Think of me and I'll be there

Ella couldn’t believe what she was looking at. She stared vacantly at her own appearance in the mirror, and tried to process it. But her brain was shutting down.

The first thing she took note of was that she was dressed in black, a color that she wasn’t used to wearing at all. She knew Cinder had an affinity for it, but she definitely did not! She liked bright, softer colors, the kind of things that softened her and warmed her up inside! Clothes that made her feel like a princess, not an evil witch! …Not that she looked like an evil witch, of course. But still, wearing something black like this, it wasn’t what she was used to.

Finally, she managed to get enough strength to talk. She turned to Vivian and stared questioningly at her. “V-Vivian… what is this?!” She nearly exploded, but kept her emotions in check. She could feel Cinder pushing against her right now, and the last thing she needed was for her alter to go wild on the woman who was helping her- even if Ella didn’t like what she was doing to help right now.

“Huh? What do you mean?” Vivian squinted in confusion. “It’s what you were asking for. Something that stands out, a contrast to your normal clothes, while still being cute and familiar so you feel comfortable wearing it!”

Ella turned to look at the dress again. “How… what?”

She didn’t understand how Vivian could say that this was familiar. Cute, sure, but… “I don’t feel comfortable in this at all! It makes me look edgy! He’s going to think Cinder took over!”

“What? But the frills are totally you!” Vivian pointed out. “And black goes nicely with your skin tone. It makes you look totally mature and seductive, isn’t that a good vibe? You’ll have him on the back foot the whole day, he’ll be putty in your hands!”

Ella could see where the other woman was coming from, but she was adamant. She shook her head firmly, refusing to wear it. “It’s not for me,” she said firmly. “The frills are nice, but the color… it’s just not right!”

Vivian nodded. “Okay, so you don’t want to go for a gothic look… well, how about this, then?” She helped Ella change into another outfit, and when she saw her reflection in the mirror she froze for a second and nearly passed out on the spot.

Then her emotions returned with a vengeance.

“WHAT IS THIS?!” She exclaimed, feeling Cinder on the brink of taking over out of pure outrage. She grabbed her rubber-band and started to snap it. “THWAP! THWAP!”

Vivian looked genuinely shocked. “You don’t like it? But it’s got a mature vibe going. I even made sure to coordinate the colors. A frilly pink skirt to match the white top, and give you a chic adult kind of appeal.”

Ella looked at her reflection and her face burned. “I… I’m showing my shoulders, and so much of my chest… no, it’s too… slutty!”

Vivian didn’t see it. “It’s not slutty,” she said bluntly. “It might be a little revealing, sure, but it’s sensual! That’s the kind of thing that draws the eye! What, do you want me to dress you up as a nun or something?”

Ella knew that Vivian wasn’t taking her criticism seriously. She glared at the other girl and stomped her foot in frustration.

“Just… it’s not good!” She said firmly, shaking her head. “Can you find me something that won’t make me feel like a… a lady of ill repute?!”

Vivian raised an eyebrow and looked at Ella’s reflection again. If she thought that something this conservative made her look like a stripper, just because it revealed her shoulders, then she was in for a nasty surprise.

“…I’ll see what I can do,” Vivian promised, helping Ella change into another outfit. “But I don’t think you’ll like the color of this one.”

Ella bristled, not liking the sound of that. When Vivian finished, she looked at her reflection again, and did a double-take.

“Eh… this… this actually isn’t that bad?” When Vivian had told her that she wouldn’t like the color, Ella had been wary about what the result would be. And while the other girl was right, and she didn’t like the dark color of the suit at all, it wasn’t so bad? It was modest, with long pants and a jacket, and it did give her kind of a cool appeal.

But… Ella didn’t do well with the cool appeal. This didn’t look like it suited her at all, which was unfortunate since it really did look nice.

“…I think something like this would look better on you than on me,” she said, shaking her head. “I don’t think it’s my kind of style if I’m being honest.”

