[fanfic fifty] [heart no kuni] Prompt 39. Design
Title: Little Black Dress
Author: spicy_diamond
Fandom: Heart no Kuni no Alice
Characters: Nightmare Gottschalk / Alice Liddle
Table: Four
Prompt: 39. Design
Rating: PG
Challenge: fanfic50
Summary: [Clover] The Meeting was considered rather formal, after all. Alice would need something appropriate to wear. His interests were entirely professional.
Word Count: 936
Author's Notes: Personally, I always liked to think that Alice's formal clothes weren't just another Ball-esque outfit change, but rather a gift from wherever her place of stay was at the time.
“Ah, Gray, nice timing. I was just thinking that it might be good to get a second opinion.” Nightmare greeted his assistant with an unusually excited smile. Dodging the faceless workers milling busily about, the incubus made his way across the office in a quick, bouncy stride, gesturing eagerly as he moved. “Look! What do you think of this?”
Gray blinked once, observing the object Nightmare had shoved towards him for approval, and cleared his throat.
“While black is certainly your color, Nightmare-sama, I don't believe you have the proper figure for that dress.”
“That-” Nightmare coughed, hurriedly reaching for his handkerchief, before shooting Gray a wounded look. “You! How can you even say things like that with a straight face?! I didn't mean for me...”
The incubus hunched his shoulders, turning away from Gray in a childish snub. Shuffling towards his desk, he stuffed the dress haphazardly back into the box he'd yanked it from. With an offended sniff, he crossed his arms defensively over his chest, muttering softly.
“...I meant for Alice.”
“Ah, I see, my apologies.” Trailing smoothly behind his sulking employer, the ex-assassin lifted the dress back up. His hands automatically moving to refold the garment and place it properly back in its bed of perfumed tissue paper in what was a long ingrained habit of cleaning up Nightmare's messes.
“I mean, she'll be needing something to wear for the Meeting, right?” Nightmare glanced back over his shoulder. Trying, and failing, not to appear too eager as he looked towards the other man for affirmation. “It's always rather formal and she doesn't have anything here because the Move happened so abruptly...”
“True.” Gray allowed evenly.
“And,” the incubus continued after a slight pause. “She probably doesn't have enough money saved up to buy herself a new dress quite yet.”
Even if she had, it was highly doubtful that she could actually afford one with the type of quality that participation in the Meeting would demand. And, Alice being Alice, the stubborn girl would probably insist her work shifts doubled before accepting any sort of handout.
“So it only makes sense that, as her new Lord, I would provide her with the appropriate clothing, correct?” Nightmare pressed insistently. “After all, Alice's wellbeing is a reflection on Clover Tower, isn't it?”
Gray watched, one brow drawn up curiously, as the incubus fidgeted anxiously in place.
“You could say that, yes.” Gray agreed slowly after a moment of consideration and was forced to smother a wry snort as Nightmare glowingly soaked up the approval.
“Exactly! Appearances are important you know? And we have to make sure the Meeting goes as smoothly as possible!” Resettling himself at the head of his desk with a proud chuckle, Nightmare nodded briskly, congratulating himself for his own excellent idea.
Fighting the urge to sigh, the ex-assassin's amber gaze slid back down towards the dress.
“Oh, did you notice the shawl that goes with it?” Confidence fully bolstered, Nightmare's grin had returned in full force. Reaching back towards the box, he yanked the tissue paper out of the way. Undoing all of Gray's hard work in one swift stroke as he lifted out the item in question. “I liked the straps of the dress, but I thought Alice might get a little cold wearing it so I wanted to get something extra. Plus, the blue will really bring out the color of her eyes, don't you-”
“Yes, Nightmare-sama.” Gray cut off the incubus with a small, polite cough, quickly driving to the root of Nightmare's babbling with a pointed stare to the little black dress in it's elaborate packaging. A corner of his lips quirked slightly. “I believe Alice will enjoy your present very much.”
“That wasn't- 'Present'?” Nightmare's voice pitched sharply at the accusation, and he was forced to once again make a mad grab for his handkerchief as he coughed wetly. A bright blush plainly visible on his cheeks. He shook his head hastily. “It's work related! Work! I'm a Lord, you know? This kind of thing is important. I have a duty to make sure my workers present themselves well!”
“Work related, of course,” Gray accepted the excuse with a particularly bland look towards his employer, before continuing on, undeterred. “Be that as it may, before you may go give Alice her work related, non-present I must insist that you first complete your regular work here.”
He nodded meaningfully towards the unattended workers that had been building up in the room over the course of their conversation.
“Wha- But, but, I'm on break!” Nightmare's good eye darted wildly towards the lurking documents awaiting his attention. His voice dropped to a low whine. “And I wanted to go give it to Alice now.”
“You were on break.” Gray corrected evenly. He plucked the closest stack of papers out of the awaiting attendant's arms and set it solidly on the desk before his employer. “That break is over.”
“But!!”
“And, just think,” Gray passed Nightmare his favorite fountain pen before treating the other man to a deliberately placating smile. “If you work quickly enough you might even be able to give Alice her not-gift sometime before the Meeting starts.”
“That- You-” Nightmare broke off in a vaguely offended sounding mumble, glaring balefully at his retainer. Sinking dejectedly down into the cushions of his chair, a single pale hand darted out to snag the proffered pen. “Demon...”
