The Varied Path (Akatsuki no Yona Fanfiction)

Chapter 148: Silk Dresses

In a room above the bar and dining establishment, the two girls bathed and got ready while Hak kept guard outside their door along with Yoon; the four dragons stationed outside, bringing in customers for tonight.

Well, Jae-ha was at the very least. Shin-ah and Kija mostly followed Zeno around aimlessly as he danced to catch people's attention.

Yona peered up as she noticed her friend fidgeting nervously in the opposite side of the room where she was getting ready, stilling her fingers that she was raking through her hair to detangle it.

"Calista?"

Her innocent and delicate voice floated over to her and the older girl cracked a weak smile.

"I'm okay, it's just been a while since I've done this." She admitted, taking off her clothes from behind the privacy curtain that hid everything from the neck down, her fingers shaking ever so slightly.

Folding it neatly, she placed it carefully next to her shoes on the floor.

Across the room, the princess had a similar privacy curtain set up. Here, the light of the setting sun filtered through the window, basking the space in a soft glow. Various hairpins, measuring tapes, sewing materials and combs were scattered across the vanity table by the mirror, a rack of colorful costumes collecting dust sitting in the corner.

This was the room that dancers and performers got ready in, back when the bar had more business that wasn't solely dependent on that horrid liquor.

This place didn't sell any nadai, which is exactly why it was struggling. None of the addicts wanted to go to a place where they couldn't get their fix and the locals tended to stay indoors at night for good reason.

But that was going to change for tonight.

Yona couldn't help but gawk at her. "You're nervous?"

"Of course." Calista replied automatically, then stopped and stared when she didn't say anything. "Wait, you really didn't think I was?"

Frantically shaking her head, Yona confirmed it, her eyes sparkling in wonder. "You're always so strong!!"

Calista threw her head back and laughed. "Doesn't mean I don't get scared, Yona. It's only natural for these kinds of things."

Her smile turned sad and she spent the rest of the time getting ready, maintaining her focus.

C'mon, you can talk to him after. Right now, if you don't focus, you'll probably die.

She internally rolled her eyes.

Dramatic much?

It's true.

Shut up.

The princess fell quiet for a beat and for a while, there was only the sound of clothes rustling as their travel garments were traded in for an attire that Calista herself blushed at the second Yoon handed it to them.

To say it was exposing was definitely putting it lightly.

Yona was wearing a light pink strip of cloth that only covered her chest and a cherry blossom colored skirt that wrapped around her waist, falling to her ankles but it had a slit up the side so high that it revealed her upper thigh every time she moved.

The dark blue billowy shawl with big sleeves held in her hand was modeled after ones on Hak's robe. Yoon was pretty smug when he told her that little detail, choosing to ignore both their reactions and changed the subject before anything else could be said on that matter.

Yona pulled on the light wrap, looking at herself in the fractured mirror.

"Does this look okay?" She asked worriedly, playing with the waistband of her skirt, trying to get it to lay flat.