houseofcards_rp | [OTA] Shop and Spy

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[OTA] Shop and Spy

Best order from a royal ever: go shopping and see what you can hear about what the Tower and the Devil might have in store other than dubiously romantic dates in Town.

So after a trip over to Diamond Castle, Zoe wanders first to Heartsong, her uncle's music store where Sara first spotted Burke and Asmodai, flipping through Uncle Lucien's used record collection as she listened to the chatter from the other customers. But it seems that all is quiet again on the Arcana front, and she's soon out the door again, wandering down the street and pausing here and there to look at this dress or this one or those shoes.

And listening to idle chatter, of course.

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...Well, Silas could accept blame with grace. He was incredibly talented at that, actually. "I actually need a tux for the ball and haven't decided on a color scheme yet." Yes. Silas' tailor hates him. It's terrible, really. Someone should stop him from doing this so often.

The tailor must be about ready to cry, Zoe thinks as she slips her silver flats back on and looks at the contemplatively. "What about silver?" she offers. "A silver tie, maybe a midnight blue suit to be a little different than the norm?"

That's worthy of a raised eyebrow. "With a silver waistcoat, of course. Hmm... That could work quite well, actually." That it would match Isaac's wedding scheme is amusing, of course, but nothing to worry over. There are only so many colors in existence.

Well, she missed out on Isaac's wedding because Isaac's wife wishes that Victor would just drop dead, though it wouldn't surprise her that that was the color scheme. "It matches the theme, too," she points out. "Midsummer's Night Dream. Queen Katya is ordering all the fairy lights in the world, I think."

"Miss Kattalakis, if ever you decide on a change of profession, perhaps you should consider being a personal stylist." It's perfect, really. Phone out, he sends a text to his tailor; he'll be there in an hour so please have fabrics in midnight and silver appropriate for a tuxedo to be worn to the ball. "You're brilliant."

"Well, I have been doing a lot of makeovers this year," she said with a soft laugh as she hands the clerk a credit card for her new shoes. "So maybe it's just hard for me to get out of that mindset." Sophie was the only real makeover, of course. But she had a tendency to suggest clothes to friends. It kept her from over-shopping.

"It isn't a bad mindset to have, you know. It's good to help people look as nice as you do at all times." Compliments? Silas was the king of them, no pun intended. "Besides, it turns out quite well."

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Her sense of style had been drilled in - in all likelihood, without Charlotte's interference, it would have taken longer to abandon the jeans and tennis shoes of her childhood - but her color sense hadn't been.

"I hope you've been settling into your new position well," she said after a moment. "I'm looking forward to working with the Diamonds, though it'll be a trick, juggling it with Arcana." And the finance office. She really needs to check on Penelope when she gets back.

He smiled warmly, leading the way to the door -- though he paused in contemplation when a sapphire and diamond tie-tack caught his eye. Decisions, decisions. And beneath it were matching cufflinks. Hmm...

"I'm managing well enough, yes. And you, of course, will perform admirably, Zoë. If there's one thing I've come to see that you do well, it's balancing your time and performing all duties to meet a very high standard. Not all are as talented at such a thing." Tipping his head, he decided to just go for it, and he called over a clerk to remove the items from the cases so that he could properly admire them.

"What do you think?"

"That's good. Any change in rank is difficult." More difficult, of course, when you dropped ranks, like she had, but she was only twenty. There was more than enough time to rise back up to Seven again. Or higher, if she wanted. She smiled though, at the compliment. "It just takes practice, I think. I was running the Heart finance office last year, so I got lots of it."

She regards the cufflinks and tie tack critically, and then nods. "They're lovely. Very suitable for the King of Diamonds, I think."

"Managing finances will definitely force a person to manage their time flawlessly, I'll agree." Silas doesn't even balance his own checkbook. He could, but he doesn't. That's what he has a personal accountant for. "Your job is similar with the Spades, is it not?"

As for the cufflinks, well. Her opinion solidifies his decision, and he nods to the clerk, following her back to a register so that he can pay for them. "I'm inclined to agree, and they'll work beautifully with whatever masterpiece my tailor works up for me. You've got great eyes, Zoë." ...He means it both ways, actually.

"It's the same. Urania was doing it, but she doesn't enjoy the minutiae of budgeting and reconciling." Yes, Zoe does. And she has the (correspondence) degree to prove it.

Zoe trails Silas back to the register. "They should probably work well for any formal occasion." Or, hell, everyday. These were the Diamonds they were speaking of. "Ive been told they're my best feature," she informs him, humor making her sapphire eyes twinkle with amusement.

"Well, if you're good at it, then keep doing it. Passion is the key to a happy existence, after all." Ah, passion. Passion is a very good thing to have.

"As long as they match, they will." A smile, of course. He likes talking about pretty things.

Paying is a quick work, and he tucks the small boxes into their bag before turning to face her. And for emphasis, he'll take a good look at her eyes, her face, all of it. Smile. And agree. "I believe you've been told the truth. Your smile is wonderful, but your eyes are so startling that they must be your best feature."

"Thank you, Your Majesty." They're her mother's eyes, but Charlotte's don't stick out nearly as much. Zoe's always figured it's because she insists on pretending she's a natural blonde. "I like them, I have to admit." Enough to have perfected makeup to make them more startling, and lean towards colors that made them look even brighter.

"You certainly aren't alone in that," he answers with a grin. "They're lovely, and anyone who disagrees is either blind or a liar. Now, I did not see you pick up an evening gown. Do you already have one picked out for the ball?"

"Oh, Signora Pivoni is making mine," Zoe says. "Flame red silk chiffon. I'm to accessorize with gold, apparently." Signora Pivoni has firm opinions as well as the utter competence of efficiency that not only got Urania's wedding off, but has a dozen Spade ball gowns on schedule to be delivered next week. "It's got a slit all the way up the thigh."

His brows shot up at that. "That sounds incredibly risque, Miss Kattalakis. I think it will not only be your Spade gentleman looking." His way of asking if it might be a little bit too dangerously sexy, Zoë. And people think Silas is incapable of tact.

"She told me Spade women aren't afraid of drama." Which is to say that it is certainly the boldest thing she's ever commissioned for a ball, including the black gown from last years masquerade, with the ostrich feather skirt.

Her Spade gentleman will likely be off-Deck on business, but she just shrugs. "They can look as long as they don't touch."

"In that case," he chuckled, "I pity any man who wants to dance with you. I'm sure you will look absolutely fantastic, as always, and I look forward to seeing how the final work looks."

"I'll probably let one or two," or three or four, "through," she tells him. Hadyn better dance with her, and Evan, of course. And she could probably resist the urge to stomp on Elisha's toes long enough for a dance.

He grinned. "Your secret is safe with me, then."

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[OTA] Shop and Spy

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