with a little bit of luck
theinnocentflowwerâ:
Sybille couldnât help but feel proud of how far Simone had come. She looked like a bored young woman of society going to a ball that didnât interest her. Not a street rat shoved into a pretty dress. Even her smile was perfect, even if her voice here between them had the twang of the gutters. She knew Simone would iron it out âThe idea is that if we canât breathe we will be more likely to swoon into the arms of a dashing gentleman,â Sybille mused, making sure the ribbon of her fan was looped tightly around her wrist. âIt does provide a convenient excuse if you need to get out of a conversation in a hurry.â Simone was good at hiding her anxiety, but Sybille could feel it radiating off her still. She didnât let on, just nodded back at Simone before knocking on the carriage door.
The driver opened the door and helped them both down onto the pavement. There was a brief pause while they smoothed down their skirts, and then the party set upon them. Glistening ladies and posturing men watched them as they entered. The largest room of the house had been turned into a ballroom, with a small ensemble in one corner. Dancing was something she had yet to teach Simone. How to present herself and to properly socialise with the nobility was easy to explain the importance of. Explaining why Simone should spend time learning the waltz was more difficult to impart.
But so far they had survived the first people that had approached them, none had seen through Simone. Men who had asked for a dance had easily been turned away by mention of a healing ankle. âHow are you finding it so far?â Sybille asked Simone when they finally had a moment to themselves. âEnjoy seeing how the other half live?â Sybille knew that this soirĂŠe was nothing compared to the parties the nobility threw, but the middle class could try their best to imitate.
As she followed Sybille out of the carriage, she couldn't help but gawk at the display. It was beautiful, the type of place she would have loved to steal from on a normal day. In fact, parties seemed to be the perfect distractions necessary to get to bedrooms without being noticed. She berated herself for not attempting it sooner. By the time they reached the ballroom, she pulled her composure back to her, even if her eyes darted around every inch of the room.
She stepped into the shoes of civilized woman with practiced ease, any sign of her true origins gone from her face as she was introduced to all of the people curious about the new person among their crowd. The women were silly and shallow and the men were even worse, some not even attempting to hide that they were ogling her body. As she laughed at every stupid joke and politely turned away every boy's offer to dance, Simone mulled over how she would have dealt with these people before she met Sybille. She had to be proud of herself for not murdering them at least.
Taking a deep breath the minute they had a moment to do so, Simone gave Sybille a weary smile. "I have to admit I'm still tempted to take every jewel off of their fingers," she murmured quietly, "but it is nice." Despite it all, she could see how people would fall in love with it all. It was a day to enjoy the finer things they have come to acquire and make their neighbors jealous with it. She gathered that half of the Court of Miracles would do the same if they had the means to. "How long do these parties usually go on for?"











