The de Bellefeuille coach rumbles through the streets of the Noble's Quarter, carrying Kathryn and Elise towards Zeiman Market. From outside the carriage, the two ladies are the image of poised nobility. Inside, Kathryn fidgets with her lace fan, betraying her excitement. "You are feeling well enough to be about now, Elise?" she asks her sister solicitously.

From beside her sister, Elise raises her head, looking over seconds later as if just hearing her sister's words. Through most of the trip she has been looking out the window, head propped and resting on her hand as she considers life. But now at least she is paying attention. "I suppose. You know I am not nearly as excited as you are, but I did agree to come along," answers Elise. Despite how similar they appear physically as sisters, their difference is so very apparent in how they dress. While her sister wears a dress fit for nobility, Elise wears her usual ceremonial armor.

"I cannot believe you wanted to wear that awful armor for a shopping trip, Elise!" The younger poodle shakes her head in bewilderment. "And in the condition you're in. I'm sure you'd recover faster in regular clothing." She sighs deeply, unfolding her fan to wave it before her chest in consolation.

Eyes roll at the comment about the cadet's armor. "You know this how I dress these days. I have to represent myself as a proper member of the Officer's Academy. If father were alive today, he would have wished it this way," replies Elise. She then lifts a hand to rub her arm a little before leaving her hand to rest on her wrist.

Kathryn snorts, and then covers her muzzle with one hand, aghast at the un-ladylike sound. She clears her throat to cover her embarrassment, then says acerbically, "Even father didn't wear his uniform all the time." The fan snaps open and wafts air across her cheek. "You are going to buy a ball gown for the party, aren't you, Elise?" Her tone is urgent, even pleading.

The other poodle lets out a pained sigh before responding. "Yes. I am not so set upon this uniform that I would wear it at such a grand event like the coming holiday," answers Elise. She glances out the window for a moment before turning back to her sister. "I … even have one in mind," she tells her as she searches her face for a reaction. Elise herself, despite trying to hide it, seems to be nervous about the comment – a subtle nervousness only a sibling might catch.

At her sister's answer, Kathryn sinks back into the cushions of the carriage, relieved. "Wonderful! We will have the most beautiful dress made for you, I'm sure. And I am so looking forward to this party. My very first New Year's celebration since I reached my majority." Kathryn clasps her gloved hands together about her fan, snapping the chitin shafts shut with a soft click. "It is such a relief that you will be well enough to go, Elise. I should hate for you to miss all the fun." She makes the last comment softly, the sentiment expressed clearly heartfelt.

Elise's gaze lowers to her hands, which she folds in her lap. She considers them as she speaks. "Kathryn, I … am sorry to worry you so much over this past month. I promise to at least try and be present at the ball. And to tell you the truth, recently I have felt the urge to return to life as it was. At least, in part. I do miss the events we used to attend."

For a few moments, the younger poodle gazes out the carriage window, watching as the buildings roll past. Her reflection in the glass of the window smiles at Elise. "I miss them, too. I wish… " She trails off. "Oh, look! We're almost there." She fusses about with her dress and her hair as the carriage slows, then comes to a stop.

At the mention of their destination approaching, Elise perks up a bit. In mirrored motion Elise also reaches to fuss with her uniform and hair, not realizing how similar her actions are to her sister's.

The footman opens the carriage door, and helps Kathryn down. She smoothes her skirt, plucking at its folds to make sure they align correctly, while the footman carefully assists Elise in exiting, taking pains to ensure that she's not jostled. Out of the corner of her eye, Elise catches movement from Zeiman's window, as one of the living mannequins shifts to a new position.

The mannequin that Elise thought she saw move wears a dress covered by shimmering gold beads. The garment is sleeveless and high collared, with a keyhole cutout displaying a modest amount of cleavage, and a floor-length trumpet skirt.

After departing the carriage, Elise winces slightly from the pain that moving has become. Certainly her injuries have not worsened any in the last few days, but strangely she finds them to be much more obvious. Harder to ignore. "It certainly has been some time since we were here together, or anywhere, has it not? And still nothing seems to have changed. The world fights and still this place remains untouched. Praise the First Ones." She smiles a little and turns towards her sister, putting a hand on her hip. "Shall we?"

