the specific shade
“Mmm,” she quietly mumbled. No mashed potatoes had ever tasted that good. Early she had tried to inquire about the spices included in the meal, but the waiter had politely just smiled before offering her a refill and continuing on towards the other guests.
She had to guess it was around 11 now, but given there were no clocks, she would never know. There had been a fair amount of warnings prior to her arrival, that this was an event not run in a timely fashion, but she had never taken it all too seriously.
The train seemed to veer right harshly, and she had to do everything in her power to not fall off balance. The candles continued to flicker, but by now she was convinced that it was on purpose. There were many of the aspects of the train and the system inside of it that intrigued her, from the waiters who did not answer questions, just asked, to the chandelier, which now seemed to just be hanging from nothing.
Maybe it was the third glass of Prosecco clouding her judgement or maybe this train certainly was something different. Nevertheless, it did seem quite enchanting.
---
(four days ago) She twirled around again, this time to the left, admiring the colour.
Normally Ali wouldn’t shop at ‘Lime’, a fancy dress shop in Georgetown. The World Cup winnings were certainly a pleasant bonus, but her paycheck was not quite fat enough to splurge on something from the expensive little boutique.
“Miss, the colour looks simply impeccable on you,” the gentleman who had been helping her smiled in the reflection of the mirror, “although it was helped tremendously if you did as little as give me a hint, as to what this is for.”
Ali just gave him a nose-crinkling grin, but giving the dress one last twirl.
“Stephen, you have done a marvelous job with,” she paused, rolling the word possibilities around on her tongue, “the limited details I have provided you with.”
“So, is this the one?”
“I do believe it is.”
Truthfully, Ali did not believe it was. She knew it was. Ali was not certain of a lot about this adventure to Germany, but she had the utmost faith in her shopping expertise.
And as Ali left the store, Stephen thanked whoever it was that had just recently brought the dress in. Unlike many others, this one was dropped off anonymously - most were dropped off here in attempts to launch a brand.
But he was certainly gracious, for he would never had had a dress of that shade of red.
---
“Ash, I’m home!” Her girlfriend playfully bounded around the corner, decked out in a full UNC jumpsuit. Given it was a Saturday, her team had a game against Stanford and thankfully it was one she could finally see. Normally the games interfered with national team commitments or Spirit training, so Ashlyn was particularly happy to be able to watch - and to theoretically compete against her best friend Kelley, who went to Stanford. The two always had bets, and in the past stuff, they had elected it to be the strangest dares. Climbing the flagpole and putting a pair of Alex’s panties on top (that the loser also had to steal) or knocking on Jill and Pia’s doors at 3:30 in the morning, claiming to be ‘room service’. But with Kelley’s latest attraction, or as Ashlyn liked to call it, obsession, with Hope, this bet deemed that the loser had to steal all of Hope’s underwear and bras - one that Ashlyn picked specifically with Kelley in mind - she knew that there was no way UNC would lose this one.
“What did cha buy?” She put on her cutest face, before wrapping Ali up in a hug.
“Just some new heels.”
“It took you an hour and a half to buy a pair of shoes?” Ashlyn moved back a tiny bit in the hug to look down suspiciously at her girlfriend.
Shit. “Uh babe, you know how I am,” she looked down sheepishly and giggled nervously.
“I do, I do. I have been a victim of those,” she shuddered for dramatic effect, “trips many times.”
Ali laughed, leaning up for a delicate kiss on her girl’s soft lips, silently thanking the heavens for the idea to leave her dress in the car. It was probably the most exquisite, extravagant purchase Ali had ever made. It began with sweetheart neckline, so the gown was ‘sans-straps’, showing off Ali’s chiseled collarbones and the tops of her cleavage. Continuing down, it was a deep shade of crimson, tight until the waist before flowing out past the tips of her toes, even with six inch heels on. There was a slit in the dress, on the right side of her dress that ran up to her hip, and covering the gap was black mesh, adorned with black sequins and feathers. Although subtle, the accent certainly tied her outfit together.
Ali had received her masq in the first gold envelope,and she had requested Stephen at the dress store to find a dress involving the same deep red hues. Honestly, it was a miracle he had one, as not even the Shopping Queen had seen this shade before.
---
(15 hours earlier)
Ashlyn had left Ali and Crystal to find their flights, eagerly trotting towards her gate. Scanning the boards, she nearly clotheslined an elderly couple trying to get there as quick as her legs would allow her. After briefly apologizing, she made it to the gate, only to find no one there.
“Ugh- oh.”
She picked up a flimsy, hand-written note off the counter.
A. Harris-
I am thoroughly joyful that you have made it this far with the journey. I do hope you have tenderly followed the rules and gotten together all the last minute requirements that I myself were not able to fetch.
I must reiterate to you how happy I am that you are coming to Germany. I promise to you that you certainly will not regret this decision.
Please, let yourself onto the plane and chose a seat yourself. Have an amazing flight and do not think twice about asking for anything you may need.
Yours truly,
Geheim.
And with that, she began her adventure.