The Model and The Reporter, Plus the Twin Matchmakers

22

"Great! We have our model! Step in the dressing room, if you please."

Wakaba spoke, dragging Luke along with him to the other side of the room. Luke glanced back to his mother as he was being pulled away. Lucy mouthed a smiley "go", and made a gentle "shoo" movement with her hand. Luke curved his lips before turning back to the direction of where Wakaba was taking him.

Lucy was ready to patiently wait for him, held in cheerful suspense. She was too busy staring at the back door however, to notice the icy glare sent towards her. Lisanna frowned in the distance, biting her bottom lip and staring at Lucy as if she was carefully deciding what to do next.

Her frown soon turned crooked and formed into a smirk. She carefully bent down with her water-resilient dress, not to put an extra crinkle on it as she twisted her hand over a panel. The pool temperature switched, warm to cold. The moment Lisanna walked away from the panel, she collapsed dramatically to the floor, making sure to be the center of attention as she fell.

"Lady Strauss! Are you okay?" A camera man went out of his way to help her. A few more followed after him closely, seeming strangely unmotivated. Lucy watched in curiosity as Lisanna was being aided by a few men.

"Ah, I think I sprained my ankle!" Lisanna gently whined, posing in a mermaid position. Lucy thought it was rude to stare, and brought her attention back to Luke.

"Do you think you can walk?" The first cameraman who arrived at the scene asked as he helped Lisanna up. As soon as her left ankle touched the floor, she made a loud whine and shot her leg of the ground instantly while wincing. "No... I don't think I can continue the shoot..." Lisanna stared down at the floor, as if ashamed of her own actions.

Macao, who was watching the scene from afar, bit his thumb nail as his eyes jumped back and forth across the room. He finally spotted Lucy when he slid his thumb out of his mouth.

"You there!" spoke Macao. Lucy quickly glanced around, seeing a few staff members around her; though they were too busy setting up for the photo shoot. No one else paid much attention to what he was saying, so Lucy stepped forward. "Yes?" She politely asked. "Can you hold your breath for more than three minutes?" Macao asked. Lucy hesitantly nodded her head.

Macao grinned. "Hey, Laki!" Macao shouted. A woman behind Lucy who was fixing a camera looked up. Her long, curly, lavender hair was tied up in a ponytail and had a big yellow bow on top of it. "Yes, sir!" Laki announced. Her outfit wasn't very ladylike to say the least. "We have a replacement for Lisa- Lady Strauss. Show her to the dressing room." Macao directed before going back to clacking on the computer.

"Yes, sir!" Laki obediently followed his instructions. She turned to Lucy. "Please, come with me!" Laki cheerfully spoke, taking Lucy's hand and dragging her towards the dressing room in the back, beside the room Luke entered.

A gentle aroma entered Lucy's nose as soon as she walked in. The room's lights were dimmed and replaced with colorful fairy lights instead. By a simple glance, Lucy could make out at least 10 outfits laying or hung across the small room. Laki walked towards a long, white, skin tight dress hung on the wall in front of them. It looked like a replica of Lisanna's dress.

"This is what you'll be wearing for this photoshoot. I'm pretty sure this is your size, but you can change into it and call me in if you need adjustments. Come out whenever you're ready!" Laki instructed Lucy before walking out of the room. Lucy stood still for a moment, appreciating the calm aura of the room. She took a deep breath before turning around and unhooking the dress. It skimmed the floor as she undressed herself, shirt first, then pants, and then debated wether or not she should wear her pants anyways.