The Prophecy ( The Replacement Trials #1)

Chapter 18

Aura's POV

Entering the boutique that housed the seamstress and all her creations was like stepping into a princess' dream world. The walls were so pink I'd have guessed a witch was involved. The colour wasn't natural. The racks were filled to the limit with an array of flouncy dresses and I felt the need to shield my eyes from the colour explosion that was going on. Who was in charge of keeping everything organized? They should be fired as soon as possible.

"Sorry to bother you but we're here to pick up our gowns for the ball tomorrow." Reina's soft voice fills the empty shop as she gets the owner's attention. Without so much as a hello, the seamstress who crafted our dresses bustled into the back and came back moments later with seven bags. Placing them on the counter she held out her hand for payment and I placed five gold coins in her hand. More than she was charging but I wasn't in much of a mood to argue with her, so we grabbed the bag and left. I'm sure that whatever her magical abilities were helped ensure that the disguises would fit and even if they didn't Catarina was going to help us out in that department. The weight of the attire was unexpected and carrying three dresses made from the finest fabric was an experience I wasn't eager to repeat.

Tossing the bags onto the bed, I spread my arms and legs out on the floor and release a sigh. Tonight's the night and all I could do was hope that everything went according to plan. The enemy didn't know that we now had essentially to goddesses on our side and it was going to stay that way until we were out of options. If I had it my way, we'd get Reina, Catarina and Nimue to blast them all to bits and then go out for celebratory ice cream. But unfortunately, the all-powerful beings in the sky had other ideas. We had to go through all the motions and fight like the mortals we were or used to be; thus, resulting in one of us dying, the world possibly ending and the possibility for a bunch of money.

"So, we're going to a dance tonight..." I hear Collin bring up the events of today. I assume he's talking to Catarina given that they somehow became the closest out of everyone in the group, Catarina somehow came to terms with the fact that he wasn't going anywhere anytime soon so she might as well get used to him being around.

"Ya, thanks for pointing that out. Any other obvious circumstances you want to tell everyone." She teases and I prop myself up on my elbows to see that he's opened his mouth to respond, a glint present in his eyes. Apparently, I wasn't the only one to notice and Catarina slaps her hand over his mouth before anything can be said. From the resulting screech she emits, Collin probably licked her hand to get her to leave him alone and evidently, his plan was successful.

"Well, that was fun. What're we going to do while we wait for this shindig to start?"

"I know what I'm doing. Napping is the only right way to go." Diving onto the couch, Nimue curls into herself and closes her eyes. Sneaking a glance at Catarina I can tell that she wants to join Nimue's plan but seems reluctant to do so. In order to make her feel more comfortable, I jump back into the comforter behind me and try to fall asleep too. Based on the rustling I hear before I drift away completely, Catarina has climbed up onto the couch, though I assume it's as far away from the elf as she can get. Inhaling slowly, a yawn escaping me, I slip into the dark realm of Ymis.

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"You can't just wake Nimue up. There's an art to it." I scold Menidise who just rolls her eyes and leave me to my meticulous pattern of waking Nimue up with the subtle smell of coffee and pastries. It's the only way she'll get up without trying to claw your face off. I was being extra careful since she was wrapped around the witch of our group, cuddling with her as though she was a stuffed animal given to her when she was a child.