Kathryn stops brushing at an imaginary spot on her skirt as soon as her sister is safely off. "Of course!" She offers her elbow to her sister in mock-gallantry, waiting for Elise to place her hand before stepping into the shop.

Obligingly Elise takes her sister's arm and giggles softly while doing it. "You, my hero," she teases before looking ahead. Some of her weight shifts to be supported by her sister given this relieves a bit of pain. Smiling, she begins walking forward.

The younger poodle matches Elise's teasing smile, and walks with her towards the entrance, her steps sedate and ladylike, belying the cheerful and mischievous glint in her eyes. She approaches the door with Elise at her side, and bestows a dazzling smile on the doorman nearest her as the double doors are swung open for them. A Gallee attendant immediately rushes towards the pair. "The Ladies de Bellefeuille!" she gushes, curtseying before them. "How wonderful to see you both again. So tall and so beautiful now! Simply marvelous to have your gracing our humble establishment once more."

As seems to be the way of things these days, Elise moves to take the responsibility of greeting the attendant. "Oh and I must say, I am quite delighted to have returned. Now, do be a dear and show us inside? I believe my sister is dreadfully eager to see me shopping."

The saleswoman bustles to one side of the two, unobtrusively encouraging them to come further into the market. "My, my," she murmurs approvingly, "you both look so much like your dear mother, may she dwell always with the First Ones. Although that uniform would do your father proud, Lady Elise, I know." She smiles warmly. "And is there anything in particular you are looking for today?"

Kathryn, who had been absorbed studying the display of chocolates near the door, turns to the attendant at this. "Dresses!" she bursts out. "We want to see the most beautiful and exclusive designs you have! And it has to be something no one else has bought, of course."

"Oh, I share that opinion," mentions Elise in response to the comment about her uniform. She also manages to smirk in a "I told you so" way towards her sister.

Completely ignoring her sister's look, Kathryn smiles winningly at the attendant, who clasps her hands together and bows. "Of course," the shopkeeper says, "Come upstairs, please, do, and I will show you our very finest." She gestures towards a nearby staircase that leads to a terrace overlooking the airy garden dominating the center of the store.

After making sure her sister is indeed ready to go look, Elise walks with her towards, and up, the staircase indicated. As she walks she inspects the store curiously. "I had spent so much time at the Academy recently, I had begun to forget just what we used to be doing. I … cannot quite recall why I considered myself out of place here. Perhaps my duties blinded me into forgetting what I had enjoyed before. What do you think of that?" she asks.

Kathryn walks easily beside her sister, looking pleased at Elise's words. "I know that you spend entirely too much time working too hard, Elise," she says, resting her fingers over her sister's for a moment. "It will be so good for you to enjoy yourself more. Isn't it lovely here?" She inhales deeply. "I love the way the flowers smell." Her tail begins to wag quite despite herself.

When the two have ascended, a second attendant quietly seats them in comfortable, well-padded chairs before a low, flat table, while the first rings a silver bell. She murmurs something to the person who had helped seat them, and that individual bows and slips off.

"You know, someone referred to me as a hero?" asks Elise suddenly as she makes herself comfortable in the chair. "Can you quite believe that? I of all people, certainly should not be doing any heroics. Considering all that happened lately I find myself rather shocked that I was able to do any of that." She tilts her head to the side a little, and as if tail wagging were infectious, begins wagging her tail a bit too. "But, you are right. I do tend to overburden myself, and I know I can be gloomy. I really should calm some. And, yes, quite lovely. I am surprised I did not notice them before."

Scarcely a minute after the bell rings, a male Khatta hurries up the stairs, carrying a large portfolio filled with loose sheaves of paper. He lays the portfolio on the table before the two sisters and unties the case. It is turned around to face the shoppers, while the Khatta seats himself on the floor opposite them. Perhaps thirty seconds after he arrives, another comes with a bound volume of fabric sheaves.

