Now that the spring is in the air

Ella had trouble sleeping. Persistent insomnia was a chronic issue with her, in no small part due to her fear of what would happen should she fall asleep unassuming.

In the therapy sessions sponsored by her defense attorney, she’d worked out the source of her issues (not that it was any big surprise) and that was Cinder. She had a deeply-ingrained fear that, should she fall asleep, Cinder would take control of her body and do unspeakable things to other people.

After all… it had happened before.

That’s why, as much as she had issue with Augmented Synthetic Humanoid Assassin, part of Ella was relieved that the silent killer was her roommate- once she got over her initial fear of the assassin killing her in her sleep, of course!

After all, Augmented Synthetic Humanoid Assassin was perhaps the only woman on the island who could shut Cinder down if she tried something.

…At the same time, waking up to see the blue eyes of said assassin staring at you first thing in the morning didn’t help matters.

“Hyeeek!” Ella squeaked, nearly falling out of bed in a panicked effort to scramble away from the other woman. “What… what?!”

She was about to ask what pale woman was trying to do, before remembering that Augmented Synthetic Humanoid Assassin wouldn’t be able to answer her anyway. So she took a few deep breaths to steady herself, and tried to calm down.

“THWAP! THWAP!”

Snapping the rubber-band on her wrist always helped even out Ella’s mood. She exhaled, and rubbed her sore temples. The beginning of a headache was already starting, and it had nothing to do with Cinder this time.

Shaky and uneasy, Ella raised her head and **** a smile to her lips.

“Uhum, um… A-Augmented Synthetic Humanoid Assassin, do you need something?” She asked timidly. Ella had learned over the last few days that the best way to deal with her mute roommate (roommute?) was to ask direct, yet open-ended questions that could be responded to with a nod or a shake of the head.

Ella might not have much in the way of formal education, but she was very good at reading the room and knowing when someone’s needs required attending to. It was a skill she’d developed from a lifetime of walking on eggshells and trying to avoid being an imposition on the people around her.

Augmented Synthetic Humanoid Assassin was much better to work with than her family had been. Her pale face brightened and her lips curled up into a smile, and she nodded her head.

Now came the hard part.

So she does need something from me. The question is, what? That’s going to be a lot more difficult to discern with just nodding or shaking of the head.

“Can… can you show me?” Ella asked. Like with direct questions, giving Augmented Synthetic Humanoid Assassin as much agency as possible in conveying her needs and wants was the best way to deal with her.

…That way, if there was any miscommunication, it wouldn’t be Ella’s fault. That was the important thing. She didn’t want to mess up and make someone mad at her.

Augmented Synthetic Humanoid Assassin skipped over to the closet, and turned to look back at Ella with shiny eyes. She pulled the door open and pointed at the outfits hanging from the hook. Mostly, there were prison jumpsuits and the strange leather outfits the assassin wore. But there were also the casual clothes Ella had amassed.

“…Do you want to borrow my clothes or something?” Ella glanced at the assassin’s slender figure. She was a couple inches shorter than Ella, and thanks to her transformation, her breasts had grown a couple cup sizes as well. Maybe at the beginning of the round Ella’s clothes might have fit, but definitely not now. The latina wasn’t exactly gifted in the chest area after a lifetime of borderline malnutrition.

Luckily that didn’t seem to be what the other girl was after, judging by the swift shake of her head.

“Okay… you don’t want to borrow my clothes, so… do you want me to get dressed?”

This time there was a nod. Much to Ella’s confusion. Why was Augmented Synthetic Humanoid Assassin so invested in her getting dressed? It wasn’t like Ella had woken up late or anything (sleeping in was far too much of a luxury) but the assassin had been ready and waiting for her practically the second the sun rose!

…Wait…

Ella gasped. “Ah! That… that’s right! I almost forgot!” She hastily scrambled out of bed. “Today, today… it’s my date with Nick!”

Augmented Synthetic Humanoid Assassin nodded rapidly with a cheerful smile on her face, and clapped in support.

