The Arrow of Midnight

Chapter 8

Amy and I took our time getting ready. She decided to get dressed with me in my alcove, but we couldn't find any gowns that we liked in the assortment that I brought with me. So, she took me down to a tailor at the far side of town. The tailor's shop was somewhat run-down, with wooden walls showing signs of wear and paint peeling in a few places, but Amy assured me that she was the best of the best. The tailor inherited a gift that was passed down from her father, who was also a tailor before he passed away due to an illness. She was able to craft a tailored piece of clothing within minutes, but since new, fancy clothes weren't exactly a common request here, she rarely made any money. Amy simply stated that if you love something, you should do it for the simple act of enjoying it, not for profit. The tailor never closed her doors and simply made sure she got by.

After a few minutes of taking our measurements and discussing our ideas for the dresses, she disappeared into the back room. Amy and I helped ourselves to some complimentary tea in the small sitting area and chatted about what we wanted to do with our hair for the evening. Before long, the tailor returned with two black garment bags, each with our names pinned onto them to indicate which is which. I decided to pay for both, and Amy started to protest, but I simply gave her a pointed look, and she dropped it. It was less expensive than I expected, so I decided to add a reasonable tip with it. The female tried to object to the extra money, but I quickly ushered Amy out the door before she could stop us.

We took turns having a bath in my alcove, each making sure to wash our hair and apply creams to our bodies. We both stood in front of my bed, our gowns still zipped up in their bags on the bed. We were only clad in our underwear and gave each other a glance before opening them. My dress was a stunning black maxi gown with a short train, small violet gems scattered around the hem of the dress, and an open back to accommodate my wings. The sleeves were made of a sheer fabric that felt light to the touch. Amy's dress was a beautiful silver beaded mermaid dress. It hugged her hips and large chest perfectly, with the back open to accommodate her wings as well. Most chiropteran dresses had small hidden buttons around the wings, similar to shirts and sweaters, but we opted for the open backs instead. The beads on her dress sent the firelight scattering around the room like millions of stars. We gave each other a once-over, nodding in approval before completely breaking down and squealing at how perfectly they fit our bodies. Part of me regretted not giving the tailor an even larger tip, but after a few minutes of being girl's girls we sat down to get started on our hair. Amy's hair was hard to style because it was so short, so we decided to go with an elegant white hair chain with a teal-colored gem dangling in the middle of her forehead. It took a while to decide what to do with my curls, so we simply used an entire pack of bobby pins to pin my hair up, leaving a few strands here and there to fall delicately down my neck and shoulders. I decided to wear my mother's choker again in memory of her, paired with small hooped earrings, while Amy wore a diamond necklace that rested in the center of her chest with matching, dangling earrings. Once we were happy with how we looked we made our way to the cave entrance where the males were likely already waiting for us.

As we neared the landing, we could see the males leaning against the wall, engrossed in conversation. Julian wore a black suit with a jade-colored bow tie. His golden shoulder-length hair was combed back from his face, falling in soft waves, with some strands tucked behind his pointed ears. Hunter wore a navy suit with a grey cravat peeking out from under his white dress shirt. His long midnight-black hair was tied up into a bun on the crown of his head. Tanner, on the other hand, wore a dark grey suit that was slightly tighter fitting than necessary to show off his muscles under the fabric. He paired it with a black tie pinned to his off-white dress shirt using a silver tie clip. His wood-brown hair was styled with a curly fringe that stopped halfway on his forehead, and his undercut was freshly shaven. They all looked extremely handsome, heartbreakingly so. Amy and I exchanged sly smiles as we landed in front of them. Hunter was the first to notice us and nudged his friends to get their attention. I could see the way their eyes widened and their jaws slackened slightly, all three of them at a loss for words as Amy and I performed a low curtsy as a way of greeting.