We Can Make A Dress So Pretty

[papillion_de_resistance]

Who: Gabriel and anyone, but especially those who'll be participating in his fashion show (Open with one closed prompt)
Where: The Auradon prep Home Ec room
When: A few days after the holiday party
What: Taking final measurements for those in the fashion show, general socializing with the awkward fashion nerd for others
Warnings: Shouldn't be any besides maybe some feels? Will add more if need be.

Final Measurement Appointments

Most of those in Auradon would know Gabriel as being a bit awkward, but those who visited the Home Ec room today would find him in his element. A tantalizing glimpse of a rack of partly finished dresses- and one child-sized suit- could be seen peeking through the gaps of a curtained off area, while finalized design sketches of the same outfits decorated the bulletin board. Meanwhile Gabriel stood ready with measuring tape and notebook as well as a sturdy step stool for those who were on the shorter side as he awaited his prospective models.

Any knocks on the door during the expected timeframe would be met with a warm smile. "Ah, welcome," he said. "Please, come in and we'll get started."

Wonder Twins?- Closed to Nagihiko

Gabriel smiled down at Nagihiko. "I'm glad you were willing to help out," he said. "I understand why the situation would feel a bit awkward to your sister, but thankfully at this age there shouldn't be too much difference between the two of you." That would all change once puberty happened of course, but for now, one twin's measurements should suffice for both. He may have to do a few quick stitches for Nadeshiko on the day, but that would be a simple matter. "If you could take off your hoodie and any other bulky clothing, we'll begin."

General Socializing

Measurements taken, Gabriel could be found hard at work, finishing up the outfits for his new line. Whether tightening up the waistline just so, adjusting the length of a hem, or letting out the sleeves just a bit, he'd do his best to make certain every detail was perfect. Agreste originals demanded nothing less. But that didn't mean he would be especially averse to visitors. And honestly it may be a good idea for someone to poke in on him from time to time, lest he miss a meal or two.

Comments

[papillion_de_resistance]

Gabriel could have played it off. Could have lied and tried to hide it. But Nagihiko's suspicion was plain, and trying to cover it up now would likely make the situation worse.

So instead, Gabe smiled a bit awkwardly, and confessed, "Well I suppose the metaphorical cat is out of the bag now. Yes, I can see your little friend. Your sister's and Utau's as well."

"I'm not certain why, when it's clear that not everyone can. Honestly, I thought I was seeing things, at first; I slipped and fell when I arrived, and thought might have hit my head without realizing it. But when I kept seeing and hearing them, I realized that they were really there. But it was clear they weren't intended for most people to see, so I opted to keep quiet about it, trusting that if any of you thought I should know about them, you would introduce me. Well, that and I didn't want everyone else to think I was hallucinating. I hope you understand."

[nadenagi]

Nagihiko hesitated, but Rhythm flew closer to his child and nudged his face. He took a deep breath then nodded. "They.... They're called Shugo Charas, Guardian Characters. They're the who we want to be. Parts of us. This is Rhythm. My Chara."

[papillion_de_resistance]

"Pleased to meet you then, Rhythm," he said, giving Chara a polite nod. "And thank you, both of you, for trusting me." (And listening from inside a cabinet, Nooroo smiled fondly, though he stayed hidden, no matter how much he wanted to come out and meet the Chara. Some other time, hopefully. After they were ready to have Betterfly 'arrive'.)

"I noticed that Rhythm seems to respond to your emotions," he said to Nagihiko. "That is, when your mood improved and you seemed to feel more confident, he seemed to grow stronger, and hatch from his little egg. Is that true of all Charas?"

[nadenagi]

"We tend to react to the emotion that gave birth to us!" Rhythm said happily.

"Ah.. yeah," Nagihiko said. "I'm still not fully sure what awoke Rhythm, but my sister's Chara, Temari, generally shows up when my sister is at her most feminine. Our friend Yaya's Chara Pepe was born of her wish to still be a baby."

[papillion_de_resistance]

"I suspect Yaya's wish will remain just a wish," he said, mildly amused. "One can't really go back to being a young child or a baby after they've grown past that stage of their life. But as for Rhythm..."

He considered for a moment. "If I had to hazard a guess, I would say it has to do with being comfortable with and confident in yourself. Your sister's turning up when she's feeling especially feminine would seem to support that, as that seems to be part of what helps her feel most confident and comfortable."

[nadenagi]

"Sure!" Rhythm said. "Nadeshiko wants to be super feminine and demure and stuff, but Nagihiko here needs a little help figuring out who he is if h's ever going to beat her!"

"Rhythm!" Nagihiko cried, horrified, flushing dark red as he grabbed at the small Chara.

"Not nothing, no one' gonna beat us when we're at our best, you'll see. Our best will be the best there ever was!" Rhythm declared confidently, unconcerned seeming.

[papillion_de_resistance]

Gabriel chuckled. "Well who could argue with confidence like that?", he said. "Though honestly, tradition aside, I'm not certain why it has to be a competition. Wouldn't it be far better to have two talented young dancers in both the school and the family instead of one?"

[nadenagi]

"Because the one of us who wins inherits," Nagihiko said softly. "Only one of us can win."

"Besides," Rhythm said, "everything's more fun when it is a competition."

[papillion_de_resistance]

"Well I wouldn't say everything," he said. "My world could do with a bit less competitiveness, to be honest with you. But that's neither here nor there."