Vivian blinked, and then laughed. “Well, fair enough,” she agreed. “I think it’s pretty cool, but I guess you’re going more for cute! Still, I bet Nick would enjoy the company of such a snappy dresser, who can take charge for herself!”

Ella giggled at that. She just couldn’t imagine herself in that role at all! “…Sorry, but yeah, I’d like something a little more cute. But not too childish! I-I want him to see me as a peer, an equal, someone he can be in a relationship with, not some frilly girl that needs to be babied and catered to, or anything like that!”

Vivian nodded, her chipper smile not faltering in the slightest in spite of Ella’s increasingly-forceful demands.

The other girl really was a bit picky, for someone who had never actually gone clothing shopping for herself.

Vivian had half a mind to just let her pick out her own clothes if she was going to make such a big deal out of it, but she held off. This was what she was good at, after all, making things that could bring out a model’s best qualities.

“Well… there’s always this,” she said, showing Ella another outfit choice.

Ella didn’t even have to try it on to know that she would love it. It was so her- it was perfect!

But she tried it on anyway to check out what she looked like while wearing it.

“Ah!” She cried, her face flushing with joy. She did a little spin. “Look at me! I look just like a princess from a faerie tale!”

“Yeah, I figured you’d like that one!” Vivian chuckled. “A princess dress! ...Well, it’s not all that fancy or anything like a real princess dress, but I went with something that’s cute and frilly, just like you wanted, right?”

“Absolutely!” Ella nodded, her eyes shining. “This is the one! This is what I want to wear on my date today!”

Vivian nodded thoughtfully, but her expression was a complicated one. “Well, if that’s what you want, I can understand where you’re coming from,” she agreed. “It’s important to wear an outfit that suits you on a date, something that draws out your best features and makes you comfortable. No argument there.”

Ella nodded. Finally, Vivian was making sense! “So then-”

“But are you sure that’s really the case here?” Vivian cut her off, causing Ella to freeze. She looked back at the heiress with her mouth agape.

“…Huh?” She asked, scowling.

Vivian shrugged. “Look, you like it, so I’m not going to say it’s a bad pick,” she stated. “People should wear the clothes they want to wear, and that includes wearing a dress like that one. That’s your choice, Ella! Wear your truth! …But at the same time, I don’t know if it’s the perfect fit for a date. You know what I mean?”

Ella shook her head firmly. She most certainly did not!

“Why don’t you think it’s the perfect fit for a date?” She asked, scowling.

“Because, frankly, it makes you look like a kid,” Vivian said bluntly. “…Okay, I mean, not like a little kid or anything, let’s be real. But take a look at yourself, Ella. Does that seem like the kind of outfit you’d wear if you wanted to seduce a boy?”

Ella’s face heated up. “I… I don’t WANT to seduce him, though!” She protested.

Vivian snorted and rolled her eyes. “Come on, let’s not be ridiculous,” she scoffed. “You want to seduce him. You know you do. Maybe not in the way you’re thinking, but you want to do it. There’s a lot of different kinds of seduction, you know. We don’t have to be talking sexual.”

“…H-huh?” Ella looked at him in confusion, not sure what he meant by that. “Seduction, that… I mean… I don’t…”

“There are all sorts of ways you can be seductive,” Vivian repeated herself. “You don’t need to show off your body or even get him to think about you in a sexual light.”

“Good! Because I don’t want that!” Ella exclaimed. Well, at least not yet, anyway. But she wasn’t ready to verbalize those feelings.

“Well, but there are other things you can do to seduce somebody,” Vivian continued, clearing her throat. “For example, seduction can be as simple as getting him to fall for you!”

“That… that’s it?” Ella wasn’t sure she understood.

“Look, I’ll put it to you simply,” Vivian said, patting Ella on the shoulder. “If you go on your date dressed like that, you’ll probably have a good time. But because of those clothes, it might not feel like a date. Sure, Nick’s going to be kind and attentive to you, no doubts there. But is he going to see you as girlfriend material? Is that really you trying your best to get him to look at you in a new light? Or is it going to reconfirm what he already thinks, that you’re not ready for anything serious or romantic right now?”

