Bodice Ripper | Pimped Out Dresses | {Increasing Aphro}

[healsforjustice]

All things considered, things were going smoothly. The open gala in the Seyruun palace was in full swing, and it seemed as if people were enjoying themselves. The music drifted through the air like a gentle breeze, allowing those dancing to practically glide across the floor to the flow of the melody. Everyone in sight, no matter where there were

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[the_a_la_mint]

Mint wasn't sure how much more of this she could take.

Because her sister had been sent threats, but couldn't afford to miss this ball, she had been told to take her place. That meant wearing a frilly-as-hell dress and attempting to smile and act polite to anyone who wanted to make idle chatter. She had held up the ruse for a while, but a couple hours had passed, and her patience was already at the breaking point.

After greeting and curtsying to yet another dignitary, she finally snapped, at least inwardly. "Can't take this anymore!" She hissed the declaration through her teeth, picking up her skirt and running towards the nearest staircase. She had to get out of here; she felt almost claustrophobic in this dress, among these people. She bumped shoulders against someone in her room, calling out a rushed apology over her shoulder as she kept running. In her haste, one of her shoes slipped off, but Mint didn't stop to pick it up, moving upstairs.

[healsforjustice]

Amelia was too caught up in trying to breath as the dress grew more uncomfortable to notice someone hurrying past. The sudden bump made her stumble a little, the princess grabbing her tiara to keep it in place before spinning around to see what had happened. Instead of a person though, all she saw was a shoe at the bottom of the nearby staircase.

Walking over, she picked it up off the floor, barely able to make out footsteps from the top of the stairs. Apparently someone was in a hurry to get to the upper floor. That alone was a bit off.

Of course, Amelia knew she wouldn't be able to catch up in her own heavy dress, so with a quick glance around, cast levitation to float to the top of the stairs, calling out as she moved down the hallway.

"Hello? Is anyone there?" she asked.

[the_a_la_mint]

Mint was in too much of a snit to hear the voice, one of the rooms opened a crack (though she was sure she'd closed the door). Anyone who walked in on her now would realize that this was not Princess Maya of East Haven Kingdom, as it was declared when she walked in. Mint tugged her gloves off, growling as she tossed them aside. "How do you get out of this damn thing?!"

She felt up and down the front and sides, but as her hands moved to the back, she felt the tie of the corset against her fingertips, and her eyes lit up. "There! C'mere, you little...!" She began to spin in a circle, like a dog chasing its tail, trying to untie the corset that was holding her dress on.

[healsforjustice]

It was fortunate that the door was open, since it meant it was much easier for Amelia to know where to go, following the faint voice, stopping briefly outside the room before entering. She froze in place on seeing the girl struggling to...undress? In the middle of the party?

Granted she didn't know every guest, so any deception wasn't noted at that moment. Still, it was hard to ignore how unusual the guest was acting.

"Are...you alright Miss?" she questioned, brow raised at the sight in front of her.

[the_a_la_mint]

Freezing mid-spin, Mint blinked as her eyes found the face of the hostess of this party. Hell, why not? "... Fine." The reply comes after a moment's pause, her fingers finally catching the tie she was desperately reaching for. She sighs happily as the corset comes loose. "Finally! Geez, I thought my ribs were going to break." She groaned softly, stretching her back after she tossed the corset away. "I gotta say, princess, you handle this crap better than I do." She was done speaking in her prim, polite fashion, feeling more and more like herself as the minutes pass.

[healsforjustice]

"Um...I suppose I'm used to it." came the reply. The healer could only gawk at the other girl removing her garments without a care. This certainly wasn't she expected, and yet she couldn't bring herself to really question the situation too much. That would have just made it more awkward.

Even so, this was a welcome, if not odd change in things. Her father was no doubt handling things downstairs, so she probably wouldn't be missed for a while, so no harm in hanging around a little while longer.

Walking inside the room, Amelia held out the shoe to Mint, smiling softly. "Here, I think you dropped this."

[the_a_la_mint]

The redhead blinked, then grinned. "Ah, thanks." Mint walked over, taking the shoe. Already, half of her red hair had fallen out of its elegant updo, hanging in slight waves to her back. "Maya would have my hide if I lost any of her clothes." She placed the shoe with its twin, still swimming in the poofy-skirted dress. "I'm almost glad I lost the throne, right now."

[healsforjustice]

Doing her best not to let her eyes wander or face heat up, Amelia shook her head a little. Probably a good idea to focus on the conversation so she didn't end up acting foolish. She actually wished she could be so bold as to get rid of her own confining dress, but that probably wasn't the best idea, no matter how appealing a notion it was.

"So I'm guessing you're not used to formal dress then?" she enquired, head tilting in curiosity.

[the_a_la_mint]

"Nope. It's not my style. I'm just here as a stand in for my sister." She flopped down on the bed, pulling the rest of the pins and ties out of her hair. "But I just can't take the act anymore, so I'm skipping out. Not that you're a bad hostess or anything." She grinned faintly, shaking out her hair and sending some of it into disarray.

[healsforjustice]

The princess blinked a moment, looking a little bewildered before laughing quietly. This wasn't aimed at Mint; Amelia simply found herself rather endeared by her honest behaviour. It was refreshing considering how stuffy things could be at these affairs.

"No offence taken, Miss..." she paused, shaking her head again. "I'm sorry, I don't know you're...well, your real name I suppose."

[the_a_la_mint]

"Mint. Just Mint's fine, seriously." She sighed, the dress still holding onto her form. Guess the corset alone wasn't enough. "Hey, I was forced into this dumb thing... Any idea on how to get it off?" She had a spare outfit up here, her normal clothes, but she had to get out of the dress, first.

[healsforjustice]

On hearing the question, Amelia looked over the outfit, nodding at the other girl. "It shouldn't be too hard to remove, it looks fairly similar to some my dresses." she mused.

Moving around the back of Mint, she reached for a few buttons that were at the back of the dress, flicking them open to loosen the material, before looking for the fastenings to remove the outer layer of fabric. "I assume you plan to change and leave before the rest of the guests then Miss Mint?" she asked as she worked.

[the_a_la_mint]

"Yeah... I just can't handle acting polite anymore. If I can't be myself, then there's no real point for me being here." She had been having a miserable time up till now. feeling the princess undo the back of her dress, showing the shift she wore beneath all the many layers. "Granted, they all think I'm my sister, but..."

[healsforjustice]

"You two are quite different then?" she spoke with amusement in her tone. She could sympathize there; her and Gracia were quite different as well, and the only reason there were no comparisons made between Amelia and her older sister was due to the elder daughter having not come home for several years.

As she thought on the matter, the princess continued working at the clothing, finally able to remove the outer layer of the dress, though it would take co-operation to get it over Mint's head. "Lift you arms please."

[the_a_la_mint]

"Completely." She lifted her arms as instructed, continuing to speak. "And since she's been getting threats, they basically forced me to stand in as her double." She snorted softly. "Give her the throne over me, ignore me for years, but the minute they need a meat shield, they come running. Idiots." Mint probably sounded a lot like a fellow hot-tempered redhead Amelia knew.

[healsforjustice]

She certainly did, and Amelia had to bite her lip to prevent herself from asking if there was any connection between Mint and a certain flat chested sorceress. Instead she focused on the task at hand, folding the outer gown over a chair, before working on unpinning the several underskirts, and unlacing the inner bodice of the garments.

"I'm sorry to hear things are difficult for you Miss Mint." she replied softly. She knew better than to try and stick her nose into family matters, even if the thought of sisters feuding seemed terribly unjust.