A/N: I have a strong distaste for SVM fanfiction in which Sookie seems to squee at the very idea of shopping. Having grown up in a low income situation myself, I don't think book Sookie, given her practical and low-income raising, would be able to shake off those lessons about frugality and value so readily. In this chapter, Sookie has an actual need to buy something, but nobody fangirls over consumerism. Mostly an excuse to hang out with Amelia a bit more, and to transition us from the big politics of the meeting to the last event of the summit - the coronation ball - and what lies beyond.
Disclaimer: Characters belong to Charlaine Harris
I woke up around lunchtime, ordered room service, and dealt with a bunch of emails and voicemails while I waited for the food to arrive. I was going to have to get used to checking both more often, now that word was getting out about my new position.
In addition to various requests and congratulations from the supernatural community, I had a nice message from Michele about plans for her wedding, and she told me again how much she loved the picture I'd sent her weeks ago of my bridesmaid dress. Shit. Her message made me realize I had a new problem, one I had to solve quickly. I had planned to avoid the wedding, so I hadn't brought any formalwear with me. I called up Amelia, hoping she'd serve as my local guide to the appropriate shops this afternoon. She agreed, and made plans to pick me up outside the hotel in an hour.
When it arrived, I scarfed down a delicious shrimp etouffee with white rice, then quickly hopped in the shower. When I got out, much sooner than I would have liked, I threw my khakis back on with a button-up blouse, pulled my still-wet hair into a high ponytail, and went downstairs to wait for Amelia. I gave Quinn a call to let him know I'd be out of the hotel for a couple of hours, and he reassured me in a more formal tone than usual that everything was under control. I stepped out onto the busy sidewalk, and quickly hopped in when Amelia pulled up in her new black sedan.
"Hey, old roomie! So, what's this big to-do you need a dress for? I thought that bastard's wedding was supposed to happen tonight? You're not going, are you?" Amelia was as cheerful and tactless as ever.
"Point me toward somewhere I can find a formal dress for a vampire coronation ball, and I'll tell you the story on the way." She immediately looked concerned; Amelia had been around for the last vampire takeover in Louisiana, and it had basically happened in our living room.
"Don't worry," I told her, "it's a good thing. That 'bastard' is the vampire King of Louisiana now. I can't tell you everything, but I got attacked on the first night of the summit - I'm okay - and it broke the contract between Eric and Freyda. The ruling vamps gave them a choice of whether to go forward with the wedding anyway, and Eric said no, in front of everybody. Oh, and I'm basically working for the vampires in charge now, as 'Director for Vampire/Human Relations.' That means I'll be their liaison to the human government, and do some security things at other summits like I've done here. So, long story short, tonight there's a coronation ball for Eric, and a new Queen of another state, and I need a dress. I might need shoes too, but let's find the dress first, that's the hard part."
"Sounds like you had a busy night!" She cocked an eyebrow at me, and I "heard" her picturing a very enthusiastic reunion between me and my former lover.
"Amelia, no. We talked, and we danced once, but we're not together. He's got enough on his plate, and I'm still mad at him for how things happened."
"Well, okay. I just thought...no, you're right. Your love life, your business, this witch is staying out of it!" That would be a first. Amelia had never stayed out of anything as far as my love life goes. Her comment reminded me of something else I needed from her, though.
"By the way. Karin's going to escort me back home and grab the things she left there, then she won't have guard duty any more. We'll need to figure out when and where to do the bond breaking magic - I assume Karin is going to stay in New Orleans for a while after that."
Amelia thought for a moment, then said, "Okay, let's just see what happens. You let me know what you need and when, and we'll make it work. If you come back down here for it, you can stay with me and Bob!"
I nodded noncommittally, and thankfully we pulled up to a cute little boutique just at that moment. It didn't look big enough to carry a lot of options, but maybe I'd get lucky. I explained to the gray-haired shopkeeper only that I needed a dress for a very formal party. I couldn't tell her the details of course, but I hoped she'd help me find something. After patiently listening, she simply had me and Amelia take a seat, brought us white wine spritzers, and disappeared into the back after telling me she had already pulled what she thought would be the perfect dress for the occasion.
I was puzzled, but Amelia looked at me sheepishly, and confessed, "I called ahead and told her you needed something formal that would make every man drool and every woman die of jealousy. And that you have a great rack, so it should accentuate it." Of course.
A few short minutes later, the small woman returned with a single dress bag held high in one hand, and a pair of strappy silver shoes in the other. Just from a glance, I could tell the shoes were my size, and I had a feeling the dress would be, too. I followed her back to the dressing area, and quickly slid into the sapphire a-line gown. The v-neck halter top did indeed show off my assets, but wasn't so deep that it looked trashy or would be a problem when I danced. In fact, everything was sitting in there pretty securely. The fitted waistband and flowy, pleated skirt flattered my generous curves, and the length (right at my knees) was perfect. The silver-tone accents along the waistband made me smile. I couldn't wear real silver accessories to a vampire party, but I was sure Amelia had some appropriate jewelry I could borrow.