Ella looked down at her dress. It was cute, the kind of thing that she always wanted to wear. But was Vivian right? Would Nick take her seriously as a romantic prospect while wearing something like this on her date?

She honestly didn’t know.

But she did trust Vivian’s instincts… even if she didn’t like the conclusion that the other girl had drawn that much.

With a sigh on her lips, Ella hung her head.

“You’re right,” she admitted somberly. “Maybe… maybe this isn’t the right fit for me.”

“Hey, that’s not what I said,” Vivian winced, patting the other girl on the shoulder. “That dress is absolutely the right fit for you! …It just might not be the best thing to wear if you want a boy to see you as a legitimate romantic prospect, instead of as some pretty princess to be coddled like a child.”

Ella scowled. That was the last thing she wanted! Being coddled and treated like some fragile thing who couldn’t handle her own needs!

“Then… what would you recommend?” She asked finally. “If you were going to pick out an outfit for me, one that looked cute, but still mature, and in my colors, what would it be?”

Vivian blinked, and then smiled a catlike grin.

“Well, I’m glad you asked!” She chirped. Rushing over to her closet, she quickly returned with her arms full of an assortment of clothes.

“Let’s make use of everything we’ve learned so far,” she said, laying everything out on the bed. “First, we’ll make use of how well you look in dark colors. …I know, I know. You’re not a fan. But hey, they fit you, alright? Then to contrast that, we’ll use our trick from the second outfit, to find something that goes well with the color scheme of pink. So we’ll have a pink top, and maybe… ooh, this skirt sure looks nice! ...Mm, maybe not...”

Vivian set aside a hot pink top.

“As the dress you’re wearing clearly shows, you look good in frills,” she explained, holding up the top. “But we can’t go too frilly. So this top is a good fit. We can use darker frills, though, on the skirt! Sound good?”

She paired the pink top with a dark blue skirt covered in frills. The kind of thing Ella would have bought for herself, if it was a different color.

Ella bit her lip, and shook her head. “I… I don’t know,” she admitted. “I think it’s not really me. And that top… it’s sleeveless!”

Vivian rolled her eyes. “…The dress you were wearing here was sleeveless!” She pointed out, gesturing to the dress lying on the bed.

Ella blinked. “…W-well, but… that was a dress,” she said. “It’s different with a singular top, I mean… it’s not…”

“Fine, we’ll switch it up,” Vivian said. “How about we go with this for the skirt, instead?” She swapped navy blue with a dark maroon. A warmer color, but it also seemed like something Cinder would wear, as well.

Ella bit her lip. Cinder liking it should have been a red flag, but at the same time, Ella really liked the color, too.

But the top…

Vivian could tell that this would be a hard sell. Luckily, she had a trump card.

“Not quite done,” she said, her eyes sparkling with mischievous delight. “I have one last trick to add on, to tie the whole thing together!”

She set down the shirt and skirt, and presented Ella with something else.

“Eh? That… huh? A jacket?” Ella questioned.

The garment in Vivian’s hands was a warm brown color. It looked like a long-sleeve shirt, but also maybe a suit jacket? She didn’t know, she wasn’t good with clothing and what it was supposed to look like. She didn’t have the expansive vocabulary Vivian did!

“It’s a blazer,” Vivian clarified, rolling her eyes in spite of herself. “People wear them all the time to accentuate. This way, it’ll cover your arms, so Nick won’t see your shoulders. And then, when it gets too hot and you’ve built up your confidence, you can slide it off and really wow him! He’ll be blown away by how good you look!”

Ella tried to smile at Vivian’s suggestion, but it was a shaky one. She wasn’t sure. But at the same time, maybe… maybe this could work?

“…Okay,” she said, holding out her hand. “Let me try it on, at least?”

