@lady-archon-cythria
'Nethrys! So glad you could make it to the soire! Did you see lady Hela's outfit, it's atrocious!' Sevra smiled and hugged Nethrys as she moved to join their clique.
'You look... well.'
'Well fed you mean.' One of their friends smirked.
'Shut up Vikii, you're not exactly wasting away yourself.' Sevra snapped.
âSo glad to be joining you, Sevra. Iâve very much been needing to⊠get out of the house, lately,â Nethrys said as she returned the hug. âAnd muses, I know. I donât know how anyone can stand leaving their lair wearing something like that!â
At the mention of her appearance, Nethrysâ spirit seemed to fall just a tad. Her cheeks flushed, and she nervously fiddled with her hands behind her back.
âYes, yes, I knowâŠâ she sighed, her ears bashfully drooping. âMotherâs latest⊠trend-chasing continues. Iâm sure sheâll find some new fleeting interest soon, and I can finally get this reversed. This is all just a temporary thing. A mistake, really. In a year, weâll all be looking back on it as a tragic fashion faux-pas.â
'Your mother's been acting strange lately hasn't she?' Sevra asked. Then snorted with laughter. 'Our have too. It's like they've all gone mad lately. This fashion trend is a nightmare. Who even started it?'
Sevra laughed at Nethrys observation. 'She must have been desperate for something different to wear!'
Sevra placed a hand on Nethrys shoulder. 'It's a weird trend, and it'll be over soon I'm sure. Like I'm pretty sure off black is coming back in style soon. And you'll be exactly right. We'll laugh about this next year.'
âStrange doesnât even begin to cover itâŠâ Nethrys groaned. âMother seems to voraciously love feeding me like a prize grox and forcing me to stuff myself into ill-fitting outfits now. Maybe sheâs feeding off my misery, I donât know. But I am ever so tired of my nightly six-course meals and subsequent hour of unwanted belly rubs. I donât know who started this absurd trend, but I hope theyâre devoured by a Carnifex in the not-too-distant future.â She let out a long sigh. âHave your mothers grown so deranged yet? Your figures donât seem quite as⊠over-encumbered as mine does, at least.â
âIn that case, I wish sheâd just have ordered a few dozen more outfits instead of turning me into her bloated fashion accessory.â
Nethrys looked at Sevra with a weary yet affectionate gaze as her fellow young socialite placed a hand on her shoulder. While there was always the possibility that this closeness was a feint to manipulate her in some way - such was simply the way things often were in Commorragh - her intuition told her that Sevra was genuine, and she appreciated her for it. âWell⊠I hope off-black is slimming!â she joked with a smirk.
'That is a creative way to feed off misery.' Sevra mused, as if considering trying it on one of her handmaidens for a moment.
'Six courses? No wonder you've, blossomed so swiftly. That's a lot of calories. How do you even manage to fit it all in?' Sevra seemed shocked, like most Drukhari noblewomen she tended to just, pick at food. She could do so all night, but even then she'd hardly leave a party swollen to the point of feeling overly full. Wine was a different story of course, but all Drukhari knew those calories were empty.
'It must be someone high up, because I've heard this trend is spreading far and wide. An old house perhaps?' Vikii asked.
'That'd be right. They're all plump in the high towers already. May as well try to fit in by making us follow their example.'
Sevra and the others exchanged glances at the question.
'Mine has, recently started making sure I eat more.' One says.
'Mine... feeds me a second dinner every evening.' Vikii admitted.
'My mother... I think is trying to tempt me more subtlely. She's discovered I'm a hungry drunk, which means, I'm not sure how far she's going.' Sevra admitted through gritted teeth. 'So I've taken to Reaver Jetbiking again to be more active in my own time.' She shrugged as if that would counteract whatever was coming her way.
'I hope for your sake it isn't Nethrys. Otherwise you're fatter than you look.' Sevra smiled, affectionately. The two had been old friends, which in Commoragh meant on and off again lovers in most cases.
Sevra had never acted against Nethrys herself. But how could she. Her position was that of a socialite, she had no Kabal backing. She survived by looking good and fashionable at parties, and having friends with connections. She was the last person in this clique who would ever turn on Nethrys.