Almost ready ...

[JonLouis]

JonLouis had made the arraignments for the carriage, the dinner, and even found a way to take Emilia to see a picture show. There was one thing left for him to do. Her dress. He had headed into town and gone to a local dress shop he had heard good things about. Evidently the owner was a guest at the Inn. He walked into the shop and was taken aback by it's beauty. It was truly breathtaking. He looked about and located the colors of fabrics he was looking for. His favorite color was orange, but he thought that most oranges would not look good on her. He began to look at golds and oranges none the less. He had a general idea of what he was looking for in a dress for her, but he was sure it would have to be made.

[Vendedor]

It was another day in "Fabrications by Design" but one that was not too busy. Since they served a type of clients that was the type they attracted, though a few others filtered in here and there.

The people that came in and gave more than a passing look to the things that were on display were then tended to by the ladies who worked around the shop. One such lady was approaching the gentleman who was looking at the orange and gold colored cloths.

The young lady gave a courtesy in her skirts. "Hello Sir, may I be of assistance?"

[JonLouis]

JonLouis turned his attention to the woman who had spoken to him. He spoke English just fine, but he preferred French. So it was worth asking first. "Bonjour jeune dame, parlez-vous par hasard Français?" He left his hand on a piece of orange fabric, feeling it between his fingers. It was so soft and silky.



((Hello young lady, do you by chance speak French?))

[Leo]

The young lady smiled to the man, her smile going a bit stiff when he spoke to her in a language she was not all too familiar. Though they all were encouraged to knew how to say a word or two, some kept with their studies better than others. The lady took her skirt in hand and gave a very polite curtsey. "Pardon." She replied timidly as she stood and left, seeking out Leo who was in the office this day.

Finding him she apologized for the interruption and explained the situation that was in the store. Beckoning for her to follow, Leo exited out the office. Now he did not dress the same as the Marqués, but he was still well dressed in dark blue demin, a vertical stripped shirt of browns, and a dark brown blazer. The lady brought Leo over to where JonLouis was looking at fabric and curetsied again at her arrival.

Leo smiled and held out his hand to the man. "Salut, enchanté." His accent was not native-born, but it flowed really well. "Bienvenue à la boutique, je m'appelle Leo." (1) Even though this was business he used the shortened form of his name for sake of ease. "Comment puis-je vous aider?"(2)



_{1- Welcome to the shop, my name is Leo?
2- How can I help you?}

[JonLouis]

"Merci de Monsieur bienvenu Leo. La jeune dame n'a pas dû vous déranger cependant." He smiled not showing a hint of fang. "I speak very good English." He looked at the material he was holding in his hand. "I seek to have a gown made, for a raven haired Goddess. She is a very ... risqué ... woman. I would like something formal, that perhaps shows much flesh, tastefully of course."

He looked at the man again, he had been picturing things in his mind, but he was no dress designer. "My favorite color is orange, but perhaps she would look better in gold, unless you think this color is dark enough to go well with her hair." He smiled. He was a little anxious. He knew what he had in mind, but no idea if it would truly look good or it was just him.



((Thank you for the welcome Mister Leo. The young lady did not have to disturb you though.))

[Leo]

(désolé pour l'attente)

Dark hair, risque, yet formal at the same time was the requirements for the dress. Leo taped a finger to his chin as he thought it over and then looked at the material the man had chosen. "Ah, bien sûr," he said while reaching out to touch the fabric that was chosen, then started moving amongst the other fabrics that were there. "You like the orange color. We may be able to do a dark orange that is looking gold."

That was a way he thought they could agree. "Your femme is not here," he looked around at the other females in the shop, the other workers and motioned towards them. The females in the shop were pretty, some tall and others short. Hope that he would find someone that was close.

"Qui a t-elle ressembler?" He did not have to speak full French, but he liked to make the people he worked with comfortable, so he used it in small portion.


^{"Who does she look like?"}

[JonLouis]

JonLouis smiled at the line of lovely ladies. He walked over and looked at each lady. "My Goddess, she is small, {1}court. About {2}cinq pied trois. But she would wear heels." He was looking at the ladies who were about her height. He stopped before one lady and smiled at her. "{3}M'excuser?" He reached to her waist and lifted her from the ground. "Close, not quite, but close." He looked over the other ladies. "Hmm." He placed his hands around the waist of another lady, not lifting her. "She is the correct ... {4}taille de robe."

He returned his attention to Leo. "The one lady, she is the right {4}taille de robe, but the other young lady, her {5}courbes are closer. Perhaps, you could go from there and I can bring her by before it is {6}accompli pour un ajustage de précision final." He chuckled as a wicked thought entered his mind. "I can blindfold her, you can get her {7}mesures. She will not see the dress before it is done, {8}oui?" He thought it was a great idea.


(({1} Short, {2} five foot three, {3} Excuse me, {4} dress size, {5} curves, {6} completed for a final fitting, {7} measurements, {8} yes.))

[Leo]

Following along, Leo took into consideration all that JonLouis was saying about the size and portions. They had a range of females there at the shop, enough to give the man a general idea about shape and fit.

Taping his finger to his chin, he approached the lady that was picked out and gave her a smile before he brushed his hands along her shoulders and down around her waist. "Yes, yes, you shall do nicely," he was speaking to the lady. "If you would take the colored clothes, please, and go to my office I shall be with you shortly."

She whispered words of compliance with a curtsy and headed off to do what was assigned. Leo then turned to smile JonLouis. "Come back in two days and we will make sure of the measures. No need for blindfold, we know what to do."