Vivian beamed at her. “Absolutely!” She handed Ella all the clothes, and Ella hastily dressed herself, hoping that she looked good.

She stared into the mirror at her own reflection, and gasped.

“This… I…”

She rubbed her eyes to make sure she was seeing herself properly. “…Is this really me?” She asked, turning to Vivian in surprise.

“Yep! You bet it is! Do I know what I’m doing or what?” Vivian smiled.

Ella turned back to the mirror to get another look.

She could really see what Vivian meant now about going for a more adult appeal. The princess dress was nice, but it looked a little too exaggerated. This, though, it really did look like the kind of outfit a girl might wear if she wanted to impress a guy, but not stand out too much on what was supposed to be a casual date.

“You’ll really wow him with this, I guarantee it!” Vivian chortled, giving Ella a supportive pat on the shoulder. “Don’t worry about trying too hard on this, okay? Remember, seduction isn’t just about being sexy! At its core, all you’re trying to do is get the boy to fall for you! And that means you could be wearing something cute, or something sexy, or in your case, something stylish and adorable and just perfect!”

Those were a lot of words that Ella had never heard associated with her before. She blushed and played with the hems of her blazer. For a moment she felt a little too exposed, but she quickly corrected that concern with a shake of her head.

She was dressed nice and adorable! Nick would absolutely adore her in this!

“Hey, it’s yours,” Vivian said, laughing. “Those clothes are so last season anyway.”

She churned through more clothes in three months than Ella had ever worn in her entire life. She could spare one outfit for the other girl.

And the return on her gift was something amazing to see. Ella sniffled and turn to her, wiping her eyes with joy.

“Thank you so much,” she said, nearly beside herself in tears. “You… you’re actually going to give me this?”

Vivian shrugged. “No big thing. Better than you buying clothes with your money, right?”

“Y-yeah, but… I mean…” Ella didn’t know what to say. This was so unusual for her, to have someone be this nice. “I’ve never gotten clothes as a gift before,” she admitted. “I don’t really know what to say in this situation.”

“Eh, just a thank-you is fine,” Vivian chirped. “But if you want to make it up to me, how about you try not to get them dirty, okay? It’s not that I want them back, I’d just feel so bad if you ruined the outfit I put so much work into making for you.”

Ella blushed and nodded. “Okay, I, I’ll try my best,” she agreed. “Again, thank you so much! You really think he’s going to like it?”

“I think it brings out your best qualities,” Vivian said. “It’s cute and girl enough that it suits you, but at the same time, it highlights your cooler qualities with that blazer.”

Ella blinked. “…I have cool qualities?”

Vivian shrugged. “Not many girls can pull off the short hair. I think you’re doing a nice job of that, if you ask me.”

“…I guess so,” she agreed, biting her lip. “Cool, huh…”

A shadow crossed her face, which Vivian picked up on.

“Hey, what’s wrong with being cool?” She asked in a joking tone. “I think being cool is pretty cool, if you ask me!”

Ella giggled and shook her head. “No, no, it’s just… I don’t have my hair short because I like it this way or anything. I’m not actually trying to be cool.”

Vivian nodded. She didn’t want to pry. “Well, if you say so, I’m not the kind of gal who worries about people’s problems. Need any tips for styling it?”

Ella shook her head. “It’s fine. Don’t worry about it. I just…” She flicked her fingers through the tips of her hair. “…Short hair… it was helpful,” she mumbled. “That’s all.”

Vivian nodded again. “…So anyway, how about shoes?” She bluntly changed the topic, causing Ella to look at her in confusion.

“…Sh-shoes?” She stammered. “What do you mean by shoes?”

Vivian smirked. “You don’t think that an outfit like that would be complete without a nice set of shoes to go with it? Come on now, let’s go over to the shoe section of my closet…”

She led a stunned Ella over to the closet, while the other girl’s eyes rolled in her head as she stammered in confusion. Apparently, they weren’t even close to done.