"While admittedly I don't know anything about inheritance laws where you're from, where I'm from it's fairly common for siblings to inherit a home or a business jointly. Are you sure your parents wouldn't be willing to make an exception for the two of you? It hardly seems fair to ask a child your age to choose between their future and their sibling's."

[nadenagi]

Nagihiko shook his head "They would not be. This is a long held tradition in our line," he said softly. A little bitterly. "Our father went through this, as did his mother before him, and further back."

"But at least this means Nagihiko can show off how awesome he is!" Rhythm said, gleefully.

[papillion_de_resistance]

"Well, as long as you're sure," he said. It still didn't sit quite right with him, but he wasn't really in a position to judge another world's traditions.

"In any case, my job is to help both you and your sister look your best here and now. And if the bit of extra confidence that offers helps your dancing stand out too, so much the better. Whatever happens, though, and whichever of you inherits, I hope you can still remain close as brother and sister. I'd hate to see the competition drive a wedge between you."

Icon mismatch but... best I got on free, lol

[nadenagi]

"We're... not actually all that close at all..." Nagihiko admitted. "We have been trained separately our whole lives. Until we came here we've never been in the same place as each other for so long..." He squirmed a bit, awkward. "And we're doing our best now... but we're not really good at... getting along with each other."

[papillion_de_resistance]

"Really?", he said, mildly surprised. "That's too bad. After all, the competition will eventually be over, but you'll be brother and sister all your lives. I wish I could offer you some advice, but... well mending strained family relationships isn't exactly a strong point of mine, unfortunately."

[nadenagi]

He shrugged. "If she wins... I'm just going to go away...."

[papillion_de_resistance]

Now that got his attention. "'Go away'?", he said. "What do you mean? Surely your parents wouldn't kick one of their own children out of the house simply because their sibling proved to be a slightly better dancer."

[nadenagi]

He shook his head. "I'm not going to stick around watching someone else live my dream, live my life. I'd rather just... not be there. And she feels the same." A deep breath then a slight tiny little smile. "Neither of us are good at losing."

[papillion_de_resistance]

This conversation had quickly taken a rather disturbing turn. "Where would you go, though, at your age?", he said. "Would you stay with a friend, or perhaps go to some sort of orphanage?"

[nadenagi]

"At my age?" He was so confused, then shook his head. "They won't make the choice until we're adults. Probably not until I'm twenty or older. My dad is nowhere near to retiring."

[papillion_de_resistance]

"Oh...", Gabriel said as the explanation made the situation seem a good deal less dire. "Yes, that... makes a great deal more sense." He smiled awkwardly. "My apologies; I was under the impression that the choice was immanent back in your world, not that it would occur when you grew up."

He cleared his throat equally awkwardly, attempting to change the subject a bit. "In any case, I likely should put that suit back on the rack now. Then, I believe, we'll have time for that short dance lesson, if you're still interested in giving it."

[nadenagi]

"It is only dire in that every day is another day we are in competition, that we have to prove ourselves. And like I said, neither of us are good at losing. No matter the cost," he added lip twitching slightly.

Rhythm laughed, rocking back and forth on the air.

In the pile of clothes, the other egg, hidden, also rocked slightly.

[papillion_de_resistance]

He'd already made his feelings on their level of competitiveness clear, so he opted to stay quiet about it this time, as he helped Nagihiko off with the suit. There were a fair number of pins still in it and he didn't want the young man to stick himself or damage the unfinished garment by accident.

He returned the suit to the rack with the other unfinished outfits. "You can go ahead and put your normal clothes back on now," he said. "Then, I believe we have time for that dance lesson you promised me." He pulled his phone out of his pocket and brought up the music player. "I know you said you didn't necessarily need music, but- oh!"

Distracted by his phone, he bumped into the chair where the small pile of Nagihiko's clothes had been sitting; the chair tipped over and the clothes fell to the floor. "I'm sorry," he said, righting the chair and bending down to help retrieve the clothes. "Though this shows why I'm not espcially-"

He cut off in mid sentence as he picked up the boy's jacket, revealing a small pink egg sitting in the remaining pile. "Another Chara egg? And it's pink, just like..." He paused, glancing over at Nagihiko. "But if this is your sister's then why do you have it? And why is her little friend in the egg and not with her?"

[nadenagi]

Nagihiko paled, panic in his eyes. Why did this happen to him? If it happened to Nadeshiko, she'd know how to handle it. But Nagihiko... had no clue... He looked slowly to Rhythm who seemed to consider, then grabbed Nagihiko's phone and dragging it back over. Numbly Nagihiko took it. "What...?" Rhythm floated over and clicked through and Nagihiko started choking. "I don't think that's going to help!" he cried, strangled sounding.

[papillion_de_resistance]

There were several possibilities that he could think of for why Nadeshiko's Chara would be here in an egg and not with her. However, Nagihiko's panic narrowed it down to just one. Leaving the rest of the clothes on the floor for the moment, he walked over and crouched down so he wouldn't be looming over the boy. "Nagihiko," he asked gently, "you don't actually have a sister, do you?"

[nadenagi]

It took a moment of shaking before Nagihiko finally a tear rolled and that seemed to break something. "Please... Please don't tell anyone. E...Especially Utau..."

[papillion_de_resistance]

He reached out to rest a reassuring hand o Nagihiko's shoulder. "I won't tell anyone," he assured him. "Not without your express permission. Though I'm curious why you'd go through this elaborate deception at all."