Profession

Preparations continue

The next day was full of planning and preparation. Diana and ambassadors and key personnel from Greece's embassies to the US and the UN came over right after breakfast to discuss the presentation at the UN and what was going to happen with the Amazons. Jon was invited to sit in, as his capacity as the reporter chosen to chronicle these events. I went out to the estate and went up to the attic with Darius and John. It was more than just finding mattresses and bed frames; I also wanted carpets, night tables, lamps, a couple of bureaus so that everybody could have a drawer for the few things they'd brought with them, and additionally I borrowed the decanters capped with glasses used in the mansion when there were League parties so that everyone could have water available in the night. We talked about the momentous event as we worked. Today Darius would be taking the lead, helping with our guests. He and John started the loading process and I scuttled to the stores with a shopping list from Abigail, stocking up on treats and more toiletries as well. I also stopped by Uncle Steve's; there was going to be a gala event after the formal introduction of the Amazons at the UN, and he'd agreed to make me a haute couture version of the chitons worn on the islands.

What he'd come up with was still simple in terms of construction; the chitons were basically two rectangles of fabric that were sewn on the sides and pinned at the shoulders and arms, but he was using a beautiful violet silk with a light pattern of white embroidered flowering vines, and there was shaping through the torso so that it was slightly fitted instead of all bunchy. It was drawn in with a narrow silk sash in a darker violet, had a himation in the same dark violet, and once the length was adjusted and he liked the look, he sent me up to Aunt Emma, who was making little pins to secure the garment at the shoulders and arms. I had a choice of stones to use on the pins, which were basically safety pin closures on a small silver hoop, with a simple buttercup motif. I selected little labradorites, which were simple to set in. The pins were still rough; she'd cast them all from a mold that morning and hadn't finished then, but you could see how pretty they were going to be. Everything would be ready for the gala, set for three days hence. I took a sample of the darker purple fabric and got some simple silk ballet flats--the good kind with the supportive inner sole and arch support--to be dyed to match. I was set, and went home to get to work after stopping at the florist to get pretty flowers to brighten the attic. 

I beat John and Darius, but not by much, and after we brought everything up and arranged in a nice arc so that everybody had space, they helped me make the beds, run the laundry, and clean the bathrooms. It wasn't as if the Amazons had made a mess, but I wanted to be a good host. Then John went back to the estate, and Darius went in to help Abigail, who was enjoying the opportunity to cook for a group. I went upstairs again and made sure that all the lamps worked, placing flowers in vases, the carafes and glasses on the nightstands with boxes of candies and small bowls of mints, along with tissues in case there was dust or strange pollens that aggravated anybody's allergies, and small tubes of rich hand cream. I'd have put some reading materials out, but I didn't have much that was written in Greek that they'd understand, and thought I'd ask Diana for suggestions. The privacy glass was set to allow the light to pass through but obscure the inside from view, and although it was still the attic, at least it was clean and comfortable. I placed baskets near the doors for laundry. There was a break for lunch, which we had in the entry hall, John and Darius having brought round tables and chairs from the estate so that we weren't all crammed around the dining room table, which was too small to include the diplomats in any case. The Amazons were tense at the thought of revealing themselves to the world, although it had been their choice; it was just hard to overcome millennia of habit and some truly disastrous memories. They were glad to be moving forward, though, since Greece had pledged its protection regardless of decisions by the UN. Over lunch, Aunt Antiope asked if I could invite some guests for dinner; they would like to see the women who had come to the island before. With the new set up, it would be easy to host more, so I got the names and it was stipulated that spouses could come too. After lunch, the pups went outside to run around, being bored by the meeting, and I made a couple of phone calls to Kara and Lois and went out for visits.