as "l337".
After breezing through two training regiments, she once again went back to learning fork usage in dining. Thanks to an extensive lecture by Sebastian, and a brief clarity explanation by Lumina, she was finally using forks like a master aristocrat. Elli beamed with this accomplishment, stating, "Wow! This actually is pretty easy!"
Elli was then sent off towards the Living Room by the entry door, where she was instructed in the waltz with Sebastian as her partner. Lumina tried her best to play a proper Waltz song as poor Elli stumbled through the steps, occasionally stomping on the butler's feet while trying to comprehend the dance. Despite his suffering, the stalwart butler remained unflinching throughout the entire struggle, remarking at Elli's uncanny grace in her initial clumsiness. Eventually, her hour or so of work finally paid off, as the young nurse was dancing like a regular princess with her usual blue dress flowing about. It was then that Lumina decided to have a little fun herself and play a little freestyle piano jazz, setting the mood for even more hi-jinks on the dance floor as Sebastian got to show off his apparent knowledge of "1920's" dance styles, (even if that era was a few years away from his "time') while Elli applauded and joined in for a grand time.
With a few more unnamed practices out of the way, Lumina decided it was the perfect moment for the infamous pastime of "typical" girls, as she dragged her cousin upstairs into her room while Sebastian stayed behind to clean up.
"Wait! What is it we're doing now?" Elli cried as she was placed right by a closet door.
"Well… you've certainly got the skills to pull it of." Lumina grimed, "However, it won't work too well unless you "look" the part."
"What are you talking about?" Elli wondered.
Lumina momentarily felt the soft fabric of Elli's dress, putting explicit attention to it. "Elli… as nice as your usual clothes are, I'm afraid they won't appeal so much to our high-society "associates". So we'll just have to fix that by giving you some fancy attire, and luckily, I have a fairly extensive selection." She explained.
With that said, Elli's face reddened ever so slightly.
"Ah, wha?"
"Don't worry. I don't mind at all. Besides, they should fit you really well, since a handful of them aren't exactly tailored to my specifications." She assured her.
"Ummm…. Oh… alright…" Elli answered reluctantly.
And so, Elli tried on array of fancy dresses. A few of them ranged from the downright gaudy to the fancifully haughty. Eventually, she arrived at a few select choices.
The first noteworthy outfit was a loose, sleeveless golden gown which made her gleam from head to foot.
"Wow… you definitely look rich in this outfit." Lumina commented with a subtle hint of envy.
"Eh… I'm not sure if this is best." Elli said as she folded her arms and covered her chest area. I feel like I might trip with this fabric constantly trailing behind me, and…if you haven't noticed, I feel part of me is being… exposed, somehow." She said with a nervous laugh.
Lumina closed her eyes and shook a bit before nodding in agreement. "You still look very fine in this dress, but I suppose you have a point. Go on…"
The next outfit overpowered Elli's usual taste in frills. It was a long white dress with loose, puffy sleeves and ornate lace. It was even topped with a white rimmed hat with a red rose.
Upon seeing herself in a mirror, Elli laughed to herself nervously once again. "I think… I could use a poodle to go along with this dress." she quipped in a nervous voice.
"No. I wouldn't. I know very well poodles are quite vicious dogs by reputation." Lumina explained.
Elli twirled around and took one last careful look in her current attire, then turned towards her cousin.
"So, do you honestly think this could work?" she asked with concern.
"It's nice, but I don't think it's exactly "ballroom" material. Get yourself a white umbrella, though, and it'll be perfect." Lumina answered.
Elli nodded. "Okay, then I guess this won't do."
A few outfits later, Elli ended up in a long, black Chinese gown. Compared to others, it had a more effective "sensual" charm on her.
"In all honesty, I doubt this is fitting, either. I don't even like wearing black that much to begin with, especially with "gothic" style becoming popular. I remember the old days when a younger Popuri tried to convince me into joining her in trying out gothic Lolita, but I had to refuse…" she said with a quivering voice.
"I actually think this is your best look yet." Lumina said with a more obvious tone of envy and self disappointment.
"Wh-wha?"
"If you had a villainess look, this would be it. Now all you need is the attitude and threatening device to go with it. How about you go out and borrow Gavin's sickle for a little bit? Yeah, I like this imagery." Lumina continued in curious tone.
"L-Lumina! I thought I was here to find the best dress for a special occasion, not to try out "costumes" for your personal amusement!" she fumed.