How could she have forgotten!? She’d even promised him that she’d try and think up some things that they could do together! How could that have slipped her mind!?

…Well, very easily in fact. Because last night, when getting ready for bed, Ella approached her plans for the date with the same method she approached everything that churned her stomach with anxiety and caused her to worry.

She buried it deep down inside where it wouldn’t rise up and trigger Cinder.

A shiver went down Ella’s spine and she shook her head. This… this was bad. So, so bad! She completely forgot all about it!

“THWAP! THWAP! THWAP!”

Not even snapping her rubber-band was keeping her calm. She paced around the room as she flicked her wrist red, begging Cinder not to take over. The last thing she needed was to start the day off like that. Her date would be ruined for sure, and this was the best chance to make a real impression on the boy she liked!

…Well, the boy she was trying to like, anyway. Nick was okay and all, but she still barely knew him.

That’s what the date is for. So we can fall in love the way they do in faerie tales.

Maybe Ella’s way of thinking was shallow and unrealistic. But she didn’t exactly have a normal life up until this point, either.

Was it so wrong to have a bit of a fantasy?

Ella didn’t stop pacing until she was sure that she didn’t have to worry about Cinder coming to the surface. When she managed that, she turned to Augmented Synthetic Humanoid Assassin and gave her a tense smile.

“So, um… you… did you want me to get ready for my date? Is that it?” She tried again.

A brighter smile. A bigger nod.

Yep. Augmented Synthetic Humanoid Assassin was as excited for Ella’s date as Ella was terrified of it. And as nice as it was to have the other woman’s support, it didn’t help the anxiety welling up in her heart any, as sad as she was to say.

Ella just hoped that she could make it through this mess without hurting anybody. Emotionally or physically.

…And that included herself.

“Oooookay… um… let’s see… what I can wear…”

Ella had a very scarce selection of outfits to choose from. In fact, you could call the composition of her closet “practically empty.”

If she wanted to actually look nice for her date, it was either the dress she’d already worn, something in orange, or… nothing at all.

Just the thought of that made her face overheat and she nearly collapsed.

“…No, no, can’t handle that,” she said testily, shaking her head. “No, I just need to, um…”

She looked over at Augmented Synthetic Humanoid Assassin again, seeking some support, but the assassin was already starting to look bored.

Ella couldn’t blame her.

Well… there’s always that… but I… do I really want to?

She could buy some new clothes at the boutique if she went early enough. But the last time she did that, it didn’t go well. She’d burned through a decent chunk of her BP, and in response Cinder had attempted to earn it all back with a bounty.

And judging from her alter’s reaction, that had not gone well. Ella really didn’t want to put her in that position again, so that limited what she could do herself.

She had to make a decision… and it seemed like it might be a difficult one.

Her last option was probably not a good idea either, and it definitely wasn’t something that made her comfortable. But she hustled over to the closet, threw on her only nice clothes, and rushed out of the room, leaving a very curious assassin behind.

Amelia had not had the best morning. Even after her coffee, she still didn’t feel completely awake after the miserable night she’d been **** to endure.

Sleeping in the same bed as Vivian, who hogged the blankets, was bad enough. But last night, Vivian had insisted that Octavia sleep in the same bed as them. This normally didn’t happen- the butler had never slept in their bed before, as far as Amelia knew, not that she knew where the other woman DID sleep. Maybe she just hovered over the bed, waiting to be of service.

…But that had not been the case last night. And if Amelia thought that sharing the same bed as her stepson had been an uncomfortable prospect, sharing a small bed with two grown women had topped it.

But she was a mature adult. She didn’t need to show her frustration with the situation, not when she had coffee to bury her displeasure underneath.

As she took another sip from her mug, she looked over at the bed. Vivian was still asleep, as peaceful as a baby, with Octavia sleeping beside her. Like that, one could almost forget that the heiress was one of the most obnoxious women Amelia had ever had the displeasure of teaching.

A knock on the door shook her from her sip, and helped wake her up a little. Dreary-eyed, she drained her mug and walked over to the door, wondering who it could be at this hour.

