Entralling Bloom

22.) Fitting

Rosalind

I feel dazed and yet painfully aware of my surroundings, Rosalind thought, her mind clouded with apprehension.

Lisa had disappeared into the depths of the store.

The librarian said that she was going to try on her outfit and introduce Alouette to Ros once she finished getting dressed.  

This left Rosalind stranded in the sea of textiles that was Alouette's foyer as she anxiously awaited her shot at a first impression.

 Rosalind utterly despised first impressions. The act of becoming acquainted with someone was something she couldn't help but find nerve-wracking. 

To Ros, introducing herself always came with this... insurmountable pressure.

"First meetings heavily impact the way acquaintances see one another for the rest of their lives."
Rosalind knew this and wanted to avoid impressions altogether for that reason.

Should she mess up, stutter, or offend someone, as her nerves often caused her to, they'd remember it.

And they probably wouldn't soon forget it either.

Although everything in Rosalind's being wanted to leave the store, she stayed put, because, avoiding introductions was out of the question, especially in Rosalind's case.

She was new to Mondstadt and could benefit from some connections.

Plus it would be good practice since she would be meeting scores of people when she inevitably attended the party that was to be thrown in honor in less than 24 hours.

******

Rosalind managed to remain calm for the first few minutes that she waited but as the wait for Lisa to return grew longer, so did her apprehension.

The mannequin-packed foyer didn't give Rosalind much space to move around while she waited, and the stuffy scent of lint and fabric made her feel as if she was suffocating. 

The atmosphere wasn't conducive to keeping a level head.

Ros rasped in a deep breath in an attempt to quell her racing thoughts. 

If I can't even stand to meet Lisa's seamstress, then tomorrow night's party is sure to be a disaster, Rosalind chided herself.

She could practically picture herself hyperventilating into a paper bag at the Grand Goth Hotel, now.

I need to breathe. Starting with meeting Ms. Alouette I'll practice staying calm,  Ros thought to herself as she began to count.

  Four small inhales and four evenly-paced exhales. Box breathing. 

In an attempt to manage her emotions, Rosalind learned about a plethora of self-care and mindfulness techniques back on Earth.

 Since she had made the decision that she was going to keep living with the stress of her family and school, Rosalind at least tried to control the ocean of turbulent feelings she grappled with.

******

"Breathing like this mostly serves as a distraction", she had read from a self-help book one night at her university campus library.