The affluent cousin stared blankly at Elli for a few moments. The nurse found herself utterly shocked at her sudden display of anger; however, Lumina appeared most appeased.
"That was great!" Lumina cried. "Now, if only you could work on a wicked grin…"
Elli sighed. She understood very well that she'd be stuck in her "villainous dress" for quite a while.
Finally, after trying on nearly the entire collection, Elli tried on a sky blue gown with a matching colored bow tied at the chest, and lace near the bottom. At the splitting center, it opened up to reveal a frilly, navy blue under layer.
Both Lumina and Elli gasped as they got a good look at it for the first time. In their minds, the same message registered with certainty:
This is it.
Elli then turned around to face her cousin in her newly-acquired gown.
"I… I don't know exactly why, but something tells me this the one." Elli confessed.
Lumina nodded slowly. "I'm not going to disagree. You… you look… gorgeous." She said in amazement.
"Do I?" Elli said in a wispy voice.
She then looked at the mirror in her new dress again. The nurse appeared mesmerized by her new appearance as she moved around to study it a bit more. Suddenly, she was brought back to a fully conscious state when she recalled whose property she was wearing.
"Lumina." Elli called out softly.
"Yes?" Lumina asked.
"This… might be a ridiculous question, but… what are you doing with all these dresses, if they're not your size?" she asked.
"Oh, right…" Lumina said quietly as she turned her head slightly.
Elli looked surprised and concerned at Lumina's sudden reaction.
"S-sorry! I didn't mean to say something foolish---"
"No… you didn't… it's okay. It's natural that you're curious…" Lumina answered.
"I could start of by saying, that they aren't exactly my size… yet…"
"I'm sorry. I don't understand…" Elli said in quiet confusion.
Lumina then looked directly at her beautifully-adorned cousin. "Despite how small it may seem, we actually have a fairly significant age difference in our time of growth. So, I'm not too surprised to see that these designs fit you perfectly." Lumina stated.
Elli blinked again. "Wh…what?"
Lumina lowered her head. "Those dresses… they were made using my mother's measurements… for when I finally reach adulthood." she explained.
Elli let out a soft, yet tense breath.
"…Your mother's…"
Lumina nodded in confirmation. "She… had a strong feeling I would grow up to match her form when I grow up, even if I was just a mere toddler at the time… so she seeked out the best designs she could find… and made these."
"Lumina… your mother was a designer?" Elli asked.
"Actually, she was more of a seamstress."
The lady of the villa lowered her head even more, yet a fond smile formed on her face.
"It was an interesting story, actually. Many speculated that Mother was also born of a wealthy family herself, or that she simply lucked her way into wealth due to her "natural charm and beauty." But… Grandmother told me it was mostly fortune and dedication that got her success. It turned out she started out in a small town like this one, and managed to work her way up with her occupation. Grandmother told me how much she loved sewing, and how she had this splendid imagination when it came to original works. She even met Father one day in a dress she worked so hard on… and… she said the rest was history…" Lumina said.
A few crystal-like tears then formed from her eyes.
"I can't explain why I know this, but… I felt in the last few days she had left… she was working like mad on these dresses… so that she could make the one dress that could help me find my special someone…" she concluded.
At that time, she could no longer contain herself and wept in her lap.
Immediately, Elli went to comfort her, still in her light-blue dress.
"Lumina…" Elli uttered in a sympathetic tone. She then embraced the distraught young lady, with hopes that she can find peace.
A few moments later, Elli once again found herself ill at ease as Lumina started to calm down.
"I… I'm thankful you're allowing me to borrow this. But... are you sure this is alright?" Elli asked.
"Elli… please…. Don't deprive yourself for my sake. I want you to enjoy yourself as well. Besides, I'm sure that's what Great Aunt Ellen and your own parents want." Lumina answered.
At that point, Elli stared off into space. The time of her own parent's death felt far too distant to her, and yet, it still wore heavily on her heart, as that tragedy was the likely influence for her chosen profession.
Considering her past sorrow, and her usual environment, a little country girl wasn't sure if she would ever find much joy in her life, let alone have the opportunity to become the belle of a glamorous ball in some elaborate fantasy. But at this moment in time, that little country girl became an optimistic nurse, who was facing down the experience of a lifetime.
"Lumina… I'm grateful… for everything you've done for me. I just don't want to take anything special away from you…" Elli admitted.
"You really mustn't worry, then." Lumina replied with a soft smile. "You've given me more than enough to compensate."
For a long time, the two cousins remained close together, bound by a shared embrace.