The younger poodle's head tilts as she listens to her sister. "You are quite the heroine now, Elise," she says softly. "You saved Tremaine. That's got to count for something. Even if he is perfectly beastly to me about my Imperial," she adds mischievously. "But when was this, that someone called you a hero?"

As the various interesting bits are laid before her the cadet sister peers down to inspect them. She listens to her sister's reply as well, and caught off guard by it, lifts her head up again. "Well," she begins, pausing as she searches for an answer, " … I am not quite certain. I recall maybe, a … fox saying so? But then I have the idea that I also met a rather charming Eeee, and given the politics these days, that seems unlikely." She smiles a little more. "But, I suppose saving Tremaine does make me a heroine of sorts. But I did that because it was required of me, not because I wanted the title. I certainly do not need people counting on me to save them."

The Gallee attendant, a matronly woman with black fur graying around her muzzle, waits with perfect patience for the girls to turn their attention from conversation to shopping. Meanwhile, the attendant who seated them has returned, bearing a china tray laden with a pitcher of steaming mulled cider, a china pot smelling of hot xocholatl, and two smaller containers, one bearing whipped cream and the other a mildly alcoholic, sweet, and creamy liquor. An assortment of cookies and the chocolates Kathryn had been appraising downstairs are also arranged upon it.

Kathryn's eyes glance towards the big portfolio of sketches, and she shifts in her seat, but otherwise conceals her eagerness in lady-like fashion. "A charming Eeee?" She sounds scandalized. "I can't imagine there is such a thing. Horrid squeaky things." A shiver passes through her delicate frame. Her eyes alight on the tray of food and drinks, and she tells the matron, "Mulled cider for me, please."

A little placard on the tray reads, "Compliments of Zeiman's." The attendant graciously fills one of the two mugs with cider and offers it to Kathryn. "If there's anything else you'd prefer, do just ask, you know," she interjects gently. "Would you ladies like us to show you the samples, or would you rather browse through them at your own leisure?"

"He was actually rather nice, really … ," protests Elise weakly, her tone vaguely hurt. But she quickly shifts out of it and leans a bit closer towards the book to examine the dresses pictured. Seeing nothing she quite likes, she flips through as if going through a history text. "I will have some cider as well. Hm, there is a particular dress I just cannot quite find." She continues turning pages.

The portfolio of dresses is arranged in the form of loose sheets of paper, each bearing a sketch of a humanoid figure wearing an elaborate gown. They are categorized by type of dress and by body type – some dresses being clearly intended for winged customers, for example, or for ones with long torsos and short legs, and so forth.

"I am sorry, Elise," Kathryn offers in apology. "I didn't mean to offend. What was he like, your nice Eeee? Did you meet him at the academy, maybe?"

The Khatta seated before the table offers a small and pleasant smile to the older poodle. "If there is something you have in mind which is not among our humble and unworthy drawings, O most fair and beautiful lady, it would be my truest pleasure to do my pitiful best to produce it for you. Should my meager talents fail, then my master, whose drawings are ever-abundant, can no doubt assist."

"No, no, no … " More pages are flipped until at last, Elise pauses on one. Her eyes widen a bit and she nods her head a little. "Oh! This is very similar, but the shoulders are slightly different, the trim shou- … " Her ears perk as she is questioned about the Eeee, and this breaks her concentration regarding the dress picture. Instead she shifts to speak of the Eeee. "Well, I remember he is quite dutiful. And, so tortured … but by what, I simply do not know. Oh, and he has the most beautiful eyes … " She smiles a little more, her gaze not on her sister but somewhere beyond her dreamily.

Kathryn sits back into her chair, watching her sister with an expression of utter amusement on her face. She sips at her cider to mask her puzzlement. "Beautiful … eyes?" She seems to be wracking her brain. "Oh … I guess he must not have been one of those terrible Sylvanian Eeee, with their hideous red eyes, if his eyes were nice."

While the poodles speak, the feline attendant has leaned forward and unobtrusively removed a few blank sheets of paper from the portfolio Elise is flipping through. He studies the drawing she had paused at, and replicates the skirt and lower portion of the bodice with deft strokes of a charcoal pencil, then ceases, waiting silently for the poodle to take notice of the work he is doing.

