After finishing up in the parlor, Octavia led Raiva to a private room.

“I would like to take your measurements, if you would allow me,” Octavia said, having returned to her business tone once again. “And if you do not mind, I would like to ask Louise to assist me.”

“Of course,” she replied, though the thought of undressing in front of Octavia made her heart beat nervously, and she could feel herself getting a bit sweaty. Octavia called for Louise in the hallway, as the thoughts whirled in her head. “Would you like me to undress?”

Octavia whipped her head back, her face flushing, to Raiva’s surprise.

Oh?

“No, not today, madam,” she replied a little forcefully.

She cleared her throat and continued, hiding embarrassment at her impulsive tone.

“My apologies for the confusion, madam, but at this point we only do clothed measurements. More… precise ones are usually only necessary for evening wear, and particular types of lingerie, none of which were ordered by you, of course.

“We will of course be doing fittings, usually two are sufficient, barring a sudden change in physiology. Ah, Louise.”

Louise greeted the two once again, carrying booklet and a pen.

“Hello again, miss,” Raiva greeted at she positioned herself in the middle of the room.

Octavia closed the door, and Louise sat on a little chair next to it, staring intently at the booklet, with the writing utensil at the ready.

A serious one, isn’t she? How cute.

Octavia noticed her little smile at Louise and pursed her lips a little as she retrieved her measuring tape and began saying a variety of abbreviations for her to note.

Beginning with the more general measurements like height and lengths of different parts of her arms, Raiva tried her best not to think too hard about the touch of Octavia’s hands. She was facing a large mirror, and could see her circling her with a stern look on her face, and practiced movements as she called out numbers and letters.

It became harder and harder to ignore the tingling feeling as it went on however. The tape was draped around her neck, and for a moment she forgot how to breath, with Octavia face right in front of hers. After that, Octavia seemed to be deliberately slowing down as she reached under her arms to find her waist size, and seemed to brush against her more than Raiva had thought was normal.

Focus.

Then, the measuring tape seemed to be overly tight around the bust for a heartbeat, almost causing her to do a sharp intake of breath.

You’re being sensitive.

“Pardon me, madam,” Octavia’s voice said in her typical polite tone.

See? Imagining things.

Her hands brushed against her legs, underneath her skirt, as she slid the tape up to take measurements of her lower and upper legs. She nearly gasped when Octavia reached her thigh, in order to find the inseam measurement.

Breathe.

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Despite her having become a pile a nervousness, Octavia finished her job without interruptions. Her professional demeanor throughout was a expected, though Raiva was admonishing herself for overreacting.

Something about her just… Makes me nervous, I think, in a good way.

Something about Octavia made her nervous, and jumpy.

“There we are. I thank you for your patience madam,” she finally concluded as she rolled her tape back up. “And tank you Louise.”

She straightened her clothes a little and then gestured at the door to Raiva.

“May I escort you out, madam?”

“Of course, thank you.”

She pulled herself together mentally, and nodded towards Louise in a farewell, and made her way out of the boutique, with Octavia close behind her.

As they exited, Octavia spoke up.

“May I walk with you for a bit?”

“Looks like I’ll be busy for a while,” Octavia giggled as they walked on the path in the nearby park.

“Yes, sorry about that,” Raiva replied with a laughter. “If you want to blame someone though, blame Shelly. She’s going to be ecstatic when I tell her.”

“I’ll make sure to thank her for the bonus we’ll be getting soon then.”

A shadow fell on Raiva’s face.

“Oh please don’t. She hates it when I do that.”

“What, give bonuses? Even though she insists that you buy so many clothes?”

A short sigh escaped her lips, “Well, she wants me to spend it on me. Thinks of it as ‘compensation’ for my ‘trials’ I suppose.”

Octavia’s voice became subdued, and careful.

“Oh it’s inheritance?”

Raiva laughed a somewhat empty laughter.

“Yes, from Giovanni.”

“Only the second?”

“Uh huh.”

Raiva was trying to come up with a way to change the topic, and decided to cling onto the first thing that popped into her mind.

“Speaking of life changing traumas, what is that favor you wanted to extort of me?”

Octavia was thinking for a moment, before stepping in front of her, making her stop in her tracks. She put her hands behind her back, and looked at her with a grin.

“I want you to model for me.”

“Model?”

What a strange favor to ask.

“Yes. For the Solstice Gala,” Octavia replied, her grin fading as her voice turned serious. “It’s my first independent participation, and I need someone with visual impact wearing my clothes.”

Raiva was stunned for a moment.

I though she meant for a boutique showing or something, even though that would have been odd in and of itself. But for the Gala? Insanity, sheer insanity.

“Octavia,” she tried putting it delicately, not sure how to put her hesitation into words. “Are you… aware of my reputation?”

“Of what, as a widow?”

“As an infamous widow.”

“Why? Because it happened twice?” Octavia looked a bit confused at Raiva, who was still struggling to put it delicately.

Fine.

She redirected them to a nearby bench, checking her surroundings before, explaining herself in a progressively agitated half-whisper, barely pausing to breath.

“Because I’ve had two husbands, and both died in fires, both were prominent members of society. I come from nothing, Octavia, and I married the only heir to the damn Count of Kreutz. Then he dies in a fire right after the wedding, and my in-laws decide that I hired someone to set the fire to ‘steal’ our home and their stupid money.

“Not that they could prove it, for the obvious reason that it’s a ridiculous lie, but the rumor mill doesn’t exactly care. Even my own family didn’t want to associate with me, in case I ‘jeopardize’ my older brother’s employment.

“So when my second husband dies in a freak wildfire accident, no one sympathizes, no one cares, Octavia, because I inherit an absurd amount of wealth, and that is something the ‘elite’ cares about. No one outside of the Ruby and Diamond districts care, thank the lords, or you would be gossiped about for simply existing in my vicinity, but those are the exact kinds of people that attend the Solstice Gala, and you know that.”

Her voice was shaky and her hands clenched each other in an attempt to steady her nerves.

“Raiva-“

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to get so worked up, it’s been a long day. Just… It’s not a good idea,” she looked down at her hands, trying to remain composed. “Sorry.”

“Raiva,” Octavia put a hand on hers. “Don’t be sorry. It’s fine. I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”

She paused for a moment, before giving her hands a little encouraging squeeze.

“You know, to be honest?” a smile crept back onto her face. “All I’m hearing is that everyone in attendance won’t have a choice but to look at my model and her outfit.”

She shrugged, and waited for Raiva.

“You have cold hands,” she finally observed. “I look forward to seeing if they’re any good with a needle and thread.”

Octavia giggled, “I take that as a yes, and a dare.”

“And I take it as that you’re more reckless than you seem.”

“You have no idea,” she smiled and removed her hand in seeming slow motion, caressing the back of her hands as she did.

Well, shit.