The face she saw staring back at her from the doorway was not anyone she would have expected to run into here.

“…Ella? What do you need?” Amelia asked coldly, scanning the young woman’s facial features. Judging by the timid expression on her face and the way she jumped slightly when Amelia addressed her (she needed to get better at doing that…) she was Ella right now. Not Cinder.

“I, um…” Ella clearly hadn’t been prepared to run into the teacher this morning. She looked uncomfortable as she glanced past her, shooting furtive looks deeper into the Garden Suite. “Can… can I talk to Vivian?”

“No,” Amelia stated. After all, Vivian was asleep. There was no way for Ella to talk to her.

…Maybe if she’d explained that, instead of a terse one-word rebuttal, Ella wouldn’t have made an expression like she was about to pass out.

“O-okay…” The stunned girl stammered, fumbling for her wrist. “I-I’m sorry…”

“Wait, that… I worded my statement poorly,” Amelia hastily stopped her from leaving, and adjusted her glasses. “Please forgive me. I did not have a good night’s rest.”

Ella nodded sympathetically without even realizing she was doing it. “Yeah, me too…” She murmured, stifling a yawn.

Commiserating over tiredness may have seemed nice, but it wasn’t actually fixing the problem unfortunately. Ella clearly needed something, and Amelia did not know how to help her.

It didn’t stop her from trying, though.

“What do you need?” She shouldn’t have asked that so forcefully, so she tried again. “…Apologies once more. How may I be of service?”

Ella squirmed uncomfortably in front of her, tugging on the hem of her dress. A subconscious giveaway to Amelia that this had something to do with her clothes. And if she was looking for Vivian, then that could only mean…

“Perhaps you are seeking fashion advice from Miss Carrington?” Amelia tried, and Ella’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Y-yeah, that… how did you know?” Ella asked, tilting her head to the side. “I wanted, um… to ask her if she could help me with my clothes…”

It was an easy guess, but Amelia felt like going into that was a waste of her time.

“She’s asleep right now. She can’t help you,” Amelia said, trying to sound as sympathetic to Ella’s plight as she felt. The poor girl really needed some support- and the last thing she needed was to think Amelia didn’t like her.

“Aw, come on, Teach! Don’t be so cold! She came all this way!”

Amelia flinched, but quickly got a hold of herself. She slowly turned to see Vivian standing behind her, dressed to the nines in a casual vest and shirt combo that showed off her midriff and some low-rider jeans. Her style was impeccable as always, even though Amelia could have sworn that the girl had been asleep just minutes earlier. And yet somehow, she looked immaculate, without a single hair on her head out of place.

The heiress was good, Amelia had to give her that. Begrudgingly.

“Excellent. You’re awake,” Amelia said, this time intending her voice to sound as cold and uncaring as it did. “You can take over now.”

She had meant to insinuate that Ella would be in better hands, hands more suited to helping the fretting girl with her problems. But the way she’d phrased it had made it sound like the struggling latina was a problem that she was washing her hands of.

Again… Amelia really needed to do better when it came to interacting with people, especially sensitive girls like Ella who might take what she said the wrong way.

“…Good luck,” she added, patting the other woman on the shoulder as she walked past her, heading for the lounge area. She needed a refill of her coffee, and she hoped the friendly gesture would be comforting enough to make up for her harsh tone.

Ella didn’t seem to mind, or if she did, she did an excellent job of not letting that show on her face. Instead, she looked hopefully over at Vivian, who had a shiny smile on her lips and a twinkle in her eyes as she devoured Ella from top to bottom.

“So what’s this I hear about a consultation?” Vivian purred, leaning against the doorframe. “Wait, don’t tell me. You’d like my help at picking out the perfect outfit for you to wear on your date with Nick tonight, isn’t that right?”

“Um…” Ella fidgeted and then nodded. “I’ve never been good at things like this,” she admitted sadly.

“Oh, no trouble, no trouble at all! Come in, come in!” Vivian was quick to usher her back into the room, closing the door behind them to keep any nosy eyes out.