[JonLouis]

JonLouis smiled and nodded to the man. "The blindfold is so she does not know she is to be brought here." He reached to the man for a handshake and then would leave. He was going to have to figure out how to get Belle to leave with him blindfolded. That he would think on while he was on his way back to the Inn. She was going to be so surprised.

[Leo]

He understood it then. It was not only so she would not see the dress, but know where she was going. If she knew that, then she would know that it was a dress, and may even know what to expect.

Now that he knew what was going on and he had an idea of what to do, it was off to his office to work on some design plans.

[JonLouis]

The time that Leo had requested had passed, and it was time to get Belle to the shop for her fitting. So now how to do it. He went to her door and knocked upon it. He needed to keep as much secrecy as possible.

[Emilia]

She opened the door a huge smile on her face as she saw who was there.

"Hello love."

She stepped back opening it wider.

"Would you like to come in?"

[JonLouis]

He got a very wicked grin on his face. "Actually, Belle, I would love for you to accompany me somewhere. But, I have one request though." He pulled the blindfold from the pocket of his pants. "I am going to have to ask you to wear this. Trust me, it shall be worth it." He smiled as he held up the blindfold to put it on her.

[Emilia]

She smiled as she looked down at her clothing. Her jeans were ripped and she was wearing a tank top.

"Do I need to cha..."

Aparently not he was blindfolding her.

"JonLouis, I trust you with my life."

She let him lead her trusting he would lock her door.

[JonLouis]

What she was wearing was of no consequence to JonLouis. As she was blindfolded he reached inside and turned the lock on her door and then pulled it closed. He placed one hand on her elbow and the other on the small of her back. "That is good to know, and you should. I would never mislead you or intentionally hurt you Belle." He walked her to the stairs and down.

Once they were on the bottom floor he lead her outside. He never let go of her while they walked. He would never allow for her to trip or fall. He had already made plans for them to ride Rapture into town. She was the more gentle of the two unicorns. He walked her over to the equine and took her hand. He raised her hand up to feel down Rapture's head from her ears, to her horn. The unicorn bent her head so she could feel the horn better.

Then once she had felt the horn he moved her hand down the nose so Rapture could smell her. That way he knew there would be no problems with her being on the equine. He then ran her hand along the equines neck and to the saddle. He knew that if she felt the unicorn just enough, she would be safer riding it. Maybe would even be able to mount it herself. But just in case, he knelt down and placed her left foot in the stirrup.

[Emilia]

She closed her eyes even though she was blindfolded and let him lead her down the stairs and outside.

"I know you woulden't."

She could smell the stable and smiled, it had been while since she had ridden horses, she walked almost anywhere she went. Jonlouis lifted her hands, she offered no resistance and she soon felt the soft coat of the equine under her fingers. When her hand was moved down to encounter the horn. She almost cried. Unicorns were a magical creature and sacred to her people, she had seen one but never before had the touched one.

She was in shock when he placed her foot in the stirrup. She mounted without hesitation.

"This is a unicorn, how did you do this?"

[JonLouis]

JonLouis removed her foot and placed his own in there. He spoke as he swung up onto the unicorn. "Her name is Rapture, she is one of a pair. She is ... different than most unicorns. She and her mate have been places and done things that keep them from being amongst others of their kind. And because they were cast out, they have a new home." There was a slight pause as he cracked the reins and got her moving. "With Venis." Yes, a vampire and a witch are two things that you would not expect to have a unicorn, and Venis was both. But Rapture and Empyrean were not normal unicorns.

[Emilia]

"I never expected to ever touch a unicorn let alone ride one. Thank you JonLouis."

She was saddened that the unicorns had been exiled but so happy that she was able to touch it. She felt him mount behind her. She put her hands in Rapture's mane and leaned forward so she could whisper to her.

"Thank you Rapture."

[JonLouis]

As Rapture pranced off towards town she bobbed her head up and down and neighed softly to let Emilia know she understood and that she was welcome. JonLouis kept a tight grip on the reigns as they headed into town and was leading Rapture in several different directions in an effort to throw off Belle's sense of direction. Even walking a few large circles at different times. All this was an elaborate plan to keep her from knowing where they were going.

[Emilia]

She smiled, she loved that she was riding a unicorn. She was in no hurry to have the ride over.

JonLouis did cause her to lose her sense of direction, she just laughed.

"I have no idea where we are or where we are going, but I am glad that I am getting to spend time with you."

[JonLouis]

JonLouis could not help but smile as Rapture stepped up in front of Fabrications by Design. He dismounted and allowed her foot to slide into the stirrup. He held his arms up while she got down. Then he tied the reigns to the pole and took Belle by the elbow again. He opened the door and leg her through.

As he walked in with one hand on her elbow and the other on the small of her back he looked around. The hand that rested on her elbow came up to his lips as he signaled for the ladies to not speak. That single finger to the lips of a person making a muted 'sshhh' sound was a universal signal. He walked Belle over to the dressing stage and helped her up on it. "Wait right here Belle. You are safe."

He stepped down and stepped back from where he had left her standing. There was a chair sitting near by and he sat upon it, crossing his legs. He did not think he would get to see them undressing her and taking her measurements. But he would sit here and wait anyway. He hoped that they were able to come up with something for her. He had faith, he thought that there had to be more people who existed, other than himself, who believed in perfection.

[Emilia]

She let JonLouis help her off Rapture and lead her into the building. It was compleatly silent, he did a good job of placing her on the dressing stage. She smiled.

"I know I am safe, like I said before I trust you with my life."

She heard him move off and sighed. She wasen't scared but she was not liking not being able to see.

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