Of Masks And Roses

The Dress

My eyes widened in astonishment as a large, red, horse drawn carriage pulled up to the front of the Opera Populaire in front of me, snow softly crunching under the weight of the horses as they nodded their heads. The driver hopped off his seat, his red coat billowing slightly in the wind as he opened the door. I peered inside and spotted Carlotta sitting on a cushioned seat. She wore a bright, yellow sparkling dress with red gems and frills, and her hair was up in a large and elaborate style, a few red curls falling down the sides of her face. It was astonishing how she could fit everything in such a small space and still leave room for others.

Carlotta smiled up at me and held out her arm, beckoning me inside, "Entra, signorina, non abbiamo tutto il giorno," she spoke to me in Italian, gesturing wildly to the outdoors. I nodded and quickly hopped inside, despite not knowing what she said. But I could guess. The driver softly shut the door behind me and after a few moments the carriage jolted slightly, signaling that we had begun our trek across Paris.

"How was your Christmas, Carlotta?" I asked. She scoffed softly and pulled out her fan and began fanning herself.

"Boring. I barely went anywhere and only received a couple of gifts. Everyone here in Paris iz so cheap. Non sanno cose di buona qualità quando lo vedono!"

"How many gifts did you get exactly?" I asked.

"32." she rolled her eyes and fingered a fat necklace that graced her neckline, "But zey were small gifts. Minuscolo. Dey were only gifts meant to be given, dey had no meaning, no thought behind dem."

I nodded slowly, pursing my lips at the thought of receiving so many gifts and not caring for a single one.

"And 'ow about you?" she asked softly, "'Ow was your Christmas?"

I shrugged slightly, "It was alright. This was my first Christmas... well... alone, so it was a bit lonely. There was a small party with the crew and I went, but I didn't really stay long. The men became pretty drunk in celebration and I decided that joining the ballerinas was probably better. We played some games, laughed, danced, then I called it a night."

"Did you get any gifts?" Carlotta asked, leaning in a bit closer.

I shook my head, "Only one, the only people that would give me gifts would be Christine, but we're kind of in a rut right now. And I recently had an argument with another friend of mine and we're in a tight spot too. But my other friend, Claire, did give me a gift with the money she earned for working on the dress. She got me some dress shoes for the Masquerade."

"Oh, you poor thing," Carlotta pouted, "But do not worry, I will fix that right away! Ti darò il miglior regalo della tua vita!" she smiled. I smiled softly in return.

Slowly the carriage rolled to a stop. Carlotta glanced out the window and grinned, "We are here!" she exclaimed, shutting her fan.

The door opened and Carlotta let herself out first, the driver helping her down the step and onto the cobbled street. I glanced out the window of the carriage and up at a large, ornate building that had beautiful dresses sitting in front of a large window for show. I looked up at the sign above the door, which read, 'Madame LeGarnet's Soies et Blouses.'

"Resta nelle vicinanze, non saremo a lungo," Carlotta spoke to the driver as I hopped out.

"Si, Mia signora." he said, bowing his head before shutting the door behind me.

Carlotta turned to me with a smile, "Come, Leettle Lady, and I shall show you your masterpiece."

As we approached the doors a bellhop opened them for us.

"Madame LeGarnet will be with you in a moment signora." he said to Carlotta as we walked inside. He wore a cream suit with gold buttons, and Carlotta nodded at him once and he bowed his head in return. I gazed around the room in astonishment. Hanging from the ceiling was a small crystal chandelier. The floor was made out of dark cherry wood, which accented the cherry wood walls. Gold gas lamps adorned the walls and as we walked across the hall towards a room more towards the back, I gazed at the dresses that were worn on the mannequins. They were beautiful and elaborate, shining with crystals and frills and were heavily embroidered. I felt like I was a measly peasant looking upon royal dressing gowns.