"Green," comments Elise as she turns her gaze to focus on her sister. "They are the most amazing green eyes I had ever seen. It was as if they could simply pass through you." She shakes her head a little and drops her gaze, chuckling softly. "Oh, my, look at me? You must find this quite amusing. To see me talk about a man so much." She shakes her head again and glances for a way out visually. She finds it in the artist and corrects him quickly. "The sleeves should e shorter, and … " She continues making subtle changes, as if she had reviewed a dress previously and was simply awaiting a chance to bring it to being: her dream dress.

With silent, nodding motions of his head, the Khatta makes the proposed alteration exactly according to Elise's directions. A dress with a full, floor-length skirt, narrow V'd waist, moderately low sweetheart bustline, and off-shoulder puff sleeves forms beneath his pencil. At her request, a train is added to the rear of the garment, and a scoop back placed. Kathryn leans forward again, fascinated by her sister's clarity of purpose in describing the dress.

Finally Elise finishes her description and settles back, folding her hands delicately in her lap. "I imagine my description has further put you at a loss for what to think of me. A dress, and talk of men. You must be quite happy to hear it," she says to her sister.

Blinking as she gazes at the sketch, the younger poodle flicks open her fan. "It's not much like you," she admits. "What's oddest is that you don't remember where you met him. And an Eeee!"

"Oh well, I … do rather remember where I met him. But the problem is more hat it would not make much sense if I told you. You see, I met him at a carnival, for … tea. Yes, tea. In a dream. But oh, how real he was!" She smiles sheepishly and fidgets with her hands. "The dress, too, comes from my dreams. I find it surprising just how well I recall all of it. Most of my dreams tend to be very vague. But, lately they have been so very real. And I never imagined I would be so charmed by an Eeee of all people. Or for that matter, design a dress."

The designer folds his hands over his pencil as he studies the sketch he's created. "Madame has a true gift for it," he says at Elise's last words, then looks extremely embarrassed at his forwardness. He murmurs apologies, and reaches for the volume of fabric samples, sifting through them to a section with shades of blues, in silks and satins.

"A carnival? Tea at a carnival? How amazing!" Kathryn claps her hands together. "I wish I could have dreams like that. Especially if they came with such lovely dresses." She reaches for the portfolio, flipping back through the pages Elise had rejected. "Of course, as always you will be done so long before I am! I simply have no idea what I want, yet… "

A now faintly embarrassed, red-eared Elise tries her best to look neutral and unflattered – and fails. "Oh well, I suppose I could just give the credit to my dreams, but … you believe I have talent?" She smiles at the artist and perks, looking hopeful. The look only lasts a moment though, for she quickly catches it and draws back a bit. She lifts her hand to her head, covering her eyes as she lowers her head. So much for not looking embarrassed.

"Take your time," replies an embarrassed cadet as she tries to disappear – all the while wondering what exactly just came over her in these last few moments.

The Khatta's eyes flick back to Elise's, and his shame deepens at having caused her embarrassment. "I do not believe it," he answers her, his voice almost inaudible as he tries not to aggravate her distress, "I know it." The words, stripped of the frippery he used earlier, can only be sincere. He pushes the volume of fabric selections towards her, opened to a section of blues. "Madame has a fabric in mind for her gown?" It is more statement than question.

The hand drops from covering the cadet's face and she looks up. A weak smiles forms. "Oh, you have not offended me. Not at all, I simply find myself … well, I am sure I need not babble on about why. Anyway … " She glances at her sister for a moment, then peers at the dress design. She nods appreciatively and then turns to consider the fabrics. A flick of the ear and, perhaps a bit too quickly, she picks one. "I … well, I … Zolk?"

The younger sister squeals as she pauses at one of the dresses. "Oh, look at this one, Elise!" she says excitedly, tapping her sibling's shoulder even while the other is considering fabrics. The sketch is of a trumpet-skirted gown with long, not-quite-off-shoulder sleeves, and a plunging neckline that takes a narrow dive between the figure's breasts that doesn't stop until slightly below her navel. "Wouldn't that just scandalize everyone if I wore it?"