Now she had Ella all to herself…

Ella remembered how remarkable this room had been when she first saw it, and it was still just as magnificent. All the plants and trees, the artificial sunlight, it was like she’d stepped out of the hallway and into a jungle.

But she couldn’t let herself be swept away by the ambiance. She was here for one reason and one reason alone, to get Vivian’s help in picking out the perfect outfit for her…

Ella’s thought process trailed off as she noticed Vivian was circling her like a buzzard, occasionally crouching down and studying her from all different angles.

When the heiress came up behind her and lifted her arms out to the sides, she finally managed to ask what was going on.

“What… what are you doing?”

“Just getting your measurements,” the fashionista replied. “Didn’t have time to be this thorough when we picked out your swimsuit the other day. My eyes are good, but my hands are even better.”

Ella wasn’t quite sure how she felt about Vivian touching her all over. But it wasn’t like she was being molested or hit. It just made her feel awkward and uncomfortable, like she was being put on display.

…Maybe that was the point? After all, she had come to the other woman looking for clothing advice, since she knew Vivian had a lot of experience with that.

Far more experience than Ella had, anyway.

“Not bad, not bad…” Vivian stepped back and stroked her chin thoughtfully, examining Ella again, from a further distance this time. “Okay, yeah, we can make this work!”

“You… you can?” Ella asked hopefully, although she didn’t know what “this” referred to.

Hopefully nothing bad.

Vivian kept nodding. “So Ella, let’s start with this. What kind of outfit are you looking for?”

Not really sure how to answer that question, Ella scratched her head and replied with, “Something nice, I guess?”

Vivian stared blankly at the other girl.

“…Okay, so, when you say you’ve never really been good at matching your outfits and picking out clothes, what are we talking here?” Vivian asked. “Always shopping at discount warehouses? Grabbing stuff from good will? Ever been on a shopping spree before? Fashion week in Paris?”

Ella returned Vivian’s previous blank look with one of her own.

“…Haaaaaah…” The fashionist sighed in exasperation and scratched her head. “We’ve got a long way to go, I guess. Have you even bought your own clothes before?”

“I-I have-!” Ella stammered. “…At the boutique, when I first got here. See?”

She gestured at the dress she was wearing.

Vivian nodded in approval, but Ella could smell **** coming from her, like she wasn’t sure if she should approve of that or not.

“Well… it’s cute,” she said. “And it looks nice on you.”

Ella squirmed, not sure if those were compliments. They sounded like compliments, but the tone of the other girl’s voice reminded her of when she’d pay her stepmother and stepsisters compliments.

Like she was under duress.

“I… okay, um… I’ve never… actually bought clothes before,” Ella admitted, hanging her head. “Before coming to this island, I mean.”

Vivian’s jaw actually dropped. “…No way. Like, never? Are you kidding me right now?” She shook her head in disbelief and Ella shook hers even harder.

“What!? I haven’t!” She groaned. “I-I’m sorry, it’s just… well… I would only ever wear my stepsisters’ hand-me-downs… they would never give me any new things, just… just worn-out stuff they were done with. Said it would be a waste of money since I never left the house anyway…”

It would be one thing if they had sent her out shopping for food. Even that would have been nice every once in a while. But Ella had been strictly a house servant.

Or, in more accurate terms, a ****.

Ella didn’t tell Vivian any of this, of course, but her words must have conveyed that regardless, because when she raised her head and looked the other woman in the eye, the heiress looked like she was about to burst into tears.

“Oh, you poor thing!” She wailed, pulling Ella into a hug. “Not getting to buy your own clothes… never having the pleasure of comparing different tops or coordinating colors, not testing your skills at discerning designer labels from cheap knock-offs, never trying on a dozen pairs of heels to see which ones compliment you best… your life must have been so difficult!”

“…Yeah, uh-huh,” Ella said dryly, staring coldly off into the distance as Vivian tightly comforted her. “That’s why my childhood was awful alright, just that, and no other reasons.”

Her sarcasm was wasted on the other woman though.