Author: spicy_diamond
Fandom: Heart no Kuni no Alice
Characters: Nightmare Gottschalk / Alice Liddle
Table: Four
Prompt: 39. Design
Rating: PG
Challenge: fanfic50
Summary: [Clover] The Meeting was considered rather formal, after all. Alice would need something appropriate to wear. His interests were entirely professional.
Word Count: 936
Author's Notes: Personally, I always liked to think that Alice's formal clothes weren't just another Ball-esque outfit change, but rather a gift from wherever her place of stay was at the time.
“Ah, Gray, nice timing. I was just thinking that it might be good to get a second opinion.” Nightmare greeted his assistant with an unusually excited smile. Dodging the faceless workers milling busily about, the incubus made his way across the office in a quick, bouncy stride, gesturing eagerly as he moved. “Look! What do you think of this?”
Gray blinked once, observing the object Nightmare had shoved towards him for approval, and cleared his throat.
“While black is certainly your color, Nightmare-sama, I don't believe you have the proper figure for that dress.”
“That-” Nightmare coughed, hurriedly reaching for his handkerchief, before shooting Gray a wounded look. “You! How can you even say things like that with a straight face?! I didn't mean for me...”
The incubus hunched his shoulders, turning away from Gray in a childish snub. Shuffling towards his desk, he stuffed the dress haphazardly back into the box he'd yanked it from. With an offended sniff, he crossed his arms defensively over his chest, muttering softly.
“...I meant for Alice.”
“Ah, I see, my apologies.” Trailing smoothly behind his sulking employer, the ex-assassin lifted the dress back up. His hands automatically moving to refold the garment and place it properly back in its bed of perfumed tissue paper in what was a long ingrained habit of cleaning up Nightmare's messes.
“I mean, she'll be needing something to wear for the Meeting, right?” Nightmare glanced back over his shoulder. Trying, and failing, not to appear too eager as he looked towards the other man for affirmation. “It's always rather formal and she doesn't have anything here because the Move happened so abruptly...”
“True.” Gray allowed evenly.
“And,” the incubus continued after a slight pause. “She probably doesn't have enough money saved up to buy herself a new dress quite yet.”
Even if she had, it was highly doubtful that she could actually afford one with the type of quality that participation in the Meeting would demand. And, Alice being Alice, the stubborn girl would probably insist her work shifts doubled before accepting any sort of handout.
“So it only makes sense that, as her new Lord, I would provide her with the appropriate clothing, correct?” Nightmare pressed insistently. “After all, Alice's wellbeing is a reflection on Clover Tower, isn't it?”
Gray watched, one brow drawn up curiously, as the incubus fidgeted anxiously in place.
“You could say that, yes.” Gray agreed slowly after a moment of consideration and was forced to smother a wry snort as Nightmare glowingly soaked up the approval.
“Exactly! Appearances are important you know? And we have to make sure the Meeting goes as smoothly as possible!” Resettling himself at the head of his desk with a proud chuckle, Nightmare nodded briskly, congratulating himself for his own excellent idea.
Fighting the urge to sigh, the ex-assassin's amber gaze slid back down towards the dress.
“Oh, did you notice the shawl that goes with it?” Confidence fully bolstered, Nightmare's grin had returned in full force. Reaching back towards the box, he yanked the tissue paper out of the way. Undoing all of Gray's hard work in one swift stroke as he lifted out the item in question. “I liked the straps of the dress, but I thought Alice might get a little cold wearing it so I wanted to get something extra. Plus, the blue will really bring out the color of her eyes, don't you-”
“Yes, Nightmare-sama.” Gray cut off the incubus with a small, polite cough, quickly driving to the root of Nightmare's babbling with a pointed stare to the little black dress in it's elaborate packaging. A corner of his lips quirked slightly. “I believe Alice will enjoy your present very much.”
“That wasn't- 'Present'?” Nightmare's voice pitched sharply at the accusation, and he was forced to once again make a mad grab for his handkerchief as he coughed wetly. A bright blush plainly visible on his cheeks. He shook his head hastily. “It's work related! Work! I'm a Lord, you know? This kind of thing is important. I have a duty to make sure my workers present themselves well!”
“Work related, of course,” Gray accepted the excuse with a particularly bland look towards his employer, before continuing on, undeterred. “Be that as it may, before you may go give Alice her work related, non-present I must insist that you first complete your regular work here.”
He nodded meaningfully towards the unattended workers that had been building up in the room over the course of their conversation.
“Wha- But, but, I'm on break!” Nightmare's good eye darted wildly towards the lurking documents awaiting his attention. His voice dropped to a low whine. “And I wanted to go give it to Alice now.”
“You were on break.” Gray corrected evenly. He plucked the closest stack of papers out of the awaiting attendant's arms and set it solidly on the desk before his employer. “That break is over.”
“But!!”
“And, just think,” Gray passed Nightmare his favorite fountain pen before treating the other man to a deliberately placating smile. “If you work quickly enough you might even be able to give Alice her not-gift sometime before the Meeting starts.”
“That- You-” Nightmare broke off in a vaguely offended sounding mumble, glaring balefully at his retainer. Sinking dejectedly down into the cushions of his chair, a single pale hand darted out to snag the proffered pen. “Demon...”