The feline ducks his head in a quick nod, and flips forward several pages, displaying swatches of zolk in a multitude of shades of blue. He looks towards Elise's face to see if one of those will suit her.

The tapping gets the other sister's attention, and she peers over at the dress Kathryn is interested in. She raises an eyebrow. "You know, that is quite a statement. However, I think you might very well create quite a stir!" She giggles a bit before turning her attentions back to the materials. She explores these and selects those she recalls as matching the image in her head – the image from that night.

After watching Elise study the various swatches, the Khatta asks her, "Would the most talented and beautiful lady like to examine a bolt of certain of these cloths before making her final selection?"

"I most certainly would, if you please," answers Elise. She turns from him now that he has a task and studies her sister before speaking. "I wonder what changed in me, to cause me to enjoy this so. I recall quite clearly I did not think this a useful way to pass time. However, that seems to have changed. Also I never, never considered the Eeee before. Perhaps this war and the stress of the Academy has ruined my mind." She grins a little.

Kathryn sighs deeply at the striking image, and then flips past it to the next one. She plucks the occasional sheaf from the portfolio and places it to one side for future consideration. At her sister's comment, she looks away from the designs. "Maybe you're just growing up, Elise. Not every child likes shopping as much as I always did. Though it seems to me you didn't think it quite such a waste of time while Mother … was alive." Her voice trails off a little at the end.

Shaking herself from her reverie, the younger sister returns her attention to the sketches, tracing the outline of one closely-fitted dress with a slit skirt and long train. "Your green-eyed Eeee, though, I just don't know about. An Eeee? Why on earth would one of those haunt your dreams, much less be friendly?"

The smile fades from Elise. She sighs softly, and reaches over to put her hand on her sister's in an attempt to comfort her. "I am sorry. I did not mean to upset you, Kathryn. I suppose I just do not know what to make of much that is going on these days. Dreams, free slaves, Tremaine and other problems. My humor may suffer for it." The hand is squeezed a little. "I do not know why exactly I would dream of an Eeee, either. I can only recall having met them before in unremarkable circumstances. I cannot begin to figure out why one would appear in my dreams. Given the war, I would have thought I would be less inclined to think of them."

"Given the war, I think of them," Kathryn whispers. "I think of them a lot … them and what they did. But never as nice." The word is almost a snarl, and she shudders. "I'm sorry, Elise. I know it's terribly wicked of me. There were Eeee in Rephidim before … before … and surely they can't all be bad … but I can't help thinking that they mostly must be. I hate them."

Elise mouths an "oh" before she lets her sister's hand go and lowers her head. "I … had been trying to forget that. What happened long ago." She bites her lip and glances off towards nothing in particular. "You must think ill of me, to be saying such things. For my indifference."

While the girls spoke, the Khatta had vanished. He now seems to rematerialize near them, bearing three bolts of different shades of light blue zolk. With him is a different attendant, carrying another four bolts of shades of silk.

Thankful eyes dart towards the approaching Khatta, the distraction providing another needed escape route from an uncomfortable subject. "Mm. No, the zolks are all wrong … , " she says before examining the silk for a moment, " … but … the silk. That is just about perfection!"

Kathryn catches her sister's hand in hers. "Oh, Elise, I never think ill of you." She pauses. "Well, I don't think ill of you over anything important," she continues more truthfully. As Elise chooses the silk for her dress, her sister giggles. "I will think ill of you in that magnificent dress, though! You will wholly outshine me!"

Despite feeling bad for having brought up an Eeee in the first place, Elise cannot help but giggle along with her sister. "Oh, you! You know you are far more elegant than I, and shall be despite my choice." She smiles again and squeezes her sister's hand again. "And, for you, I will try not to dance with any Eeee at the ball. Even mysterious green-eyed ones."

Returning the squeeze, Kathryn can't help continuing to giggle. "Oh no," she manages to get out, "If you manage to find any mysterious charming green-eyed Eeee at this ball, I shall think you most obligated to dance with them!"