I stepped out in front of the antique wooden tri-fold mirror and twirled, earning approving comments from Amelia and the shopkeeper. The whole effect managed to completely avoid bridesmaid and go straight to elegant; it was definitely the right dress. I took it off quickly and paid, getting back out on the street and heading for Amelia's car in an amazingly short amount of time. It was like magic. With that thought, a realization hit me like brick. "Um, Amelia, was that shopkeeper a witch?"
She didn't look at me, but nodded to confirm my suspicion. I had been so focused on the dress that I hadn't realized how quiet the woman's mind was, so she must have been good enough to block me. If she was that strong… "And did you ask her to do anything magic to the dress, or to me?"
Amelia smiled broadly. "Like I said, I asked her to make sure your dress impressed everyone. I also told her you'd probably want to be able to dance in it. Did I do good, or what?" It wasn't fully an answer, but I decided it wasn't anything I was going to worry about now, either. The dress looked great on me, it was in my newly expanded price range, and I had it in time to make it back to the hotel, drop by that night's early staff supper, and get ready for the ball. It was the best I could do at the moment.
"Alright, Amelia, but if anything untoward happens, I'm blaming it on you."
"No problem, Sookie. Let's get you back to the hotel. I'm gonna come with you and help you get ready, I've got jewelry and makeup and stuff in the trunk." This one time, Amelia's presumptuousness actually helped. As long as that damn dress didn't do anything weird.
On our way back to Blood, I decided to ask Amelia about her dad. I wasn't sure how much she knew about the conversation he and I had, and my offer to read him for her, if anything. "How are things going with your dad, by the way? Are you two getting along any better?"
Amelia bit her lip then replied, "You know, we really are. Ever since we came to see you about bail, something's been different about him. We've been spending some time together, and it's not great, but it's better. He's been nicer to Tyrese, too."
That was good news. I didn't know whether Mr. Carmichael had been able to get out of the thing with the demon or not, but I was happy to hear that he was treating Amelia a little better. She and Bob seemed to be doing well, too, and she'd heard from Octavia recently. I asked her to pass along my well wishes to everyone we'd spoken of. I also learned that my friend would have her first ultrasound appointment in a few weeks.
Thanks to Amelia's meddling, I was indeed back in plenty of time for the hotel's staff dinner, and once again found no problems of interest. I think just my being there, and everybody knowing that the procedures were so tight this time, had really helped prevent trouble. I felt satisfied about all the ideas I'd contributed that helped make that happen.
Amelia had waited up in my room while I'd dropped by the start of the dinner - I didn't want everyone thinking I was blatantly violating the rules that had been so strict for them in the past several days. When I slid my keycard through the door and stepped in, I saw she'd transformed the room by hanging up the dress and setting out the shoes, spreading hair and makeup tools and supplies along the low dresser in front of a large mirror. She had completely covered a side table with accessory options. It was more than a little excessive, and made me a little glad I'd never been one of those women who lives for shopping - not that I'd ever been able to afford it.
I took another quick but much-needed hot shower, dried, and wrapped myself in a robe to await further instructions from Amelia. She helped me dry and do my hair with soft curls, did my make up, and fitted me with appropriate accessories, including a clutch just big enough to hold my phone, keys, and money. I finally pulled on the dress, making sure not to smudge or muss anything, and slid on my new heels.
The whole process took unbelievably long, and by the time I was ready, it was close to time for the party to start. I made Amelia take a couple of quick photos of me, and one of us together, then I called Quinn to have someone escort Amelia back out - more for show than as a real security precaution. As she left, she hugged me very gently, smiled, and told me to "Knock 'em dead. Or undead." We laughed, and I was glad we could spend some time together. Now there was nothing left to do but pace around my room for a few minutes, not wanting to sit down too much in the dress.
Finally, Karin knocked at my door, and we made our way downstairs. Karin looked great, too, and had chosen a slim, floor-length gown in a deep emerald with black heels and accessories. Although I'd still need to keep my mind open for any trouble tonight, I was looking forward to dancing some more and having a good time. The elevator dinged at the right floor, and Karin and I turned quite a few heads as we made our way to the ballroom.
A/N: So what's up with the dress and that shopkeeper witch? It won't matter much for the remainder of this story, but it's on the list of possible side stories I have going…feel free to speculate in your comments. What I know for sure, though, is that Sookie has realized she can't shield every object, event, or feeling in her life from the possibility of magical influence - it would be exhausting and impractical for her to try.